10-28-18 Peter was Three Sheets to the wind

Scripture  Acts 10:1-46 & 11:1-25

Video for 3 sheets to the wind. (instead of the following text)

          Three sheets to the wind means someone is very drunk and no longer in control.

Three sheets to the wind comes from sailing ships. The 'sheet' is the rope that controls the trim of a sail. A sail is said to be sheeted to the wind, when it is set to backfill (set to the opposite side of the ship from normal use).

A backfilled sail is normally a bad thing. But in a major storm when a ship is “hove to,” (at a stand still) t the sails are sheeted to the windward side of the ship (sheeted to the wind) causing the ship to sit sideways to the wind and waves to minimize the distance the ship is blown off course during a storm. The crew has no control of the ship.

As the storm gets stronger, more force is required to hold the ship in position and additional jib sails are sheeted to the wind to keep the ship balanced. A ship that has three jibs sheeted to the wind would be sitting sideways to the wind and waves in hurricane conditions, causing it roll wildly from side to side and in constant danger of rolling over with each wave.

Hence, a totally inebriated person is out of control and in danger of crashing, just like a ship three sheets to the wind.

         

Prayer

CHARACTERS

Cornelius (a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly)

Cornelius’s family (devout and God-fearing)

Angel of God

2 servants of Cornelius

1 devout soldier of Cornelius

Brothers from Joppa (circumcised believers)

Cornelius’s relatives and close friends (a large gathering of people)

The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea

Jewish Christians (those who had been scattered)

Greeks turning to Christ in Antioch (a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord)

Barnabas (a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith)

Saul (Barnabas took him from Tarsus to Antioch where followers of the way were first called Christians)

LOCATIONS

Caesarea (Cornelius’s house)  33 miles

Joppa (Simon the tanner’s house - the roof of his house)

Heaven opened

Jerusalem  30 miles

Antioch   300 miles

Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch

Tarsus

Acts 10:1-46 & 11:1-25

At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, "Cornelius!"

4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked.

The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner; whose house is by the sea."

7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.

9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air.

13 Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat."

14 "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean."

15 The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

          17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon's house was and stopped at the gate. They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them." Peter went down and said to the men, "I'm the one you're looking for. Why have you come?" The men replied, "We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to have you come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say." Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.

          The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went along. The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself."

          27 Talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?"

          Cornelius answered: "Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me and said, 'Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.' So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us."

Acts 10:34-48

Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached—how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.   He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen — by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

          44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, "Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

          Acts 11:1-25

The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, "You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them." Peter began and explained everything to them precisely as it had happened: 5 "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air. Then I heard a voice telling me, 'Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.' "I replied, 'Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.'  "The voice spoke from heaven a second time, 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.'  This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. "Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man's house. He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, 'Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.' 15 "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'  So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?"

          18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life."

Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

22 News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

NOTES:

One of the key mottos that emerged out of the Reformation was the phrase, “Reformed and reforming.” Meaning that the Christian Church was always meant to be undergoing Spirit-led, Scripturally based reformation, listening to the voice of God as we move forward in history.

Peter goes through an amazing reformation. Cornelius goes through and amazing reformation.

God says to Peter, “Do not call unclean that which I have made clean.”

These words are uncomfortable words because they are words of reformation. In this one statement, God tells the Apostle Peter that that which was once considered unclean, based on the word of God, is now clean.

Now, this passage is actually not about kosher food laws at all but about people, the unclean, unholy, unkosher peoples of the non-Jewish world. This vision was God’s call to include a people who were once excluded and considered unclean and unredeemable. Eph 2 - church unique

You see, this passage is one of reformation. It’s a passage that tells us that God is still speaking. That his Spirit is still moving, calling us to move past our outdated religious traditions and narrow beliefs into a greater more expansive vision of what Jesus called the “Kingdom of God.”

He healed the sick on the Sabbath, in direct violation of the word of God. He touched the unclean and unworthy and extended forgiveness to violators of God’s law. He overturned tables and spoke truth to the religious powers of his day, which ultimately cost him his life.

