Christ’s body | SCRIP-BITS

Matthew 5:12. Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Oh Friends, the church bells are tolling this beautiful Sunday morning! They’re tolling to invite us to fellowship and worship as the body of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ down here on earth! Wow! What a special benefit and honour to be numbered in that most august society!

Many of you may remember growing up with the church bells pealing every Sunday morning and evening, calling all the faithful to the house that Christ built. I remember them quite vividly, because I lived only a couple minutes walk away from St. Andrews Anglican in Scarborough, Tobago, and I’d use them as a time piece, listening for when the last bell begin to toll, then I’d hustle off to get there just in time.

There were either two or three tollings, I don’t remember, but back then, when the bells pealed, you knew that almost the whole community was getting ready to go to church, regardless of their denomination. Unfortunately though, church bells tolling as a means of inviting the faithful to worship is now a thing of the past, like prehistoric dinosaurs.

The youth of today don’t even know that church bells existed, for there are very few around now, and even fewer toll, and likewise, even fewer attend church regularly. But my brethren, going to church and fellowshipping with others of like faith, is exactly one of the things Jesus had in mind when He commanded us to ‘Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’

That’s because it’s much easier for believers to rejoice and be exceedingly happy, in spite of persecution, when they are gathered together worshipping and praising Almighty God, whether it be in a church, a house, a thatched hut, a cave or in the open air. Togetherness is the bedrock, the foundation of Christ’s body! No wonder we’re not making the progress we should, since that body is so fragmented, divisive, quarrelsome and resentful of each other.

But Friends, it’s virtually impossible for us to stand strong in the face of persecution when we’re not in sync with each other. That only gives the forces of evil an excellent opportunity to further divide and conquer us. For as logic declares, a group can usually stand stronger together against a common enemy, than a single individual.

And my people, coming together is one of the things we desperately need to concentrate on, if we’re to ever survive the challenges and persecution that the evil world powers are plotting against us. And even as a group, we can’t do it without the omnipotence of Jesus working in and amongst us. So please, let’s seriously concentrate on coming together, rather than drifting further apart nuh. That’s the only hope we have of strengthening and growing Jesus’ LOVE Revolution.

And I have the perfect quote for that from an article I read earlier on in the Anglican Newspaper, November 2013 edition. I copied it for use at some future time, but in God’s mysterious workings, (smile) that time seems to be now. It’s written by Bishop Patrick Yu, on the subject of inviting people to church.

He writes that ‘Growth is actually the sign of all living things, including a living faith and a living church!’ Now that’s gospel truth my people! If we’re not growing in faith and fellowship, then to all intents and purposes, we’re spiritually dead.

Anyway, enough sermonizing from me for today. (smile) Let’s get to the scriptures I faithfully promised you yesterday. And the first one deals with the first part of our Bit: ‘Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:’

Peter puts it this way: ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as (to the extent that) ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.’ (1 Pet.4:12-13)

Yeh Friends, it’s definitely not an easy concept to grasp and then hold on tightly to, but we do need to believe that when we suffer for Jesus’ sake, we’re part of His suffering. Therefore, when He comes back in all His majestic glory, then we too shall participate in the overwhelming joy during those momentous times!

And James say it thus: ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials). Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith, worketh (produces) patience.’ (James 1:2-3)

Short and sweet eh Friends! (smile) What a way we doing a lotta smiling today mih breddren! But that’s just the way it ought to be, if we’re exceedingly glad.

Now here’s what the scholars have to say: ‘1:2-3. In this epistle on Christian living, James opens with a most crucial topic: the trials of life. These verses describe the various testings – whether from the world and Satan, or from God – into which godly Christians fall (Gr. peripipto). These “negative” experiences are to be accepted with great joy, not for the sake of the trial itself but because of the positive work God can accomplish through the testing.

The words in verses 2 and 3 (temptations and trying) are often regarded as virtually synonymous. If this were true, then the trials themselves would produce spiritual maturity. But they do not. Often, testings make Christians bitter instead of better, with no spiritual growth occurring. The Greek word for “trying” (dokimion) might be better translated as “approving.”

It is not merely one’s presence in such trials but one’s victory over them that brings spiritual growth and maturity. Those Christians whom God can use the most are those whom God has bruised the most.’

And all God’s people said a low, unenthusiastic ‘Amen,’ because they know that’s the living truth, and it’s hard for the flesh to handle!

But enough for today Friends, I don’t want to stretch your intelligence and busy lives by running on too long. (smile) So let’s ponder all that we’ve said and heard, then make some good and godly decisions, in as many areas as we can, obviously with the help of Jesus. Much LOVE!

