Fairview
United Methodist Church

To Know Jesus and to Make Him Known

Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit             10-1-06

According to the Asbury Bible Commentary, the poor in spirit are those who recognize their moral and spiritual poverty before the Holly God and hence cast themselves entirely upon His mercy and grace. Such persons are blessed because they experience the rule of God in their own lives now, and are assured of participating in the future Kingdom God will establish.   More

A Chosen People, A Royal Priesthood          10-15-06

Read 1 Peter 2:1-12

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10.

According to The Interpreter’s One-Volume Commentary On The Bible: The New People of God were not merely individual Christians, they were the church. By the use of figures of speech, OT references and personal appeals, the origin, nature, and functions of the church are set forth. The origin is Christ, in Zion a stone since he was divinely chosen. This divine choice brings judgment, since he is a stone that will make men stumble, a rock that will make them fall. This stumbling comes from disobedience to the will of God. The nature of the church is suggested in the metaphor of the spiritual house constructed of the living stones of believers. But this spiritual house is further described as a race,...a priesthood,...nation,.. people. This is one of the most meaningful interpretations of the church in the N.T. Note that all terms are corporate; to be a Christian is to live within the community of God’s people. The function of the church is to declare the wonderful deeds of God’s redeeming love by offering spiritual sacrifices  acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Three contrasts should be noted in this discussion of the church: (a) Though Christ was rejected by men, He was divinely chosen. (b) God called his people out of darkness into His marvelous light. (c) There is a contrast between no people and God’s people.

The Blackabys in their book Experiencing God Day-By Day points out that if you are a Christian, you are a priest, chosen by God. As a member of the royal priesthood you have constant access to the King. If there is ever a need in your life, you don't have to find an intermediary or enlist another priest in order to gain a hearing from the King. Your position as a royal priest allows you direct access. This privilege describes your position as a priest. However, priests also have a function. It is the responsibility of a priest to work within a priesthood. Scripture does not promote the practice of individual priest, each with a separate ministry, Rather, priest function together. An unbiblical sense of individualism can isolate you from functioning within God’s royal priesthood as He intended. The priest represents God to the people, but he also takes the people’s concerns to God. Is there someone around you who desperately needs the intercession of one of God’s priests? Perhaps someone will only come to know God by seeing Him in your life. Our world hungers for an expression of Christ as He really is, living out His life through His people. It is dangerous to put our job above our calling by God. We are called to be priests first, to hold a job second. When we get these out of order, everyone around us is denied access to the Father through us. God may have called you into a secular job as a vocation, but more importantly He has appointed  you to be one of His royal priests.

Once there was an eagle who didn’t act at all like the great, proud bird he was born to be. This was an eagle who lived among chickens in a henhouse. The eagle’s eyes were as dull as his feathers. He was one sad bird. One day, a passerby, who felt sorry for the eagle entered, grasped the bird with both hands and carried him to the top of a nearby mountain. A sweeping spectacle of rugged peaks, lakes, and forests stretched before them. Feeling the bird’s struggling, the man lifted the eagle up and ... let him go. The bird stretched his wings and soured across the valley. This eagle had realized his destiny. And you, as a Christian must realize yours.

PRAYER: We have to confess, Lord, that sometimes we act like an eagle in a chicken coop. But we are children of God. May we realize our destiny as we focus on the immense wonder of eternity. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Luther McCollum

We Live by Revelation     9-17-06

Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law. Proverbs 29:18

When a people reject God’s revelation, they throw off the restraints that guard life from evil.    More

The Return To Nazareth       9-24-06

Matthew 2:23.  And He went and lived in a town called Nazareth. 

In that little village called Nazareth, until ready for His public ministry, Jesus made his home. It is a sweet thought that the Son of God dwelt for so many years in a home on earth. His pure and sinless life opened out there in Nazareth.   More

Guard Your Heart       7-30-06

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23.   More

The Greatest In The Kingdom Of Heaven      9-10-06

When thinking about going to Heaven, what do you think about? Do you visualize a big beautiful Manson which will be your home, the beautiful streets? Do you ever think about what kind of person you want to be up there; a servant, an ordinary person, someone charming, or someone great?   More

Don’t Become Angry     7-16-06

 If you let yourself become angry about something, your will loose your self control and say and do things you would not otherwise consider. And anger turns to bitterness.    More

Let Us Love One Another       7-23-06

1 John 4:7-12
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. ----   More

GRATITUDE IS THE KEY TO GREATNESS July 2, 2006

Key verses: Psalm 92:1-2
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night .

