God can Strengthen our Faith

Verses: Romans 16 : 25 - 27

My thoughts about the verses:

The message is simple God died for all.  The message does not need to be hidden but spread.  Through believing in God and depending on the Savior you will be strengthened.  God is your guide and comfort and lives within you.

God is the strength that moves us forward and helps us reach out to others.  The good news came first to the Jewish community then to the gentiles.  The secrets that were passed down from the ages are now freely given to all of us.  We have peace because God comforts us and helps us spread the word to the world.

It is very hard for many of us to go out of our church walls.  We feel safe and secure behind the closed doors.  We find peace and love within our church family.  Yet, what God wants us to know that we need to reach out past the doors and help those that are lost to find the same comfort we have.

Imagine if the word had not been told to us how would our life be different?  Was there someone brave enough to reach out to you when you were not in relationship with God?  How would your life be without that person willing to tell you about then love of God?  Now it is our turn to reach out to those that need the same peace we have found.  It doesn't matter who you are God wants you to share the secret.

Prayer:

Dear God thank you for sending Jesus to the Earth.  We thank you Jesus for dying so that we may become one with God.  Help us go out and spread the good news.  Help us reach those that have never heard about the saving power of God.  Thank you for sending those that help us find God.  Now help us do the same for others.  In your Holy name we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted the Risen Savior in your heart?  Are you spreading the good news around the world?  Do you feel the strength of God wherever you go?  Is it time you tell your story?

There are many that help the Realm of God Grow

Verses: Romans 16 : 1 - 24

My thoughts about the verses:

I have to start this by explaining what I was taught as I grew up.  I came from a very strict denomination.  The lesson was simple everyone else was teaching the word of God wrong.  That there was only one true denomination and that was ours.  There even was a book called the blood of Christ that showed how we connected straight to Jesus and the early church.  It showed the many sacrifices that others had made through their shedding of blood so that the church would survive.

The hardest part of the lessons taught was the role of women.  There were only four things women could do to help people find Christ. 

1. Women could teach young children Sunday school until they hit their teen years.  
2. Women could only teach females when they became teens or older and those were Sunday school classes only.
3. We could invite people to Church so the preacher, who was a man, could tell them about salvation.  
4. Marry a man and go where he was called and be his helpmate.

I knew that I was called to serve God way before most people even understand the role Jesus wanted. The first Sunday after I accepted Christ in my heart, I was just eleven, I made a list of all those that I loved and who needed to have Christ in their life.  As they came to accept Christ I marked their name off the list because I knew that my prayer for them was working.  

Yet, I felt there was something else that I was supposed to do besides teach children.  My heart was telling me that adults needed to hear what I said.  Yet, I knew that the only way to do that was marrying a preacher and allow him to spread the news while I supported him.  Yet, I had a bigger problem with this I wasn't interested in men.  I struggled with this for years.  I even decided I would go to the college sponsored by our Church to help me find my place.  I still was failing at this because I was outshining some of the men who were called to be pastors.  I can remember being told that I needed to let the men shine if I was ever going to find the right husband.  They felt my calling but that was to be a perfect wife.

When I was outed I thought my world was over.  I knew that I was being shunned because my love was for women not men.  How could I do anything now.  School was gone my teaching of kids was gone.  I was an outcast that felt a calling but had no way of sharing it.  I knew God was with me but I didn't have a place to worship.  I began praising God on my own terms because I felt that I had to do something to worship the one that saved me.'

Then it happened I found Metropolitan Community Churches a place that was safe for me.  MCC was a place that not only condoned my love but affirmed it.  A lot of my family and friends from my past still don't understand how I could have believed what I know now as truth.  They feel that I have back slide and they pray for me to turn back to the faith that they have.  Yet, what I was learning is that I could have a voice and my spirit felt lifted.

Now what does all this have to do with this scripture.  Think about what is happening Paul is thanking those that have been working to bring Christ to those that needed to hear the word.  Look at all the Women that had a voice that were praised for the work that was being done.  I love the fact that one of the churches meet in the house of two women.  Just think about it the majority of the followers mentioned are women.  Imagine for a moment how liberating this is to all the women from different denominations that are kept in a patriarchal structure.

