Thanking God for All, Again

This  piece is based on notes from a sermon delivered by Rev.Todd Crouch at a Community Thanksgiving Service on Nov, 20th 2012 in Bentleyville, Pennsylvania , and was originally published three ago entitled, the "Sacrifice of Thanks giving" . It seemed  appropriate to republish it this year.

We , in America of all people live in a land that has been blessed with so much; we have been given resources, wealth,  peace and in comparison to other lands a free and civil society.

We as a nation have been blessed with power, and dominance, strength; we have been “the head and not the tail” 

All Things From God

We may, when we look upon these things be tempted to believe that it was and is due to our own ingenuity and cleverness and strength that these blessing were secured. But  it is not.

 The Holy Word of God tells us that

 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James: 1:17

All things come from the providence of the Great God and it is to Him that we owe all thanks and allegiance, honor and worship.

 It tells us in His word   Psalms: 92:1-"It is good to give thanks to the Lord". It is good for us to acknowledge the Lord God as the One Who blesses all of us.To know just where all that we have been given truly comes from.

  Yet we as a nation may be on the verge of forgetting from where our great national blessings have come. The Great men and woman who were the founders of this nation understood the necessity of this or any nation to give thanks and honor the Great God who speaks to us from the page of the Holy Bible.

Voices From American History

The statesman Benjamin Franklin wrote to an associate: about his realization that we as a people need God

 “Have we now forgotten this powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth-that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow can fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that ‘except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it.’ I firmly believe this.”   

President Lincoln

America's  greatest president, Abraham Lincoln , who so often articulated a discerning  grasp and insight stated, the need for the American  people to turn their collective hearts and minds toward the God of the Bible and the need for His guiding hand in the life of this people.

"Whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men to owe their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”

Thanks Offering

 In the word of God, speaking to the people of Israel , we read:  “Sacrifice thank offerings to God; fulfill your vows to the Most High, Psalms: 50:14

and also;

"He who sacrifices thanks offerings honors me, and he prepares the way (by giving thanks) so that I may show him the salvation of God."  Psalm: 50; 23

The Word here tells us that it honors God when we offer thanks to Him. That is when we as people, or as Christians, bow our heads and give thanks to the Lord God He is honored, and when we thank Him, the way is prepared for us to see His salvation.

Do we thank God, do we acknowledge Him in our lives? Do we take the  time to give that Sacrifice of Thanksgiving,  which honors the Great God? 

 Do we honor God personally and as a people, as a nation? When we honor Him with thanks we prepare the way to see His salvation. The way is prepared to see His mighty salvation work in our lives in ways we may never had thought possible.

 Do we thank him for the blessings that have come upon us in this land? If we as a people, as a nation would give thanks to God could we see His salvation in our great social problems,in education,the  economy, the crisis in leadership at the highest levels of this  nation , in the plague of   government corruption,  community problems and many other challenges and ills that we as a people face?

 Could we see His salvation made manifest in the breakdown of the families, and see Him restore and bind up that which is broken down. Do we honor Him for all that He is, not just,  for what we have been given.

  Not Just The Material 

 We in America have so much, but do we thank the God of Heaven? But not just  for the material blessings but the less tangible blessings?

We as a nation have long lived in freedom and a civil society. Do we honor Him for these blessing? They are not wrought by our own hands but from Him.  A nation,or  any nation that acknowledges the God of the Bible will have these blessing.  And when this nation, or   any nation does not, then those blessing will fade away. 

That is, true freedom comes from God. Understand, that freedom, in the Biblical sense, is not just the freedom to prosper or  be successful and be comfortable.  True freedom is the freedom to fail; and if God removes from us the potential to fail then we do not have true freedom. 

But with true freedom, we can rise above failures and have success.  This true freedom, that fosters personal responsibility and accountability to make choices and to have free thought that allows for and encourages an  industrious and innovative  people, who will be charitable and fair in their dealings with those around them,  all this comes from the great God and  is sustained by a individual and national relationship and worship of the creator God through Jesus Christ.

When This is Gone

 However, when a people removes our Lord Jesus Christ from the public conversation out of  the daily living of people , then this freedom will be lost, for Biblical Christianity preserves freedom both individually and nationally.  If you want to understand why a people losses  its freedom; it is because they have traded

 away the worship of God for something else. 

