April 9, 2019

Given to Hospitality

Given to hospitality! That is for people who live in the South where they are known for their Southern hospitality, right? Others might look at the phrase, “given to hospitality” and think that is only for married people who own their own homes. And many times men might be guilty of thinking that hospitality is what ladies do! According to the Word of God, all Christians are to be given to hospitality! In Romans 12, “given to hospitality” is found in a list that has this heading in my Bible, “Behave Like a Christian.” In other words, given to hospitality is what ought to mark all Christians no matter their age, gender, marital status, or where they live.

However, being given to hospitality is a lost pursuit today. Some have no idea what it even means to be hospitable, because they have never seen it modeled or explained. Five different New Testament books address the reality that believers need to be given to hospitality (Romans 12:13; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8; 1 Peter 4:9 and Hebrews 13:2). The two related Greek words that are used to describe hospitality is philoxenia or philoxenos. They are compound words; philos meaning love or fondness and xenos meaning stranger. They literally mean a love of strangers. For the believer, this means we love people that we do not yet know and/or we love people who are different, in that they are not yet believers. This love of people means that we are willing to entertain them and welcome them into our lives, homes and gatherings. In Hebrews 13:2, we are commanded to not forget to entertain strangers (philoxenos), for some have unwittingly entertained angels. That is likely a description of Abraham when he welcomed three men (angels) whom he had never met before into his home (Genesis 18:2). Abraham welcomed them into his home and ministered to them so that they were refreshed both in their hearts and in their stomachs. Then Abraham sent them on their way. In other words, Abraham loved them, welcomed them, and ministered to them even though he had never personally met them before.

Our ministry emphasis for the month of April will be hospitality. The reason why you should participate is not because it is the ministry of the month, but rather because this ministry is clearly taught in the Scriptures for all believers. Let me give you two practical ways to fulfill this ministry.

First, when the church gathers consider how you can welcome “strangers” and minister to them. It is easy for us to reach out to those with whom we have things in common, but stretch yourself by reaching out to “strangers.” By strangers, I don’t mean that the people are strange, but rather they are people you do not know yet and, in that sense, are strange to you. Before you talk with whom you are the most comfortable, reach out and introduce yourself to a guest that might be attending for the first time. Or introduce yourself to someone whom you have seen many times, but have not personally met.

Secondly, when the church scatters, consider how you can love strangers. Here the stranger might be the neighbor that you barely know or the new co-worker or student in school. Often times the stranger is an unbeliever. Make it a goal to welcome someone outside of the body of Christ into your home or life so that you can “refresh” them by providing a meal and encouraging their soul. One practical way to do this is to partner with another Christian friend or family and together reach out to an unbeliever as you are given to hospitality!

The church calendar is a little lighter this month, so plan an evening to reach out to an unbeliever and invite them into your life and/or home. Refresh their soul and enjoy a meal together. If you see someone in the church family that you don’t know really, reach out to them as well! 1 Peter 4:9 states, “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.” And remember Romans 12:13: “be given to hospitality.”

March 5, 2019

To Every Nation

Approximately 7.5 billion people live on the earth that God created. Of those 7.5 billion people, we can really divide them into two categories. They either believe in the Lord Jesus Christ or they do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:36). The church, comprised of believers from around this world, has been commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ with a two-fold task. The first task involves their assignment with the unbelievers. They are to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). Someday the gospel will be proclaimed to all the nations (Matthew 24:14) and people from every nation will be present in heaven (Revelation 7:9). But how does this important task affect us in 2019?

Assuming you are a believer, you have been given an assignment with the people in your world who do not yet know the Savior. You are to be the one who faithfully displays and declares the gospel of Jesus Christ to them. The New Testament gives several specific examples. First, ask yourself if all of the members of your household are believers. If not, then a primary assignment for you is to share Christ by your life and by your lips in your home. 1 Peter 3:1 describes how a believing wife by her joyful submission will be a powerful testimony to her unbelieving husband. 2 Timothy 1:5 and 1 Timothy 3:15 relate how a godly grandma and mom lived and shared their faith with their grandson and son by teaching him the Holy Scriptures. Be careful when you think about the great commission that you don’t neglect the people in your own family.

