Suedberg Church of God - eThoughts

#5 - The Full Testimony

5/9/2018

After leading the Israelites into the desert, his father in law came to meet him. Moses and he met in a tent and talked. In Exodus 18:8 we read:

“Moses told his father in law about everything the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way … “

This feels and sounds VERY familiar, doesn’t it? Sharing our hardships with people? Yes, that is common and almost expected. We all go through them, and it seemingly like to share them with others. Perhaps it makes us feel better to talk about it, to feel like someone else cares about it, and to simply here that others go through similar struggles.

But for Moses this rest of the verse is as follows …

“… and how the LORD had saved them.”

Now this is profound. Moses shared the hardships. I get that. I do that. But then he also shared how the LORD rescued them from those hardships. Do I share how God rescues me from the hardships? What an opportunity to be a witness for the LORD! All I have to do is add to the litany of struggles is, “And this is what the LORD did to get me out of those hardships …”

When I think about this passage, it is intriguing on a few points:

We will go through hardships. All of us. Not one is exempt, even if you are His redeemed child.
He is right there with us. He does not abandon us.
He will help us through the hardships.

In many ways this reminds me of Psalm 23:4 … “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me …”

The LORD will walk with us through the hardships and the wonderful times. He will not leave us. He will rescue us. And now all we need to do is share how He did it or us.

Lesson #4 - Doing the Unexpected

4/27/2018

The following passage, listed below, from Exodus 15:22-25 is a surprising passage. The Israelite people have been walking in the desert/wilderness for three days. It is an arid land, with limited water resources. A million or more people and very little water over three days is a potential crisis in the making. But praise God they find a oasis or spring of some kind.

You could probably hear the rejoicing among the thirsty people: 'Water! We found water!'

But then it is tasted. It is horrible. Bitter. Disgusting. Makes one sick to their stomach. Now what? No water for days, and then the only water that is found you cannot drink it! So, the people do what most people do, including you and I ... complain.

The people complained to Moses. Moses complained to God. And God showed him what? A piece of wood.

A what?

Yes. A piece of wood.

What good is that? How is a piece of wood, that is dirty, dry rotted or petrified, going to help the water situation? This makes no sense at all: "We need water. Not an old dead piece of wood!"

But Moses in his faith, trusted the Lord and took that piece of wood and threw it into the water. And then tasted he the water.

It was sweet.

This is shocking. God showed Moses what to do. It made no sense to him or anyone else, but it is what God wanted done. And the result was great.

God does ask us me to do some things that make no sense to us from a human perspective: forgiving my neighbor for the 15th time, befriending one who treats me like dirt, being patient with a coworker who is so undeserving, giving someone a second chance for the fifth time, or giving God 10% of my income. And I could go on and on.

Humanly, it may not make sense, but God knows exactly what He is doing. Let Him work. Trust Him. Leave the results to Him, which will turn good or even great.

"When Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?" Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet."

Lesson 3 - Waiting on the LORD

4/19/2018

It is hard to listen to the news most days: murders, assaults, gas attacks, knife attacks, bombings, accidents ... and it goes on and on. One bad to horrible item after another. Mixed in amidst all the death are stories of corruption, theft, unfaithfulness, social media disparaging of one another ... and it too goes on and on. Endless drama.

How does one keep his head above the fray?

Since you are like me, you'd probably love to put a stop to it. Or dream of having the perfect answer to just shut some people up. Or to see justice happen swiftly. Instead of taking the latest school shooter to trial, speed up his execution. We all know he is guilty. There is no doubt. Why wait?

I imagine as one reads about the Israelites being enslaved by Pharaoh, that they wanted God to punish the Egyptian nation for their brutal enslavement. Not tomorrow ... but today. Why wait? Destroy them now. Especially when Moses came and said God would rescue them. Why wait to punish them, do it now!

The thoughts of revolting and enacting vengeance might have been whispered in the mud pits, construction sites, and late meals at home by the fire. Dreams of crushing the oppressors may have filled their hearts and minds as time slowly marched on.

Hope seemed real, when Moses came and confronted Pharaoh, telling him to let the people go. But the only result was that the work conditions got even worse for Israel. And when this happened, they were angry with Moses and wished God would judge him! (Exodus 5:19-21).

Afterward the ten plagues began to fall upon Egypt, one at a time, and only after a warning was given: blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and then finally the first born. This was probably not the way the Israelite people wanted to judge Egypt, but it was God's way. A way that revealed Himself to Egypt. No one could possibly do what the plagues did. They were only possibly by divine supernatural power originating from the One true Living God: "I AM" (YAHWEH).