A nation is made up of individuals  it is the sum of all us,  so if  we as individuals turn our hearts from God then we as a people will have turned our hearts from  Him as well.

Alexis de Tocqueville the French noblemen and sociologist came to America and wanted  to understand why this nation was so blessed and  so great. He traveled across this land and studied American society, his findings were published in his  two volume work Democracy in America-published in 1835 & 1840

Speaking of America’s relationship with and toward the God of the Bible and the blessings which flowed out of that relationship. 

“Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secrets of her (America’s) genius and power”

“America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great”

“Christianity is the companion of liberty in all its conflicts-the cradle of its infancy, and the source of its claims” 
   

 That is, de Tocqueville was seeing that the blessing of freedom which produce a great nation is produced guided and sustained by Biblical Christianity which is a relationship with God not a religion.

 

From Him Comes Freedom

  Without acknowledgement to and of the great God  as the  true source of our freedoms, then these freedoms  are unattainable or unsustainable, they will bleed away without us noticing until they are gone.  A person or  a nation, loses National Freedom when they first lose their spiritual freedom. When we as a people as nation begin to look to something other than the Lord Jesus Christ as the answer to our problems then our freedoms, can and will be taken away little by little under the facade of equity and  tolerance.

" For an idolatrous nation is a tyrannical nation, 
for from idolatry comes ternary ! 
No idolatrous nation  can long sustain freedom personal or national."

 

All From Who He Is

All the blessings for which our Lord is due thanks and honor come not just by an act that He performs, but come out of WHO HE IS.   Do we honor Him for Who He Is?

 This God who defies description , reaches out to broken humanity, through His Son Jesus Christ.  The Apostle Paul writing to believers in Rome said 

 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" Romans: 11:34-

We cannot know His mind; but we can know His heart,  He has showed it to us all in His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus Shows us the Father’s Heart,  a Heart that loves us all more than He loves Himself and demonstrated it by dieing in the person of His Son Jesus. Jesus just dose not tell us about God , He showed us about God.

  Do we honor Him with thanksgiving for Who He is? He is there for us to help and comfort and encourage us, seeing us through difficult days and seasons of our lives. We do not have to fear tomorrow because of Jesus,  nor anything, not  even death.

 Yet , when we individually or as a people trade away the worship of the God of the Bible there are problems

Psalms: 16:4-"sorrows are multiplied on those who hasten to “barter” for another “god”"

Yet so many in our nation are now trading away the God of the Bible for some cheep imitation, which promises much ,but delivers little. Nothing can do for us what only Jesus Christ can do. If you want to understand why we are facing mounting national troubles and sorrows it is because we are tuning from the Great God.

  The Great political thinker President Thomas Jefferson feared the day when his fellow countrymen would ignore and forsake the God of the Bible.

“I tremble for my county when I reflect that God is just: (and) that justice cannot sleep forever” Thomas Jefferson

Give Him Thanks

Not only in this season, and even beyond this season,  but from this day forward when we gather in our homes with family and friends before us and eat together;  take just a moment and give God that thanks and honor Him for all that we have and for all He is and has done for us , and for all the blessings God has blessed us with; and if we do this, then we will see His salvation manifested in our lives and in our nation.

Let us as a people honor the great God and give Him Thanks. 

 "He who sacrifices thanks offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God."  Psalms: 50: 23,

Benediction: May we each and all look to our Great God with gratitude and thanksgiving , who has so graciously and bountiful blessed us with every good gift, today , tomorrow and for evermore . Amen

Rev.Todd Crouch, Pastor

The Fountain of life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion

2101 Old National Pike

Washington, Pennsylvania, 15301     www.gcfountainoflife.org

The Fountain of Life is heard  on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM  in the Arden Fair Grounds area of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com

You can follow the Fountain of Life on Face Book - Click on our Face Book link under our Helpful Links

Having Been With Jesus

"they took note that these men had been with Jesus:" Acts:4:13

In the Third chapter of the Book of Acts it is record by St. Luke the Evangelist that the Apostles Peter and John , as they were about to enter into the Temple at Jerusalem, healed a lame man who sat begging at the beautiful gate for many years, but as the two Apostles are about to enter temple court they encounter a man who's ankle condition has prevented him from walking for a number of years.

 Kept Out

Not only did his condition prevent him from walking properly it had prevented him from engaging in the worship at the Temple , for the infirm or the sick were not permitted within, so here he sat at the Beautiful gate  begging from those who would enter.

