I'm Just.....

1 Corinthians 12:12-31 English Standard Version

One Body with Many Members

¹² For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.¹³ For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves^[a] or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

¹⁴ For the body does not consist of one member but of many.

Recently I visited a restaurant/bakery and was served by a very polite young man. He even asked me if I had tried their newest product? I replied, “No”. This young man asked if I would like a sample of their new product? to which I replied, “Yes”.

When speaking with this young man, I asked him if he was in management, and he advised me the following: “I just work in the bakery”. I advised this young baker, that he was much more important to the organization than “just” being something. I advised him that he had made my visit important and that he represented the business and its owners very well.

This got me to thinking…

How many people in their places of work and in their local church congregations think that they are "just only”? Within the Body of Christ, all the parts play an essential role to the ministry of Jesus Christ, as His Physical presence on earth. Without one part, the entire body would cease to function to its utmost ability.

My message for you this day is in the fact that each part of Christ’s Body has a crucial role to play in the ministry and Gospel of Jesus Christ. Just as the young man thought of himself as just working in the bakery, he did not realize that he was the tip of customer service team and quality control team for his place of business. Likewise, You and I are the presence of Christ’s Body and we are the front line of God’s Customer Service Team

All of us are welcome within the Kingdom of God, and likewise we must know of our importance as we go out in the world as His people, presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

You are not a “I’m Just”, you are an essential key to the product of faith, which is called the Church of Jesus Christ (The Body).

This is the day that the Lord has made.

Pastor Tim.

Tim's Topics: Living and Loving As Christ Loves!

Tim's Topics: Living and Loving As Christ Loves!: 31  When he was gone, Jesus said,  “Now the Son of Man  is glorified  and God is glorified in him.   32  If God is glorified in him, [ a ...

Living and Loving As Christ Loves!

31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, [a] God will glorify the Son in himself and will glorify him at once.

33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:31-35

As I watched the news today, I saw a story about a young girl from Texas that was pulled from her mothers’ arms and kidnapped. To cut to the chase, the girl was located and rescued by the Police. But we must dig deeper into this story in the fact that it took many citizens and a local church to patrol the area as to locate the kidnapper’s vehicle.

When asked why he did what he did, one of the men that located the kidnapper’s vehicle stated the following: “We are called to love others as Jesus loves us”. This text is not only true, but also timely as I preached this scripture in church last Sunday.

As we enter the next couple of weeks that will have many attending graduations around the county, we must also think that Jesus was giving them their graduation message as well as their graduation instructions. Jesus would be leaving them and had taught them all that he could during His time with them. His instructions about loving others was not a question (?), it was a commandment (!).

Likewise, the church members that helped locate this kidnapped child in Texas understood that the search was not a question, but something that God was commanding them to do. After the girl was located, the man being interviewed did not take the glory, but instead gave God the glory.

Beloved, good people still exist and there continues work for God’s people as God commanded. Please take every opportunity to listen for God’s Word and take the opportunity to share the love of Christ, through worship, praising, sharing. Maybe you won’t help rescue a kidnapped child, but you will be sharing your graduation instructions with those that need the love of Christ.

This Is the Day the Lord Has Made,

Pastor Tim.

Tim's Topics: How Is Your Walk Today?

Tim's Topics: How Is Your Walk Today?: Proverbs 28:6  New International Version (NIV) 6  Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse. Ha...

How Is Your Walk Today?

Proverbs 28:6 New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse.

Have you ever felt that you consider yourself a Centrist, that middle of the road person that often can see both sides of a discussion, or argument? For this blog post I will use the phrase or terminology “Difference of Opinion”. When we face these discussions from the middle, we often find ourselves hit from both sides.

But, how about those that are strong in their convictions of faith, ideas, and ethics, that trade those convictions for profit, whether financial or status. Recently in this highly charged political environment we have seen those from both political parties, give up their convictions when faced with the temptation of power, prestige, and maybe even financial gain.

Our text from proverbs is telling us today is that real strength comes not from power or earthly riches. Real strength comes from sticking to your ethical walk and belief mechanism. Often Bible commentaries tell us that when we go against our ethical and moral standards for earthly gain, the life we are living becomes perverse.

As a person of faith driven morals, we have accepted the call that we cannot have it both ways. We cannot have it God’s way and our way! Things of the world cannot ever satisfy the blessings that God continues to bestow upon us.

At the end of the day can we look ourselves, our children, and our God in the face when we have corrupted ourselves for earthly gain over the heavenly promise?

Whether you are to the Right, the Left, or the Middle, stay true to God’s way of ethical and moral living. It’s OK to be poor! It’s OK to be without power! It is awesome to walk upright with the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 55:2 ² Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.

This is the day that the Lord has made.

Pastor Tim.

Tim's Topics: That's the Size of It!

Tim's Topics: That's the Size of It!: 1 Samuel 16:7   ESV  But the  Lord  said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature,  because I ha...

That's the Size of It!

1 Samuel 16:7 ESV 

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, 

because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward 

appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

This morning while watching a morning news show, and while browsing social media comments, the daily controversy discussion was in reference to a plus size model wearing a nice bathing suit. The picture was in an advertising commercial for the Gillette company. This controversy was between people saying they were thankful for models that were not ashamed of their size, while others stated that this model was promoting unhealthy body habits.

In today’s society and lexicon, negative commenting on somebody’s body image is called “Body Shaming”. The Dictionary states that “Body Shaming” is the action or practice of humiliating someone by making mocking or critical comments about their body shape or size.

I must be the first to admit that I have been body shamed while working in the corporate world. When it was time to take promotional photos, the thin with good looks were always chosen. When it came time to take promotional photos for a uniform photo, I as the larger framed person was chosen to wear a bulky winter coat and stocking cap.

Additionally, as the father of a special needs child I have witnessed what society considers “normal”, and I have witnessed the love that special needs babies get, and how it disappears when they enter teenage and adult years.

When we address the scripture, we see Samuel being told that God looks at the heart of his people, the content of their character, and never their outward appearance. God communicated that only humanity looks at the outsides of humanity, and often judges others by appearance.

In this commercial we see a full-sized model, doing physical outside activities at the beach which require a bathing suit. Should we hide her in a winter jacket like I was? Should we hide all plus size people and treat them in society as they don’t exist? The Bible is clear on this matter, that it is what is inside that counts in the eyes of God, and it should be the same for us, especially those of us that call ourselves His followers.

In The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King’s August 28, 1963 speech he stated the following: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Let us be the one who portray this dream and go in the knowledge that no matter your appearance you are of value, loved by God, and loved by people.

Let us be the people that understand that.

This is the day that the Lord has made.

Pastor Tim. ( A larger guy, known at times to wear a bathing suit).