Looking in the Mirror | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

James 1:17-27

¹⁷ Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 

¹⁸ In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

¹⁹ You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 

²⁰ for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. 

²¹ Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.

²² But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 

²³ For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 

²⁴ for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 

²⁵ But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.

²⁶ If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 

²⁷ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

 

When I was a young child, I was fascinated by mirrors, and I would spend a lot of time looking in mirrors. My stepmother thought it was the strangest thing; we could be in the mall about to go up the escalator of a department store; if there was a mirror on the support beam in front of the escalator, I was going to look. I would want to see what was going on with my face. How is my mustache coming in? Do I have any pimples, any visitors in my nose? I just wanted to make sure I looked ok.

 

Studies show that people check the mirror as much as 40 times a day. For some, looking in a mirror is simply a matter of gathering data; for others, it's to confirm the worst. We can always find a mirror, and perhaps that's why we take mirrors for granted. We use them for practical purposes and décor. When driving, good drivers check their side mirrors and rearview mirrors for safety reasons. We use mirrors to reflect light. And we use mirrors before going on a date to see how we look. When we don't have a mirror, some of us will take out a cellphone and put it in "selfie mode" to ensure we are together.

 

We also use mirrors in our language; when a child looks like their parent, we say they look like a reflection of the parent. When we want someone to reflect on their actions, we tell them to take a hard look at themselves in the mirror.

 

Theologian Sean Carter said, "I'm a mirror. If you're cool with me, I'm cool with you, and the exchange starts. What you see is what you reflect. If you don't like what you see, then you've done something." – Jay-Z

 

But what about the mirror that the apostle James used 2,000 years ago? That kind of mirror was not a piece of glass coated with silver nitrate. The mirror James spoke of was probably a piece of polished bronze or copper. Whatever it was, there's no doubt that his readers knew what a mirror was.

 

Mirrors had been around long before James wrote his letter to the Christians of the diaspora. Artifacts dating to 6,000 B.C. tell us that the early communities used polished stones as mirrors before going to their equivalent of Walmart.

 

James was writing to people spread out all over the land when he wrote his letter, and he wrote this letter to make things clear to believers. Faith is about action: a small book with a bunch of powerful statements in it. James was short with his words, very blunt, and said that if you are a believer, you should not have to say so; your actions should speak for you. James was not saying we should not evangelize but that our Christian life should be more than just saying the right things; we must do the right things as well. If somebody is all talk and no action, they are just like people who look at themselves in the mirror and forget what they saw.

 

James tells us to be doers of the word and not hearers only; the time has ended for us as believers to go to church, say "that was a great sermon" or "worship was good today" and not do something to reflect the change in us. For faith to be genuine, it must translate into deeds; otherwise, we lie to ourselves. If we are believers, we should listen more than we speak and not get angry so quickly. James says that our anger does not produce God's righteousness. How we treat people reflects what type of Christian we are. That is why James says we need to bridle our tongues.

 

We are to welcome the word of God into our lives and let it take root; that way, we can be good Christians to ourselves and others. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ does not mean we exclude others. James said that true religion is to take care of widows and orphans. Those are people in the bible who at the time could not care for themselves. If your behavior matches that of a good Christian, you should have no problems looking yourself in the mirror.

Looking in the mirror is a good thing, but only if we act according to the data the mirror has furnished. Otherwise, looking in the mirror is a waste of time.

 

We become better versions of ourselves, and the world becomes a better place when we look into God's mirror — the perfect law — and act on what we see. James alludes to looking in the mirror when he applauds those who can bridle the tongue. He refers to working on what we see when he argues that a Christian who takes care of orphans and widows in distress is a practitioner of "true religion."

 

James gives us a call to action: let us investigate the mirror and act on what we see. When we do, we will be better for it, and so will our neighborhoods, communities, and our part of the world.

Personal Protective Equipment | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

Ephesians 6:10-20

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

 

Personal Protective Equipment, I became familiar with the phrase personal protective equipment working for Exxon. The culture focused on safety. I had to wear protective gloves, goggles, a long sleeve shirt, and steel-toe boots to change a projector bulb. The goggles kept bulb particles from possibly flying in my eyes; the gloves were so I did not cut my hands on sharp edges or glass, long sleeve shirts for the same reason, and steel toe boots in case something heavy fell on my feet. Wearing the right equipment for the right job protected me from possible danger. I had to keep all my PPE on while doing a particular job; if I only had on a portion of the equipment, I would only have a part of the protection.

