A Compassionate Christ | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

³⁰ The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 

³¹ Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

³² So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 

³³ But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 

³⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So, he began teaching them many things.

 

⁵³ When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 

⁵⁴ As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus.

⁵⁵ They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 

⁵⁶ And wherever he went—into villages, towns, or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

 

 

Compassion is an interesting word, it wasn't until preparing for this message that I learned passion comes from a word that means "to suffer", and that the com prefix means "with”, so compassion means to suffer with someone. There are some things that I know I suffer for, that I am passionate about. Family, health, things that I feel need justice. I am sure there are some things we are compassionate about, things that stir our spirits. However, true compassion will drive action, we won't just feel some way about it, we will do something.

 

In looking at compassion, we find ourselves in the Gospel of Mark again, this story is in all four gospels. The lectionary reading for the week leaves out Jesus feeding the 5000 and walking on water and only lists the scriptures before and after those events. It is easy to think the scriptures read are not important but there are lessons to learn from these as well, we can get a whole bunch from the beginning and the end and save talking about the miracles for another day. Earlier in the chapter, Jesus went home, couldn't do many miracles because people there were more concerned about the Jesus they knew back then and not the miracle worker in front of them now. Then Jesus sent his disciples out to heal the sick, sometime during this time Jesus hears that John the Baptist has been killed by Herod, who threw a big party for his birthday. John the Baptist spoke truth to power, and it cost him his life. Because of John the Baptist, I am always leery of a so-called prophet that wants to get buddy-buddy with politicians just to further their aims. I am not saying don't work with them, I work with politicians all the time to help the community, I do it to help the community, not make myself famous. John the Baptist spoke truth to power and so shall I.

 

In the text the Apostles, the disciples, the sent ones are coming back to Jesus after being sent out, Jesus told them to go around preaching repentance and if someone did not accept them, shake the dust off their feet and keep it moving. The disciples went out to the people, they did not stay inside somewhere and wait for the people to come to them, and when they were done, the disciples had fruit in their ministry. I wonder what state the church would be in if we had more people willing to go out instead of waiting for everything to come to them?

 

Now the disciples are back telling Jesus what they have done. Jesus and his disciples are traveling the countryside, casting out demons and healing the sick. Everything is so busy that the disciples aren't even able to rest and get a bite to eat. Jesus calls the apostles to hop into a boat with him and go away to a deserted place across the Sea of Galilee to enjoy some rest. Jesus tells them to get away for a bit and rest a while. Rest is good, and rest is especially good when you earned it. Jesus saw that the disciples had a need and he met it.

 

But their plans are quickly derailed. The desperately needy people of the region see where Jesus is heading and hurry on ahead of him. When his boat hits the ground, there is a huge crowd waiting for him. Although Jesus is weary, he somehow avoids being annoyed that his much-deserved day off is being interrupted. He isn’t irritated that these people are unable to help themselves. He isn’t even frustrated that the need all around him is so enormous.

 

People began to see and hear the work Jesus and the disciples were doing and the word spread, people were beating Jesus and the disciples to the towns they were going to. Large crowds gathering at these places and Jesus had compassion for them and began to teach the people and heal them. Jesus saw them as sheep without a shepherd and had compassion for them. Shepherds feed their sheep, shepherds, protect their sheep, shepherds clean their sheep. The people needed a shepherd, Jesus saw the need and he met it.

 

Jesus went to Gennesaret, which is important because that is not where they set sail, Jesus and the disciples were getting in the boat headed for Bethsaida but ended up in Gennesaret. Gennesaret was a place where no one spoke Aramaic, this was not a comfortable cozy place for ministry, even so, Jesus and the Disciples still did kingdom work there. We may not always be in the most ideal situations where everything is going to go as we planned it, but God can still get the glory and the work of the kingdom can still be done.

 

Christianity is about proclaiming the Gospel and helping people in need. A compassionate Jesus was willing to help his disciples, a compassionate Jesus was willing to help people from towns and villages that spoke his language, a compassionate Jesus was willing to help people who didn't speak his language. Christ's compassion helped him to act, not just feel for the people from afar. This was only a glimpse of Christ's compassion because we would see Christ's compassion on full display at Calvary, aka Golgotha, aka the place of the skull, when Jesus would willingly give himself up for all of us to have access to eternal life.

