The Jewish New Year

Today is the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The festival begins at sundown today and will continue until Friday at sundown. This is a time when Jewish people the world over will celebrate the creation of the world. They will offer prayers of thanksgiving for life, health, and blessing; many will make New Year’s resolutions. Some will use the time to renew their consecration to God and ask for his forgiveness for wrongdoing. They will seek to make amends for any wrong done to someone else. For this season also marks the beginning of the Days of Awe in Judaism, a period which begins with Rosh Hashanah and ends with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

As I contemplated the Jewish New Year this afternoon I realized how appropriate it would be for me to take time to join my Jewish friends in celebrating Rosh Hashanah. There is so much going on in our world, from hurricanes to terrorist attacks to earthquakes. I realize that God has been very good to me and my family. I have a good job, a house to live in, two vehicles to drive, and the list goes on. I have a host of family and friends who love me and I am in relatively good health. So far I have been spared the devastation from which so many are presently suffering.

This is also a time for me to pause and say a prayer for others. I am no better than another. I cannot say for sure why some are suffering so while I was spared. Though I am thankful that my home and community have been spared this time, I must not take that for granted. None of us is secure in this world and our only hope is in God. Perhaps I have been spared tragedy so that I can be of help to someone else in need.

I also think it appropriate to use this time as a time of repentance. It is easy to point fingers at the things that are wrong in my country and my world. Rather than point fingers, I must allow God’s word to judge my heart. What have I done to help the situation? Surely someone else’s sin is no greater to God than my own sins have been. Perhaps I need to evaluate my own life and see if I am living up to the standards I say I believe in.

Rosh Hashanah is a time of soul searching and reminding ourselves that all we have comes from the Giver of Life. I find this particularly beneficial now, coming just before the American holidays. In a few weeks we will all be rushing around making “holiday” preparations. We will spend a lot of time, and often too much money, on things that are not needed. Many will buy extravagant gifts on credit, wishing in January that they had not done so. Though we may enjoy the Christmas music and the lights, most of us are just glad when the fast-paced holiday season is finally over. I often wonder how many of us even stop to consider the religious meanings behind the holiday. To many the holiday season is only a time for gaiety with little contemplation for spiritual matters.

So I find it particularly useful to stop now and reevaluate my own life. What is most important to me? Are my own relationships in order? Am I at peace with God and in my own soul? Are there family matters that I need to attend to? When my family gathers this holiday season will there be peace or strife? What can I do to mend a broken relationship or right a wrong? Above all, am I aware that Christmas is supposed to be a time for celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace? If there is a lack of peace in my heart perhaps I should realign some priorities.

As a Christian I do not feel that I am bound to celebrate any certain day above another. Yet I am free to celebrate any holiday I wish, as long as it is for the right reason (Romans 14:5-6). So I have chosen to reevaluate my own priorities during this time our Jewish friends call Rosh Hashanah, the New Year. I make a renewed pledge to God to keep him first. I determine to make the most of family relationship and cherished friendships during the upcoming holidays. Above all, I choose to have a thankful attitude for God’s continued blessings on my life. Would you join me in this time of rededication to God? The benefits are more than you can imagine!

Blessings,

Pastor Jones 

Who Will I Serve?

I awoke this morning thinking about slavery. Perhaps that seems like a negative subject to think about early in the morning but bear with me. The thought came to me that we are never really free from bondage until we are bound to something else. What! Yes, you read that right. It is impossible for human beings to be completely free from bondage.

The same law that sets the slave free demands that all citizens pay income tax. The law demands that all of its drivers obey the speed limit and refrain from stealing, killing, and cheating. The penalties for each crime or different but there are punishments for breaking each rule. If a person thinks that he is completely free from the law, let him fail to pay income tax. Eventually he will wind up in trouble with the law and might actually wind up in jail. One could see the law as unfair or unreasonably binding. I think most would agree, however, that they would prefer the constraints of the law to anarchy.

It would be easy to decide that we don’t want to pay income tax and do away with such laws. It sounds good on the surface, but the government could not operate without revenue. Without taxes, the government would shut down. Then where would we be? There would be no laws to say that one couldn’t kill his neighbor or even enslave another person. While income tax might seem to be an undue burden, it is better to pay taxes and have the protection of the law than to live without it.