 

We all have some type of equipment for protection, especially during this time, people wearing gloves, masks, face shields, and double masks. Many people are trying to do their part to keep themselves and others safe, but you must make sure you have the correct type of protection and complete protection. If I sold you a car and told you only half the airbags work, would you still want to buy it? Some of you might be asking which half pastor? Do you think there are players in the NFL that would like to play football with just shoulder pads and no helmets? Personal protective equipment is useful as long as you have the right equipment for the proper purpose.

 

The apostle Paul is speaking of PPE in scripture when we get close to the end of Ephesians.

Paul is coming to a close, his first one, and Paul tells the people in the Ephesian church to have the right tools for the right purpose. Paul is speaking to the Ephesian church about having protection because Christianity was illegal during this letter. Christianity was not legal until 311AD.

 

Paul was writing this letter to the Ephesians during imprisonment. He was familiar with the Roman soldiers' weapons and the PPE they donned every day. And as a Roman citizen who had been thrown into Roman jails and subjected to Roman beatings, Paul was intimately aware of military hierarchies and punishments. Paul’s familiarity with Roman soldiers and Roman beatings is why he could describe the appearance of a Roman soldier so well.

 

Paul comes to the end of his letter; he reminds his readers of the powers arrayed against them and uses the image of a Roman soldier in a battle against his foe. For Paul, the enemies were formidable: “rulers … authorities … cosmic powers of this present darkness … spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (v. 12, emphasis added). This urgent reminder is one of the last things Paul underscores; one remembers best what is freshest in mind. His letter had begun with a lengthy and glorious peroration about being “blessed in heavenly places” (1:3). But even as we are blessed in heavenly places, we are also beset in heavenly places; therefore, we must be vigilant during the struggle against evil “in the heavenly places.”

 

The ancient Romans had a militaristic culture, people were expected to fight, but Paul tells the Christians that their battle is not with other people but with sin, evil, and death. These spiritual powers were affecting society. The Ephesian church members would have been in a city with many temples for other religions, and some even centered around political leaders.

 

Paul tells the Ephesian church to have the right PPE on

Belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness Feet fitted with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit.

 

Breastplate of Righteousness- A breastplate covers a large portion of your body, just like your righteous character can keep you and get you places other things cannot.

 

Feet ready to share the gospel - There is the action again, sharing the gospel, getting the word of Jesus Christ out to others. The roman soldier would have sturdy sandals that protected them and helped them move around better than barefoot.

 

Shield of faith- The shield is not a small circular shield but one of the long and tall shields that can deflect arrows no matter where they aim at you. The Roman shield was large enough to cover the whole body; made of wood, covered with animal hide, and bound with iron at the top and bottom. When dipped in water before a battle, it could extinguish fire arrows that had been dipped in pitch and set ablaze.

 

Helmet of salvation - The helmet of salvation is both a present experience and a future hope. We get saved but are constantly working on our salvation.

 

Belt of Truth - A Roman soldier's belt was tied around them to hold their sword.

 

Sword of the Spirit -word of God the Greek term used for sword in the Greek is a short sword, one used for close-quarters combat. To use the word of God, you will have to get close to other people.

 

In today’s world, we need PPE. We need it for the eyes and face, hands, bodies, respiratory system, and ears. If we distilled the message of health care professionals to four words, it would be this: “Protect yourself and others.”

 

Along with the PPE, we also need to pray. We need to pray and keep praying; prayer is just as crucial as the armor Paul mentions. Prayer is a continual part of Christian living.

 

Isaiah 55:6  (NKJV)

6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

 

Matthew 7:7 (NKJV)

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

 

Mark 11:23 (NKJV)

23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

 

Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 

Pray and keep praying.

 

Talk as if we already have the victory, act as if we already have the victory. Paul is claiming the victory even though he is writing from jail. Paul knows that we already have the victory through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

 

 

Walk & Talk Like a Christian | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

 

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. 

5 

¹ Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children² and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

 

Growing up, I sometimes did not get along with people because of how I communicated. Either I was too quiet around people, which made them uncomfortable, or I would bluntly tell them what I thought, which would make them uncomfortable as well. I have spent some time improving my communication skills, I still have my quirks, but I am still improving. I am not where I want to be precisely but not where I used to be. My communication is a process that I am always trying to improve. Learning how to communicate with people is a skill everyone can use; talking to the right people the right way will take you places money and credentials will not.