Gratitude is a very important and powerful thing. It is the key to true greatness.   More

To Find God       July 9, 2006

Jeremiah 29:11-13:
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me, if you seek me with all your heart.   More

Father’s Day    June 18, 2006

This father we are honoring today was the ancestor of the Israelite people. His name was originally Abram, signifying high father. but Genesis 17 relates that God later changed it to Abraham, which means father of many nations.     More

Strengthen Your Feeble Arms And Weak Knees  6-25-06

Key verses: Hebrews 12:10-12
Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however; it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained for it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and week knees.

This is God’s word of encouragement to us to lift up our hands of faith, and confirm our knees in prayer.    More

Memorials of Faithfulness   5-28-06

Key verse: Mark 14:9
Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.
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Not By Might   6-4-2006

Key verse: 4:6
So he said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: "Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit," says the Lord Almighty."

According to my Asbury Bible Commentary, Zechariah’s question concerning the significance of the lamp stand and the two olive trees is not answered until later in the chapter.    More

Key verse Psalm 119:19
“I am a stranger in the earth; hide not thy commandments from me.”

The psalmist observed that he is a stranger here on earth, and that is a discovery we all need to make. However long we live here on earth, it is a fact that the life we live here is not permanent.   More

Mother’s Day   5-14-2006

Key verse Genesis 7:1
Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before me in this generation.”

She is the mother of everyone you will ever meet, yet we don’t know her name. For someone who was so very important, it is amazing how little we know about her.
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Serve God's Purpose.   1-22-06

We read in The Acts of the Apostles 13:36: “For when David had served God’s purpose, in his generation, he fell asleep.”

 At the end of your life, how would you like to be remembered?    More

 God is with you.   1-29-06

Mr. C. William Nichols in his book, Day by Day through the Psalms, wrote that at the center of our existence is God. And the most important thing God wants us to know is that our God is with us. More

Fear of Death   2-5-06

 We read in The Gospel According to John 11:25-26: Jesus said to her, Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
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Good People Hurt: 2-12-06

The Sermon on the Mount 5:1-7:27 sounds the keynote for the age that Jesus came to introduce. This portion, 6:25-34 contains words on Freedom and Anxiety, and notice in Verse 32 "your heavenly Father knows your needs."  More

According to the Asbury Bible Commentary, God is faithful to his promise, and therein lies our hope. To waver in our confession that Jesus has opened the only living way to God, to lose sight of the firm and secure hope offered us in Christ, is to find ourselves outside the curtain again looking for some other way in.   More
 

To live a remote, retired secluded life is the opposite of spirituality as Jesus Christ taught it. The test of our spirituality comes when we come up against injustice and meanness and ingratitude and turmoil; all of which have the tendency to make us spiritual retirees.   More

Friendship with God  3-12-06

Jesus said “I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.” John 15:15.   More
 

Are you handicapped   3-19-06

The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:12-13: I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.  More
 

Life's Seasons: 3-26-06

Just as God planned seasons in nature, He planned seasons in life as well. Life has its springtime, when we begin new things and look excitedly toward the future.  More

 God’s command is not that you win arguments, but that you are kind and forgiving when others mistreat you. Arguing may never win people to your view, but loving them as Christ loves us will win you many friends over time.  More

Jesus said to them," How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?   More

Why Do Good Things Happen To Bad People 4-23-06

A theme found in many places in the Bible, especially in the Book of Job; demands of God, “Why do the wicked prosper?” It is often a puzzle to many who have been faithful in their obedience to God. “Why do the wicked live on, reach old age, and grow mighty in power?” Job 21:7.   More

Fake Fruit... Real Fruit    April 30, 2006            
According to Joni Eareckson Tada in her book Diamonds in the Dust, it’s impossible to manufacture the fruit of the Spirit such as love and peace, gentleness and kindness. You can paint a veneer of joy and put up a facade of self control, but invariably you will be found out. You can only deceive yourself and others for so long with false love and plastic peace.    More