 

Where could we be if we went out to the people instead of waiting for them to come to us? Where could we be if we allowed our compassion to drive us to act instead of waiting for someone else to do it? Where would we be if we didn't wait for the perfect opportunity, in the perfect place, at the perfect time to do something for God?

 

A Magnetic Messiah | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr.

John 12:20-33

20 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. 21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

23 But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

27 “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.”

Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”

29 Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”

30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” 33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.

I am interested in people with what I would call magnetic personalities, people who have others naturally gravitate toward them. If there is someone who people naturally want to follow. I wonder what is it about that person that draws people to them? When I was growing up in school I wondered why certain kids were popular and what made them so popular. What drew others to that person? Also, I would wonder what drew people to some of the more famous activists?  What draws people to follow a Martin Luther King, a Mahatma Gandhi, what draws people to a Mother Theresa or a Harriet Tubman?  I recently finished watching Judas and the Black Messiah a movie based on the life of Fred Hampton, Chairman of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s. Chairman Hampton said that he was high off the people and that he lived for the people. He said he might have to die for the people. Hampton helped form a Rainbow Coalition, Hampton was able to get people from the Young Patriots organization, a group of Southern Whites living in Chicago, Latino leaders, and African Americans to come together to help the people in the community. 

Hampton caught the attention of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover who wanted to prevent the rise of a Black Messiah that could bring unity and coalition among black political groups, so they did to Hampton what they have done to so many black leaders during that time. Attracting people sometimes attracts people that don't have your best interest at hand. Hampton was killed by police officers in his apartment at 4 am in 1969. My mother and grandmother tell me that the squeaky wheel gets the oil, I had another friend tell me that sometimes the squeaky wheel gets removed. Hampton was too loud for J. Edgar Hoover’s tolerance and Hoover sought to get rid of him. Magnetic personalities have positive and negative consequences. 

We find someone with a magnetic personality in scripture here in the gospel according to John. Jesus comes to Jerusalem a week before Passover. Jesus has been living for the people, he has been helping the people. Jesus has been healing the sick, raising the dead, this is not too long after Lazarus was revived. People in the community are attracted to Jesus because Jesus is out there in the community helping the people. Some Greeks have come to see Jesus. These Greeks are different than the Greek-speaking Jews that would make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover feast, these are people not born into the faith. The powers that be, the Pharisees don't like that, in verse 19 they say that they are worried the world is coming to this man. We hear the Pharisees' fearful prophecy in verse 19, we see it come true in verse 20. The powers that be have their status quo messed up and they don't like that. 

Jesus knows with all the change he is bringing out, along with the fact that he is here to free us from penalty, power, and presence of sin, that he is going to have to die for the people. Jesus says that his hour is coming, his time is almost up, he does not have long for this world. 

When Jesus says that the ruler of this world is going to be driven out, a more literal translation of the Greek phrasing for “the world” means system. Jesus came to tear down the systems in place that are not like God's kingdom. God is on the side of the oppressed and has been since as early as Exodus when he told Moses to tell Pharaoh "let my people go" he was with the oppressed when the kingdom was in captivity, he was with the oppressed in the New Testament under Roman captivity, God is with those who suffer, and will be with them in victory. 

“I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” That’s spiritual magnetism at work! On the one hand, he repels; but he also attracts. Once the power of his love gets hold of you, there’s no resisting. He just brings you along.

At Jesus' birth, he attracted shepherds to a Bethlehem hillside, and later on, attracted wise men from afar. In the temple when he was 12 years old, the wise were attracted to Jesus listening and asking questions. Jesus called to his side fishermen who left their nets and tax collectors who put down their account books. Even the wise Pharisee, Nicodemus, came to him by night, in John chapter 3 to learn how to be “born again.” Jesus attracted to his side women like Mary and Martha, and men like Lazarus. Even the Roman governor, Pilate, felt the pull of his magnetism as he interrogated him.

Jesus can do the same thing for you today. Have you felt the pull of his love in your life, calling you out of ungodly habits? Have you experienced the fascination that comes from hearing his story, the timeless story retold by the church in every age? Have you ever turned to him in grief or worry or fear, and discovered at the center of your being a calm and peaceful place, where none of life’s storms can harm you? If so, you’ve felt his magnetism. Very likely, it’s what has drawn you here today.

