Open Hearts and Open Homes

Open Hearts and Open Homes

Acts 16:15

And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.

   One of Britain's queens, Victoria, and her husband Prince Albert visited his childhood home in Bavaria.  The prince's birthplace and boyhood home was a small castle known as Schloss Rosenau.  Queen Victoria was so charmed by the welcome of the castle that she wrote, ""How happy and how joyful we felt on awakening to feel ourselves here."" The queen appreciated the warmth and sincerity of her welcome to the home.

   Paul must have felt the same kind of warmth and welcome in the home of Lydia, the first recorded European convert to Christianity.  This woman was successful in business and generous in heart, and after accepting Christ into her heart she opened her home to Paul and his associates.

   Lydia's first actions after receiving Christ testified to her salvation.  She immediately shared the gospel with her entire household and, we are told, they were all saved.  Then Lydia presented herself and her family for baptism, a step of obedience that publicly proclaimed her believing in Christ. 

   After Paul was taken into custody and illegally beaten and jailed, when he was released he went back to her home and stayed for what may have been many days.  Nothing is written about her flinching away from Paul after he went through this. 

   Hospitality has taken on a different meaning in our day.  Hotels take away the need for believers to open their homes to visiting missionaries or to other visitors to our churches.  But if you have ever hosted someone in your home who has come to minister in your church, you know the joy of hospitality.  If you've never done it, you don't know what you're missing.

   The “domestic arts” have become big business.  Magazines and books that focus on cooking and home improvement are available in most stores and library shelves groan under their weight.  People have become obsessed with improving their homes and their ability to host parties.  The Bible gives exhortations in a few places to believers telling us to offer hospitality.  One verse even warns us that some have entertained angels unawares.  But fear not, God does not expect all of us to live in homes that could be featured on television or cook like award-winning chefs.  Our offering of hospitality needs to be sincere and warm and freely offered.  The example of Lydia should be our inspiration.  Lydia connected the practice of hospitality with her faith in Jesus.  

   Interestingly, the word “hospitality” in in Webster’s dictionary between “hospice,” a place of shelter, and “hospital,” a place of healing.  Remember that when offering hospitality.  When you open our home in the true spirit of hospitality, you offer both shelter and healing.

   How can you extend hospitality to others?  The first purpose is not to impress others but to meet their needs – shelter, food, companionship, relationship, or a safe place.  Ask the Lord to shape your attitude toward hospitality and to give you opportunities to offer this blessing to others.

Stephen Cram                                                                   September 8, 2013                      

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, following the tradition of men according to the rudiments of the world, and not in accordance with Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Visit my pastor’s blog at http://pastorjonrhinehart.blogspot.com/.

Operation Midian

Operation Midian

Judges 7:1-2

1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.

2 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’

   Gideon is there with the troops of Israel and ready to begin Operation Overthrow Midian.  He looks out over his meager troops and wonders if there are enough to carry out this operation when the Lord speaks to him and tells him he has too many men.  Too many?  The forces of Midian are like a rolling tide sweeping across the land of Israel.  They have better weapons and ride attack camels.  From Judges 8:10 we read that Midian had one hundred and thirty five thousand men.  Against this, Gideon was able to persuade thirty-two thousand men to volunteer to fight.  Each Israelite soldier would have to take out roughly four Midianites each for there to be victory.  That’s pretty long odds.  With that few men it would take a miracle to even slow down the Midianites. 

   But first God tells Gideon he has too many men.  At four to one odds against them, it was too close.  So Gideon is told to let the men who were fearful return home.  Twenty two thousand left leaving him with ten thousand troops.  That was a little better, now the odds are thirteen and a half to one.  Much better, but still not good enough, because God knew the wickedness of human hearts and if there was any way to take the glory from a victory the people would do it and God would get only a token acknowledgment. 

