Evangelical Presbyterian Church

10/17/2025

My veggie juice operation. see comments on photos. I do this three or four times a week and drink an 8 oz jar at just about every meal.

04/20/2025

Message: Resurrection of Faith

Scripture: John 20 & 21

Video links: Full Service: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18bDxTaJCY/

Just the message: https://youtu.be/ZnQgMvlg9sI

When you think back over all the movies you've seen and all the stories you've read, what percentage do you think contain this element in which the hero of the story faced the danger, or the enemy, and really gave his all? The battle is over, the dust settles, the ones he has protected or saved want to give him thanks. But they find him lying on the ground or in some condition in which it really looks like he's dead. Maybe they can't find him at all and they are concerned that he has been completely swallowed by the enemy, or torn apart, or in science fiction versions, vaporized.

The director tries to make it look like everybody thinks that this is the end. But of course, since it's a movie we know there is going to be a resurrection. As the suspense builds we all wait to see how our hero will come back, wake up, revive, reappear, or whatever needs to happen to give us a really happy ending. And when that moment comes, everybody cheers. The celebration begins!

In the story of Jesus, the director is God. Our hero Jesus didn't just die by accident while he was trying to defeat the enemy and survive the battle. He came to die. He knew that his death was the way to victory. He even told his followers that it had to be this way before it happened so that when it happened, they would believe him. But those followers didn't believe him until after he came back from the dead.

Oh, they knew he was a great man. Jesus was a powerful miracle worker and the most loving and sensitive person they had ever met. He was full of wisdom and truth. They believed he was the Messiah who would save Israel! So when he died, they suffered a great loss. In their minds, His mission was over, and had ended in failure. When they took him down from the cross, they didn't try to revive him. Nicodemus didn't come to the cross with bandages and medicine. He brought burial spices and grave clothes. They knew he was dead. They buried him.

At the moment when Christ died, nothing could have seemed more abjectly weak, more pitifully hopeless, more absolutely doomed to scorn, and extinction, and despair, than the Church which He had founded. It numbered but a handful of weak followers, of which the boldest had denied his Lord with blasphemy, and the most devoted had forsaken Him and fled. They were poor. They were ignorant. They were hopeless. They could not claim a single synagogue or a single sword.

These twelve men, and a few women, were mostly from Galilee. A real hick town. Not educated, and certainly not respected by the current leaders of society. They were so feeble and insignificant as a group that it would have been too much to think that they might at least form a new sect of Judaism. Without Jesus, nothing at all would come of them. They would have sunk back into oblivion as fishermen and villagers, who lived and died and made no difference at all to the wider world. How was it that these dull and ignorant men, with their cross of wood, triumphed over the encrusted and stiff religion of their ancestors, moved pagans to forsake the deadly fascinations of their sensual mythologies, conquered kings and their armies, and overcame the world?

The answer is Jesus showed up alive to encourage and strengthen his disciples. These resurrection appearances of Jesus are a marvel! They tell the story, that Jesus really did rise form the dead. In the early days of the Church, they had this advantage over us. Nobody could refuse to believe the gospel merely by saying that it was written two thousand years ago and had suffered many changes in the telling and retelling. When Jesus rose from the dead on easter morn the story was so new and so close at hand that people who heard it could not so easily dismiss it as just a myth, the way so many do today. They had to deal with the facts and face the convincing evidence of eye witness accounts and reliable records. John specifically says he wrote this gospel so that people would believe in Jesus.

At the same time, in John's gospel, each of Jesus' encounters with His disciples tells every Christian something about what it means to know Jesus personally and that our response of joy and peace leads to a responsibility to share this good news and proclaim it. Let's look at how that works out in just three of the people who loved Jesus, Mary, Thomas and Peter.

Mary, is the picture of loving devotion and bereavement. She really loved Jesus. He had greatly blessed her. He banished demons from her life. Her story and her response to Jesus' resurrection is written into the song, “In the Garden.”

From the biography of that songs author, C. Austin Miles, I read…the story of the greatest morn in history: “The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, while it was yet very dark, unto the sepulcher.” Instantly, completely, there unfolded in my mind the scenes of the garden of Joseph….Out of the mists of the garden comes a form, halting, hesitating, tearful, seeking, turning from side to side in bewildering amazement. Falteringly, bearing grief in every accent, with tear-dimmed eyes, she whispers, “If thou hast borne him hence”… “He speaks, and the sound of His voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” Just one word from his lips, and forgotten the heartaches, the long dreary hours….all the past blotted out in the presence of the Living Present and the Eternal Future. Her faith is resurrected! She loves to be with him and cling to him for her own soul's peace and joy, to know he is alive and present to her is to know that the demons can never come back.

