I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHICH STRENGTHENETH ME

IF GOD BE YOUR PARTNER, MAKE YOUR PLANS LARGE

       Philippians 4:13

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UT, before we go any farther, we’ll take it part-by-part. Now, if one would simply read the first part of this verse, it may sound a panic indicating conceit or egotism: "I can do all things."  If you will recall, this was the same spirit that attempted to build the tower of Babel; this was the same spirit that brought the downfall of men like Saul and the Egyptian Pharaoh. Plus, countless today are infested by humanism and without any trust in God - make the same claim: "I can do all things."  But, here’s where we children of GOD differ. Read on…

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ut the next two words in the verse take this out of the context of arrogance altogether: "through Christ." It is not a boast of self: "I can do all things." It is… I can do all things through Christ! There is a huge difference. It is one thing for someone to say, "I can do all things." It is quite different to confess, "I can do all things through Christ."  Amen.

To get the impact of this, stop and think about what we can’t do without Him!  WOW!  WOW!  WOW!  and WOW!  We could not effectively and thoroughly know our lost condition. That was me once upon a time. Let me tell you folks, ignorance is NOT bliss. I was so very ignorant in my foolish thinking that I was ‘self-sufficient.’  I really thought this and didn’t think anything was wrong with it.  Oh, lost sheep that I was. How many of you know that HIS LOVE will surely bring you out of that way of thinking.

Today, I know that without Him, we cannot have adequate concepts of God. Without Him, we could realize no victory over sin. Without Him, we would all be a victim of the wrath to come. Jesus said to His disciples "without Me you can do nothing," (John 15:5).

In Ephesians 2:12 teaches outside of Christ, we have "no hope" and we are "without God in the world."

So, as we will learn; it was Paul who wrote this letter. It was written to the Philippians, while he was in a prison in Rome.

The occasion of the epistle (letter) was to acknowledge a gift of money from the church at Philippi, brought to the apostle by Epaphroditus, one of its members (Philippians 4:10-18). This is a tender letter to a group of Christians who were especially close to the heart of Paul (2 Corinthians 8:1-6). 

Key Verses:  Philippians 1:21: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

• Philippians 3:7: “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ."

• Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

• Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

·        Philippians 4:13: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Philippians can be called “Resources Through Suffering.” The book is about Christ in our life, Christ in our mind, Christ as our goal, Christ as our strength, and joy through suffering.

Paul exhorts the Philippians to follow his example and be “encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly” (Philippians 1:14) during times of persecution. All Christians have experienced, at one time or another, the animosity of unbelievers against the gospel of Christ. This is to be expected. Jesus said that the world hated Him and it will hate His followers as well (John 5:18). Paul exhorts us to persevere in the face of persecution, to “stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27).

So with Christ through Him; in our relationship of active faith in Him we have strength we could not have any other way! Strength to adequately evaluate ourselves. Strength to know the difference between right and wrong (by faithfully applying His Word). Strength that comes through the remission of our sins. Strength in response to prayer we offer to God through Him. Strength of character as we follow His example and obey Him. This is strength in such abundance; we are able to do everything God wants us to do. "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me."

He sums up with this exhortation to believers: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say Rejoice” (4:4-7). As believers, we can rejoice and experience the peace of God by casting all our cares on Him, if we “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let [our] requests be made known to God” (4:6). Paul’s joy, in spite of persecution and imprisonment, comes shining through this epistle, and we are promised the same joy he experienced when we center our thoughts on the Lord (Philippians 4:8).

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre (BSTFPA)

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

THE WHINING CHILDREN

Matthew 11:16-19 - (KJV)

¹⁶ But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,

¹⁷ And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.

¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.

¹⁹ The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

Friends, someone once ask a theologian why God uses the analogy of a child. The answer was: A child will let God be God and will let God be God on God’s own terms. 

One of the emotional certainties of getting older is that we will go through chapters in our lives in which our behavior can completely change?  Some of us get wiser with time, and then there are those of us who go back to your old ways of adolescence behavior.

In Matthew 11:16-19, Jesus uses children as his example.  He tells of children who are not playing well with others.  He compares the generation in which he lives with children in the market place.  Some believe Jesus is speaking of himself and John the Baptist as those who are crying out we played and you did not respond.  Others believe this generation of which Jesus is speaking is saying to Jesus and John, you did not do what we wanted you to do. We will go/touch with/on the latter. Either way, the issue is one of ignorance; the ignorance of commission, which has to do with intentionally ignoring and is the ignorance of arrogance or the ignorance of blunder which has to do with not caring and is the ignorance of foolishness. Arrogance or foolishness, both of these choices has consequences.