Jesus told us that when he left, he would send the Spirit to lead us forward into all truth. The implication, then, is that there is much truth left to be revealed. More tables to be overturned. More scripture understanding to be expanded. More traditions to be burst open.

We, as followers of Christ, are people of reformation. Always called to be listening for a fresh word from the Spirit, always being willing to break past our comfort zones and move in to the wild, uncharted territories that God is calling us to.

The Church Unique process we have been working on for two years is all about reformation. That is why we have been taking so long, we want to get it as right as we can. Why not completely right? No system, no reformation can be completely right because the world around us is ever changing, the make up of the church is ever changing - people come, people go, people come to faith, people die, teens become young adults, young adults get busy with work and family, older adults grow tired - the church is always changing, the world is always changing and any reformation needs to continually be reformed. Having said that, reformation does last for a season. In many respect we are still living in Luther’s reformation yet many things have changed since the beginning of the reformation 501 years ago.

          For instance, the average person in the church never studied the bible on their own. The priests had the knowledge and they imparted it to the parishioners and you only got it during a service of the church. Then for about the past 500 years since the invention of the printing press, Sunday School, Small groups, devotion booklets and on and on we have opportunities to read and study God’s word for ourselves; and look at the changes in the past 30 years - knowing it or not nearly everyone carries a bible with them every minute of the day (phone) you don’t even have to read , you can hit play and listen to it in your car, while you exercise or go for a walk.

          Ordained pastors have to go through rigorous education because the person in the pew can now read the bible for themselves and fact check what you say with Google and Wikipedia.

          Jesus is calling me to be reformed, Jesus is calling you to be reformed and Jesus is calling us to be reformed. Rom 12:1-2  Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.

          Like a drunk, don’t become 3 sheets to the wind, like a sailing vessel caught in a storm don’t become 3 sheets to the wind, but like Peter listening to the Holy Spirit go ahead and become 3 sheets to the wind of God!

10-21-18 This sounds like a Halloween sermon: “Demons, Storms, Illness and Death!”

Scripture  Luke 8:19-21

VIDEO - History of Halloween

Luke 8:26-39                                               LEGION  (Demons)

They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, (SLIDE 1) which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!" For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"

"Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.

A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return home and tell how much God has done for you." So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

They can’t believe that Jesus is God!

Luke 8:22-25           EVEN THE WINDS AND WAVE OBEY HIM    (Storm)

One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

          The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!"

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; (SLIDE 2) the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples.

          In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."

          They can’t believe that Jesus is God!

Luke 8:40-56            JAIRUS’S DAUGHTER/BLEEDING 12 YEARS    (Illness & Death)

Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.

          As Jesus was on his way, (SLIDE 3) the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, (SLIDE 4) and immediately her bleeding stopped.

          "Who touched me?" Jesus asked.

          When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you."

          But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me." 

          Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."  She began to believe that Jesus is God!

          While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," he said. "Don't bother the teacher any more."

          Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed."

          When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child's father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. "Stop wailing," Jesus said. "She is not dead but asleep."

          They laughed at him They can’t believe that Jesus is God!, knowing that she was dead. But he took (SLIDE 5) her by the hand and said, "My child, get up!"  Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.  The parents believed that Jesus is God!

PUTTING GOD’S WORD IN TO PRACTICE

          These three stories began with a thesis: Luke 8:19-21 Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you." He replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."

What good are piano lessons if you never play for anyone? What good is a college degree if you never get a job? What good is having children if you don’t take responsibility for them and raise them well? What good is putting your faith in Jesus, if you don’t allow him to do something NEW in you? What good is learning God’s word, if you don’t put it into practice? What good is the power of God if you never experience it?

          Do you have demons in your life? Those things internally that keep haunting you? Those things you can’t seem to shake, or get rid of?  They keep begging to stay?  Jesus was kind to the demons, he didn’t send them into the abyss, but he did make them leave his beloved child they had been tormenting. OK, he only gave them a momentary reprieve and were sent into some pigs that transported them into the abyss.