In one final act of judgement, God destroyed Pharaoh's army by drowning them in the Red Sea, as they tried to follow the people of Israel. The Lord's purpose was so "the Egyptians would know that I am the Lord, when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen (Ex 14:18)."

God is our Judge, but He wants people to know that He is LORD, so they can come to know Him, and turn from the error or their rebellious sin-filled ways. He is our sovereign Judge, but also our Loving Father who desires that all would be saved and that none would perish.

Did the plan work? Yes.

Exodus 9:20 tells us that officials of Pharaoh that feared the word of the Lord went out and brought their livestock and servants inside to protect them from the coming plague of hail. And Exodus 12:38 tells us that many other people left Egypt with Israel. Many other people would include a large number of Egyptians, perhaps even some of those officials who feared the word of the Lord.

Whenever we are tempted to wish for swift revenge, or judgment, maybe we should hesitate and let God take care of it (directly by his hand or through people). He'll do it in a fair and equitable way, but also in a way that gives the opportunity for one to turn away from their old life of sin and embrace a new life by receiving and believing on the name of Jesus as LORD and Savior.

Lesson Two … Unrepentant to the Detriment of others

3/14/2018

There were many plagues that God sent against Egypt. It was a form of judgment, as they were abusing his people, Israel, as slaves. They were brutally treated and the Lord, through Moses, asked Pharaoh to let the people go. He refused. So, God judged the land with powerful, destructive plagues (against other so-called gods of Egypt, showing there is One God, not many gods).

In chapter 9, after the plague of hail. Pharaoh said he was wrong. He had sinned. He would let the people go. Moses prayed, and the hail stopped. But when it stopped Pharaoh sinned again and hardened his heart and would not let them go.

When we suffer, we often cry out to God. Perhaps, even question Him, “Where are You?” We may say we are sorry and will not do this again. Almost like a bargain: “If You relieve the suffering, I will obey You.”
But what happens when the suffering ends? And things get better? How often do we forget our bargain, and simply keep living as we had before?

Pharaoh’s lack of repentance caused great suffering for those around him. How much suffering do you and I cause those around us when we do not repent of our sin against God?

Lesson One … Equipped to do what God asks

How many excuses do you and I offer to not WITNESS to others about the Good News of Jesus Christ? We can learn a lot from Moses …

Who am I?
- Moses argued that he was a nobody. Who would listen to him? He lacked the training. Besides he was a criminal, a murderer of an Egyptian. Who we were in the past can disqualify us, can it not?

Why would they listen to me?
- Moses wondered why the Israelites would listen to him. Had the Lord really spoken to him? Why him and no one else? What makes him special?

I am not a good speaker!
- Moses felt he stumbled and was not eloquent while speaking. It was not a strength of his. Perhaps he could do something else, for speaking publicly was not his desire nor his strength.

Send someone else!
- Moses wanted nothing to do with it. He was afraid and believed someone else was better equipped to do the job. So, he was willing to walk away.

How many times have you and I offered similar thoughts and posed similar questions to God? More times than I can remember, I suppose. Yet, when I read about Moses, every time, he objected, God had an answer already prepared. The Lord God knew how Moses felt, what he needed, and then He provided for each need. So that, despite all the objections, Moses did go and would became a great man of God.

What can the Lord do with me? With you?

Conflicted

10/3/2017

Our nation is once again grieving in shock over a mass shooting. This time 59 died and 527 were wounded. It was a pure act of evil. Satan is dancing at the death and destruction he wrought through a willing man. God is grieving as we all are. He has provided the answer for this evil. For all evil. An answer so obvious most miss it.

The Answer is too simple. Too straight forward. It is rejected. Repeatedly. Yet, government laws haven’t stopped mass murders. Increased police presence hasn’t stopped mass murders. Preaching tolerance in our schools hasn’t stopped mass murders. Yet, we call for more. More security. More police. More laws. More education.

All the while avoiding the obvious: We are innately evil. We need help from God above to be made righteous. To become pure.

How long will we wallow in this sea of death before we wake up and gaze toward heaven and receive God’s help? The evidence of our need for help is everywhere.

