Loving neighbors as you Love Yourself

Matthew 22:36: "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?
37: And He said to him,"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind."
38: This is the greatest and foremost commandment.
39:The second is like it, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."


It has been a difficult summer for me to minister and share the word with my neighbors and friends. Many of the people I have been sharing with have had difficulties themselves or with family members who have been using alcohol. There has been many anger issues in these families, and divorces and people fighting depression and many of them have financial problems and they have problems keeping a job. I have been showing care and concern and tried to reach out to these people. Often they realize that they have a problem, but it has such a stronghold in their lives that they can't give it up.

I have spent the last couple of weeks praying about what to do about the situation. One of the prayers has been for Christ to somehow show me why people are drawn to the bar even though it is causing so much hardship in their families lives.

A couple of weeks ago two people gave me part of the answer and both shared an example of a TV show called Cheers. Paul Cobb wrote on Facebook that the bar was called Cheers and that real joy could only be found in fellowship with Christians and is only found through Christ who strengthens us and we all have a desire to belong to a fellowship, but those who seek it in a tavern will only find a counterfeit fellowship. Later that week, I went to the bank and Robin Groll handed me a printout from Christianity.com which was talking about the same thing. It also mentioned the show Cheers and that people like the fellowship they receive their, and that they can talk about anything they are doing, even if it is shocking because there it will be acceptable to most.

Later in the article it shared a testimony about a marine who accepted Christ. He used to curse severely, got drunk frequently, got into fights, was sexually active with several women, and he hated going to chapel.After he surrendered his life to Christ, he admitted that he missed that fellowship with those friends because in the church he had no one to admit his faults and struggles with, because people would judge him.

Christ wants to give that fellowship to his church. The tavern is a counterfeit or imitation, It dispenses liquor and not grace, escape from your problems and not reality. The bar becomes busy not because people enjoy alcohol and its effects, but because God put into the human heart the desire to know others and be known, to love and be loved. The church needs to become that place where people can come as they are and share their faults and still feel loved by others.

It also explains about the church in Philadelphia in Revelation which is the church of brotherly love. It explained that we need to show affectionate love to each other and it reminded us that we who have been born again have all come from the same spiritual womb. And we all have God as our heavenly Father.


Romans12:13: contributing to the needs of the saints, practising hospitality.
14: Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15: Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

In the phrase contribute to the needs of others, it doesn't necessarily mean just whatever we give Sunday morning in the offering plate. There are many needs in the family of God that never get met, because we don't really get close enough to get to know each other so we don't see the needs of others. It may not always be a financial need. It may be a need of supporting others or giving of your time.

Genuine hospitality. In the article it says we should pursue hospitality. This word in Greek means kindness to strangers. Two things that are explained in the article are that hospitality should not be thought of as entertaining others. It is a good thing to invite friends or family or those who you feel comfortable with over for a party or a meal, but what Paul is challenging people to do is to come up with ways to reach out to people who are strange or unknown to us. God wants us to think about new unreached people and how we can reach out to them. We somehow need to get out of our comfort zone. I recently read a blog that Pastor Cliff's sister Kim wrote about a new church she has been going to and in the first couple of weeks she has been invited to two homes for meals and also another person invited her to their home for coffee. This is an example of the impact we can have on others by reaching out to strangers with hospitality.

Gracious Forgiveness. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. It is sometimes hard to forgive those who trespass against us, but it is required of God to do it. One of the things I exercise when I am angry at others, is that I begin to pray verses that will cause them to grow in the Lord and as I begin to do that, the focus goes to Jesus and not toward the bitterness I have towards others. I pray positive verses for them such as the ones found in the books written by the apostle Paul, that people will grow in knowledge and they would keep their thoughts on Christ, then I also pray those prayers for me. I can then watch Christ do the work of reconciliation in them and me.

Rejoice when others rejoice and weep when they weep. We need to rejoice when others are happy about things that are going on in life. I know this older person and every time someone tells her something she should be happy about with them, she almost always ends the time with a negative thought. When people cry, we should cry or feelsorrow with them. Many times as Christians we hide our sorrow or crying as though we are ashamed that we are showing weakness to others, but I am always reminded of the shortest verse in the Bible right after Lazarus died. It consists of two simple words. Jesus wept. If our shepherd cried , why are we to hide our tears and sorrow from brothers and sisters in Christ. In order to follow this example to the fullest, we need to get to know others better, especially our fellow neighbors. We can not get to know their joys or sorrows by just waving to them when we go to the mailbox. We all need someone to share these truths with and our faith should begin to move us in pursuing them. If we do not reach out to our brothers and sisters in Christ in these ways, they will look outside the church to feel the void of loneliness they are experiencing, and many will choose that Cheers atmosphere which is the counterfeit fellowship to fill that hole in their hearts.

Now we our stuck with a challenge. Where do we begin to make the difference. Let us begin right here in the church. Let it begin with us. As new people come through our doors let us not become comfortable with just us, but let us pray how we can get out of our comfort zones, and get to know the people who God has drawn to Himself. I am grateful to the Cambridge Springs Christian Missionary Alliance church family that they have made great progress in all these areas that were mentioned in this article, and I am continuing to pray how God can use me to share the good news with my community so the taverns will not have all this negative control over all these hurting families.

The article ended with this prayer that I would like to echo:

Our Father, thank you for calling us out of the world and into your family. Teach us what it means to truly love each other. We pray that your love would continue to unite us and that your Spirit would continue to break any barriers that might separate us. May we be your people with a loving purpose, Quick to reach needs, eager to reach out to strangers, help us to bless those who our enemies, rejoice with those who rejoice and help us to weep with those who weep. Fill us to overflowing with your love so the world will see Jesus in us. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Praise the Lord in all Things

Psalm 100:1: Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
2: Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing.
3:Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
5: For the Lord is good; His loving kindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.


