David Simon's Blog, page 5

Spiritual Gifts

   Spiritual Gifts = abilities given by God to accomplish His work.
   Spiritual Gifts, like Christmas Presents are great! … but only if they are opened. These gifts are listed: 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 = Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Tongues, Translation; 1 Peter 4:8-11 = Hospitality, Stewardship; Romans 12: 1-16 = Prophecy, Ministry, Teaching, Exhortation, Giving, Leadership, Mercy; Ephesians 4:7-16 = Missions, Evangelism, Preaching, Teaching, Equipping.
   Can you imagine someone having one of these gifts, and not using them. For instance, someone with the gift of Hospitality who does not host; or a teacher who does not teach? These people must be miserable. God created them to participate as a kingdom, priests (Romans 1:6) who serve. The person who withholds their God Given Gifts fails to serve, robbing others of a service and themselves of a blessing. The ἐκκλησία (ekklesia, or church) was called to serve.
   What is your gift? There are a few links to tests in my last blog. Take a test and see … or just ask a good friend, “What am I good at?” They know, you can’t hide your gifts, and you should not hoard your gifts!
   Our gifts are for serving others, edifying (growing) the church (Ephesians 4:12; 1 Cor 14:12). They should spill over in the community. Gifts are always about others, never about ourselves … but we do get a blessing and see the reward when we graciously give to others for God.

Church Gifts

   What makes a church good? It is always the people. Church, “ἐκκλησία” (ekklesia) is defined as people who have been called out from the world, followers of God. John the Apostle says these people have been ransomed by God “from every tribe and language and people and nation, and … have been made a kingdom and priests by our God.” (Rev 5:9-10)
   Priests do not sit in pews. They do not hide in their communities. They make their faith known through acts of service.
   The Bible teaches God gives spiritual gifts for serving to every member of His church, (ἐκκλησία). These are for serving, do you know your Spiritual Gift?
   The Bible contains several lists of the gifts of Spiritual Service, but the best place to start on this topic is observation. Who are the people who make the most difference in your life? What is the “special thing” they do that makes that difference? That is their Spiritual Gift. Spiritual Gifts come naturally, sometimes without our even knowing they exist. But when we do know they exist and the nature of our Spiritual Gift, it is powerful! It is a blessing to others … and a blessing to ourselves because we are acting in the center of God’s will.
   As you observe believers with Spiritual Gifts, don’t just look for the obvious. Everyone knows the Pastor and the Minister of Music have Spiritual Gifts, and serve. Look for the Ushers, Greeters, the Sound people, and those who decorate the church. Who teachers your Sunday School class? Does your class have others who share their Spiritual Gifts? Those who keep records, organize parties, invite outsiders, visit the sick, bring refreshments, make the coffee? These are Spiritual Gifts, What is your’s? Are you supposed to fill a gap. You probably know it is there, because your Spiritual Gift makes you see what task is not being done?
   In your observation of Spiritual Gifts look in other places also. Who serves the children in your church? Who does the …. You know what this task is … make sure you thank them for serving. And make sure you serve yourself. God does not create pew warmers.

Do you know your Church?

   The church, the “ἐκκλησία,” God’s people, are to meet together regularly. The common idea is that we meet together to hear sermons or to lift our voices in praise to God, and neither of these is wrong. But often we miss out on the importance of “meeting together” in order to “encourage one another.” (Hebrews 10:23-25) This means people “spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”
   The purpose of the church is accomplished as people relate to each other and talk together. The personal relationships that God desires within the body called the Church do not occur by sitting in large groups and listening to music or sermons. Friendships are not created when people rush into a sanctuary at the last minute before the service begins (or shortly afterwards because they are late), and leave before the last “amen” (or shortly afterwards). The community aspect of the church is built when people “hang around” and talk to one another. Strong churches are created through multiple conversations that occur between members of the church.
   Through conversations we discover what others believe. But even more important, we discover what people need. The Bible describes the ideal church as one where, “all the believers were one in heart and mind.” (Acts 4:32-37) Christians in God’s Church listen to one another and caringly provide out of their strength for those in need Members know the needs because they listen. There is no one unimportant, but each person is included as part of the conversation.
   The Apostle John wrote, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:17-18) James, the brother of Jesus wrote, “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:15-17) How do we know the needs of our brothers or sisters if we do not talk together.
   The culture created in many churches is to be a place where people stop in to a) receive a teaching through the sermon; b) be lifted emotionally and given strength through the music; c) receive a bit of God through the partaking of bread and wine. But this is not the meaning of “Church” or “Synagogue.” The purpose of our meeting together is to become like family. We are to assist and meet needs on Sunday and through the week.
   On a personal note: I have seen the church in action as friends and members come to care for my aged mother-in-law. We employ some as care-takers who surpass the services often provided through agencies because we know them and they know us. I watch a family member who lives across the country suffer because he has chosen to separate himself from the church. There is not a community to call on in his time of need and failing health.

