Reflections

Cheap Faith 2 Timothy 1:1-8 Merry Thomas Horeb MTC, Los Angeles, CA 8 Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, In February 2015, a video was released via social media entitled “A Message Signed with Blood to the Nation of the Cross”. This harrowing video showed the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya by members of the militant group ISIS. Many of the men were mouthing the name of Jesus as their lives were taken from them. These men remained steadfast in their faith even to the end. They could have easily renounced Jesus and saved themselves but instead chose to leave this world with His name on their lips. They truly “were not ashamed of the testimony about our Lord”.   A few months later, a young man walked into the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina and joined the Bible Study there for about an h...

Marked by the Wounds of Christ Leviticus 10:16-20 Sherly Thomas St. Thomas MTC, NY 19 And Aaron spoke to Moses, “See, today they offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord; and yet such things as these have befallen me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been agreeable to the Lord?” Christ's death marks an end to the sacrificial offering system of the "OLD TESTAMENT”, his death is symbolic of the ultimate sin offering which abolished all sin forever. The book of LEVITICUS gives the laws and regulations for worship. Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord because they offered strange fire before the Lord. God is Holy and so we must honor Him. Moses instructed Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar not to mourn for their brothers because God’s anointing oil is on them and not to drink wine or other fermented drinks. Moses instructed Aaron and his sons to eat the leftover meat offering, in a Holy place. Moses...

Marked by the Wounds of Christ Galatians 6:11-18 Jocelyn Chacko St. Thomas MTC, NY 15 For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! “Call me Caitlyn. “ This headline held the attention of the American people for a few days as Bruce Jenner revealed that he now wanted to be called Caitlyn. Not long after, Rachel Dolezal stole the headlines as a white woman who had claimed to identify as African American. Who am I? This is a question all people continuously ask themselves.  Biblically, we see that God forms man with an identity and carries this idea throughout the Bible. He creates Adam and Eve saying, “Let us make man in our image’. Therefore, we are given an identity from our inception—we belong to God. We are created to be like Him.  Fast forward. God establishes a covenant with Abraham, promising to be their God and that Abraham’s offspring will be His chosen people. Through this covenant, Jews begin the practi...

The Role of the Watchman in the Light of the Cross Ezekiel 33:1-9 Prijo Thomas St. Andews MTC, NY 7 So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. The night grows dark and your eyes get heavy. A cold wind that was once faint begins to gain strength and slams against you in waves. Dust and sand decide to join in the onslaught; accompanied by the wind, it is stinging and fierce in its attack. If only you could go inside for just a few minutes and rest those weary eyes and tired legs, the temptation is strong. Not a sound can be heard as you stand alone on the wall, maybe it would be okay to seek the warmth of shelter for just a short time, no one would notice anyway. And then, as if someone were listening to your very thoughts, you hear the faint cries of a child from a few houses away, jarring your thoughts back into their rightful place. As biting as the bitter wind is the r...

A Call to Bold Endurance in Ministry 2 Timothy 2:1-13 Sarah John Long Island MTC, NY 11 The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself. In the midst of a secular world, Christians have now become a dwindling minority. Even members within the church have difficulty remaining faithful to the call that has been bestowed upon us in in the Great Commission to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). We should be humbled and amazed that God would use us in such a way to carry out His will and be apart of something bigger. But how many of us can honestly say that we live out our calling every day spreading and living out the G...

Ordained Ministry:Marked by the Wounds of Christ John 21:15-19 Rev. Dennis Abraham Youth Chaplain, South East Region 16 A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.”  This passage highlights an end point of the ministry of Jesus. Notice that Jesus asks Peter three times: “Do you love me?” The reason: Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times. This was a point where Jesus was publically reaffirming Peter’s faith, enabling Peter to counteract the three declarations of denial with three affirmations of love, and to prepare him for the shepherding ministry. The three questions challenged Peter to critically reflect on his relationship with the Lord, as he was going to embark on this great ministry. To be loved by the Lord is the greatest privilege we have as Christians. But it comes with a great responsibility: to serve the Lord to the extent that we may be ...

Stewardship 2 Kings 12:1-6 Shannon Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 4 Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money offered as sacred donations that is brought into the house of the Lord, the money for which each person is assessed—the money from the assessment of persons—and the money from the voluntary offerings brought into the house of the Lord, 5 let the priests receive from each of the donors; and let them repair the house wherever any need of repairs is discovered.” Why do you go to church? Have you ever asked yourself that question?  In his book “Courageous Leadership,” Bill Hybels describes the church as incredibly powerful and a place that can make tremendous impact:  “There is nothing like the local church when it's working right. Its beauty is indescribable. Its power is breathtaking. Its potential is unlimited. It comforts the grieving and heals the broken in the context of community. It builds bridges to seekers and offers truth to the confused. It provi...