Also here is something that we must understand that each person who accepts Christ has a role to play in building the realm of God.  Not just straight men who preach fire and brimstone.  Children, the GLBTIQ community, women, those with disabilities and yes men all have a role to play.  We need to accept the call that God has placed on our heart so that we can lead people to find the peace that we have found.  If you feel that you do not have a place to worship look outside where you are.  There are many churches that understand that those that are marginalized have a place in the Realm and need to use their talents.  Don't just listen to the naysayers that push you away because you are different. Instead find those that accept you for who you are so that you can have a place to worship and bring joy to God.

Prayer:

Dear God thank you for loving each one of us.  We thank you for giving us places where we can worship you.  Thank you for sending Jesus so that we can have eternal life.  We thank you for opening your heart for all of us.  We pray that all your children will find a safe place to worship you.  Help us accept the call that you have for each one of us.  Help others understand that you want us all to serve you.  Help those that are struggling with their identity to find that place where they can feel free to serve you openly.  In the name of the Risen Savior we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted Christ love for you?  Have you accepted God's calling for you?  Have you found a safe place to worship?  Are you struggling with how to Serve God and be the person that God created? Are you willing to step out and be who God wants you to be?

Share the Good News to all the people of the World

Verses: Romans 15 : 14 - 21

My thoughts about the verses:

The ultimate task for Christians is to share their faith story.  Think about this a moment.  We are to tell others our story so that they can hear about what God has done for us.  All Christians have a testimony that is unique to them.  The goal is to share the love God has given to us.

Paul was sharing that he had used his story to spread the good news to the gentiles.  He was able to share how God had touched his life.  Paul was chosen by God to tell the story to this group of people because of his own ethnicity and former beliefs.  Paul did not try to interfere with the teachings of others by going where they had already reached people.  Instead he was looking forward to those that never had heard the word.

Now what does this mean for us today.  We must be willing to reach out to those that have been rejected and never heard the story of God.  We must reach out to those that need to hear our story.  As Christians we should have a fire in our soul that inspires us to bring others to Christ.  There is someone out there that has been waiting to hear how God has helped us.  You do not need to be a minister or other lay leader to share what God has done for you.

Because of this fire I want to share my story,  I know that there is someone today that needs to hear that God died for them.  They need to hear that God is there when others have rejected them.  There is a need for others to know that God never leaves you.  That the world may say that you are not a Christian, but if you have accepted Christ in your life you can never have that taken away by what people say or do.

See I understand what it feels to be rejected.  To have people say that there is no way you are a Christian because of the person you love.  To be judged by the world and to have your faith challenged. But I am here to tell you that God doesn't leave you.  The Bible says that no one can remove you from the hands of God.

I grew up being taught that once saved always saved.  Yet, when I came out of the closet people said that I must never accept God.  I had an option in which I did not have to choose to live in sin.  I chose to distance myself from God because I put my love for a person first.  I was an outcast that needed to repent from my sin to truly enter the gates of Heaven.

 Yet, I knew deep in my heart that God was there with me.  I never felt like God left me.   Yet, I felt hurt by those that had taught me to love God.  I felt that religion was hypocrisy.  I knew that many of the people that were judging me had their own vices.  How could they say God didn't love me?  How could they know how I felt deep within.

Then I found MCC a place that confirmed what I had always felt.  That God had not let me go.  In those  moments that things were rough God was actually carrying me.  That God had a plan to use me and that I would grow in my faith.  Now I never fear if   my love for a person is not something that tears you out of the hands of God.  Jesus desires people to be happy and never said anything about my lifestyle. Amazingly people still feel that they can judge me.  For those people I feel sorry for them because they do not understand the love that God has for all people.

Prayer:

Dear God thank you for loving us.  Thank you for always holding us in your hands.  Dear God help us tell people our story.  Put a fire in our heart that encourages us to share the good news to those that need to hear about your love.  Help us to never reject someone because of our own judgment. In the name of the Risen Savior we pray. Amen

Questions:

Have you ever felt rejected by Christians?  Are you willing to share  your story?  Do you understand that only you and God know if you are truly a Christian?  Are you willing to stop judging others?  What do you need people to know about your own walk with God?

