Who Do You Say I Am?

Just for fun, let's go on a journey to find out who Jesus is.

In the book of Matthew 16 vs.13-17 Jesus is speaking to his disciples:

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

Notice what Peter says, and Jesus' reply to him. But what about the other answers? What else is revealed about who Jesus is? Let's move forward to Matthew 17 vs.1-13:

The Transfiguration

17 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

10 The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”

11 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.

Breaking it down, the transfiguration shows in v.3  Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus, so obviously Jesus isn't Elijah.

In v.5 Our Father in Heaven says “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” and in v.8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

Our Father confirms Peter's answer in Matt.16:16 “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” But just in case they didn't hear Him right, He also shows them by the fact that Moses and Elijah disappeared and only Jesus was left.  v.8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

It sounds like Our Father is saying here that Jesus is greater than Moses and Elijah, since He was the only one left, and Our Father said "Listen to him!”

In v.12 Jesus states  But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him and in v.13  Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist  So Jesus is obviously not John the Baptist or Elijah, or Moses for that matter. Jesus is greater than these, but what about one of the prophets like Jeremiah? Is Jesus a prophet? Let's see if we can find any more answers...

In Hebrews 1:1-4 it states:

God’s Final Word: His Son

1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

Even the heading of this chapter says a lot -- "God’s Final Word: His Son"

vs.1-2 states  In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe

That doesn't sound like he's Jeremiah, does it? Jeremiah isn't the one through whom also he made the universe. Nor did he make the universe through any other prophet. 

God's Final Word: His Son -- It sounds like "Jesus Is what God has to say". Maybe we should only listen to Him, you think? What else can we find out about who Jesus is?

In Colossians 1:15-20 we learn more:

The Supremacy of the Son of God

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Sounds very similar to Hebrews 1:1-4  with a more detailed description.

v.17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together  This reminds me of the song "He's got the whole world in His hands"  We're still talking about Jesus here. Sounds like He's way more than a prophet... He's King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And He reigns now, not just someday. We need new eyes to see this, not everybody can see this yet.

and in the book of Revelation 1:17-18 John writes after seeing Him in all his glory:

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Yes,  our Lord is  risen, alive forever and ever! Just like when He asked his disciples almost 2000 years ago, He is still asking each of us today  “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” “But what about you?” “Who do you say I am?”

John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Lisa Owens

Grace Communion  at Wheeling, Wv.-Lansing, OH.

Jesus, Thomas, and the Woman at the well...a meditation

In the book of John chapter 4, Jesus talks with a Samaritan woman. The end of the dialogue (vs. 19-26) goes like this:

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

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Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the town and told everybody, and they came to see for themselves, and many believed.

Enter Thomas

Later in John chapter 20, after His resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples who were gathered, but Thomas wasn't with them. vs. 24-29 states:

But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

What's this all about anyway?

At first glance one might wonder how the woman at the well and Thomas are related, especially since the woman at the well was before Jesus' crucifixion/resurrection, and Thomas was one of Jesus' disciples who hung out with Him during His ministry... so one would think he would have believed  Jesus is risen. But a deeper look will show that they are both very similar in one thing:  they both wanted a direct encounter with Jesus - they wanted it straight from the Source.

The woman at the well said “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” She wanted to hear from Jesus the answer to her question " Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” The woman at the well didn't seem to put too much faith in what the other voices were saying to her, she was waiting to hear from the source --Jesus.

Similarly, Thomas  had doubts when he was told by the other disciples “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” It seems that Thomas also wanted to hear/see directly from the source --Jesus. It's very interesting what he says when he does see him: “My Lord and my God!”(v.28)

Thomas not the only doubter

Poor Thomas usually gets a bad rap for not believing, but, as pointed out in the books of Mark and Luke, the others didn't believe at first either: In Mark 16:9-14:

When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

Also note in Luke 24:9-12:

 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

The  point of this is that none of these believed until they saw it for themselves.  There is a saying that "God doesn't have grandkids". One can't ride the coattails of somebody else's relationship with our Lord. We can tell others about Jesus and point them to Him, and we can live our lives as reflections of Him (hopefully good reflections).

