Church devotion: Cost of Faith - Acts 7:40

Acts 7:40         They told Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’

            Today’s passage from the Book of Acts (Acts 7:35-47), contains some of the things that Stephen spoke to the High Priest in Jerusalem , when he was put on trial for preaching Christianity. The charges made against him included accusations that he spoke blasphemous words against God and Moses. He was, therefore, taken before the High Priest, just like Christ, to answer those charges.

            Stephen defended himself by re-telling the story of the ancient Hebrew people under the leadership of Moses. Using scripture, he showed how fickle the people of God had actually been, and that they had also historically rejected Moses, which led to the casting of the idolatrous golden calf. Stephen must have hoped that his words would cause the religious authorities to truly reflect on the past and acknowledge that the Jewish people had wandered from the truth. If he could have convinced them, then he would have helped them to understand that Christ had come into the world to redirect the Jews toward God. Unfortunately, instead of guiding them to a better awareness of God’s plan of salvation, Stephen incurred the wrath of the High Priest and incensed the people, who stoned him to death.

            Last week, at the Umpqua Community college in Oregon, ten people were murdered, just for being Christians. They were shot in the head for simply declaring their belief in Christ. We usually hear of this kind of inhumane brutality in other lands and from past centuries. It has shocked us all and perhaps has made us more aware of the true costs of our Christian faith. It’s sad to think that such a terrible and tragic thing could happen in our land, and yet, every year, about 100,000 Christians lose their lives across the world for simply holding the same beliefs that we so casually carry in our hearts and minds.

            So today, let’s think about how deep our faith in Christ actually is, and ask ourselves this question: do I try to live my life for Christ and is He worth dying for?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, when we think about Christian martyrs we conjure up images from past centuries, instead of in our present world. We conveniently forget that our faith often challenges the wickedness of the world, and so our people become easy targets across the nations. Help us to remain faithful to You. Let Your Holy Spirit comfort and be with those families in Umpqua and elsewhere, who are dealing with such a painful and unjust tragedy in their lives. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask questions or make comments about today’s devotion, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest drawings called ‘Beyond the Cross.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: BTC.

Christmas Devotion: Signs and symbols - Galatians 4:18

Galatians 4:18                        It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you. (NIV)

Throughout December, we all see bumper stickers, church posters, and yard signs that read ‘Jesus is the reason for the season,’ ‘Keep Christ in Christmas,’ and my all-time favorite, “Beat the Christmas Rush – come to church this Sunday!” Whenever I see them, they make me smile, but I wonder how they come across to people who are not church goers or even Christians?

Are those signs too ‘preachy?’ Do they come across as being smug and self-righteousness? Is our zeal for the Lord hampering our effective witness in the community? And, can you really capture the real message of the Gospel in a bumper sticker anyway?

Over the years, the best witnesses to Christ at Christmas come from the loving words and deeds of compassionate people. They effectively put Christ back into Christian, which for me is more important rather than relying upon a silly slogan. If church people were zealous for the Lord in ways that would support the poor, comfort the heartbroken, and embrace the unloved then our churches would be filled each and every Sunday, no matter which season we were in.

Question for personal reflection

How can I become a sign of Christ’s love in my home, at work, and in the community at large?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, we want to positively witness on Your behalf, especially at this time of year when so many people are thinking about Your Birth. Enable us to be aware of the effect that our words and deeds have on other folk. May we become human signs and symbols of Your grace and love. In Your Holy Name, we sincerely pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask a question or make a comment about today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest snowman drawings. It’s called ‘Even Snowmen Know.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3671/11192118666_85888f4534_b.jpg

Church devotion: Sin is Dead! - Romans 7

Romans 7:8    But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead.

Believe it or not, I struggle with sin every day. I constantly do stupid things or say hurtful words; I forget to keep promises or neglect to do good deeds. I waste opportunities for the Lord and let my life slip carelessly by. Sin is a constant struggle and some days I feel as though I’ve failed the Lord entirely.

But then I remember that I am not perfect and cannot always do everything right, perfect, or holy to save my soul. I have the potential to be better than I am, but never reach the high bar that I set myself. Like Paul writes elsewhere, I constantly fall short of what God expects, which means I am a sinner in need of salvation. I recognize that I need a Redeemer. I know that I need Jesus to save me.

            Sadly, some folks never reach this level of self-awareness. They don’t believe in sin, so they have no need of grace. They go through life making both good and bad choices, but they never seem to understand that, as each day passes, they are piling up more sinful, selfish, self-centered stuff that will ultimately separate them from God. Maybe if I was a better witness or better teacher or better preacher, or even a better Christian, I might be able to help them change ….but then I would be sinfully guilty of trying to perfect their lives by pointing out their sins, rather than dealing with the huge sins in my own life!

            Being a Christian is never easy. It requires constant attention. If I’m too busy pointing out others’ mistakes, then I’m missing the point about sin: we all do it! It doesn’t excuse it, which is what Paul is actually trying to express in Romans 7. When I become aware of my own sinfulness, then I know that I need to change something in me, which is why I desperately need Christ’s grace to transform me. I can only begin to become what He wants when I give everything of me over to Him.

Questions for personal reflection

Be honest, what’s the biggest sin I am dealing with in my life? Have I given it over to Jesus yet? If not, why not?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, sometimes we can’t see our own sinful ways because we mask it with the sins of others. Grant us true self-awareness, even though that may be ugly and unholy. Help us to reach out to You for help and the strength to overcome. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask a question about today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is John’s latest crayon drawing called “Island in the Sun.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2813/9442299728_eeaec950ac_b.jpg

Church Devotions: Being a Christian - Luke 12:57

Luke 12:57  (Jesus said)        “Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right?”

There’s a lot of talk these days about Christians being too judgmental. We’re criticized for trying to live according to Christ’s words and sometimes those accusations sting us personally. Consequentially, some people of our faith are afraid of appearing to be judgmental in the eyes of others, so they’ve stopped making judgments altogether. Instead of being the leaven in society in order to change the world for the better in God’s eyes, we’ve become stale. We would rather be respected by others in society, instead of respecting Christ’s own words. We want to be considered broad minded and open rather than following Christ’s sacred and singular way. And even when our church pastors or Christian teachers mention this, we close off our ears, hearts, and minds to any questioning of our choices or to those suggestions that we are walking on the wrong path.

Jesus also had to deal with this in His own day. He was frustrated by the lack of judgment His people were making with regard to their faith and everyday choices. They could work out what kind of day it was going to be by looking at the color of the sky in the morning, but they couldn’t discern that Christ was among them, challenging their ways, and confronting their choices. Even though the signs of the Messiah were all there before them, they didn’t accept Jesus as the Anointed One. They wanted Him to be shaped according to their plans, their needs, and their beliefs.

“Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?” Jesus frustratingly exclaims. In other words, you know what is right, so what is stopping you from choosing it?

Being a 21^st century Christian and living a cosmopolitan world is difficult, but who ever said it was going to be easy? When faithful people judge what is right, the world is always going to complain that we are narrow-minded and spiritually closed: yet isn’t that why Christ was crucified? He was totally misunderstood, became unpopular, and was finally executed for daring to judge what was right – perhaps this is why we find it so hard to do the same.

Questions for personal reflection

What makes me a Christian? How different is my lifestyle from my non-Christian peers?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You have called me to be a Christian and to judge what is right. Help me not to be fearful of my peers when they attack my faith or ridicule my religion. In Your Holy Name, I pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is a Good Friday crayon drawing of John’s called “Passover.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5259/5394517049_ef741c1bdf_b.jpg