Christian Super-friends

Dear friends,

I am not superman, but I do have super-friends. Over the past week and a half, both my wife and I were in the hospital. I went first and spent the night for tests. Jennifer was next. She stayed for three days. She had an emergency appendectomy. Meanwhile three beloved family members came in from out of town for a much anticipated vacation. Of course all our plans to show them around this great city were totally ruined. Thankfully they will be around until the end of the month.

But I am not writing to complain at all. In fact, I want to share something wonderful we experienced. Jesus said, “by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). Our family has been overwhelmed this week by the love of Christian friends. Our church family here in Jakarta and Christian people around the world have been praying for us. There have been so many acts of kindness that I simply could not list them all.

This has turned the bitter experience of “losing control” into a sweet blessing. I am reminded again of how much we need each other. None of us are superman. We cannot always go on our own. We need our brothers and sisters and it is a beautiful thing when they are there for us.

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Pr. 17:17)

Your servant,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder

Living According to the Word of Christ

Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”‘ (that is, given to God)— then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” (Mark 7:1-13

Because we have been taught by Jesus, we must live according to His Word!

1. We must embrace His ideas over our ideas.
2. We must pursue obedience over convenience.
3. We must seek righteousness in Him not ourselves.

Click below for sermon audio:
Mark 7:1-13

Look to Christ for Help

Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well (Mark 6:45-56).

When we face difficulties, we must look to Christ.

1. Look to Christ in prayer.
2. Look to Christ in our problems.
3. Look to Christ’s power.

Click below for sermon audio:
Mark 6:45-56

Our Many-Faceted Beautiful Salvation in Christ

Dear friend,

Salvation is a result of simply recognizing your need and trusting Jesus to meet that need. We are sinners who deserve death and Christ has died in our place, to take away our sin and give us eternal life when we trust in Him. However, salvation is also like a beautiful diamond. When you look closely at it, you see many different facets.

Theologians often describe this using what they call “the order of salvation.” It is a summary of our redemption described in the New Testament. Here are some of the beautiful views of salvation given in the scripture:

We are chosen, called, born again, converted, justified, adopted, sanctified, and will be glorified with God in heaven.

Here are some brief definitions for each concept:

- Chosen (God determines to save us by His grace and kindness)
- Called (the gospel message is proclaimed to us effectively so that we respond)
- Born again (we are regenerated, given new life by God’s Spirit)
- Converted (we repent of our sins and place our faith in Christ)
- Justified (God declares us “not guilty” on account of His Son’s work on the cross)
- Adopted (we become God’s children, members of his family)
- Sanctified (we continue to mature as Christians until we are in heaven)
- Glorified (when our life on earth is over, we will be in heaven with God)

Praise God for the salvation we enjoy in Christ. Praise Him that it is so simple and can be understood by little children and yet it is so beautiful that we can ponder the amazing aspects of it for all eternity!
Your servant,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder

Jesus Cares for Us

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.” Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand (Mark 6:30-44).

We must gather around Jesus, because he cares for people.

1. Jesus shows compassion.
2. Jesus gives instruction.
3. Jesus supplies provision.

Click below for sermon audio:
Mark 6:30-44

Cry Out to God and Take Decisive Action

Dear friend,

Imagine that you are in bed at night when you hear the loud crack of breaking wood and the shrill sound of smashing glass. Soon there are footsteps pounding toward the bedrooms where you and your family sleep. From the rough voices you quickly realize a gang of enemies are in your house and they have come to do you harm. What are you going to do? Most likely, without a second thought, you will cry out to God for help and then take decisive action.

Thankfully, this kind of thing does not happen very often, but there are other more common dangers. Have you ever considered how dangerous temptation and sin are for your family? Lust, greed, lying, gossip, covetousness, stealing, unholy hate, and many other sins are enemies that break into lives and hurt them. Are you prepared to mount a defense against these things when they sneak up on you, your spouse, your children, or your friends? What can you do?

The same thing you would do if a group of bad guys attacked your home. Cry out to God for help and take decisive action. This is what the Apostle Paul does when faced with sin and temptation:

First, he cries out to God for help in Christ:

“Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God . . . Jesus Christ our Lord!” (from Rom. 7:24b-25).

Next, he takes decisive action in the battle against the threat of sin in his life:

“I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave” (1 Cor. 9:26-27).

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5).

Paul’s trusts Christ to remove the penalty of sin, which he could never take care of on his own. This does not mean, however, that the apostle just sits down in comfort with the sin around him. No, he goes to war against those things that threaten spiritual harm. Let’s follow his example. Cry out to God and take decisive action!

Your servant,

Stephen

Living for Christ in a Fallen World

King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”Others said, “He is Elijah.” And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.” But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!” For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him. Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered. At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. (Mark 6:14-29)

Because we live in a fallen world, we must be equipped by scripture.

1. We must beware of false faith.
2. We must be ready to deal with fallen folks.
3. We must be prepared as faithful friends.

Click below for sermon audio:
Mark 6:14-29

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