GOD's Word for Today

06/04/2026

BLESSED IN HEAVEN IF NOT ON EARTH!

Good morning! God’s Word for today is Ephesians 1:2-14.

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment-- to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-- to the praise of his glory.

(NIV)



As we begin our day this morning we have already been blessed by God. We may not always feel that way but it does not alter the reality. Our daily earthly existence may be filled with stress from meeting competing obligations or personal problems that challenge our ability to feel blessed. None-the-less, for most of us if we were to take an accounting of our circumstances we could identify places of blessing. This is not to diminish in any way the crises and real struggles which some must face, yet for most of us we must admit that we allow our frustrations to distract us from the events and circumstances that should bring us satisfaction and joy.



I am certain that the Christians in Ephesus had their own particular trials. In fact the apostle gives us a hint of his own frustration while ministering in that prominent city located in present day Turkey which was the hub of his ministry for three years, writing: “If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained?” (1 Cor. 15:32). There are always struggles to challenge our faith. Yet in the midst of the problems, lest we allow them to consume us, there are blessings to be counted and which need to be acknowledgedby us if we are to keep our sanity and effectiveness in service to Christ. We would do well to remember the call of that hymn, “Count Your Many Blessings.”



Paul begins his letter to the Ephesian Church by giving thanks to God for them. Oh, how good it feels when you know that someone else values your existence and contribution! Appreciation is a gift we can easily bestow on others and can make a real difference in their lives. He then reminds these folks of the very foundation of all blessings – that they have in fact been blessed “in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Please note that the blessing of which he speaks is in the “heavenly realm.” He describes this blessing in order to acknowledge the gravity of our earthly daily struggles, not to dismiss or diminish them. He then goes on to describe the ways we have been heavenly blessed.



I think of that old saying: “to be so heavenly minded that you become of no earthly good.” We know that true religion calls us to address our problems and reform the abuse in society we see. However, in the process of transforming our world for Christ we know we will encounter defeat and setbacks. We will encounter struggle in transforming our own lives. We need to take account of our heavenly blessings to avoid discouragement and to energize our continuing the struggle of faithfulness. You may be tired today, not just with a physical tiredness, but an emotional exhaustion felt deep down in your spirit which tempts you to draw back or even surrender your efforts to address your circumstance. It is at these times we desperately need to consider our heavenly blessings.



Paul lists several. First is the fact that Christ chose us from the beginning. Think about that! Just when you may feel completely unwanted or useless, the words of Paul remind you that Christ wanted and chose you. We can easily forget that we have the privilege of knowing intimately our Creator and Savior. There are so many who face life without that affirmation of love. We can see how easy it is for us to neglect the gift of his call to faith and relationship. We easily neglect what it took for Christ to secure our relationship as adopted children of his Father even though we have the capacity to understand his sacrifice on our behalf. That constitutes the second heavenly blessing – through Christ we have been adopted into God’s family.



We can also neglect his promise to fulfill his plan to ultimately bring everything under the authority of Christ. All that we might desire in terms of peace and justice in our own lives and the larger world has been promised by our faith. Though we may see set backs and failure does not mean that God will fail to make it happen. Our third blessing is that we have been given a spiritual vision of the world’s healing and have been privileged to be called to participate in Christ’s work.



Fourth, we have the guarantee that if we continue to struggle with faithfulness, Paul says that we shall certainly know that our lives please him and bring God glory. That is to be the real goal of our life today – whatever we find ourselves doing, wherever it is, we are to be striving to be faithful to our call and bring glory to God by making God look good before an unfaithful world.



Until the day comes when the dreams for our lives, for our church and the world are realized by Christ we have the presence of his Holy Spirit which is our guarantee that we please him. You see it is the very struggle with what is right and just, our desire to be pleasing and faithful that is the evidence of Christ’s Spirit infilling us. When we feel the struggle is overwhelming us and are not sure we have the strength to carry on that is the time we need to acknowledge the blessings we do not see but which are real. It is then we may see the other blessings within our daily struggle which we may have overlooked. We may even miss the ways God is moving in our lives and bringing blessing to others.



Have a great and Godly day as you live for him today!



Selah! Pastor Brian Homan

06/03/2026

WHY DO PEOPLE STAY ON THE OUTSIDE?

Good morning! Today’s reading is Acts 5:12-16.

12 The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.

NIV

As I read the passage and published my devotion yesterday morning on Acts 5: 12 - 21, verses 12 – 16 stood out for me. In our Sunday morning teaching series, “Becoming Fishers of Souls,” we are emphasizing the call of our Lord to “Go and make disciples.” I found it interesting that though the public was aware of many great wonders of healing, emotionally and tangibly, the disciples were able to perform still many people shied away from joining the disciples as they worshipped in the public setting outside Solomon’s Colonnade. The thought made me pause to question why this would be the case.