 

We see an example of how to talk like a Christian here in scripture in Ephesians 4. Ephesians is a so-called Deutero-Pauline letter meaning that we can't confirm Paul wrote it, but we think he did. Ephesians was a letter for a church in Ephesus, an ancient Greek city, now present-day Turkey. The Ephesian Church was a church that had Jewish people and Gentiles coming together to form one church. Ephesian Church was a church with members born into the faith and members who recently converted to form a single church. I think the Book of Ephesians is valuable for many reasons, but the main thing is when I look at Ephesians back then, I see the church right now. If the church wants to survive another generation, we will have to go out and get new people; we cannot depend on the people in the church to have families and expect the families to stay. Some may say that the church has been around and will stay around; I say not for long on the current path. There are only so many years of burying more people than you baptize that can happen before you end up closing the doors for good. It is hard to let go of our old ways of thinking; it is easy to dip back into what we know we used to do and do well, but in Christ, all things are made new, and we can walk like it, talk like it, and live like it.

 

The writer says that we have new life in Christ Jesus, and with the new life, there will be a new way of living. The text is telling us to avoid vices and adopt virtues. The writer believes that the Ephesian church can rise to the occasion of being better church members, better believers, better people because they have a power working inside them that is better than any power working outside of them. The writer gives us a few things for the church to work on if the new people and the longstanding people to the faith plan to work together.

 

Change your Mouth

Put away all falsehoods and speak the truth to our neighbors. I read that the average person tells four lies a day. Four lies day seems like a lot, but we did lie a lot when I thought about it. You may say, Pastor, I resent that remark; how dare you call me a liar. I am not calling you a liar, but I am saying we all lie. What you do is not who you are; however, the lies we tell are about ourselves. The biggest lie most of the published reports said people told was, "I'm fine." Trouble all around us, hard to keep it together, but as soon as someone asks, "how are you doing?" The default answer is a lie. There are some other lies we tell, "just this once," or "I don't care," "you can't make me mad" I could go all day, but there are other parts of the text I want to touch. The point is Ephesians is telling us if we're going to thrive, there must be some authenticity among us. We can do things exceedingly, abundantly; above all, we could ask or imagine according to the power working in us according to Christ Jesus, but it starts with our mouths.

 

Change your Mind

Be angry and do not sin; there are tens of thousands of books for sale on Amazon right now about anger management. The Bible says to be angry, but do not sin, so you can be angry. The Bible also says, don't let the sun go down on your wrath. We have an issue we should address and address it quickly. How much better would our lives be if we stopped holding on to things that happened long ago? When we hold it in, we give room for the enemy to come in, and when the enemy comes in, that throws you off. I have a spades tournament championship trophy in the house that I laugh at every time I see it. My wife and I were partners in a tournament, and we were losing a game; it came time to bid the next hand, and we had nothing. We went board; that's the minimum amount you can bid for those who don't play spades. The other team went with their bid; the other team might have started to bid 7 or 8; my wife started trash-talking and tricked them into bidding higher like 10. The other group didn't make their bid, so they were set and lost points on that hand; for the rest of the game, when the other team bid, the other partner would angrily say, " You sure you don't want to ask LaTaya first? Then they would start arguing. We were in their head the rest of the game. Well, Pastor, what does that story have to do with making room for the enemy? You may not get fooled on a spades hand. Still, someone may have told you that you would not amount to anything, you can't give that room anymore, somebody might have said you weren't smart, you can't give that room anymore, people who don't pay your bills put a roof over your head, or provide you salvation should not have any room. Here are some things you can make room for, I am the righteousness of God, I am blessed in the city, blessed in the field, blessed when I come, and blessed when I go. Make room for the things of God.

 

Change your Moves

Be imitators of God. When you are imitating something or someone, you talk like them, and you try to look like them; you try to be the same places they are. If we want to imitate God, we should know what God says to imitate it. We should be places God would be so that we can imitate it. We should do Godly things so that we can imitate him. Can people tell you are a believer without telling them or are they shocked when they found out you belong to a church? Also, imitating God is not a one-and-done deal. The growth does not stop after baptism, joining a church, or getting active in the church; it is ongoing. God marked us with a seal for the day of redemption; this is not just a date on a calendar but a goal. The goal is to be a better Christian day by day. Bishop Scott Jones says that there is no retirement from God's work. We can always work to be better Christians today than we were yesterday. We can keep moving forward because we are not moving forward on our power.

 

We have new life in Christ Jesus; we can change our minds, change our mouths, and change our moves. We can forgive others because Christ has forgiven us. We can make those sacrifices and live in love because Christ already made the most significant sacrifice when he gave himself up for us.

