When Jesus entered Jerusalem at the beginning of the last week of his Earthly life, it is clear from what we are told in Luke 19:37-38 that the common people believed he was the conquering King Zechariah had spoken of in Zechariah 9:9-10. For them, this was the beginning of the end of their submission to Roman rule, and the beginning of the new age when the King of Israel would rule the whole world with Jerusalem as his capital. Finally, they would no longer no strife, poverty, and violence against them, but would live always in peace and prosperity.

For some preachers today the meaning and purpose of Christ is to bring peace, prosperity, and happiness to the lives of those who accept him. They preach that knowing Jesus means finding out how special you are, and having the best life right now in this current age. That is probably about what the common folks of ancient Israel were thinking about Jesus as he entered Jerusalem for the last time. And it is entirely the incorrect way to think about Palm Sunday. For Jesus had already explained his reason for being in the world in John 3:17. He had come not to conquer and destroy, but to be the way the whole world could be saved. He had come to be the atoning sacrifice for all men.

Here is the question faced by the disciples of Jesus during his day, and by his followers today: does discipleship mean being part of a conquering army physically fighting and destroying God's enemies in righteous indignation? (Luke 9:54) Or does discipleship mean following Jesus down the road to Calvary which leads to suffering and death? The answer is, since Jesus came to live a life of sacrifice for the sake of other and the glory of God, his true disciple must live the same way. Not as people who look upon those who reject Jesus with a desire to call God to rain fire down on them, but to look at them with the same heart felt love of Jesus. Discipleship means sacrificing your own ideas, wants, feelings, and needs for those God loves so much that he gave his only begotten son. (John 3:16) It does not mean being part of a conquering army that enters into Earthy cities in triumphal parades, but being a self sacrificing servant whose reward lies in the future age when we shall live with God in his glory.

So as we enter into our houses of worship on this Palm Sunday, may we begin preparing ourselves for the road ahead. A road of sacrifice, suffering, and even death for the saving of the world and the glory of God

May God bless you and grant you his peace.

In both his letter to the Romans and the Galatians Paul declares that Christians have been freed from the Mosaic Law by the death and resurrection of Christ. This means we are no longer bond by the food restrictions, Sabbath rules, and the observance of special feast days. Paul explains that if you continuing to observe requirements of the law, such as circumcision, "Christ shall profit you nothing." (Galatians 5:2 KJV) Paul's doctrine teaches that observance of The Law robs Christians of their freedom in Christ and life in the Spirit. In Romans 8:14 Paul tells us that, "as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (KJV) And since we are led by the Spirit of God, it is that Spirit which governs our lives, not The Law.

This freedom from The Law, however, does not mean there are not some things we ought to do, and some things we ought not to do. For Paul exhorts Christians throughout his letters to the churches to live a life which exemplifies life in the Spirit. Among the things we ought to do is feeling love for one another. This love then manifests itself in how we behave. For if we love others we will not lie, steal, commit adultery, or ignore the weaknesses of others to their detriment. We will, instead, build each other up, pray for each other, comfort each other, and show respect for each other. And because we live life in the Spirit, we are filled with God's love for us, and respond in a way which proclaims our love for Him. This means we will not commit idolatry, which takes the form of pride, envy, greed, and self-indulgence. Self-indulgence includes sexual desires, which, though natural, should not be our ruler; for then we are slaves to the flesh, and no longer free in Christ.

Our freedom in Christ not only gives us freedom for The Law, it frees us from the flesh and the ways of the present evil age, and the ruler of this world, Satan. For those who live according to the desires of the flesh and the ways of the world and not free, but are slaves. And Christ bought Christians freedom from that enslavement with a very high price, his blood. Let us, therefore, not make that payment for our freedom for naught by ignoring the oughts of our life in the Spirit. We are free, but free to live a special life and the called of God. Not free to live any way we want to.

May the Grace of God, the love of Jesus, and the peace of the Holy Spirit be with you.

The sad tale of the Govenor of New York presents a powerful example of the truths of the Bible.  Both King David, a man after God's heart, and his son, Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, gave great teachings and testimonies concerning pride.  And the lessons they taught are universal and timeless.  For the heart of man has not changed since the days of Adam.  Likewise, the ruler of this world and his deceptive wiles have never changed.  He is always hard at work to use man's nature to turn him from the saving grace of God toward eternal destruction.

In Psalm 10 David tells us,

The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.