It was obvious that something positive was happening in the ever growing body of followers so while some were moved to check out what was happening and deciding to join the group, many more were looking to find the disciples in the streets and make some contact with them in the hope that the good that was happening might rub off on them. Could they have been fearful of retribution by the religious authorities should they publically commit to following Jesus? Did they question the cost of the demands to discipleship? It is obvious that they had some belief but possessed some obstacles to a fuller commitment.

I think that this concern correlates to our contemporary efforts to fulfill Christ’s commandment to make disciples. I have often found in counseling families as they prepare to celebrate the life a loved one who died that without my prompting they will tender their family member “believed but was not religious.”

I do not argue with them for doing so will not convince them of the salvation of the loved one they lost or win them to faith. Rather I will shape the celebration to include an appropriate presentation of the gospel and encourage a commitment to faith. The question remains why someone would believe in Christ and fail to actively practice their faith and join others to celebrate their faith?

The family members who share their belief that the deceased had faith do so out of an uncertainty of their salvation. It is offered to protect their false sense of security that they are saved though they do not actively practice e their faith. Is practice of faith necessary to salvation? Yes, though we may question what that practice must entail. To lay out the specifics would be legalistic and judgmental, however, it is natural to assume that belief and faith would inform our actions.

What then would cause someone who has faith in Christ to remain on the outside? My conversation with many nominal believers has exposed a history of being hurt by religion either from childhood of from previous participation as an adult. Pertaining to children I think of the words of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians as he warns parents to “not provoking their children to wrath,” which will include rejection and rebellion of the faith the parents may hope their children will embrace. Sometime we can push too hard. Children and adult believers can also be turned away by the obvious hypocrisy they find in the church and other believers. Often the pointing finger of hypocrisy should include us as no one is without sin, though this should be an excuse as we need to have a sensitivity to sin that results in our being driven to faithfulness and addressing the hypocrisy that offends our consciences.

Several nominal believers have shared with me their fear of being “sucked in” to taking on greater responsibility. To be an active churchman they believe will impose upon them greater responsibilities that they do not want since they feel they carry enough burdens already. There is a balance to using our gifts to advance Christ’s kingdom and carrying the necessary burdens of life. It requires spiritual wisdom to form the boundaries to balance the commitments to work, family and Christian service. We need to determine priorities and learn to say “no!” to ourselves and sometimes to the church when we are asked to take on tasks that do not fit the priorities we believe God has asked of us. Saying “No!” should not come easy to us; we need to ask God what is his will for us. That wisdom takes work and many just assume to avoid it.

An additional matter to consider is “easy grace.” We teach that we are saved by grace through faith and not by works (Ephesians 2: 8,9) yet the apostle also goes on to say that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Many justify their life decisions on the basis of grace to the neglect of work God may want to see us involved in. James writes in his letter “What good is it my sisters and brothers, if a person claims to have faith, bnut has no deeds? Can such a faith save him?” Later he writes: “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” and “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”

We can probably come up with many other conditions for believers who choose to stay on the outside of religion and cannot and will not make a checklist to apply to determine who is saved from those who are not – that is a consideration for person to make. Too frequently we expect God to answer our prayers, to provide and protect us from harm with little regard for the gratitude we owe God from his love through Christ, and we keep our faith superficial an unfulfilling when we avoid the challenges to living faithfully. There are different levels of involvement. Certainly not everyone is called to be a Peter or an Apostle Paul, but do have gifts to offer the world and one another in service to Christ who gave His all for us. To be a disciple is to be “all in,” in every area of our life. For this reason we need to be joiners so that together we can discern Christ’s way and will for us.

What can we do to bridge the gap and help those on the outside to come into Christ’s church to live and serve more fully?

Prayerfully, Dr. Brian Homan

06/02/2026

DISCERNING BETWEEN TRUE AND FALSE RELIGION!

Good morning! Today’s reading is Acts 5:12-21.

12 The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.

17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 "Go, stand in the temple courts," he said, "and tell the people the full message of this new life."

21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

NIV

You would think that the religious authorities would have celebrated and embraced the work of the disciples as they were accomplishing so much good for people which is what true religion should desire.

