Channing Methodist Church

06/20/2024

I need to announce that I have retired from the pulpit and am serving at my home church as a prayer minister. I really should have posted this some time ago but just could not close that chapter of my life. It is time to let go.
On another notable life event I am an Adjunct Instructor at Amarillo College. I teach automotive trades. I enjoy this very much. I feel I am sill contributing to my profession even at 73 years young. Retirement is awesome!
God Bless,
Karl Smith

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11/26/2023

Here are my sermon notes for today. we also read Ezekiel 34:11-24 and Ephesians 1:15-23 for the lection reading along with Ps 100.
remember worship is not about you and how you feel it is all about God. Blessings,
Pastor Karl

Channing Methodist Church
11/26/2023 Karl Smith
Are We the People of God’s Pasture?

Psalm 100, A psalm. for giving thanks.
Ps 100
A psalm. For giving thanks.
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love
endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through
all generations.
NIV
This is Christ the King Sunday. It is the last Sunday in the Christian calendar. There are several references to Christ and who He was—and is—today. Also, there is a great deal of worship references today. How to worship. When to worship. Where to worship. How to approach God. Thanksgiving is also a topic today. How we are thankful for the mighty blessing that God bestowed on His believers. Also, how we are thankful for Grace and forgiveness. How we are thankful for Christ and that he was a willing sacrifice for our sin that made us acceptable for God’s mercy. All this right after we celebrated Thanksgiving that is for most a secular holiday. Yet for Christians it is usually a prayerful time of genuine thanks to God for grace and answered prayer.
Again this is the last Sunday of the Christian year. Next week we begin Advent and the celebration of Christ’s birth. We start anew with the star and prophecy and end with the Reign of Christ as we await Christ’s return.

Now David leads us in a lesson in How to Worship:
Ps 100
A psalm. For giving thanks.
1. Raise your voice to God

1 “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.” (Ps 100:1)
Shout to get God’s attention. Jump and wave to make sure he sees you. Treat him like an earthly king or sports celebrity only better. Make sure He see you and knows that you adore him. The original word means to give a loud shout or a trumpet blast.

2. Render honor to God
2 “Worship the Lord with gladness;” (Ps 100:2a)
Give to God the honor due him because you owe everything to Him. We are his children, He is our everything
3. Draw near to God with singing
“"Come before Him with joyful songs"”( Ps 100:2b )
Our shouts will soon turn to song. Music is the means through which we often express our gladness, our joy, and our praise. Our songs are not to create our gladness, but to express it. Through our singing we approach God.

4. Acknowledge God
3 “Know that the Lord is God.” (Ps 100:3)
Pause, look to God and acknowledge that all the shouting, singing, and joyful praise is for Him and Him only. Like a soldier snaps to attention and salutes a general. We should bring all our attention to God.

5. Open the door to God
"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise"
(Psa. 100:4).
Open the doors with praise and enter into the court of God. Stand in His presence and praise His Holy name.

6. Give thanks to God
"Give thanks to Him" (Psa. 100:4).
And always give thanks to God. Thanks for His gifts, His forgiveness, His joy in us and our joy in Him. Thanks in His plans for salvation that will not fail nor diminish despite our sin.

7. Bless the name of God
"Praise His name!" (Ps. 100:4).
Bless the name that blesses all the world. Bless the name of the creator. Bless the name that blesses us with life.

Conclusion

“Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” (Ps. 100:3)
We are made to worship God, we are His sheep and we live in his rich pastures. Not everyone will accept God’s Kingship and not everyone will accept Christ as their savior. Yet we will and with Christ’s help we will worship our King eternally as we graze and live in His pastures.

