The Right Message by Linden Malki

The most attractive and often retold stories of Jesus are the miracles. We like the idea that Jesus did amazing things for people, and we would like to be on the receiving end. However, “The feeding of the five thousand illustrates why Jesus, with all the supernatural powers at his command, showed such ambivalence toward miracles. They attracted crowds and applause, yes, but rarely encouraged repentance and long-term faith. He was bringing a hard message of obedience and sacrifice, not a sideshow for gawkers and sensation-seekers.”* Over the years we've spent time and money on outreach events that attract crowds of people, but do they get the right message?

The past few weeks in the Beatitudes have brought up some of the major challenges of the Christian life. They are meant to be a challenge, to point us in directions that we can't get to on our own strength. In our everyday world, we can be our own worst enemy. We think we know what we want, but do we know why we want it? How influenced are we by the values and pressures of the world? Are we driven by the benefits to ourselves? Do we think, much less pray, before we act?

One of the classic examples of impulsive action was the apostle Peter. He had to learn to think first, and think rightly. This is what he learned: “Since Jesus went through everything you're going through and more, learn to think like Him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what He wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want.”**

This can sound kind of difficult and dreary. If we get hung up on trying to do it on our own, it is tough. God can be tough when He needs to work on our priorities. God's logic is not ours; it sounds odd to say that obedience, sacrifice and even suffering can lead to His strength and comfort, and even to the joy that He wants to give us.

*Philip Yancey,"The Jesus I Never Knew", p.228

** I Peter 4:1-2, The Message

When it Makes a Difference--by Linden Malki

Last weekend’s church bombing in Pakistan reminds us that being a Christian is no guarantee of an easy life. Pakistan was formed as an Islamic state in 1947; the five million Christians there are about 3% of the population, and it is illegal to preach the Gospel to Muslims.  A few years ago, a mission organization offered Pakistani church leaders a new translation of the Gospels, designed to soft-pedal the concept of the Son of God, which is specifically denied in the Koran. The idea was to make the Gospel "less offensive" and more approachable to Muslims. The reaction of local Christians was dismay and rejection--following a watered down imitation of Christianity is useless. It is precisely the truths that separate our faith from the rest of the world that make the difference.

One of the most amazing Christian communities in the world is in China. There were Nestorian Christian traders there about 600AD, but the churches were later overrun by invaders and disappeared. There were missionaries back in 1600, 1800 and 1900--and there are now over 100 million Christians in China, despite all that war and Mao could do. We will never know on this earth how many Chinese Christians were imprisoned, exiled or executed during those years. Even during the worst of it, refugees who got out to Hong Kong looked for churches and told of underground believers. When the Red Guard boasted of having burned the Baptist Bookstore in Shanghai, the Hong Kong believers noticed that the Red Guard knew where to find the bookstore—but nobody outside China had heard from them in years.

My father's brother was a missionary who had been in China before World War II, and after the war went back to a new mission field in West China. By 1950, our State Department was advising American missionaries to come home, but my uncle and aunt stayed because it was under persecution that their church grew: when it made a difference to be a Christian. When the Communists took over the area, he was arrested and spent more than four years in a Communist prison. Part of their failed attempt at "re-educating" him was to order him not to pray, and the guards beat him when they caught him at prayer.  Do we value prayer enough to risk a beating??

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

The Prince of Peace by Linden Malki

"Peace is not an absence of war; it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice.” * We live in a world of wars on the large scale, and not much peace on the smaller scales. Our cities, neighborhoods and homes are often mini war zones. Even when the surface seems calm, the attitudes underneath are far from benevolent or virtuous. It sounds easy sometimes—John Kennedy once said that “Our problems are man-made, therefore they can be solved by man.”** I have heard so many people, from major politicians to ordinary people, explain patiently that they are a person of goodwill, therefore, if the problem is explained rationally, then others will understand and cooperate.

We can see that it's not that simple. Even with a desire for a solution, we all come with differing experiences and expectations that we ourselves often don't recognize and understand. Someone who been cheated, for example, will read things into others' behavior that may or may not have any relationship to reality. In my business, state regulations require that we get a customer's signature on a repair estimate and approval of any necessary increases. Our customers' expectations may not match our estimates, and the discussion may not be peaceful. I remember a lady who came in one day with her husband's shopping list of items that averaged about $5-10 each. He had told her not to pay more than $2 each. Sometimes the problem is information, but people’s hearts are not that simple.

