Orchard Ridge Church

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“…Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. – 1 Corinthians 13:12bMeaningful relationships are formed when two parties learn one another. If you’ve ever “fallen in love” you know what I am talking about. You desire to know as much as you can about the person you love. In that learning you learn about their past – upbringing, failures, successes, their family, experiences, likes, dislikes, etc. The ‘knowing’ draws us closer. Of course, truly “knowing” means we must have trust and grace to receive all we might learn about the other.As the Apostle Paul traveled to Athens, Greece on his second missionary journey he was troubled that the city was filled with idols. They needed the God of Israel. They needed Jesus. His “on ramp” to speaking to these people about Jesus was an idol that was dedicated “To The Unknown God.” Friends – God may seem far, but He is truly near. It may feel like He is unknowable, but He desires to reveal Himself to us and be Known. Here’s the BEST part – He already knows you (better than you know yourself)!

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. – Acts 17:11Ask the person on the street, “What book do Christians read?” and you’ll almost always hear them say, “The Bible.” They are not wrong. Or at least I HOPE they are not wrong (that we actually do read it)! But have you ever considered the question, “Why is the Bible a special book?” Is it truly, the Word of God? When Paul went to a synagogue in Berea he spoke and reasoned with the Berean Jews there from the Scriptures. Luke says that these Jews were of noble character. Why? 1) Because they eagerly received the message. 2) They examined the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul was saying was, in fact, true! How about you? Are you of noble character? Do you eagerly await the messages God sends to you and then examine for yourself whether or not they pass the test of Scriptural support?

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9aI think it’s a fair assumption to say that we all know what a chain is. The thing that holds the swings, that makes sure your dog doesn’t run away, that anchors the ship so it doesn’t float away. A chain is used to restrict the full motion of something.Sometimes in our lives there are things that can restrict us from living the fullness of life that Jesus has in store for us. If such things are inhibiting our relationship with Jesus, how on earth do we break free from the shackles? Can we even do that? Paul and Silas, along with a woman named Lydia and an unnamed prison guard are a living testimony that we can have freedom from the things that limit us from living in greater relationship to Jesus.It is the power of Christ to break chains in our lives!

Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. - 1 Timothy 1:2It’s Father’s Day weekend. And once again we find ourselves receiving a Word in our study of Acts in church this Sunday that lends itself fully to the occasion of the day. If you were blessed, as I was, to have had a great father who loved you, provided for you, spent time with you, encouraged you, taught you the Christian faith through his actions and his words then you are truly blessed.But the truth is, fathers like this are rare. God’s fix for the missing pieces in our family structure is the family of faith called the church. Let me be clear here: We are to honor our fathers and mothers regardless of whether or not they fulfilled the previous things I listed. In most cases, our parents (Christian or not), do or did the best they could - all motivated by love. In all cases, Dads and Moms have missed the mark of perfection. I am thankful for my Dad! But I am also thankful for other “spiritual fathers” that God has used to build me up in the faith. Paul started a church in Lystra on his first Missionary Journey. In that town, a Jewish woman named Eunice had a Greek (Gentile) husband. Together they had a son named Timothy. Timothy’s father couldn’t give him what he himself didn’t possess – Jesus. Eunice and her mom Lois taught this young man the Word of God. And on his second Missionary Journey, Paul took this young believing man under his wing becoming a “spiritual father” to Timothy!Fathers and Spiritual Fathers are needed in our world today more than ever. So much to say and it’s too much to type!

They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. – Acts 15:39-40 As we move into the second half of the Book of Acts I can’t help but notice how the Apostle Paul’s life is broken down into eras known as the First, Second, Third and Fourth Missionary Journeys. We’ve explored the first missionary journey – a three year trip that took them (Paul, Barnabas and John Mark) from Antioch Syria to the island of Cyprus to several cities in Asia Minor. These three years were full of joys along with times of intense suffering – but all of it was FULL of eternal purpose and Kingdom advancement! Tomorrow, we begin looking at the specifics of Paul’s second missionary journey. But all of this reading about Paul’s life has me thinking about mine. If I had to look at my life of 55 years and my “missions,” how would I break them down? No doubt I’ve had seasons I wish I could “do over.” I’ve had seasons of joy and sorrow. I’ve had seasons whereby people left me and others joined my journey (or I departed from some and joined the journey of others). It’s a good thing to reflect and assess. It’s good to give thanks. Lastly, it’s good to anticipate our NEXT missionary journey! What’s next for you? Until the LORD calls us home – there’s a mission for each of us. ONWARD!!

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30As we read the pages of the four Gospels, we see that Jesus’ mission was to reconcile lost people to Himself. The motivation was love. It still is. Sin separates. Jesus joins. He came to pay our sin debt. He came to model what a holy life looks like. He came to show us a better way. He came to empower us to live that better way. He came to save us. There are barriers that Satan sets up to keep us from the God who loves us. These barriers have many names: pride, self-sufficiency, religion that says my actions save me, unforgiveness, hate… just to name a few. In Acts 15, Pharisees who (supposedly) converted to Christianity, went down to the church in Antioch, Syria from Jerusalem to infiltrate the church to add a burden of Old Testament Jewish rules. Chief among these rules was that all Gentile (non-Jewish) male Christians needed to get circumcised. They had NO AUTHORITY from the church Apostles and Elders to make these “add on” rules. Thankfully, we read in Acts 15, that those who did have authority, weighed in and in keeping with the Holy Spirit and the teachings of Jesus Himself, freed the church from the burden of keeping all of the Jewish covenantal laws.Jesus didn’t come to nullify the law of Moses. He came to fulfill it. He came to live in us, write His laws on our hearts and unburden us from all that keeps us enslaved – namely SIN. More on all of this tomorrow. But sleep well knowing that the One we are yoked with (hopefully Jesus) offers peace and rest. His yoke is easy and His burden is light!