Being kept out , this man established this entrance as his customary begging location and it is here that he encounters the Lord Jesus Christ thru the lives of St.Peter and St.John as they are about to enter for the time of prayer.

"One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them" Acts:3:1-5

The lame man turns his eyes toward the Apostles in the hopes of receiving a gift  money. This man would ask for alums but he would receive something more value than can be humanly estimated.

"Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk" (6-8)

 Restored

Upon being healed of his infirmity he is able to enter into the worship of the Temple and is seen by others as he praises God for the healing and restoration that he has received, thru the power of the name of Jesus. 

There in the Temple courts a crowd had gathered who were drawn by this healing done thru the Apostles in the name of Jesus .The crowd knew that this was the very man who begged at the gate and now here he was with the Apostles and worshiping God.

"He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him."  (8-10)

 The Gospel Preached

The evidence of the Holy Spirit working in the Apostles life and the demonstration of the power of God thru the beggars healing  gave them credibility and opportunity to  speak to those assembled  about Jesus Christ and proclaim the Gospel message.

"While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see."(11-16)

Reaction of Religion

So powerful was the occurrence that it came to the attention of the religious establishment who than moved to take the two Apostles into custody.

The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people.They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand."Acts:4:1-4

Upon questioning  the Apostles, it is discovered that they are "unlearned men"  , not those who, have been thru the years of Rabbinical training and education, yet it can not be denied that something extraordinary had occurred. (5-6)

The two Apostles are brought before the High Priest and the assembled  elders and the teachers of the Law to be questioned by the members of the Sanhedrin  and are asked how they brought about the healing of the beggar. (5-7)

St. Peter, moved by the Holy Spirit,  immediately invokes the name of Jesus and explains to the Sanhedrin that what has been done was thru the name and power of Jesus , which has healed and restored the beggar and freed him to enter the Temple courts and worship God. (8-12)

The elders of the Sanhidrid are than indited by the Apostles words as St.Peter and St. John boldly  confronts them with their rejection of Jesus and their complicity in his arrest, trail , crucifixion and death.

"then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is “ ‘the stone you builders rejected,

which has become the cornerstone".(10-11)

Ordinary Men

After the bold proclamation of the two Apostles the Sanhidrid members see the courage  of the Apostles , they are speechless unable to answer the inditing words set forth before them. 

Here before the Sanhidrid were two ordinary men , who , unlike themselves did not attend the Rabbinical schools of the day yet thru them a great miracle had been preformed. It was irrefutable  the evidence of the healed beggar stood before them.

"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say." (13-14)

 Had Been With Jesus

Then a midst of their astonishment and  all the proceedings the real reason for it all comes to the forefront when it is noted that the two Apostles "had been with Jesus" .

If the the two Apostles  had not been with Jesus, or better understood, that Jesus is with them,  they could not have raised up the lame beggar and restored him to the Worship in the Temple courts.

What Jesus had done was to take ordinary, unlearned men and transformed them into ministers of restoration healing the divide between God and humanity.

With Jesus

What about Christians today, can those around us look upon our lives and determine that we have been with Jesus?  The healing of the lame beggar was the evidence of the Apostles association with Jesus, there he stood healed and restored before them. He was the evidence that "they had been with Jesus."

The religions leaders  of the day did many good works, but they were accomplished thru the energies of the flesh. They could not do as the Apostles had done.

Can those around us see the evidence that we have "been with Jesus" ? Can people look at our lives and take note that we have  "been with Jesus" ?

Do our lives produce the fruit or evidence which bares evidence of our association with Jesus?  St. Paul wrote of this evidence in our lives in his Epistle to the Galatians Christians calling it the "Fruit of the Spirit" , in the fifth chapter the twenty second verse.

The "Fruit of the Spirit" should stand forth in our lives as evidence , which proclaims to all around us that we have " been with Jesus"  as the healed beggar stood as evidence of healing and restoration to worship with St.Peter and St. John  that day before the Sanhidrid.

Being With Jesus

How do we today experience being " with Jesus", or again, Jesus being with us? For us we engage with our Lord Jesus thru prayer, Bible study, hearing the Word of God preached , worship and fellowship and other spiritual disciplines which focus our minds upon the person of  Jesus Christ.

