Pray with others

Today’s readings are 2 Chronicles 31:21-33:13, Romans 15:23-16:9,

Psalm 25:16-22 and Proverbs 20:16-18

Romans 15:30-33

³⁰ Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit. ³¹ Pray that I will be rescued from those in Judea who refuse to obey God. Pray also that the believers there will be willing to accept the donation^[a] I am taking to Jerusalem. ³² Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other.

              ³³ And now may God, who gives us his peace, be with you all. Amen. 

        

Do you pray for people when they are struggling?  Is this something that you do regularly?  It should be when a fellow Christian is struggling in any kind of trouble we should come along side of them and pray with them.  

When a person is struggling most of the time what I hear is a group of people talking about the problem.  Sometimes encouraging but most times not.  I think if we would pray instead of talk about things we would see God move and then we would be encouraged not discourage.  

Think about encouraging people this week.

Kelly Schlotter

A NEW DEFINING TRAIT

 Today’s Bible readings are 2 Chronicles 30:1-31:21, Romans 15:1-22, Psalm 25:1-15, & Proverbs 20:13-15

Romans 15:5-6

⁵ May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. ⁶ Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Did you know that drama is not the fitting kind of life that we are to live in Christ? That may blow your mind if you are like most people. It amazes me the amount of drama that church people allow in their lives.

1.      Fighting with each other over stupid stuff.

2.      Letting gossips call them & spread their venom.

3.      Getting all worked up over what people say.

4.      Making a mountain out of a mole hill.

5.      Always taking things to the place of crisis.

6.      Magnifying everything but God.

7.      Talking to everybody about everything & then getting mad when they talk too.

I remember an old tv commercial for a boot camp show that said:  “Save the drama for your mama!”  Why do we let our feeling get the best of us? Why do we let our emotions pull us this way & then that way? It is because we let our flesh control us, rather than, the Holy Spirit.  This is not fitting for those who are in Christ!!!

Romans 15:5-6

⁵ May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.

Jesus wants us to live in harmony. That means:

1.     Peace in our homes.

2.     Peace in our minds.

3.     Peace in our marriages.

4.     Peace in our relationships with others.

5.     Peace in our church.

Here is the awesome thing—IT IS POSSIBLE!!!God give us the grace & the patience that we need to live in harmony if we let His Spirit control us. Here are some tips.

1.      Pray before you act or react.

For people who have been feeling led, this is a challenge. They don’t think they need to pray. They think they need to feel. This is not the way it works in Christ. We must pray first.

2.      Put others first.

This may seem ridiculous at first BUT IT WORKS! When we put others first we are sowing good seed. Good seed leads to harmony & good harvest.

3.      Stay connected to Jesus.

I have yet to be able to live in conflict when I’m in the Vine. There is no resentment or animosity allowed in the Vine. It is give up or get out. I chose to stay in the Vine so I chose to walk in forgiveness.

Harmony is so much more pleasant that strife. It is also a great witness of the presence of Christ in our lives. That is why Jesus said that they would know we are His disciples BY OUR LOVE!!! Let’s let that be our defining trait for a change.

Pastor Richard Schlotter

AN EPISTLE EVERYONE READS

Today’s Bible readings are 2 Chronicles 29:1-36, Romans 14:1-23, Psalm 24:1-10, & Proverbs 20:12

Romans 14:19-20

¹⁹ So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

²⁰ Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble.

Have you ever noticed that, as Christians, we get into a lot of silly arguments that don’t really mean anything? I am amazed at the amount of arguing that goes on it church life about things that don’t matter.

People fuss about this being proper & that being improper. People argue about what holiness is & isn’t. People get into fights & sever relationship because one person thinks this & sin & the other person doesn’t.

It is very similar to what Paul was addressing to this church with the text that we are reading today. Can I simply tell you that some things are a matter of personal conviction. It is not something that salvation hinges upon so don’t fight & argue about it. If somebody else does what you don’t do---MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!

You don’t need to run them down for it. You don’t need to put together a list of 20 bible verses to try to show them the error in their thinking. Let them live their life while you live yours. This is the key to peace & harmony. It will keep you in favor with people, which in turn, will give you influence. Then your life will be an epistle for all to read!

Romans 14:19-20

¹⁹ So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

²⁰ Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble.

Have you ever noticed that, as Christians, we get into a lot of silly arguments that don’t really mean anything? I am amazed at the amount of arguing that goes on it church life about things that don’t matter.

People fuss about this being proper & that being improper. People argue about what holiness is & isn’t. People get into fights & sever relationship because one person thinks this & sin & the other person doesn’t.

It is very similar to what Paul was addressing to this church with the text that we are reading today. Can I simply tell you that some things are a matter of personal conviction. It is not something that salvation hinges upon so don’t fight & argue about it. If somebody else does what you don’t do---MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!

You don’t need to run them down for it. You don’t need to put together a list of 20 bible verses to try to show them the error in their thinking. Let them live their life while you live yours. This is the key to peace & harmony. It will keep you in favor with people, which in turn, will give you influence. Then your life will be an epistle for all to read!

Pastor Richard Schlotter

GIVE YOUR BODIES

Today’s Bible readings are 2 Chronicles 24:1-25:28, Romans 12:1-21, Psalm 22:19-31, & Proverbs 20:8-10

Romans 12:1-2

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. ² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

We live in a world today where being a Christian isn’t that much different than being a sinner. It is common for people in the family of God to live lives nearly identical to those who live outside the family of God. It doesn’t appear that there is much difference in lifestyle. This should NEVER be the case!

There are popular teachings that pervert the grace of God. There is a thread of universalism in much teaching today. It seems to me that many think that everybody is just saved. It is the opinion of a lot of people that all you have to do to get into heaven is die. What you do in this life, according to some, has no weight on eternal things because God loves us all & we are living in the dispensation of grace & mercy. I want to make a very direct statement—

This goes against the teachings of Christ.

Matthew 7:21-23

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

There are some things that we just don’t do anymore. We are new creatures in Christ. We have a new identity. We have a new Father. We have a new purpose. All of these things are true but the only way to have a new life is to STOP CONFORMING TO THE PATTERN OF THE WORLD!

The world is always trying to press Christians into its mold. Many Christians like the mold that world cast. It allows them to:

1.      Continue drinking & partying.

2.      Have sex with whoever they want.

3.      Lie & manipulate.

4.      Have little to no integrity.

5.      Outbursts of anger.

6.      Cheat for gain.

7.      Rob God by not tithing.

8.      Remain selfish & self-centered.

Our lives are not our own. They belong to Christ. We are told that the way to REALLY WORSHIP God is by giving Him our bodies. Today there is this perverted idea that the church with the best music has the best worship. Even this is conforming to the world’s way of thinking. WORSHIP HAS VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH MUSIC!!! Worship is a lifestyle. According to the bible, TRUE WORSHIP is what we do with our lives, not what we sing with our lips. This is worshipping in spirit & in truth.

I want to encourage you to renew your mind to the teachings that are in the bible. Read the scripture & you will see that your life in Christ is much different than your life in the world. God has much grace to give but it is intended to bring about change. Don’t receive the grace of God in vain. Let it transform you & your life. I want to leave you with a text that speaks to this matter.

Ephesians 4:20-32

²⁰ That, however, is not the way of life you learned ²¹ when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. ²² You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

²⁵ Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ²⁶ “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold. ²⁸ Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Pastor Richard Schlotter