What a privilege we have in worship. We can approach the creator of the universe and He will acknowledge us by name, answer our prayers, and say we are his children. King David has written us a protocol to approach the King that cost us nothing, we only need use the gifts that God has given us.
Praise the Holy name of God.
Amen.
Pastor Karl

11/19/2023

Channing Methodist Church
11/19/2023 Karl Smith
We Are of the Day
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
5 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
I spoke last week about “the Day of the Lord” was not what most Christians think it will be. I spoke about how it would be for most a terrifying event of destruction. And a day of remorse for all those that had not “walked in the way of the Lord.” And also for those who were caught unaware while thinking that they had plenty of time to get their act together. Suddenly the end of mercy is in sight and the time of repentance is past. Now would be judgment.
5 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly,… and they will not escape.
1 Thessalonians is likely to be the first letter Paul wrote. He writes to the church he had started there because he had not been allowed to return to the city and had heard that the Christians there were suffering persecution for their faith. He writes to give them hope and reiterate how they must live with a Christian perspective. And live with hope in the Lord’s Grace. This is why he tells them and now us this next part;
4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all sons of the light and sons of the day.
We who believe in Christ are “people of Light.” We need not go about in darkness because we know the truth. We are people of the day, we belong to the day;
8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

Faith and love as a breast plate that protecting our heart, our center, and the Helmet of salvation our hope. Our only hope.
Eph 6:14-18
with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
NIV
9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.

John 8:12
… Jesus said,… "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
We must live in that light and be people of the day. For in the day the things of darkness are exposed for what they are, sin. Sin that separated us from Christ and if you are separated from Christ then you cannot stand before God the Father and darkness will prevail over you.
One day, On The Day of The Lord, Jesus will return to call his sheep and His sheep will know his voice. The darkness will not prevail because we were made to be people of the light and of the day, The Day of the Lord. We need not fear that day if we are truly People of the Light.

God says we were made for
the light, the day. We need to
live in His Light and wait on
The Day of the Lord.
11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Grace and peace, Amen
Pastor Karl

08/13/2023

Channing Methodist Church
Karl Smith 8/13/2023
Where Is Your Faith?
Matthew 14:22-33(14:28)
Matt 14:28
28 "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
Where is your faith? Oh, I know it easy to say, “my faith is in the Lord” and I do that myself. That is say my faith is in the Lord, but do I truly do that each day of my life. When problems come my way do I step up and place my trust in the lord? No, my first thought is “how am I going to fix this?”. I play the “I” more than I like to admit.
Example:
Judy and I were at the lake yesterday with a new to us old boat. I worked all week on the motor and fuel system and making sure all the safety equipment were on board and functioning. I made sure the registration was up to date and found a spare for the trailer. I checked both fuel tanks and put a new fuel line and primer pump on it and charged up the battery. The boat has a flip down trolling motor with a foot controller. I made sure that it was functioning and I knew how to run the thing. It was 24 volt and both of the batteries were bad-of course-and I discovered the boat main battery was weak also. So, for safety on the water I put in all three batteries. ( I borrowed the batteries from my son’s motor home ) Tires, wheel bearings, batteries, trolling motor, bailing bucket, fire extinguisher and an air horn are all there. Now what have I forgotten? Drain plugs, I went to the transom and checked, and it had one on a cord that kept it from getting lost, I guess. I have never seen one done that way but thought, “O well” the previous owner used it like that and it would probably be OK.
Ready to go, but the drain plug bothered me and when I stopped for gas, I only had enough mix-oil for one tank. We were running late, and I wanted to get to the lake and do a check out run. One tank will be fine.
So we went, got to the lake and launched without too much trouble. Judy two dogs and I were on the water motor ran fine but the Stick steering too a little while to get used to and I did not take the time to show Judy how to run the boat and this will cause me a problem very soon. …

