A Simple Message

Notes from service on 12/4/11

Jamie Parker did the communion service. He referenced a passage on 1 Timothy 1:12-17 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. And when he read this, I couldn't help but notice the mercy part. I was shown mercy. Do I live a life that reflects that I, Johnny Ray, have been shown mercy? Do I even feel that compassion has been shown to me? I mean, God has to have immense patience with me, simply because I am a jerk, for lack of a better word.

Anyway, I need to study out mercy Biblically. I feel I could glean a whole mess of stuff just by cracking open the Bible and seeing what it has to say about mercy.

Jason Lugo actually gave the message, not Jamie Parker. It was entitled 'A Simple Message' and gave focus to John the Baptist (or JTB, as I call him in my mind... probably should be left there, in my mind, I mean).

We first looked at Matthew 3:1-8 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance."


JTB called people to repent. Everyone came and everyone got the same message... ----REPENT----

Jason went over the meaning of repentance or metanoia (see link above)...

We then looked at 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. and we looked at 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.


It is important to look ahead, but it is also important to not hesitate in going back. Looking ahead can keep us on track and going back can prevent larger mistakes. It is like studying for a test in college. You look ahead to the test and prepare for it. And when you are taking the test, it is wise to check your answers, to go back over the test (time willing, of course), to prevent mistakes. When walking with God, it is important to look ahead and not stay stagnant in your spiritual walk with God. It is also important that if you find yourself becoming stale with God, to go back to the beginning, to check your work and hit back to the basics to get fired up again.

Romans 12:2 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.


Acts 3:17-19 “Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord...


Repentance brings times of refreshment from God.

Listen to God

Romans 10:14-17 (The Message)
But how can people call for help if they don't know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven't heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? That's why Scripture exclaims, "A sight to take your breath away! Grand processions of people telling all the good things of God!" But not everybody is ready for this, ready to see and hear and act. Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another: "Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?" The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ's Word is preached, there's nothing to listen to.

Gotta Have Faith - Study#1

Isaiah 7:9
If you don't take your stand in faith, you won't have a leg to stand on.

Hosea 4:1-3
Attention all Israelites! God's Message! God indicts the whole population: "No one is faithful. No one loves. No one knows the first thing about God. All this cussing and lying and killing, theft and loose sex, sheer anarchy, one murder after another! And because of all this, the very land itself weeps and everything in it is grief-stricken — animals in the fields and birds on the wing, even the fish in the sea are listless, lifeless."

Nehemiah 1:5-9
I said, "God, God-of-Heaven, the great and awesome God, loyal to his covenant and faithful to those who love him and obey his commands: Look at me, listen to me. Pay attention to this prayer of your servant that I'm praying day and night in intercession for your servants, the People of Israel, confessing the sins of the People of Israel. And I'm including myself, I and my ancestors, among those who have sinned against you.

"We've treated you like dirt: We haven't done what you told us, haven't followed your commands, and haven't respected the decisions you gave to Moses your servant. All the same, remember the warning you posted to your servant Moses: 'If you betray me, I'll scatter you to the four winds, but if you come back to me and do what I tell you, I'll gather up all these scattered peoples from wherever they ended up and put them back in the place I chose to mark with my Name.'

Salt of the Earth

What is my identity?

• Disciples
• Christians
• Priests
• Family of God

Matthew 5:13

1) Salt is a Preservative

(2000 years ago). Salt was very valuable. 

Sodom & Gomorrah

~2000 BC

It was a very wealthy city mostly because of the salt trade

Ezekiel 16:49 

This was before the 10 commandments, but God still held their actions against them. It was against their law to help the poor. You'd be burned at the stake for helping someone.

Genesis 18:20-33

God says that a little bit of righteous goes a long way with him. God will tolerate the unrighteous because of the righteous in their presence. The righteous preserve the unrighteous

Luke 13:18-21
Your presence makes a difference in the lives of those around you. God likes to use small groups to do big things.

2) Salt Makes Men Thirsty
II Corinthians 2:14-16
Some people will be drawn to your life; others will be repulsed.

The Church of God

Who is She?

"My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her" (Song of Solomon 6:9)

In the midst of the great apostasy of the last days, God has a true Bride. She is "called, chosen, and faithful." The Church of God is the worldwide, divine institution of believers committed to accepting the whole Bible rightly divided as their rule of faith, practice, government, and discipline, as the Holy Ghost has revealed it in the Scripture. Established by Christ in 28 A.D. and arising from the Dark Ages in 1903, The Church of God is committed to fulfilling the four-fold purpose of Her divine creation.

Information taken from: The Church of God

I was met by a couple of nice guys from the Church of God a couple of days ago. I mean, they were really nice guys. One was originally from Korea, while the other gentleman really didn't speak at all. I noticed several things. First they had this belief that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit really aren't a Trinity, although they will say that they do. They described it as one person doing carrying three different titles, ignoring that Jesus acknowledged both God and the Holy Spirit... and that God acknowledged his Son and so forth. They also introduce a new 'person' to the mix and that is the Mother. So, there is the heavenly Father, the heavenly Mother, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, however, God is at least the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit... and could be the heavenly Mother. Probably is, although the bride is referenced to being Jerusalem and the church, which we discussed, but it really did get as clear as mud as to the point they were trying to make. So, I look at this scripture as to why Jerusalem is important in the book of Revelation: Matthew 5:33-37 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Does this make Jerusalem a player alongside the Trinity? No! The Great King is from Jerusalem. Which great king? David? Solomon? Christ? You know, I don't know. I am not going to pretend to act like I know, but what I am sure is that the bride (which I know is the church, the body of Christ) is something that is not directly apart of the Trinity and really shouldn't be considered an equal, even though disciples are brothers with Christ, thus indicating a certain quality of equality (but that is for a WHOLE different discussion). I believe that the Jerusalem in Revelation is mentioned as now (or, as the Bible was written), Jerusalem was the center for the Jews, a religious center, everything in the Jewish world came from Jerusalem. And so in Revelation, a new Jerusalem means something like a new center for information, a new center of knowledge to learn and respond to instead of what the norm has been for them and their lives. Now I could be way off base, but it could also be in the context that they were in heaven, and the bride is the body of Christ, could it be that this new Jerusalem, this bride were the people who did the will of God and Christ on Earth? That, to me, makes the most sense.The bride isn't a 'person' or 'being' unless you are talking about the bride of Christ, the body of Christ, his church. And as far as the mother, the only mother in the Bible (well, actually, there are a whole bunch of mothers in there) is Mary, the mother of Christ. But there's also John the Baptist's mom, Samson's mom, etc. etc. etc.