Church: Why do people attend?

   On any given Sunday (except Easter and Christmas season) approximately 72 million people attend church services in the United States. The reasons people go to church according to the polls uncover something interesting about most attenders. Religion to most people in our country is very passive. Attendees see the church as a place of recharging batteries rather than sharing a life-changing message with others.
   Pew Research outlines the various reasons people attend church: 1) To become closer to God; 2) For Children to learn about the faith; 3) To become a better person; 4) For comfort in times of sorrow; 5) To hear Sermons; 6) To be part of a community of faith; 7) Continue family religious traditions; 8) Feel an obligation to go; 9) To meet people.
   Why do you go to church? Is it for personal improvement, family education, because of family tradition (or obligation), to meet friends (or make business connections), or to serve God within a community of faith?
   When you go to church, do you attend worship services only? Do you participate in a small group? In what ways do you serve God through your church? Do you invite others? (Many churches are failing because members do not share their faith and joy with others).
   The Bible teaches we should: 1) build a daily relationship with God through daily prayer and daily Bible reading. (Psalm 19; 119:147; 143:8; Isa 50:4). We do this at home, and share the things we have learned at church. 2) As Parents we are responsible for teaching our children to love the Lord our God at home (Dt 6:4-9). Our children learn to love the Lord and desire to go to church. 3) We become a better people by living the things we put into our lives daily (Dt. 4:29; 10:12; 13:3). The church is a community of people (ἐκκλησία) who live their faith in very public ways.
   Why should people attend church? The author of the book of Hebrews writes, “since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:19-25)

Why Church

Have you ever examined why you attend church?
On a piece of paper (write it down), write briefly why you attend church.
What do you enjoy? What do you not enjoy?
How does going to church help you? When does attendance harm you?
On a scale of 1-5: Rate the music, rate the prayers, rate the liturgy, rate the message.
On a scale of 1-5: Rate your small group, rate your teacher, rate the quality of friendships.
What kind of spiritual or emotional care do you receive from your church?
How often do you pray for friends at church? How often do they pray for you?
How often do you eat a meal with others who attend your church?
If you were in need, could you depend on friends at church to help you?
What is something you learned from church in the last two weeks?
How often do you think of something from church during the rest of the week?
How often do you invite others to your church? Why?
What is your place of service at the church? How is this fulfilling?
How did you come to serve in each position at church?
What is your spiritual gift?
How often do you pray during the week? How often do you read your Bible?
Why is the world better because of your church?
Why are you better because of your church?
How is the world better because you attend church?

Defining “Church”

   I recently looked up the definition of the word ‘church.”
   Dictionary.com, Macmillian and Merriam Webster said, “a building used for public Christian worship.” The Cambridge Dictionary added, “a Christian religious organization.” The Free Dictionary added, “Ecclesiastical power as distinguished from the secular”. The Urban Dictionary said, “expression to show approval of a situation.” Vocabulary.com said, “A church is where you go for a public religious service. On Easter, some people go to church to pray.”
   The New Testament translates the Greek word “ἐκκλησία” (ekklesia) as ‘Church.’ This word, derived from the compound “ἐκ” (A primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence action or motion proceeds), from, out (of place, time, or cause; literal or figurative) and “καλέω” (to call or be called by name) means “an assembly of the people convened at the public place.” Similarly, the Greek word for Synagogue, derived from the compounding of σύν (a primary preposition denoting union) and ἄγω (to lead by laying hold of, and this way to bring to the point of destination) means “to gather together, assemble, collect, gather, or meet.”
   The “church” is not a building at all. It is people who gather together in a public place for a specific purpose.
   The apostle Peter wrote the church is “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9). He is quoting from Exodus 19:6, where God calls Israel, “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Moses also wrote, “you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.” (Deut 7:6)
   During the months of August & September 2019, I will write several short blogs about the church. I will look at what it is, what it is not, and hopefully raise awareness so people of the church, or synagogue, or mosque or temple can understand there is a perception problem and better explain who they are and what they do within their local communities.

What is a Church?

   Perhaps you think “everybody knows that!” or would tell me that the answer to this question is common knowledge in the United States … but you are wrong! In recent years there are many (and that number is growing) people who have no idea what a church is or what a church stands for.
   A recent survey (2018) asked the question, “Aside from weddings and funerals, how often do you attend religious services?” 46% (almost half) answered seldom or never. About ten years a group went door to door in a small southern town and asked the question, “do you belong to a church or religious organization in this community?” An amazing 80% answered “no.” Christians who encourage each other by saying, ‘people will come to church if we just invite them,’ fool themselves. Most people who do not regularly attend religious services have no idea what happens in a church, synagogue, mosque or temple.
    And how would people know what goes on in a place they seldom attend? Think about it … do you know what goes on inside the building of another religion? Do you know what their services are like? What holy book they use? What they teach, or how they interact with the community? Do you know what they think about your religion? Do you even know how to approach them?
   During the months of August & September 2019, I will write several short blogs about the church. I will look at what it is, what it is not, and hopefully raise awareness so people of the church, or synagogue, or mosque or temple can understand there is a perception problem and better explain who they are and what they do within their local communities.