          Do you have storms in your life? External circumstances like hurricane Michael that hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm with a death toll of over 30 and rising? Or maybe your storm is only a category 1 or 2 but still brings destruction. And just when you think you have made it through; a thunderstorm with lightning, high winds and lots of rain hits. Jesus commanded the storm to be still, and it was. Sometimes Jesus does that for us whether we know it or not. Other times, he lets the storm take its course, but offers us a calm within its destructive path.

Do you believe that Jesus is God?

          Do you have an illness that has no end or seems to have no end? Do you have physical limitations that could be overcome by a change in your habits; or an illness that you are unable to do anything about? Do you have hope in the midst of your illness or have you lost hope of ever being better? Do you sometimes feel desperate? The woman bleeding for 12 years tried everything and was desperate. In her pain and desperation, she literally reached out to Jesus and she was healed. Again, sometimes healing may be of the body but also may be of the mind, the spirit or the soul. Jesus is full of caring and compassion and the ability to heal and why physical healing doesn’t always come is a mystery, but in every case, he does respond and promises to be with us in the pain even if the healing we are looking for does not come.

Have you experienced that Jesus is God?

          Do you grieve over someone who has died? I do. I miss my mom so much and wish she were still here - in part because she would be thrilled to be living in her childhood hometown but moreso because I loved spending time with her. She not only loved her baby boy, she loved doing the things with me that I did with her - going golfing, boating, out for a cup of coffee or just spending time with family. Maybe you have a parent, sibling, spouse, child or other loved one who has died that you wish you could see just one more time. Jairus and his wife had a daughter they couldn’t imagine life without and Jesus came and raised her from the dead. But Jesus didn’t raise my mom from the dead or your loved one form the dead. Or did he? He promised eternal life to all who put their faith in him. It is far better to know that a person put their faith in Jesus, but if you don’t think a person did, keep in mind that God, not you or I are the judge. In Christ, there is hope for life everlasting.

Do you have hope that Jesus is God?

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

We will experience that Jesus is God!

(Slide 6)

This sounds like a Halloween sermon:

All Saints Day (Night before is All Hallows Eve) revolves around "giving God thanks for the lives and deaths of his saints", including those who are "famous or obscure".

“Demons, Storms, Illness and Death!”   SONG: “I will rise” 2008

There's a peace I've come to know (Demons)

Though my heart and flesh may fail (Illness)

There's an anchor for my soul (Storms) I can say "It is well"

Jesus has overcome  -  and the grave is overwhelmed (Death)

The victory is won  -  He is risen from the dead

And I will rise when He calls my name  -  No more sorrow, no more pain

I will rise on eagles' wings  -  Before my God fall on my knees  -  And rise  -  I will rise

There's a day that's drawing near  -  When this darkness breaks to light

And the shadows disappear  -  And my faith shall be my eyes (Resurrection)

10-14-18 Have you ever been fired?

Scripture   Daniel 3:1-30

VIDEO Daniel 3

King Nebuchadnezzar built a gold statue, ninety feet high and nine feet thick. He set it up on the Dura plain in the province of Babylon. He then ordered all the important leaders in the province, everybody who was anybody, to the dedication ceremony of the statue. They all came for the dedication, all the important people, and took their places before the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had erected.

            4 A herald then proclaimed in a loud voice: "Attention, everyone! Every race, color, and creed, listen! When you hear the band strike up — all the trumpets and trombones, the tubas and baritones, the drums and cymbals — fall to your knees and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Anyone who does not kneel and worship shall be thrown immediately into a roaring furnace."

            7 The band started to play, a huge band equipped with all the musical instruments of Babylon, and everyone — every race, color, and creed — fell to their knees and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

            8 Just then, some Babylonian fortunetellers stepped up and accused the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "Long live the king! You gave strict orders, O king, that when the big band started playing, everyone had to fall to their knees and worship the gold statue, and whoever did not go to their knees and worship it had to be pitched into a roaring furnace. Well, there are some Jews here — Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego — whom you have placed in high positions in the province of Babylon. These men are ignoring you, O king. They don't respect your gods and they won't worship the gold statue you set up."

