Matthew 5-7 is called the “Sermon on the Mount” because Jesus gave it on a hillside near Capernaum. It is the “Magna Charta” of Christianity. In it Jesus proclaimed His attitude toward the Law and His expectations for those who will be Kingdom-dwellers. In Matthew 5:38-42, Jesus teaches about retaliation, and in Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus teaches about loving enemies. To many Jews of Jesus’ day: “That ye resists not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.” these statements were offensive. Any Messiah who would turn the other cheek was not the military leader they wanted to lead a revolt against Rome.

Many today find it offensive to suggest that our political leaders could learn much from the Sermon on the Mount. They are impressed with those that they perceive to be strong political leaders that are bombastic, bullies, narcissistic, and exudes a “macho” confidence. Jesus tells us: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” What a radical response to injustice and the end result is “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.” “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?”

Dear ones, in this very toxic political climate, even if the political leaders do not learn from the Sermon on the Mount, we certainly must. Jesus says in verse 48: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Not sinless perfection, but perfect in character, in holiness, in maturity, and in love. We can be perfect if our behavior is appropriate for our maturity level-PERFECT.

 Be blessed and be perfect,

Pastor  J. Amos Jones

Deacons and Trustees Affirmation Day  On today we, the corporate body of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, celebrate the men who have taken on a laborious task and as such have declared their willingness to serve the Body of Christ, The Church. The essence of this day is a matter of spiritual self-actualization. Men who are real about the title they wear. The reality is, they are who they profess to be. We are celebrating men who understand the qualifications of the diaconate (servant) and are publicly affirming that they possessed those qualifications. There is a spiritual assertion that these are men of integrity and are well respected. These are men who realize who they are working for. Their ultimate commitment is to Him. As members of the body of Christ, we appreciate the commitment to the Lord and His Kingdom that our Deacons and Trustees have made, and we praise God for them. On this day as the Deacons and Trustees assert their Servanthood, let the membership respect the leadership that is found in their Servanthood.

May the Lord Jesus Christ, and God, the Father, comfort your hearts Brethren, and establish you in every good word and work.

Be blessed as you walk in Him.

Pastor J. Amos Jones

This is the day after Christmas and in 6 days we will enter into the year 2022. By any reasonable assessment, God has been good to us. Not only has he been good, he has been ever so faithful. I am sure that you, like so many others, have had some good days, and some days that were not so good, but when you think things over, we have to say “Thank you Jesus!”  As we approach a new year, this pastor joins with King David in a Psalm 145 praise: “I will extol thee, my God, O king; And I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.”

Year to year and generation to generation, our God is great beyond discovery. Irrespective of what has happened or what will happen our God is the mighty God who does mighty acts across many generations. Because God is full of love, he satisfies all who trust in him. Dear ones, as we enter into the year 2022, see God as David depicts him in Psalm 145. He is full of great glorious honor and majesty (145:5); He is gracious, compassionate patient, and merciful (145:8); He reaches out to us with tenderness (145:9); He is our source in all our daily needs (145:15, 16) he is righteous and holy in all his dealings (145:17); He listens to our cries and saves us (145:19, 20).

What an awesome God we serve. Don’t enter into 2022 without Him.

Be Blessed.

Pastor J. Amos Jones

In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, and the WORD was God. 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 1:1,14 capitalized for emphasis).  What an awesome, intricate, but loving, plan of salvation God had for mankind. The plan involved a baby being born without the involvement of a human father.  Yes, a virgin birth.  A birth that was prophesied hundreds of years before the event.  The prophetic nature of this birth was fulfilled to the most exact detail. 

Someone asked recently, “Which is most important, Him (Christ) being born, or Him dying?” The answer my friends is that they both are integral parts of God’s plan of salvation.  Jesus often told His disciples that He must die, but in Matthew 20:28 He explains why: “Even as the son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many”.  A “ransom” was the price paid to release a slave from bondage.  Jesus was born to die–to redeem all people from the bondage of sin and death.  Hear the angel of the Lord as He speaks to the shepherds on the first Christmas day: “Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). 

And the WORD was made flesh!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Pastor J. Amos Jones

“But let justice run down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream [flowing abundantly].” (Amos 5: 24 AMP). In the year 760 B.C., the prophet Amos pinned these words in a call to repentance for an idolatrous people.  An ungodly, oppressive people ripe for the judgments of a holy God. But now in the year 2021, can it be that the arc of moral justice is bending toward righteousness? In Brunswick, GA, three white men were found guilty of murder in the death of a black man, Ahmaud Arbrey. These men were found guilty by a jury whose racial make-up was of such that it caused many to wonder if they could render a fair and just verdict. But there is a God that says: “let justice run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.”

We are moving to “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”  (Micah 6: 8).

Keep the faith.

Pastor J Amos Jones