Church Of The Lost Sheep

' From the church leader. To my dear friend Gaius . I love you because we follow the truth, dear friend, and I pray that all goes well for you. I hope that you are as strong in body, as I know you are in spirit. It makes me very happy when the Lord’s followers come by and speak openly of how you obey the truth. Nothing brings me greater happiness than to hear that my children are obeying the truth. Dear friend, you have always been faithful in helping other followers of the Lord, even the ones you didn’t know before. ' 3 John 1:1-5 [This is the 19th message of this series] Gaius of Unknown City In one of the three letters that John wrote to church leaders in the 1st century, he wrote to a man named Gaius. Gaius was a name mentioned a few times by Luke and Paul, as well as John in this letter. It is hard to know if there were multiple people with this name or if all mentions in the bible were referring to just one person. Let's see, Luke mentions a Gaius of Macedo

"One of the criminals who was suspended kept up a railing at Him, saying, Are You not the Christ (the Messiah)? Rescue Yourself and us [from death]! But the other one reproved him, saying, Do you not even fear God, seeing you yourself are under the same sentence of condemnation  and  suffering the same penalty? And we indeed suffer it justly, receiving the due reward of our actions; but this Man has done nothing out of the way [nothing strange or eccentric or perverse or unreasonable]. Then he said to Jesus,  Lord , remember me when You come in Your kingly glory!" Luke 23:39-42 [This is the 18th message of this series] The two criminals crucified with Jesus were not named in Scriptures. Tradition and an apocryphal book names the one mocking Jesus as Gestas and the other one who Jesus said He will see in paradise, Dysmas or Dismas. Reverence and Repentance All of us have missed the mark, and Jesus came specifically for us, calling us to repentance -- and to which Dismas

" The Lord grant mercy to the family of  Onesiphorus , because he often refreshed me  and  showed me kindness [comforting and reviving me like fresh air] and he was not ashamed of my chains [for Christ’s sake]" -Apostle Paul 2 Timothy 1:16 [This is the 17th message of this series] Great Comfort In one of the two letters that Paul wrote to Timothy, the leader of the first church in the City of Ephesus, he mentioned a man named Onesiphorus, who Paul was most grateful for. Onesiphorus of Ephesus Aside from two mentions of his name in the second letter to Timothy, we know nothing more about this man. We know he lives in Ephesus and was a member of the church there. And we know that he was a blessing to Paul during the times that he needed refreshing. Those times were when so many others have abandoned him because of his imprisonment. This was a time of uncertainty and persecution. Believers were afraid to be tagged as followers of Christ because they might suffer the sam

" Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them." -Apostle Paul Romans 16:3-4 [This is the 16th message of this series] Married Couple So Aquila and Priscilla (or Prisca) were husband and wife. They were at some point residents of Rome, Italy. But they had to leave that place and they ended up in the City of Corinth as Jewish refugees. Those were difficult times in Rome, during the rule of Emperor Claudius. Let's read the story of this couple in Acts 18. "After this [Paul] departed from Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently arrived from Italy with Priscilla his wife, due to the fact that Claudius had issued an edict that all the Jews were to leave Rome. And [Paul] went to see them, And because he was of the same occupation, he stayed with them; and they worked [together], for they were tentmakers

" Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.” When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to mock him, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this topic.” At that, Paul left the Areopagus. But some joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others who were with them." -Luke, 1st century Acts 17:30-34 [This is the 15th message of this series] Greek Council Areopagus is the aristocratic council of ancient Athens. The name was taken from the Areopagus (the Hill of Ares), a low hill northwest of the Acropolis, which was where the council meet. This area was used as a forum for the rulers of Athens to hold trials, debate and discuss important matters. Ares Hill today, Athens Greece Pa

" My dear, dear friends! I love you so much. I do want the very best for you. You make me feel such joy, fill me with such pride. Don’t waver. Stay on track, steady in God. I urge Euodia and Syntyche to iron out their differences and make up. God doesn’t want his children holding grudges. And, oh, yes, Syzygus, since you’re right there to help them work things out, do your best with them. These women worked for the Message hand in hand with Clement and me, and with the other veterans—worked as hard as any of us. Remember, their names are also in the Book of Life. Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean,  revel  in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!" -Apostle Paul writing to the first church in Philippi, 1st century Philippians 4:1-5 [This is the 14th message of this series] Spinoff This lesson is birthed out

"Therefore, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught." Luke 1:3 "In my first book, O Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach" Acts 1:1 Gospel and Book of Acts The writer of both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, dedicated them to a person whom he named Theophilus . We will not try to guess who this unknown person is, because that is not the point of this message. And also because Luke, writer of both books, didn't feel it important to add anything more than his name about who this person is. Anonymous But we do know that because Luke referred to him using a term which was used at least at that time, to address a Roman official, seems to indicate that Theophilus might be one. And one who would probably want to remain anonymous anyway, as