Jesus understood that there has to be some sacrifice, the seed of wheat is sacrificed to make more wheat. Jesus was willing and able to make the most impactful sacrifice that would change the world.  Jesus is God in the flesh looking to reconcile humanity back to God. Jesus is going to do this by sacrificing himself so that all of creation can have access to eternal life. 

I remember a scene from Judas and the Black Messiah where Hampton was put in jail, and the Black Panther’s headquarters blown up. Hampton expected to come out of jail to a pile of rubble, but the community banded together to help rebuild the headquarters. People rise and make a change in their community or the world at large, and sometimes those in power do not like change. Sometimes those in power seek to destroy the person, that magnetic personality creating the change. That is why so many of our great leaders get killed, however putting Jesus on the cross was just the beginning, death could not hold him down. Jesus boldly walked into his sacrifice, boldly into being a ransom for all our lives. 

Yes, Mary Knew | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

Luke 1:46-55

⁴⁶ And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord

⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

⁴⁸ for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,

⁴⁹     for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.

⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.

⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful

⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

 

Prayer

 

"Mary, Did You Know?" is a Christmas song addressing Mary, mother of Jesus, with lyrics written by Mark Lowry in 1984, and music written by Buddy Greene in 1991. It was originally recorded by Christian recording artist Michael English on his self-titled debut solo album in 1991. At the time, English and Lowry were members of the Gaither Vocal Band, and Greene was touring with them. Others such as Wynonna Judd, Kenny Rogers, Clay Aiken, and Cee Lo Green would record their own versions later.  Some of the lyrics include

 

Mary, did you know? That your baby boy will one day walk on water?

Mary, did you know? That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?

Did you know? That your baby boy has come to make you new?

This child that you've delivered, Will soon deliver you?

Another verse says:

Mary, did you know? That your baby boy is Lord of all creation?

Mary, did you know? That your baby boy will one day rule the nations?

Did you know? That your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?

This sleeping child you're holding Is the Great I Am?

Oh Mary did you know?

 

In an interview about the song Lowry said:

“ I just tried to put into words the unfathomable. I started thinking of the questions I would have for her if I were to sit down & have coffee with Mary. You know, "What was it like raising God?" "What did you know?" "What didn't you know?"

None of the questions are answered in the song. Instead, the lyrics poetically invite the listener to contemplate the relationship between Mary and her newborn divine son, even if according to the song, her faith and awareness did not yet include the details of what would unfold. The problem with this song is that it doesn't line up with scripture. I like the song, from time to time I may even sing it, but the song is off when it comes to the Christmas story. Mary knew that the baby boy was prophesied to come in scripture. If by chance Mary didn’t know scripture, an angel told Mary what was going on and that the child, God in human flesh that was coming. I'm not out here to spoil someone's Christmas...this time just want to tell you what the Bible says. There are songs in hymnals that have some questionable theology, there are some old 100s that don't line up exactly with scripture, just like there are some new songs out there that line up with scripture and some new gospel songs that do not line up with scripture. Again, not here to rain on anyone's parade, just to talk about what the Bible says.

 

This preamble to the Christmas story comes from Gospel according to Luke, the first chapter, written by a physician who occasionally traveled with Paul. The Gospel of Luke was written after the Gospel of Mark, and the author was writing to a primarily Jewish audience when he wrote it. Mark gets right down to business, Matthew looks more favorably on the church, and Luke was written so that the Jewish people of the time could hear why we believe Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the savior. Luke wants to give us an orderly account of the prophecies that a Savior was coming, how that savior is Jesus, and how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies.

 

Earlier in Luke chapter 1, an angel comes to visit Zechariah the priest to let him know that his wife Elizabeth was going to have a child John the Baptist, later on in chapter 1, an angel visits Mary and tells her in verses 30 through 33.

 

³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

 

Plain as day, son of the Most High, he will get the throne of David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever, his kingdom will never end. Mary gets this news and gets scared, she goes to visit Elizabeth and when Elizabeth and Mary meet, the baby in Elizabeth's womb, John the Baptist, leaps for joy. Mary gets so excited that she sings a song. That song she sang is the verses I read. The song is called the Magnificat Latin for "My Soul Magnifies the Lord. Also called the Song of Mary, or the Canticle of Mary, this song/prayer has things in common with another prayer with another young lady before she was pregnant. Mary is a young lady who is desperate and loves God just like Hannah was desperate and loved God, Hannah reached out to God in a desperate situation in 1^st Samuel 2 and Mary is reaching out to God in a desperate situation in Luke chapter 1.