   So God led Gideon to test the men remaining and of the ten thousand men only three hundred were chosen to fight.  A mere handful of men against the hoard of Midian.  Then Gideon gave them their weapons.  You’d think with the crazy odds now that he’d arm them with some type of new swords: some kind of Star Wars – type light sabre.  But no, they didn’t get fancy new swords; they got trumpets and clay pitchers and torches. 

   So now imagine you’re in the huge camp of the Midianites and you’re sleeping in your tent and suddenly there is the light from hundreds of torches all around you and trumpets are blowing and people are shouting.  The confusion must have been terrible.  The Midianites rush about killing each other in the dark and the survivors flee into the night.  The three hundred with Gideon are left with the enemy’s camp and all the spoils. 

   This story is one I’ve read hundreds of times and it never really meant much to me.  But since the first of the year, I’ve come to appreciate Gideon more and more.  We began attending a small church here in North Baltimore in January.  The church had had a rough time in the past but God had sent away those who had been there and when our pastor and his family arrived they came to an empty building.  We are few in numbers but we have been given our assignment:  bring the Gospel to our Village. 

This year we’ve worked to spread the message around town that the church is open and God’s Word is being preached there. 

   And there has been opposition.  The enemy has tried to distract and discourage the pastor and his family with many obstacles.  He has tried to discourage my wife and myself.  This week the enemy has tried once again to place damaging thoughts in my mind about death and failure.  One example:  my wife was working at a small store nearby and did not answer the phone when I tried to call her.  I suddenly had an image of her lying dead on the floor of the store flash through my mind.  It hit me hard but I was able to pray and clear my mind.  I got in touch with her a few minutes later. 

   These attacks are hurtful and I resent the enemy using thoughts of those close to me as a way to try to harm me.  But I know that God is ever near me and will not leave me and is there to strengthen me when I call on Him. 

   This week our church even suffered a physical attack.  A man with a history of problems tried to burn the church building only to fail and is now in police custody.  The enemy may want to harm the ministry, but the church is not the building.  The building is a convenience to the ministry to allow us to meet in comfort, but it is only a building.   The ministry will go on and the Gospel will be preached in this Village, building or no building, for as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12: 9&10 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

   To be honest I can’t say that I “delight” in weaknesses and in hardships, but I am learning that it does not take an army to oppose the devil, just a handful of willing people armed with the light of the Gospel.    

 Stephen Cram                                                          September 1, 2013                     

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, following the tradition of men according to the rudiments of the world, and not in accordance with Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Visit my pastor’s blog at http://pastorjonrhinehart.blogspot.com/.

In His Image

In His Image

2 Corinthians 3:18

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

   Since 1998, Herbert Chavez who lives in the Philippines has endured seventeen plastic surgery procedures.  Was he involved in some horrific accident?  No.  Born disfigured?  No.  He is transforming himself to look like his boyhood hero, Superman.  Chavez has a house filled with Superman memorabilia and wanted to look more like Superman, so he is having his body changed to achieve his goal.  One big problem is that he is only five foot six inches tall, and Superman was written as a six foot three inch hero.  But Chavez is looking into procedures to increase his height. 

   If you’re like me, you read this thinking something like, “why would anyone do this to themselves?”  The answer is that Herbert Chavez really sincerely wanted to look like his hero.  I have a confession to make – so do I.  Not Superman, although that would be great to look like him, but I want to look more like my hero, Jesus.  Since I allowed Jesus into my life, He has been changing me a little at a time. 

   If you know Jesus as your Savior, there is a change going on in your life.  Herbert Chavez is changing himself to look more and more like what he thinks Superman should look like.  God is changing us to be more and more like Jesus.  We are not doing the changing, God is at work in our lives through the Holy Spirit, and we “are being transformed.”

