The Lord's table. ( 1 Corinthians 11 v 23 -26 )

 We had a lovely time on Sunday morning at our fellowship,it included what we call the Lords table,so we sang a song by Graham Kendrick,just let say I love many  of the modern songs.So as we sang the song,I wasn't happy with one of the verses which goes,'In this bread there is healing,In this cup there's life forever'.There are people who really believe that,I don't, they are symbols  ,that's all.and we must be careful not to transfer to them,what Christ can only do.the Catholic church have made the wafer a thing to worship.There are also those within the Protestant fold who likewise are what  one would call sacramentilist.Let us turn back to the Lord's table,what did Jesus say about it?, in Luke 22 v 19 -20 we read ,'This do in rememberance of Me',it is a rememberance feast,nothing else nothing more. The bread speaks of His body that was given for us,given to be a sacrifice for our sins,given to bear the wrath of God so that we don't have to bear it.The blood  we  are told it is a sign of the New Covenant which tells us that the Lord will forgive our wickedness, and will remember our sins no more.( Jeremiah 31 v 33 34 )The Lords table is symbolic nothing more nothing else,and yet very important ,in taking the bread and wine we are reminded afresh that it is all about Jesus and His work of salvation for us.

Out with the old in with the new, ( Hebrews 11 v 8 -16)

Father Abraham was called by God to leave his own country and go to the land God would give him,he was 75 and he was told by God ,that through him all the peoples on the earth would be blessed, indicating he would have children. (Genesis 15 v4) How did Abram react to this promise ? 'Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness '.This is a most wonderful verse, it answers the question of how those in the OT were saved,very simple the same way the saints in the NT were saved Romans 5 v1. Salvation is granted to us when by faith we trust in Jesus,the result is we become Children of God,and we are children of Abraham also Galatians 3 v29. Isreal's history  is our history,,we are no  longer foreigners and strangers,but fellow citizens with God's people and members of his household'. (Ephesians 2 v 19) All the promises in the OT are ours,everyone one of them,their future is our future,the old covenat is gone ,the new covenant has arrived,and we are new creations through our wonderful Jesus, our Messiah.,the moral laws remain,the legalist laws are finished,the temple is gone,a new temple has come into place ,not one built by human beings.Every Christian is a temple in which the Holy Spirit dwell's (/1 Corinthians  3 v15 / 2  Corinthians 6 v 16/).We God's new creation  have a wonderful future in that wonderful new heaven and new earth, in which we will sing a new song to Him who hath loved us and cleansed us from our sin.

                                                        ' Truly worthy is Lamb'

                                                  

There's none so blind ( Jeremiah 17 v 9 )

While out walking I stopped to talk to a fellow Irish man, he is  from the south,as we old ones  spoke of our different aliments, I will not tell you what they were,I don't want to depress you.He asked what age I was , I asked him what age he thought I was,and to my surprise he said 65,I lie not ,of course he was not wearing glasses.He told me his name was Mac Carry,the conversation came to spiritual things, I don't know if I made much headway,but I did try,one of things he said, that he did not sin,and he had no sinful thoughts.One is amazed that a person saying such a thing,it manifests just how  blind they are,blind to how vast is the gulf between sinful man and God the holy One.We have all  sinned and come short of the glory of God,he did not appear to think that applied to him.There is no one so blind  as those who cannot see,or who don't want to see.I pray that the Holy Spirit  would do His special work of convicting him of his sin , and of God's righteousness,and of coming judgement;(John 16 v 8.)

                                               ' Dear God you know the awful darkness

                                                of  peoples hearts,we cry unto you that

                                                by your Spirit,you will convict them

                                                of their sinfulness,and that they may flee 

                                                to Jesus the Saviour of sinners.Amen'

                                                 

                                                

The young man with green hair. ( 1 Samuel 16 v 7)

The question is does it matter how we dress when we go to our place of worship?, and the answer is ,well we will come to that.My pastor told a story about a young man who got his hair dyed green, to his parents surprise .He was a Christian so they didn't say much,so that Sunday they went to their place of worship and it was the young man with green hairs turn to welcome people at the door. Some of the regulars give him a funny looks,and thought, we must have a word with the pastor. Just as the service was about to begin ,a young lady came ,she had a ring in her nose and  a tattoo on her arm,after the service she came to the young lad, and told him that seeing him with his green hair,encouraged  her to stay ,and she would be coming back.She eventually trusted Christ and became a member of that church for many years. It may surprise us to know that God is not concerned as what one wears,unlike us God has always a bigger agender, and it goes beyond what we wear,or the colour of our hair.or our status in society.Our dear Saviour always looked at a persons greatest need,the salvation of their soul, and so should we.