Help others Grow Stronger in their Faith

Verses: Romans 15 : 1 -13

My thoughts about the verses:

We all know people that are in different stages of faith.  Some people put their entire trust in God they believe that there are no fears because God is with them in all things.  Then there are people that believe in God yet at times feel like they are facing things all by themselves.  Neither one of these individuals are better than the other.  They have one thing that makes them equal their belief in the Risen Savior.

 People go through different stages of their faith and trust in God overtime.  Some days you can feel that God is right there with you.  Then things change and you start to wonder has God left me. As we face these challenges we depend on individuals that have strong faith to help us get through those hard times. They encourage us to trust God, they remind us that God hasn't left you.  That you must ask God for your needs and believe God will bring you what you need.  Remembering the whole time what you think you need isn't exactly  what you will get because God knows what you truly need.

Therefor when you are in your strongest days of faith you need to be someone’s helper.  You need to encourage them and not to put them down because of their doubts.  It is important to remember that all people go through rough times.  Those struggles that hit you when you do not expect them and you start to worry am I going to be okay.  How can God fix what is happening to me?  Does God have time to help  me when there are so many other people with needs?  Should I bother God with my issues?

I am going to share a very personal story.  There was a time not so long ago where my faith had started to wane.  I felt like there was no way that I could get out of the situation I was in.  I was so desperate for  money to keep the utilities and the house. I had prayed for God's to help yet I fell into a deep depression.  I saw no way out.  Everything that was happening seemed to be getting worse and worse.

It was in that moment that I decided the only solution was to access my life insurance policy.  I wanted the ones that I loved to be safe.  I felt like I had let them down.  So I decided to go out to the street and wait for God to send me the answer.  I live on a busy street.  It isn't unusual for me to stumble and fall. So there I stood waiting for just the right  moment.  As I waited I started praying to God to help me.  I prayed to God to send me the answer that I needed.

No car came.  No money fell from the sky.  I stayed outside thirty minutes waiting for my answer to come. God sent a moped.  Now you might say what kind of answer is that.  I say it was God saying not your time.  Put your faith in me and we will get through this.  It was that night that I decided that I wasn't in this alone.  I started reading God's word daily.  I started praying more than I ever had.  Today my Faith is stronger than it has been in a very long time.  Still struggling but know I am not in it alone every day I thank God for my answer.  I also realized I needed to start sharing my faith.  The question for me was how.  I guess if you are reading this you figured out the how.  It takes me hours to write these because of my concentration and pain but I know it is helping people around the world. 

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for the answers to our struggles.  We thank you for never leaving us.  Dear God we give our life to you.  Help us reach those that are struggling and having doubts.  Allow us to be an inspiration to others.  In your Holy name we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you ever felt alone?  Are there days that you feel God's comforting arms surrounding you?  Are you willing to share your story with others?  Are you ready to help someone who is struggling?  Have you doubts and fears surfacing that you can’t handle?  Are you ready to turn those over to God?

Live in Peace with Each Other

Verses: Romans 14 : 13 - 23

My thoughts about the verses:

Imagine if you were used to doing something that you never felt was wrong.  Yet, as you are doing this in front of others you are effecting  their beliefs.  You keep doing what you are doing because you feel nothing is wrong.  Yet, over time you notice that people are starting to withdraw themselves from you and others that you are around.

Haven't we all experienced this at some point in our life.  We think it is okay to eat a certain food or drink yet it offends others.  They handle it for a little while then they pull away from us.  Then they do not talk to us or our friends because what they saw us doing made them feel uncomfortable.  It even questioned their faith in God because they looked up to us.  Yet, they saw us doing things that they thought were wrong and now our pedestal they placed us on is knocked over.

What we need to understand is that there are things that we do that affects other people’s faith.  We need to examine what we do to make sure that it doesn't affect other people's faith.  If it is something that affects another person negatively then do not do it in front of them.  Remember people look at you every day and if you are walking your faith they will be quick to judge if they think something is wrong.

You need to remember that this scripture was written at a time when there were two main divisions in the Church.  The Jewish community had accepted Christ and the Gentiles.  These two groups had two different views because of their upbringing on what was good and what was bad.  They were at odds with each other because of this.  What Paul is trying to say to them and us is to live with peace between each member of the Body of Christ.