Why don’t Christians celebrate Passover

   Passover is a wonderful festival of faith! The celebration includes great food, lots of company (invite everyone!), and a fantastic story. The evening spent commemorating the events surrounding the Exodus from Egypt are informative, entertaining and quite fulfilling. For the Jewish people this is an event that binds our families together. For Christians this is the background story of to the life of Jesus. (see more in my book Spring: Connecting With God).
   Often when I talk to Christians about the Passover I am met with a blank response. Most Christians know that Passover is a Jewish holiday, but they have no idea what it is (although sometimes they know it relates to the Exodus from Egypt). I am amazed at how many people I talk do not know the Last Supper of Jesus was a Passover meal. The vast majority of church members have never participated in a Passover Seder, and are therefore totally ignorant of this important foundation of their faith.
   The lack of information provided to most Christians by the church regarding the Passover is sad, because the story told at this Jewish celebration is at the heart of the entire Bible. In my book, Spring: Connecting With God, I relate with some detail how the gospels related Jesus’ participation in the Passover during every year of his life, including each of the three years of his ministry. It is clear from the New Testament that Jesus and his disciples wanted the church to include the Passover Seder, along with it’s Jewish and Christian symbols as part of the annual calendar.
   The early church developed a weekly meal, similar to the Passover Seder, which it called the Agape (or Love) Feast. This meal, which was often held before worship services included stories of faith and the Lord’s Supper (Communion, Eucharist). But the meal did not last, because Christians forgot a central commandment of their faith, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” or in the words of the Apostle John, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. ... Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4)
   Paul, Luke, Jude and Peter very early in the church’s history relate that there are problems in the Agape (or Love) feast. (1 Corinthians 11:17–34; 2 Peter 2:12-14; Jude 1:12) These problems were similar to those that divide people today. In Corinth the wealthy people did not like to associate with the poor. In Jerusalem, the people who lived in the land were prejudiced against those that came from surrounding Greek territories (Acts 6:1-7). In Antioch of Syria, racism became a major problem in the congregation. (Acts 11:19-27) Jewish believers were causing divisions against the Gentiles (Acts 15:1), and Gentile believers developed a resistance to the Jews.
    Ignatius, an early bishop who led the church at Antioch forbid Jewish practices, including the Passover, in Antioch and beyond. He wrote in his letters to the Philippians and to the Tarsians, “If any one celebrates the passover along with the Jews, or receives the emblems of their feast, he is a partaker with those that killed the Lord and His apostles.” Ignatius did this to increase the power of the early Gentile church. Ignatius helped to build the political power structure within early Christianity. Other early church fathers followed in the practices of antisemitism in order to gain power, leaving behind fears and prejudicial beliefs toward Biblical Jewish practices that remain to this day.
   The Apostle Paul wrote, “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Cor 5:7-8) Paul, who grew up in a Jewish home, always maintained the Jewish traditions, even visiting the Temple in Jerusalem. He understood and taught the Jewish - Christian connection.
   In our modern era, it is sad to loose the Jewish foundations of the Christian faith, because the loss makes the church shallower … and less like Jesus. We need to learn the lesson of the Wise Son, who desires to know everything about the Passover and his faith. We should ask questions, as the eldest child at the Passover Seder, in order to learn. We should learn the meanings of the food and how they relate to the Spring harvest, the Exodus from Egypt, and the life and ministry of Jesus. In a world of refugees, we need to hear these words, “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” (Ex 22:21; Lev 19:33-34; Deut 10:19; Ps 146:9)
   Every Christian congregation should celebrate the Passover on a regular basis. There are many good leaders who can guide the church (contact me at KosherCopy@gmail.com if you live in the eastern US), or you can use my book “A Christian Passover in the Jewish Tradition” to put together your own Passover Seder.

Spring: Connecting with God

     Praise the Lord, my soul.
     Lord my God, you are very great;
          you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

     In North Carolina, Spring is finally here. We have enjoyed, and will have enough days in the 60’s or above, along with frost free nights, that I have planted kale in the garden, and will trust the Lord for its growth (and the wire fence to keep the rabbits out, which I know observe hopping around!)
     This is the season God puts on a full display of beauty. The forsythia and daffodils are in full display with yellow coloring, early annuals are blooming and I have a camellia still showing its colors. Cherry trees are budded out and my redbuds have begun to pop, and there are other flowers which will soon show their colors.
      The weather outside goes from cloudy to sunny. Last night was a display of thunder … God’s power. Today is cloudy, yesterday overcast, tomorrow will probably be sunny. Every day is new and fresh, and the temperature is about perfect.
     He makes the clouds his chariot
          and rides on the wings of the wind.
     In the spring (and any time of the year) it is appropriate to give praise and thanks.

