Commands of Jesus: You Must Be Born Again by the Holy Spirit : from my perspective
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Welcome!
I welcome your comments regarding our shared ministry at St. Paul.
 If you would rather comment privately please, email me at Prshepherd@westriv.com

"Two are better than one," says Ecclesiastes, 
"because if one falls down, his friend can help him up." 

I deeply desire to bring Christian comfort and the power of prayer to those who are challenged with sickness or circumstances in life. However, in this time of restricted visitation call me and I will attempt to contact them.

Please, assume that if you don’t tell us, we do not know. 
Call me at 301-4956 if surgery or hospital stay is imminent or if a visit could be helpful. 

Pastor Dennis
from my perspective…

    Breaking News, or Headline News, is updated by the hour and minute. The programs are designed to get our attention and to sell advertising. (Big surprise!) On the other hand, the Good News of Jesus Christ was proclaimed and is proclaimed today for an entirely different purpose.

    Mark begins his gospel with “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mk 1:1, ESV) It sounds like Mark is reporting, “Breaking news! Pay attention! Something important has happened!” 


    Matthew begins his gospel, “The book of genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David.” (Mt. 1:1) It sounds like Matthew is introducing a history lesson whereby we might learn something. Don’t get me wrong – I love history because I believe with George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” 


    John begins his gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.” (Jn. 1:1) This is something totally different. John invites us to lay aside our daily concerns and ponder life’s Big Questions concerning God and “The Word of God.” 


    Each year, we might take a measure of our life on Tax Day, an anniversary, or any number of other milestones. Regardless of the circumstances, we go through a process of reflection, evaluation, and decision-making. We might reflect on the Big Questions of Life, like “Who are we? And “How do I fit in with family and society?” or “What positive difference am I making?” 

    I will grant that the most common daily question is, “Am I happy.” But I believe the Bible teaches us that happiness results from how we think of ourselves and our relationship with others. Therefore, John invites us to ponder anew our relationship with the One God of the Holy Scriptures, as opposed to mental or emotional gods of pleasure, wealth or self-importance. 
In the church year, Lent is the season that encourages us to ponder our relationship with the one and only eternal God and one another or who we desire to become. 

    Join us as we explore Jesus’ great encounters with religious rulers, a disrespected woman from a disrespected people and His disciples. In John, Jesus, the Word of God, invites people to question who we are in God’s eyes and who He desires us to become to live a fulfilling life. (e.g. John 10:10)
As John informs us, Jesus, the true Word of God, comes into the world to save us from ourselves and the destructive temptations brought on by the evil lies of the great Satan. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:17, ESV) 

Please join us in our encounter with the Living Word of God, your pastor, Dennis.

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Commands of Jesus: You Must Be Born Again by the Holy Spirit

by Pastor Dennis on 06/09/15

Nicodemus and the Son of God…

            Nicodemus is a “ruler of the Jews,” “the teacher of Israel.” He was a very important man in the Temple of Israel. When he spoke Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees listened. But there must have been something that Jesus said that brought Nicodemus to Jesus, the “light of God.”

Jesus appears to be a small-town Rabbi from a Nazareth in Galilee. Jesus is not one who has been identified as priestly material. If he were, he would have been brought into temple as a prodigy and trained in the Law, the Torah; God’s instruction on how the children were to live with one another and the world. But somehow Nicodemus sees Jesus as “a teacher from God.”

Nicodemus would not have thought of being re-born by the Spirit of God as opening up to a casual influence of God’s Spirit on one’s life. Nicodemus would have understood “Spirit” as ruach. (Hebrew for the all-powerful, creative breath of God) God speaks and by His breath (ruach) life is created or destroyed. To be “born of water and the Spirit” (Jn. 3.5) would be to be cleansed by the breath of God and inspired, inspirited by the very Spirit of God. This is no small matter but a complete washing away of sin and becoming, by God’s grace, pure and holy. Jesus has raised the bar of a holy relationship with God from merely trying to keep the commandments of God to an intimate spiritual relationship founded and nurtured in God’s love.

As you go out this week consider your relationship with the God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If God’s Spirit within you is tugging at your heart for a closer relationship, pray in the certain knowledge that God who is faithful will begin the process and bring to completion what He has already begun in you. (Philippians 1.6)

 

Pray: Come Holy Spirit of Jesus;

Shine Your light into the darkness of my heart;

Guide me through Your Words

to speak to those You put on my mind,

Your Word of salvation.

Amen, let it be done according to Your Will Blessed Savior.

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