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and such were some of you (1 Corinthians 6.11) I was just getting to the good part of the story yesterday when I ran out of space. So, let’s look again. Do you tend to judge people by their appearance and your expectations? If you do be warned, you are wrong! Look what happened to me. One time I was at the church in the middle of a construction project. My Brazilian coworker and I were working on something that was of "the utmost importance" at the moment. As I stood there giving some instructions into the room walked a "beggar man" and his, pierced ear, slob of a son. Of all the gall! I mean, these guys didn't wait at the gate like "normal" beggars. They actually opened that gate and walked right into the church and began peddling their wares to my coworker. The dad had an arm-load of whatever he was selling. This guy was clearly a looser. His five-o-clock shadow was grungy. His eyes bloodshot and his breath... well I didn't get THAT close. His ...

And such were some of you ... 1 Corinthians 6.11 I love the above passage. Paul writes to a church populated by ex drug dealers, prostitutes, homosexuals and thieves as if they were now all saints! That is because the WERE! They were all transformed by the saving blood of the Lord Jesus Christ! In the middle of this chapter of reprimands Paul stops to look over the congregation in his minds eye and sees precious souls that had been rescued from the edge of the abyss. Each one has a preposterous story, an incredible story, a love story. Each had come to know God’s saving grace and had been transformed. If you had been with Paul at the beginning of the Corinth church plant would you have been excited about the prospects? Would you have even wanted to be on Paul's team? Would you have been able to sell this ministry opt as valid to your supporting churches? Maybe. Paul writes to this problematic group to express his love, concern and to give some much needed instruction. As he dic...

"You no good lily livered low down snake!" I can see him now. I can't remember his name but I can see him. He's a filthy old cowboy with a five day shadow of graying stubble hugging his haggard jaw. Crow's feet frame his squinting eyes. Wretched and crooked teeth, those he has, line his gaping lips. And a Texas drawl spews from his mouth with every word. He looks as if he hasn't had a bath in months if ever. And there he is slamming his rival with degrading and brutal language. Imagine being cut to the quick by this cowpoke. How low can one get? It is extreme humiliation. Yet in Ezekiel 16 Sovereign LORD calls Israel to task with these words, " How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman ." Whoa, talk about brutal language! However, Israel deserves every word. God goes on to say in the following verses that Israel is unlike all other prostitutes in that her "lovers...

we know that an idol is nothing in the world (1 Corinthians 8.4) Yesterday I related my recent Macumba sacrifice clay pot stealing episode and my ensuing sickness. Are the two incidents related? I seriously doubt it. Here are my three reasons why. 1. Idols are Nothings! 2. God is Everything! 3. God cares for me! 1. Idols are nothing! - Notice what Paul tells the Corinthian believers in 1 Corinthians 8: 4 As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. 5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. The word nothing that Paul uses 18 times in 1 Corinthians alone means… nothing . By that I don’t mean that it means nothing it mean...

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost (1Corinthians 6:19) About a month and a half ago I was making one of two trips homes from an activity and I used a back road to do it. It was getting dark but I noticed something on a rutted corner of the lonely dirt road I was traveling. I whipped on by but glanced as I did. There it was! A Macumba sacrifice. There seem to be two type of sacrifices offered by Macumba adherents, a red one and a white one. In the red one you will often see a chicken with its throat slit and its blood mixed with water in a clay bowl. Along with the chicken may be food items, cigarettes, red wine and other trinkets to please the spirits. The red offering is bad. It means that someone has cursed someone or something. The one I saw a month ago was a white one. White ones are “good” magic. This one had white wine, cigarettes, and some cornmeal in a small clay bowl. I think that there were some white roses there too. I like clay pots, bowel...

And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. (Isaiah 2:19) The EQ in VA and DC has left everyone shaken. Throughout my life I've paid attention to Richter scale reports. Usually I've regarded the 7.0 and higher to be huge tremors. The quake that hit Japan just last year for example was a horrific 9.0. You remember scenes from that unforgettable tragedy. The quake that devastated Haiti lasted mere seconds and was only a 7.0 quake. There is always talk about the shifting of tectonic plates and edging faults. Californians are all too familiar with the San Andrea fault and the constant threat of the west coast slipping into the Pacific. However, it hit me like an earthquake just after I saw video of the DC/ VA quake, God will not need tectonic plates, faults or any other such thing to bring the house down. DC shook slightly for seconds and now ...

Ezekiel 13.1-3 We ended our last look at this passage with a question about how to interpret Bible messages in this day of seeming multiple interpretations. With all religions, denominations and churches having a corner on the truth how is one to tell the difference? We’ve looked at the first two and a half principles: 1. Pray asking God for understanding before each message . 2. Listen carefully and take notes. 3. Make sure that the Bible is used and that illustrations are biblically supported . We ended the last devotional with these questions: So, what if that happens today? What if the preacher uses the Bible to support his false teaching? How will I know that he is using the Bible in a wrong way? See steps 1 and 2 above. If you are in one of our services and you hear something that you don’t understand or think is not biblical what should you do? Actually, in our church, we want you to question us. That’s right! We want you to come to us with your questions. Come to me and say...

