You've Got Mail

What are Epistles?  They're not the leaders of the early church -- Those were the Apostles!  The Epistles are a series of letters you find in the New Testament of your Bible.  These are letters written by the likes of Paul, Peter, James and John.  The letters originally were written for specific people about issues in specific places at specific times, but the church has come to see them as inspired ... as containing eternal truths for us all that are inspired by God!  So, you've got mail in your New Testament in-box that you need to read.  Here are a few of the inspired messages you will find when you open that mail:

In Paul's letter to the church in Galatia, we read about the Fruit of the Spirit -- the qualities that grow in our lives when we are living for God: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law."  -Galatians 5:22-23 (TNIV).  Looking for someone who lives by the guidance of the Holy Spirit?  Look for someone whose life displays the Fruit of the Spirit! 

In the 13th Chapter of Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth, we find The Love Chapter -- a moving passage about the power of love.  We often read this passage at weddings, but it's really about how all of us are to treat each other.  Here's a video clip from one of my favorite movies: The Mission.  Robert De Niro plays an 18th Century slave-trader and mercenary who leaves his life of sin to become a Jesuit priest, ministering to the same native tribe he used to enslave.  In this clip, De Niro is reading the moving words of 1 Corinthians 13 as he learns, from his experiences with his native hosts, what it means to love others.

Another powerful epistle we studied today is Paul's letter to Philemon.  You can read the entire letter HERE.  (It's only 25 verses long!)  Paul met and befriended a run-away slave named Onesimus, who then became a Christian.  Paul sent Onesimus back to his owner (another Christian, named Philemon) with this letter -- urging Philemon to take back Onesimus, "no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother ... a brother in the Lord."  Philemon 1:15 (TNIV).  This letter's message of Christian brotherhood and freedom was used by abolitionists in the 18th and 19th Centuries as they argued for an end to the evil institution of slavery.  On a lighter note, here is a cute little video that tells the story of Philemon and Onesimous with singing puppets.  As one of our class members said this morning, it's so bad that it's good ;-)

 We had a full house in Sunday school this morning -- and a number of great nominations for Best Epistle Passage. 

Ben, our newest class member, nominated the entire Third Letter of John.  Why?  Because, by number of words, it is the shortest book in the Bible. To John, you are what you do.  Check out verse 11:  "Dear friends, do not imitate what is evil but what is good.  Anyone who does what is good is from God.  Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God."  - 3 John 1:11 (TNIV).

Jack chose Colossians 3:20 (TNIV): "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord."  His mother told him to pick that verse, and he did ;-)


Wes picked 1 Peter 1:24-25 (TNIV): "[T]he grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever."  When Peter writes these words, he is quoting from Isaiah 40.


Nick selected Paul's description in his letter to the Ephesians of the "full armor of God:"

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  -Ephesians 6:13-17 (TNIV).

Jake nominated 2 Corinthians 9:6 (TNIV): "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously."   

Adrienne sent in her nomination by text -- Romans 12:2 (TNIV):  Do not conform to the patter of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will." 

Paige also selected a verse from Romans -- Chapter 1, verse 18 (TNIV):  "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of human beings who suppress the truth by their wickedness."

Alex chose our winning passage of the week, 1 Corinthians 3:18-19 (TNIV):  "Do not deceive yourselves.  If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become 'fools' so that you may become wise.  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight."  Congrats to Alex, who wins the Wesley Award for Best Epistle Passage!  Congratulations also to Wes, our overall winner, with three Wesley Awards to his credit this school year!

This brings the Wesley Awards to an end for this school year.  We will start up again in the Fall.  In the meantime, we will be posting during the Summer as the Spirit moves us ... but not every Sunday. 

 I leave you (for now) with this benediction from Jude 1:24-25 (TNIV): "To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—  to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."  Now, listen to this song, Breathe (Benediction) by the Newsboys.  It's a remake of the classic hymn, Breathe on Me Breath of God, and it includes the words of Jude's famous benediction!

Amen, and God Bless You ... 

Act(s)ion Heroes

Welcome to our recap of today's youth Sunday school class, where we took a look at the New Testament's Book of Acts (often called the Acts of the Apostles). 