Spring: Connecting With God     In the past week, I attempted an experiment. I brought flowers and left them at desks of people I see on a regular basis. One person put their flowers in a vase and displayed it. Two others totally ignored the flowers, one brushing them aside (because I put one flower on the keyboard), and was busy typing. It always amazes me when people brush aside the things of God and ignore, without so much as a look. Are we really like that with the things of God?
     We want God to answer our prayers, but we totally ignore the part of the relationship called Praise. We also often ignore Thanksgiving. Both are important aspects of our prayer life.
     He makes the clouds his chariot
          and rides on the wings of the wind.
     God wants us to notice! Especially this time of year, when everything goes on display.
     And then there are the festivals.
PURIM - a season of thanksgiving for God’s rescue of His people
PASSOVER - again a time of thanksgiving for God’s rescue
GOOD FRIDAY - ditto … Let us give thanks to God for what has been done!
     Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” (John 12:24-26)
EASTER - more than Easter lilies, God conquered death, and gave life
     “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) God takes care of us like a shepherd, and leads us to green pastures (Psalm 23).
     How many are your works, Lord!
          In wisdom you made them all;
     This season, let us take time to give thanks … and let us take time to bring thanksgiving to the heart of others. 
     May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
          may the Lord rejoice in his works—
      The book - Spring: Connecting with God is about our relationship with God, noticing. I would commend it to you at this time of year. It is available in paperback, on kindle, and it can be read for free through Amazon Prime.

Hanukkah, Is that in the Bible?

     I hear the title of this blog asked as a question again and again as I take out my dreydel to spin it, or as I say, “Happy Chanukah” as a holiday greeting to people I meet. There are some who do not know what Hanukah is, and I am glad to relate the meaning of the festival. There are some who are uncomfortable with anything that has religious connotation. For these I am sorry, because I am not trying to ‘convert’ them to Judaism, I am just sharing a festival that brings joy to many (a cultural note and a historic event). Then there are yet others who seem a bit perturbed that I would issue that greeting, because they are Christians and the Jewish holiday is not part of their chosen experience. There exists, among some, ‘if it isn’t in the New Testament, it doesn’t matter.’Jerusalem from Mt. Scopus (North)     And here is where these “New Testament Only” Christians are mistaken. Hanukkah does exist in the New Testament (and even though it is a Jewish holiday, there are no references to this festival in the Old Testament). Here it is, from the Gospel of John 10:22-23, “Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.” Beyond the Apocrypha, the only Biblical reference to this Jewish festival is in the Gospels.Jerusalem from Haas Promenade (South)     John’s Gospel points out that Jesus knew of and celebrated the festival of Hannukah. This festival is the Feast of Dedication, a holiday to remember when the Hebrew army under the command of Judah Maccabee defeated the Hellenistic forces in Jerusalem to recapture the Temple. As a matter of faith, religion and victory, Judah, his brothers, and the people of Israel were very quick (maybe too quick) to pull together the people and items necessary to re-start Temple worship and the practices of their faith. They rededicated the house of God (therefore the New Testament title for the holiday) with praise and palm branches, and with harps and cymbals and stringed instruments, and with hymns and songs.Jerusalem from Pater Noster (East)     There can be little doubt that Jesus would have lit a menorah for Chanukah. The Talmud (Shabbat 21b) relates that Hillel and Shammai argued about lighting the candles. Hillel believed that a light should be added for each night so the glow would grow throughout the festivities. Shammai believed eight candles should be lighted the first night, and then one less each night in order to remember the offering of bulls during the Feast of Tabernacles. The menorah was placed by the doorpost (as the Mezuzah was placed on the doorpost) in order to declare faith in the God who redeemed Israel.Jerusalem from the Tower of David (West)     The festival of Chanukah contains a story that people of faith can stand behind. It is the recitation of how the household of Mattathias, even when faced with punishment and death, did not neglect the practice of their faith. At the heart of the story is the command by a Hellenistic soldier for Mattathias and his village to bow down to an idol. The village priest and his family refuse to deny their faith. A book worth reading!     I have related some stories of the Maccabee rebellion in the book Advent Journeys, available as a book, as a Kindle e-book, and readable through Amazon Prime). If you want to become more personally involved with the Christmas … and the Chanukah story (week 6 of the book), I would encourage taking time to read Advent Journeys, as a book, on Kindle, or through Amazon Prime.