On the way to Jerusalem to Jericho is a distance of 15 miles, which would take 6 to 8 hours to walk. While they were walking we heard Last week about Jesus healing the two blind men on the road. Imagine the conversation after that. The disciples trying to figure out how Jesus changed the molecular structure of the eyes of those men by just touching them. There is healing in his touch. The disciples knew this but it probably never got old to see it happen. They were probably on cloud 9.
They came into Jerusalem which was packed with people all coming for the Passover celebration. The celebration happens in remembrance of the ancient Israelites being freed from slavery from Egypt after God brought ten plagues on the Egyptians, killing all their firstborn. While doing so, God spared the Children of Israel, “passing over” their homes—hence the name of the holiday. He wanted to bring them out because he wanted them to come worship him in a new place.
Even to this day it is still celebrated.
Walking in to Jerusalem during this celebration, there is upwards of about 2.25 million people. Have you ever left a sporting even or Disney world, thinking “some how I have to get though all these people all going the same direction as me.” That’s probably what it felt like walking through the streets of Jerusalem. You might have people trying to sell things like blankets or glow sticks or big foam hands. They probably cleaned up the streets and walls and made the city look even bigger and better then usual.
Through out all the crowds and the swarms of people Jesus comes in on a donkey that he told his disciples to go get from a house. Picture this, Jesus comes in on a donkey into this huge city that is filled to the brim with people and it all sort of stops, they see Jesus and they stop what they were doing, took of their coats and shirts and clothing and laid them on the ground along with palm trees. Back in this time, palm trees were not native in Jerusalem. So these palm tree branches that people had laid down for the donkey to walk across that Jesus was on were either bought at the market during the Passover celebration or brought in from different parts of the area. They recognized Jesus, they knew that he wasn’t normal, he was different. He was someone that deserved observation.
It says “the whole city was stirring.” They wanted to know who he was.
But all of this is in the background of something that is about to happen which is Jesus coming in to go to the temple which is the place God designed to intimately interact with his people.
Whats coming up next we see that Jesus isn’t happy. And I always read this and wondered why he was so ticked off, why Jesus, who has mercy and love and grace is angry enough to flip tables over.
Let me tell you that not all anger is not a sin, the bible says don’t let the sun go down on your anger, it doesn’t say don’t be angry. There is righteous anger that we all need to have. Lets look at the background and see where this angry comes from.
There were these sellers in Jerusalem and they were sellers because people from all over would come to this holy city and bring a sacrifice with them and there were these levities who were in charge of the temple, they were the priests of the temple. They would look at the sacrifices and determine if it was a worthy, unblemished sacrifice or not. If it wasn’t the people would be approached by the sellers who were sitting in the temple waiting for people with unaccepted sacrifices and offer to sell them accepted sacrifices. And over the years it got more and more corrupt where these priests and the sellers were in cahoots together and they would buy the unaccepted animal and sell them another one but then they would sell the unaccepted animal to someone else. They would just make a ton of money from these corrupt deals.
They would sell lambs and oxen and goats but they also sold pigeons and the thing about doves is the poor used doves as their sacrifice because they were cheep.
These poor people would come and they could afford two doves, that was their sacrifice. But the sellers were robbing them and oppressing them and a lot of the poor would stop coming cause they could afford it cause the priest would tell them that their perfectly good sacrifices was no good and charge them 20 times more for a different one that was the same quality.
God had very specific instructions in Deuteronomy on how the animal was to be raised and cared for. It was to be like a pet, like part of the family. After you had done this, raised this unblemished animal and it had huge value to you. You feed it, nurse it, care for it. That way you understand how serious it is when the family brings it to Jerusalem and the priests take the lamb and slaughter it, they sacrifice it.
But these people because of the sellers it got lazy, just showing up and going through the motions, expecting to be taken advantage of and losing all their money to the priest and the sellers.
Its not that they took advantage of the poor or that the people got lazy but where this all took place in the temple. God saved his people from bondage so that they would be a light to the rest of the world. That their actions would reflect the God who loves and the God who saves. Non Jewish people come in not understanding who God is and see that the “God people” are taken advantage of the poor and oppressing people and doing it all in the temple. That’s what they saw of Gods people when they came to the city. That’s the representation that they gave to others.
That was never God’s intent. His intent was that when people came to the temple they would be blown away by the wonder of God.
Do we have people like this today? People who ask the poor and oppressed to give all of their money so that they will get extra blessings? Idiots on TV who want peoples money and exchange they get an extra blessing or a 5 second prayer on tv. I wouldn’t want to be those people when they stand before Jesus one day.
