Pastor's Ponderings: Tuesday Bible Study on Acts of the Apostles 13:42-52 (March 10, 2026)

March 10, 2026:  Tuesday Bible Study on Acts 13:42-52

Good morning after a rainy thundery evening. I am hoping that you are enjoying what appears to be the last truly cool day for quite a long time. Forecasts are for a severe heat wave to catch us here in the desert in about 10 days, with temperatures over 100!

I am letting you know in advance that I will be on vacation next week except for Wednesday morning through the Lenten Noon Service. Our younger boys are off from School for their Spring Break, and I hoping to spend some time with them. It really gets more difficult the older they get. They are setting their own directions, have their own friends, work, etc. In one way I am thrilled to be with them as their lives move into a new phase, but oh on the other hand, I know that they will not always be able to be that "everyday close" that I cherish so much.

Our study from the Acts of the Apostles today, finds Paul and Barnabas in Antioch in Pisidia. They have been meeting with the Jews, speaking of Jesus as the Christ and Messiah of God, sharing the news of His Resurrection, and discovering that there is a great unwillingness on the part of the Jews to listen to them. It is interesting in this passage that Luke indicates that there are women in the Jewish community who come from situations of wealth and power. They have come to be a part of the Jews in Antioch because in other communities’ marriage has come to be less valued, but in the Jewish community marriage continued to be valued and honored. So, when the Jews approach these women to encourage them to reject the teaching of Paul and Barnabas, the women become a force for getting rid of Paul and Barnabas from the synagogue. The problem that the women come to is that the Jews are telling all kinds of falsehoods about Paul's and Barnabas' teachings. Paul takes a position that the Jews have heard God's Word for them and have rejected it outright! That means that Paul who will later say that no one has a right to judge another person let alone judge themselves, now says that there is going to be no salvation for the Jews. Paul's words are that the Jews are unfit for eternal life, and he tells them that he is going to go to the gentiles in the community with God's word. Of course, based on the stories of Jesus, we discover that He has His greatest success in His ministry with the gentiles. And Christ's battle with the Jews who want to exclude others from God's Grace, finds Him rejected too. For Paul and Barnabas, the message of Jesus Christ is meant to be shared openly with all people. It is inclusive, never exclusive. Of course, churches have had open and dividing arguments about who should be able to receive Christ's life, forgiveness, and salvation, but in this passage, it is quickly apparent that the message of the Risen Lord and Savior is meant for everyone who will listen and receive the Spirit's gift of faith.  Paul speaks too of being the Light for the world through Jesus Christ. That light, according to the Gospel of John has not been overcome, but it certainly has been rejected. No wonder Jesus speaks of the Jews as being blind. Even the Light of God's truth cannot penetrate their unbelieving darkness. When Paul and Barnabas get out into the community and district of Antioch the Word of God is received with great excitement by the gentiles who live there. However, because of the exclusionary policies of the Jews, their community drives Paul and Barnabas out of their communities. It wasn't a nice request for them to leave. It became unsafe for Paul and Barnabas to be there any longer, so they head to Iconium where their teaching is broadly accepted and received with joy by the people. Antioch was an old city, established by the son of Alexander the Great in 300 BCE. The Jews had a very powerful presence there, and I suspect that they had learned how to find their way into powerful positions of authority, but in Iconium, the community was much more diverse and settled about 6BCE. In Iconium there was much less resistance, and there was great rejoicing on the part of the gentiles to have received this Word of a Living God who treasured them too. For Jesus, these people were the abundant harvest of which He speaks in Scripture. Out of this reading we need to ask ourselves, "Who will God not Love?". His answer is, "I AM here for everyone who will listen and believe". One of the things here about Paul is his tendency to fall back on the practice of the Pharisee to condemn those who were not obedient to the Law of Moses. I believe that the Spirit never stops working on those who have said no to her prodding to faith. No one is lost until they are on that final journey through the grave and gate. Then, it is probably too late! BUT maybe not even then. Only God knows for sure!

Thanks for joining me in this study today.

With the Love of Christ, Pastor Kim

Pastor's Ponderings: Monday Bible Study on Acts of the Apostles 13:16-41 (March 9, 2026)

March 9, 2026:  Monday Bible Study on Acts 13:16-41

Good morning my dear friends in Christ.

I want to let you know that we had one of our largest church attendances on a non-festival Sunday this past week. We had guests from Colorado who had been members of American in the past. Our regular guests from Wisconsin, and a new member with his fiancée, and of course, our worship regulars. What a blessing it was for the Gospel on that day. Please keep the following people in your prayers for healing: Tricia following surgery is now home, Camille whose cancer has come back, Becky for medical treatments and care back in Minnesota this month, and Sharyn who has been recovering from a health issue for three weeks. Of course, please pray for the victims of the war in Iran, both their citizens and our military members, and pray for peace too!

Today we have the only complete sermon in Scripture which was given by Paul. Please take the time to read it as you begin this study with me. Now let's look at what Paul says in this message.