There are people from many different groups that make up the body of Christ.  When you look around and see what happens when different cultures are in the same setting.  You need to make sure as a child of God you do not push someone away because of your own customs.  At the same time other Christians should not make you feel uncomfortable with their customs.

It is this difference of opinion that has split many churches.  Because of things that are not really involved in worshiping Christ.  It is essential that all Christians work with each other so there is no one that feels put off by the behavior of one or more in the group.  Working together to reach the unchurched should always be the primary goal.  If you feel that what you are doing will keep the unchurched from coming to hear the word of God you need to determine if it is worth what you feel is okay.  I am not saying that you are sinning if you believe that a certain custom is okay.  What I am saying is that you need to make sure that when you are doing something that you do not push people away from accepting Christ because of your actions.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for loving us.  We thank you for giving us the gift of everlasting life.  We ask dear God that you help us to live in peace with each other.  Help us understand how to interact with others.  Help us so that we do not block people from coming to know you because of our actions.  In the name of the Most High we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you ever been shocked by something that someone that says they are a Christian does?  Are there things that you do that may deter people from coming to know Christ?  Are you willing to let go of those customs so that people can find Christ?  Have you accepted Christ in your life?  What do you need to do to help others find inner peace?

Whatever you believe acknowledge that you are doing it for God

Verses: Romans 14 : 1 - 12

My thoughts about the verses:

This is another touchy situation because we all feel that what we believe is the true way to believe. We often will judge others who do things that we feel are not what God desires.  There are also times that we are shocked when people will not do something because they think it is outside the rules.  We spend a lot of energy trying to decide if what we are doing or not doing is justified in God.  We consume our time judging others and determining that our belief system is better than what they believe.

I am here to tell you now that if you are spending your time determining if what you believe is better than others then you are missing the mark.  What we should be concentrating on is living the beliefs that we feel are bringing honor to God.  Let us think of it this way if you believe in your heart that doing something is good in the eyes of God you should be doing it.  If you think something is outside the boundaries of what God desires you should not do it.  Living what you believe while honoring God should be your main focus.

Now if it was that simple we could all live in harmony.  Yet, there are kinks in what we believe.  If you believe that there are certain people that are not allowed to be children of God then you are judging them.  We should not pick and choose who can accept God.  We should not judge who can be a believer similarly we should not judge someone who  believes one way or another.

I often think about communion, or whatever name your church uses to explain the meal given to us by God.  There are three beliefs on the meal.  Some denominations believe that the meal is only done in remembrance of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.  Other denominations believe that the bread and juice when consumed by a believer become the actual body and blood of Christ.  While others believe that the blessing of the cup and bread turns the elements into the actual body and blood of Christ.  Which is right?  The answer to this question is simple they are all done for the same purpose to give glory to God who lived, died and resurrected from the grave to save us from our sins.  So why judge what others believe when it comes to communion.  This is a fundamental belief that they were taught as children or as they came into the church later in life.  As long as what they believe is to acknowledge the love of God why should we judge.

 I love the fact that I belong to a church that allows multiple faith traditions to mix together and become a unified body.  The members have learned to accept each other and the beliefs that they bring to the table.  We do not judge each other when people do not believe just like us.  Instead we encourage people to follow God where they feel comfortable.  Now does that mean that we believe that all things are acceptable to God?  Of course we do believe that there are things that are outside the desires of God.  Yet, we do not sweat the small stuff.

It is important that you allow people to have a place where they feel safe.  Allowing people to find God right where there are at is essential.  Remember to focus on living your own faith walk and allow others to walk their own.  What you will soon find out is that you share a lot of the same principles.  The small stuff can split church yet allowing God to live their belief is the most important thing.

Prayer:

Dear God thank you for sending Jesus to save us from our own short comings.  Thank you for loving us and accepting us where we are at this very moment.  Help us accept others and their beliefs.  Dear God help us accept people that are different from us and never to shut the door on those that are searching for you.  Help us not judge others for what they do or do not believe.  Help us give love to the world.  In the name of the Risen Savior we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Are you sweating the small stuff?  Are you judging people and determining if what they do or not do is the will of God?  Are you opening your hearts to receive people that are different from you?  Are you walking the talk?