Is it any wonder why Jesus was angry that day? He wanted to go to a place where people were suppose to get a true encounter with God and what happens instead he sees the poor being oppressed, the non Jewish people are disinterested and the others are just going through the motions all in the place where people should experience the God who loves them.
This was never the way it was suppose to be.
Look what he does in verse 12 and 13, this is where I want to focus. He drives them all out by flipping the tables and benches that the sellers were sitting on and says “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.” All of this comes from Isa 56:7
This is why Jesus wasn’t this pansy guy, our image of Jesus is all wrong, he had this righteous anger, flipping over the tables, Money was flying everywhere, doves were released out of their cages, the sellers were running away while trying to pick up their money and all the while we have this idea of Jesus being this half Gondi half Mr. rogers dude who has no manliness.
They were turning what God had intended for good, into a joke.
The disciples jaws must have dropped
But Jesus was just as much God in that moment as he was when he was a healer. He had anger because he has a heart for the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized, a heart for the gentiles who didn’t know who God was, a heart for those who worshipped him half heartedly.
“Show me a man or women who loves much and I will should you a man or women who hates much.”
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, its just not. – Dr. Seuss
You can learn a lot about a persons love by learning about what makes them angry.
The anger he had towards what was happening came out of the love he had for whom it was happening to.
This place where people were suppose to meet God was corrupt and soiled but he stood there, telling the people there that he is the place to meet God. The glory may have left this temple but the glory will never leave me.
He was redefining the temple
The place where God dwells is in Jesus,
It’s the place where sin is washed away,
He is now the place where they were to meet God and he still is today.
He loves us so much that he will get all the junk out of the way, he will move it and get angry about that stuff because he passionately wants you to know how much he loves you.
When Jesus left to be with his father, the new place that people were to encounter God was the believers. That is true still to this day. The church, the body, is the temple.
If we are not careful we can start to become like the people were 2,000, you can start to go thu the motions and sing songs to God but you aren’t really doing anything. Jesus will not put up with us being consumer Christians.
The bible also talks about your body being the temple of God, ask yourself, is there anything in your temple that needs to be flipped, that needs to be released, that needs Jesus to come in and remove so that nothing hinders you from coming and worshipping Jesus with your life.
What things are holding you back from worshipping God? And do you want Jesus to come and take them away from you.
The truth is that Jesus loves this church, the people in the church, the body of believers here that if need be, he would come in here and flip the tables and scatter the money and drive out the sellers. Because he loves us. He will not leave us stagnant.
A worshipper of God asks Where can I give so that the most number of people will know Jesus,
SO my question now is, why are you here? If you don’t know Jesus and you’ve come here to hear about him then welcome, I hope to walk with you in understand who he is.
But if you know Jesus, why are you here? We need to ask ourselves if we are consumers or worshippers who want people to see who Jesus really is.
We, this church, cannot afford to be consumers! We won’t last.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
The living Gospel
The Gospel Motivates the giving of ourselves to a community (2 Cor. 8:8-9) Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to excel in the act of the grace of giving (v. 7). The way he motivates them is not by addressing their willpower through their guilt (legalism). He doesn’t just say, “Look at all of the people in the world hurting...how could you not help them?!?!?” Instead he tells them to look at Christ and his example of sacrifice in the Gospel. If we are gripped by the humility of Christ in sacrificing for us by taking on human flesh and becoming “poor” then we will have no problem becoming poor for others.
The Gospel Drives our Love for One Another (1 John 4:7-12) The only way we know how to love others is when we believe in the amazing love of God for us. You can try to love others. You can try to curb your man-centeredness and love of yourself, however, the only way that we can truly love people is by understanding what love is and how it has been applied to us. “In this is love” – God’s act of sending Christ to die for us is the very definition of love. Now show me a people who understand that kind of love that was lavished on them, and you will see a people who have no problem loving others. You see the reason we have such a hard time loving others is because we don’t fully realize how much God loved us. If we did, then our lives would overflow with love. So in your battle to love people don’t just wake up tomorrow and determine that you are going to love people today...wake up tomorrow and remind yourself of how much God loved you...then see what happens.