The number one movie in America over the past month has grossed nearly $300 million in ticket sales. This movie is rated R in the genre of horror. Within this movie, one finds (according to reviewers):

A teenager is pushed down a well to his supposed "death" (not shown).
A bully is seen slitting his father's throat while he sleeps, there is some blood shown.
A teenager murders his father by stabbing him in the neck with a knife.

This is entertainment.

This is what we watch for fun.

To relax and unwind.

It is the enjoyment of our life.

Violence. Death. Mutilation. Blood. Gore. We watch it. We pay to own it. We play it as a game. We show it to our kids. And laugh. That was a good movie.

But then the movie becomes reality. A man possessed by evil simply unloads thousands of bullets on a crowd of music concert goers. He pours blood everywhere. He might have even smiled while doing it. People scream in terror. The smell of death is everywhere. Horror reigns. And we are shocked as the movie comes to life.

We are surely conflicted. And we are dying because of it.

God teaches us …

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23)
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Phil 4:8)

How long will we fill ourselves with darkness? How long will we laugh at evil? How long will we sit back and play a game of evil? How long until we say “enough” and be honest with one another: We need help. We cannot do it ourselves. Our efforts have failed in the past. Are failing today. And will fail in the future.

How long until we turn to God and receive His help? How long before we receive and believe in the name of Jesus Christ? The One who can change our heart? Our mind? Our soul?

How long America? How long will it take before we recognize we need God to create in us a pure heart?

The Aftermath of Harvey

8/31/2017

What do you think? How has Harvey changed your life? Or hasn't he changed it?

If you are like millions of Americans, the images of the people, the water, the suffering, and the rescues are stunning and shocking. It seems unfathomable that an area from Houston to Beaumont/Port Arthur could receive over 40" of rain in 5 days. That is what we average for a whole year! It is shocking.

So is this the "greatest flood" in US history? No one will really know. It is hyperbole. Perhaps it is true. But then again our memories may be failing us. Take a look below.

These floods are from 1936, 1921, 1999, 1997, 1951, and 1993 respectively. They were all major and significant. All caused billions of dollars worth of damage (in terms of 2017 dollars) and destroyed tens of thousands of homes. Which was the biggest? To be blunt: does it really matter? They were all catastrophic and caused much suffering, and loss of life.

Why Celebrate Easter?

4/18/2017

As a young child, Easter was a time to celebrate the coming of spring, green grass, daffodils, and tulips. A time of leaving winter cold and snow behind, and embracing the increasing warmth as the sun rises higher in the sky.

Easter was always a time of dressing up, coloring eggs, attending special services with our church family on Good Friday and Easter Morning. And in the afternoon, we would enjoy a hearty meal with my grandparents. The highlight of the day was three-fold: waking up to find my 4’ giant blowup bunny staring at me in my room, finding hidden eggs and discovering a basket filled with surprises sitting at my place at the table. I loved it. It was Easter.

I knew Easter was really about Jesus rising from the dead. I understood that fact. I believed that fact. But the bunny, the eggs and the basket of gifts made it fun!

There is, however, one thing that was rarely talked about: Jesus being the Bread of Life.

Yes, I partook of Communion as I got older, understanding that Jesus gave His body to die for my sin, and that His blood was shed, so I could be forgiven and the wrath of God be satisfied. All I needed to do was believe and receive Him as Lord and Savior. It was understood that to be forgiven I also needed to repent: say I’m sorry to God. He is right and I was wrong. But, Jesus being the Bread of Life? I heard about it. Never really focused on it. Until a few years ago.

Bread is a very simple, basic staple of life. Most if not all of us have some bread in our homes somewhere; the freezer, the cupboard, or the refrigerator. But if I don’t eat it, it serves no purpose. For bread to be advantageous, I must eat it, digest it, internalize it. It must become a part of me.

Same with the Bible.

If I read the Bible and simple admire the teaching, yet don’t do what it says, what good is my reading of it? For it to be advantageous to me, I must read it and do what it says: Place my faith in Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior and follow Him daily.

Bread, like most any other food, is beneficial, when eaten. It gives us the strength and energy that we need to live.

Same with Jesus.

He gives us what we need to live eternally. He is our sustainer. We “feed” from Jesus.
Eating food, whether bread or something else, is something that is personal. You cannot eat for me, and I cannot eat for you. Each of us must eat to nourish our body. If I don’t eat, I will starve to death.

Same with Jesus.