As we spend our time being taught about Jesus our lives are transformed and our minds are renewed. Eph:4:20-21

This means that who we associate with shapes our being, that is who we are. when we have "been with Jesus" it is reflected in our daily living. This is what the ancient Church called "Deification" , that means,  growing in the "image and likeness of Christ"  or putting on Christ or in Christ-likeness.

When spend our time focused upon our Lord Jesus Christ than our lives become bold proclamation of his abiding presence with us, so that all around us the world can take note of each and all of us that we have "been with Jesus".

Benediction: May our lives be so filled with the undeniable evidence, as  bold proclamation , to all whom we encounter that we have "been with Jesus" , today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen 

Rev.Todd Crouch, Pastor

The Fountain of life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion

2101 Old National Pike

Washington, Pa. 15301     www.gcfountainoflife.org

The Fountain of Life is heard  on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM  in the Arden Fair Grounds area of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com

The Fountain of Life WebCast Program- http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/71243900

You can follow the Fountain of Life on Face Book - Click on our Face Book link under our Helpful Links

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?Why are you so far from saving me,so far from my cries of anguish?My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest." Ps:22:1-2

Many times we can feel as if we are alone, that all around us is darkness and that the circumstances of our life are growing in darkness and at every turn there is adversity . We feel pressed in upon by the things that we face.

In these times of great stress it may feel, from our human vantage point,  that our God is far off and distant.It seems as if our Lord has not heard our cry for his divine assistance, that he has turned a deaf ear to us. The heavens are as brass and  no answers are forth coming to our prayers.

 We can feel that God has forsaken us and deliverance from our trails seems remote in the face of the growing personal darkness that will, from timer to time,  beset us.

Forsaken?

In all the gathering darkness and when hope seems far off we even find our selves ,  as the very words which our Lord Jesus uttered there, in that dark day upon the cross at Calvary, as all the weight of human sin was judged in his holy person.  

Our Lord reaches into the Sacred writ of the Holy Scriptures and uses the words penned by Jesus' royal ancestor King David, of whos' throne he is the heir to.

"My God, May God, why have you forsaken me?" Ps:22:1

At first appearance these words of Jesus may take on the shroud of desperation , abandonment  or even fear , yet when properly understood we find that they are something more, something greater , not just for our Lord , but for each and and all of us even in the midst of our times of personal darkness .

Messianic Psalm

For centuries  Psalm:22 was understood by Israel's Rabbinical scholars as a Messianic Psalm  belonging to the very Messiah. This Psalm is far more than a cry of abandonment as some have supposed, it is rather is one of great hope to each and all of us as we face difficult times. 

What our Lord Jesus is doing is there upon the cross, enveloped in darkness of the judgement of sin for all humanity , is ,  declaring that he is the Messiah of  Israel and all humanity.

 Far from being a despondent cry of abandonment , these word are a glorious shout of victory , won for us thru Jesus.

Worship and Trust

Jesus , after his shout of victory ,  the Psalm looks to the faithfulness of God as that faithful one who will , end the end make all things right for those who trust in him. These words were in Jesus' mind not just for himself alone but for each and all of us.

The words of the Psalm encourage us to worship and trust in God who is faithful and has wrought salvation for us. We should Worship and  praise him and trust him as he is faithful.

"Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;

you are the one Israel praises

In you our ancestors put their trust;

they trusted and you delivered them.

To you they cried out and were saved;

in you they trusted and were not put to shame" (3-5)

When we come to see this as a declaration of Jesus' Messiahship  it transform the whole tenner and tone of the Psalm, it elevates it, raises it high as a Psalm of the glorious victory over all that we might contend with in this life .

 It speaks to us of victory over sin, over pain, over loneliness , over sickness, over persecution, over oppression, over injustice, and even over death itself.

In the Midst of Adversity

David , under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit , composes the words which describe the scene at the cross and the experiences of our Lord  in the midst of the adversity . David prophetically writes of that which our Lord felt and saw.    

Verses (6-21) describes all that was arrayed against Jesus and the passion of the Crucifixion. . The oppression and persecution.The injustice and confinement. The alienation and profound sense of loss. The pain and suffering.The waning of life and untimely death.

 All That We Face

All these adversities were the personal experiences of our Lord Jesus . All of this binds Jesus to us in a unique and profound way and imparted a divine empathy for all our sufferings thru which he is able to stand as our High priest and Intercessor and Advocate. Jesus in his humanity  faced every and all that might  face in our life times. 