I hope you’re starting to see a picture of why the Gospel is so important to God's view of community in Flint. It is our faith in the Gospel that shapes everything we do and gives us the power to do it. As we begin to understand the Gospel in Scripture and its impact on our lives we realize that our lives have a radically different identity than we had before. New identity – When we think about our identity we define ourselves by who we are individually, however, because of the Gospel we have a new identity. We no longer define ourselves by who we are as individuals but by who we are as Children of God and as members of the body of Christ. You cannot divorce our identity from Christ and you cannot divorce our identity from the body of Christ. We are no longer children of wrath, we are children of God (Rom. 8:1). And we are no longer individuals we are a people. We are a community, we are the living Gospel.
Friday, March 23, 2012
My statement of Faith
Statement of faith for Patrick Bradway.
I believe that all scripture is from God and is supported by the life of Jesus Christ. I believe that the bible is accurate and applicable to today as it was in the days it was written. I believe that God’s plan is for the redemption of all mankind for those who call on His name and believe that he sent His Son to take the punishment and judgment for our sins. I stand firm on the belief that God’s plan is eternal, without end, and that He exists outside of our time but is fully interactive within our time and with us. I believe that God works though each part of His character, though His Son and though his Spirit and that each part works together to glorify His name. I believe that man was created for a purpose to have a relationship with but because of sin was separated from that relationship and needed reconciliation. That reconciliation came though Jesus becoming a man, living a sinless, God honoring and selfless life and accomplished that which all other sacrifices could not do, a personal and intimate relationship between God and man though Jesus by placing my faith in the person of Jesus. I believe that the church was and is God’s plan to reach a world that is lost in sin. I do not believe that the church is perfect, when it first began and I do not believe it is perfect now. I believe that God choses to use imperfect people and imperfect churches to go out and share the gospel of Jesus. Our role as the church is to participate in out reach and ministry and to support those who ministry to the church though tithes and giving. I believe that God is living and active and Heaven and Hell are realities that exist and each are full of people who know that Jesus is real and has defeated death. I believe God’s plan for my life is unique but is not meant for my alone but is meant for me to impact those around me and share the story of Jesus with those that He has put into my life. I believe that all of this is done though partnerships with Churches and organization. I love Jesus and I know the call He has for my life.
I believe that all scripture is from God and is supported by the life of Jesus Christ. I believe that the bible is accurate and applicable to today as it was in the days it was written. I believe that God’s plan is for the redemption of all mankind for those who call on His name and believe that he sent His Son to take the punishment and judgment for our sins. I stand firm on the belief that God’s plan is eternal, without end, and that He exists outside of our time but is fully interactive within our time and with us. I believe that God works though each part of His character, though His Son and though his Spirit and that each part works together to glorify His name. I believe that man was created for a purpose to have a relationship with but because of sin was separated from that relationship and needed reconciliation. That reconciliation came though Jesus becoming a man, living a sinless, God honoring and selfless life and accomplished that which all other sacrifices could not do, a personal and intimate relationship between God and man though Jesus by placing my faith in the person of Jesus. I believe that the church was and is God’s plan to reach a world that is lost in sin. I do not believe that the church is perfect, when it first began and I do not believe it is perfect now. I believe that God choses to use imperfect people and imperfect churches to go out and share the gospel of Jesus. Our role as the church is to participate in out reach and ministry and to support those who ministry to the church though tithes and giving. I believe that God is living and active and Heaven and Hell are realities that exist and each are full of people who know that Jesus is real and has defeated death. I believe God’s plan for my life is unique but is not meant for my alone but is meant for me to impact those around me and share the story of Jesus with those that He has put into my life. I believe that all of this is done though partnerships with Churches and organization. I love Jesus and I know the call He has for my life.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
How to Run a Community Cookout.
WHAT IS IT:
Community Cookouts are a great way to get to know members of the community, Our aim is to create a opportunity for people to come together and share a meal and get to know each other.
Target demographic: Flint residents and surrounding areas, business owners, students and anyone else.
The best place we have found to have cookouts is behind the riverfront dorms, in the Riverfront park downtown Flint. It is a very central spot.
Costs: On average it costs 200 to 300 per cookout.
How Many to Plan For: Anywhere from 100 to 250
Staple Supplies Needed: 225 burger paddies, 225 hot dogs, Burger and hot dog buns, 250 plates, 250 cups, napkins, Utensils, 2 gallons of water, 8 to 10 gallons of pop/juice (4 or 5 choices) ketchup, mustard, relish, ice for the summer.
SUGGESTIONS:
Keep it simple. Partnership is the way to make this possible.
Keep the math simple. Keeping prices low and manageable is best. Be sure to purchase hot dogs, buns and chips at GFS or Sam’s Club or a wholesale company -- buying in bulk saves money.