We just received our new computer at the church yesterday and it is set up, so I am so thankful to be back writing on my blog once again. I tried doing it at other places, but sometimes their our many distractions. I feel more comfortable in a relaxed environment where it is quiet and peaceful, and people are not talking and dogs are not jumping on you while you are thinking about what to write.

This week is our annual Fireman's carnival, and true to tradition, we are having several bouts of heavy rains and stormy weather, I am planning to go down later this evening, as it is the once a year time that you can have a reunion with friends and family to catch up on things and spend time with those who plan their vacations so they can be here during this 4 day festival. One of the highlights of the event is the 18 hot-air balloons that they launch at various times in the evening and also the big parade on Saturday. I work at the Pharmacy for two hours on the evening of the parade to sell snacks and beverages. I enjoy that time to talk to people. Last year we sold almost 125 bottles of pop in that small period of time.

I chose this section of scripture about remembering to give praise and thanksgiving to God for the great things He has done. We just finished off a week with an event that was managed by various churches in our community who sent many of their members who were volunteers for the annual Vacation Bible School. It was well attended this year with over 180 young people coming on at least two of the 5-day program. There were several who made decisions to accept the salvation message. We will be having another marriage ceremony this coming Saturday morning for a couple who are sort of new to our church in the past year or so. I am so thankful for them bringing honor to Christ in making that decision. Soon we will be meeting to make plans for restarting the Team Kid's club again and also planning to get the children's bell choir along with singing and other activities, so we can once again begin allowing these young students become a part in the worship services. On the first Sunday in August we will be having a concert from the Needhams during the morning worship service. They came last year and provided us with some really great music. If you are reading this blog, and like great gospel music, plan to attend. Last week, we were blessed to here an encouraging message from Tom and Betsy Henning's son Aaron. He was encouraging us to get involved in church ministries, and he used several Biblical examples of ordinary people who God had chosen to fulfill His purposes and they were insecure and had fear, but because they believed and stepped out in faith, they were able to accomplish and fulfill the mission they were chosen for. He read a letter to us from a young man who Aaron preached the gospel to and this young man heard several of his messages, but it wasn't until about four years later that the man received and believed the free gift of salvation in Christ. He shared some other examples such as another student who came from a farming community and he was working towards a degree in architecture and how the young person went on a short term missions trip to help build simple homes for families. The young man was later given a burden to use what he had learned in his architecture classes and was able to design a beautiful orphanage overseas and he was able to go and help build it, and now he and his wife have moved there to help it operate. Aaron will soon be going there to visit his friend and see how the project is going. Isn't it great when we can see how Christ is able to select someone for a specific task and place them in the right circumstances and the right encourage rs and those who are able to equip and they end up doing great and mighty things to help build His kingdom. I thank Aaron and Amy for answering the call that Christ placed on their lives to pastor this unique college setting so this person would find and discover the mission he fulfilled. Let us also as the body of Christ continue to spur and encourage one another to perform good deeds that Christ had prepared in advance so in due time we also may be prepared to walk in them.

Continue to give praise and thanksgiving to Christ for the great things He has done and things He is doing and things He will accomplish in the future. Keep your eyes focused on Him, do not turn away to the right or the left. Let us keep our eyes on Him until He shows us His vision and purpose for us, both individually and corporately.

Well, until next week, I will be back, but for now I am off to the fair.

Faith is the Substance that Keeps us Strong to the End

Saturday was July 4th. It reminded me of the times when my mother used to prepare a recipe using cherry flavored jello and she would put diced up fresh fruit and shredded carrots and cabbage in it. It doesn't sound good, but it tasted good. She had this special pan that had a molded pattern in it. She would flip it over on a large serving tray, and the pattern would stay in the jello until the last of it was served. The secret to this happening without the jello loosing its form was a type of jello called Knox jello which you would mix with the flavored jello. It was the substance that you needed to keep it standing strong until the end.

Romans 6:17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient (from the heart) to that form of doctrine which you were committed
18: and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

I thought about that dish mom used to make, and I began thinking about my walk with Christ. If we want to become molded and changed to the likeness of Christ, we must be committed to His form of doctrine.

2Timothy 3:2:For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy
3:unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4:treacherous, wreck less, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5:holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power.

This suggests that with my free will, I can choose one way or the other, and both ways our the exact opposite of each other. I need something that I cannot produce on my own. It must come through Christ. I need to possess something that has substance. One time mom made this dessert, and she poured it out, and shortly afterward she noticed that it lost its shape and became a pitiful pile of goo in the middle of the tray. She later realized, she forgot to mix it with the Knox gelatin.


Hebrews 11:1; Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

If faith is what I need to stand strong in Jesus, where do I find it?

Romans 10:17: So faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ.

I need to activate and apply what I learn out of the Word so I can stand firm in the faith.

My prayer for my brothers and sisters in Christ is this:

Hebrews 6:11: and my desire is that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end
12: so that you will not be sluggish but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherited the promises.

One of the things that has greatly blessed me and others in the church was the Team Kids Club and when we first started planning it, there was a big emphasis on that whatever the plans were for each evening that the main focus would be to remind these young people about the scripture lesson. In the beginning , we were not seeing much progress, but now many of those same children have accepted Christ, and several have acknowledged their faith by publicly being baptized. Let us continue to look at the importance of the Word and keep our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith. May we continue to see people transformed to the image of Christ as we walk into newness of life as we live out the abundant life of faith and exercise and use what we learn in the scriptures.