Fear Not and Be of Good Courage

Matthew 2:10-18

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

¹¹ And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

¹² And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

¹³ And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

¹⁴ When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

¹⁵ And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying,

¹⁸ In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

Fear Not and Be of Good Courage

It has taken me a while to get my head around what happened in Connecticut last week.  I've had long conversations with my son, with friends and family and with myself.  I avoided the news most of the weekend because it was just too sad for me to absorb 24/7.  

It's hard enough to "fear not" and courage seems to wane just listening to the stories.  I can't even imagine being there.

The Holy Spirit reminded me however that this was the exact environment into which our Savior was born. Someone lost in his own insecurities and challenged, found it necessary to take the lives of babies.  We saw it with Moses.  We saw it again in the Word when Jesus' birth was announced.  We saw it last week.

Far too often it is the children in our communities who bear the burden of adult problems.  Whether from sex trafficking or abuse, divorce, drunkenness, texting while driving, war, or outright murder, it is usually the children who are faced with the gale force of the problem, both as victims and survivors.  This was true for Sandy Hook. It's true in Afghanistan and Syria today.  It was true for downtown Atlanta last night.  It was true in Bethlehem 2000 or so years ago.  As the Word reminds us; there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

I don't know magic words of comfort.  If I did, I would have been on a plane to Sandy Hook, CT Friday afternoon.  But whether it's Hurricane Sandy, a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, or at the scene of a car accident on a local highway, loss is loss to those who bear it.  Our call, our duty as members of the body of Christ is to share in one another's joys and tragedies.  That means laying aside jealousy when there is joy to share and and putting down apathy when there is loss.

Mary watched her Son, our Savior, crucified for crimes He did not commit.  This is the same Son she shielded and whisked away into Egypt when Herrod decided to murder newborn sons at His birth.  Its a burden no parent should have and yet, many do.

I will not fathom an answer to why this happened.  But I do know this.  This season of joy and laughter we celebrate this month was literally born out of the blood of innocents.  It wasn't a light thing with God then, and it isn't a light thing with Him now.  So, to cope, to deal, I am placing this in the hands of God.  If He can forge a plan to save all of mankind with a tragedy, He can handle this mess and the others we create.

Isaiah 40 says it best:

Isaiah 40

King James Version (KJV)

40 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

² Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins.

³ The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

⁴ Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

⁵ And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

⁶ The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

⁷ The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

⁸ The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

⁹ O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

¹⁰ Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

¹¹ He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

¹² Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

¹³ Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him?

¹⁴ With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?

¹⁵ Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

¹⁶ And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.

¹⁷ All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

¹⁸ To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

¹⁹ The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.

²⁰ He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.

²¹ Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

²² It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

²³ That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

²⁴ Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

²⁵ To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

²⁶ Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

²⁷ Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

²⁸ Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

²⁹ He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

³⁰ Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

³¹ But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Peace that surpasses understanding.  Joy unspeakable.  Comfort and Hope.  This is my Christmas prayer for all of us.

Lifeline is produced from the Evangelistic Ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA. You are encouraged to share this message. The Fellowship Church website (www.fcchosengeneration.com) includes a link to the Lifeline Blog (www.lifelineatfellowship.blogspot.com) where you can find previous messages. 

Evangelist Robinson also posts her entries on Facebook and Twitter. To subscribe to the mailing, or for questions and comments, tweet (@evangeliststeff) or send email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com. Fellowship Church can be reached at chosen.gen@att.net.

Fellowship Church

Where Passions Become Reality

Because You Are a Chosen Generation

455 Hwy 138 W. Suite C

Jonesboro, GA 30238

Between GA Hwy 85 and US 19/41

Across from EJ Swint Elementary School

Church Website - www.fcchosengeneration.com

The Shepherds

Luke 2:8-20

King James Version (KJV)

⁸ And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

⁹ And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

¹⁰ And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

¹² And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

¹⁵ And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

¹⁶ And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

¹⁷ And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

¹⁸ And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

¹⁹ But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

The Shepherds

It's that time of year again.  Schools and churches are working on their Christmas plays and concerts.  Bed sheets are being turned into shepherds cloaks.  Pretty soon, congregations will be all atwitter about little girls wearing blue scarves holding baby dolls, wise 'men' in fake beards and cardboard sheep, and angels with garland halos and sheer white stocking wings.

The shepherds are often an overlooked group in these local dramas.  They get the word from the angels and then sit quietly on the side while the wise men get all the lines in the play.  But, as Luke testifies, they were the evangelists in this story.

The heralds appeared and announced the birth.   The birth of a King is an important occasion.  Even now, England's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are barely months pregnant, and the event is being heralded far and wide.  Why?  Because the child will be third in line to the throne of England.  Regents matter.  Their arrival should be announced.

But it was the shepherds who carried the story not only of His birth, but who this Jesus is.  The Word says these workers 'made it known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.' (Luke 2:17).  Sheep have to be moved regularly to new pasture or they will eat the grass to the root.  Their occupation gave the method of their vocation - their calling in Christ.