1. Paul says that the coming of Jesus is the consummation of history. In this preached message Paul outlines the history of the Jews to show that their history is completed in Christ, and in His presence, there is every reason to be optimistic, instead of the Jewish history finding its completion in the wrath and destruction of the God of angry judgement.

2. Men/people did not see or understand the action of God in Christ as the way of bringing healing and hope to all people. When people seek their own way to manage sin and brokenness, they become blinded to the merciful way of God and strike out at it.

3. Even though people were blind to Christ's purpose and mission, they could not defeat it. They tried putting Christ to death, but the Resurrection is proof of their failure.

4. Paul uses a very Jewish argument that the prophetic promises made to David, were not kept in his lifetime, but Christ is the fulfillment of those delayed promises. We must always understand that the only way to discern the truth of a prophecy is to await its fulfillment or lack of fulfillment. The prophecies to David remained unfulfilled until the coming of their truth in Jesus Christ.

5. Thinking people, who understand their own failure to keep the fullness of the Law of Moses, realize their continual dilemma and inability to be right with God. It is only by the merit of the Savior that all who believe in Him will come before the judgement seat of God and be found to have lived in righteousness with God through their acceptance and belief in the Savior.

6. For those who have seen the Good News of the Savior and His love, yet find themselves not believing, there will be condemnation and separation from God. For those who have yet to see the Christ of God, and to learn about Him, there can be an excuse, but for those who reject it in their blindness, there will be eternal separation from God, Christ, and the Spirit.

In the face of Paul's message, we are still faced with the overwhelming Love of Christ for all people, so there may indeed be mercy for those who are still seeking and questioning, but, once again, not for those who know and choose to reject our Savior.

Thanks for being with me today. May God bring you joy today and always.

The Rev. Kim R. Taylor (Pastor Kim)

Pastor's Ponderings: Old Testament bible study of Psalm 49 (March 5, 2026)

March 5, 2026:  Thursday Bible Study on Psalm 49

Blessings and Peace be with you in this time of our nation's military personnel being in danger due to our government's actions in Iran. Please pray for their safety, and the safety of all people whose lives have been threatened due to where they are living in the Middle East. War, no matter whether we deem it necessary or questionable, is without doubt the outcome of the sin that is present in all people. Our journey during this Lenten season of the church year is even more poignant considering the sinfulness of all people which have once again found our nation involved in military conflict. This morning did not turn out at all the way that I had planned! I been thinking that the registration and plates for our van were soon coming due. Oops! They were due in mid-February. Off to emissions right away today. The van passed with flying colors and very little pollution on the exhaust readings. The registration and plates are now purchased, and I am legal again!

Our Psalm today is number 49, and it is filled with the kind of wisdom and theology from which Jesus drew many of his parables and sayings. Of course, this Psalm is not alone, but I am confident that when you read it, its content will sound very familiar.

This is a song/prayer about the nature of life and death in God's world, and how, all too often, people live feeling and thinking that their possessions, health, exercise, beauty, and more are going to be with them forever. Melody and I have reached the point in our lives where we realize that we have a limited time left in this life, knowing that we will continue to live with generous hearts, working hard to not judge others, (a huge challenge right now for us as Christians who believe war is with us only because of sin and greed in the world) following as best as we can faithfully, the paths to which Jesus calls every one of us to walk in our lives.  However, we certainly do know that there are others who joke about their getting into Christ's heavenly kingdom while they luxuriate in this life, believing that all their wealth will somehow keep them from the final reality which we all must face. I bet that we all know that saying, "You can't take it with you!". This Psalm is a commentary on that kind of thinking, and it challenges those whose lives have been blessed by great wealth, to live lives of generosity. But there is more. This Psalm also calls on the needy to listen, because sometimes they are the ones who place their hope in latching on to their meager possessions, just like the wealthy do with their abundant possessions. And in this Psalm, we are also told that there is no "redemption price" that is ever enough when we are the ones who attempt to earn God's Grace by works. Here it is, all the way in the Psalms, exactly what Paul teaches in the Book of Romans. We are justified by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ, our LORD and SAVIOR. Obviously, the Old Testament refers to Jesus in its prophetic messages, but when we move to the Gospels and the letters of Paul to the new church, we quickly see how Christ becomes the blood sacrifice to pay for the sins and brokenness of the whole of humanity, and even the sin of creation itself.  In Christ, we can understand that the Psalmist had it right! However, the wealthy are truly warned in this Psalm not to become those who would trample on the less fortunate. This Psalm is filled with the veins of righteousness which become enriched, flowing with new life, when it is the living light and life of Christ which fills them to be the bearers of the very bests that God has offered, abundant life, the fullness of forgiveness, and the certain promise of Salvation with our Savior.

God bless you all in your Lenten journeys today and throughout the entire season, which will ultimately bring us to the dawning of God's Love and the empty tomb.

With the Love of Christ, Pastor Kim