Tag Archives: Paul

The greatest Evangelist in the Early Christian Church

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on April 14, 2015
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Good Soil – Rev. David J. Schreffler

April 14, 2015

“Therefore, get your minds ready for action by being fully sober, and set your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Like obedient children, do not comply with the evil urges you used to follow in your ignorance, but, like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your conduct, for it is written, “You shall be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13 – 16

“Many people would gladly be G*d’s witnesses when everything goes according to their wishes. They like to be Holy, as long as their devotions are not too much of a burden; they would be happy enough to experience great fervor and profess their faith openly, if only there were no distress, no grief, no drudgery involved. Once, however, they know the terrors and temptations of spiritual darkness, as soon as they no longer experience the emotional comfort of G*d’s closeness, and feel forsaken within and without, they turn back and they are no witnesses at all. All men desire peace and they look for it in all kinds of ways and places. Oh, if they only could free themselves of this illusion, and learn to look for it in tribulation. Only there is born abiding peace, lasting peace that will endure; if you look for it elsewhere, you will fail miserably.” Johannes Tauler (1300 – 1361) Sermon 21 “For All The Saints” volume III (P. 1086)

When we think of the followers of Jesus, we think “What a joy it must have been to be in the presence of Jesus”. How quickly or conveniently we forget that most of the twelve original disciples died for their relationship with Jesus and the ministry they tried to establish in His name. Their closeness with Jesus did not bring them everlasting, outward peace. Even when they were originally called by Jesus, they did not go on to easy lives filled with roses and sunshine. The disciples experienced the length and breadth of fear, terror, doubt, questioning, arguing, and loneliness. But we have to believe that each of the disciples found the peace they were hoping for – in the midst of all of the trouble and doubt – their hope was in Jesus, strengthened by the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Some people, when they experience the first sign of trial or tribulation in their lives, they turn away from G*d because they believe that faith brings only comfort and peace. They are like the seed that is planted in shallow soil, once they are inflicted with the heat of the day, their faith withers and dies. The Grace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is most fully understood when the soil in which it is planted is good. If it is Good Soil, if it is planted in soil that has been enriched by G*d’s word, presence, love, mercy and grace, then the tribulations and the heat of the day will not whither the believer, but it will have the same reaction of the refiner’s fire – it strengthens us for all tribulations.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on April 11, 2015
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Being Renewed Daily – Rev. David J. Schreffler

April 11, 2015

“There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body.”
1 Corinthians 15:41ff

“But, you say, a dead man experiences corruption, and becomes dust and ashes. And what then, beloved hearers? For this very reason we ought to rejoice. For when a man is about to rebuild an old and tottering house, he first sends out its occupants, then tears it down, and rebuilds a new a more splendid one. This occasions no grief to the occupants, but rather joy; for they do not think of the demolition which they see, but of the house which is to come, though not yet seen. When G*d is about to do a similar work, he destroys our body, and removes the soul which was dwelling in it as from some house, that he may build it anew and more splendidly, and again bring the soul into it with greater glory. Let us not, therefore, regard the tearing down, but the splendor which is to succeed.” John Chrysostom (344 – 407) A Sermon
“For All The Saints” volume III (p. 1063 – 1064)

There is a concept in the Army – maybe in all military branches – where they take a new recruit and beginning with boot camp, they start the process of tearing them down. It is a process of stripping away the person they used to be, and to rebuild something new – no longer a recruit, but a member of the military. This in some fashion is the process that G*d does to us in the resurrection. G*d receives us in the corruptible form of human flesh, and rebuilds us into our heavenly form – which is of greater glory.

But this process does not wait for our death…it begins now. Paul says that, “…though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) Our eternal form is being formed in us right now, as we become more and more “In Christ” with each encounter, with the Holy Spirit working inside us, with each time we take Holy Communion and physically take Christ into our very being. With Christ dwelling inside us, then we are becoming more and more Holy each day. So, even though our outer body seems to waste away the older we get, remember that with Christ dwelling inside, we are actually preparing for our “eternal weight of glory”.

Pastor Dave