 

Why would Mary be desperate, she is from a small town called Nazareth, a town that people made fun of and asked, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Desperate because she is a young woman, not married yet and an angelic being just told her she is about to have a child. Pregnant unwed mothers during the Bible times were not safe, there are old testament scriptures that let us know if the wrong person found out Mary was pregnant, Mary would be stoned. Desperate because even if she was not pregnant, it was hard to be a woman during that time, with no ability to own property, or do certain kinds of work, women could not earn income. Without a man, the women of those times were not able to even support themselves that this why James said for Christians to take care of widows and orphans because they would be unable to take care of themselves legally or financially in these systems.

 

Take away the discrimination towards Mary based on her hometown, take away the mistreatment of women during these times, take away how Mary would be treated if people found out she was pregnant before getting married to Joseph, Mary would still be desperate because during this time because the Israelites were under Roman rule. The Israelites were ruled by King Herod, Roman appointed ruler of Judea. Herod, the one who was appointed King of the Jews even though he wasn't one. Herod, who took control and freedoms away from the Israelites so they couldn't even manage their affairs. Herod who took money away from the Israelites. Herod who built buildings on their land and dedicated them to the Romans. Herod who didn't follow the laws of Moses in the scripture but would pretend to be a believer when it suited him. Herod who used violence and secret police forces advance his agenda and to persecute the Jewish people...why does this sound so familiar?

 

Mary is a poor, young woman, from a small town, not thought highly of. There are proud self-righteous people, oppressive governments, Kings, and rulers looking to keep the status quo, and Mary is about to bring a child into all of this. Mary is scared and desperate.

 

Despite the present situation, Mary visits Elizabeth, when they get together, Elizabeth gets happy, and Mary gets happy. Mary sings and prays to God while with Elizabeth because she knows who she is and whose she is. Mary has a testimony and she has to tell somebody about it.

 

The praise of Mary to God (1:46-56)

1. The testimony (1:46-55): Mary thanks God for six things.

 

a. His observation (1:46-48): God took notice of her. God took notice of a young woman from a small town, God will use anyone to accomplish his will. You cannot look down on anyone the Bible tells us sometimes that we may have entertained angels unaware. We don't know who we are talking to sometimes nor what God has in store for us or them. I hear sports coaches say all the time "availability is the best ability." The fact that Mary was available to be used by God set this whole thing in motion. What have we missed out on by simply not being available, not being open to trying something new, littering our minds with "it can't be done" or "I'm not good enough?" The text says that God was mindful of his servant, she rejoiced because of this fact she didn't shy away from the moment.

 

b. His holiness (1:49): He has done great things for her. The Lord has done great things, the Lord is doing great things, the Lord will continue to do great things. Mary said that despite being from a poor place, despite being a woman in BC times, despite being oppressed by King Herod, she knew where her help came from and she knew her God was holy. The current situation may look bad right now, but the downtime is just half time there is still more of the game to play. God's name is mighty, God's name is great, and greatly to be praised.

 

c. His mercy (1:50): His mercy goes on from generation to generation. This is long-lasting, not a fad or a quick event. That mercy is available to all who want it. This mercy is not something you can earn or something you deserve. God is merciful and loves us. We could never do anything to earn our salvation, but we get it because of God’s grace, God’s lovingkindness, God’s tender mercies. Mary was in a bad situation, but God had help on the way. We are in a bad situation and God has help on the way.

 

d. His power (1:51): He does tremendous things with his power. God speaks and worlds get formed based on his word.

 

e. His sovereignty (1:52-53): He humbles the proud and exalts the lowly. That is why we should worship God and not people in positions. People can be on top one moment and lose whatever status they had the next. We cannot get overly attached to any man, woman, celebrity, politician, company CEO. We must stay focused on God, the grass withers, and the flower fades, but the word of God is forever.

 

f. His faithfulness (1:54-55): He has kept all his promises to Israel. God is not a man that he should lie nor the son of man that he should seek cause to repent. If God says it, that settles it, and it is going to happen. Jesus came to provide us with a path to salvation. Jesus cane to provide us that ruler for all generations. Mary is telling us that Christ was coming and she knew that the baby boy coming through her was going to save the world. She knew Mary knew when she sang that Jesus was coming to change a generation. Hannah prayed and gave birth to a prophet for the nations, Mary prayed and gave birth to the savior for all creation.