Jesus taught the disciples that they could discern true from false religion saying, “by their fruit you shall know them.” While humanitarian and philanthropic works are done by unbelievers as well as believers, no one can faithfully follow Christ with just good works. They are done by God’s people because of our love for Christ and a compassion for all people that accompanies faith in Christ, but also because through them in Christ’s name we bring glory and honor to the reputation of Christ which might open those who do not believe to consider the evidence for faith.

While God loves the expression of human compassion whether from a believer or nonbeliever it remains impossible for a follower of Christ a disciple without a nagging desire to extend compassion to others. We should ever be mindful to “let our light shine.” The apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians (2: 10) that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Therefore, any expression of faith which promotes harm to any person regardless of religious or cultural background is not of God!

This is why we know that the Jewish religious leadership at the time of Christ did not represent God. It was perhaps excusable that they opposed the message of Christ presented by the Peter, John and the other disciples, but they went too far by opposing and obstructing the good they were doing for people.There may be people and organizations that we as Christians do not share similar belief, yet in areas of compassion and social justice we might join to provide care for tangible needs. I know that there are churches with a “separatist” mentality which call for no cooperation with others with divergent views from their own, yet this does not sync with the example of Christ who honored the compassion of those the religious community labeled as outcast, whether it be the Good Samaritan or the Roman Centurion.

As true followers of Christ we should expect opposition for the good we wish to accomplish in Christ’s name. It is unfortunate that we should encounter opposition from those within the ranks of Christianity when we already have to face it from elements of the world and our culture. Often we fight the battle for good and justice on two fronts, outside the church and within. The example from today’s reading is the opposition from within. We know that the situation intensified to outright persecution. The proof of legitimate religion is evident in the fruit of righteousness and goodness it produces.

We can understand the reasons for the opposition. The message and work of the apostles was drawing people to faith in Christ. Competition and power over people is always the temptation of religion. When we believe in something we want to legitimize our faith by its acceptance by others. If we are followers of the truth then we should be willing and ready to follow what we know is true even if it unpopular. Our beliefs should not be decided on the basis of Nielson ratings or polls, but on the criterion of truthfulness. If we are honest and true to ourselves then we should be willing to stand alone or with a few who likewise pursue the truth.

This unwillingness to stand for the truth is the greatest threat to the church today. And I do not mean to limit this to our religious institutions, but to individual followers of Christ. People are picking their beliefs on the basis of popularity rather than on Biblical integrity. Often we take the paths of least resistance without duly considering the weight of truth. Christians always talk about the dangers to Youth who simply follow the crowd, when as adult leaders and models of faith we likewise follow the crowd of least resistance and popularity. We are consumed with what the apostle Paul describes are beliefs that tickle our ears and are emotionally pleasing. We become as those he warns in 2 Timothy 4:3-5 who “will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. “

Those who know the truth, live the truth and do the truth, even in the face of opposition whatever its source.

Lord of my life, even as I face this day all I hear on the news and the conflicting claims of truth, give me a discerning heart to weigh each claim. Give me the courage to make a decision and the strength to stand by the beliefs for which I am certain are true amidst opposition. Give me companions to strengthen my resolve to remain faithful and always a heart ready to forgive those who oppose me. Show me the good You would have me do in every circumstance so my life would honor You and bless others. In the name of the One who stuck to the truth even as doing so brought Him to the Cross. Amen!



Blessings! Dr. Brian Homan

06/01/2026

June 1 bible study

05/31/2026

MAY 31 WORSHIP AT Kirkville Community Church!
Welcome to Kirkville Community Church where we love Jesus, love others for Jesus and love others to Jesus. We are located at 8317 Pool’s Brook Road in Kirkville, New York. Our worship service starts at 10am with a Fellowship time following. This morning we continue our theme of "Becoming Fishers of Souls." Pastor Brian Homan teaches on Acts 2: 22-24 and 36-42 a message entitled "Knowing the Gospel We are Called to Share."

Welcome to Kirkville Community Church where we love Jesus, love oth...

05/30/2026

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05/29/2026

BEING SENSITIVE TO DECEPTION!
Good morning! Our Word for today is 1 Timothy 4:1-5.

1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.

4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. (NIV)



One of the core beliefs of Christianity is the expected return of Christ to reign and issue in a time of unprecedented peace and justice which we do not see in our present world. Alongside this anticipation Christians observe and complain about the erosion of morality in the world, particularly within the church. This is also expected and this moral devolution is anticipated to expand until it forces God’s hand to intervene less we completely destroy ourselves. Thoughtful Christian’s of each age have thought their time was the age of collapse of the world and the time of Christ’s coming. I feel this way myself regarding our present time. Evil has always afflicted us, but due to the expansion of technology and globalization the tools for both expressing evil and the potential for world destruction has, more than any other period in human history, become more plausible. This belief fuels my urgency to greater faithfulness in the spread of Gospel of Christ’s love.

