The Bartimaeus Blog 2024.36

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Do you know Jesus? Yes, I’m writing on a church blog read primarily by church people, so what kind of question is that? If asked, I think every one of us would reply in the affirmative. From what I have seen, I’m reasonably certain that those of you I know well would be right to do so. I see the fruit in your lives.

But what do we mean by that question? “Know” covers a lot of territory as we use the word. In casual conversation we might say that we know someone that we’ve never even met in person, but that’s a very superficial knowledge. Some bible translations use the word to describe the most intimate of relationships.

None of us have met Jesus in person, so what do we mean when we talk about knowing Him? How is it that any of us can say that we do? It is by the gift of His Holy Spirit and the power of His word. As we recognize His lordship and seek to obey, we become more aware of who He is and of the depth of His love.

The Word speaks plainly that a mark of those who know Him is obedience. The apostle John tells us that if we say that we know Him and yet do not keep His commands, we are liars. We will all fall short. We will all miss the mark. That’s why Jesus stands as our advocate, having paid the price for our sin with His own blood. But we cannot live a life of willful sin and claim to be His. Join us this Sunday as we consider His word from 1 John 2:1-6.

The Bartimaeus Blog 2024.35

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It has been a tough week for our little congregation. Leann had her surgery, and Don spent some unplanned time in the hospital. Everyone’s going to be ok, but we’re all praying for a stretch of peace. Still, we choose to trust in God, knowing that this is all preparation for an eternity beyond our imagination. We worship the giver of all good things.

What is worship? That may seem like a childish question, but many of us may answer it differently depending on the traditions that are familiar to us. When we come to church, many people call that a worship service. So it should be. Whatever happens within the walls of our buildings should reflect reverence and service to our Lord. But worship is more than the songs we sing. It is more than the traditions we observe wherever they came from. Worship is a lifestyle. Worship comes from the heart. Worship flows out of the doors and into the streets, touching lives and offering hope.

Jesus said that “the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.” (John 4:23) Why should a God who created everything and lacks nothing desire worship? He doesn’t need His ego stroked. He seeks it because he desires that we know Him. To know Him is to recognize who He is. As we come to know Him, we will worship Him because He is the only one worthy of worship. We offer it freely. We love him because He first loved us.

That worship will take the form of open expressions of praise and adoration. It will also take the form of service. We desire to please Him, so we treasure His word and obey His commandments, which are always for our own good.

I look forward to worshiping with you tomorrow. It is extra special when we do it together. Please join us.

The Bartimaeus Blog 2024.34

Bartimaeus Baptist Temple Posted on by

I felt like we all could use some encouragement this week. As I was praying, i remembered some of the instances when Jesus talked about our rewards. Even after studying it, I am not sure how to think about rewards from God. If you asked me, I would say that He is our reward. What more could we want but eternity in His presence, being involved in His next big thing. And besides, a reward is something you get for something you did. We all know that we cannot earn salvation, so what are these rewards? I still don’t have a clear answer for that, but I know that they exist, because Jesus talked about them, and His disciples did too.

I am certain of this. However small you may think your contribution to be, God see it. His accounting is different than ours, so you might be surprised at his assessment of what you have done. However you may feel that what you do goes unnoticed, God sees, and he will reward you. Besides, if you are doing it to be seen, Jesus says you already have all the reward you’re going to get.

Not even a simple act of kindness like giving someone a cup of cold water in service to our Lord goes unnoticed. We’re not necessarily working for the rewards, but they come as evidence that He is pleased with us, and that’s a wonderful thing. There is so much we could talk about, but since we don’t have all day, I’ll stick to Matthew 10:44-22 and bring in just a few other things.

Come join us. You will find it rewarding.

The Bartimaeus Blog 2024.33

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We serve a good God. In fact, He is the very definition of good. I am so thankful that He loved us so much that He made a way for us to be part of his family. As His children, we can come right to the throne of almighty God! ! Do you ever stop to think how amazing that is? For us still living here, that’s metaphorical, made possible by Holy Spirit, but some day it will be actual! Lord, may that day soon come!

