My Online Faith Journal

    Years ago, when I worked in a church in Petersburg, Virginia, a deacon came up to me and showed me a chart of the leadership of the church.  He had the deacons above everyone else.  He was trying to tell me that this was his understanding of church leadership that he was in charge.  I replied that the word deacon actually means one who waits tables and is in reference to a servant of others not a lord over others.      That deacon didn't like my answer and he never really did talk to me much after that.  But, the disciples seemed to have the same idea that this deacon did.  In Luke 22:24-31, the very night that Jesus would be betrayed, they are arguing over who is the greatest.  This has occurred several times since it is mentioned in Matthew 18:1 and also Mark 9:33-34.  These disciples had a dispute.  The word dispute here is philoneikia which means to love of strife, eagerness to content.  This was a heated argument over who was the greatest.      Jesus' reply is a

   This is just some comments about pastor Jonathan's recent message on the series "Where is God?"  Pastor talked about where is God when there are times when he seems distant.  He said that there are four main things that God is up to when he seems distant.  The four things are: 1. He may be correcting you 2. He may be growing you 3. He may be preparing you 4. He may be reminding you     I think about when a farmer or person prepares a field or a place to plant a garden.  They have to get rid of all the weeds and things that would hinder the plants from growing.  It is a preparation time.  From what I have seen it can be a very intensive work experience, but important for the overall outcome.  I think it is no less important spiritually for us to undergo times of preparation, so that the fruit that we bear might be fruitful.  We do go through times when God wants to correct us.  In Hebrews 12:8-11 it tells us that God discipline is proof of his love. He may be

    Pastor Jonathan at the Summit Church today shared his second message from the series "Where is God?"  In this series, he emphasized "God's People = God's Presence".  That when Jesus was spending his last night with his disciples he prayed a prayer in JOhn 17:20-26 that we might be one.  That includes all believers even us today.  It says that he prayed that we might be one that the world might believe.    The plan that Jesus put in place is that through the power of the Holy Spirit the church today is to be the feet and hands of Jesus in the world.  The word Christian actually means "little christ".  We are suppose to reflect that we know Christ by doing the kind of things that he would which includes things like helping the poor, homeless, the sick, the needy, those who can't speak for themselves.  And when the church has been at its strongest, the world has seen the church do this.  When the church is dysfunctional it forgets its goal a