Mary is the picture of the devoted Christian. She represents people who love church, love to worship and sing and pray. At these times people feel very close to the Lord and they love to sense his spiritual presence. This is very good, but there is a mission and a responsibility to share it too. Jesus said to Mary, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, `I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”

Mary's experience was a special case, because she met Jesus very early and she was sent to the disciples. Even so, she was sent to unbelievers. So for you also, parts of your life mission are unique, but one part all believers have in common is this: God wants you to tell other people about what’s happened to you. He wants you to share your testimony, your lifestyle, and your witness. If you just attend church, or pray and even if you have your private devotions, you are just holding on to Jesus. You also have to obey his command to go and tell others why you love Jesus so much.

Others are like Thomas, connected to the church but skeptical of its power. Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So, the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

We must not give up on people who do not believe our message. We don't have to make them believe it either. Our responsibility is fulfilled if we are just willing to make the announcement, "We have seen the Lord!" Then pray for those who need proof, and trust that Jesus will meet the need.

When Jesus showed up for Thomas, he did not rebuke him for his doubting but offered the asked for experience of touching the wounds in his body. And doubting Thomas as he is called, when his faith was resurrected, ends up being the first one who literally called Jesus “God.” Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Then there's Peter. His story in John 21 represents all of us who as Christians are left wondering about how exactly we are supposed to live this new life in Christ. Before the crucifixion, it was easy. Jesus stayed with them, and they stayed with him. He walked everywhere he went, and they walked right alongside of him. But after the resurrection things are different. Jesus appears and disappears out of thin air. He comes and goes like the wind, and no one can follow him. They are left for days on end wondering where Jesus is and what they should do while they wait.

Peter doesn't like to live like that. He is a man of action. So during one of these lulls in which Jesus seems to have abandoned them again, Peter says, “I'm going fishing.” When we say that today it means vacation time, but when Peter said it, it meant he had decided to go back to the work he was doing before he met Jesus. It was as if he was saying, “A man's got to eat. Time to get back to work.”

But they didn't catch anything all night. And then, there is this wonderful replay of the way Peter met Jesus the first time. There’s a stranger on the beach, ordering the experienced fisherman to throw his net off the right side of the boat, as if that makes any difference! Peter does it anyway and lo and behold what a great catch of fish! Now they realize Jesus is with them again, and Peter is glad of it. He puts his outer garment on him and jumps into the water.

I wonder about that detail. Did he put his outer garment on him before he left the boat just in case he would be able to walk on the water as he did once before? And there was breakfast, all cooked and ready, except to add a few more fresh fish so there would be a feast.

It's interesting to note at how many of the resurrection appearances Jesus ate with his disciples. The very first time, he ate a piece of fish just to prove he was real. Then he broke bread with the two disciples he met on the road to Emmaus. And now again on the sea shore.

After the meal, Jesus took Peter aside for a bit more conversation. He asked him three times, “Do you love me?” But the English translation is not quite as good as the original Greek. Two different words for love are used by Jesus, Agape, or unconditional love, and phileo or brotherly love. So Kathy and I have rewritten this portion of Scripture as a responsive reading that tries to enter into the experience of Peter and capture the real meaning of this dialog. Your parts will be projected on the screen for you to read aloud, to but watch carefully. As usual, I get to read the italicized print and you get to read the bold print. But watch carefully because there are many times when it's two bold print slides in a row for you to read. You will all be playing the part of Peter, but also playing the part of yourself trying to grasp what Jesus really wants from you now that you know he is alive. (go to slides)

1) Leader: Sinner, do you love me with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength?

2) Congregation: Yes Lord, You know I love you. You’re a great friend. I’m glad to have You as a part of my life. When I need a friend, You’re always there. When I need someone to talk to, You listen. When I’m angry, or hurt, or sad, or frustrated, I know that I can talk to You.

3) Leader: If you love me, you will obey me. Care for my children.

4) Congregation: Your children, Lord?

5) Leader: Sinner, do you really love me with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength? Are you sure you are holding nothing back from me?

6) Congregation: Yes Lord, You know I love you. I love You like a brother. We’ve gone through some really tough times together. We’ve had some good memories too. We’re like family, Lord! Of course I love You.