We could save ourselves so much disappointment and heartache if we could grasp this one thing. Prayer is not a tool to get what we want from God. If Jesus’s instruction through what we call the Lord’s prayer is taken as example, the first priority of prayer is to recognize the holiness of God, and the second is to align ourselves with His will. Only then do we come to the petition part. We tend to make prayer more complicated than it is. Just open your heart and talk to Him. He already knows what you need and everything about you, and He still loves you! This Sunday, we’ll take a closer look at the “Lord’s prayer” and the other things Jesus said as He gave it to us. I’m praying that you will be blessed by the message.

The Bartimaeus Blog 2024.32 – Homecoming 2024

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I hope you will be able to join us today at 2:30 for our Homecoming celebration. Our friend Jay Gibson of Harvest Oaks Church will give the message, and we will have a cookout-themed meal after the service. My apologies to anyone who should have been told sooner. We failed to send out invitations this year.

The Bartimaeus Blog 2024.31

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I have some cool news for you today. Our AC is fixed, and there was no cost to the church. I’m here behind this keyboard trying to come up with just the right churchified language, but I think a simple “thank you” will do, Yes, to God who is the ultimate source of all good things, but also to Mr. Javier Ramirez of Sunnyvale FBC who provided the labor and the part.

Now, we’re ready for Homecoming, which is just a week from tomorrow on September 8. It will be a less extravagant celebration than we have had in years past, but a celebration just the same. Whether you’re looking for a blast from your past or a new home to come to, I hope you’ll join us. But why wait? Come on in this week and let’s worship together.

A few years ago, I was praying, writing it down as I sometimes do, looking for inspiration for my next message. I started thinking about what I would do if things changed in the future.  There was a good chance I could be laid off. How would I care for Linda? What about the church?
I sat there for a minute, then the story of Martha and Mary from Luke 10:38-42 came into my head.  I started to write down my thanks for the idea for a message, but that it didn’t have much to do with what I was just praying about.  Then it hit me.  It had everything to do with it.  The circumstances are different, but the message is the same.  In that moment He might have said to me, “Larry, Larry, ‘you are worried and distracted by many things; but only one thing is necessary.”
Our lives are full of distractions.  It’s not that they aren’t important.  Jesus didn’t say that what Martha was doing didn’t need doing, though I wonder if she felt that way at the moment.  The truth is, we wouldn’t function very well without the Marthas among us making sure everything gets done and practical needs are met.  Martha was a faithful servant, and Jesus loved her as much as He did her sister Mary and brother Lazarus, whom he would later raise from the dead.
The question that came into my mind as i read this story was, “why did Luke, lead by the Holy Spirit, feel it important that we read about this incident.  We have so little recorded of what Jesus said and did. Every detail has been given to us for at least one reason.  I think there are several here, but to put it in a few words, it might be that we know more about who Jesus is and know that there is no better think than to be His disciple.  Only one thing is necessary.  Let us choose the good part.

I did lose that job, and the one after that, but we were provided for and now I have an even better one. The time off was put to good use. I didn’t need to worry about anything. I just needed to listen to Jesus.

Can you hear Him calling you? Come join us! We meet at 2:30, so you don’t even have to get up early.

The Bartimaeus Blog 2024.30

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First, I would ask that you all pray for Priscilla. I spoke with her today and she is still not feeling well at all. The doctors have been running tests and she has another appointment on Monday morning. She said she would try to join us tomorrow but doesn’t know if she will be able.

We also need to address the rear air conditioning before Homecoming in a couple of weeks. The breaker will not stay on. It is probably a simple fix at least to get it back to working as well as it will. The sanctuary is fine, and I’m looking forward to seeing you there tomorrow.