What makes it difficult is that from a Biblical point of view, our problems may not be man-made, and not solvable on a human scale. We see evidence throughout history and Scripture that there is evil in this world; the “prince of this world” does not promote true peace. Jesus told his followers that “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Recently when a pushy customer was being loud and unreasonable out in the shop, I was led to pray hard for peace. And about an hour after the customer stomped out muttering threats, he came back, apologized for his behavior, and was willing to make peace. The change was in his heart. Even when we figure out the tricks our minds can play on us, recognition is only the first step in breaking the hold of longstanding hurts and reactions. Once again, we are back to a key choice: are we willing to give up whatever is interfering with the peace of our own hearts, and peace with the others in our lives? The track record of our ability to make peace on our own effort is not good; true peace comes from the Prince of Peace. 

*Baruch Spinoza, 1670

** “A Strategy for Peace” 1963                 

                          

Seeing Ourselves Clearly--by Linden Malki

"Pure" is one of the most powerful words out there. Everybody claims to want pure water, pure air, pure food, pure this, pure that. What do we mean by "pure?" That something is exactly, truly what it says it is. Nothing more, nothing less.

On the other hand, we tolerate a lot that isn't pure. Like the Peanuts cartoon where Linus reads a label and says "I'm not eating this. It's full of ingredients!" Pull a package at random off of your pantry shelf and see what's really in there; it can be scary. There are things that appear to be just what they say they are, but you could be surprised at the things that have little or none of whatever it wants you to think that it is. I found one label that listed a dozen possible ingredients it doesn't have, implying that their competitors' products have all this other stuff. Being curious about a cleaning product (which usually doesn't list its ingredients), I checked out the manufacturer's website, and discovered that the aerosol spray version, with the same product name, has totally different ingredients than the original liquid product. And that's part of the world we live in--most of the stuff in our lives are some sort of "products", all full of unknown ingredients.

What about us? How do we label ourselves, and how true is the label? What do we think is down there in our heart of hearts? "..God understands that part of us which is more than we think we are. A real problem for most of us is that this "more than we think we are" is not necessarily recognized as good. It is difficult for most of us to recognize, accept, and affirm those large areas of ourselves which are not compatible with the image of ourselves we would like to project, or which the world has taught we ought to project. Jesus was very clear about these projections, referring to those who projected them as 'whited sepulchres, clean and white without and full of dead bones and decay within'. ... But this is no suprise for the Christian. Two thousand years ago Paul of Tarsus admitted quite openly that the things he wanted to do were the very things he didn't do, and the things he didn't want to do were the very things he did. And yet Paul did not despair, nor drop out. ... when God took him by the scruff of the neck and shook him, he was able to let go, to let go of himself and his control of himself, and instead trust God, and experience a total reversal of his life." (Madeine L'Engle, Walking on Water).

Jesus said that the pure in spirit would see God. This works both ways: when we look at God, we see both what we are and what He has made us to be. It is the light of God that shines through us and shows up all the impurities. The best way to recognise the wrong ingredients is to let Him show us the right ones, and to understand how the other stuff leaves ugly dregs in the bottom of our glass. And the clearer and less clouded our spirit is, the better we can see God.

The Bread of Life--by Linden Malki

Yesterday, a customer in my store asked if we had any washers the size of a quarter. I asked what size bolt they were for, and he said the inside didn't matter. He "needed" them for a washing machine--for the quarter slot.  It seems like I hear this sort of thing all the time--people will say outrageous things with a straight face,  not interested in truth or fairness or right.  It seems that when some  people want something,  it doesn't matter who is paying, who is being inconvenienced, or even whose it is or what damage is caused.  The world seems hungry for everything except God.

One wealthy person, being asked "How much money is enough?" answered "Just a little bit more."  Our whole world is based on always wanting more--money,  stuff,  power.   There doesn't seem to be an end.   Every one of us probably has something that we want more of--gadgets, books, food, clothes, power tools--think about what catches your eye and tends to come home with you.  But do they really satisfy us beyond the moment?

Almost four hundred years ago. the French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal put it like this:  " There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus."