            13 Furious, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be brought in. When the men were brought in, Nebuchadnezzar asked, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you don't respect my gods and refuse to worship the gold statue that I have set up? I'm giving you a second chance — but from now on, when the big band strikes up you must go to your knees and worship the statue I have made. If you don't worship it, you will be pitched into a roaring furnace, no questions asked. Who is the god who can rescue you from my power?"

            16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, "Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. 18 But even if he doesn't, it wouldn't make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn't serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up."

            19 Nebuchadnezzar, his face purple with anger, cut off Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace fired up seven times hotter than usual. He ordered some strong men from the army to tie them up, hands and feet, and throw them into the roaring furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, bound hand and foot, fully dressed from head to toe, were pitched into the roaring fire. Because the king was in such a hurry and the furnace was so hot, flames from the furnace killed the men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to it, while the fire raged around Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

            24 Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm and said, "Didn't we throw three men, bound hand and foot, into the fire?"

"That's right, O king," they said.

25 "But look!" he said. "I see four men, walking around freely in the fire, completely unharmed! And the fourth man looks like a son of the gods!"

26 Nebuchadnezzar went to the door of the roaring furnace and called in, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the High God, come out here!"

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked out of the fire.

27 All the important people, the government leaders and king's counselors, gathered around to examine them and discovered that the fire hadn't so much as touched the three men — not a hair singed, not a scorch mark on their clothes, not even the smell of fire on them! Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and rescued his servants who trusted in him! They ignored the king's orders and laid their bodies on the line rather than serve or worship any god but their own. Therefore I issue this decree: Anyone anywhere, of any race, color, or creed, who says anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be ripped to pieces, limb from limb, and their houses torn down. There has never been a god who can pull off a rescue like this.” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.                                                                                             THE MESSAGE

2607 years ago, Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar overtook Jerusalem and brought into exile the smart, the beautiful and the strong - including Daniel along with Hananiah, Shadrach; Mishael, Meshach; Azariah, Abednego. Within a few years, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city, including the most important building on earth - the temple of the one true God.

Daniel was the only one in the land who could rightly interpret a dream of King Nebuchadnezzar so he was given a high position in government and also got positions for Mechach, Shadrach, and Abednego. Nebuchadnezzar not only wanted to remove the Jews religion, he wanted them to adopt his. That brings us to one story with a beginning middle and end all in one chapter - Daniel 3. It is part of a bigger story, but it also stands alone as a complete story within this one chapter.

          Chapter 1 & 2 show God’s ultimate wisdom and chapter 3 will show God’s ultimate power in the face of religious persecution. Religion allows for many statues to represent many made up gods. The Jews would only bow before the one true living God, and enemies of Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego knew that. There appears to be jealously that these “foreigners” have risen so quickly in esteem and position under the King. This can happen even in the church. I need to make sure I don’t make this happen as we all should. I merged a new church with an established church and eventually the established church folk saw the new church folk as foreigners who were gifted and didn’t want to lose their positions to someone new when in reality they should have welcomed, encouraged and even offered their positions to them - maybe that church would still exist today. Jealously, envy, pride never end well. That is exactly what was happening in Daniel 3 as some astrologers pointed out to the King that 3 of the Jews are not bowing to the king’s statue according to the king’s own decree.

          This must be several years after Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. He honored Daniel’s God but now that seems a distant memory as he is so willing to put these Jews, faithful to their own convictions, to death by fire.

          What about that statue? 90’ tall. Tall statues of that day would have been 18’ tall. This would seem absurd and make it more imposing than anything seen before. Also, every government official was to be present for the dedication - the exact list being repeated several times for emphasis. The instruments to be played at which time people should bow is also repeated for emphasis. In other words - everyone is without excuse for not bowing to this statue. These 3 Jews faithful to God would not bow to ANY one or any thing other than the Lord their God.