Matt 14:22-33
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
28 "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
29 "Come," he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
NIV
Rest of the story.
As I read this true story look how many times “I” did something. I did this, I thought this, or I thought this. But the best one is I ignored this or that because I thought it would be ok. Like only gas in one tank and weird way mount the drain plug.
• Trolling motor worked well, did not show Judy how to use it.
• Went out on main lake but was very rough so we ran the shoreline back in the coves in calmer water making the trip longer.
• Idled around at the marina for a bit
• Went back out to main lake with the wind to our back throttled up but boat would not come up on plane.
• Looked to the stern and saw water in boat.
• Ran as close to shore as I could and as fast as I could.
• Motor cut out and dies. When bow comes down and boat levels, motor restarts.
• Tank nearly out of fuel—remember “I should have enough gas”
• I idle back to keep the boat level but see more water coming in the boat, the slower I go the more water comes in, o my goodness, The drain plug!
• Judy, drive the boat. Judy says, “I don’t know how.”
• Motor dies, put trolling motor down. Judy, keep us going toward shore. Judy says, “you never showed me how to work the trolling motor.”
• Quick lesson, run to back of boat and lean over transom and put drain plug back in place.
• Get boat loaded on trailer just as storm moves in. All is good.
Lots of "I" in this story but not much listening to the nudges from the spirit.
I put my faith in me and not God.
Put your faith in the lord and keep your eyes on him this week. And if the spirit says “put the drain plug in correctly you should listen.
Amen Pastor Karl

07/16/2023

Falling In The Dark
Channing Methodist Church
July 16, 2023, Karl Smith
Psalm 119:105-112

Ps 119:105-112

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.
106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws.
107 I have suffered much;
preserve my life, O Lord, according to your word.
108 Accept, O Lord, the willing praise of my mouth,
and teach me your laws.
109 Though I constantly take my life in my hands,
I will not forget your law.
110 The wicked have set a snare for me,
but I have not strayed from your precepts.
111 Your statutes are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
112 My heart is set on keeping your decrees
to the very end.
There are so many ways I could take this Psalm but I believe I will take a literal approach with a hiking story.
Several years ago, when I thought I was still young some friends of Judy and me were traveling together on vacation. We were in the mountains but I don’t remember just where. I do remember that there was a trail I wanted to hike that was marked “easy to moderate” and did not look to hard on the map. I must admit that the map was not a real map, it was the trifold brochure that is in the rack at the entrance. There were no real maps in the trail box at the trail head but still it looked like it was only a mile or two on the brochure. Easy walk in the woods for a late afternoon hike. So the four of us took off and made very good time on the loop trail as it wound its way down into a secluded canyon. There were no others hiking and it was a little further that I had planned, still it was a great late evening hike. Now as we made our way through the wooded canyon we could see the trail curving back up the side of the canyon as the sun was dropping below the tree line. Suddenly late evening was night. As we stubbled over roots and rocks the hike was slowed to a plodding pace. Each foot had to be carefully placed to keep from falling. Our late evening hike became a nighttime adventure hike that none of us had prepared for. It was going to take a long time to get up the steep trail that lead back to the cars. Things looked bleak, we were worried about tripping and falling in the trail and did not have a cell phone with us and there was no service anyway. Then someone remembered they had a small light on their key chain. One of those with a button battery that put out minimal light but we tried it anyway and guess what? That small light in the deep forest darkness illuminated our feet and the rough trail so well we had no trouble walking at a good pace back to the parking lot.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.” verse was made real and true for us on that dark trail. With even that small amount of light it was enough to remove the darkness and fear until we got back to safety.
Preach through this Ps:
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.
What we just spoke about
106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws.
This is Old Testament but we should do the same because of what Jesus did for us with the “New Covenant.”
107 I have suffered much;
preserve my life, O Lord, according to your word.
comment
108 Accept, O Lord, the willing praise of my mouth,
and teach me your laws.
comment
109 Though I constantly take my life in my hands,
I will not forget your law.