Jesus knew about hunger.  Part of His preparation for ministry was the experience of a 40-day fast.  At this point, His Adversary reminded Him that this hunger would be easy to fix--but Jesus knew that  the physical fix would be temporary.  On several occasions, He did feed large numbers of people bread, but the next day they were looking for Him, hungry again.  His answer to them was  that they should not "work for food that cannot last, but work for food that endures to eternal; the food that the Son of Man offers".  He had told them that those who hungered and thirsted for righteousness would be filled. What did Jesus offer to fill this need?   "I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me will never be hungry; he who believes in Me will never thirst."  The righteousness that aligns us with God is not something that we do in our own strength,  but Jesus Himself. On the last night of His human life, He gave Himself to His disciples--and His followers forever after-- in the form of bread and wine, which, as we eat, becomes part of our own bodies as His Spirit becomes part of each person that accepts this gift.

WHY "BLESS THIS HOME?" by Pastor Paul

 

After surgery I spent a week face down.  One eye is useless, and the other is fuzzy.  Since it was nearly impossible to watch the TV I listened to news, scripture, and books.

One of the key issues under examination in the news is the condition of the family in American society.  This week several currents ran together to create a rather challenging thread of discussion.  The anniversary of Dr. King.  The court ruling on Stop and Frisk.  The absurd number of murders taking place in America.  The deplorable state of American urban education.  And the welcoming, in California, of people with boy parts into the girls locker room. 

As the statistics continued to emerge for debate they painted a frustrating picture.  Many urban centers have a 50% High School student drop out rate.  In New York the number of Black and Hispanic murders, and murderers ran into the 80 - 90% range.  30% of Anglo children do not have their biological father living in the home.  That statistic goes to 50% in many areas of Hispanic culture, and as high as 70% in parts of the Black community.  Divorce hovers around 50%.

I remember arguing the causes of these tragic social realities in seminary.  That was twenty years ago.  Things have only gotten worse. Today I am much less concerned with what caused these things, and more concerned with the means to fix them.  I realize that many will say you can't fix them, until you know what caused them.  There is truth in that.  The problem is that different groups will lay the blame on different factors and together they will never come to collective agreement concerning the cause.  People will continue to blame, or live as victims, without looking for a solution to the problems.  Neither blame nor a victim mentality will move us forward.

It was in this context that I lay, face down, and reflected on our upcoming sermon series.  The month of September is committed to the topic, BLESS THIS HOME.  Our homes need a blessing.  Families need to know what it looks like to follow Christ.  People need a solution for their pressing problems.

It does not matter how your ship became lost at sea.

If you can see the lighthouse, and hear the horn,

you can cut through the fog and know which way to go!

Mark your calendars now for the next four Sundays!
Do not miss any of these life changing messages!
Let the light of Christ encourage you,
and the call of His Word direct you!

9/1     Hunger and Thirst after Righteousness
9/8     Pure in Heart
9/15   Peacemakers
9/22   Persecuted
9/29   Family Barbecue at Lake Perris



CYA Sunday at the Elks Lodge @ 10:00am,
Paul

We are His Body--by Linden Malki

On Jesus' last night on earth, with His disciples, His final prayer lets them know that He has full authority over the people that God has sent Him to save. (John 17). He had already told them that the Holy Spirit would bring His truth.

How does this happen? St Paul tells the Colossians "We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way..." (Colossians 1:9b-10) So God fills us with wisdom and understanding through the Spirit; Jesus has made peace through His blood. In comparison, what can we do? Nothing--except to be open to what He does to us and through us.

St Paul takes this to a whole different level. He puts it this way:" ..He is the Head of the Body, the Church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy; For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in Heaven, by making peace through His blood shed on the cross." (Colossians 1:18-20)

He sees us as One Body, being presented to God by His Son, our Redeemer. He calls us to come together as one body in peace and worship Him. He also calls us to be parts of this body as individuals with spiritual gifts that the church and the world needs, and also in small groups who also have varied spiritual gifts and callings which complement each other, so that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. And we are also called to teach and disciple others, both within the fellowship and outside. In our physical bodies, parts that don't get proper nutrition and use become toxic to the whole body. This applies to the church body as well. Parts that don't stay healthy and perform their design function will damage or even kill the body. We are all in this body together!