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Sunday, July 28, 2013

A SIMPLE QUESTION AND A COMPLICATED ANSWER

Sometimes you ask a very simple question, but the answer you get is more than you bargained for.   Jesus’ disciples had to deal with that.

This one time, they asked Jesus, “Lord teach us how to pray.”  It was a simple request, but Jesus’s answer took them way farther and deeper than they’d expected. 

Go deep with them.  Learn power principles about prayer.  Discover why prayer works.   See how prayer actually works.  And understand why a powerful prayer life requires a bit more than just the right words.

Sometimes, it’s good to ask A SIMPLE QUESTION & get A COMPLICATED ANSWER

Listen well.

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---Anderson T. Graves II   is a  writer, community organizer, and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church and the executive director of SAYNO (Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization) in Montgomery, Alabama.

Call  334-288-0577
Email
atgravestwo2@aol.com
Friend me at
www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

Subscribe to my personal blog  www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com .
If you enjoy our work, please help support our work in the community. Send a donation of any amount by check or money order.
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116

Saturday, July 27, 2013

NO CONTRADICTION

Matthew 7: 7-11 records the  same teaching that Jesus gave in Luke 11:5-13.  But the two accounts give different time contexts and slightly different wordings. 

That DOES NOT INDICATE A CONTRADICTION.

The fact is that preachers not only tend to give complicated answers to simple questions.  We also tend to repeat ourselves.  We make the same point at different times using slightly different words.

(Which I just did.)

Also, keep in mind that Jesus didn’t burn any cd’s or post any messages to His blog.   So, He had to sorta repeat the basic points of His message every time He preached/ taught it at a different time or location.

Shoot, sometimes preachers repeat and rephrase in the same lesson.

That’s not a contradiction.

(See what I did right there?) 

In fact, the record of slightly different wordings across the gospels actually presents a more credible record of events than if the gospels showed Jesus only making each point one time, exactly the same way, and never going over the same material or rephrasing things as He retaught.

A sterile record with no rephrasing would mean that the 4 gospel authors had just copied and pasted off somebody rather than recording eye witness accounts.

So it isn’t that Matthew and Luke record the same event differently (and therefore, inaccurately). 

It’s that Matthew records the time  Jesus said, If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! (Matthew 7: 11)   ; but Luke wrote down the time Jesus said,  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11: 13)

Both true.  Both truth.  Both the inspired, reliable WORD OF GOD.

Keep reading.  See you Sunday morning.


---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.


Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church in Montgomery, Alabama, executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO) and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).


To hear sermons, read devotions, and learn more about the ministry at Hall Memorial CME Church, visit www.hallmemorialcme.blogspot.com .
You can read more on Pastor Graves's personal blog at www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com  .
If this message helps or touches you, please help support this ministry. Send a donation of any amount by check or money order.
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116

 

Thursday, July 25, 2013

A WORD TO THE WISE. Proverbs 31: 11. "A Formula for a Profitable Marriage"

Proverbs 31: 11     The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain.

Proverbs 31: 11.  The NIV says that he has full confidence in her.  Regardless of translation, the verse describes a marriage in which the husband totally believes in his wife, and his wife is a woman he can totally believe in.

Thus, this verse gives a two element formula for marital prosperity:    Trust + Safety = Prosperity

Trust is a choice, an unearned gift.  A husband doesn’t trust his wife because she has earned his trust. He trusts his wife because he chooses to have faith in her.   That’s why one man repeatedly gives his means and heart to a woman whom he knows is betraying him, while another man doubts and decries a woman who has always been absolutely faithful.

Therefore, my brothers, the first ingredient in your marriage’s profit margin is entirely up to you.

The second part, sisters, is up to you.

It’s up to you to make it safe for him to trust you.  It’s up to you to deserve his trust.

If a man doesn’t trust his wife, he’ll never be as successful as he could be, because he can’t enjoy the fullness of God’s favor.
Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.  (1 Peter 3:7)

It isn’t safe for spouses to trust one another if one of them is being deceptive.   Such a breach of trust is also a breach of God’s favor. 
You cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and crying; [but God] does not regard the offering anymore, nor receive it with goodwill from your hands.
Yet you say, “For what reason?”
Because the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously; yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant.  (Malachi 2: 13, 14)     

When a husband trusts his wife AND the wife is worthy of his trust, then the two work together as one.  And oneness in marriage is the path to dominion, to success, to prosperity.