Ultimately each one in their own time will come face-to-face with the Lord and see for themselves.  Thankfully Jesus has made the way for each and all to come to the source of the Living Water, He leaves none out, none are left behind.

John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent....Amen

Lisa Owens

Grace Communion  at Wheeling, Wv.-Lansing, OH.

Thoes Who Serve by Night

"Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.May the Lord bless you from Zion,he who is the Maker of heaven and earth". Psalm:134

For many who serve the Lord Jesus Christ  in small ways or in  out of the way places,  and may have come to feel that their service to God is  of no or little value whether it is thru what they perceive or due to the voice of critics who wish to impose a sense of failure upon them. Or  , we  may perceive ourselves to be forgotten or unappreciated or even abandon by God.

 Small Things

If we  feel that our service to our Lord is of "little" importance  to God , then ,  we should  consider that where our Lord is working it is of eternal value regardless of it's measurable size  and recall the words of the Prophet Zechariah  which speaks to us of the hidden value in what we perceive a the "unimportant", the "trivial" or the "small".

"Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the LORD that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?" Zech:4:10

 The Prophets  words are a reminder that in the workings of God regardless as to where or when it occur it is of extreme value in the eyes of God and not to be taken lightly regardless to what the voice of critics might say.

We should thank God when the ministry in this of life  bears fruit in abundance , but we  should also  thank our Lord equally even when harvest is , in "carnal eyes" , small.

Psalm or Psalter

We find in the Book of Psalms, some times called the Psalter, a collection of writings many of which are prayers while many are Hymns and songs of praises to God in the Temple and later in the Synagogues . The Psalter  was in part assembled in the Post-Exilic period by those who served at the Temple of God.

The Psalter in it's final form is divided in to five distinct books, or compilations, often each group is reflective of  a thematic device used by each Psalm within a given book and each book of Psalm parallels the first five books of Moses called the Pentateuch.

We find in the fifth book of the Psalters , a collections of  fourteen Psalms called the Songs of Accent or Degrees and is referred to by some Scholars as part of a group known as  the Great Hallel.

Accent or Degrees  

These fourteen Psalms or Songs of Degrees begin with Psalm:120 and conclude with Psalm:134. Some Scholars  believe that these Songs of Ascent were used specifically during the Fall Holy Day season enjoined under the Old Covenant called the Days of Awe. 

   The Days of Awe , was a time  to be in humility and give glorification and praise for and to  the Lord, pecifically the days between the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Ha-Shanah) and the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) 

During this fourteen day time period a Songs of Ascent were sung , one song a day until they were completed. It is thought by some, that as the evening  arrived concluding  the Days of Awe and beginning of  the first day of Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth) and the first service of the Feast of Tabernacles  at the Temple of God was coming to it's conclusion then Psalm:134 would be sung as the final Song of  Accent.

Psalm:134

This short or "little" Psalm which is liturgy of praise to God , though only three verses in length speaks volumes to each and all , especially those who may feel that their service  to God in their lives or ministry has or no real  eternal import, or even when the voices of critics attempt to dismiss or diminish and to detract from the value of what God is doing in  and thru us .

"Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord

who minister by night in the house of the Lord.

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary

and praise the Lord.

May the Lord bless you from Zion,

he who is the Maker of heaven and earth". Ps:134

 Psalm:134 is a "two voice" Psalm, the first voice we find in verses 1-2 and  the second voice is found in the verse three which concludes the Psalm.

The Setting of the Psalm

The setting of  Psalm:134 is at the close of the final public worship service of the day. Evening is come, the hymns have been sung the Scriptures have been read,the liturgy is complete  the torches have now been lite to illuminate the way thru the temple courts and to the descending abutment and stair ways which will take the worshipers out of the Temple and into the city of Jursalem and to the surrounding area. 

