Tag Archives: perseverence

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on May 26, 2015
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Ch – Ch – Ch – Ch – Changes — Rev. David J. Schreffler

May 26, 2015

“Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:35ff

“If Luther himself, the excellent man, reappeared, without being recognized, and began to teach in many places as he once taught in the Symbolical Books, in his Preface to the Epistle to the Romans, in his Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, he would be denounced as a Pietist and Enthusiast and chased to his fellows in hell. It seems as if the world does not wish to have anything to do with the whole of true Christianity; it wants either godliness without change of heart and faith, or faith without preceding change of heart…” Henry Melchior Muhlenberg (1711 – 1787) “For All The Saints” volume IV (p. 14-15)

It is my opinion that we have many concerns within Christianity today. The first would be, as Henry Melchior Muhlenberg states, people call themselves Christians but they have not been transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel, the good news of Jesus must transform how we live, act, and love before we can say, truly, that we are Christians. Attending a church once in a while is not being a Christian. Always saying “I am too busy” to requests to be involved in ministry, or “I need my Sundays to sleep in” or “Those people must learn to help themselves” is not being transformed by the gospel, or having Christ abide in your heart.

Second, being transformed by the gospel does not mean saying one thing and doing something different. In 1 John 2:9 and 1 John 2:4, the writer says “Whoever says, “I am in the light,” while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness” and “Whoever says, “I have come to know him,” but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist”. In other words, if you are going to be a true disciple of Jesus, you need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Actions speak louder than words. How we live, the decisions we make, the use of our time, the amount of time we spend in studying and praying on G*d’s word states whether we are living in the light of Jesus and obeying his commandments. It begins by being transformed by the Gospel – having our hearts changed to the point where it changes our actions, our thoughts, and our very lives.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on May 21, 2015
Tags: perseverence,   

And Then There Was “Z” — Rev. David J. Schreffler

May 21, 2015 – “Z” is for Zerubbabel

“Now these were the people of the province who came from those captive exiles whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried captive to Babylonia; they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, all to their own towns. They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.” Ezra 2:1 – 2 “Zerubbabel (Hebrew: זְרֻבָּבֶל, Modern Zrubbavel, Tiberian Zərubbāḇél; Greek: Ζοροβαβέλ, Zorovavel; Latin: Zorobabel) was a governor of the Persian Province of Judah (Haggai 1:1) and the grandson of Jehoiachin, penultimate king of Judah. Zerubbabel led the first group of Jews, numbering 42,360, who returned from the Babylonian Captivity in the first year of Cyrus, King of Persia (Ezra). The date is generally thought to have been between 538 and 520 BC. Zerubbabel also laid the foundation of the Second Temple in Jerusalem soon after.

In all of the accounts in the Hebrew Bible that mention Zerubbabel, he is always associated with the high priest who returned with him, Joshua (Jeshua) son of Jozadak (Jehozadak). Together, these two men led the first wave of Jewish returnees from exile and began to rebuild the Temple (Ezra). John Kessler describes the region of Judah as a small province that contained land moving 25 km from Jerusalem and was independently ruled prior to the Persian rule. Zerubbabel was the governor of this province. King Darius I of Persia appointed Zerubbabel governor of the Province. It was after this appointment that Zerubbabel began to rebuild the Temple. Elias Bickerman speculates that one of the reasons that Zerubbabel was able to rebuild the Temple was because of “the widespread revolts at the beginning of the reign of Darius I in 522 BC, which preoccupied him to such a degree that Zerubbabel felt he could initiate the rebuilding of the temple without repercussions”.” (Wikipedia)

It is difficult going through the “ABC’s” of the faith and of the bible, since for some letters there are so many choices, and for others there are so few. However, there are many ways that we can attack the idea of learning more about our faith. I have gone through this exercise to show you just one way that may be different from others you may have tried in the past. The idea is to find ways to engage the bible and your own particular faith life that keeps it interesting and fresh. Keep on reading and learning and studying – for it will only increase your knowledge, and increase your faith understanding.

Pastor Dave