The Book of Acts tells the fascinating story of the birth and early history of the Christian Church.  Tradition tells us that Acts was written by Luke, a physician and travelling companion of the Apostle Paul.  Luke wrote Acts for a patron by the name of Theophilus.  Acts is something like a sequel to the Gospel of Luke.  In Luke 1:3-4 (TNIV), the author of the Gospel of Luke writes: "I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you might know the certainty of the things you have been taught."  The Book of Acts then begins: "In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven ... "   -Acts 1:1-2 (TNIV).  So begins Luke's telling of the history of the early church -- a history filled with Christian act(s)ion heroes such as Peter, Paul, Stephen, Barnabas and Philip.  If you haven't read the Book of Acts, or you would just like to brush up on it, here is a tremendous little video that condenses the whole book into three action-packed minutes:

This week, we had four nominations for the Wesley Award for the Best Story from Acts.  Nick nominated the story of the Stoning of Stephen, which you can read in Acts, Chapter 7 here.

Stephen became the first Christian martyr, getting stoned to death for boldly proclaiming to the religious leaders that they had murdered "the Righteous One" -- Jesus -- by playing a part in the events that led to his crucifixion.  A young man named Saul was in the crowd when Stephen was stoned.  Luke tells us that Saul "approved of their killing him."  -Acts 8:1 (TNIV).  Saul later became a living example of the redemptive power of Christ, being transformed from a persecutor of Christians to a great Christian missionary and teacher! 

Wes  selected a particularly gruesome story ... the Death of King Herod.  You can read about it in Acts 12:19-24 here.  Herod Agrippa, whose image is seen on the coin below, was struck dead by an angel when his subjects likened him to a god and he did not correct them and give credit where it was due -- to the God of his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

Luke tells us in Acts 12:23 (TNIV) that "the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died" ... eeuuww!

Adrienne picked the Earthquake Jailbreak found in Acts 16:16-40 (TNIV).  We read there that an earthquake freed Paul and Silas from their chains while in prison.  But they didn't flee the scene.  They stayed put until their jailer and his entire household had come to believe in God!

And our winning scripture was chosen by Paige, who picked a story we can all fall for!  In Acts 20:7-12, we read this about a man named Eutychus:  "On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.  Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. 'Don’t be alarmed,' he said. 'He’s alive!'   Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted." -Acts 20:7-12 (TNIV).

I'll bet your pastor never preached someone to death!  And then helped bring him back to life!  Do you think that Paul's all-night sermon (and Eutychus' fall) helped church attendance the following week or hurt it?  Congrats to Paige for selecting our Wesley Award Winner of the week.  Join us next week, when we bestow the Wesley Award for Best Epistle Passage.  

Sunday School Cheat Sheet

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of Summer in these parts.
 

But Summer vacation isn't here yet for our high school and middle school students.  There are still final exams to be taken before the school year ends ... 



Fortunately, there's no final exam in the youth Sunday school class at Rolling Hills Church.  But what if there were a final exam for Sunday school?  What would you need to know?  Just study the five points below, and you will be ready to ace the test ...

ROLLING HILLS SUNDAY SCHOOL CHEAT SHEET

(1)  You are God's amazing creation. You are made in God's image; yet, you are uniquely created to be YOU (and the God who created you knows you better than anyone else ever could).  [Check out: Genesis 1:26-31; Psalm 139:13-16; Luke 12:1-6]

(2)  God is a loving God.  God is not looking to punish you, burden you, shame you, or hurt you.  God is love!  [Check out: Psalm 145:8; Matthew 11:28-30; 1 John 4:16]

(3)  Jesus is God's ultimate gift of love to us.  Jesus showed us how to live, died suffering the pain of all humanity's bad choices, and rose from the dead on Easter morning -- blazing the way for us all to follow to an awesome life with God, both here and in heaven. [Check out: John 3:16; John 10:10; John 15:13; 1 John 4:9-10]

(4) We show God our love and thanks by loving others.  We treat others as we would want them to treat us.  And when we do good things for others, it is the same as doing them for God!  [Check out: Matthew 7:12, Matthew 25:31-40, John 13:35, 1 John 4:19-21]

(5)  When we make God our priority and bring God's love to others, God's got our backs!  So hang in there.  Keep up the good work.  God pays attention, knows what we truly need, and is looking out for us.  [Check out: Jeremiah 29:11; Isaiah 58:6-9; Matthew 6:25-34; 2 Thessalonians 3:13]

So write these five points on your hand if you must!  Just don't forget them.  Enjoy your Memorial Day holiday, and check us out next Sunday, when we select the Wesley Award winner for Best Story from the Book of Acts!

Story Time!

Jesus loved to teach by telling parables -- stories that convey a truth about God and God's Kingdom.  You can find the parables of Jesus in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke (which are often called the synoptic gospels).  Click here for a handy chart that tells you where you can find each of Jesus' parables.