I will say it again

Luke 1:46-55

⁴⁶ And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord

⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

⁴⁸ for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,

⁴⁹     for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.

⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.

⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful

⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

 

Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Faith, Triumphs, Tests, and Trust August 7, 2016

Change Your Perspective July 31, 2016

The True Philosophy - July 24, 2016

It's Actually Pretty Simple

We can make a lot of things too complicated in an effort to solve them, the Colossian Church included. Paul had to tell them it is pretty simple...Jesus. Lets get back to focusing on the basics.

God Ain't Passing By Here

Alton Sterling- They say "wait for investigation, we don't know what happened"


Philando Castile – They say "wait for the investigation, we don't know what happened"


 Dallas Shooting - No waiting for the investigation, the wrong man's name and face blasted everywhere and our Lt. Governor goes on air blaming the Black Lives Matters previous protests and saying are “hypocrites." Regardless of the fact that the assailant saying he was not a part of BLM.




I have met people at the front of the movement in Houston and in Dallas, they are seminary trained (go figure) pastors and activists with a heart for social justice. It is possible to be upset about all three events and not be one vs. the other.

With what is going on in the world it’s hard to see God in all of this, it feels like God is not passing by here anymore.




What about black on black crime? What about it? The same FBI homicide report used to cite “black on black” crimes will show that the majority of Caucasians are killed by other Caucasians, same with other ethnicities, this is not black on black crime it is neighbor on neighbor crime because we are segregated in schools, places of employment, neighborhoods, and (gasp) churches.




Where are the preachers? Some say they are too busy money grabbing, I say by and large preachers don't make that much money, they have been kicked out many places (namely school, mainstream media and popular culture) already, and much of what is said is taken out of context.

This is nothing new, Amos was told not to prophesy in Bethel, told to earn his bread elsewhere, and he was misquoted to the king.




What do we need to do?
Pray, keep praying - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Psalm 82:1-4, Isaiah 55:6, Philippians 4:4-6, and pray some more 2 Chronicles 7:14, there was a long passage of time between ch5-6 and what was said in 7. Praying will work better than changing a picture or arguing with people on social media.






Don't return evil for evil (1 Peter 3:9), and be smart about your actions-This is not cowardice, meekness is strength under control. People remember the shouting and marching, but it was the economic impact that changed things during the Civil Rights Movement.






Get involved - paying attention and getting mad about what happens nationally is good, but just as much damage, if not more is being done at your school board, neighborhood association, city council and state legislature, by the time there is some national outrage it is almost too late the damage has been done. Hold city council and mayors as accountable if you want change in Police action. You don’t have to be a preacher to speak truth to power Amos did not consider himself a proper prophet, he was a herdsman and tended to the sycamore trees, but God gave him a vision and he obeyed.

Updates and Stuff

Hello people!

Been away a long time, School, Work, and Church seem to keep me a lot busier than I thought it would. I have been keeping it together (barely) but nonetheless keeping it together. Making a final push for finishing my degree, I have been at St. Paul UMC 7 months now, and plan to do my internship there. Registrar says I have 3 classes until Graduation after the Summer, plus my internship!

I am working on a website for my new appointment to go with the Facebook page. I have also started video recording my sermons the YouTube playlist is here. 

Well, gotta run, will talk later I promise!

Hello World! (Again)

So, I have been away for a while,  almost a year, a lot has changed. I am not at Haven Chapel in East Columbia anymore. I am now the pastor of St. Paul UMC in Galveston Texas, beautiful church on the beautiful Island. I have been appointed there since July 1. Great church, I love that I get to preach every Sunday now too.  Check their Facebook page out and give it a like if you have not already done so.

Galveston St. Paul UMC

Here is a clip of me preaching there too:

Christ the Conqueror

I have a new day job as well, same function (Audio Visual Engineering) same customer/contractor (Exxon Mobil) just new company paying me (Mechdyne Corporation).  I have enjoyed the company a lot of opportunity for growth, the previous company was good, but I could only be an AV Technician if I wanted to be promoted I would have leave AV and manage a mailroom, file room, or furniture moving department.