 "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted". Heb:2:18

  That day,  upon the cross of Calvary,  was a compression of all the human conditions, and a microcosm of  all humanities suffering brought to bear upon Jesus Christ as he endure the judgement of all human sin. All that any and all of that we might face in our lives, individually or collectively, was present there and given vivid expression in the Passion of Jesus as expressed in words of the Psalm.

 With Us 

All of us face times of great suffering as we pass thru this life trials, test, sufferings are all apart of the life we live. St. Peter comments regarding reality which we all will encounter in his first general Epistle to the Church.

 "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation."1Ptr:4:12-13

St.Peter , however,  not only comments that these "fiery ordeal(s)" are common among us , all the more,  these things which we face also reflect the truth that we are identified with our Lord Jesus and as we share in his "sufferings" , but what is more to our salvation Jesus has shared in our sufferings.

 Jesus is there in the midst of our sufferings to give strength and to help us. Jesus meets us as our Lord even in the midst of our sufferings, trails, difficulties and even at our worst moments Jesus is there. Jesus will never abandon us.Jesus has made an eternal commitment to us all.

 "I will never leave you nor forsake you" Heb:13:8

 Our Lord knows us all,  he understand just who and what we are and what we face and in spite of all things,  in all of our brokenness and the sufferings of this life .

Because  of Jesus we are never forsaken, we can face all things because he is the Messiah as Jesus is declaring in the words of the Psalm. This we means that we can face anything because Jesus is the Messiah and that victory is assured us.

 Beyond the Sufferings

Jesus  knew the outcome of the cross and the glory which awaited him. This truth is expressed in  Psalm:22:22-31.  The glory and salvation  is depicted in these verses are all expressed in the affirmative.

This tells us that Jesus knew the out come. Jesus knew what was beyond the cross and the grave and the glory that awaited him, and we all thru him.

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews expresses it this way.

 "who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb:12:2b

 Jesus knew what was beyond the sufferings. he knew that victory and glory awaited him.

This should give us hope and that thru Jesus we too will share in all that is his.

"For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Heb:12:3

Because of Jesus

We  ,each and all of us, can face what ever comes against us in this life because Jesus is the Messiah, this is what Jesus is proclaiming to us all thru the words of the Messianic Psalm.  Jesus is declaring his very Messiahship to us giving us hope and in the midst of what we face. As Jesus shouted in victory.

"My God, My God Why Have You Forsaken Me?"

Benediction: May we all take hope and be comforted knowing that we will never be forsaken , that our Lord Jesus is there with us thru what ever we face, today, tomorrow and forevermore Amen

Rev.Todd Crouch, Pastor

The Fountain of life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion

2101 Old National Pike

Washington, Pa. 15301     www.gcfountainoflife.org

The Fountain of Life is heard  on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM  in the Arden Fair Grounds area of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com

The Fountain of Life WebCast Program- http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/71243900

You can follow the Fountain of Life on Face Book - Click on our Face Book link under our Helpful Links

A Brife History of Some Church Councils

"The apostles and elders met to consider this question."Acts:15:6

Over the centuries from the inception of the Christian Church around 33-37 AD,  it became necessary for
the Church to come together and discus varies issues or questions which would arise as the Church moved thru time.

Often these convocations were driven by the need for the Church to answer challenges from varies ones who came to believe in views which were in opposition to what the Church had always understood and taught from the outset of the Church on that day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirirt manifest himself in the lives of those followers of the Resurrected and ascended Jesus of Nazareth.

Many Christians of today are unaware of the varies Church Councils, sometimes referred to as Ecumenical Councils,  which have been convened  over the centuries, especially  Christians of Church bodies which have emerged over the last one hundred years or so.  These Councils have helped shaped the Christian movement and helped clarify the understanding of all Christians of what constitutes Orthodox Christian Teaching, Theology and Doctrine. 

 Council of Jerusalem

The first recorded Council of the Christian movement is generally thought to have occurred around 50 AD and was convened at Jerusalem. The issue that was address was "what were the requirements for gentiles who came to believe in Jesus as Israel's Messiah?". 

Why this was such an important question which needed to be resolved , was that from it's inception the Christian movement was comprised of all Jews , who had lived all their lives under the Old Covenant which was enjoined between God and Israel  , and were , up to that time, still holding on to some vestiges of that Covenant. 