In Mark 10:15 Jesus tell us, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  Is it the childish one who gets into the Kingdom or the child-like one who gets in?  Is the child who wants to do it their way or is it the child who does it the way God wants it done?  Before we answer; let’s consider the below story.

At one point during a game, the coach said to one of his young players, “Do you understand what cooperation is? What a team is?” 

The little boy nodded in the affirmative.

“Do you understand that what matters is whether we win together as a team?”

The little boy nodded yes.

“So,” the coach continued, “when a strike is called, or you’re out at first, you don’t argue or curse or attack the umpire. Do you understand all that?”

Again the little boy nodded.                       

“Good,” said the coach. “Now go over there         

and explain that to your parents.

SO WHAT IS THIS PARABLE OF THE WHINING CHILDREN SAYING ?

Well, let’s take it one-step-at-a-time.  We know that Jesus said the parable was _

v  … was about His Generation

v  ... about playtime

v  … about getting along with others

v  … about consistency & hypocrisy

Very simply, Jesus’ words convey the thought that  ‘The way of doing things is justified by the results it achieves’  and so brings into question the attitude of those of His generation who have condemned both Himself and John the Baptist for practices which they’ve interpreted as being impossible to reconcile with a move of God. Jesus says, therefore, not that ‘the end justifies the means’ because the way He reaches into a society to meet people where they are is what becomes the effective way to bring them to acknowledge the importance and uniqueness of Jesus and of His work on the cross.

Whatever, the outworking of a move of God demonstrates the authenticity of the source as being from God.

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts (BSTFPA)
www.biblestoriestheatre.org
info@biblestoriestheatre.org

YOUR REASON FOR LIVING (5)

Excuse me, but your purpose is showing.  That’s right.  The way one lives reveals the  real reason for living. Actions really do speak louder than words.

RECAP: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask of God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” James 1:5-8.

CONCLUSION:  Following Jesus

Jesus told us to make disciples of all nations.  A disciple is a person who learns from and follows the pattern of his or her master.  Jesus' frequent call was “follow me”.  It is not possible to follow anyone if we insist on going our own way, or going at our own pace.  We are not called to be “converted”, we are not called to be “Christians”, we are not called to be “churchgoers”, and we are not called to be “religious”.  We are called to be disciples — to learn from our master and to put into practice what he has taught.  It is true that Jesus is our brother; it is true that he is our savior; it is true that he is our friend.  However he is also our LORD — the one who must be obeyed.

If we really want to do the will of God then we must be prepared to follow Jesus.  He has set a pattern for our lives which will help us to see what our attitudes should be.  However to be a good follower we must, more than anything else, be prepared to go where the leader goes.  Jesus leads us to Calvary: the place where the old attitudes and old desires must die.  Many Christians have exactly the same attitudes as their unbelieving neighbors.  The faith of these Christians is nothing more than materialism dressed up with scripture.  Jesus calls us to a life of self-denial, to a life that unbelievers will think foolish.

Worship

The word “Worship” has changed in meaning over the years and is presently used in a rather vague sense to mean singing to God.  However, the word really means something more broadly along the lines of “giving a person the honor due to them”.  Thus in years gone by their was nothing blasphemous in the English marriage ceremony when the bride and groom promised one another “with my body I thee worship”.

Knowing the full and proper meaning of the word allows us to see that true worship of God consists in bringing glory to God in order to give him the honor due to him.  This might take many forms; the simplest perhaps being a basic acknowledgement of who and what God is.  Paul defines it as “not conforming any longer to the pattern of the world”.  It is also said “Be Holy for without holiness nobody will see the Lord”, and it follows that if they do not see him then they will not even acknowledge him — the most basic form of worship.  The idea that worship consists solely in gathering together in a building, apart from the rest of the world, and singing songs is not biblical.  How is God glorified when his people sing songs and those who are not yet his people do not hear the good news that they can be set free from their sins and they are left in their miserable lives, without comfort, without hope, and without even a warning of the doom that awaits them?  Jesus left heaven to tell us.  Most of us (the writer included) cannot even manage to tell the person next door.  We glorify God by doing what he has intended and created us to do.

Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern 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.  Romans 12:1-2 (1139 NIV). 

Psalm 25 contains a request to know the ways of God, but also states the terms on which God makes known his ways.

God acts to glorify himself and expects his people to do likewise.  The first chapter of the book of Haggai shows that God withholds his blessing and co-operation when his people try to glorify themselves rather than God.  In the second chapter of that book, when the people have decided to glorify God, we find that God himself stirs up their hearts to do the work.

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

SOLVING PROBLEMS

People who do what is right may have many problems,

 but the Lord will solve them all.

Life is an exercise in problem-solving. The question is not whether we will encounter problems; the real question is how we will choose to address them. When it comes to solving the problems of everyday living, we often know precisely what needs to be done, but we may be slow in doing it – especially if what needs to be done is difficult or uncomfortable for us. So we put off till tomorrow what should be done today.

The words of Psalm 34 remind us that the Lord solves problems for "people who do what is right." And usually, doing "what is right" means doing the uncomfortable work of confronting our problems sooner rather than later. So with no further ado, let the problem-solving begin…now.

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

FOR LIFE OR DEATH

 "GOD HIMSELF WILL PROVIDE THE LAMB"     

Genesis 22:1-19

Martin Luther said, "The only saving faith is that, which casts itself on God for life or death." Abraham’s faith, in this gut-wrenching story, is exhibit, "A" of that truth.  It has puzzled and inspired both believers and nonbelievers alike for centuries. In his weakness and grief, Abraham’s faith was strong, even though it probably didn’t feel that way to him. But believing that God’s promise to bless, the world through his offspring was true, he "reasoned that God could raise the dead" (Hebrews 11:19) if necessary. So he cast himself on God for life or death.

Abraham’s faith has come a long way from the finagling and second guessing of the Hagar episode. It is different, though not necessarily better, from the faith that wrestled with God over Sodom and Gomorrah. This time he simply says "Yes," to God’s command and explains his actions to a confused son who wants to know where the lamb for the offering is: "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son" ((Genesis 22:8). Abraham had learned that the only way to keep his life was to completely trust in God.

How does one get to this kind of faith? By years of walking, and sometimes stumbling, in a faith relationship. The key to a growing faith is the cultivation of a close relationship with God over the long haul. Abraham had grown in intimacy with God by being forced sometimes to have to trust him in ways he didn’t understand. But mostly, it was the day-in-day-out choice to walk by faith in the little things that taught him to trust God in the big things. That is why the spiritual disciplines, particularly of prayer and Scripture reading, are so important. By showing us the face of God when we can see it, they help us to trust when we can’t see it.

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

YOUR REASON FOR LIVING (4)

Excuse me, but your purpose is showing.  That’s right.  The way one lives reveals the  real reason for living. Actions really do speak louder than words.

                                    

RECAP:  There is no point pleading with God for help when we have ignored the instructions.  If it is any consolation to us, even a man like Moses got into trouble in this way:

RESUME:  When the Israelites were camped at the Red / Reed sea shore with the Egyptian army closing in behind them, Moses began praying to God and explaining their difficult situation to him.  God's terse response was “Moses why do you cry out to me?  Tell the children of Israel to march on.”  God had already told Moses what the Israelites were to do — they were to march into the sea.  All they had to do now was obey the order and when, eventually, they stopped complaining (remember, we spoke on the whining children last week) to God about what an unpleasant order it was and did as they had been told they found that actually God did know what he was doing after all because the waters parted and they walked through on dry ground.

Joshua also found himself in this situation at an early stage in his leadership:  In Joshua chapter one, God promises the land over the Jordan to Joshua but instructs him “Only be strong and very courageous, that you will be careful to act according to all the law that Moses my servant instructed you.  Do not deviate from it, to the right or to the left that you may prosper wherever you go.  This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth; and you shall meditate upon it day and night, that you may be careful to act according to all that is written therein; for then you shall have good success in your ways, and then you shall prosper.  ...”  

When Joshua later complains to God (Joshua 7:6-13) that things are not going well, the reply he receives is rather terse: “Stand-up!  What are you doing down on your face?”  The implication is that if Joshua had believed what God had said (Joshua 1:6-8, as shown above) then he should already know why things are now going so badly.

