And before the LORD your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the LORD your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which the LORD your God chooses, to set his name there, then you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the LORD your God chooses and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household (Deut. 14:23-26).

Download and listen to the entire sermon on the 8th commandment.

The Latin in the title to this post means "There is no salvation outside of the church."  Typically, we add "ordinarily" to that slogan just to be sure that everyone understands that there are extraordinary situations where people do trust Jesus but are not able to join with a local congregation. The point is, however, that becoming a Christian is not simply something that happens in your head.

The Trinitarian Shape of Christian Ministry: Does God do All Things for his Own Glory?

The Trinity & The Church: Lex Ordandi, Lex Credendi

In 2002 I also gave four lectures at the CVCRT.  The theme that year was "The Covenant."  I could only locate my first three lectures.  The lecture on the Lord's Supper seems to be lost.

Christian Ministry After the Death of God

The Origin and Ground of the Covenant - The Trinity

Ritual & Covenant: Part 1 - Baptism.

by Pastor Jeffrey J. Meyers

With a little help this morning, I think you will be able see from the way this story is written, from the details that John has selected, what the Holy Spirit wants us to think about.

We are too used to reading the Gospels stories of Jesus arrest, trial,  condemnation, and death from a devotional perspective and so miss a lot of what’s going on.   We actually have a difficult time trying to figure out the meaning of the details of the story.  Of course, we will defend the historicity of the details of the story against unbelieving academics and liberal churchman.  Butwhy these details? Why any details at all?

John, of course, has already wonderfully summarized things in chapter 1 and 3.  “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” and “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.”  But what does God’s provision of a lamb for the sins of the world have to do with this long story of what happens to Jesus the night before he dies?  What does God loving the world have to do with the machinations and conspiracies of Judas, the High Priests, Pilate, and the Jewish crowds?  A great deal, truly, but we will have to learn to read them a bit differently.

You see, here in the narrative of Jesus’ arrest and trial and condemnation we have a somewhat surprising perspective—it does not contradict or compete with the other apostolic explanations of Jesus’ death, rather, it complements and enriches them. Remember, the meaning of death of Jesus is far richer than we are often used to acknowledging.

by Jeffrey J. Meyers

As Luke walked through the rain toward the corner house he was apprehensive.  That surprised him.  He knew all along that this was the climax of the process—that he would have to present his work to these men before it could be copied and used to teach the disciples.  But he didn’t think it would be this nerve-wracking.

His wife had encouraged him by reminding him that they were all anxiously waiting for his account of the life of Jesus.  They were his colleges and friends, after all.  And he reminded himself that his mentor and companion Paul had encouraged him and helped him with the work.  Paul would be there tonight to support him.  That helped comfort him.

When he arrived at the threshold Luke prayed, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands; yes, Lord, establish the work of our hands.  Amen.”

Mnason’s wife met him at the door, greeted him warmly, and took his cloak met.   She directed him into a warm, well-lit room filled with men standing around talking.  Luke remembered that the Mnason household was among the first to be baptized and become Christians in Jerusalem.  Ever since then his house, situated in such a convenient place in Jerusalem, had been a welcome home away from home for so many travelling disciples.

“Here’s Doctor Luke,” one of the men in the room announced.  “Get him a glass of wine,” another one said.  That was Trophimus, one of the first converts from Asia.  Luke hoped that he had brought a bottle or two of that Asian wine he had tasted in Troas a few months ago.  Trophimus was one of about 7 men that travelled with Paul and Luke from Troas to Jerusalem. 

December 24, 2009

Text: Luke 2:10-12

Have you ever thought you had a person pegged, figured out, only to discover one day that he or she was much more interesting, colorful, or deep than you had ever thought possible?  

Perhaps that person does something that reveals a dimension hitherto unknown. and you say to yourself or others: "I would never have guessed that William would ever do something like that," or "I didn't know he had it in him."

We had perceived that person to be rather one-dimensional or boorish and then they did something that opened up to us a rich personality or character of which we had not previously been aware.

Our understanding of someone's character or personality is heightened such that we will never look at him the same way again.

I experienced this with some regularity when I was training new lieutenants in the Army.  Typically, these men would undergo a couple of months of training in the classroom.  Some men excelled behind a desk with paper, pencil, books, and tests.  Others didn't.  Take these men out of the classroom into the field with a mission and men to lead, and the transformation was often stunning and quite unpredictable.

This often happens with seminarians, too.  The one that you perceive as a miserable, abject seminary student after a few years in the ministry is transformed.  You are amazed at the unveiling of depths of character and skill that you might never have predicted.

Something very much like that happens with the birth of Jesus.  What the world may have thought about God is revolutionized, transformed, even replaced.  Surely within the Hebrew Scriptures there was this latent potential hidden in typological and symbolic prophesy—that the God of Israel had more to him than man might have ever thought. But it remained dormant, hidden until Christmas day.