I joined another Fraternity over the summer, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated. I have also started taking classes for Perkins in Dallas, well one class. So I drive up after work, go to the class in the evening, and drive back the same night. Just doing what I have to do to finish this degree...

I will have more ramblings to come just need to get my head around all the changes. In the meantime though, my podcast is up weekly for sermons Pastor Johnnie's Podcast

God Bless!!!

Doing More With Less – (Matthew 14:13-21)

 (Photo taken from Google Image Search)
Sermon Audio can be found here: http://goo.gl/zJhc6B

            I like this text; it is one of the passages regarding Jesus that is in all four gospels. Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, and John 6:1-13. I have a bit of a fascination with the phrase “doing more with less” whether I hear it being used as a cliché to justify mass layoffs without the expectation of a reduction in production, or if it someone truly capable of getting more out of something than the average person is able to do. I think about our armed services veterans deployed in the field with M.R.E.s or meals ready to eat. The MRE contains:

Main course (entree)

Side dish

Dessert or snack (often commercial candy, fortified pastry, or HOOAH! Bar)

Crackers or bread

Spread of cheese, peanut butter, or jelly

Powdered beverage mix: fruit flavored drink, cocoa, instant coffee or tea, sport drink, or dairy shake.

Utensils (usually just a plastic spoon)

Flameless ration heater (FRH)

Beverage mixing bag

Accessory pack:

Xylitol chewing gum

Water-resistant matchbook

Napkin / toilet paper

Moist towelette

Seasonings, including salt, pepper, sugar, creamer, and/or Tabasco sauce

The MRE is designed for soldiers in combat out in the field who can’t just take a break to go back to the cafeteria or mess hall for food. Because the MRE is designed for lightweight packaging and has a shelf life of 3 years, they usually don’t taste too good. That being said, savvy veterans come up with little tricks to make the taste of the food more desirable. They will do things like mix the creamer and sugar with the crackers to make it taste like a sugar cookie. In 2011, the website www.supportourtroops.org put an effort together to send spices for the soldiers, oregano, garlic, red pepper, parmesan and other spices in little packets in an effort to help with the flavoring, trying to make more with less.

Another example I think of is prison; the food in prison I hear is not that great either. Archbishop Ashe spoke of his time in jail before he passed that he would rather eat food people threw away than jail food. I also heard an interview with boxer Bernard Hopkins and he spoke on his time in prison in a New York Times article:

“Not surprisingly, Hopkins hated the food in prison, all the powdered eggs, yeast and starch. The menu was posted at the beginning of each week, so he learned how to work around the worst meals, smuggling leftovers to his cell or drinking water to fill his stomach. He traded cartons of cigarettes and cases of cups of noodles for more desirable food. He could subsist on meals, sometimes for days, of peanut butter and bread. “You learn how to survive, buddy,” Hopkins said. “You learn how to make an oven out of batteries and aluminum foil and a shoebox. You become a farmer’s market, an entrepreneur.[1]

Bernard Hopkins made more with less, he is now out and as a champion professional boxer he doesn’t have to do that anymore unless he wants to.

I like to see people do more with less and that is what happens in the text that we read, Jesus does more with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread then most of us could have done with a team of chefs.

Rest-

First thing I noticed about Jesus in text was that he rested, in the 13^th chapter Jesus is teaching in synagogues and doing mighty works. Until he was rejected in his own hometown of Nazareth, Jesus went on to say that “a prophet is not without honor except in is own country, and in his own house,” and then he left, at the beginning of chapter 14 Jesus gets word that John the Baptist, his cousin has been beheaded as a birthday gift for the daughter of Herodias. Jesus had been working, he heard some bad news, and so he went away to rest. We ought to rest more, our body needs it, we can be so much more productive people if spend some more time resting. But notice I said Jesus did some work first, don’t use this as a reason to perpetually rest.

We often hear the term multitasking doing multiple things at the same time, but studies have shown that multitasking is actually not productive at all.

According to a published report:

More than one task splits the brain

Whenever you need to pay attention, an area toward the front of the brain called the prefrontal cortex springs to action. This area, which spans the left and right sides of the brain, is part of the brain’s motivational system. It helps to focus your attention on a goal and coordinates messages with other brain systems to carry out the task. 

