Rob Parker's Blog

“Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.”

As we conclude the book of Hebrews today there is one final thought we want to pull from it.  Throughout the whole  book the focus of Hebrews is teaching about who exactly Jesus Christ is and what it means to walk by faith.  It is in the later chapters the author defines faith and then gives examples of how others had trusted and followed God.

We have read that application of faith is of the utmost importance.  So we conclude our reading of Hebrews by looking at ways in which we can live out our faith today.  We do this in reaching out and loving our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  As you go to community (small) group be deliberate in your conversations with one another.  Make an extra effort to listen to the persons you are speaking to.  Also, reach out to complete strangers.  Open the door for a person, help someone to their car, by the person in front of you a cup of coffee.  Who knows you may be ministering to an angel?  Lastly, think of someone you know who is down on their luck.  Give them a call, drop them an email or maybe do something special for them.

Our faith is not just based on our beliefs, it is reflected in how we live.  May we be people who are daily learning to walk as Jesus walked and love as Jesus loved.

For the past three weeks we have been having an event “God in the Bar.”  The purpose of the event is to allow the community of Mahwah to have a safe environment where questions of faith could be discussed.  Our approach is to have a conversation about faith rather then having an apologetic seminar.

Why the bar?  This is a great question especially when I have had a struggle with alcohol and second it is not the place you would find an “Evangelical Church.”  The truth is it is the location we would find Jesus.  So often we read of the bold steps Jesus would take to reach people.  For some reason Jesus would push the envelope more and more with the hope he would rescue a hurting person.  Jesus would go where the tax collectors are, go to the pool where those who were considered broken would be, he would even rescue people whose sins were what we would consider the worst of the worst.  The sad thing is we read about Jesus but do we act like Jesus?

Over the past few years I have wrestled with, “Do I act like Jesus?”  Yes, I love broken people. Yes I open my home to those in need.  Yes I am quick to give money and my time.  But do I step out and do that which is uncomfortable and maybe has the possiblility of being shunned by the church and rejected by the world?  This is my tension where I have been living and now I realize if we do not go to the places where hurting people actually hang out then I am missing the mark of what Jesus has asked me to be, His hands and feet.

When you hear of such an event that involves Guiness and conversations about Christ it either seems like a scam or a very overconfident pastor.  I have to be very honest, even as I type this I am shaking inside.  Why?  I am frightened by the fact that no one may want to hear. I am anxious by the fact that the church may look down at me. I am scared at the fact that this is not my norm.  Most importantly I am humbled by the fact  that Jesus would invite me to begin to live like Him.

So today pray for our team as we share a meal, a drink and the love of Jesus with anyone who shows up.

Everyone knows the story of Daniel and the lions den.  As a child it is one of the all time greats, especially when the Sunday School class acted it out during the lesson.  The truth is there are so many lessons we can learn from this one incident.  But today I want to share just one.

As we have looked at the life of Daniel we have seen that throughout his abduction he has seen many leaders come and go.  In every changing of the guard God had used Daniel to be a voice of wisdom for each of the kings.  God had given Daniel favor with those in the highest position.  Why?

As you read the book of Daniel and come to what seemed to be a defining moment we learn something very simple, Daniel never seemed to be shaken by those who opposed him.  There were countless times when the enchanters, magistates, administrators and others were jealous of Daniel and tried to get him destracted by fear.  Threats were made to him and decrees were put in place thinking they would cause Daniel to shrink back from worshipping the God of Heaven.  Did this shake Daniel?

How often do we allow others to strike fear into our hearts?  The answer is too often.  Daniel lived faithfully in relationship with God.  One thing Daniel did was when the heat in the fire of persecussion was turned up, he saught God even more.  In every situation God had rescued Daniel.  Every time Daniel was a testimony to the power of God.

Do you want to experience the power of God in your life? Do you have a desire for others to witness the power of God? SImply do this, DO NOT BE SHAKEN!  Allow the circumstances of your life to draw you closer to God knowing whether you are thrown into a fiery furnace or into a den of lions God is your rescuer.  Who knows, maybe someone is watching and waiting to praise God because of His power being displayed in YOU?

Who is it that you call on when you are in a place of crisis or making that big decision?  Isn’t it amazing when you are in that place of great need you call on the persons you trust the most.

This was no different for King Nebuchaadnezzar.  Daniel had become the Kings go to man in times of crisis or distress.  How interesting it is that the one man the King had trusted came to his kingdom as a slave, captured by the king’s army.  Who would of ever thought such a relationship was possible?

In Matthew Jesus says, “Let your light shine so bright that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  Daniel had given us a lesson in what being missional actually means.  The way that Daniel had revealed his love and devotion to the Living God was not by handing out tracks, standing on the street corner screaming at people or trying to slip in the “God comments” every now and then.  Daniel had made the decision to live his life as a reflection of his devotion to the Living God.  Because of this decision, people, the King had seen the power of God displayed in his life.

Today, walk the walk.  You are given the freedom to just be you, allowing the power of God to be displayed in your life.  You never know, someone might see God in their midst because of your decision to be a reflection of Him.

Missonal is a word which is used a lot around Christedom over the past 5 years.  It is the buzz word that people call themselves and are trying to figure out what that means in their life.  What does it mean and how does being missional play a part in people receiving the gospel of Jesus Christ?

At the end of John 17 Jesus prays a statement that states, “I am not praying only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.”  As I read this what popped out at me was people will believe in Christ becasue of our message.  This is both a coorporate statement and an individual one as well.  As we live out our faith and build relationships with those around us we have the opportunity to share our message with others.  The message which we are sharing is first revealed by the life we live which then leads us into the opportunity to share the hope in which we pocess.

Being missional is to embody the work of Christ in our lives and sharing that hope with those around us.  We don’t do this forcibly but out of love and compassion for others.  As we go into Day 17 of our fast recognize that you are the embodiment of Christ and in his reflection share your message with those around you.