This asked the question "what did the entrance of a Gentile mean? Just what had changed in Israel's, and all humanities relationship to and with God. What did Jesus' entrance into history mean for us all in our relationship with God?

In the narrative of the Book of Acts , written by the Evangelist St.Luke, we are told that the question had arose due to the entrance in to the Church  of  Cornelius a Centurion  of the Roman occupation army and his household, thru the work of the Holy Spirit prompting Cornelius to request a visit from the Apostle Peter to give he and his family clarification and understanding about what God wanted from him.  

St. Luke records God's intervention thru a vision given to Cornelius that he should send for Peter.

"At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.

The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”Acts:10:1-6

The Apostle St. Pete responded to Cornelius request to speak with him and makes the trip to Casesarea where Cornelius' garrison is stationed. Here St. Peter  expounds the Gospel to the Centurion who embraces the message resulting in the conversion of Cornelius and his household. 

When the Jewish Christians receive news that Peter had visited with Cornelius, a gentile and a Roman Centurion , they are initially angry until Peter explains to them that those gentiles , like themselves, had received the Holy Spirit and had in truth come to trust in Jesus.

This situation set off a debate in the Church which caused the Apostles and elders of the Church to consider what they and any who came to believe in Jesus , were to do. This debate at times was filled with contention and heated arguments among them notably the debate focused upon the question of circumcision.

This issue was settled during a gathering of the Apostles and elders which is given to us in a summery form in Acts:15.

This decision of the Jerusalem Council  would begin the processes which would help propel the early Apostolic Church out from under the auspices of Judaism and into a life all of its own, for had this not occurred the Church would have remained as simply a sect of Judaism confined to Palestine,  and would never had been able to reach the Hellenistic and Roman world and beyond  as it did and changed the world for all time and forever.

The Rise of Gnosticism  

In the Apostolic era of the Church there arose  groups who attempted to work their own form of Christianity, one such group was called Gnostic who attempted to marry mysteries from pagan beliefs and Christian beliefs. St.Paul's Epistle to the Colossi Christians addressed this Gnostic teachings as he addressed Judizers  in his Galatians Epistle.

Gnostic were not one uniform group, but rather , they were a ambiguous collection of persons and groups, each holding to their own views. One influential Gnostic teacher  was  Marcion .  Mracion had been rasied as a Christin his father had been a Bishop in the Church .

Marcion had a unique set of teachings and beliefs. Marcion's influence was so great ,that at one point,    he managed to raise up a counter moment to that of  the orthodox Christian Church, which thrived for a time and competed against the established Church.

Marcion had his own set of Scripture which he assembled and claimed as authoritative and spoke to humanity. Marcion excluded the whole of the Canon of the Old Testament and only certain Apostolic Church era Epistles and Gospels; and these were often edited to support his teachings.

 Canonical Councils

This prompted  early Christian leaders to begin to ask "which writings speak with divine authority?"      
This led to what are called the Canonical Councils which deliberated what writings should be regarded as Scripture and recognized as speaking with to humanity on behalf of God.

In the early Church there was writing known as.

Homologoumena -Meaning Acknowledged , or Accepted Books.

Antilegomena- Disputed Books.

Apocrypha- Meaning Spurious Books.

Pseudepigrapha- Meaning Heretical or Absurd Books.

It became needful for the to sort thru the many documents and early Gospel accounts and Epistles to produce a body of writing which were recognized as inspired by the Holy Spirit and conveyed the divine word and will of God to humanity.

There were four primary Canonical Councils which assembled over a period of about one hundred years to construct the Canon of Scripture.

The Council of Laodecia  in 336 AD

The Council of Damascus in 382 AD

The Council of Carthage in 397 AD

The Council of Hippo in 419 AD

The Nature of Christ

Even from the earliest times there were heretical views in the Church. many of these views were in regard to the nature of Jesus. Councils were called to talk about the accepted and orthodox understanding about the person of Christ. 

Some of the news of the nature of Jesus were that he was a "good" man who "qualified" to be the Messiah. Others taught that Jesus was mere "specter" or "projection"  who did not even cast a shadow or leave any foot prints. 

Some viewed Jesus as being  "god" but not God from eternity , but was instead was the highest created being made by God. 

Others some taught that Jesus was born a man but that his own rational human mind had been displaced by the Word of God.

Other teaching were  that Jesus had two natures, divine and human or "person hoods" within himself, as if he were two separate persons within himself. 