7) Leader: If you really love me, you can demonstrate your love by caring for my people.

8) Congregation: Your people, Lord?

9) Leader: Sinner, do you even like me?

10) Congregation: Oh please Lord, don't talk like that! Lord, You know all things. You know I love You. I'm just not good at showing it!

11) Leader: I do know. The spirit is willing , but the flesh is weak. Even so, do you really love me?

12) Congregation: You mean, really love, unconditionally? You mean, do I love You without fear? You mean do I trust you at all times? You mean, do I obey You without hesitation?

13) Leader: Yes sinner, do you love me?

14) Congregation: No, Lord, not perfectly.

15) Leader: But this is something You must do.

16) Congregation: How, Lord?

17) Leader: First, believe how much I love you! Believe I am alive! Share that good news by caring for the poor, by showing mercy, by seeking justice, by loving one another. By this, all those around you will know that you are my disciples and that you love Me, if you do all this for one another, both here and beyond these walls.

18) Congregation: It is hard Lord.

19) Leader: I know. "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." So, receive the Holy Spirit!

20) Congregation: Come, Holy Spirit!

21) Leader: Now sanctified by my Spirit; saint, do you love me?

22) Congregation: Yes, Lord! I love you and I want to show the world!

02/17/2025

Matthew 21: 33,“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.

It's interesting that Jesus told them this is a parable by announcing listen to this parable. He clued them in that the word pictures he was using were symbolic of other things. At other times Jesus didn't say listen to this parable. He just told them a story about farming. He told them a story about banking and the people would only understand it was a parable if they had open hearts and wanted to understand better and asked about what they were listening to. But this time Jesus alerted them to listen for the symbolic imagery so that they could understand the parable more readily.

The people listening knew from the prophetic writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Hosea that God thinks of Israel as a vineyard that he personally planted. It is a wonderful picture because in the Middle East, especially in Bible times, a vineyard was the most valuable kind of property to own. That’s because the vines that grow there yield a richer harvest than any other crop, both in abundance and quality, but especially in quality. Bread is nutritious, and it tastes good. But juice tastes great! Bread is bread, but wine is fun!

However, to get a good crop of grapes, the vineyard was also the most demanding. The farmer had something to do in the vineyard at every season of the year. Maybe he didn’t have to plant, but he always had to prune, clean, and watch for new tendrils called suckers. Suckers, as you gardeners may know, do not produce fruit so they had to be cut off to make more room for those branches producing fruit, and those fruitful branches would also get more of the nourishing water and nutrients coming up from the roots. So, there was pruning during the growing season to train and protect fruit bearing branches. New growth had to be controlled. And there was pruning during the off season to clean and dress. Old growth had to be removed.

Anyway, when Jesus said, “a man planted a vineyard,” his audience immediately knew that Jesus was going to say something about the nation of Israel. They would translate the symbols as they listened, something like this, “Yes, Yes, God established the nation of Israel.”

Then Jesus said, “He rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time.” Ok, that makes sense, we know that God is not dwelling among us as he used to. It has been a long, long time. And our religious leaders are like the farmers, taking care of our traditions and laws until the day that our Messiah comes to deliver us from our enemies.”

What has become of the People of God? Jesus is the head of the Church. The believers are his body. By faith in Jesus, we are the chosen people now, grafted in with the descendants of Abraham, in the place of honor. Now we are the tenants of God’s holy vineyard. The favor of God is upon our heads. But so is the responsibility to work for Him and not keep it all to ourselves. God has indeed given His vineyard to other tenants, even unto us. But it is not impossible for us to make the same mistakes that our Jewish forefathers made.

Listen to what Jesus said to the church in Ephesus. ”I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” Listen to what Jesus said to the church in Sardis, so soon after they had joined his body. The church was so young. The Apostle John, who knew Jesus personally, was still alive to pen these words!

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.”

If true at Sardis and Ephesus, I wonder what Jesus would say to us? Certainly, we need to be alert and awake to our responsibility, for Jesus will come like a thief, and we will not know at what time He will come. We must remember the power of the gospel not just to save us but also to guard and guide and change our hearts so that we keep on loving Jesus and loving our neighbors and loving each other with the same love that Christ loves us. We must continue to pray and seek God's voice and God's will to be obedient to his directives about how to tend to the vineyard in which we live for his sake and for his Kingdom. We don't own this building or any of the furniture or any of the materials we work with we are tenants on a mission from God all the stuff we work with is lent to us from God.