Husbands and wives, my brother and sisters, ya’ll are in this together.  There is no more “I” in your team.  If you want it, then YA’LL go get it ------ together.  Have each other’s backs.  Hold each other’s hands.   Trust one another.  Make it safe to trust one another.

It’s not just good for your relationship.  It’s also good business.
---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church in Montgomery, Alabama, executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO) and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).


To hear sermons, read devotions, and learn more about the ministry at Hall Memorial CME Church, visit www.hallmemorialcme.blogspot.com .

You can read more on Pastor Graves's personal blog at www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com  .

If this message helps or touches you, please help support this ministry. Send a donation of any amount by check or money order.
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116

Proverbs 31: 11. "A Formula for a Profitable Marriage"

Proverbs 31: 11     The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain.

Proverbs 31: 11.  The NIV says that he has full confidence in her.  Regardless of translation, the verse describes a marriage in which the husband totally believes in his wife, and his wife is a woman he can totally believe in.

Thus, this verse gives a two element formula for marital prosperity:    Trust + Safety = Prosperity

Trust is a choice, an unearned gift.  A husband doesn’t trust his wife because she has earned his trust. He trusts his wife because he chooses to have faith in her.   That’s why one man repeatedly gives his means and heart to a woman whom he knows is betraying him, while another man doubts and decries a woman who has always been absolutely faithful.

Therefore, my brothers, the first ingredient in your marriage’s profit margin is entirely up to you.

The second part, sisters, is up to you.

It’s up to you to make it safe for him to trust you.  It’s up to you to deserve his trust.

If a man doesn’t trust his wife, he’ll never be as successful as he could be, because he can’t enjoy the fullness of God’s favor.
Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.  (1 Peter 3:7)

It isn’t safe for spouses to trust one another if one of them is being deceptive.   Such a breach of trust is also a breach of God’s favor. 
You cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and crying; [but God] does not regard the offering anymore, nor receive it with goodwill from your hands.
Yet you say, “For what reason?”
Because the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously; yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant.  (Malachi 2: 13, 14)     

When a husband trusts his wife AND the wife is worthy of his trust, then the two work together as one.  And oneness in marriage is the path to dominion, to success, to prosperity.

Husbands and wives, my brother and sisters, ya’ll are in this together.  There is no more “I” in your team.  If you want it, then YA’LL go get it ------ together.  Have each other’s backs.  Hold each other’s hands.   Trust one another.  Make it safe to trust one another.

It’s not just good for your relationship.  It’s also good business.
---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church in Montgomery, Alabama, executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO) and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).


To hear sermons, read devotions, and learn more about the ministry at Hall Memorial CME Church, visit www.hallmemorialcme.blogspot.com .

You can read more on Pastor Graves's personal blog at www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com  .

If this message helps or touches you, please help support this ministry. Send a donation of any amount by check or money order.
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

WHY DID HE KILL THAT BOY? (A Biblical Perspective)

Sunday, July 14th, I stood up to preach.  I was wearing the traditional robe and stole of an ordained elder in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.  Butas the choir sang “Blessed assurance.  Jesus is mine….” I took off the robe, laid it aside, and pulled on a dark hooded sweatshirt, better known as ---- a hoodie.

You see, on July 13th a Florida jury had acquitted George Zimmerman of all charges in the murder of an unarmed 17 year old named Trayvon Martin.   Mr. Zimmerman admitted shooting and killing Trayvon .  The police verified it.   Mr. Martin and all of the authorities acknowledged that Travon was alone, unarmed, not trespassing, not committing any crime, walking home on a public street.  Everyone involved agreed that George Zimmerman had a loaded pistol when he disobeyed instructions from the 911 dispatcher he’d called about the “suspicious” person in his neighborhood.  Zimmerman followed Trayvon in his car, got out, fought with him, and shot the child in the chest at point blank range.  