          In Chpt 2 the astrologers were asked to interpret the king’s dream and said “no man, only the gods can interpret such a dream and they do not live among men.” Daniel, by God’s wisdom interpreted the dream. Now, Nebuchadazzer asks “what God can save you from this fiery death?” - Their response - 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, "Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. 18 But even if he doesn't, it wouldn't make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn't serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up."

          The furnace might have been one built large enough for the constructing of the 90’ gold statue. Those throwing them into the furnace died from the intense heat. After they were rescued - one of the outcomes was that Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego were promoted. In other words, the exact opposite of what the astrologers wanted was done.

What does this story have to do with us?

Rev 20:11-15

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

In America, Christians don’t face persecution of death as still happens in other parts of the world. Some of the people from this church have a 48 hour bug out plan if the government presses greater persecution on Christians. American Baptist missionaries in certain places in the world face the same possibilities. We don’t face that, but we do face the fact that we too are tempted daily to bow down before many idols big and small. We have all bowed to them at one time or another. We are called to follow the example of Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego and stand tall and bend the knee only to Jesus Christ:

THE OBJECT OF OUR WORSHIP - JESUS

Col 1:15-20a

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.

          Paul stood before Agrippa and Peter before the high priest and said, “We must obey God rather than men.”

Matt 10:28    Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.

Matt 10:32-33   Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

Ephesians 6:10-14

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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. 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.

Jesus is our example - Matt 27:11

Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"  "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.

WHO WAS IN THE FIRE?

You see, we have Jesus to help us stand strong when fiery trials come against us. What did Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego have? Well, there was a 4^th person in the fire who looked like a son of the gods. Was it the son of God? Can’t say for sure - it may have been an angel form God or another manifestation of God. In either case God was present and God protected them and honored them even as they had honored him. God could have extinguished the fire, could have protected them without a fourth person. The point was, he did not save them FROM the fire - he saved them IN the fire and he was in the fire with them. When you face trials and when you face temptation - Jesus Christ himself is with you to see you through. Sometimes he will remove you from the fire, other times he may not, but in either case he is with the one who truly worships him and him alone. Like Stephen…

STEPHEN STOOD UP FOR JESUS AND HE SAW JESUS STANDING UP FOR HIM!

Acts 7:55-56

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

WORSHIP GOD ONLY

Matt 4:8-10

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"

10-07-18 World Communion Sunday: The longest bar in the world

Scripture   Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The bar at the Beer Barrel Saloon in Put-In-Bay is the longest in the world. It's 405 feet and 10 inches long according to the Guiness Book of World Records. Jun 1, 2017. That is wrong, the longest bar in the world is the Lord’s table on the first Sunday of October. The bread and wine served there is out of this world.

          (Robe, history and purpose of WCS) prayer.

The Lord’s Supper, Eucharist, communion, table fellowship. Whatever you call this celebration, ask yourself this: Are you receiving all Christ offers through this meal? AND do you know who else is at the table with you?

Loaf, wafer, unleavened bread, cubed white bread, rice cakes, millet bread, breadfruit.

Wine, wine mixed with water, grape juice, tea, nut beer, coconut milk, soda pop. One cup. Tiny glasses tinkling in silver or brass trays made of wood, glass or plastic Dip, sip, or drink?

Standing, kneeling, sitting, lying prostrate on the floor. Receiving from priest, lay person, pastor, elder, deacon, church member, loved one.

Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, only when you feel worthy. Remorse, hope, memory, healing, joy, gifts, reconciliation, justice.

Christians around the world have different ways of following Christ's inviting example. We all share food and drink common to our cultures-to remember what Jesus did on the cross - that Jesus died on the cross, and purchased our deed to heaven on the cross so that we could rightly anticipate a new heaven and new earth. “Behold! I am making all things new.