A prayer: Father God, until you come again help us to be faithful tenants of the vineyard you have set up, always alert and working hard to bear much fruit for the sake of your Kingdom, your glory, and our good in Jesus name, Amen.

01/28/2025

Tomorrow-January 29th.
Enhance your day with a free lunch with friends! Join us at EPC Church in Lake City from 11:30-1:00 for a nourishing lunch featuring Loaded Macaroni and Cheese with Ham. Need a meal delivered? Simply call (231)577-6653.

12/08/2024

11/25/2024

Things are looking good! No new growth! We credit Optune and steroids and, of course, prayer! Better yet, doc is letting me go from eight MG of steroids a day down to six. I will stay there for two weeks and we will talk again. She may wish to hold me there until my next round of chemo to make sure that I’m stable. Because I have developed what she called steroid myopathy, she has to ween me off of the steroids, but, unfortunately, if I experience brain swelling again, the only option is more surgery. Please pray that this works! In other news, my sugar was down to 160 this morning. She thinks that that will continue to improve with reducing steroids as well. Kathy and I are rejoicing that things are moving in a good direction.

11/10/2024

I must apologize that we had no live stream worship service from Lake City EPC today. We had computer technical issues and were not able to get the camera to work online for Facebook. Maybe see you next week.

10/31/2024

Acts 13:13, “From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.

Luke does not explain why John left them. So I will speculate a bit. He was young. Perhaps he got homesick. He was from the same church as Barnabas. Maybe he did not like seeing Saul/Paul take the lead. Maybe he actually was physically sick and had to go back home to take care of himself. Maybe the hardship of the journey wore him out and he decided to give up. There are many ways to fail. the only way to succeed is to keep going, trusting God for faith and strength to continue. And here’s some good news. Later we learn that John Mark makes a great come back!

A prayer: Dear Lord, sometimes ministry is hard. There can be stresses and pressures we did not anticipate. Sometimes we don't have the resources to continue. Sometimes Lord, what it takes is trusting you, pressing on, waiting for resources, praying for health and strength. You do give us more than we can handle. So, we have to lean on you. I remember too, that you don’t need our success, but you appreciate our efforts and you use the hard times to disciple and strengthen us. So, we thank you that you walk with us through it all. in Jesus’ name Amen.

10/30/2024

Acts 13:9-12, “Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”
Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

Paul's boldness in this moment is truly impressive. We do not typically address our opponents with such strong language, telling them they're filled with trickery and deceit We try to give the benefit of the doubt, and be gentle. I believe the Bible even calls us to do so. Paul must have been filled with the Holy Spirit and given the words to say. It reminds me of back at the temple when Peter addressed the lame man and called for his healing. “Silver and gold have I none. But what I have I give. Rise up and walk in the power of Jesus name.” I would like to be used by God like that for dramatic effect that breaks through people's spiritual blindness, so they receive the gospel!

Paul inflicted the same sight reversal on the sorcerer that he had suffered on the road to Damascus. So, I think of this as a prescription, not a punishment. Paul administered the same medicine that had worked in his case. One who thought he could see was now blinded by the power of the gospel. It throws the sorcerer into total dependence upon God and people he used to look down upon as inferior. The reversal is humbling, even humiliating. We are not told how long it lasted or if the sorcerer learned his lesson and recovered. The important point seems to be the effect it had on an observer, the proconsul, who became a believer.

A Prayer: Lord, you can make us bold to say what you want said. But we must be listening, always listening, always ready to respond to your nudges and say the words you give us to say, always for the sake of salvation of lost souls, for mercy and grace and love and your glory. Help us Lord to be that responsive to your Holy Spirit in us in Jesus name Amen.

10/28/2024

The Holy Spirit Leads

Scripture: Acts 13

Video links: Full service https://fb.watch/vuhz2MMwSe/
Just the message: https://youtu.be/lDOlRfwu0ME

I do need to tell you there are more comments in the video than in this text post.

Remember Acts 1:8? “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Where is that power these days? It does not seem to be at our disposal the way it was for the early disciples and Paul. But why? What is the problem?

I believe it might be our lack of earnest fervent prayer and worship. Oh, we think we pray. We gather every Sunday. We sing. We listen to a message. We can even be moved or impressed by what we hear. But does it really have any impact on how we live the next day?

