New videos in Telugu language for India
20
Oct
I have videos are available to view on the ministry You Tube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWs_YWcEVgAf7jlU7nlEbdw
They have all been in English up until recently, however I created a separate You Tube account on which I have posted some videos of sessions with translations in Telugu for pastors in India who do not speak good English, but can speak Telugu. You can access the channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDwg0bYrBnTif7no-dFafrg Feel free to share this with pastors you know.
Rev Robert Barr
Neighborhood Ministries of NW Ohio.
neighborhoodministries.net
Seventh Sunday of Kingdomtide-B
20
Oct
Freedom and Domination-B – God established the United States under a Constitution that would guarantee that the government would be made up of average people, and serve the interests of the people, however, the people have allowed the government officials to tell them what to do and draw them away from God. Those who believe the liberal philosophy feel that the average person is not smart enough to rule themselves and need someone to rule over them, but Jesus said, he who would be great, must be a servant (Mark 9:26). Our first priority should be to serve others, not enslave them. We get through giving to others. While we may not get rich in the things of this world, we become rich in things that really matter. It goes against all we consider to be wise but it works and those who seek to get find that which they get slips through their fingers and is easily lost. Jesus says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. God established the government to keep the peace but when they tell us to do that which violates God’s will, God expects us to obey Him and not the government. We tend to hide behind the government officials and say that they made us do it, but God will hold each of us accountable for our actions. We may suffer because of disobeying the government, but not nearly as much as we will suffer if we disobey God. By disobeying the government, we could end up in jail, but by disobeying God, we could end up spending eternity in Hell. We saw pro-life people sent to prison under the Biden Administration for praying outside of an abortion clinic. They had been warned but felt their duty to God to protect the innocent required it.
Seventh Sunday of Kingdomtide-A-Oct 19
20
Oct
Freedom and Domination-A-The prophets were very clear about responsibility. The saying had been, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge”, implying that the children suffered due to the sins of their parents. While all mankind suffers because of the sins of Adam and Eve, it is because we choose to follow their example and choose our way over God’s way. God gave the law to direct our behavior towards what God had intended but our desire is to obey the letter of the law while getting around it to get our way if possible. Since our heart seeks to disobey, even when we outwardly obey, our heart isn’t in it and we are rebelling against God’s law, and the penalty for sin is death. God established Israel with no rulers. Every man was responsible to God. The people later demanded a king like the other nations but God warned them that the king would draw them away from God and demand allegiance that only God deserved. However, the Israelites persisted, and God allowed them to have a king. The kings drew the people away from God, just as He said they would. In fact, that is what the kings did. The prophets reminded the people that “the soul that sins will die”. Each man is responsible for his own behavior. Men want to have someone else in charge to make decisions and take the heat for bad decisions. When we appoint leaders over us, we are authorizing them to make decisions on our behalf. We then become responsible for their decisions. If they don’t do what we want, we should remove them if we can. If we can remove them and do not, we are consenting to their decisions. When leaders take power by force and try to force us to do something that violates God’s will, we must decide whether we will obey them or obey God. We cannot claim we violated God’s law because man told us to, because no man has the authority to override God’s commands. Ultimately, God will hold us accountable for our behavior and will hold them accountable for theirs.
MAGA-A-E
20
Oct
It seems like the country is in a mess and the church has been unable to do anything to change it but many churches have allowed sin to enter the church and many other churches hold up Biblical standards but do not teach their people how to live like Christ would have us. As a result, many church members live no differently then unbelievers. Yet, God has said that if we humble ourselves and turn from our wicked ways, and seek His face, he will hear our cry and turn and heal our land. We need a nationwide revival. Revivals are now breaking out on our college campuses and we need revivals in our churches. If the people in church turn back to God those around the church will notice the change and will want that difference in their life. All past revivals have begun when church members recognize their failure to live as Christ wants them to and turn back to God. Government can make it easier for the church or harder, but it cannot bring revival.