Is This? ( Matthew 19 v16 )

Recently I got in to a conversation  with a young married man, he spoke of the wrong things that are happening ,and I ssked him,what did he think was the cause?.I don't think he understood the question,in the end I told him the answer,'sin'. Yes that is the answer ,well the conversation continued I mentioned hell,he didn't believe in a place called hell,this is were it got a bit confusing,for he went on to say that hell and heaven is now,if you are having a difficult life now that's hell,likewise if you are having a good life now ,you are in heaven. He also seemed to believe in reincarnation unknowingly buying into Hinduism,in that if one was having a it bad now , it was because you were bad in a former life,likewise if you are having a good life now,it is because you were good in a former life. So it waa a very mixed up conversation,His veiws were so far removed from the truth. he looks at the prosperous people ,and he thinks that they are in heaven,people like Howard Hughes,a very wealthy man ,but what a messed up life he had.Think of many of the rich and famous film stars,their infidelities ,their divorces, Hemingway committed sucicide.As to the poor and suffering they are not in hell,they are just poor and suffering,awful though it may be.

                                                      O what emptiness! without the Saviour.

                                                       Mid the sins and sorrows here below!

                                                       And eternity,how dark without Him!

                                                       Only night and tears,and endless woe!

I have done enough. ( Luke 17 v 10)

I recently ministered in a church,not a very large church,and they have a problem,they desperately need people to be deacons,they don't have a pastor,.After the  service was over and we met  to have a cup of tea,there was a married couple there and I said to the man would you not consider being a deacon?he sort of  said he may,but it wasn't a very positive reply..Then his wife started to speak as to their  past Christian ministry ,she mentioned the different things they had done in the church,and now she felt they had done enough,and they wanted more time to themselves. I didn't say to much more,I thought it was very sad that they thought like that,because it seemed to me that they,particularly the wife,thought she had served God enough .The next morning at home I was praying giving thanks to God for his mercies,and I said to God ,that words seem inadequate for all that he has done for me,and I said what can I give you?,my reply was,' I give my life back to you'.But I am eighty but I cannot retire from serving God,oh yes I may have to cut down  on certain things,through age or infirmity.That church has a needs if  they don't get people willing to serve in that little church it will close.We read these very challenging words from  what  I call the gospel of Romans verses 12 v 1 ,'I plead with you to give your bodies to God because all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice,the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to wordhip Him.'

                                             'Yes God does require sacrifice from us'

Thank you. (Lamentations 3 v 22-23 )

I was having a time of prayer and I found myself  saying to God ,'Thank you for always being there',as I said this I felt very emotional. I have been on a long journey,full of many twists and turns,and many up's and downs, some successes and many failures.Yet through it all God my loving heavenly Father has been there for me, words in some ways I feel are inadequate ,could be the emotions I felt were a more acceptable thank you. When I trusted my blessed Saviour things did change in my life and for the better for I had a big heavenly Father looking after me. So I look back with gratitude and thankfulness,there is a Christian song with these words in it,'Why me Lord', yes it is a mystery,as the song also says,'What have I ever done to deserve such love?' and the answer is nothing. God did not  set His upon me because I deserved it, I didn't,here is what the scripture has to say,'God demonstrate his love on us in this; while we were still sinners,Christ died for us',( Romans 5 v 8 ) He didn't say to me go and clean your act up first, no He said come to me,simply ask Me to forgive you your sins through my Son Jesus,and I will,and you know something ,He did.That's not the end of the story it was only the beginning,the best is yet to be.

                                       'Nothing good have I done, to deserve God's own Son,

                                        I'm not worthy of the scars in His hands;

                                        Yet He chose the road to Calvary to die in my stead,

                                         Why He loved me, I can't understand.'

                                                        Words by Dottie Rambo.