While the right and left sides of the prefrontal cortex work together when focused on a single task, the sides work independently when people attempt to perform two tasks at once. Scientists at the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) in Paris discovered this when they asked study participants to complete two tasks at the same time while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). When the scientists told the group they would receive a larger reward for accurately completing one of the two tasks, they found that nerve cell activity increased in only one side of the prefrontal cortex. However, when the greater reward was associated with the other task, the other side became more active. The findings suggest that when there are two concurrent goals, the brain divides in half, says INSERM neuroscientist Etienne Koechlin, who led the study.[2]

So even if you think you are doing both tasks well, you still are really focusing on the one you think is more important or gives you more to gain. The article goes on to say that you don’t get better at multitasking with practice, in fact gets harder with age and people who multitask have a harder time ignoring external distractions. Multitasking defeats the purpose, rest.

Do what you love

Second thing I noticed when people are doing more with less is that they are doing what they love. In the text Jesus was resting, he wanted some time away he just heard some bad news, but the Bible says that he saw the great multitude and was moved with compassion for them. When you do what you love it seems easier to work, sometimes it doesn’t even feel like work. That compassion of Jesus is shown by how he tends to the multitudes needs by healing their sick. That word for compassion in the Greek also means to move. Jesus didn’t just say “I love you, be blessed” he did something, it also means deep as in dealing with the anatomy the inward parts. Not a superficial feeling but something that is deep on the inside of us. When you have compassion or love for what you do, the troubles of it don’t seem so bad. I am so glad that Jesus loves us.

Ephesians 2:4-5

New King James Version (NKJV)

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

1 John 4:9-11

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁹ In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

 

1 Corinthians 13 

New King James Version (NKJV)

13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ² And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,^[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.

⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸ Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part.¹⁰ But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ¹² For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

¹³ And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Prioritize

The third thing I noticed about the text and those who do more with less is that they prioritize. The disciples wanted to send the multitude home, Jesus wanted them to stay the priority was the work being done, not going home to shop for food. I also noticed in some of the other gospel texts, when the disciples say how much it would cost to feed the multitudes, no one ever says they don’t have the money, only that it would cost a lot. Decisions in the texts, right or wrong, were decisions made based on priorities. When you have the right priorities you will be able to get a lot more accomplished.

Ask yourself, what are your priorities? If you have some trouble answering the question, look in your checkbook, which will help you figure it out, check out a bank statement online or paper copy, whatever you see the most going to, I would be willing to bet that is a priority. If not money, look at what you spend the most time doing, where you spend your time and treasure will tell you what you consider a priority. Only what you do for Christ will last

Know where your help comes from

The text says that Jesus took the bread, looked to the heavens and blessed it. He knew where his help came from, notice also that the boy is not mentioned anymore after he hands over the food. You turn your problems over to the Lord and you don’t have to handle them anymore.

Psalm 121 New King James Version (NKJV)

A Song of Ascents.

121 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
² My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
⁸ The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Psalm 54:4New King James Version (NKJV)

⁴ Behold, God is my helper;
The Lord is with those who uphold my life.

Romans 8:31-39

New King James Version (NKJV)

God’s Everlasting Love

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”^[a]

³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

---

[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/03/sports/surviving-the-bernard-hopkins-way.html

[2] http://www.brainfacts.org/sensing-thinking-behaving/awareness-and-attention/articles/2013/the-multitasking-mind/

Just Jesus (Colossians 3:1-11)

Theologian Mark Alan Powell said the motto of the Epistle to the Colossians could be “Think Globally, act locally.”

I’ve noticed that as life goes on, what is important to me changes, over time. It changes so much that I look at current problems and think will this matter to me after a year, 5 years, 10 years. That determines how I handle a problem. Looking a problem from the outside keeps me from getting so caught up in the problem that I can’t find a solution. That doesn’t mean that I don’t care about the problem, or that I will not take care of it, this thought process of mine only means, that I will solve it without getting worked up. I work toward being like the Apostle Paul said in

Philippians 4:11-13

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹¹ Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: ¹² I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. ¹³ I can do all things through Christ^[a] who strengthens me.

It comes from both experience, and vision. Experience and vision also determine what all will be done to handle situations effectively and efficiently. As I gain experience with certain kinds of obstacles, I learn how to eliminate extra, unnecessary steps. Because my mind is on the big picture, the global situation, I see where some extra things may not be necessary, they may not be as urgent as one thinks. I learn to accomplish a task in 3-4 steps instead of 10.