One has to be dumb or blind to not see how as human population and progress has grown human evil has also expanded. I do not even think the most devout atheist would deny this, though they would maintain hope that our future might be saved by human progress. Even thoughtful Christians share this hope that the world can be saved from destruction by the use of technology and the propagation of “Kingdom” values. So far, unfortunately, the evil side of the coin of human progress seems to always win out.

Today’s reading from 1 Timothy reminds us that the moral decay preceding Christ’s return will accompany an abandoning of faith by Christians. This was the fear of the early church and the initial four centuries during the age of persecution. With the acceptance and establishment of the imperial church there rose the hope that the church could successfully conquer the world and subject it to Christ’s rule. The moral corruption of the church brought forth the rise of the Protestant Reformation and the belief that the church could be saved from it moral decay. Since then, the church wages war within itself as the world continues to spin out of control and toward its destiny of self-destruction.

I have been overwhelmed by my responsibility to help skeptics understand Christian history and the pressures we live under to live faithfully in our time. My peace comes from accepting that only by the Spirit of God might we grow in our understanding. The church has always been at war with the world and with itself. Timothy raised the concern that some Christians will abandon their faith in this struggle, some by just dropping it altogether and seeking a different way, or most by a more subtle abandonment by accepting teaching that corrupts the truth. These will continue in the faith on the surface, however, their beliefs will lead them away into false religion.

It is the danger of subtle corruption of faith which Timothy speaks to in our reading. That is why he claims that spiritual corruption comes from the teaching of deceiving demon spirits. If the Devil can deceive and corrupt our faith so we follow false teaching we can actually promote evil without our consciences even knowing it. What Timothy means by the “searing of our consciences” is the decline in our spiritual sensitivity which warns us of our erosion of true faith. If we cannot tell what is true or we convince ourselves that what is evil is good then evil is perpetuated and those who are deceived into believing they are faithful will be led to spiritual destruction.

The example which Timothy gives of the false teaching he is addressing is particular to his time. Some were teaching an asceticism where everything of a physical nature and which can bring enjoyment is evil. They claimed that the physical world was evil and only the spiritual was holy and good. Therefore, they rejected marriage and enjoyment of certain foods. They treated themselves harshly in order to escape this world which was evil in order to reach a spiritual nirvana. This very statement does not reveal the depth of this thinking or how it impacts us today.

There is a war continuing to wage in the church today over finding a balanced life. There are some Christians who promote a restricted approach to life. The fear of worldliness creeping into their lives causes them to reject what most of us world takes as good and enjoyable. Though they would not go as far as to reject marriage as Timothy speaks about, they seem dominated by worry and avoidance of things they feel will corrupt them. On the other hand Christians can surrender themselves to self-centeredness and be absorbed in accepting most everything as good and godly. In doing so they lose sensitivity to that which can subtly destructive to life. There are so-called Christians whose lives are scarred by the consequences to choices they allow for themselves. They may still claim faith in Christ but are wounded and live no differently than those who do not know Christ. Their lives have not benefitted from having faith.

How do we discover a balanced life where we can enjoy the gifts of living while avoiding the evils that threaten our spiritual and actual health? Timothy’s advice is to receive everything God created as potentially good. Every progress and technology which offers the potential to advance the enjoyment of life should be received with thanksgiving if filtered through God’s Word and prayer (vs. 5). It is through God’s Word and prayer that we consider the proper use of any technology or opportunity.

For example, the internet can be used for evil or for good. The Christian should not reject the technology but through God’s Word and prayer discern the best way to limit its use. Smart phones are the most recent advancement on our human scene. They have the potential to connect us with others and enrich our lives, but they can also become an obsession which inhibits our interaction with those around us. They can connect us to helpful information quickly and provide opportunities for entertainment or expose us to immorality and isolate us from our surroundings. Technology has assisted us in healing of the human body, but it has also enabled us to extend ourselves into morally questionable areas. Godliness has to do with how we use what is available in life, not the blatant rejection of opportunities.

To be faithful as Christians we must always be aware of the potential blessings and curses our world offers us and through sound spiritual discernment follow the truth to keep what truly makes life a blessing near and dear.

As we approach the return of Christ, many will be lost in the confusion and will abandon the truth of Christ by accepting values contrary to what He taught. We do have the tools necessary to keep ourselves spiritually, mentally and relationally healthy if we give thoughtful attention to living our faith with integrity.