One of my other pastor friends continuously points out that if all the Christians do is attend church on Sunday and enjoy each other’s company, without worshipping Jesus all week, listening for his voice, and responding in obedience every time he nudges us, then we’re not good disciples. Just listening to a talk each week, even a good one, is not enough for our spiritual lives to grow.

In Acts 13 we see the church doing what it is supposed to be doing. They were worshiping the Lord and fasting. Then, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Up to this point, the Church spread the message by compulsion. The Jews left Jerusalem to flee from persecution and had to explain why they were showing up in their new neighborhoods. But in Acts 13, the Holy Spirit led the Church to commit to a strategic deployment of missionaries. They were to commit to spreading the message intentionally.

From now on, some of the Christians would be traveling missionaries on purpose. And all of them would be missionaries to their neighbors The Holy Spirit told them to. There was no distinction between clergy and laity.

Is it still possible for us to pray and fast so that we are open to the Holy Spirit speaking to us? Maybe one of the issues we need to address is that maybe when we pray, even when we pray for each other, we really still want the blessings God could give us, to make our own lives better, or to get God to do what we want him to do. However, Jesus told us that we would need to take up our crosses and be willing to suffer hardship and sacrifice for the sake of the lost. Our mission is to do what he calls us to do.

When Saul and Barnabas prepared for their first missionary journey, they knew it would be hard on them and not an easy sight seeing tour. But they willingly went, though they knew they would suffer for it. And they did not know how much they would suffer! Let’s read:
Acts 13:1-12

13 1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.

The challenge of doing church through prayer and fasting

Antioch church is multicultural! With wealth Herod’s younger brother and poor and a man from Niger in leadership too.

6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? 11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”

Paul’s boldness in confronting the sorcerer Bar-Jesus.

Paul inflicted the same sight reversal on the sorcerer. So, I think of this as a prescription, not a punishment. Paul administered the same medicine that had worked in his case. One who thought he could see was now blinded by the power of the gospel. It throws the sorcerer into total dependence upon people he used to look down upon as inferior. The reversal is humbling, even humiliating. We are not told how long it lasted or if the sorcerer learned his lesson and recovered. The important point seems to be the effect it had on an observer, the proconsul, who became a believer. Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

The crowd shows up and the regulars get mad! Persecution and suffering come from those who reject the gospel. It is amazing the blinding grip sin can have on the religious people, the older brother in the prodigal son story, the ones who think they are living right and deserve God’s blessings.

I have a few more comments on why the modern church has so little power of the Holy Spirit. I hope it’s not us. But there is a worldly problem affecting much of today’s church. We can see it in the culture wars. One of my other pastor friends analyses it this way. Let’s try not to be too defensive as we hear this and consider whether or not or how much we may have been influenced by this way of thinking.

The last thing that Jesus is recorded as saying to his disciples is “You shall be my witnesses.” He also told them, “Go and make disciples.” Those two statements describe the role, (the vocation and responsibility) of a Christ-follower on earth. Jesus wants His disciples to be “in the world but not of the world.”

Jesus said His followers are to be “the salt of the earth.” When salt is added to food it changes its flavor, but it doesn’t become the food. Salt is in the food but not of the food. In the same way Christians should influence the world, but not think, speak, and behave with the world’s attitude.

Christians should make disciples by being living examples of a Spirit-led lifestyle — directed from within by “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” They are called to be “the light of the world” by continually radiating the character, presence, and power of the risen Jesus. Every single Christian should be a godly content creator and holy influencer directing people to the glorious beauty of Christ — not a sponge that soaks up the hostile, vain, negative, dishonest, sexually obsessed, competitive, carnal, and cruel content of their culture.

When Christians think, talk, and act like the proud and self-focused society around them they lose their witness. Instead of shining Christ’s light they merely reflect the culture around them. Rather than being a missionary to bring light to the world, they become the world’s mission field and absorb its darkness.

Instead of blessing those who curse them, too many Christians are the ones doing the cursing. Instead of loving their enemies, too many Christians are spewing angry accusations. Instead of considering others better than themselves, too many Christians think they are better than others. Instead of praying for people who despitefully use them, Christians are praying that God judge those people. Instead of making disciples of Christ, too many Christians are letting their mean attitude drive people away from Jesus.

To be a witness for Christ requires living beyond our own opinions, desires, and feelings. It requires laying down our pride and humbly speaking the truth in love. Until Christians are willing to daily obey the living Jesus as their Lord (absolute Ruler and Master) their witness will usually be about themselves and their desires, not about Christ.