Second, realize that there are other people in your world outside of your family that need to know the Lord. Again the emphasis of missions in the New Testament begins on a local level. Every nation includes our local community. The early church began in Jerusalem and their first assignment was to be witnesses in Jerusalem (Acts 1:8). One missionary has commented that the best sending churches are those who are faithfully carrying out the great commission in their local community. In other words, if we are fulfilling our task on a local level, we will probably be serving our missionaries well on an international level. I’m thankful for the missionary emphasis we have at First Baptist Church of Hamburg. To hear people praying for missionaries on Wednesday nights, reaching out to them when they visit our church, communicating with them, encouraging them, and giving financially to them are all huge blessings to acknowledge. Just this last month Pastor Filipe broke ground on the new edition for their church building. Praise God that the gospel is for every nation and we have the privilege of participating in that task, both here in Western New York and around the world.

There is another task implied in the great com-mission and that is our relationship to the believers. Matthew 28:19-20 continues with the work of the church in baptizing believers and teaching and encouraging believers. Again the emphasis in the New Testament focuses on our local relationships starting with our own families. Parents are to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:1-4). Husbands are to nurture their believing wives with the Word (Ephesians 5:25-28). Those local relationships continue as we en-courage one another in the body of Christ. Regular participation in the meeting of the saints is a vital component in fulfilling the great com-mission (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Someday we will have the privilege of being with the redeemed from every nation as we worship our Lord in heaven. Until then, may we be found faithful as we seek to make disciples and be faithful disciples from every nation!

February 12, 2019

Worship War

There is a war that every generation of mankind has experienced. This war will continue to impact all of human history until this earth is no more. Multitudes have been taken captive by the enemy and the casualties from this war far exceed all of the World Wars combined. This war began in heaven but quickly spread to God’s creation on earth. The battle ground for this war takes place in the hearts and minds of every person, just like it began in the heart of Lucifer, one of God’s created angels. In Isaiah 14:12-14 we read, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.” And just like Lucifer said in his heart, so the man and the woman in Genesis 3 said in their hearts, that they too wanted to be like God (Genesis 3:5). This rebellion of Satan and of mankind is an act of war and rebellion against the Creator. This war is ultimately a worship war! The creation exists for the Creator. The Creator is God and we, as the creation, exist to worship Him. This issue must be resolved in our hearts so that we don’t become a captive or a casualty in this worship war.

Revelation 4 takes us back to the throne of heaven. This is the place where Lucifer in his heart first rebelled. Catch a glimpse of the main focal point of heaven in Revelation 4:2, “a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.” There is only one true God and we are to worship Him. Later in this chapter, you read of the four living creatures, who are angels, and the twenty-four elders. You will notice their main activity is to worship God. The chapter concludes with these words from the twenty-four elders, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” Revelation takes us back to Genesis. God is the Creator. And we exist for the Creator. He alone is to be worshiped.

How can fallen and rebellious mankind go from being at war to being at peace with God? Revelation 5 summarizes the answer as the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, is introduced in heaven. And the Lamb is also worshiped by the twenty-four elders, because the Lamb is also God. The Triune God is to be worshiped. “And they sang a new song as they fell before the Lamb saying, You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; For You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” It is only through the blood of the cross and Christ’s subsequent resurrection that we can be redeemed and be at peace with God. By the grace of God, the redeemed are on the right side of the worship war and will even have the privilege of ruling and reigning with Christ on the earth.

The battle continues in the book of Revelation and there will come a time in the future when it looks like Satan might win as the first beast is worshiped by all who dwell on the earth (Revelation 13:12-14). But that rebellion and all other rebellions will be crushed by Jesus Christ (Revelation 19-20). If you want the key command in the book of Revelation, it is found twice in the last four chapters of the book. The command is simple: “Worship God” (Revelation 19:10; 22:9). God created us to worship Him and God has graciously redeemed us so that we can worship Him. For more details on how this worship war will play out, please join us on Sun-day nights as Pastor Leary continues our book study through the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

January 8, 2019

Well Done!