Selah! Pastor Brian Homan

05/28/2026

THE CHALLENGE TO KEEPING A CLEAR CONSCIENCE!

Good morning! Our Word for today is 1 Peter, chapter 3, verses 13-22.

13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." 15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also — not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand — with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. (NIV)



The way to heaven is not an easy one. From John 14 we read how Jesus is “the Way, the Truth and the Life” and His way was marked by the cross. Our way with Jesus will include enduring our share of crosses. The crosses in life will be circumstances we know which do not change simply because we are committed to following Christ. Things do change, initially it is we who change, but the environment we live in does not automatically change and the problems or challenges we face do not disappear. They are altered by our response of faith to them, yet they remain.



In my experience the Way is easier. The resources provided by faith make challenges more palatable and I can more easily see the potential God can work through circumstances which provides both a purpose , peace and a goal to work towards which produces joy when our efforts with Christ are achieved. The Way of faith is marked by a sense of peace, joy and hope for those who walk it. What I mean by “those who walk it” are those whom Peter describes who have “set apart Christ as Lord” in their hearts. Despite the outcome of any circumstance, those who place Christ as the Lord of their life recognize that God is working out a greater plan through the events we go through which we may not fully see or appreciate at the time . The circumstance may go the way we want or prayerfully wish they would go, or they may not turn out as we had hoped or expected. The test of Christ’s Lordship is remaining on our moral compass even when things go south.



The real challenge to our commitment comes when the good choices we make do not work out and we actually suffer for doing good. I guess we can live with that though it may be hard to swallow, but what really hurts is when people maliciously oppose us for the good we choose. We may be able to accept not being acknowledged for the good we do in the name of Christ, but it is quite another matter when the good we choose to do is rejected and opposed. In time our resolve to keep trying to do well may erode and we are tempted to take the easy road of not trying or even compromising our conscience by joining in with the wrongs which we should reject by faith. I am not speaking of serious evil, but referring to those lesser noticed compromises. These over time become compounded and the energy to justify them will compromise our assurance of salvation.

The Way to heaven is marked by maintaining a moral conscience informed by the Truth of Christ’s teaching. This is why in John 14 Jesus clarified for Thomas that he is “the Way” and “the Truth.” The Way to the Father, or heaven, is paved by a moral life distinguished by applying the Truth taught by Christ to our everyday circumstance. Jesus also added that He is “the Life” meaning that His life is the pattern we are to emulate. There is as much to learn from Jesus’ example as there is from His teaching. Jesus’ teaching applied to the circumstances He encountered in His earthly life and ministry, but there are circumstances involving moral choices we face in our time which Jesus never had to face. Certainly the principles He taught must be applied, but to address our contemporary challenges with moral Christ-like integrity we must apply the pattern of life modeled by Jesus.

The way to heaven, which is the place of our ultimate salvation from the evils of this world, requires that we place Christ as Lord in our lives. His teaching and example mark the Way, the Truth and Life we must live. Peter reminds his readers that this may require sharing the cross of death if they are to remain morally uncompromised. For most of us there other painful crosses we shall experience for maintaining our Christ-like convictions. The rejection and opposition we may sometimes face will be painfully felt and we may oftentimes feel alone in our suffering, yet we must remember that the Spirit of Christ is with us and we should be able to count on the support and encouragement of others who also hold Christ as their Lord as we together endeavor to maintain a good conscience.

Peter refers to Christ as having been made alive by the Spirit and just as it was the Spirit which brought life to Jesus we cannot hope to survive and thrive morally unless we share the same infusion of Spirit which was in Christ. When we feel as though we stand alone in our convictions and the support we need from fellow Christian’s is not enough, it will be the Spirit of Christ who will infuse life to our resolve and provide the peace and joy we need as we stand the test of our convictions. It is the Spirit whom we need to apply appropriately the teachings and example of Christ to the moral challenges we face or our human frailty toward sin shall win the day and compromise set in.

Peter provides a unique statement which can be confusing and misinterpreted regarding the Spirit of Christ preaching to the spirits in prison. Let us not mistakenly think that there is any chance after death for repentance and salvation. We determine our destiny by the choice of our way in life. Those in prison refer to those of the past who had compromised themselves morally and are now waiting the inevitable judgment. By Christ’s death and resurrection the truth discloses the failure of conscience that shall convict the souls of those who did not maintain a moral conscience. Peter’s words are a warning that the Way to heaven is marked by the choices in life we make presently. Our baptism by faith is a pledge to God of a good conscience for which we will be held accountable. Our commitment to Christ’s Lordship is our assurance we are on track for heaven.

Selah! Dr. Brian Homan