Another taught that Jesus had two natures prior to the incarnation but only one nature  after the incarnation. 

These are just a some of the views which were extant in the early centuries, councils were assembled to arrive at an orthodox understanding about the person of Christ as being fully God yet fully human. 

 

The First Council of Nicaea 325 AD- Affirmed that Jesus is fully God

The First Council of Constantinople 381 AD- Affirmed that Jesus is perfect humanity.

The Council of Ephesus -431 AD Affirmed that Jesus is "one" person.

The Council of Chalcedon- 451 AD  Affirmed that Jesus had both divine nature and human nature in one person.

The Second Council of Constantinople- 553 AD -recognizing the hypostatic union of Christ as two natures, one divine and one human, united in one person with neither confusion nor division

The Third  Council of Constantinople -680 AD Stated that Jesus had both a human and a divine will.

Helped Define and Shape Christian  Thought

Thru out the history of the Christian Church leaders have assembled over the centuries to discuss and  state what is orthodox Christin understanding about the nature of God, Jesus Christ , what is and is not Scripture and many more issues which have confronted the Church over the years.  

There have been Councils held in both the Eastern and Western Church traditions as well as Protestant, Anglican , Evangelical and  Pentecostal Church bodies and traditions.  

These gathering have helped the Church produce the  Historical Church documents such as the Apostles Creed, Definitions of Chalcedon, the Athanasian Creed and Westminster Confessions and other great statements of faith and declarations  which have shaped Christin understanding and thought, not just of one particular Church body ,but of the Church Universal wherever it is found under whatever name Christians are gathered,  from the Apostolic Pentecost down thru the ages,  to the Protestant Reformation and the awakenings and revivals thru out history to this very hour. 

The great God, the Holy Trinity,  has and is thru the Holy Spirit leading his people to come together and "grow and grace and in knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" .   

Benediction: May we each and all ever come to deeper understanding of our Great God, today, tomorrow and forevermore Amen 

Rev.Todd Crouch, Pastor

The Fountain of life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion

2101 Old National Pike

Washington, Pa. 15301     www.gcfountainoflife.org

The Fountain of Life is heard  on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM  in the Arden Fair Grounds area of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com

The Fountain of Life WebCast Program- http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/71243900

You can follow the Fountain of Life on Face Book - Click on our Face Book link under our Helpful Links

I Will Give You Rest

“Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."Matt:11:28

All of us, can from time to time find our selves heavy laden with great burdens in this life. At times these burdens can be overwhelming, especially when we have bore them for so great a time.

At times,  those things,  which we carry with us thru this life , find their severity not  in their magnitude but in their duration. We can be come wearied and tired made worn out from years of bearing our burdens.


We can look at the troubled world around us, which stands on the brink of chaos. There is threat of war, natural disasters, terrorism, economic uncertainty, social and moral deterioration , family breakdown and more.
All these things can fill us with a sense of personal and collective anxiety.

 Jesus Calls Us

If we are being overwhelmed by the cares and burdens of this life, individually or collectively , then Jesus calls out to us each and all to come to him burdens and all , whatever they may be.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matt:11:28

This is rest that we can all have thru Jesus. It is a rest that rises above circumstances or conditions. A rest that defies the understanding of the natural mind of humanity.It is rest even in the midst of the pressures of this life

 

 I Will Give

This rest,  that Jesus invites us to is a certainty not a possibility, nor is it a theoretical rest but a true and freely given rest which we receive only thru  Jesus himself. It is is not something that we can or our own selves create or generate on our own. 

This rest is given unconditionally, Jesus tells us simply "I will give you rest". This means that we do not earn it,  nor do we, thru any work of our selves , merit it ; Jesus simply give it to us when we accept his invitation to receive it.  It is already ours' in Jesus , the only thing which can prevent us from experiencing this rest is our own unwillingness to receive it.

Did Not Rest

The Holy Spirit inspired the human author of the Epistle to the Hebrew Jewish Christians to address the idea of entering into the true rest that is found only in and thru Jesus alone.

These Hebrew Jewish Christians had been raised under the Old Covenant with all it's ceremonies and ordinances and law.  They had been taught all their lives  that Israel is God's Elect People thru an act of Grace on God's part , but they had come to believe that in order to maintain this status as God's Elect People they had to keep the Law and all the varies ceremonies and regulations , attempting to maintain this Elect status Israel could never be at rest.