The law called it self defense.   The Bible calls it murder. 

There is a theological term for times when the law of the land reaches a conclusion the is opposite to the law of God. 

It’s called INJUSTICE.

So, I preached in khakis and a hoodie---- the same “suspicious” outfit that Trayvon wore the day he died.

I preached a message called JUSTICE IN AN UNJUST LAND?

And some people think I was wrong.  That I shouldn’t have brought such a controversial topic into the church.  That I shouldn’t have used the sacred platform to take sides.  That I should have just let it go.  That I should have encouraged my congregation to accept the decision of the jury and then moved on to appropriately “spiritual” things.

I think what Job thought.

As God lives, who has taken away my justice,
And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
 As long as my breath is in me,
And the breath of God in my nostrils,
My lips will not speak wickedness,
Nor my tongue utter deceit.
FAR BE IT FROM ME
THAT I SHOULD SAY THAT YOU ARE RIGHT;
Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. (Job 27: 2-6)

In the aftermath of young Brother Trayvon’s death and the acquittal of the man who killed him, there were and are a lot of questions.   The questions in my circle of ministry condense into 4 queries:
1.       Why did he kill that boy?
2.       Why did they let him get away with it?
3.       What are we supposed to do now?
4.       Where was God in all of this?

The Word of God has answers to all of them all.

Today, we’ll answer the 1st question:  WHY DID HE KILL THAT BOY?

The answer is SIN.

It was sin.

Trayvon Martin looked “suspicous” because he was a stranger.  Mr. Zimmerman called himself the neighborhood watch captain, the protector of THEIR community.   

Zimmerman saw Trayvon Martin in THEIR neighborhood and it made him angry.    He wasn’t angry because Trayvon was trespassing.  He wasn’t angry because Trayvon was disturbing the piece.  He wasn’t angry because Trayvon had done or said anything wrong.  He was angry  because Trayvon was there.

“So what?” you may say.  “That’s not a crime, is it?”

No.  It isn’t a crime.  But is is sin.

And no, that’s not just my opinion.  It’s Jesus’ opinion.

 Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’   But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” (Matthew 5: 21-22)

In Zimmerman’s eyes, Trayvon was guilty for existing.  Trayvon’s identity marked him as someone who didn’t belong to that neighborhood.  He wasn’t one of them.  He was a stranger.

“So what?” you say. “Kids who look like that and dress like that commit crimes all the time.  It’s not a crime to be suspicious when ‘people like that’ do suspicious things?”

No.  It’s not a crime.  But it is sin.

You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.  (Exodus 22: 21)

Also you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Exodus 23: 9)

The Bible condemns the sin of hating strangers without cause.  We have a word for the sin of hating strangers without cause.  We call it RACISM.

Why’d he kill that boy?

Sin.

Now, let’s be clear.  The sin of racism is not exclusive to majority cultures.  In the Exodus context, Israel was a minority ethnicity with no geographical homeland.  They were the gypsies of the ancient world.  And God told THEM not to be racist.

When you get mad, really mad because the staff in the Chinese restaurant speak to each other in Cantonese instead of English------ for what cause are you angry? 

If you were in a fancy French restaurant would you be mad that the staff spoke French, or would you think that the other language made the place seem “classy”?

Yeah, think about that.

When you walk into a convenience store and the people behind the counter look “foreign” does it upset you?    Do you hate them because they came over here trying to take over?  (By the way, when was the last time you tried to buy a convenience store?) 

Whether you’re Caucasian or a minority, the moment you feel angry at your not-like-you brother or sister just for being there, just for being one of “those people” -------- no it isn’t a crime.

But it is racism. 

And racism is sin.

James 1 says that an unchecked sin takes root in your heart and grows into something worse.

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.  (James 1: 14-15)

Unchecked the sin of greed grows into the sin of theft.  Unchecked lust evolves into adultery and depravity. 

And unchecked racism in the heart of a neighborhood watch captain grew into murder.

Was it murder under the law?  Clearly not.

But it was sin.