…for whom the bells toll…for all mankind…why…so that they can come to Christ…to acknowledge Him as Lord and Saviour…and receive the free…but oh so wonderful gifts of salvation and everlasting life…

Psalm 102:12. But thou, O Lord, shall endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations.

Oh Friends, oh Friends, it’s a boy! Whoopee dee! Another possible king for the British throne. Yes mih people, the long awaited day arrived yesterday. Prince William and Princess Kate had a bouncing baby boy!

Now that’s nice to know and all that, but the fuss so much of the world has been kicking up in the last week or so, is it truly necessary? In one breath a lot of people want the monarchy gone, but in the next they’re going gaga over the birth of one more royal for them to support and bow to.

Ah Lord eh! Oh, how I wish they’d give our great and wonderful God even a li’l bit of the enthusiasm and anticipation that this royal birth has created. Christianity would certainly be moving big mountains!

And can you imagine all the nonsense people have been sending to the poor couple, who need no material stuff, just some privacy, plus the name game with its betting and favourites, and the monkey see, monkey do actions… Chuh! Now that’s really going overboard.

Those actions though will certainly bring a smile to the faces of the managers of commerce, who won’t miss a trick, with some sort of sales pitch to have their cash registers constantly ringing, while we line up to spend money we can’t afford on stuff we don’t need.

But because Princess Kate’s royal baby has it, it’ll be a feather in our cap to have the same brand too, even if it’s a knock off, a fake. Steups! How foolish can we get eh!

But you know what my brethren? All that too shall pass; the royalty, the people falling over themselves, the commercialism, and all the other hoopla. However, as our Bit says: ‘But thou, O Lord, shall endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations.’

And that my Friends, is the everlasting truth of all truths! Whatever else happens, our God will NEVER die, take a powder or pull some disappearing act! That’s because He’s #ONE on the Hit Parade and will ALWAYS BE #ONE!

In fact, before the Hit Parade ever came into being, our great God was already alive and running things. And even when the Hit Parade is no more, our wonderful and omnipotent God will still be around, and still running things in the universe He’s created! Now put that in yuh pipe and smoke it! (smile)

Oh Friends, it would be so heart warming if those same people who are making such a fuss over the royal baby – many of whom I’m sure call themselves Christians – would do so over the true Monarch of the World, the Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Jesus Christ, to whom they’ll all have to bow and answer to and confess that He is indeed #ONE!

It would definitely be wonderful if they could pass down the story of Jesus to their children, as they’ll do that of the newborn royal. Ah mih people, we let the unimportant things of the world so cloud, and have so much sway over our lives, that there’s very little left for the important things of God.

But in spite of all that, as the psalmist so rightly says in Psalm 135; the greatness of the Lord and the vanity of idols: ‘Thy name, O Lord, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O Lord, throughout all generations.’ (Ps.135:13)

And though as I said yesterday, I was worried about our passing down the Word to the next generation, deep down I believe the psalmist’s words will hold true until the last days.

The Good Book does say that God’s remembrance will not fail, because Christ’s body on earth, His church will keep it alive forever. But my fellow believers, this won’t happen automatically, we’re expected to get up and make it happen, just like the believers of old did.

Isn’t it amazing though, that all they had for the longest while was an oral tradition to tell the story, and they remained strong and told it, otherwise we wouldn’t have had it. But now, though we have so many different and all pervasive ways to do it, we’re not even keeping up, much less spreading it.

Now hear Jeremiah on the subject from Lamentations: ‘Thou, O Lord, remainest forever; thy throne from generation to generation. Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time? Turn thou us unto (back to) thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old. But (Unless) thou hast utterly rejected us; thou art very wroth (angry) against us.’ (Lam.5:19-22)

Yes Friends, even in His lamentations, Jeremiah acknowledges God’s power, remembrance and eternality right down through the ages! And we have it much better, because since then Jesus came to earth and has defeated sin, death and the grave. So why can’t we do better than we’re doing eh?

We should be saying, and believing like the psalmist. ‘I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. Of old thou hast laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.

They shall perish, but thou shalt endure (continue): yea, all of them shall wax (grow) old like a garment; as a vesture (cloak) shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed (descendants) shall be established before thee.’ (Ps.102:24-28)

And all God’s children shouted, ‘Glory Hallelujah!’

But in the meantime my people, I think it would do us all a lot of good to pray Jeremiah’s prayer, because our God is definitely not happy with us, and it’s only through the power and the working of His Holy Spirit in us that we’ll be able to turn this floundering ship called Christianity around. Much LOVE!

…how long, O Lord, how long…before you cause us to be turned around eh…

SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 November 2013 Matthew 5:12

Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 July 2013 Psalm 102:12

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