It is as the assembled worshipers are about to depart  for their homes at the services conclusions that they pronounce a blessing of encouragement upon the Levities and Priests who will remain within the Temple to minister thru out the night watches.

"Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord 

who minister by night in the house of the Lord."(1)

 Few in the Darkness

It is in the night watches when the activities within the Temple of God are slowed, there is natural shadow of the night which surrounds them,  there are very few ever who enter and worship in the darkness, only the Priest of God who conduct, what to some may seem a service of little or of no importance. Yet,  in this time of night with few to bear witness of the service and what may seem of little consequence is God himself. The Lord is there being honored and exulted, even if it might seem to some as a small thing in the passing watches of the night.

The departing worshipers are moved to offer a word of encouragement to the Priest that they should,  even in the nigh,  give God glory and offer praise to the Lord , for the Lord is there being honored and exulted, even if it might seem to some as a small thing in the passing watches of the night with few to take note, for God himself honors this small service of few participates.

"Lift up your hands in the sanctuary

and praise the Lord" (2)

 The encouragement is received by the attending Priests and they in turn pronounce a benediction of blessing upon the departing worshipers who have taken note of the Priest and Levities service and took the time and gave them encouragement to carry on even in the empty Temple courts amidst the night watches with few to bear witness.

"May the Lord bless you from Zion,

he who is the Maker of heaven and earth" (3)

In Our Empty Courts 

This Psalm of Liturgy of Praise to God give us who today minister in the Temple courts of the Church, to be encouraged and  to continue on even when there are few to bear witness of what takes places. When our church members may be few in number and our serves do not attract great crowds when we walk alone among the empty courts of the Church. 

It may seem that these night watches of small things which we might find ourselves and our Church in the midst of  are of no value; and the voices of critics may have us believe that this is so , yet,  as in the unnoticed services of the Priest in the darkened empty Temple which honored the Lord.  God takes note and honors the small  service of the few. It is his Holy time.

God himself is there and receives the honor from the gathering of the few even as he would in a full and publicly acclaimed service. The Lord has convene it for his purpose and glory not ours.  It is no small thing to honor the Great God to "bless the Lord"  to worship him to "lift up your hands" before him even in the night watches.

We , even now,  if we are in the night watches with few to be present; God is still there and honors that worship and revives that honor. This should encourage all who stand and minister before the Great God even if it seems a small thing in the night watches....Amen

Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor 

The Fountain of Life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion
2101 Old National Pike.

Washington, Pennsylvania.   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

The Church:Jesus Among Us

"This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, " 1John:4:2

 
Some will ask, "do I have to attend a church to be a Christian?" , The answer to that is;  no, you do not have to attend  a church to be a Christian. But if you do not have to attend then why bother to go?

Some persons believe ,that  when pastors invite or encourage attendance at church they do so for two reasons, either to sure up the numbers of attendance or to generate revenue in their particular congregation.

Why do pastors so strongly encourage people to attend a church?

An Assembly

It is well known that the Greek word translated in to the English word church is  "Ekklesia" , the meaning is "a called out assembly" , in particular,  it is in reference to the Assembly of citizens in the Greek city state systems , where the people were convened to assembly together each having the right and freedom to participate in the function of the gathering.

This assembly, the "Ekklesia" , is what Jesus said he would build.

"And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." Matt:16:18

The assembly that Jesus spoke of,  however, is far more than just a gathering of a group of people who congregate together and hold a collective conversation. What this assembling of persons is goes far beyond and above the intentions of humanity and in truth would have little value other than the social interaction that it provides if it were not of divine origin.

Jesus Among Us

What gives the value of a  particular group of people, that is,  a church,  assembling together it's true value that the divine intent of God decrees? Is it agreeing upon a particular set of  doctrines, theology, liturgy, morals, or ethics or even it's name?...What really gives a gathering of the Church it's value is the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ among the people. That is,  Jesus is the value center of the Church. This means that if Jesus is not among us than what we have is simply a gathering of varies people. 