Churches may not agree about the legal arguments or the social assumptions of this case.  But the church can agree that sin is wrong.   The church can have a conversation within itself about hating our brothers and sisters without cause.  The church can have a Bible-centered discussion about how God says we are to respond to strangers.

And that may save some other boy's life.

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church in Montgomery, Alabama, executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO) and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).


To hear sermons, read devotions, and learn more about the ministry at Hall Memorial CME Church, visit www.hallmemorialcme.blogspot.com .

You can read more on Pastor Graves's personal blog at www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com  .

If this message helps or touches you, please help support this ministry. Send a donation of any amount by check or money order.
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116

 

Still to come: Why did they let him get away with it?

Sunday, July 21, 2013

AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT

The book of Amos is named for a man who didn’t have time to spend away from his business.  But, he did.
Amos didn’t have time to pursue a full-time religious vocation. But, he did.

The result was a prophetic adventure, a dire warning, and a challenging message for modern American Christians.

Prepare to reassess your priorities and your expectations. 
The sermon is called AIN’T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT.

Listen well.


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---Anderson T. Graves II   is a  writer, community organizer, and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church and the executive director of SAYNO (Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization) in Montgomery, Alabama.

Call  334-288-0577
Email
atgravestwo2@aol.com
Friend me at
www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

Subscribe to my personal blog  www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com .

If you enjoy our work, please help support our work in the community. Send a donation of any amount by check or money order.
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116
 

Thursday, July 18, 2013

BARACK OBAMA & THE DEATH OF PROTEST

Real quickly, let me explain why protests don't work anymore.

 2 words: Barack Obama.

 Every politician with a gram of sense has studied the logistical genius that was the Obama campaign machine. They all know that you can win a national election even when most of the people, most of the vocal public apparently hate your guts.

 President Obama taught politicians how to look past the impressive numbers of the huddled masses and see down to the microscopic levels of who was actually voting and in which districts.

Politicians know that they don't really have to please or pay attention to their constituents. They only have to please and pay attention to the registered and likely to vote constituents who make up the base and swing votes in the key zipcodes they need to carry next election cycle. The rest of you chanting sign wavers can kick rocks.

 So, when a few thousand people show up on the capitol steps and the elected knuckleheads inside look out and see a bunch of out of county and out of state tags, when their own undercover street teams survey the crowd and find that 3 in 4 of the in-state adults aren't even registered to vote----- they just laugh and vote like you weren't even there.

 Yes, you're an American. Yes, you have a right to have your voice heard. But, the days of voices changing policy are pretty much over. One of the many lessons of the Trayvon Martin trial is: Voices change media coverage. Voices do not change law. Votes change laws.

 Wanna make a real difference. Instead of standing among 5,000 generic protesters who are only gonna boost tax revenue over the weekend when they check-in and eat out; stand among 500 Alabama residents who are all registered to vote in the same congressional district. In this state, that's enough to change the outcome of an election.

They'll listen then. The age of protests is over. The age of Voting Precincts has begun.

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church in Montgomery, Alabama, executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO) and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).


To hear sermons, read devotions, and learn more about the ministry at Hall Memorial CME Church, visit www.hallmemorialcme.blogspot.com .

You can read more on Pastor Graves's personal blog at www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com  .
If this message helps or touches you, please help support this ministry. Send a donation of any amount by check or money order.
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

SPIRITUAL HOUSING CRISIS

We talk much about spiritual prosperity and increase.  We pray for and prophesy about the great things that God can do for us.  We want more.  We want bigger.

But what do we do if we actually get it and then discover that the blessed life requires more than we expected to have to pay?

What do you do when your life is threatened with spiritual foreclosure?

Originally delivered on the opening night of revival at Abraham Baptist Church, we present a message on the SPIRITUAL HOUSING CRISIS.

Listen well.

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---Anderson T. Graves II   is a  writer, community organizer, and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church and the executive director of SAYNO (Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization) in Montgomery, Alabama.

Call  334-288-0577
Email
atgravestwo2@aol.com
Friend me at
www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

Subscribe to my personal blog  www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com .

If you enjoy our work, please help support our work in the community. Send a donation of any amount by check or money order.
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116