The author of the Hebrews Epistle, in the fourth chapter ,verses (1-12) , referrers these First Century Jewish Christians , and we all,  back to the history of the people of Israel ,who were being led by Joshuah , and how Israel failed to truly enter their national rest in the Promised land of Canaan, due to Israel's unbelief and to refusing to accept and hold as sacred the word  of God. 

Israel entered the land of Canaan but never the true rest that God had been speaking of , and promising  even from the very  beginning, the rest that even the Sabbath day had  only been a type.

 

 Thru Jesus

As a result the Hebrews author states that Israel had never truly entered in to and experienced the rest that God had always intended,  this rest which God offers Israel, and all humanity , is more than a prosperous and well favored geographical location or a a given day.

 This rest is now available thru Jesus, so that those who have come to believe in Jesus can experience this true rest  which God had always wanted for Israel and all humanity.

Hebrews then turns our attention to the Priesthood of our Lord Christ, this is not just a transition to a new theme in the Epistle , but rather is a continuation of  the rest theme and the true source and reason we all can be at rest.

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (14-16)

What we are be told in these verses, is  that , due to our Lord's place in the Heavens at the very throne of God as our High Priest on our behalf , a High Priest who personally understands the problems that we all face in this life and who is  seeking our continual deliverance and providing each and all of us with intercession is the reason we can be at rest. 

Jesus understand our humanity, he  is fully  one of us even as he is fully God. Jesus knows from his own first hand experiences what the human life is like,  he knows the weariness,  cares and burdens that we all bare in this life,  therefore,  Jesus can have both empathy and sympathy for us. We can know that he understands each and all of us.

Cast Your Concerns 

Jesus invites us to come to him when the pressures and burdens of this life begin to take their toll upon us  and we are weighed down and over whelmed by our circumstances. Jesus calls out to us when we stumble and fall , when our concerns are looming large and seem unbearable.

St. Peter , with Psalm:55:22 in mind ,  writing his first general Epistle to Christians two thousand years ago and to Christians thru out the ages, counsels each and all of us to give over our cares and burdens to our Lord Jesus.

"Casting all your cares upon him; for he cares for you" 1Petr:5:7

 St. Peter tells us to "cast all your cares" , the word "cast" means to jettison them from us, to thrust them far away, to quickly to relinquish ownership of them into the hands of Jesus. Why can we do this?   Because "he (Jesus) cares for you". This means more than we might believe. It means that Jesus "cares for you" ,that is , Jesus has a bound of love for and towards each and all of us. Jesus care about and for us,  and also that Jesus  manages the problems on our behalf  therefore we should "cast" , that is ,  relinquish control of  our cares  over to our Lord.  Jesus will not fail us what ever we face in this life.

Self Reliant

Many of us still attempt to handle life's burdens and challenges what ever they may be. We try to be self reliant. Sometimes , it is hard for us to  just let go of the burdens that we carry in this life. It is as through we believe that we can manage our cares better than Jesus, yet, in the end,  if we are honest with ourselves we will have to knowledge the truth that we all fail and fall short before our God. 

Come Unto Me

When we face, as we all will, find ourselves weighed down in this life we can heed the invitation which Jesus freely offers all of us, to come to Jesus and bring our needs and our cares to him. 

Jesus so freely offers to take up part and and to assume of our burden what ever it might be. Jesus is there for each and all of us calling us to himself offering us his divine assistance  and providing ,thru his grace alone , that rest which we all were intended to experience

“Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matt:11:28-30

Jesus calls out to any and all who will but freely receive it to  "come unto" him, to "cast our cares"  and burdens upon him knowing that Jesus  is there in the  Heavens as our High Priest to help us with any and all our cares and burdens that weary us in this life. 

If we have cares and burdens and are weary, than let us hear and heed Jesus' gracious invitation so freely extend to each  and all of us  and Jesus will give us rest.  

 Benediction: May we each and all come unto our Lord Jesus that we might enter that rest he so freely offers, today , tomorrow and forevermore .Amen

Rev.Todd Crouch, Pastor

The Fountain of life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion

2101 Old National Pike

Washington, Pa. 15301     www.gcfountainoflife.org

The Fountain of Life is heard  on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM  in the Arden Fair Grounds area of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com

The Fountain of Life WebCast Program- http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/71243900

You can follow the Fountain of Life on Face Book - Click on our Face Book link under our Helpful Links