If I want to be saved from my sin, and spend eternity in Heaven with God, then I must choose to believe in the name of Jesus as LORD and Savior of my life. One cannot be saved on the coattails of another. I must choose. You must choose. Everyone must choose. If I do not place my faith in Him as Lord and Savior, I will starve in terms of eternal life, and die a death of eternal separation from God. An eternity spent in Hell.

This is some of what Jesus meant when He said He was the Bread of Life (See Matt 26:28; Acts 5:30-31; 10:43; Eph. 4:32; John 14:6; 1 Peter 3:18 and John 3:15-16, 36; 5:24; 17:2; 1 John 5:11-12 for more insight).

The Resurrection on that Sun morning, proved that what Jesus taught was true. He is the Bread of Life that came from Heaven and he/she who eats of this bread will live and not die.

On Full Display

3/18/2017

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
Romans 3:23

The above verse is a well known and often quoted verse. Unfortunately it also abused in its application. But that is not the point of this article. My purpose is to share some thoughts about human pride being on full display this week during and after the Nor'easter of this past week.

The following are three examples of human pride getting in the way.

The NWS and other meteorologists were harshly criticized this week for the incorrect forecasts made in the regions of NYC, Long Island, Coastal Connecticut, central NJ, Philadelphia and extreme SE Pennsylvania. Blizzard warnings were issued for many of these areas. Most were expecting 12-18" or 18-24" of snow. They got some snow, lots of sleet. but now blizzard.
Twitter was filled with insults and anger. Media ran headlines about the failure to not make a last minute change forecast change, the storm fizzled, it gave only a glancing blow, too much hype as public loses faith in weather prediction. .
Forecasters came to the defense of their colleagues. They pointed out it was better to be safe than sorry, and the danger of flip-flopping on forecasts.

In each case human pride played a role as I show below ...

1. When I make a decision, I resist changing it, unless something very compelling is shown to me. We all do this. We defend our decision as being right before we act upon it.

In terms of this forecast was there compelling data that would lead to a forecast change in the I-95 corridor? The maps below are snow maps from the NAM and Canadian RGEM. Both are from the Monday(13th) morning model runs. This would be the last runs prior to the final forecast for the storm. The maps reveal the area where sleet was predicted: SE PA, Philadelphia up to NYC, Long Island and Connecticut. The very areas that got it.

Why not change the forecast? Pretty compelling evidence.

God teaches us that pride goes before a fall (Proverbs 16:18). In other words, my pride can cause me to stumble and fall in front of others, because I refused to change my decision, even though there was a strong reason to do so. We must all be careful. For we are all human and all have the pride.

2. Jesus also teaches us about casting the first stone, but only if you are without sin (John 8:7). Human pride reared up and the harsh critics jumped on the bandwagon of criticism. But they failed to look beyond their own little world. And with headlines speaking of a glancing blow, a fizzling storm, they looked like fools themselves.

This storm produced huge area of 20-40" snows throughout the Northeast, inches of sleet in NYC (which is really hard to move. Worse than snow), and caused winds to exceed 70 mph from NJ to MA. A widespread 1-3" of precipitation was measured in many places. This was not a glancing blow or a storm that fizzled.

Pride rears up when the opportunity comes along to tear down someone else's work. I confess it is easy to see the errors of someone else, and fail to see my own. This is why having good friends who hold you accountable is a true gift from the LORD above.

3. And now the final example of human pride. The forecasters defending their decision. We know the feeling. When someone cuts into your work/actions and is harsh in doing so, we all get defensive. But was this the best course of action? What about being honest? Being truthful? Taking responsibility? Confession?

The Bible teaches that if we confess our sin, the LORD will forgive, for He is faithful (1 John 1:8-9).

Now, not every person will forgive, but if one admits he made a mistake, explains the thinking, takes responsibility, and vows to learn from it ... most people will forgive and move on. It becomes a no-story. Especially when it comes to a weather forecast.

But when I make excuses, and defend myself. When I fail to confess and be humble and admit I was wrong, bad things happen. As followers of Jesus, we are to be increasingly like Jesus. He did not defend Himself. He defending His Father, His Father's house (temple) and others. But Himself? Nope. Didn't do it. And good things came of it.

The point of this whole rambling piece is this: Be careful of your inner pride. God opposes the proud (James 4:6), because He is humble in heart. (Matt 11:29).

Enjoy the day the LORD has made and make the most of it serving Him.

Fake News: Alternate Reality?