The wicked through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

And Solomon gives his most well known piece of advice in Proverbs 16:18,

Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Many who have known, worked with, or had dealings with the former Governor have testified that he was a man completely consumed with arrogance and pride.  Even the prostitutes he dealt with told reporters that he was their most difficult customer because of his ego and arrogant demands.

The most important lessons we can learn from this sad situation is the well know confession, "But for the grace of God, there go I."  For we are all sons of Adam, and therefore susceptible to the never ending, crafty wiles of Satan.  And Paul tells us throughout his epistles that we are too weak to save ourselves.  It is only the grace of the almighty God bestowed on us through the love of Jesus Christ that can provide us with the strength to resist the temptations of the flesh.  By remaining in the faith of Christ as our hope and strength, we continue to receive power by the Holy Spirit to stand in the face of the Evil One.

The other lesson to be learned from this is to remember that Paul, James, and John tell us to pray for our leaders; both civil and spiritual.  And to pray for eachother.  They more we pray for all those who touch our lives in any way, the more power we recieve from God through the Holy Spirit, and the less power Satan has in this world.

Let us pray that the fallen may will be lifted up by Jesus; and pray that we might be the next victim of pride.

May God's grace be with you.

Proverbs 22:6 advises us, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it." This is universally good advise for all peoples in all ages. Unfortunately the news today indicates that it is being ignored. As we begin the day we are receiving two pieces of disturbing news about children. There is the news that at least 1 in 4 teen girls has a sexually transmitted disease. The Bexar County Medical Examiner says it is probably worse here in San Antonio. He tells us that children have their first sexual experience by the time they are fourteen years old. And many girls are getting mouth infections from having oral sex with multiple boys. All of these health problems will most like cause life long difficulties, including infertility. In addition to this sad condition comes the news that the Energy Drink, Red Bull, causes tooth decay. It is estimated that many teens are drinking three Red Bulls a day, and run the risk of suffering from severe tooth loose by the time they are in their late twenties.

It is clear that there is a need for a strong Youth Ministry in our communities. The civil authorities, school officials, and law makers will not be able to provide our society's children with what they need for a good life. For life, real life, comes from God through Christ Jesus. Only by receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior in their lives can today's children be saved from the life destroying ways of this present evil age. And as servants of Jesus, it is our duty to rescue the youngest of Christ's little lost sheep. This should become a top priority for todays church.

As man is not wise enough to know exactly how to fight the Evil One who is trapping and stealing the children, we must devote prayer and meditation to this need. We need to focus on asking for and receiving the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that we may save those whom God has chosen. Let us all make a commitment to be God's instruments in saving the children, and train them up in the ways of life in Christ.

May God bless you.

"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.  One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.  The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn him who does, for God has accepted him.  Who are you to judge someone else's servant?  To his own master he stands or falls.  And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand."  Romans 14:1-4 (NIV)

A great enemy of the church is Denominational Doctrines which divide rather than unit the family of God.  For as the old saying goes, "United we stand; divided we fall."  And with all the forces outside the Church determined to destroy it, we must be strong in our unity in order to hold together the body of the living Lord.

There simply is no room for the arrogant, self-righteous judgment passed by one so-called Christian against another of questionable faith.  For we know, as Paul teaches, that all are equal in sin, and all are equally saved by the faith in Christ Jesus which is itself a gift of the grace of God, that no man may boast.  And each man will receive that instruction and that freedom of behavior as the Holy Spirit directs him according to the will and purpose of God.  Therefor, let no man tell another that he is not doing right by God by dancing or not dancing, observing a custom or not observing a custom, drinking wine or beer or not drinking, or any of the other myriad of doctrines invented by the  multitude of denominations.  And, let's be honest; all of the various denominations arose when one group of Christians got mad at another group of Christians over some disputable matter, and decided to go off and start their own denomination.  So the body of Christ has already been fragment by petty arguing and stupid arrogance.  Let us not divide it more, lest it be nothing but unattached toes and fingers unable to do God's work.

As the man Christ was able to heal all ailments and unite men of diverse backgrounds, let us free the Holy Spirit to unite His body into one powerful force able to defeat the powers of darkness, and bring the light of Life and Truth to the whole world.  For this is our mission.  The Great Commission Christ Jesus himself gave to us before he went to be with the Father to prepare our place in God's kingdom.  Let us not be distracted from our commission with petty squabbling within the family of God.

May God the Father, the son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit be with and give you peace.  Amen.