In His Service

        Spiritual Hospitality : Broken and spilled out John 12:1-11 In our age of honoring celebrity achievements, boasting of longevity, tributes to men and women on their stature, and bragging on knowledge and skills, people attribute this as hospitality. Hospitality, spiritual hospitality, first and foremost honors God, the creator of all that there is, the giver and sustainer of life, the truth, and the eternal One. For only the Lord is worthy of all honor and glory. Second, it is the demonstration of love, an act of righteous behavior. Third, it is the demonstration of the peace of God, not the obligation or demand for peace. We are to be spirit-filled servants who demonstrate the spiritual gift of hospitality, not expecting adulation from our peers. Jesus said, “ So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” Lk.17:10   Jesus finds himself the honored guest at the house...

                                                                            “For the Greater Good” John 11:45-57   Many leaders, both good and bad, have used their influence and power to act on what they believe is for the greater good of humanity or their interests. “In the interest of the greater good” has been quoted in many books and movies as well as in the Bible. The high priest Caiaphas made this the urgence of his time as he gave it as a prophecy for the people of Israel. Let’s begin the lesson with the first portion of the text, “Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “Wh...

        Come Out!! John 11:38-45 How many of you have heard and seen the mourning of grief and despair over something tragic and unexpected in life? Even with the assurance of God’s faithfulness and promises, people are broken beyond doubt to the why’s, the if’s, and the impossible. Yet God knows exactly what to do and all for the glory of his name and his Son’s name. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Rom. 8:28 Jesus saw all this at the tomb of Lazarus, but he came with the power of God to do the works of God for his Father’s glory. Let’s look at the first part of the text, “ Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if yo...