Why does Jesus want to gather with us?...The answer is Jesus is , that thru the incarnation he is fully one of us even as he is fully God. Jesus has a very human desire to be with other human beings .
Jesus is a sociable person who enjoys the company of others and who loves us. Jesus wants to be with the people whom he loves which is all humanity if they will  but freely receive it.

On the evening of the Easter event of the resurrection ,while the frighten  disciples were gathered together , Jesus comes and shows himself to them declaring peace to them holding forth the wounds of the cross, demonstrating that our God has removed thru Jesus anything which would prevent us from knowing him.

"And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you" Jhn:20:20-21

The identifying wounds in his resurrected humanity , are not just to confirm the identity of Jesus but to affirm to those disciples ,and to all,  that God loves them  and has done all so that we might know his love. They see this as they are assembled on that Easter evening.

Again, one week later as the disciples are assembled Jesus appears among them. Thus establishing the pattern,  and to reinforce to they, and we, that when believers , are gathered together Jesus is also  there with us speaking peace to us and showing us his wounds that speak of the divine love of God for us.

 "A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" (26)

Word Became Flesh

We often refer to the Gospel of John and quote from the fourteen verse of chapter one which speaks of the assumption of our humanity thru the incarnation  by the very Word of God , the Son of God the second person of the Holy Trinity.

"the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" Jhn:1:14

The very Creator of all things has , thru the humanity of Jesus Christ entered into our world so that we might know him and have a relationship with him. So great was God's love for each and all of us that God, the Holy Trinity , reached out to us and that he gave himself in the person of Jesus.

 "We love because he first loved us."1Jhn:4:19

 Out of Love

Some might believe  that it was out of  a necessity to satisfy the demands of some Law that God was compelled  to send his Son Jesus Christ.  But it was not out of some legal compulsion that God sent Jesus but out of  love for  humanity, each and all of us. 

 If God's saving act in Jesus was out of a need to satisfy a Law, then the Law would have power over God himself , and God would then not be God. The law would be above God.

 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Jhn:3:16

It was out of eternal love for us. This is the love that is still shown to each and all of us ,a love which pursues us daily.  This divine eternal love for us shows itself among us when those who have responded to the message of the Gospel and come to experience what Jesus has accomplished for each and all.

 The Progressive Incarnation

 The aged Apostle John writing around 90 AD to the Christian Church two thousand years ago and to all believers down thru out the ages of the of God's love in the person of his Holy Son Jesus.

Those who have received and responded to God's love are to love each other because of the very love we ourselves have received from God.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." (7-12)

John affirms that it is thru the Holy Spirit  that our Lord is among the assembly of Christians  and manifest among us thru the lives of each Christian who is assembled in the church.

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."Jhn:14:16-21

This means that Jesus is there in every sense as much as he was when he came and showed himself in his resurrected humanity  to his disciples.  In this way our Lord continues to progressively  manifest his incarnation in and by and thru the body of the church.

The incarnation is progressive. This means that Jesus did not just assume the flesh of our humanity  thru the virgin birth by the power of the Holy Spirit ,but,  Jesus is come in the flesh of each and all believers in our humanity even to this very hour. This  means that we continue to encounter and experience Jesus' incarnation progressively when the church assembles thru each member who is a part of his body. Eph:1:23, Eph:5:30, and 1Crth:12:27

  "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world ". 1Jhn:1:1-4

 Outside the Community

Some who do not attend a Church, preferring to be "independent" of a local congregation might ask "isn't Jesus with me?  Can't I worship him on my own?"  The answer is yes you can.

It is true that Church goes beyond any one fellowship, ministry, congregation, communion or denomination but is made up of any and all who believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God.  But consider for a moment,  if Jesus  expressed the divine intent that there be a Church and that Church we find thru the witness of the Scriptures was regularly assembling,   why would Jesus endorse any member of it to willing separate from it?

