Broken Chains

 

Exodus 20:2 (NET) - I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery.

Before God gave us what we call “The Ten Commandments,” He spoke.

In one sentence, God reminded His people of two things.

First, He is God.

Second, it was He who freed them from bondage.

Paul discusses freedom in his second letter to the believers in Corinth.

But first he had to remind them that the law “carved in letters on stone tablets” brough death.

Paul reminded the Corinthians that the New Covenant brings life.

When one turns to Christ the veil is lifted away and true freedom is granted.

And it is the Spirit of the Lord that makes true freedom possible.

2 Corinthians 3:17 (NET) - Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom.

We also live in the New Covenant.

We are no longer bound to the law but to the living Christ.

And it is through that bond that we have been freed.

But what does freedom mean?

Does it mean freedom from trials and tribulations?

Does it mean freedom from illness and physical pain?

Does it mean freedom from labor and toil?

Does it mean a life of wealth and leisure?

The freedom the Lord gives is the freedom to serve.

It is the freedom to serve both God and our fellow man.

Such freedom must be used responsibly and is not to be taken lightly.

Thankfully, the Lord can guide us in our journeys.

He can help us make responsible choices in exercising our freedom.

Best of all, He can help us share what true freedom means to those who are still oppressed.

We typically think of chains as being made of metal.

But chains of oppression can be forged of many things.

The strongest chains are often forged from ideology, politics, culture, addiction, or fear.

And the love of Christ can break even these chains.

The love of Christ still sets captives free.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, September 2, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, September 9, 2022

Diversity in Christianity

 

Psalm 119:63 (NET) - I am a friend to all your loyal followers, and to those who keep your precepts.

This Psalm is the longest of all Psalms and is told in 22 parts.

But this Psalm does more than glorify God.

It does more than glorify His Word.

In this verse, the Psalmist promises to be a friend to those who long to follow God’s will.

This is also at the heart of discipleship.

But there is more to discipleship than reaching out to those like us.

It also means reaching out to those who may be different from us.

The book of Acts provides us with an excellent example of this in Philip.

An angel of God told Philip to travel down a desert road.

Philip did so,

Along the way, Philip encountered an Ethiopian who had come to Jerusalem to worship.

Sitting in his chariot, he was reading from the book of Isaiah.

The spirit moved Philip to join the man, and Philip obeyed.

Acts 8:30-31 (NET) - So Philip ran up to it and heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked him, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” The man replied, “How in the world can I, unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

In response to the Ethiopian’s question, Philip shared the Good News with him.

This moment forever changed the life of the Ethiopian.

In fact, when the chariot came upon water, the Ethiopian ordered the chariot to stop.

Philip accompanied the Ethiopian into the water and baptized him.

Diversity is a hot topic today.

Politicians build their platforms on diversity.

Businesses teach courses about its importance,

Social media promotes it.

But when you get down to it, diversity has always played a key role in Christianity.

That is because Christian diversity is rooted in love.

It is not politically or socially motivated.

God’s Word gives us examples of diversity among disciples.

Christ Himself commands us to love our neighbor.

Christ reached out to those of diverse backgrounds.

Christ healed the servant of a Centurion.

Christ spoke with a Samaritan woman at the well.

Christ even ministered to those whom society deemed “unclean.”

Just as in the past, we too are called to be disciples.

But to be effective, our outreach must be rooted in love.

We must look for that which unites rather than focus on the things which divide.

We must learn, or even perhaps re-learn, what it means to truly work side by side with others.

When Christ dwelt among us, he felt compassion for those whom He encountered.

Matthew 35:36-38 (NET) - When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were bewildered and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest-ready fields.

Many workers (disciples) are still needed today.

But these workers (disciples) must work together in a spirit of diversity rooted in Christian love.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, August 19, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, August 26, 2022

Men and Angels

 

Psalm 34:7 (NET) - The angel of the Lord camps around the Lord’s loyal followers and delivers them.

Angels recur throughout Scripture.

But what exactly are angels?

Angels, like people, are creations of God.

They also serve as God’s messengers.

Scripture refers to two of them by name – Michael and Gabriel.

These messengers of God also have the power to deliver.

David confirms this in Psalm 34:7.

The book of Acts also reminds us of this fact.

Peter learned this while he was imprisoned.

Those within the church prayed to God on Peter’s behalf.

In answer to their prayers, God sent an angel to deliver Peter.

Acts 12:7 (NET) - Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

Angels are mysterious.

They are also misunderstood,

Even conventional teaching adds to our misunderstanding.

In fact, some of the things we have been taught and believe are not true.

One of the things that bothers me is when a loved one dies.

To be kind someone will say, “Heaven has gained another angel.”

This simply is not true.

There is absolutely nothing in scripture to back up this claim.

When we die, we do not become angels.

It is true that, for a Christian, death is not the end but a transition.

The physical body dies, the spirit lives on, but we do not become angels.

David also addresses the distinction between men and angels.

Psalm 8:4-5 (NET) - Of what importance is the human race, that you should notice them? Of what importance is mankind, that you should pay attention to them? You made them a little less than the heavenly beings. You crowned mankind with honor and majesty.

So, angels are not loved ones who have passed before us.

But angels are still the messengers and deliverers of God.

Are these messengers and deliverers communicating with us today?

Perhaps they are.

Perhaps they are guiding us to live the way God wants us to live.

Perhaps they help steer us in the right direction.

Or perhaps we are too caught up in the world to take notice.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, August 5, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, August 12, 2022