Relational Bridges

  WHAT IS THE GROUND OF CHRISTIAN UNITY? When the Lord Jesus brings us into His Kingdom by grace through faith, we may be unaware that we bring all sorts of things with us. Over time He will identify these things as the idols they are, things we have depended on, drawn our identity from, based our worth on and maybe even unconsciously looked to for comfort or hope consistently disappointing us. That “stuff” is the fodder of strife and division in the Body of Christ. We must accept that everyone of us has had our characters and personalities educated and developed in sin: going our own way. We were once dead, essentially dead, and are now alive because a radically new Life, one that does not derive from us, is being lived in us by the Holy Spirit. Sadly, none of the “stuff” we drag alone will ever be the basis and ground of the unity the Holy Spirit has given us in Christ Jesus. It’s a unity that He intends to forge in us relationally. Political persuasion, education, economics, c...

  Truth or Opinion In Romans 14, Paul tells the young church there to not “argue over opinions”.   The issue was eating meat or not eating meat. In that day, meat was sold at markets, usually having been offered as sacrifices to idols. Since most of those in the church in Rome had come out of paganism and into the Kingdom of God, some saw eating such meat as having too much connection with an old way of living and being. Others believed that all food was edible when God was given thanks and His blessing was asked for at mealtime. Some thought some days were more important than other while others held that each day was the same: a blessing from God to be grateful for. Opinions on such topics do not carry the weight of a clear Word from God on a particular subject, which in such cases is NOT opinion at all. Paul writes God’s Words here to keep personal preferences from being the cause of division or judgement between brothers and sisters in Christ. As Paul writes elsewhere, ...

  FAITH...WHAT IS IT? Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” Romans 10:17 “So faith comes by hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” Faith is not “wistful thinking”, it is not grounded in what we may want to see happen. Faith is not grounded in us at all. Faith is grounded in what God has already said and already done. Faith is grounded in the Word of God, in God Himself. God is eternally faithful to His Word; He does not change; therefore, it does not change. God’s Word is not altered by cultural norms. It is neither modified by human opinion nor by what “trend setters” declare to be in vogue. I have faith because of what God has said. If God had not spoken long ago through His prophets and in these last days through His Son, Jesus Christ, I could never have faith. Faith is a response of trust and belief in what God says, in what God has done. Faith is not grounded i...

  Psalm 15 1 Who may worship in Your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter Your presence on Your holy hill? 2 Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. 3 Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. 4 Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord and keep their promises even when it hurts. 5 Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever. What does this Psalm say to you? It speaks to me very much like the 10 Commandments speak. The 10 Commandments tell me that if God doesn't save me, I will never be rescued, redeemed, restored, healed or flourish as a human being. The "straight-edge" of the Law brings into sharp relief the crookedness of my fallen Adamic nature, left to myself. It is just as clear that I am unable to do what Psalm 15 states are the ...

  PRAYER This is from my brother, Fr. Douglas Kimemia. In this life we face big problems, stress, worries, and burdens, which always attempt to swallow or overtake us. In some cases, we feel like we are in a tight corner, walled or between a rock and a hard place. We feel overwhelmed and uncertain of the next minute or tomorrow. Simply, we don’t know what to do or where to turn to. In such a situation, Jesus is telling us to ask for His help for He is standing by. Jesus talking to His disciples reminds them that those who ask for help will receive it, those who seek Him will find Him and those who knock the door it shall be opened for them. Help is only a knock away or a word away. For anyone skeptical of power of prayers, I want to remind us that God is still answering prayers. I know with everything happening in us and around us, it may seem like God is offline or asleep. But the truth is that God is waiting on us to call on Him. Prayer still remains a powerful and secret tool, w...

  God tells us in His Word that He blesses obedience to His Word. His will results in human flourishing. That flourishing may look very different from what the world-system identifies as “prosperity”. But, on the whole, the promises made by the world-system are a “cheat”. The question is, however, why does the Lord state that His blessings follow obedience to Hos Word? I actually think it is so simple that it is mind-boggling. Human beings seem to always be looking for the exception, the easiest way out, the “least I have to do to get by” sort of thing. Think about this. Why would God reinforce disobedience? Why would He bless something that is “less than” If His will is the very best for us, why would He reinforce anything other than obedience? It’s not some cosmic quid-pro-quo. God doesn’t treat people as a means to some end. God knows what will make for human flourishing. That is what is contained in His Word, His commandments. Outside the parameters of His will, life will n...

  John 6:27-33 Jesus said, “But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man  can give you. For God the Father has given Me the seal of His approval.” They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”   Jesus told them,  “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the One He has sent.   They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do?   After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”   Jesus said,  “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now He offers you the True Bread from heaven.   The True Bread of God is the One Who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Jesus had just miraculously fed over 5,000 people by multiplying five small loave...

  ONLY ONE TRUE LIGHT There isn't one Light for America, another Light for Africa or a separate Light for China or an alternative Light for Europe or a different Light for India – there is only one Light for the entire world for all time, for every person, and His name is Jesus, the Messiah. John 1:1-5 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His Life brought Light to everyone. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. 1John 1:1-5 We proclaim to you the One Who existed from the beginning, Whom we have heard and seen. We saw Him with our own eyes and touched Him with our own hands. He is the Word of Life. This One Who is Life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen Him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that He is the one wh...