Understand the community culture of the that day. This would have been the culture Jesus, in his humanity , lived and operated within. It is abundantly evidenced in the Scriptures that Christians did not willingly separate them selves from one another to "be on their own" . They lived in a community world where each was dependent of one another.  The mind set to "be on their own" and avoid the community of the Church  would have been alien thinking and beyond the divine intent of Jesus and to the Primitive-Apostolic Church.

They knew that they needed each other and relied upon each other. This avoidance of the community of the Church just does not find compatibility with the New Testament. 

 This is why the Apostle Paul wrote that the Church is to build one another up in love .If the Church is not in regular contact with one another it would find it difficult to build up the others members.

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."1Thess:5:11

"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." Eph:4:14-16

When  believers knowingly avoid the community of the Church they are robbing themselves and others of opportunities to be of service and to employ the gifts which the holy Spirit  has bestowed upon them, and will find their spiritual maturity hindered.

All believers should  if at all possible find a local Church to be apart of for weekly worship and fellowship. After all,  in the eternity to come we will all be gathered together in the eternal assembly in the Kingdom of God symbolized by the community relationship of the New Jerusalem where we will be together. Rev:21 & 22

  Jesus,  thru the Holy Spirit is come and is incarnate thru the flesh of the Church,  not just his own assumed humanity, but in and thru our lives thru which Jesus manifest himself to us and is among us  still ministering the love of God and declaring peace unto us.

  This is why  pastors so strongly encourage people to attend a church..Amen

 

Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor 

The Fountain of Life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion
2101 Old National Pike.

Washington, Pennsylvania.   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

A Friend of Sinners

"The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners." Luke:7:34

A few years ago while I was taking classes at  a  pastoral refresher program , I was  taking with a church Elder  named Charlie. Charlie served as a Church Elder in  a particular city. 

Charlie began to tell me about a situation that had arose in his Church area. The Church had made the collective decision to move the Church to a new location within the inner city so that they might be able to be accessible and  able to  reach the people who lived in that area and those who roamed the streets and especially the young people.  

 Some of residents who lived in that area of the inner city had less than up standing lives. Some were dirty , unkept , some were addicted some bought some sold. Many of them were involved in lawless activities,  none-the-less the congregation made the decision to locate to this area.

There is a Problem 

Shortly after the transition was made to this particular inner city neighborhood , some of the street people and those who lived in the neighborhood  started  attending the  Church.  At first they would linger in the rear of the hall and  some  were coming in just before services began and leaving as soon as they ended. 

But after a while some of them began to linger and stay a little longer after Church had ended. The Pastor and the Elders were very glad that the residents of the area were coming and hearing about Jesus and all that he is for each and all of us.

Within a short time however, the President of the Local Church Advisory Council and a few of the Council members came to the Pastor and told him that there was a "serious" problem. The Pastor was naturally concerned and asked what the problem was.

 The group of Council members told the Pastor that the people who were finding their way into the services were "bothering" the members of the Church and this  had offended the "sensibilities" of some of the members of the Church.

The Pastor was dumfounded , these were the very people who they had come here to minister the love of God to and reach with the Gospel message about Jesus. The whole purpose of their move to this area was to reach such people, the very ones who live daily without hope and struggle to make sense  of  the lives they find them selves in.

A "Sterilized" and "Sanitized"  Christianity

It is unfortunate that some Christians have such a "sterilized" and "sanitized"  Christianity . Some mistakenly believe that it is those who live safe , clean, moral lives, who will be receptive to the Gospel message, not the down trodden and broken and the addicted.  

Jesus entered this world as one of us, the Holy Perfect sinless Son of the living God, yet being such he did not with draw from the down trodden people of that time (or this time). Jesus was among those who had broken lives and he reached out them with the love, grace and mercy that the Father has for all humanity. 

The Sick and Sinners

One day we are told in Luke: 5: that people came from towns in  Galilee , Judea and as far as Jerusalem  to hear Jesus teach the word of God. We are told that the some of the religious leaders were present as well. We are told in Luke's account that "the power of God was upon Jesus to heal the sick".  