Well Done! No, this article is not about how you would like your hamburg-er cooked. It is about having the Lord Jesus Christ say those words to us be-cause of the way we live this New Year. My college soccer coach often used the phrase “well done” whenever my team or one of the players on my team did something right. As a team, we wanted to play in such a way that he would say those words to us. How much more should we want to hear our Lord Jesus Christ say those words to us be-cause of the way we live in 2019?

How can we live in a way that the Lord will say, “well done”? Matthew 25:21 is a verse in the middle of the parable of the talents. A lord is responding to his servant with these words, “Well done, good and faithful servant: you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” This parable is an example of what the Lord is going to say to his faithful servants. Notice the emphasis on faithfulness. The servant is called a “faithful servant,” and the servant is described as one who has “been faithful.” Therefore, if we are to have the Lord Jesus Christ say those words to us, we need to be faithful.
As we begin 2019, let us work on being faithful servants. The acrostic be-low shares some practical thoughts designed to encourage faithfulness to our Lord in 2019:

Focus on the Lord, the Faithful One. Otherwise we will grow weary and faint (Hebrews 12:1-3).
Acknowledge sin and confess it (1 John 1:9). Praise the Lord that we can focus on Him even in failures. He is faithful!
Increase attendance at worship services. Make it your goal to be more faithful in church attendance in 2019. Faithfulness to the corporate gatherings of the church allows us to receive encouragement from other believers as we prepare to meet the LORD (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Thanksgiving. This habit is the will of our Lord for us! If we miss it, we are outside of the will of God (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Be thankful everyday in 2019 – don’t wait until the fourth Thursday of November!
Heartily serve the Lord. Faithfulness is not just about what we do, but how we do it. Colossians 3:23 states, “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”
Fulfill your God-given role in the family (Ephesians 5:21-6:4). Read what God expects of you in the pas-sage and then faithfully follow Him.
Understand the importance of rest and reflection. Remember that faithfulness does not mean always working (Genesis 2:2-3; Luke 10:38-42). One of the best things we can do to remain faithful is to quietly sit at the feet of Jesus by reading His Word and praying.
Live each day as if the Lord could come back today (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

The servant in Matthew 25 was noted for his faithfulness. May God help us in 2019 to develop godly habits that will help us to develop faithfulness so that if He were to return in 2019, He would say to us, “Well Done, good and faithful servant.”

December 11, 2018

Joy to the World!

The hymn-writer, Isaac Watts, had the words 100% correct when he wrote, “Joy to the world! The LORD is come!” Joy is gladness in our soul that radiates to every area of our life. The word “joy” appears at least 165 times in the Bible. Joy is an attribute of the Godhead (Psalm 16:11). It is a fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22. Jesus states in John 15:11, “these things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” And the last part of Nehemiah 8:10 proclaims, “the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Now go back to the popular phrase by penned by Mr. Watts, “Joy to the world! The LORD is come!” His theology of joy was found in the LORD.

People today are rightfully looking for joy. The problem is that it is possible to look for joy in the wrong places. This becomes apparent when our theology of joy is not built on the LORD. Psalms 16:11 states, “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures forever-more.” And when we connect that verse with the previous verse which proclaims: “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption,” we see that joy is possible because of the death and burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You see, the Lord has come, and He came into this world so that He could die on the cross for our sins. The angel proclaimed on the night that Jesus was born: “I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people, for there is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Praise the LORD that Jesus Christ was born to die, so that you and I might have “the way” (John 14:6) for our sins to be paid for and that we might be able to enter the presence of the LORD where there is fullness of joy. May our theology of joy both in thought and in practice be based upon the LORD and what He has done in providing salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ!

If our theology of joy is not based on the LORD, we will miss out on the “fullness of joy.” And instead, we will settle for partial joy at best. Even at Christmas time, we can settle for partial joy. There are many joyful blessings of Christmas: being with loved ones and giving and receiving presents. But may I encourage you this Christmas that even if every present on your Christmas wish list comes true, don’t be content with that partial joy. If our joy is based on any-one other than the LORD, we will miss out on fullness of joy. So in the midst of the fullness of this season, remember the lyrics to the familiar Christmas carol, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!”