Hebrews 13:1 says: "Let brotherly love continue." (ESV) Romans 13:8-10 echoes: "Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." (ESV) "Brotherly love" in the Greek is Philadelphos which can also be rendered, Philadelphia. (Not to be confused with that city in Pennsylvania.) This love refers to the mutual love between children who share the same father. Certainly the greatest symbol of love in the universe is the cross. Two beams: one vertical, the other horizontal. One points to heaven and the other points to others. They remind us of the twofold Great Commandment. But these beams can feel immensely heavy at times. But WHO do we know that bore both of those beams perfectly? Jesus! And how might He help us bear them as well?

In Colossians 3:17 Paul writes: "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (ESV) These words, which are in no way a suggestion, imply that the recipients are called to be "doing" something. In the verses that follow, the Apostle gives specific areas as to who-and-what-kind-of "doing" he's referring to. This includes wives and husbands, children and parents, servants and masters. For most of us, the application of what our text calls for won't necessarily come easy. But our doing will please the Lord and will by extension benefit others. Hopefully none of us wake up in the morning and pray, 'Lord, help me do stupid stuff today.' Nor do we pray, 'Lord, help me be lazy and merely benefit myself today.' But it might behoove us to pray, 'Lord, help me to do Your will today and accomplish Your work today and all this for the glory of Your name and the benefit of Your beloved people.' And that sounds like the kind of prayer God will be happy to answer...

Robert & Kimberly have been longtime participants in an incredible ministry called, Calvary Commission. Calvary Commission was founded by Dr. Joe and Charlotte Fauss in 1977 and this gospel-centered work includes prison ministry, world missions, and the Calvary Commission Bible Institute. Many of you have met and rubbed shoulders with some of the Gents from their summer work crew practicums over the past few years where they’ve taken on projects at area churches as well as right here in the Village of Millersport. All these ministries have been immensely fruitful and CC is on the cusp of a half century of serving the Lord and building up His people in this most holy faith. So tomorrow Robert & Kimberly will be ministering to all of us and this indeed is a privilege

In John 12:23-24, we find the words of our Lord: "And Jesus answered them, 'The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.'" (ESV) Then in V-27 Jesus adds: "Now is My soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour." (ESV) There's a phrase we see used throughout the NT; first by Jesus as recorded by John and later by Paul & Peter: "Before the foundation of the world." The phrase is more than a prehistoric notion, in essence it’s saying, "before time" or better yet it's referring to, "eternity past." So when Jesus says, "But for this purpose I have come to this hour," the "hour" to which He speaks was foreordained by God way-way prior to creation as we know it! And what was Jesus' purpose--His plan? Mankind's Redemption! The plan was for Jesus to become sin for us that in Him we might become the righteousness of God! (See 2 Cor. 5:21) What love! What sacrifice! What perfect timing!

Colossians 4:2-6 reads as follows: "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison--that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." (ESV) If we were to summarize Paul's five verses of encouragement, they might shake out with the following three words: Prayer, Care, & Share. PRAYER: Asking God to give you opportunities to be a witness with the right words to say when He opens such a door. CARE: A heart that wants for others what God has granted unto you--grace unto salvation and life forevermore with Him. SHARE: The courage to step out of your respective comfort zones to tell others what Jesus has so amazingly done for you...

When it comes to the Gospel, the Good News about Himself, Jesus never suggested we tell others; He commanded us to do so! While no one would argue we needn't keep a soapbox stashed away in our trunks or go door-to-door daily with gospel tracks, always being ready to tell others why we belong to Christ is both a calling and a privilege! 1 Peter 3:15 in The Living Bible phrases it this way: "Quietly trust yourself to Christ your Lord, and if anybody asks why you believe as you do, be ready to tell them, and do it in a gentle and respectful way." (TLB) Once the Good News is delivered, the recipient then must do business with God, even as we pray the Holy Spirit puts power on the very words we've shared. But back to we His followers, Romans 10:13-15 is profound: "For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'” (ESV) And those be the inspired Words of God, from His heart to ours, blessed be His name...

Just before Jesus ascended to heaven after His resurrection, Acts 1:6-9 takes place: "Then they gathered around Him and asked Him, 'Lord, are You at this time going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?' He said to them: 'It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.' After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight." (NIV) So two thousand years later we must ask, did the instructions Jesus gave include fixating on His skyward course and eventual return or rather to obey the words He said regarding the command to be His witnesses throughout the earth? And just what is a witness anyway?

Paul wrote the Church of Philippi from prison and did so with great love and much joy. Not certain of the outcome of his imprisonment, and even though confined, his mind and heart were unrestrained. Christlikeness for himself and for the Churches he loved, were ever his goal no matter what stood in the way. Philippians 3:12-14 are words for us all: "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (NIV) So as believers in Christ, even when confined or facing countless obstacles or wrestling with various types of limitations, straining ahead and pressing on is ever our charge. The old saying from back-in-the-day therefore seems for us a simple and yet profoundly apt exhortation: Keep on keeping' on! And by God's Grace we will...

In 2 Chronicles 7:14 God declares: "If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (ESV) This oft quoted passage is one that many have wrapped the American Flag around. But interpretative care is called for as we must first see these words in their original black & white context and then explore their broader context without necessarily coloring them in red, white, & blue. Besides these words being initially for Israel, we know that through Christ the definition of who God's people are has expanded to believers in every nation, tribe, and tongue, Jews & Gentiles alike. So in the broader sense, God's call for "His people" to humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways, still stands. And therefore, healing of the various lands in which "His people" dwell may indeed be experienced, perhaps even expected, and that includes our nation. Make it so Lord!

Out of all of Jesus' parables, The Prodigal Son is right there at the top. One son disgracefully asks for his inheritance even before his dad dies, converts his assets to cash, and squanders it in reckless debauchery. Then after losing it all, he comes to his senses and returns to his merciful father who's been watching for his son's return since the day he left. When the prodigal arrives, his father is overjoyed and orders a celebration. Meanwhile the older son of this same father comes home from work, hears the "welcome home celebration," and becomes furious with his dad, jealous of the attention given his wayward brother, and becomes pathetically drenched in his own self-righteous attitude. But the same father who welcomed home his younger son, entreats his older son with the same lovingkindness and affection which is summarily rejected. While the initial audience for this parable were the Pharisees who openly scoffed at Jesus' outreach to sinners of every stripe, the audience for this profound story has widened to include us all. But the hero of the story is most definitely the father who clearly reflects the heart of our Heavenly Father whose love and mercy and compassion towards the likes of us is humbling to the core…