 For the religious leaders of the day , sick persons were to be thought of as being under God's displeasure and excluded from worship,  so  that Jesus  giving the sick access to himself  was  a point of consternation.

As Jesus taught , men brought a parallelized man on a stretcher to see Jesus. At first they are unable to gain access to Jesus due to the press of crowd surrounding him, the men are determined to help their friend and improvised a means to get Jesus' attention. We are told in Luke's narrative that the men break thru the roof of the meeting house and lower their friend down to Jesus as he preached. 

Jesus then seeing their action declares to the man "Friend, your sins are forgiven" . This speaks to us that Jesus' primary concern is for the spiritual healing, which ultimately  will lead to the healing of the body. This launches a debate between the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law and Jesus regarding his place to forgive sins.

In Matthew:9  we are told   that Jesus offered a place in his ministry to a tax collector named Matthew Levi.  

 "As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him."(9)

 The tax collectors who collected taxes for the Provincial Government of Rome were look upon by other Jews as traitors and  collaborators with Rome and known for being corrupt,  they were shunned and ostracized by the Jewish people and the communities in which they lived, yet Jesus reaches out to just such a one. 

Matthew accepts Jesus' invitation and in turn invites Jesus into his own house for a dinner in Jesus' honor. Other dinner guest included some of the less esteemed members of the community as well, those whom the religious leaders deem as "sinners" and they question Jesus' association with "sinners".

"While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”(10)

 Why Jesus Eats With Sinners 

Jesus over hears the Pharisees' query and give them the answer as to why he eats with sinners.

"On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”(12-13)

Simply put, sinners need Jesus, that is , each and all of us need Jesus ; and he has come among us . The Pharisees would have disenfranchised and excluded the very ones who need the Lord the most. It was thru the Law and their reading the Law which led them to miss the true intent of the Law. This is why Jesus tells them in his explanation to the Pharisees.

 "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."...

Jesus came to extend mercy to each and all ,  which produces spiritual healing , where the Law would have only produced  a "religion" of condemnation and death.

Jesus reached out to those who needed him the most, the spiritually sick and the broken, the lost and excluded. They knew that they needed something and the unconditional love of Jesus made them receptive to the message of forgiveness, whereas the Pharisees thought that they did not need help, they saw them selves as spiritually well.

A Lesson

 It is not always the persons who are living good upstanding lives in safe neighborhoods,  those who have good educations, good jobs, and live "honest moral ethical"  lives who are receptive to the Gospel.

Many times persons like this think that they are "alright" as they are,  and may not see their need for Jesus. They , like the Pharisees,  may even be "religious" and attend a Church but still never really  come to full acceptances of their need for a Savior.

It is often that those who live sinful  broken lives, and  in a state of constant flux who are the ones that are the most willing to give the Gospel a fair hearing. They ,when the see genuine unconditional love and acceptance , may respond favorably to Jesus , they often know that they need help and many are searching for a way out of the lives they are living; they embrace "mercy" so freely offered by Jesus Christ which results in their forgiveness and they are healed spiritually .

 Friend of Sinners

What about us , are we willing to reach out to those who need Jesus, or are we like the members of the Church my Elder friend Charlie served, that when they came in they were looked upon as a problem? They came looking for something will they find it with each and all of us?

The spiritually sick are all around us as they were two thousand years ago , are we , that are Christians, all of us, are we like the Pharisees who would condemn them and disenfranchise them , or are we like Jesus who extends "mercy, not sacrifice" , so that they might  experience the forgiveness that Jesus has accomplished for us all  and spiritually heals them?

Do we shun the very people who Jesus befriended?  What if they begin to attend our Churches? Will they find the same unconditional love from us that Jesus offered, or will we see them as a problem?

We are called to participate in Jesus life here and now in presenting the Gospel and love of God to those around us , many are looking for something better than the lives they have.

Let us be like Jesus and become the  friends of sinners...Amen 

Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor 

The Fountain of Life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion
2101 Old National Pike.

Washington, Pennsylvania.   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

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