Though the Bible tells us to receive communion, it does not tell us exactly how we should receive it. That is why we are free do it different ways here at Ashland - which keeps it from being only a routine activity. Moreso, we understand that brothers and sisters around the world celebrate it differently than we do - yet to all of us there are things in common.

Take, eat, remember, and believe. Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When Leonard Vander Zee was a boy, growing up in a large Christian Reformed church, he and his brother would watch from the balcony on communion Sundays. Moving slowly from pew to pew, elders in suits passed silver trays filled with tiny cups of wine and platters of cubed white bread. People were silent except for nervous coughs.

The sights, sounds, and aromas told the Vander Zee brothers that "something very special was going on. That sense of holiness, that expectation of heaven touching earth, has never left them," Vander Zee writes “When Christians remind each other that Jesus' body was broken for us, that his blood was poured out for a complete remission of all our sins, something special happens. Remembering Christ's sacrifice with other Christians-whether strangers or friends, gives a special sense of being at home. It's not so much a sense of knowing and being known as "being gathered together with all of those who call themselves Christians and worship Christ.”

The gospel stories show how much Jesus loved to eat, drink, and celebrate and how much he wanted everyone at the feast.

Leonard Vander Zee was an adult in an experimental worshiping community when he first stood in a circle with other worshipers, "drank from a common cup and broke off a piece of bread from a loaf and did so at the invitation of another ordinary Christian."

He writes that what struck him most in that action was "the simplicity and power of the shared cup and loaf.. the power of koinonia (fellowship) in the body and blood of Christ."

Vander Zee experienced koinonia even more deeply after his church realized that they'd double-scheduled a Sunday evening. So South Bend Christian Reformed Church decided to combine their evening communion service with their turn of hosting a simple supper and service at a local rescue mission.

After prayers, songs, and a short sermon, Vander Zee explained what communion was and placed bread and grape juice on a battered card table. Vander Zee recalls that "a strange and holy quiet descended." Well-dressed and ragged, smelling of fine cologne and stale smoke, church and street people filed forward. "We were all one body, for we all ate from the same loaf."

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sacrifice and Sending nature of Communion

Whereas many emphasize in communion what Christ did for us, others emphasize the sending nature of communion. Two congregations discovered it is both.

They had built a Habitat for Humanity home and decided to dedicate it with a communion service. They invited the people for whom the home was built, others who worked on the project and the neighbors.  One person commented how they felt the presence of God like never before during communion as they realized Christ died not just for them but for the world - for their community - and how communion was a recognition of God’s forgiveness in Christ but also God’s continuing work in His body…the church.

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

COMMUNION AROUND THE WORLD

Have communion in Togo West Africa and you’ll likely drink fruit of the vine from a calabash — a hollowed-out gourd cut in half. And you’ll drink it in a mud building with a thatched roof — or under a tree. “Their own traditional, animistic beliefs require a systematic series of sacrifices, and when they learn that Christ sacrificed himself once and for all … they are full of joy.”

At churches in eastern Nepal, the fruit of the vine is green, reflecting the color of grapes.

In France, church members rise from their seats and form a line to take communion.

In Saudi Arabia, where non-Muslim faiths gather in secret, small groups of believers meet to praise God and take the Lord’s Supper in fear of being caught and in joy of their sins being forgiven. “Sincere faith under duress is most fulfilling,” said a church member, who requested that his name be withheld. “Thousands of miles from home, it’s easy to feel lonely, he added, but communion is a reminder of the constant presence of God and the community of the body of Christ.” Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Children and Communion - An Experience from Mexico

At the church of "La Reforma" in the state of San Luis Potosí, México the children have the responsibility of serving the elements of communion.  They offer prayers and with some help also read the scriptures.  The children love this moment and is done to let the children know they too are a part of the church community - a vital part of the body of Christ.

