Author: Pastor Doug

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 18:20 (NLT).

For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.

This verse concludes a lesson on church discipline (Matthew 18:15-20). It speaks of how to treat others while resolving a problem among believers. This is never an easy process, but Jesus gives us specific guidance to be able to treat people fairly with His love.

His first admonition is to speak to the one with whom you disagree privately. Communication is always the key element. If this is unsuccessful, He tells us to bring one or two others into the discussion. This allows a larger group to see and hear the issue and help explain the disconnect that is occurring. Finally, if the person is still not convinced of the error, He says “Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector” (Matthew 18:17).

The important point here is how He treated pagans and corrupt tax collectors – with love and understanding, inviting them to remember their place as one of God’s children. This passage is less about correction than community. That is why He concludes with this verse, saying He is there among us when we gather in His name.

Loving Lord, help us to always see each other as members of Your family, worthy of Your love and forgiveness. May it be on earth as it is in heaven. In Your name we pray. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 (NLT).

But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

Paul writes words of encouragement to all who do God’s work. This passage reminds us that “He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Now we have hope and all can be part of His kingdom through repentance and faith.

In God’s “upside-down” system the last shall be first. Paul teaches that this faith allows us to be “strong and immovable” in Him. By following the example Christ has given us, we can be the resource God uses to bring all people to Himself.

We may not always understand the big picture but we know that “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28). When we give our lives to Him, we become part of the kingdom work, and “nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”

Gracious God, we are sorry for the times we have ignored each other’s needs and not loved as You commanded us. Still us and fill us, mend us and send us to do Your will in the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is John 9:35-38 (NLT).

When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.” “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!” “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.

This lesson takes up all of John 9 with a number of points essential to our faith, such as obedience, spiritual blindness and the persecution of believers. At the conclusion, Jesus asks the man He healed “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”, a title Jesus used for Himself several times in John’s Gospel. We hear this term used in Daniel for God’s presence with His people during severe trials.

In order for the man to be healed, he had to believe healing was possible and obey Jesus’ command to go wash in the pool (John 9:7). In doing this his faith was made whole and his sight was restored. This sequence of sending – obeying – participating in our own healing is the pattern for following Jesus. We obey Him as He obeyed the Father and through His sacrifice for us, we are healed.

Sadly, as Jesus predicted, there was pushback from those whose power and position were threatened, against both Jesus and the man who was healed. As His followers we should expect the world to resist our efforts because the world is spiritually blind to His love. However, by our faith in Him we continue our efforts to open their eyes and share the Good News everywhere.

Loving Lord, we are often dismayed by the state of our world. Help us not to lose hope, and to go in Your name to share Your forgiveness and love with all Your children. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Acts 8:35 (NLT).

So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.

As always, we need to read the whole passage to get a complete story from scripture, however this is a marvelous statement. The lesson is found in Acts 8:26-40, telling of Philip’s witness to the Ethiopian man. This is another example of the disciples going into the world to spread the truth and love Jesus brought us.

The scripture mentioned here is Isaiah 53:5-8, a sad but loving description of what Jesus will do for us. Philip shows the Ethiopian the connection between scripture and Jesus, the same connection we find in all scripture. It is the story of God’s love for us poured out through the sacrifice of His Son.

Acts, formally titled The Acts of The Apostles, tells us of the next step in the coming of God’s kingdom, the work of Christ’s followers after He returned to the Father. Their action in the world helped others to hear the Good News. God certainly needs no help from us, but has graciously called us to work with Him, that all may know His love.

Heavenly Father, we are blessed by the coming of Jesus and the work of those who have gone before us. Make us energetic disciples that we may continue to do the work You have for us. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is John 3:19-21 (NLT).

And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.

John 3:1-21 tells us of Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the High Court, coming to Jesus by night with questions. Jesus gives him a lesson he doesn’t completely understand, but he continues to search. This should resonate with all of us.

Nicodemus was in the dark so he came to the light of the world for answers. What Jesus teaches us isn’t easy because “people loved the darkness more than the light”. While Nicodemus didn’t become a disciple that moment, we later hear his defense of Jesus in the High Court (John 7:50) and his burial of Jesus following the Crucifixion (John 19:38-42).

We are all somewhat like Nicodemus, searching for the truth but concerned about what the world will think of us. Jesus told us that as His followers the world would hate us because it hated Him first (John 15:18). It is up to us to overcome our fear through His strength and love our brothers and sisters, no matter what.