Many people look at the laws of God as if they are unjust burdens. Some would even say that Christians are not bound to the laws of God since we are under an era of grace. The question I would ask is, “has God’s nature changed?” We know that God’s word is forever settled in heaven and it does not change (Psalm 119:89). Thankfully, Jesus paid the penalty for every lawbreaker when he went to Calvary, but this does not mean that there are no rules for Christian living.  

Romans chapter eight talks about two contrasting laws. They are the Law of Sin and Death and The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. (Notice that the Law of the Spirit of Life does not exist apart from abiding in Jesus Christ.)The law of sin and death is the old law that says, “If I sin I will die”. None of us can escape this law. We were all born with an inherently sinful nature that drives us to do things we do not even want to do. This law enslaves us to our sinful passions. This law will drive an alcoholic to drink, though he has come to hate the alcohol. It causes people to lie, steal, cheat, and all sorts of things they are ashamed of. It is truly a law of sin and death.

The only way to escape this law is to embrace the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. This new law says that I can embrace a new life when I am born again.  I have traded a life of bondage in servitude to sin for a life of joy in the service of Christ. Some are uncomfortable with the terminology of service in a relationship with Christ; this language is absolutely Biblical. Paul referred to himself as the slave of Jesus Christ many times. Though the King James usually translates the word “doulos” as servant, its primary meaning is slave (Romans 1:1). Paul clearly understood that serving Christ meant giving us his own desires to live according to God’s word.

Jesus himself said that no one can serve two masters; a person must love one master and hate the other (Matthew 6:24). Notice that Jesus did not say a person could be free from service. The terminology here implies that we must all serve someone. We humans were not created to be free from any rule. In God’s original order we were created to serve God. Because of man’s disobedience the cruel taskmaster called sin entered the picture. Since Adam and Eve’s failure, man has constantly cried out from freedom for his sin. God provided the means to that freedom through Jesus Christ by allowing us to His services. One mistake that people make is in thinking that salvation sets one free to do as one pleases; this is simply not so. Salvation returns one to a place of rightful service under the first master and owner, the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are some who see all the constraints of Christianity as too difficult. They desire to formulate a Christianity that requires nothing of its followers; it was the same in Biblical times. The earliest Christians were Jews who previously had known only the Law of Moses. This law was strict and required complete disobedience or swift judgment. It is unthinkable that some of the early Christians would chose to return to the Law of Moses after having tasted freedom in Christ, yet some of them did. Paul warned against this Galatians 4:21. It was folly to think that the old law, with its uncompromising mandate for punishment, could be better than Christ’s Law of Love.

Sometimes Christians think they can walk away from their relationship with Christ, returning to their old lifestyles with no thought of the consequences. The person who does such a thing has forgotten what his life was like before Christ set him or her free. S/he is only looking at what s/he sees as bondage under the rules of Christian living. He thinks it will be better to live without any constraints. He has not considered that returning to the world returns him to a life of servitude to sin.

Slavery is an evil word in today’s world. Subjugated peoples of the past fought long and hard to earn their rightful freedom. The problem with slavery is that we humans were not meant by God to be in bondage to any another person. The institution of slavery exploits one person for the good of another. Theoretically, masters were supposed to provide for their servants. A slave did not have to worry about paying bills, supplying his own food or clothing, or anything else. What a slave needed, the master was obligated to supply. We all know this didn’t happen. Slaves instinctively knew that they would be far better making their own way in the world; it would be better to starve than to spend a lifetime in bondage to a cruel master who did not care about his servants’ needs.

Our master, Jesus Christ, is not like the taskmasters of the past. He is a wonderful master who provides everything that we need. His laws have made provision for his servants and he keeps his promises. There are promises in his word for the supplying of needs, for the healing of sickness, for peace of mind and anything else we could possibly imagine. The Christian has the best master imaginable because Jesus Christ cares for his servants and always provides for their needs. I know some see the restraints of the Christian life as bondage. Personally, I would rather be bound to Jesus and enjoy the benefits of being his servant than be responsible for myself and be in servitude to sin.