Ezekiel 13.1-3 Ezekiel was in a difficult situation. He was the only “Right” guy in the whole captivity. There were plenty of prophets prophesying good things to come. The problem was that they were sucking their messages right out of their own thumbs! They just now hearing from the Sovereign LORD of Israel through Ezekiel. The same thing happens today on the religious scene. There’s a church on every street corner and each has a corner on the “truth”. What is a poor soul to do. With each “church” hawking their own brand of the gospel how is one to know which is right? It is a “buyer beware” type of scenario. Here is my proposal as we continue the study from yesterday. So, what do we Twenty-First-Century dwellers learn from Ezekiel's ancient message? If we are like his original audience we learn nothing and will suffer the repercussions. If we are spiritually astute we will avoid coming disaster. Sovereign God shares His sovereignty with no preacher, church or religion. His mess...

Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy (Ezekiel 13:2) Preaching against other religions, denominations or even “styles” of our own denomination is thought to be bad taste preaching. It is “sour grapes” preaching. It is picking on sincere people’s choice of worship. It is taboo. Why all of the hub-bub? This type of preaching is really nothing new and is exactly what a good biblical preacher should be doing. Look at none other than the prophet Ezekiel for example. I know, I know! Ezekiel is an Old Testament prophet. He’s from a different dispensation. If you believe in the dispensations that is. If not, he still is. Ezekiel’s message to his own people came from the LORD and its purpose was so that Israel would know that, Jehovah was the Sovereign God. The “Sovereign LORD” theme is repetitious in the Old Testament. Three thousand years later we still believe that Jehovah is the Sovereign LORD, right? Right. Well, we who believe in God at all believe that Je...

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk ... in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4.1-3) Prison and peace don’t go together. I have been to prison various times through the years though, thank the Lord, I have never been incarcerated. However, on my visits I never sensed peace. There always seems to be tension, sinister undertones and accusing glances. Every conversation and action is observed by armed guards. The slightest movements or gestures can bring a reprimand. A prison’s goal is to separate the troublemaker from peace-loving citizens. In all of my prison visits I never once desired to go back. I knew that I needed to for the solace of the one I visited. However, those visits were more of a downer than a comfort for me. I know, “It’s not about me!” But you get my point. Paul’s words in Ephesians 4.1-3 are incredibly ironic. There are no accusing words, no grumbling complaints against the system and no pleas for clemency. Prisoner Paul places his detention c...

When you are sick you praise God for Team Work! I have been down with the worst thing that I've ever had. I don't even know exactly what it is but I believe that it is a combo of Pneumonia and the creeping crud. I won't go into the details because as my dad used to say, "No one wants to hear an organ recital." I thought that good advice.  My team came through today. Dawn put together a lovely lunch for 70 and Alexandre did a great job on Dad's Day games and play. Samuel preached a Father's day message and there were about 15 dads there to hear it. If any of this would have depended on me it wouldn't have happened. God is good and Dad's heard the Gospel. Now I would ask that you pray for the unsaved dads. Our church needs dads who love the heavenly Father.  Thanks in advance for your prayers. --  Mike

In those days... the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for ... and they shall not be found (Jeremiah 50.20) My daughter and son-in-law are visiting from the States. When they drop in it is always a time to travel down memory lane. Usually there is much laughter and great happiness as we think about how God has blessed our family through the years. Though we are presently  scattered over the wide world we have memories that take us back to a time when our family was nestled in a cozy little town in Michigan, attending a wonderful church together and basically enjoying each other. Memories are sometimes prejudiced. They leave things out or they embellish. I seem to be stronger, smarter and better looking in my memories. However, the other day my memory completely failed me. My daughter was recounting a surprise visit that I had arranged. In this memory Ann was living in another city. Thanksgiving was approaching and supposedly I wanted to surprise mom by paying for Ann and our gr...

The prophet who has had a dream should say it is only a dream, but the prophet who has heard my message should proclaim that message faithfully . (Jeremiah 23:28) There I sat wrapped in the barber’s jacket as I listened to a fantastic story. The barber was recounting a vision that the “Lord” had sent to him. He waved his straight razor as he explained his story and I wasn’t in a good position to tell him that I thought his whole account nothing but rubbish. His allegory went like this, “While I was in prison. I was there for ten years you know. While I was in prison I had a vision. I was laying on my bed one night when all of a sudden the ceiling and roof parted. The heavens opened too and an eagle flew down and landed on my stomach. I know that it was an eagle because I’ve seen picture of eagles. Anyway, the eagle bent over and placed its beak in my mouth and the liquid that came out tasted like honey. It was such a distinctive taste that I still remember it to this day.” “Awhile l...

walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called (Ephesians 4.1) I’m sorry but I cannot imagine being primped to be a duke, prince or king! I have always thought of Prince Charles as a big wuss in waiting. His whole life has been spent preparing to be “the next king of England.” This poor guy has gone above and beyond the call of duty in being groomed for a position that Elizabeth II, his mom, doesn’t seem to want to give up. Elizabeth’s mother, the Honourable Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, lived for 101 years for Pete’s sake! Does Charley have a chance? Doubt it. Why this talk about princely preening? Well my friend it is because we as God’s children are in a similar process. In Ephesians 4.1 Paul goes into some interesting details. He tells us the following. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, The word vocation trips us up. I went through my career at GM working my best so that I would plea...