Loving Lord, it is not easy to be a disciple, but You have called us to go in Your name. May we share the Good News with joy throughout the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Luke 7:47-50 (NLT).

“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?” And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Jesus sees us differently than the world sees us. We need to read the whole story found in Luke 7:36-50 to better understand this passage. It speaks to us of forgiveness and love for the One who has saved us. It also gives us an example to follow.

Jesus is invited to dinner at the home of the Pharisee Simon. While there, a “fallen woman” as some translate it, shows her love for Jesus by washing His feet and anointing them with perfume. Others are aghast that Jesus would permit this, but He teaches a lesson about love and forgiveness that they will understand.

We may see ourselves as one of the fallen, weeping as we come to Him in repentance. This is true, as we hear in Romans 3:23 – “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” However, we must also see ourselves as the guests who do not understand what this woman’s actions mean to her. No one is below Christ’s love and no one is above His commandment to love one another. As Jesus says, “your faith has saved you”.

Gracious God, in Your mercy You sent Jesus as our savior and model. Help us to leave behind the brokenness of our sin and rejoice in the new life You offer us all. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Acts 2:38-39 (NLT).

Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”

Peter gives the crowd (and us) specific instructions on how to be saved: repent and turn to God, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. There is no other way to salvation. Jesus Himself told us “no one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). 

Being baptized is a public declaration of accepting God’s forgiveness and grace in our lives. Even Jesus was baptized to declare His love for God and to show us what that means. Many describe this as an outward sign of an inward change, a signal to ourselves and the world that we belong to Christ. The gift of the Holy Spirit comes to those who dedicate themselves in this way.

Peter says the kingdom of God is for all who accept His love and forgiveness, covering the earth and extending through generations of humanity. God doesn’t care who you think you are or who the world thinks you are; He made you and He knows who you are! May we see ourselves and each other as His children, forgiven, blessed and sent in His name.

Heavenly Father, in Your mercy You made a way for all to be saved. Help us to share Your love and care with all our brothers and sisters. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Galatians 1:10-12 (NLT).

Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant. Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

I like to make people happy. It makes me feel good too. While there’s nothing wrong with this on the surface, what we do and say to accomplish it is extremely important. Are we just going along to get along? This isn’t what Jesus taught us and Paul comes out swinging at those who do.

He says very plainly “I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God.” He also reminds us that the Gospel “is not based on mere human reasoning”, something that confused people then and continues to affect our relationship with God and each other. We think so much of ourselves that we assume we can figure everything out on our own.

It’s not about any concept we can conceive or any action we can take, it is about faith in Christ alone. Paul once wrote “For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). We must follow the example Jesus set, putting aside anything that distracts us from the kingdom work.

Heavenly Father, forgive our foolish pride that puts us at the center of Your creation. Help us to see the truth and share it in love with all Your children everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Romans 12:1-2 (NLT).

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

When Paul says “give your bodies to God” he means every part of us. God wants our hearts to love Him and each other. God wants our minds so we will understand His word and apply it in our lives. God wants our hands and feet to do the work He has called us to do.

Paul warns us about the things we see in this world and the effect that copying that behavior has on our connection to God and His children. The world is not our example, Jesus is! We have been created in God’s image for a purpose.

God wants us to know His love and share it with everyone, everywhere. Jesus told us in Acts 1 “And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” May we use all we have been given to thank Him and ensure all hear God’s promise of salvation.

Loving Lord, forgive us for our selfishness! Help us to see and do what is required here, not just to satisfy human needs, but to point people to You and Your love for us. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Isaiah 43:18-19 (NLT).

But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Isaiah brings a warning from God regarding the people’s sin, but includes God’s promise that they are not lost. The Lord says “For I am about to do something new.” In His mercy, God was already working to save us from ourselves.

We often try to do things our own way, but without God as the center point of our lives, our efforts are wasted. We still haven’t learned the lessons from long ago about God’s love and care for His children and our responsibility to share that with the world.

God reminds us through the prophet of the things He has done for us previously, but tells us of the salvation that awaits us if we stay in relationship with Him and each other. His covenant with us is stronger than any sin we can commit, and He waits for us to repent and return in faith.

Heavenly Father, we ask Your forgiveness for our human outlook and our selfish ways. Remold us in Your image that we may be the representatives of Your love to all the world. Amen.