Health Care-M
20
Oct
I had Polio at age two. For two days my life hung by a thread. I lived but was paralyzed from the waist down until a nurse developed physical therapy to restore muscle function. I was finally able to walk again after six years on crutches and in braces. I was one on the fortunate ones. Millions of children died from Polio and millions more were crippled for life. The Polio vaccine saved millions of children and their families from the disease but came 10 years too late for me. Children should get vaccinated against major diseases but I sometimes think they get too many too fast. Vaccines using live or dead viruses are a great life saver but the ones developed for Covid are artificial not real vaccines. They were never fully tested to how the body would react and may have done more damage then good. We need answers and have not been getting them. Maybe now we will with someone in charge who is interested in getting answers, not kickbacks.
Sixth Sunday of Kingdomtide-Oct 12-B
16
Oct
We are seeing an increasing number of judges and politicians in the U.S. who don’t feel that they are bound by the laws of this country or the will of the people, let alone by God’s law, and the people need to let their leaders know through the ballot box that that is not acceptable. We are facing a crucial election next month. No one, who values his freedom, should vote for a candidate who shows open contempt for the people who elect him and the laws of this country, but sadly, many including Christians will do so this election. Voters need to check the candidate’s record and not rely on his campaign promises. There are a number of organizations like the League of Women Voters, the Faith and Freedom Coalition, and others that publish the voting records of candidates so voters should check them before voting. (see Christian Values-Rule of Law at https://www.udemy.com/course/christian-values-rule-of-law/?referralCode=71BC01DED5FF0937DCF0
Sixth Sunday of Kingdomtide-Oct 12-A
16
Oct
Matt. 5:17-20 The Value of the Rule of Law- Too often Christians neglect the Old Testament because they feel Jesus did away with it. Jesus said He didn’t come to do away with the law, He came to fulfill it. In Matt. 25, Jesus puts the Law in perspective. Children need rules to guide them until they are old enough to make decisions on their own. We don’t let small children use a stove because they don’t know how. They could be burned or leave a burner on and start a fire so we have to make a rule that they are not to touch the stove. They do not receive the right to use the stove simply by reaching a certain age. Someone has to teach them how to cook and use the stove safely. Once they are old enough and have learned to cook and use the stove safely, we allow them to use the stove. There will always be those who have not learned to be responsible and have to be held in check by the law.
MAGA-A-D
15
Oct
Parents have a big influence on children but society may have a lot of influence too if they aren’t firmly grounded in their beliefs. America was founded on Christian principles. Though there have been times during America’s expanding west that there have been areas without churches and their influence, the churches moved into those areas and tamed them through teaching Christian values. In the mid 20th Century, a vast majority of Americans either were active in church or at least had some connection to one. The church taught the values to the parents who lived it out in their everyday life. They voted for politicians and school board members that supported Christian values and read newspapers and listened to radio and TV stations that supported Christian values. The politicians enacted laws on Christian principles and school board members hired teachers and enacted policies based on Christian values or they got voted out. Those radio and TV stations that didn’t support Christian values often died out due to lack of support. As a result, many people who had no church connection held Christian values at least in theory. However, the churches no longer teach Christian values and the parents no longer teach their kids. As a result they don’t vote in politicians and school board members that support Christian values, they vote in politicians that feed their selfish greed. They also listen to radio and TV stations that don’t hold Christian values and don’t support stations that do. As a result, an increasing number of people don’t hold Christian values even if they attend church. The result has been growing crime and violence. Many politicians claim the government can solve it but the fact is, the government has been responsible for much of the problem because of the politicians voted in. In addition, the schools have helped create the problem because of the school board members voted in. The radio and TV stations have also added to the problem because people support them. As society becomes more corrupt, the schools and media corrupt many of those growing up in Christian oriented homes.
MAGA-C-C
15
Oct
Many today say we are inherently good and that it is society that corrupts us but all we have to do is look at a baby and we can see that we are inherently selfish. We have to learn to control our selfish desires. Our parents have to set rules to control us and enforce them. We all see kids whose parents didn’t teach them to control themselves and their selfish desires. But we have to learn to move beyond obeying to avoid punishment to where we can control ourselves when our parents aren’t around. Our parents won’t always be around. If children don’t learn to obey basic rules as a child, they will not obey society’s rules as an adult and there aren’t enough police to be everywhere. We are seeing an increase in crime and violence because children are not learning to control their selfish nature as kids due to the breakdown of the family.