Colossians was a letter written to the church in Colossae, small town in what is now called Turkey. The area was full pagan cults, and mystery religions. The Colossian Christians had not seen the Apostle Paul face to face. The Colossian Christians were taught the gospel by someone else, so they had began to combine what they knew of some of these mystery religions into what they did to worship Christ, resulting in some unnecessary steps. Yes they have been deceived by “plausible arguments” and taken captive by “philosophy and empty deceit.” They got caught up in titles, festivals and a bunch of other stuff that took them further from Jesus. 

This is no longer our life, we have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is. Christ is seated at the right hand of the father because he has done all the work he needed to do for now, it is time for us to get to work. But we are here getting caught up on things that don’t matter, things that are stunting our growth. It reminds me of my colleague in the ministry, he would jokingly say he was raised old school, which meant if he brought the paper plates to the potluck, his name needed to be in the bulletin.

I’ve had the opportunity to lead several organizations, community service groups etc and they all had the same thing in common. They spend time complaining about people who don’t come to meetings. Every last one of them, from the drama ministry at church, to the fraternities, whoever was in charge complained every meeting about people who never showed up, when it was my turn to lead, members would try to talk about that but I would keep the meeting moving. You work with what you have and keep going, if you spend all the time complaining about who is not there they are living in your head rent free. I heard one person say you shouldn’t spend any time worrying about people who don’t affect your direct deposit. There is work to be done, and the church is worried about a bunch of things that won’t amount to anything later.

Luke 6:57-62 (The Cost of Discipleship)

⁵⁷ Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”⁵⁹ Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” ⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”⁶¹ And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” ⁶² But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Set our minds on things above. We ought to focusing on Jesus, and thy kingdom come, not who needs to chair what committee. Organization is important, but it tickles me to see folk vote on how to vote for the vote, and then see someone stop the vote on how to vote, because they need to vote to suspend the rules for the vote in the first place.

            John Wesley valued 4 things leading this thing we call Methodism, they called it the Wesleyan quadrilateral Scripture, Experience, Reason, and Tradition, with scripture being the most important of the four. We seem to lose that as a people and start focusing on tradition more than anything else. Tradition is wonderful, tradition connects us to those who came before us, and gives us a way to connect with those who will come behind us, but we must be careful of how we treat tradition, because it can create separation.

            Did you know John Wesley did not intend create a separate denomination. He was trying to improve the Anglican Church, the Church of England. John Wesley wanted to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ, let the people have personal experiences with God and know that they were justified by faith. It was church leaders who came after him that took the traditions and it started growing into a bunch of separations. The United Methodist Church, the Methodist Church of Great Britain, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Wesleyan Church, the Church of the Nazarene, the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the Holiness movement, Pentecostalism, the Charismatic Movement, and the Neo-Charismatic movement, all from came John Wesley’s teaching.

Taking off and putting on new clothing, symbolic of new life beginning anew in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:17

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

We lay aside vices, not so we can say we are better than the rest, we lay them aside because we are primarily hurting ourselves. It says on account of these the wrath of God is coming for those who are disobedient, not the wrath of the church members. We are to hold each other accountable, and we are to judge a tree by its fruit, but we do not personally have a heaven or hell to put anyone else in. Fact is we all have 2x4s in our eyes trying to point out the specks in somebody else’s eye. This kind of situation is similar to a kid at school who is quick to make fun of somebody else so that they can deflect attention away from themselves. We lay aside vices because we are not perfect, but we are striving for perfection.

No Jew or Greek, no circumcised or uncircumcised, no hierarchy, no I know more than you, no I have been Methodist longer than you. Being the best person you know is a bad thing. We ought to surround ourselves with those who can help us be better people. We ought not focus on things that don’t matter we need to focus on Jesus.

That’s why the scripture says Christ is all in all

He’s all that was, and is, and is to come

The way maker,

the sustainer, the redeemer.  

The Lilly of the valley

The bright morning star

Our advocate

The true vine,

The chief cornerstone

The one who was beat all night long for your sins and mine

Crucified died and buried, so that we might have life

Laid in a tomb, borrowed because he wasn’t going to be there long

But on that third day, he got up with all power in his hand

And because he did that for me, I will put my trust in him

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.