2/16/2017

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, "You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)

Whether you are from the alt right, alt left, right, left, conservative, or liberal “Fake news” is a hot topic. Before we go any further, we must answer this question: what is fake news?

News is defined as “newly received or noteworthy information, especially about recent events (English Oxford Living Dictionary Online). In other words, facts concerning real things that are going on. Fake is simply false, made-up, and not real. So, fake news is something presented as real, that is in fact not real. It is a deception. It is a lie.

Fake news is dangerous. It is propaganda. And if repeated enough, people will begin to believe it. An extreme example would be Nazi Germany. Much propaganda and fabricated stories were used to further the evil of Hitler and his henchmen. Fake news is dangerous.

Instead of reporting facts, no matter where those facts lead, speculation is used to convey a certain point of view. It seems that many “news” organizations pander to their audience and give them what they want to hear. It does not matter whether a lie is perpetuated or not. What matters is whether it fulfills its intended purpose.

The sad thing is that in the midst of all the speculation and rhetoric being thrown around, the truth, the real news, the real facts, are so buried that who can tell what is real and what is fake? And when some of our leaders use blatantly obvious fake twitter account tweets (like this past week) as supportive evidence to bolster their accusations, it truly is a sad day.

I guess we should not be surprised. The LORD teaches us in His Word that “a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear (2 Tim 4:3).” is this not what is happening today? The answer is very obviously, a resounding “yes.” Yet, I must be careful and not throw stones, for inside the co-called “church,” fake news is also a problem.

For example:

From the UCC website @ tradingplacesucc.org (FAQ’s): “What we desire in the United Church of Christ is a partnership with religious, spiritual, and faith leaders of all varieties. We do not desire that any of us sacrifice our identities or our beliefs in search of the lowest common denominator or in pursuit of one world religion.” It also reads “We believe embracing other religions doesn’t make you less of a Christian. It makes you more of a Christian.”

Yet, Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6).” So, I must ask how can believers in Jesus Christ not believe what He says? Isn’t that really unbelief?

Another example:

From the Unitarian Universalist Association (uua.org) website, “One of the seven principles that Unitarian Universalists affirm and promote is "a free and responsible search for truth and meaning."

In the UUA, in the search for truth, some believe in one God, some in a benevolent force, others in no god at all. How can a legit search for truth (that which corresponds to reality) discover very different answers to the same question? There either is a God or there isn’t. It cannot be both. It is impossible to both. Yet, to their followers, it sounds great. It sounds inclusive.

These examples, just two of many, are ‘fake news.’ How can I say that? Because the Word of God (a.k.a. the Bible or Holy Scriptures) is very clear: There is One God (“I AM”, Yahweh, Adonai Elohim, Jehovah, LORD, Father – Son – Holy Spirit) and only one way to Salvation: by grace through faith in the work of salvation through Jesus Christ. This is fact taken straight from God’s inspired Word (2 Tim 3:16-17, 2 Pet 1:16-21).

Fake news must be called out and rooted out whether it be in the main stream media, the social media, or the body of the church itself. It will not better anyone. Instead it will prove destructive, because fake news it based on lies and is meant to deceive.

Remember, truth is what will set you free (John 8:31-32).

A PC World

9/1/2016

It’s a PC World.

No not a personal computer world; although one can argue it’s a phone or tablet world.( If you don’t believe that just take a look around. Even on the AGT Results show last evening, of the 5 people in the Duncan Lounge, only 1 was not looking at a phone.)

I am talking about a politically correct world. There has been lots of attention draw to it during this presidential campaign, so far. So I thought I would tackle it here this morning.

(NLT) James 1:19 … My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
(NIV) Proverbs 22:11 … He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend.
(NLT) Colossians 4:6 … Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone.

All three of these verses address our speech.

Be slow to speak. I find when reflecting on the past, that the times when I am prone to say things that hurt, insult, tear down or ridicule another person are when I speak in rapid response. If only during these times I just waited, took a deep breath, I am certain my words would have been different.
Who would you want as a friend? One whose words are kind and uplifting? Or one who insults you? Pretty simple, isn’t it?
Graciousness is easy to come by when I am slow to speak. It means I use my words carefully. Careless words get people in trouble. Instead of giving people what they “deserve,” our words should give them something good that they don’t deserve.

Romans 8:28 promises us that God will use all things for the good of those who love Him. So perhaps God can use this PC world to help you and me and all our brothers and sisters in Christ to take better care of the words we use every day. To use them wisely and for the benefit of those who hear or read them.