The only real freedom is in Christ!

Blessings,

Pastor Sullivan Jones 

Earthquakes and Natural Disasters

There will be famines, natural disasters, and earthquakes in many different places ... (Matthew 24:7).

As I look at the news this morning, the things that are happening in our world seem overwhelming. There are three major hurricanes in the Atlantic. One of them has demolished several Caribbean nations and is headed toward the mainland U.S. There is another major hurricane right behind it. The island of Barbuda is demolished and people are trying desperately to get off of the island before the second hurricane hits them. Mexico was rocked with a major earthquake this morning on its west coast while Hurricane Katia pummels the east coast. This is all after Hurricane Harvey has done so much destruction in Texas.

As I look at the destruction, I am reminded of something God spoke to my heart in prayer at this time last year. After the floods in Denham Springs in August of last year, God spoke to me heart about our country. He said that we were going to see a rise in natural disasters. They are going to be so severe that the government cannot take care of the need and people are going to have to depend on one another. He spoke this to my heart very strongly. People will have to depend upon one another. This is what we saw happen last year in the Baton Rouge area and it is what we are seeing in the aftermath of Harvey. People helping people!

The Bible says clearly that one of the signs of the end time would be a rise in natural disasters. This is the meaning of the Biblical word translated pestilences in the King James Version of the Bible. We are seeing troubling things happening in our world on an ever increasing timescale. (Matthew 24:7). I know there will be some who will say these things are just a part of life and have always been. It is incumbent upon the Christian to hear what the Spirit would say to the church. I think we all recognize that we are living in different times and we are seeing Biblical prophecy fulfilled. Let us not be lulled into believing that this is business as usual.

I am reminded that Jesus said two very specific things in Matthew 24 about the end times. He said that nation would rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom; he also said that we would see famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in many different places. Our country is experiencing both. We have seen a rise in the nation against nation category in the last few years. The word nation here is ethnos and it means ethnic groups. The last few years shows us just how divided our nation has become on the issues of race, language, and culture. We are seeing the fulfillment of this prophecy. I believe the second part of that prophecy is also coming to pass. The rise in natural disasters is happening before our very eyes and we have become largely blinded to it.

Jesus warned us in Matthew 24:8 that “all these things are the begging of sorrows.” The things we are seeing happening in our world are the begging of a chain of events that will fulfill Biblical prophecy. There is coming a day soon that the fulfillment of verse fifteen will take place. We will see the Abomination of Desolation take place. We will see the anti-Christ himself take seat in Jerusalem and claim to be God. We must be prepared lest we be deceived.

Some say that God will take his church out of the world before then; others say no. They believe the church will see the anti-Christ and live through part of what the Bible calls the great tribulation. I certainly can’t say definitively either way. I like to tell people that I hope for a pre-tribulation rapture but am prepared for a post-tribulation rapture. I would like to believe God will spare us but know that His Holy Ghost power can keep me through any tribulation that God allows.

My main point here is not about the tribulation. It is to make us aware that we need to pray for our nation like never before. We need to pray for God’s mercy. We need to pray for God’s protection. We need to pray for revival. Most of all we need to pray that these disasters will draw us closer together and turn the attention of this nation back to our God. Instead of rioting in our streets and fights about flags and national monuments, may we have prayer meetings and times of repentance for our nation. God help us to all work together to help the victims of these natural disasters. Let us pray that God will have mercy on us. Some things are not set in stone in scripture. I believe this is because God is looking to see how he will respond.

I am never one to say quickly saw that a natural disaster is always the punishment of God. The scripture warns us against such folly (Luke 18:1-3). We must realize, however, that God can use the natural elements to bring a nation to its knees (consider Egypt and the plagues.) If this is what is happening, may we not harden our hearts like Pharaoh and the Egyptians did. Let us pray that God will soften the heart and soul of America that we can turn our eyes once again upon him.