Let people know about your cookout ahead of time. Post signs in your church and give people hand outs. You could advertise on your web site or in a newsletter.
Realize that it will take work. It takes a coordinated effort to make cookouts happen. Recruit people before, during and after. Before the cookouts there is a lot of prep of getting food organized and packed to go. During the cookouts there is set up and making sure that things go smoothly and correctly. Have a few people on standby for crowd control if needed.
Things to do the Week of the Cookout
Pray, partnership with God is most important
Contact other churches, groups and organizations.
Give cookout fliers to members.
Check and double check on food supplies for the cookout. Get as many people to cook as possible.
Purchase any necessary items.
Things to do the Day before the Cookout:
Put anything that needs to be refrigerated in the refrigerator.
Unthaw any frozen meat or buns.
Contact any help that you will need the day of.
Things to do the Day of the Cookout
Morning
10:30
Start cooking any frozen food (usually takes 60 to 90 minutes).
Arrange to have people assist you with bringing supplies to location.
Load truck with tables, grill and food.
Afternoon
12:30
Unload all the materials. Short term parking is available on Beach St for unloading.
Set up tables, start grill, arrange food on table, plug in water heater if needed. Grab trash cans near the area.
Parking is available on Lyon Street.
2 or more people walk to warming center during the cold months and announce to anyone staying there.
Enjoy a meal and great conversation.
You do not have to stay until 4. Cook until you are out of food or out of people to eat the food. Pack up and clean up the area. Leave it better than how you found it.
After the cookout.
Make sure all trash is collected and taken to dumpsters. We want to make sure that we leave the area better then what we found it. There should be no indication that we were there afterwards.
Unload supplies. Clean tables, clean grill, clean utensils, Store food that can be frozen in the freezer.
Send out updates on how the cookout went. Post pictures, write blogs, contact churches.
Please visit our website www.Flintcookout.com for more info on what we've been doing and how you can get involved.
If you would like to ensure that this ministry continues and would like to support it.
Feel free to visit http://goodjustice.com/shop.php to donate. When you fill out your information you will see "Add special instructions to the seller" there you can type in "Community Cookouts.” All donations it will go directly to support and further this ministry.
Patrick Bradway.
Community Cookouts are a great way to get to know members of the community, Our aim is to create a opportunity for people to come together and share a meal and get to know each other.
Target demographic: Flint residents and surrounding areas, business owners, students and anyone else.
The best place we have found to have cookouts is behind the riverfront dorms, in the Riverfront park downtown Flint. It is a very central spot.
Costs: On average it costs 200 to 300 per cookout.
How Many to Plan For: Anywhere from 100 to 250
Staple Supplies Needed: 225 burger paddies, 225 hot dogs, Burger and hot dog buns, 250 plates, 250 cups, napkins, Utensils, 2 gallons of water, 8 to 10 gallons of pop/juice (4 or 5 choices) ketchup, mustard, relish, ice for the summer.
SUGGESTIONS:
Keep it simple. Partnership is the way to make this possible.
Keep the math simple. Keeping prices low and manageable is best. Be sure to purchase hot dogs, buns and chips at GFS or Sam’s Club or a wholesale company -- buying in bulk saves money.
Let people know about your cookout ahead of time. Post signs in your church and give people hand outs. You could advertise on your web site or in a newsletter.
Realize that it will take work. It takes a coordinated effort to make cookouts happen. Recruit people before, during and after. Before the cookouts there is a lot of prep of getting food organized and packed to go. During the cookouts there is set up and making sure that things go smoothly and correctly. Have a few people on standby for crowd control if needed.
Things to do the Week of the Cookout
Pray, partnership with God is most important
Contact other churches, groups and organizations.
Give cookout fliers to members.
Check and double check on food supplies for the cookout. Get as many people to cook as possible.
Purchase any necessary items.
Things to do the Day before the Cookout:
Put anything that needs to be refrigerated in the refrigerator.
Unthaw any frozen meat or buns.
Contact any help that you will need the day of.
Things to do the Day of the Cookout
Morning
10:30
Start cooking any frozen food (usually takes 60 to 90 minutes).
Arrange to have people assist you with bringing supplies to location.
Load truck with tables, grill and food.
Afternoon
12:30
Unload all the materials. Short term parking is available on Beach St for unloading.
Set up tables, start grill, arrange food on table, plug in water heater if needed. Grab trash cans near the area.
Parking is available on Lyon Street.
2 or more people walk to warming center during the cold months and announce to anyone staying there.