We can get a little narrow-minded sometimes in how we hear our callings.  When the Holy Spirit gives us a duty, a call to ministry, it's easy to interpret that through the thin lens of a pulpit.  Preaching matters.  Location doesn't.  We are all called to be ministers.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁷ Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

¹⁸ And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

¹⁹ To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

²⁰ Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

²¹ For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

It doesn't mean that the way we make our living, how we occupy - our occupation - has to change because our calling has been heard.  Instead, we need to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  If we're supposed to change our occupation, then He'll tell us and lead us that way.  

Like the shepherds that were working outside Bethlehem all those many years ago, we just need to tell.  Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." (John 12:32).

So, as we press in this Christmas season, squeeze out the movies and the music and the shopping for a while and let's let the shepherds lead us.  Let's listen to what's being spoken to each of us, individually and collectively.  And when we hear, tell.

After all, we are often like sheep and will go astray without a shepherd....preferably the Good Shepherd.

John 10:25-30

King James Version (KJV)

²⁵ Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.

²⁶ But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

²⁷ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

²⁸ And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

²⁹ My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

³⁰ I and my Father are one.

Merry Christmas!

Lifeline is produced from the Evangelistic Ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA. You are encouraged to share this message. The Fellowship Church website (www.fcchosengeneration.com) includes a link to the Lifeline Blog (www.lifelineatfellowship.blogspot.com) where you can find previous messages. 

Evangelist Robinson also posts her entries on Facebook and Twitter. To subscribe to the mailing, or for questions and comments, tweet (@evangeliststeff) or send email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com. Fellowship Church can be reached at chosen.gen@att.net.

Fellowship Church

Where Passions Become Reality

Because You Are a Chosen Generation

455 Hwy 138 W. Suite C

Jonesboro, GA 30238

Between GA Hwy 85 and US 19/41

Across from EJ Swint Elementary School

Church Website - www.fcchosengeneration.com

Jesus is King!

Revelation 1:7-8

King James Version (KJV)

⁷ Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

⁸ I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Jesus is King!

I was working on a project for our upcoming church anniversary this Sunday where I needed a picture to convey the idea of kingdom.  It's my habit to start with Google Images when I'm brainstorming about visual ideas.

When I googled various combinations of kingdom and Jesus and conqueror, what caught me off guard was the utter lack in the pictures of the strength of our Savior.  There was picture after picture of perceived images of Jesus, but always with the same soft or even defeated expression.  

We talked about a similar subject in our disciples class last night...we want to have a say in the actions that are wholly in the hands of our Savior.  We want to 'earn' salvation and we can't.  It has to be received.  We want our works to be big and grand so we can say 'look what I did' but if the work is outside the calling, it's just disobedience.  We want images drawn of Jesus to show His sweetness and mercy.  Though His compassion is unquestioned, His strength cannot be ignored.

Jesus is Lord.  He is part of the God Head. The earthly embodiment of the eternal God.  He is the firstborn Son of God, sent to redeem the world to the Creator, who sits at the right hand of the Father awaiting the time to return and reclaim all that are His.

We serve a risen Savior.  He's no longer nailed to the cross.  He overcame that before He left the earth the first time.  He's not a baby.  We are coming into that season of celebration where we'll have endless images and effigies of the 'Baby Jesus'.  He grew up.  He's not only the Savior who taught us to 'suffer the children to come unto him' but also the Savior who threw out vendors from the temple and called the established religious leaders vipers to their faces.

THIS is the Savior, the Lord we serve.  He reigns.  He rules.  And He never asks for our opinion on His rule, just our willingness to accept and our humility to obey.

So this encouragement is for all of us to press in to see the Savior in the fullness of who He is.  He is much more than we can imagine.  He is all in all.

He said He was the door.  A door withstands everything the outside throws at it to protect what is inside.  Everyone who comes in your house walks through the door.  Only those who wish to harm you avoid it, and have to first get passed the door either by breaking it down, or finding a break in the wall.

When Jesus is the door, the very gates of Hell fall short in attempts to breech.

He is King!  He is Lord!  The question is, are you His?

John 10:1-11

King James Version (KJV)

10 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

² But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

³ To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

⁴ And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

⁵ And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

⁶ This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

⁷ Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

⁸ All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

⁹ I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

¹⁰ The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

¹¹ I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Our sixth church anniversary is this weekend.  I hope you will join us, through the Door as we celebrate this occasion.

Saturday we will have a carnival from 11-3.  Sunday morning, in addition to our regular service, we will have a second service at 3:00 PM where Pastor Norman Bradfield from Little Rock Missionary Baptist Church in Dayton, Ohio will bring the Word.

But whether you come to help us praise God for our past and future, or you come to come through the Door, we are here for you, ready and willing to walk with you as you grow in Christ.

Peace.