 

 

Soul Food | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

I love soul food, I love the taste, I love the feeling I get when I eat it, I love the rich history of the food because I know that Soul Food came from people who did not have a lot of time, nor the best ingredients and they had to improvise in order to make the food tasty. I know a little bit more about healthy eating now that I am older I don't eat Soul Food as much as I used to. I know that the reason the soul food tastes do good is because it is filled with sugar, salt, starches, and fat. Not very nutritious. However, there are still some times I will have some Ox tails. I have an emotional attachment to other foods as well. I love a good steak, and I won't eat watermelon. My mother says that when she was pregnant with me she ate a lot of steak and watermelon, I love steak, and I don't care for watermelon. I know how to pick great watermelon, but growing up in a house where you saw one every day from the start of the season to the end you might get tired of looking at watermelon.

I'm sure we all have food that makes us feel a certain way. There are foods that take us back to a time we enjoy. Food that brings back memories, food that nourishes our souls.

We find Jesus in this passage of scripture right after he finished feeding the multitude and walking on water, now both Jesus the disciples are not around the crowd anymore and the crowd starts to look for Jesus. I commend the crowd for this action at least, because the crowd saw that the men of God had moved on and they went to search for them. Do we search for Jesus or do we just expect him to show up on our terms?

The Motives were impure

The crowd of people found Jesus and when they found him, they asked him a question, Rabbi when did you come here? Jesus saw right through that, Jesus knew that the people's motives were impure. They claimed to come for the teaching but Jesus saw they really came for the bread. The crowd was attracted to Jesus but not for the right reasons. I've read about missionaries running into this type of issue abroad. The missionaries would go to an impoverished area to teach the people that lived in the area about Jesus. 

They converted, were baptized, joined the church, and remained active members as long as their physical needs were met though the generosity of the congregation. But once their prospects improved and they and their families no longer needed rice, they drifted away from the church. Hence missionaries called them “rice Christians.” That name calls to mind those who flocked to the churches in East Germany and Romania just before the liberation of eastern Europe—when the church was manifesting courage, and pastors were speaking out against Communist regimes. The people came to cheer the church on, and to join the congregation in its opposition to the tyrannical state. But after liberation from the heel of the Soviet boot and local dictators, the crowds dispersed and the churches began to look as straggling and abandoned as they had before the stirrings of political liberty took hold.

That kind of behavior is not exclusive to foreign mission trips. We see the same behavior here in the United States in our churches. Are you on a board or committee to do the work, or do you just want the title and the control? Are you really following a call God placed on your life or do you just want to be on stage and be seen? Are you really here to minister to the people or do you just want a  check?

The people misunderstood the work.

In the text Jesus told them not to work for food that perishes but to work for food that brings eternal life. The crowd was thinking about the law, and thinking about the type of work where one labors and gets something in return for their labor. What Jesus was talking about was belief. Over and over again Jesus will ask people before he performs a miracle, do you believe? There will be times when Jesus can only do a little bit in the text and not a lot, why? Because the people lack faith. Jesus wants to know do you believe? Do you believe  Jesus is a doctor in the sickroom? Do you believe Jesus is a lawyer in the courtroom. Do you believe Jesus is  a friend to the friendless? Do you believe Jesus is hope for the hopeless? Do you believe Jesus can you of your disease? Do you believe Jesus is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all you could ever ask or imagine? Do you believe Jesus can really make away out of now way?

The crowd of people are talking about work like it is performance on a job but what Jesus wants to know is do you believe?

The people misapplied the manna

The people are starting to get it but not quite yet. Jesus walked on water, Jesus feed the multitude with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread and the next question the crowd asks is what other signs are you going to perform? What else you got Jesus? What have you done for me lately? They still want more.

It is the crowd in the text that says our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness.

Jesus gets one thing clear for them. That 'he' that the people refer to in the quote, is not Moses, it is God. Moses did not give them bread, God did. Understand that God provided the means for the Israelites to survive for years and years in the wilderness. It was God that gave them food when their own supplies ran out. It was God that kept the Israelites fed when no one else was able to do it. Jesus lets the crowd know that Moses was a great prophet, but the power to keep the people fed in the wilderness came from God.

Now they don't need manna anymore, they have the bread of life. Jesus lets them know with an I AM statement that he is the bread of life. Food that will make you feel good and something that will save your soul. Jesus provides a bread that makes sure you are never hungry again after eating it, water that makes sure you never thirst again. The Bible says that God loved the world so much he gave his only begotten son, and if you believe in Jesus his only begotten son you won't perish but will have everlasting life. Moses was the first redeemer Jesus is the final redeemer. With Moses, the people got manna that only lasted a day, with Jesus you get a supernatural bread that will feed you for all eternity. Jesus is giving us soul food that will provide forgiveness and new life in the Kingdom of God. This is food not only for us to eat, but food for us to share with others.