Jesus has promised to be with us always until the end of the age so we have nothing to fear from obedience.  The demands of Jesus may seem severe but, because they are backed by the promises of God, they are risk free.  We are told not to store-up treasure on earth, we are told to give to the poor, we are told to do dozens of things that most of us somehow never quite get around to doing.  Now why is this?  Why is it that we seem to think that the commands do not apply to us?

When we follow the simple commands that have already been given to us we will find that many of the situations that we wanted God's advice about will have ceased to exist.  In other cases, we will find that once we are free from the choking weeds of worldly worries we will find that it is much easier to see clearly what the real priorities are.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  ...  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  ...”  Matthew 7:26 NIV.

And James found it necessary to write: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.”

Acting Wisely and Avoiding Procrastination.

There is a time for dedicated prayer and there is a time for decisions and action.  If we want to know which “door” we should go through we could try opening some of them and seeing what is on the other side.  In some cases, it will be obvious that we should not enter.  In other cases, it will be obvious that the room contains work that we could usefully be getting on with.  For the remaining cases where we feel truly unable to make a sensible, fully informed decision we could either find something else to do while we put the question back to God or we could make a decision anyway and see where it leads us.  Any decision — even a bad decision — is far superior to procrastination which is never productive.  “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask of God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”  James 1:5-8.  Attention to James' words apply to requests for wisdom and it is wisdom that “will be given him”; there is nothing to indicate that James' words may be applied to requests for anything else…..to be cont’d

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

OUR REASON FOR LIVING (3)

Excuse me, but your purpose is showing.  That’s right.  The way one lives reveals the  real reason for living. Actions really do speak louder than words.

                                   

RECAP:  Questions to ask - Knowing God's will in a specific situation Has God given me the peace in my heart to follow this route, to work on it, and to make the necessary decisions?  (Isaiah 26:3)

RESUME: The Framework for Knowing the Will of God

Whether we recognize it or not, every decision we make is made within a certain framework.  Identifying and acknowledging the aspects of this framework is a good starting position from which to know God's will for a situation.  The following questions are good ones to ask and answer:

•What am I?  Created, human (not a god or some other animal), male or female, saved and justified.

•What are my circumstances?  Where am I?  Where do I live?  Am I married or single?  What responsibilities (like family or previously made agreements) do I already have?  What tasks can I see around me that I could make a useful contribution towards or that nobody is doing and that need to be done?

•What ought I to do?  In other words, what do I already clearly know to do but I am not doing?

•What ought I not to do?  What am I doing that I already clearly and certainly know I should cease doing?

•What abilities, skills and resources has God already given me?

It is important to realize that answering these questions and then acting on the answers will not by itself tell you what the great plans of God are.  The purpose of this exercise is to bring you to a position from which you can more clearly discern the will of God.  In particular there is a danger that the above questions will cause a person to rely on their own strength and not to seek and expect the supernatural power of God to be used.

What will our life be like if we love God and our neighbors as God would have us love? This is a very, very, difficult question. It is clear that if we love God and our neighbors we will give food to a starving child, water to a thirsty stranger, shelter to someone who is homeless and cold. This intuitive truth is strong and basic. Is it always good to give a drink of water to a thirsty neighbor? There may be situations where we must choose to give water to one of two neighbors based on which neighbor must have the water immediately to live. There may be times when we are physically prevented from giving water to a thirsty neighbor, or when there may be other negative consequences of doing so. Yet it is clear that the basic, fundamental, statement "we should give water to a thirsty neighbor" is always true.

Training

When we, as humans, train our children we begin by showing them what to do, then by telling them what to do, later by advising them and eventually by leaving them to find out for themselves.  This latter stage does not arise through parental apathy or negligence but because we know that they have to “find their own feet” and “learn from their own mistakes”.  For a child to become a mature adult it must eventually be pushed out into the world and left to make decisions, good or bad, for itself.  Now if this is how we who are made in the image and likeness of God train our children, how might we expect God to train his children — namely ourselves.

Obedience

Scripture lays a heavy emphasis on obedience, possibly more so than we would like it to.  There is no point asking for advanced instruction if we have failed to implement the elementary lessons.  Obedience is an unavoidable prerequisite to spiritual maturity.  There is no point praying for guidance when we already know what to do and are simply refusing to do it.  There is no point pleading with God for help when we have ignored the instructions.  If it is any consolation to us, even a man like Moses got into trouble in this way: ...to be cont'd 

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org