June 29, 2008

"Giving opens the way for receiving." -- Florence Scovel Shinn

Often in these articles I have said the "Kingdom of God" is wherever people are working together to do the work of Jesus. Last Saturday morning at the Baptist Church Gym, women, men, and teens from six different churches were working together to bring food to people in our area. It was our first distribution of food in the Angel Food Ministries. We could feel the presence of the Spirit. It was a blessing to watch the cooperation and cheerfulness of everyone as they welcomed and helped those who came. This was truly a "Kingdom of God" experience.

This weekend we celebrate two of the first leaders of the Church -- Peter and Paul. This feast was first celebrated in 258 A.D. Peter and Paul, both Jews, were very different people. Peter, a fisherman who was open to the Spirit, became the leader of the disciples and their early organization was the beginning of the Church with its laws and structures. Paul, who was a Pharisee learned in the Jewish Law, became a spokesman for the importance of freedom in Christ by his experience of Jesus.

Peter ministered to the Jews, Paul to the Gentiles or non-Jews. Both were martyred for their faith and spreading the message of Jesus. Peter was crucified upside down because he didn't feel worthy to die as Jesus did. Paul, who was a Roman citizen exempt from crucifixion, was beheaded outside of the city of Jerusalem.

They are an example to us that although they disagreed on methods and their missions, they both had complete faith in Jesus and what He was trying to accomplish. Each one ministered as he was called to do. We are all called to carry on Jesus' mission, sometimes right where we are and sometimes to a specific ministry. We are to be open to the Spirit and each of us is to answer our own particular call.