How often do you hear the word, repent. It just doesn’t come up in normal conversation. We mostly hear it in church, and even there in many cases not as often as we should. One of the ladies who used to attend would stop me every time I used the word to ask me what it meant. I don’t know if because of her condition she truly could not remember from the last time or if she was making another statement entirely, but some questions only God can answer.

It is something we can all use reminding about from time to time. Repentance is an essential part of the message. We better know what it means. We love to share, and rightly so, of how Jesus died to pay the price for our sins. We urge people to accept Him, but if we leave out repentance, we have accomplished nothing at all. The hearer is left in the same condition as we found him, destined for Hell. Many people who attend church and do all the “right things” are in no better condition. They have never truly changed direction.

Once when Jesus was teaching, some people came up and told him about how King Herod had killed some worshipers even as they were making their sacrifices. Jesus asked them if they supposed these people to be worse sinners than everyone else. He says, “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3) He then offers a second example with the same conclusion. Jesus preached a message of repentance. His disciples preached a message of repentance. So did John the Baptist, and so did the early church. God is good and full of mercy. He will wait, but He will not wait forever. Our passage this week is from Luke 13:1-9.

The Bartimaeus Blog 2024.29

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I am looking forward to seeing you all today, though I am not sure who will be there. At last report Pris was not feeling well. Keep her in prayer. It may be a little warm today as I can only be so early. So bring your cool spirit and we’ll worship our Lord together and be thankful we can.

We see the world spiraling downward around us and think the end is surely near, but is it? We wouldn’t be the first to think so. Throughout the centuries, others have been just as certain, and they’ve all been proven wrong. Our modern day “prophets” aren’t having any more success in their predictions. I am beginning to question some of the beliefs common in today’s evangelical circles regarding the end times. That questioning for me only drives home even more forcefully the words of Jesus as he calls us to be alert and “stay awake!” We should not presume to know the things that we are explicitly told that we cannot know, but we are exhorted to observe the season. We must stay awake, vigilant, and ready to welcome our master home. Our text this week will be from Mark 13, focusing on verses 33-37.

The Bartimaeus Blog 2024.28

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I have already mentioned how blessed I feel to be a part of this body. I realized something else as I was thinking about you all this week. There is not one of us who regularly attend services who is not involved in some way with doing good for others. I know there are just a few of us right now, but that level of participation is a rare thing. It brings me great joy.

Yet i know, if for no other reason than that we are all still in the sanctification process, that we all have areas in our lives where we fall short. Some things we think we just can’t do, but when our source is the power that created the universe, is there ever room for “I can’t?” Maybe, but not when it comes to doing what He wants you to do, whether it involves something He’s given you specifically or simply doing what is right.

Let’s take a closer look at a passage that contains one of our favorite verses, Philippians 4:11-13. Verse 13 is the one we all know. I’ve included the others to provide some context. The context is key to our understanding. Paul’s letter to the Philippians contains some very useful advice for changing the way we think so that through the power of God, “I can’t” becomes “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”

I do feel the need to point out that I am focusing very narrowly on some helpful concepts in this text and not attempting to fully explain the primary lines of thought in this letter. For that, we will need to begin at the beginning and make a careful study, which we may do at some future date.

The Bartimaeus Blog 2024.27

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It’s hot outside, but there are cool things happening at Bartimaeus Baptist Temple. I feel so blessed to have such a faithful church family. This wouldn’t be the place to call out exactly who you are and what you’re doing, but I think you’re awesome, and it’s because you serve an awesome God.

Last week I spoke to you abut the importance of fruit in our lives. We’re expected to produce good fruit, and we can gain insight into those who would lead us by examining the kind of fruit they produce. One of the passages we read was from Matthew 12:33-37. This week, I want to dive a little deeper into that passage. They say talk is cheap, but Jesus says otherwise. Your words matter. They reveal who you are. They can do great harm, and they can do great good. Jesus went so far as to say, “by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” That should make us think before we speak.

There’s one thing I know I have no problem saying. That is that i want to see you there on Sunday!