Here are our nominees for Best Parable:

We had a small class today, so I threw a nomination of my own into the mix: THE PRODIGAL SON.  You can read the full story in Luke 15:11-37.  Here is a video of the story acted out with Lego characters:

One thing that fascinates me about this story is that Jesus never tells us how the older son responds to his father's pleas to join the party.  Does the older son join the party and reconcile with his younger brother?  Does the older son ignore his father's pleas and hold a grudge?  Jesus doesn't say.  It's up to us to write our own ending to this story ... by how we live our lives.

Nick chose the PARABLE OF THE SOWER, which you can find at Matthew 13:3-8.  Here is an animated video of the story.  Watch what happens to the seeds sown on the path, the seeds sown in rocky places without much soil, the seeds sown among the thorns, and the seeds sown in good soil:

This is one of the parables that Jesus explained to his disciples after telling it.  Here's what Jesus had to say about the story:
“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When people hear the message about the kingdom and do not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their hearts. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to people who hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.  The seed falling among the thorns refers to people who hear the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to people who hear the word and understand it. They produce a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”  -Matthew 13:18-23 (TNIV).

Wes nominated THE PARABLE OF THE NET, which is an interesting but lesser known parable that gives us a glimpse into the Day of Judgment:



“'Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.  This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  'Have you understood all these things?' Jesus asked. 'Yes,' they replied."    -Matthew 13:47-50 (TNIV).

 

And our winner this week is Adrienne, who selected THE PARABLE OF THE LOST COIN.  This is the second in a series of three related parables Jesus tells in Luke 15: The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, and The Lost (or Prodigal) Son.  Here's the winning parable: “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’  In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”  -Luke 15:8-10 (TNIV). 

Now, watch the parable as demonstrated in this wonderful little video by Haeuk Kim, Hanako Shimizu, and Youki Shimura:

Congrats to Adrienne for picking this week's winner!  Next weekend is Memorial Day weekend.  The school year is coming to an end soon, so we will have a special post next weekend to help you with your studies for final exams.  Then, the Wesley Awards will return on Sunday, June 3 with our selection of the Best Story from the Book of Acts.  You will not want to miss these next two posts! 

Hello, My Name Is ...

If Jesus wore a name tag, what would it say?  Savior of the World?  Son of God?  King of Kings?  Lamb of God?

In the Gospel of Mark, we read that Jesus asked his disciples to fill in the blank for him:
Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them,“Who do people say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
-Mark 8:27-30 (TNIV)

In the Gospel of John, though, Jesus fills in the blank on his name tag several different ways ... each time revealing a different aspect of himself and his mission. These statements are known as the "I am" statements, because each one starts with Jesus saying, "I am ..." This week in Sunday school, the Rolling Hills Youth read each of these "I am" statements and chose their favorite for our Wesley Award ...

"I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE." 

Matt nominated this "I am" statement. Jesus said this about himself in John 6:35 (TNIV):  Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.  Think about how important bread is to people all over the world.  We all eat it in some form.  It's a staple of our diet.  It nourishes us and keeps us going throughout the day.  How is Jesus like bread?  What does this image teach us about Jesus? 

"I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD."

While this is one of the most well-known of the "I am" statements, none of our youth chose it as a favorite.  In John 10:11 (TNIV), Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."  Jesus goes on to explain: "The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me -- just as the Father knows me and I know the Father -- and I lay down my life for the sheep." -John 10-12-15 (TNIV).  Jesus is not a half-hearted, hired-hand savior.  Jesus is all in for us -- willing to make the ultimate sacrifice (giving up his life) for us sheep. 

"I AM THE WAY." 

Adrienne picked this as her favorite "I am" statement. In John 14:6 (TNIV), Jesus tells his disciples, "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  If we know Jesus, we know God.  Jesus is our way, our path to God.  We can trust Jesus to take us there. 

"I AM THE GATE." 

This is my favorite "I am" statement, and here is a picture I took of the Natural Bridge in Virginia ... a gate of sorts carved in a rocky hillside by a tributary of the James River.  "Therefore Jesus said again, 'Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them.  I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.'"  John 10:7-10 (TNIV).  Shepherds in Jesus' day often slept at the gate to the sheep pen, literally becoming a human shield to protect the animals in their care from thieves or predators.  After passing through the gate, the sheep flourished knowing they could count on the shepherd to protect them.  How is Jesus the guardian of the entrance to our lives?  How does having Jesus as that protector help us to live "life to the full" both here and in heaven?  

 "I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE." 