Blessings,

Pastor Sullivan Jones 

Family Relationships

In the beginning God created a perfect world. Then he put humans into the world and nothing has been perfect since (Insert smiley face).  We humans have our share of troubles in this life and many of them we bring on ourselves. One of the first troubles that Adam and Even ran into, after eating the forbidden fruit, was trouble between their sons. The jealousy became so great between Cain and Abel that Cain actually killed Abel. Can you imagine! I don’t think I’ve ever been angry enough to actually want to kill one of my own siblings. There may have been times when they all wanted to put me in a pit and sell me down river like Joseph’s siblings did. But hopefully none of them has ever wanted to kill me. (I’m not about to ask).

All joking aside, family relationships are often some of the most troubling. It wasn’t meant to be that way. Home should be the safest place we have and our family relationships should be the most peaceful. We should all know that no matter what dish lives serves up, our family will be there to make the dish more palatable. Unfortunately, that often isn’t the case. I have met a few people who seem to have the perfect little Leave-It-To-Beaver family where everyone loves one another and all problems are solved by dinner time. It sort of leaves the rest of us feeling left out because our situations aren’t quite so perfect. So what are we to do if we find ourselves in a less than perfect family situation? Guess what! There are no perfect families!

We should recognize that perfect families only exist in sitcoms from the 1960s. Everyone else has problems. Everyone! The fact that we have problems doesn’t make us odd. Problems are a part of life in a fallen world. This includes problems in our relationships. We are all imperfect and we should realize that others are imperfect as well. All of us make mistakes and we should give a little grace to the other imperfect human beings around us- even when these mistake makers are family members. Ever notice that it is harder to deal with a family member’s imperfections than with a co-worker’s imperfections? Why is this? Because we expect more from our family members and often our expectations are not realistic.

Some of us seem to have the idea that our family members should always understand us. This is so not true. We all have different personalities, different ways of seeing the world. Those differences can make the world a beautiful place. They are also the source of much contention. We shouldn’t expect family members to always agree with us or always have the same values. What is important to me may not be important to another member of my family and vice versa. This does not make either one of us intrinsically evil. It just means we have different goals. We can give this grace to our friends and fellow church members so why not to our family members as well!

We should also realize that no family member, whether it be a spouse, a sibling, a parent, or a child, can bring us happiness. Each of us must find his own contentment in himself. We Christians understand that this contentment can only be found in a true relationship with God. When one is at peace with himself and with God then it is easier to be at peace with our family members. Our happiness or lack thereof, is not dependent on what another person does or how s/he behaves. It is far easier to get along with someone when we don’t expect that person to be the source of our inner peace.

All of us should pray for our family situations. Prayer is the most powerful weapon we have against the attacks of the enemy. There is no place the devil likes to attack more than in a family. The enemy knows that if he can bring division in our families he can throw everything out of line. When we see this happening, we should understand that this is the enemy attacking so that we can pray against it. We often remind ourselves in times of strife that our co-workers and church members are not our enemies. We learn to pray for unity when there is misunderstanding. We should do the same in our families.

The family unit is God’s original order for mankind. In the beginning God saw that it wasn’t good for man to be alone so he created a wife for Adam. In time they had children and then trouble started. If you feel like your family situation is less than perfect, you are not alone. There have been family misunderstandings since the beginning of time and there will be as long as the world stands. If we learn to respond correctly, this trouble does not have to turn into strife or bitterness. It can be a time of growth rather than heartache.

The best remedy is to pray for our family members. We should ask God to give us his love for our family members. We tend to think that we should automatically love our family members but this is unrealistic. Love is not natural; it is supernatural. True love can only come from God. If we ask him too, God will fill us with his love and help us to show it to our family members. This love will conquer a multitude of evil and help us to redeem the relationships that are most important to us.

If you have a family situation that is less than perfect, don’t give up. Pray for that troubling relationship and watch God work. It is God’s will that there be peace between family members. No one is beyond the reach of God’s grace; no situation is too difficult for God’s intervention. God hasn’t given up on us and we should never give up on one another.

Blessings,

Pastor Sullivan Jones

Disclaimer: I have the perfect family and none of this applies to us. I am working on my master’s degree in Family Counseling and my thoughts on the subject gave birth to this article. I had no one particular in mind while writing.