"One of the two men who had heard John and had gone with Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and tell him, “We have found the Messiah!” The Hebrew word “Messiah” means the same as the Greek word “Christ.” Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. And when Jesus saw him, he said, “Simon son of John, you will be called Cephas.” This name can be translated as “Peter.” The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. There he met Philip, who was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Jesus said to Philip, “Come with me.” Philip then found Nathanael and said, “We have found the one that Moses and the Prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip answered, “Come and see.” John 1:40-46 Many followers of Christ went on to become great leaders of the church, if not great people of faith. But there are also the many ordinary p

Greetings from James This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad. Greetings! Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." James 1:1-4 This epistle, a letter included in the bible written by a certain James, was attributed to the James who was then the leader of the Jerusalem church. There has been discussions if this James was one of the two apostles of Jesus who was named James (the son of Zebedee or James, the son of Alphaeus). Today it is generally accepted that this was written by a third James, a brother of Jesus. A Prophet is Not Accepted in His Home town or His Own House The siblings of Jesus weren'

Jesus Appears to Thomas "One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”  John 20:24-29 NLT Some people will be surprised to know that many of the terminologies we have now came from the bible. For example from the narrative above, came about the te

"As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and `sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: `I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Matthew 9:9-13 Like Peter and Andrew, and James and John and the other disciples, Jesus called on to Matthew saying, follow me, and he did. As Jesus was walking with His disciples, He found Matthew at his worksite, probably doing what He does best, collecting taxes from his own people and remitting them to the Romans who

"Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?" "No," they answered. He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water." John 21:4-7 John referred to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. What this means is that aside from him knowing that he loved Jesus, he also had that confidence and is fully aware that Jesus loves him. This is a definite contrast to Peter who always maintained that he was the one who loved Jesus. With Peter it was always about him, at least until he

The Blinding of Saul "All this time Saul was breathing down the necks of the Master’s disciples, out for the kill. He went to the Chief Priest and got arrest warrants to take to the meeting places in Damascus so that if he found anyone there belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he could arrest them and bring them to Jerusalem. He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: “Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?” He said, “Who are you, Master?” “I am Jesus, the One you’re hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you’ll be told what to do next.” His companions stood there dumbstruck—they could hear the sound, but couldn’t see anyone—while Saul, picking himself up off the ground, found himself stone-blind. They had to take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus. He continued blind for three days. He ate nothing, drank nothing. There

Come Follow Me "As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." Matthew 4:18-22 Here we read that when Jesus calls us, He says "come". Come And you know what Peter and the others who were called, did. They went to (and with) Jesus. Peter did. But did Peter "follow"? Follow Well. Peter did follow. In fact, he left everything. He went with Jesus, he went everywhere Jesus went. But the only thing, he didn't do was obey Him (ag

"Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there [at the home of Lazarus] and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he [Jesus] had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him." John 12:9-12 Background The setting was the night before Passover, which Christians have commemorated as Palm Sunday. So on this first Lent, the chief priests who were already upset with Jesus and the New Way are now really, totally, over the top fuming mad because Jesus performed the ultimate miracle -- bringing the dead (Lazarus) back to life. And so they wanted to put an end to this circus, this madness by killing Lazarus. But unknown to them the greatest miracle of Jesus is yet to come, one week from that day, on the first Resurection Sunday (Easter), Jesus Himself resurrecting from the dead. Agenda And because the ch

"Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. "Leave her alone," Jesus replied. "[It was intended] that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial."  John 12:1-7 So after Lazarus has been given a brand new life, John tells us th

Jesus Visits Martha and Mary "As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”  Luke 10:38-42 NLT Martha Mary and Lazarus Scriptures record that Jesus went to visit Martha and Mary, no mention of their brother Lazarus. But who is he anyway? Hard to say, because we know nothing more of Lazarus of Bethany, other than he was the brother of Martha and Mary. That these three siblings were frie

"Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?" James 2:14-17 MSG Faith in Action Yesterday, we talked about "becoming Martha", today we will balance this out and say that becoming Martha is not all a bad thing. And in the same way that becoming Mary is not the 'be all end all'.  James the brother of Jesus taught the early church in the passage above that simply sitting at the feet of Jesus and merely absorbing everything He teaches is not how it's all suppose to be. Becoming a Disciple I

“I see what you’ve done, your hard, hard work, your refusal to quit. I know you can’t stomach evil, that you weed out apostolic pretenders. I know your persistence, your courage in my cause, that you never wear out. “But you walked away from your first love—why? What’s going on with you, anyway? Do you have any idea how far you’ve fallen? A Lucifer fall! “Turn back! Recover your dear early love."  Revelations 2:2-5 MSG First Love In Luke 10, we read about how Jesus was at the house of his friend Lazarus, the one he brought back from the dead, and his sisters Mary and Martha. They all loved Jesus and Jesus loved all of them. We can read this short narrative  here : At the Home of Martha and Mary As you can see, while Martha was "busy" with all the preparations, although she wasn't trying to call attention to herself, it is just in her heart that she felt she needed to do all those "other" things. And unknown to her she was totally missing out on