110 The wicked have set a snare for me,
but I have not strayed from your precepts.
111 Your statutes are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
112 My heart is set on keeping your decrees
to the very end.
Will we allow the Lord to guide us even as we are in the deepest pit of despair? When life rears back and smacks us silly. When you have no more tears to shed? Or even in your greatest joy will you let the Lord guide you?
This week let us place our trust in the Lord as we go about this crazy world.
Shalom, Pastor Karl

07/09/2023

Channing Methodist Church
Rest For the Soul
Karl Smith 7/9/2023
Matthew 11:28-30 Pastor commentary

Matt 11:16-30

16 "To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:
17 "'We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
and you did not mourn.'

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."
20 Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. 21 "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in S***m, it would have remained to this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for S***m on the day of judgment than for you."
25 At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.
27 "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Rest, that is what we seek when we are weary of the everyday troubles and worries. Like when you have mowed the yard after the rains have come and the weeds are winning the battle for nourishments put down for the grasses you covet. When the weeds bog down the mower and dull its blades until it just rips out the grasses leaving patches of brown earth.
Rest of the weary workers of a thousand thankless jobs that seem unimportant and unnoticed until they are left undone. Rest of the earthly souls who seek release of the weary life chore of just living. One day after another with fitful resting in between marches as far as the horizon never reached. Rest, rest give me rest lord, I must have rest.
This is deep soul weariness. When all the small things fill in the spaces between the large problems of life and become a solid mass of complexity. All the consequences of emotional heartbreaks, life difficulties, frailties of the body, and willful sin we experience in our daily lives. And no amount of people telling us to “cheer up” will make it better.
Have you been there? I have, many times. Most all have had a time of weariness and unrest in their lives. It hurts your body and wears down your will. It seems to never end. No amount of earthly rest can restore your body nor your spirit and the cycle of weariness continues to feed on your spirit and your will. Mindlessly we carry on and on and on…
And then Jesus said:
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light
Could it be that simple? “Come to me” all we need do is go to Jesus. Life has taught us that nothing comes easy, you must fight, wrestle, and fenagle our way through life and it will never be easy. And then Jesus says just come to Him and He will just give us rest for our souls. Lay it all down and take up his easy yoke. Can it really be that easy? Yes, it is for us but not so much for Jesus. He must carry it all for everyone that call him master. We exchange our yoke for His and gain life as long as we don’t go back and put on life’s yoke again.
Why would we want to take on another yoke when the one we have is more than our weary spirits can bear? Well, that is the thing, the catch to the deal of a lighter yoke. When Jesus willingly went to cross He bore our earthly yokes of sin and death for us and in exchange we can have His “easy” yoke of just trusting in Him.
David speaks to us from the Psalms while he is in the plains of Juda

Ps 62:5-8

5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.

(A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.)
So as we go about our tasks and duties this week let us do it yoked to Christ and not to the world.
Amen, Pastor Karl

06/25/2023

I Am Poor And Needy
Channing Methodist Church
June 25, 2023, Karl Smith
From Ps 86
Intro:
Poor and needy, what does that bring to mind? For some of us it might be someone else we know or saw. Maybe a homeless person begging on the street or a mother by herself with kids on the street after being put out for nonpayment of rent. Perhaps a migrant worker far from home in desperate need of medical attention. But think again, those are all other people, how about you, have you ever been poor and needy?
Read Lectionary Psalm 86:1-10,16-17:
86 Hear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.
You are my God; save your servant
who trusts in you.
3 Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for I call to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant,
for to you, O Lord,
I lift up my soul.
5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord,
abounding in love to all who call to you.
6 Hear my prayer, O LORD;
listen to my cry for mercy.
7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you,
for you will answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord;
no deeds can compare with yours.
9 All the nations you have made
will come and worship before you, O Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God.
Ps 86:16-17
16 Turn to me and have mercy on me;
grant your strength to your servant
and save the son of your maidservant.
17 Give me a sign of your goodness,
that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
for you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
NIV