Enjoy a meal and great conversation.
You do not have to stay until 4. Cook until you are out of food or out of people to eat the food. Pack up and clean up the area. Leave it better than how you found it.
After the cookout.
Make sure all trash is collected and taken to dumpsters. We want to make sure that we leave the area better then what we found it. There should be no indication that we were there afterwards.
Unload supplies. Clean tables, clean grill, clean utensils, Store food that can be frozen in the freezer.
Send out updates on how the cookout went. Post pictures, write blogs, contact churches.
Please visit our website www.Flintcookout.com for more info on what we've been doing and how you can get involved.
If you would like to ensure that this ministry continues and would like to support it.
Feel free to visit http://goodjustice.com/shop.php to donate. When you fill out your information you will see "Add special instructions to the seller" there you can type in "Community Cookouts.” All donations it will go directly to support and further this ministry.
Patrick Bradway.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
One as they are one.
Creative ministry is unique but ministry shouldn't be unique. I am finding more and more that I want to be less and less unique in the ministries that I do. I want anyone to be able to do the ministry that I do, if I wasn't able to do it then there should be no lapse in the flow and the impact that the ministry has on people. There is a huge cry for uniqueness, for separation, for individualism and its creeping into the church. There are so many ministries, so many churches who are doing the same thing that they are no longer unique, they are watered down. The way I see it, through my tiny scope of knowledge and influence, the only way the church is effective is through the grace and leading of the Jesus through the Holy Spirit and with that, partnership. John 17:20 talks about the incredible importance of this partnership when Jesus prays “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." He wants us to be one unit, one body, all in one boat, not uniquely rowing in our own desired direction but all together, towards one common goal and that goal is that the world will believe that God sent his Son.
I have been so blessed to be able to experience partnership in ministry over the past few years with every ministry I have done. The last Saturday of each month I experience what Jesus was praying, people together being one mind and one mission, one as they are one. Partnerships make the community cookouts possible, they are impossible if they were unique to one person or one ministry, it would fall apart. From humble beginnings to what they are now, the community cookouts have an impact far beyond what we could have hoped for. They not only feed the body but they restore the souls of those that are coming and its all because people have one desire, to see that Jesus is made known to the least of these and make sure that they no longer feel like the least of these. There are so many good things happening in Flint and I in no way believe that our cookouts are better or worse than any other ministry or program that is happening. What I do believe is that God is doing and will continue to do amazing things through them. Hundreds of people are coming each month through out the community and from every walk of life to share a meal and share their hearts. One of my favorite stories is a pastor was talking with a man in prison, he didn't know the pastor and the pastor didn't know him. The man told the pastor "i went to these cookouts and I was invested in. I saw Jesus there."
Please visit our website www.Flintcookout.com for more info on what we've been doing and how you can get involved.
If you would like to ensure that this ministry continues and would like to support it.
Feel free to visit http://goodjustice.com/shop.php to donate. When you fill out your information you will see "Add special instructions to the seller" there you can type in "Community Cookouts.” All donations it will go directly to support and further this ministry.
One as we are one.
Patrick Bradway.
I have been so blessed to be able to experience partnership in ministry over the past few years with every ministry I have done. The last Saturday of each month I experience what Jesus was praying, people together being one mind and one mission, one as they are one. Partnerships make the community cookouts possible, they are impossible if they were unique to one person or one ministry, it would fall apart. From humble beginnings to what they are now, the community cookouts have an impact far beyond what we could have hoped for. They not only feed the body but they restore the souls of those that are coming and its all because people have one desire, to see that Jesus is made known to the least of these and make sure that they no longer feel like the least of these. There are so many good things happening in Flint and I in no way believe that our cookouts are better or worse than any other ministry or program that is happening. What I do believe is that God is doing and will continue to do amazing things through them. Hundreds of people are coming each month through out the community and from every walk of life to share a meal and share their hearts. One of my favorite stories is a pastor was talking with a man in prison, he didn't know the pastor and the pastor didn't know him. The man told the pastor "i went to these cookouts and I was invested in. I saw Jesus there."
Please visit our website www.Flintcookout.com for more info on what we've been doing and how you can get involved.
If you would like to ensure that this ministry continues and would like to support it.
Feel free to visit http://goodjustice.com/shop.php to donate. When you fill out your information you will see "Add special instructions to the seller" there you can type in "Community Cookouts.” All donations it will go directly to support and further this ministry.
One as we are one.
Patrick Bradway.
Location:Colchester Rd,Flint,United States
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