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

COMMUNION ‘ROUD THE CROSS

In Kupang, Indonesia, at Gethsemane Church, for world communion Sunday, they celebrate  ‘round the cross’. Their service is not integrated into the regular worship but is a standalone event and is preceded by a special service of confession and cleansing for those who plan to attend communion. In preparations for the communion service, the janitor, with help from the church youth, place chairs around the outer walls of the church for people to sit in, then rearrange the wooden-slatted pews into the shape of a cross—about four tables long, with a table on each side of the second table to form the arms of the cross. The top of the cross would always face the chancel; the foot always pointed to the front doors of the sanctuary. A wooden pedestal, on top of which was a wooden collection box with a slot in its hinged lid, was placed at the foot of the cross. Chairs are closely arranged around the entire circumference of the cross.

There is no lobby at the church, so when we people arrive for communion, they immediately see the giant cross and wooden box where a special offering would be givin. There is also, a self-imposed dress code: white shirts and blouses, black skirts and trousers. Congregants dare not arrive late for communion, and when it was time to begin, the doors would be closed and people sit quietly in a sea of black and white, meditating on color-coded sin and redemption.

The tables are covered with crisply-ironed white cloths reaching almost to the floor and candles are strewn down the middle of the cross, as much to keep the flies away from the bread and wine as to symbolize the light of salvation. One large chalice, filled with terribly sweet imitation wine, and a whole loaf of bread rests on a tin platter placed at the head of the cross. Trays of small communion glasses, filled with the same wine, and trays of de-crusted white bread cut into cubes are placed between the candles. All the bread and wine was covered by, again, crisply-ironed white squares of cloth, one cloth for each pair of trays.

When it is time for partaking of the elements, assigned elders and deacons approach the table to neatly fold and set aside the cover cloths. The pastor in his flowing black robe that reached to the ground would carefully descend from the pulpit with an air of magnificent solemnity, walk slowly past the altar and down the steps of the chancel, to stand regally at the head of the cross. With silent instructions from elders and deacons, congregants would quietly rise and gather around the cross, led by an elder or deacon who entered from the foot of the cross and walked up both sides until the cross was encircled by worshippers who were invited to sit with a hand gesture.

A Bible passage is read, the words of institution are recited to bless the communion, bread eaten, wine drunk (either separately or from a common cup passed around the cross). Then the first group returned to their seats while the rest of the congregation sang a hymn and the next group took their seats around the cross. There are nearly 25 rounds that required a three and a half-hour service.

One person observing this way of communion noticed as people went for their turn at the cross had those who were in dirty flip flops and torn pants, and others in heels, skirts, suits and ties. It was striking how people from such diverse socio-economic classes - all in black and white, came to the table together, even as we do with all walks of life around the world today.

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Communion in a Time of Ebola - Democratic Republic of Congo

During an Ebola outbreak in DR Congo just 50 miles outside the city of Mbandaka it was recommended that communion be suspended. Some congregations, instead, provided washing stations before you entered the church. When you approached the table you once again washed your hands and then were given hand sanitizer before partaking of the elements.

Within a short time the Ebola outbreak was over - in part do to the care these churches took. Think about it - washing your body numerous times while approaching the table where your insides are washed, made clean and sanitized by Jesus. Ebola has a death rate percentage of 50%. Sin has a death rate percentage of 100%. Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A Blessing from Cuba for World Communion Sunday

The congregation forms a circle large enough to include everyone. Each person either places their right palm on the back of the left hand of the person to the right.

                  May God prosper you.

                  May your days be long and your nights serene.

                  May your friendships honor you, and your family love you.

                  May you eat at your table, and

                  may you be gathered into to God's embrace

                  with a smile.

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

INVITATION TO THE TABLE

We come reverently before a Holy Lord / We waited patiently to hear the Word / And we seek His favor in one accord  //  Let us be still
We break bread and in our minds we see / His body scarred on Calvary / And He whispers, “Remember me.” //
Let us be still
And the cup we drink, we do as one / For the Man who suffered all alone / Who in anguish cried, “It is done.” //
Let us be still
And when our hurried week pours back in / And our thoughts betray our hearts through sin / Hark this plea and pray this prayer again  //  Let us be still