Here we hear the great King David describe himself as poor and needy. A man considered wealthy and powerful and yet he says he is poor and needy. How can this be we ask. We see with worldly eyes and worldly vision while David cries out from his faith. Davis knows where true wealth resides.
• When we think of the poor and needy, we think of the low wage earners or even the homeless. We think of the worldly poor.
• Yet here we hear a king describe himself as poor.
• Just as the homeless come to us with their hands out for help or money \King David—even with all his wealth—comes before God with his empty hands out for help and blessings.
This brings to mind Matthew 5:3
Matt 5:3
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. This is how David felt, poor in spirit and felt a need to be filled up with God’s spirit.
• The opposite of this would be the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-12
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

The Pharisee, in his arrogance, did not see the need to pray. He did not need God’s blessings as he was totally self-sufficient and satisfied his “goodness” was enough.
We should have an attitude totally different to that of the Pharisee. We pray because we recognize our dependence and need of God. Just as David we are poor and needy.
David also prays in verse 2 of today’s scripture “Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.” He argues his case by reminding the Lord that he is faithful. We can use arguments with God as to why he should answer our requests. We also notice that David does not say he is perfect but that he is faithful. He attempts to constantly to follow the Lord and His commands. Let this encourage us to be faithful to the Lord, remembering that: “…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16}
It is clear that David is not making a vague prayer to “someone up there”, but that he has a relationship with God. He calls him “my God” (verse 2) and calls him “Lord” and describes himself as a “servant”.
Just as David we also must have a direct relationship with God. He is “our God” our “Lord” and we are his “servants”. However, we go one step further than even David because we are post resurrection believers and are under the New Testament Covenant. This is why we pray to “Our Father, which art in heaven” each Sunday in worship and not with sacrifices in the tabernacle. We are made acceptable by the sacrifice of Jesus. And can approach the throne in His name.
David says he calls on the lord all day long.
3 Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for I call to you all day long.

This is what we need to be doing, calling on the Lord all day long, just as we breath we should pray. Thank and acknowledge God in all we do and say so that,
7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you,
for you will answer me.

I am poor of spirit and needy of you grace in all I do each day.
Bless us all this week, Amen

05/01/2023

Channing Methodist Church
4/30/2023 Karl Smith
Where Is the Joy In our Worship?
From Acts 2:42-47


42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Intro and setup:
As I began to write this sermon I felt a need to explain what I am referring to as I speak of The Church so there is no misunderstanding of whom I speak. I am not speaking of our church or present or past denomination. When I speak of the church I refer to present day state of general Christian worship across the board. It is a contrast between the early Christian church and the modern Christian church.

I came up with this sermon while reading 1 Peter from the lections for today. As my usual practice I read what comes before and after today’s verses to make sure I have things in context of when it happened. What is written before and after has bearing upon understanding of the verse and application to Christians today. While reading I found this verse from a couple of weeks ago and it spurred this sermon for today about joy.


1 Peter 1:8-9

8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

This is what and how we should be worshiping. With great Joy! The early Christians—believers in these scriptures—were following with
inexpressible and glorious joy what Peter and the Apostles spoke of when they preached salvation. They joined the church to be the church and that was their joy. They gladly did what was asked of them and took care of each other. They were a living and growing church with a rock solid base on salvation through Jesus.

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
-----------------------------------
So have said this is a model for society to operate. That we all should just share everything. But I say no, this is a model for a church. A church with God as its focus and Jesus as its salvation. With a willing joyful congregation about the work of saving souls.
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46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

So how about the church today, in our time. Is it a church of joy? Or have we lost our joy in the busyness of saving “our” church instead of saving souls. The early church had joy because they taught and followed what Peter taught them, that is salvation through Christ. That was the goal. The church will take care of itself if it would only follow Christ as Peter and the other apostles taught.
The last of verse 47 says;
“... And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
Now who added to their number? The Lord.
Christ was the glue that held them together and added to their number and their joy was in Christ.
I would call out to all Christians to “come home” to church and rekindle your joy in worship.
Amen, Pastor Karl