   I am far from being perfect, but God has been at work in my life changing all the things that do not conform to the image of His Son.  My mouth got me into trouble many times, but God is working at changing my speech and it is getting more like Jesus’ speech.  My fondness for arguing used to get me in many arguments, but God is changing my way of thinking.  I have more love for others and would rather help people than argue endlessly with them.  Worldly lusts are being removed piece by piece.  Sometimes this renovation project that God has going on in my life is easy, and sometimes it is bitter medicine to swallow.  In fact, it can be downright painful.  Looking in the Word of God I can see a portrait of Jesus.  There is still a long, long way to go before this former sinner is transformed into someone who looks like Jesus, but God has begun the work in me and will bring this work to completion.

   How can God ever change the stony heart in me?  I really do not know how, but I am confident that God will never give up on what He has begun in my heart and life.  He will bring it to completion.  God is not going to give up on what He has begun in your life either.  He will see it through to completion.  We have the promise of God that someday in some way we will somehow be like Jesus.  

We are told this in 1 John 3:2 (Complete Jewish Bible)

Dear friends, we are God’s children now; and it has not yet been made clear what we will become. We do know that when He appears, we will be like Him; because we will see Him as he really is.

  Hold onto this promise of God and look forward to this work being complete in you!  One day, “we shall be like Him.”

Stephen Cram                                                                   August 24, 2013                      

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, following the tradition of men according to the rudiments of the world, and not in accordance with Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Visit my pastor’s blog at http://pastorjonrhinehart.blogspot.com/.

Living Among the Dead

Living Among the Dead

Romans 8:10-11 American Standard Version

10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness.

11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

   In an article about the Philippines, there was mention of the over-population problem.  In Manila, the capitol, there are an estimated twelve million people living in an area of 14.88 square miles.  By comparison, the population of Ohio is only 11.54 million in an area of 44,825 square miles.  So picture everybody in Ohio visiting Columbus on the same day. 

   Manila also faces severe poverty for an overwhelming majority of this population.  They live anywhere there is room to build a shack or lean-to.  Many live in the city dumps and many also live in the city’s cemeteries.  Dr. Eduardo Serrano, head of the Manila Health Department's preventable diseases division said about the situation, "They already know that they should not make homes out of cemeteries. It's dangerous to their health. The problem is they are being asked to leave but they keep on coming back."

   We, as Christians, are alive in our spirits.  Christ’s death paid the penalty of sin and redeemed our lives from spiritual death.  Yet we live, so to speak, in a very large cemetery we call, “The World.”  The World is full of dead people; dead in their sins.  We live among them and walk with them, work with them, associate with them, but we are not like them. 

   We must always keep in mind that the hopes and dreams of the unsaved are the hopes and dreams of dead people.  We should not dream their dreams or hope their hopes because we should be living the life of a redeemed person.  Our Lord became death and then God resurrected Him to life and in doing so made it possible for us to have this life in us.  We live because He lives.  Our lives should reflect the living Lord Who dwells in us not the dead people of the world around us.

   Did you ever stop to consider that when you envy the life of an unsaved person you are envying a dead person?  For me it really strikes home when I watch news on TV.  (A habit I really have to break.)  To hear the speeches of the rich and powerful is sad, to me, because they are lost and without direction in their lives and they stagger through life blindly stumbling over crisis after crisis.  They are trying to sway others to their point of view in a hopeless attempt to make the world a better place.  But our world is broken far beyond repair by the dead leading the dead.

   For those who are physically dead and buried in a cemetery there is nothing that the living can do for them. We cannot bring them back to life. However, there is something that we can do for the living dead - those who are alive physically but do not know Jesus as their personal Savior.  We can walk in the light of our Lord and shine the Gospel light of the Lord on the darkness around us exposing the world for the dark place it is.  The living dead, through the light of the Gospel, can begin to awaken from their sleep of death and see their need for Jesus to come into their lives and bring them the life we have.

   So, whenever you walk in the world and have contact with these living dead always let the light of Jesus shine through you.  It is not too late for some of these to come to Jesus and receive eternal life.

Stephen Cram                                                        August 18, 2013                    

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, following the tradition of men according to the rudiments of the world, and not in accordance with Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Visit my pastor’s blog at http://pastorjonrhinehart.blogspot.com/.