This was Jake's selection.  Before Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead, Jesus declared to Martha (the sister of Lazarus) that her brother would rise again.  Martha said that she knew Lazarus would be resurrected "at the last day," but that wasn't what Jesus meant.  He had something much more immediate in mind.  He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” -John 11:25-26 (TNIV).  Then, Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave.  Our Savior, Jesus not only went on to be resurrected himself on that first Easter Sunday, but he is resurrection!  He is the power that can conquer death for us all, and he is the central force for renewal of this world we live in.  In Revelation, we read: "He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' " -Rev. 21:5 (TNIV). 

"I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD."

Paige nominated this wonderful "I am" statement: "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"  -John 8:12 (TNIV).  Jesus shines in the darkness of our lives, helping us to see ... like the night-lights Paige has at home!  Jesus not only is the Way, but he lights our path. 

"I AM THE VINE."
 

This was Nick's pick for Best "I am " Statement.  In John 15:5 (TNIV), we read that Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."  Like a branch on a vine, we are connected to Jesus, who provides our roots and our support.  A branch cut from its vine won't grow any grapes.  The branch grows fruit because it is connected to the vine.  So too we Christians are connected to our vine, Jesus.  When we bear fruit, it's not something we do on our own ... It's done through Christ, who gives us what we need to be fruitful.

"I AM THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA." 

And our winner for the Wesley Award for Best "I am" Statement doesn't come from John's Gospel.  Instead, Wes picked this verse from the Book of Revelation 22:13 (TNIV), where John writes  of a vision in which the risen Jesus speaks in the last days, saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."  Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.  Jesus has been there from the very beginning and will be there at the very end.  He is always with us.

Congrats to Wes for picking our top vote-getter for Best "I am" Statement.  Join us next week, when we vote on Best Parable.  It should be a great topic!

Say What?

Have you ever been warned that someone is a wolf in sheep's clothing? 

Jesus said, "Watch out for false prophets.  They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are as ferocious as wolves." -Matt. 7:15 (TNIV) 

Have you ever gone the extra mile for someone? 

Jesus said, "If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles."  -Matt. 5:41 (TNIV)

 Do people ever expect you to move mountains? 

Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move." -Matt. 17:20 (TNIV)

Have you ever seen a group be so disorganized that it's like the blind leading the blind? 



Jesus said, "If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit."  -Matt. 15:14 (TNIV)

These are some of the many common, every-day expressions that we draw from sayings of Jesus.  We can find these sayings in the Gospels, and this week the Rolling Hills Youth Sunday School class examined these sayings to vote on the Wesley Award winner for the Best Saying of Jesus.

The teachings of Jesus are "sticky."  They stick with us.  They are memorable, which is why so many of them have become common expressions.  They also are sticky because following them can put us in sticky situations!  The sayings of Jesus often challenge us: Who really wants to love an enemy?  Who really wants to pray for people who persecute us?  Do we really want to take up our cross every day?

So here are our nominees ...

Wes nominated Matthew 4:19 (TNIV) -- "Come, follow me," Jesus said, " and I will send you out to fish for people."

Paige picked the Golden Rule, Luke 6:31 (TNIV) -- "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

Adrienne chose this saying from the Sermon on the Mount:  "If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also." -Matt. 5:39 (TNIV)

And our winner is Nick, who nominated this statement Jesus made when confronted with a demon his disciples could not cast out: “This kind can come out only by prayer."  -Mark 9:29 (TNIV).

Congrats to Nick for selecting the Saying of Jesus that drew the most votes!

Next week, we will be taking a look at some particular sayings of Jesus ... his "I AM" statements from the Gospel of John.  So come back next week to read about the Wesley Award winner for Best "I AM" Statement of Jesus!

How Sweet the Sound!

In 1779, the English poet and pastor John Newton first published the words to the hymn Amazing Grace.  Those words were put to a popular tune in the 1800s, and Amazing Grace, as we know it today, was born.  The song grew out of Newton's own conversion experience -- his coming to faith in Christ and his leaving his past life as a slave trader.  It's a song that has appealed to Christians across cultures and across generations.  What does the song say to you?  Do you hear your own story in Newton's stirring words? 

Here is U2 performing Amazing Grace as a lead-in to the song, Where the Streets Have No Name ...

 

Or perhaps you would like to hear the Harlem Gospel Choir's take on this spiritual ... 

Bluegrass great Ralph Stanley "lines" this great hymn, as folks did before written hymn books were common in churches ...

And let's not forget what the bagpipers have done with this classic tune ...

Finally, here is the Soweto Gospel Choir performing Amazing Grace ...

How sweet the sound, indeed!  Join us next week, on May 6, when we reveal the Wesley Award for the category of Best Saying of Jesus.  Until then, friends ... God Bless You