Lifeline is produced from the Evangelistic Ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA. You are encouraged to share this message. The Fellowship Church website (www.fcchosengeneration.com) includes a link to the Lifeline Blog (www.lifelineatfellowship.blogspot.com) where you can find previous messages. 

Evangelist Robinson also posts her entries on Facebook and Twitter. To subscribe to the mailing, or for questions and comments, tweet (@evangeliststeff) or send email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com. Fellowship Church can be reached at chosen.gen@att.net.

Fellowship Church

Where Passions Become Reality

Because You Are a Chosen Generation

455 Hwy 138 W. Suite C

Jonesboro, GA 30238

Between GA Hwy 85 and US 19/41

Across from EJ Swint Elementary School

Church Website - www.fcchosengeneration.com

In Synch

Genesis 24:55-58

King James Version (KJV)

⁵⁵ And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.

⁵⁶ And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.

⁵⁷ And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.

⁵⁸ And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.

In Synch

The passage above is from the account of how Issac and Rebekah were brought together. Abraham and Sarah insisted that their son, Issac, marry someone from their kin group.  They were not in their homeland, so they sent a servant back home to find Issac's bride.

The process is laid out in the Word with a whole slew of specific steps.  What stands out today is this small request by Rebekah's family.

Now that the match has been made, her family wanted her to delay her departure.  Seems like a reasonable request.  After all, when a bride at that time left, chances were good that she would have very little contact with her birth family especially if her husband's family lived in a foreign land.  This was all happening so fast.  I'm sure her mother just wanted to spend a precious few more days with her daughter.

But that's not how a move of God works.  When the timing is right to go, we must already be prepared and go.

This servant of Abraham understood that he was benefiting from the favor of God.  He understood that everything that had been needed for a successful journey had been given.  He wasn't about to let some emotions get in the way of the prosperity he was enjoying resulting from obedience.

But do we?

Oftentimes in the Gospel, Jesus is credited with saying some seemingly cruel things...let the dead bury the dead is one that comes to mind.  But cruel to whom?  Cruel to our emotions or cruel to God?

Jesus operated in strict obedience to the Father.  There was no questioning of orders.  There was no hesitation in going as directed.  He understood that disobeying the Father was more important than anything, or anyone else.

Those of us who have served in the military have often lived this way.  We've seen the confusion on loved ones faces when we've explained that we'll miss holidays and birthdays and family celebrations because we have 'orders' to obey.  Even now, there are soldiers, sailors and airmen on foreign soils who've not met children born while they've been away...who've missed funerals and weddings because they are in the line of duty.  This may not make sense to some who haven't served or who haven't spent time with those who do.  It makes perfect sense to those who understand the demands of duty.

This is our charge as followers of Christ.  We are called to a work; a tour of duty, if you will. Allegiance is the expected norm because that's what we've been given.  We were worth the very blood of Jesus...the entirety of His being.  He gave all.  In return, we are expected to offer the same.

The reward of this obedience is a fail safe plan.  Things that shouldn't happen will happen according to the will of God.  Not to our understanding, and not as things would be expected to happen necessarily.  But they will happen in a way that glorifies God.

Loved ones, maybe you've been dealing with areas of disobedience in your life.  Maybe you've been resisting a calling, or just resisting giving in and yielding your will.  Maybe yesterday it was no problem, but today it's the biggest challenge you face.  I know I've been there sometimes.

No matter how it comes or what it looks like, we have to be honest enough with ourselves and call out disobedience for what it is.  Only then can we get back 'in synch' with the Holy Spirit.  When we align our will with the will of the Father, then things can flow.  We we force our own will and resist Him, I know in my life it can feel like a physical blockage.  It can feel that way because that's what it is.  We block the flow of God through our lives with a dam of willful disobedience.

We come to Christ of our own free will.  We follow Him the same way.  There is no 'making us do something' in how God operates.  But, as born again believers, we are different so things just won't work until we accept who He is in fullness...not just Savior, but Lord and if Lord, then Master.

Proverbs 16:25

King James Version (KJV)

²⁵ There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

2 Corinthians 10:1-6

King James Version (KJV)

10 Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:

² But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

⁴ (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

⁵ Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

⁶ And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Unblock and get in synch with the Master.  He'll answer the questions but He's expecting our obedience first.

Lifeline is produced from the Evangelistic Ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA. You are encouraged to share this message. The Fellowship Church website (www.fcchosengeneration.com) includes a link to the Lifeline Blog (www.lifelineatfellowship.blogspot.com) where you can find previous messages. 

Evangelist Robinson also posts her entries on Facebook and Twitter. To subscribe to the mailing, or for questions and comments, tweet (@evangeliststeff) or send email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com. Fellowship Church can be reached at chosen.gen@att.net.

Fellowship Church

Where Passions Become Reality

Because You Are a Chosen Generation

455 Hwy 138 W. Suite C

Jonesboro, GA 30238

Between GA Hwy 85 and US 19/41

Across from EJ Swint Elementary School

Church Website - www.fcchosengeneration.com