In Luke 19, Jesus tells the parable of the King’s ten servants.  In the parable a certain nobleman delivered unto each of his servants an amount of money with these instructions “Occupy till I come. In the parable there is an account of three of the servants. Two of the servants invested the king’s money and got a good return on their investment, one other of the servants held on to his master’s money and got no return on what he was given.  The king was very hard on this man who had failed to get an increase on the money.  At this point, dear readers, some of you are asking, “Where are you going with this story?” As we go into a new year, we are to “occupy till He come.”  We have been given excellent resources to build and expand God’s Kingdom.  Jesus expects us to use these talents for the expansion of the kingdom.  We must be found working for the Master.  Take a lesson from Jesus as He speaks in John 9:4: “I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”

2023 is a year for being more effective in our witness.  “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me...(Acts 1:8)   As we occupy, let us be mindful of why the king punished the worthless servant.

#1 He didn’t share his master’s interest in the kingdom.

#2 He didn’t trust his master’s intentions.

#3 His only concern was for himself.

#4 He did nothing to use the money.

In the year 2023, “let us occupy till He comes.”   Have a blessed and happy new year.

Pastor J Amos Jones

It is interesting how the gospel writers in the book of John and Luke speak to the advent of Jesus unto this people planet. John tells us that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1). “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). John’s description shows clearly that he is speaking of Jesus, the creator of the universe, the ultimate revelation of God, the living picture of God’s holiness, the one by whom “all things consist” (Colossians 1:17). John shows Jesus as fully human and fully God. Although Jesus took upon Himself full humanity and lived as a man, He never ceased to be the eternal God who has always existed, the creator and sustainer of all things, and the source of eternal life. Luke goes into great detail in pointing out the circumstances of the birth of Jesus. “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2: 4-7 ). In a summary fashion: “When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law” (Galatians 4:4).

Merry Christmas!

Pastor J. Amos Jones

FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK December 18, 2022

Many of you know that I have been, and is now, the primary caregiver for my wife. The truth is, and on a larger sense, I (the Pastor) am a caregiver for all of you. It is the responsibility of the pastor to watch over the souls of the people. The charge to be a caregiver for God’s people is found in I Peter 5:1-4. To encapsulate that charge to the pastor, I need only say that the pastor is “to lead and to feed.” Look for these characteristics in the caregiving pastor:

(1) They realize they are caring for God’s flock, not their own.

Peter identifies ownership in verse 2, “flock of God.” In John 21, God’s people are referred to as “my lambs” and “my sheep.” This pastor is acutely aware of God’s love for His people. “For God so love the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).

(2) They lead out of the desire to serve, not out of obligation.

(3) They realize that it is the will of God that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance. The caregiving pastor will ensure that God’s people are taught the infallible word of God. “The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.” (Romans 1:16) The caring pastor leads by example, not force. In Christian leadership, authority is based on service, not power.

Know this dear ones, we are working to this end, “the perfecting of the Saints, the edifying of the body of Christ, the knowledge of the son of God bringing you into a mature Christian.”

Be blessed as we walk in Him.

Pastor J. Amos Jones

https://fannersoftheflame.org/2022/12/18/5865/

CHOIR ANNUAL DAY

A big God bless you goes out to all of the choir members as we celebrate with them on this, their annual day. The Psalmist tells us to “Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Sing to the Lord; praise His name. Each day proclaim the good news that He saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things He does.” (Psalm 96:1-3 NLT) It is obvious that the Psalmist had the choir at Friendship in mind when he penned these words. Thank you choir for how you sing unto the Lord. You are indeed worshippers, not performers. To God be the glory! In your singing there is the proclamation of the Good News of His salvation and the declaration of His glory. Individually, think about your singing. In Psalm 13:6, David says “I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” We all can attest that God has blessed us abundantly. In Psalm 57, there is a record of David’s thoughts when he fled from Saul, and the truth be known, we all have had some disconcerting moments. In difficult times we can join David and say: “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast and confident! I will sing, yes I will sing praises [to you]!”

Again choir, thank you for your marvelous (and melodic) contribution to the praise and worship at Friendship. God bless you and this Choir Annual Day.

Pastor J. Amos Jones

There is recorded in Galatians 2 an event that occurred in the church at Antioch of Syria that I refer to as a “clash of Titans.”  Although Peter was a leader of the church, he was acting like a hypocrite.  Paul knew he had to confront Peter before his actions damaged the church.  Therefore, Paul publicly confronted Peter.  Sometimes sincere Christians, even Christian leaders, make mistakes and need to get back on track.

Dear ones, it’s easy to rate people on the basis of their official status and to be intimidated by powerful leaders.  However, when both parties are at the top of leadership, their actions are always under scrutiny. The church leaders in Jerusalem, James, Cephas (Peter), and John realized that God was using Paul to reach the Gentiles, just as Peter was being used so greatly to reach the Jews. “But when Peter was come to Antioch, I (Paul) withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.” (Gal.  2:11-12)  While we can see the “clash of the Titans” between Peter and Paul, internally Peter is having a “clash of the Titans,” i.e., Truth and Tradition. They met head-on, and Peter chose tradition.

Peter knew the truth. Hear him in Acts 10:34-35: “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him.” In our society today, there is a continued clash of truth and tradition. Let truth prevail.

Pastor J. Amos Jones