Most of us have stood on the shore of an ocean. I have had the privilege of viewing the Atlantic and Pacific. I have also had the privilege of standing on shores in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The ocean always leaves me in awe. If I try to fight its waves I lose. I can’t swim across it, I can’t see the other side and I know that I don’t want to descend into its pitch-black depths, without a bathysphere anyway. Thinking of the immensity and grandeur of the ocean makes me feel tiny by comparison. And it is exactly on this shore that Paul wants each of us to stand. He wants us to try and grasp God’s love. Notice his poetry in Ephesians three, That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. In this literary master work Paul le...

I Paul a prisoner of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3.1) A sad facts here in Brazil is that the prison system doesn’t work. There are too many scoundrels for too few slammers. This scenario proffers two options, either overcrowding or early release. I have never visited a male prison but I’ve seen pictures. It is never a good situation. Not all of the bad boys get out early, however. In fact there are a few hardened criminals who do remain behind the rusty bars and in their dank and dark dens of iniquity. These men and women are locked away from society yet many of them conduct gang business as normal from their cages. With cellphone technology they are able to communicate with their various evil contacts and command their diabolic domains from within. Authorities, try as they might, find it almost impossible to stop the cryptic communications. Hits are made, drugs are run and people’s lives destroyed by incarcerated thugs. It is incredible. How can someone be so wickedly efficient from a...

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.   (Ephesians 2:19) Have you ever felt like an Alien? I’m not talking Marvin the Martian or even “My Favorite Martin” for those of you who go back that far. I’m talking about a complete stranger? I think that one of the weirdest situations for me came in the good old U.S. of A. as I walked down Broadway Ave. in downtown Manhattan in a  pair of worn jeans, a hoodie and a Winnie the Pooh backpack as I headed toward Ground Zero. It was a miserable February in 2004 and I had come to aid my sister and brother-in-law with my ailing mother. That was “ailing” and NOT “alien” mother. I know what you are thinking. Anyway, there I was trudging from Penn Station near Madison Square Garden toward Ground Zero which is about a thousand city blocks away. Or at least it seemed like it was. I had landed at LaGuardia Airport and wanted to see the Twin Towers sight before hea...

For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. (Ephesians 2:18) The closest that I have ever come to royalty is when I stood a foot away from Rosie Schook, the Oxford Wildcat Snow Queen back in 1971. I tingled. I cannot imagine standing in a King’s or Queen’s presence. I cannot imagine being around royalty. However, I had better get over my standoffishness because in the not too distant future I will be entering into the presence of the King of kings! Christ death and resurrection assured me that I have access into God the Father presence. I am so glad that Paul put the word, “Father” there and not king, ruler or potentate. “Father” has such a wonderful sound to it. I am not just entering into the Ruler of the Universe’s presence. That Ruler is my Father! Oh the freedom. I remember pictures from my childhood, of Caroline and Jon Jon Kennedy in the Oval Office. There they were, just little tykes, in the office of the most powerful man in the world. They were run...

We then ...beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain . (2 Corinthians 6.1) How can God's grace be wasted? Paul seems to imply that it can be in the above text. Before we look at that question we need to understand exactly what God's grace is. It is a word seldom used these days unless in messages or Sunday school lessons. I know a few ladies named Grace and have heard statements like, "She walks with such grace." leading me to believe that it is an elegant word. But what is God's grace in the Bible and how is it that one can abuse it? You may have heard this short definition for the bible word grace, “unmerited favor”. I’ve often repeated the following definition of “mercy” and “grace”, “Mercy is not getting what one deserves. Grace is getting what one does not deserve.” Did that make sense? You may have to stop and think about that one just a minute. Let me illustrate the two ideas: Mercy - When I was five or so it “stole” a grape from t...

For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us ; Ephesians 2:14 In 1967 Detroit exploded in what would be know ever after as, “ The 12th Street Riot ”. As a 14 year old white boy living about an hour from Detroit I was petrified. I didn’t know much about what was going on but I was afraid that my family was going to be murdered. Black people scared me. Why? Ignorance pure and simple. I had grown up in a white community and had never met any black people. There was a black kid in our school but I had never spoken to him. I lived in my own little white world and was happy to do so. My ignorance of the black culture had lead to prejudice and my prejudice had lead me to fear. Prejudice is that decisive determination of guilt or bias that comes before knowledge. One judges before hand. The mind is bent in a certain direction that is impossible to correct. Or seemingly so. God has interesting ways of helping us to face our ignora...