Help Toronto's Homeless Keep Warm In The Extreme Cold

Now that the weather's turning cold, Bloor Lansdowne Christian Fellowship is asking for donations of socks, gloves, scarves and toques for our homeless and marginalized guests in the heart of Toronto at the BLCF Cafe Community Dinner. Donations may be brought to the BLCF Cafe Community Dinner, (Wednesdays between 6 and 8 PM). To arrange delivery at a different time, contact Sophie by email: blcfcafe@yahoo.ca or call BLCF at 416-535-9578.

  Not a bread line, food bank or soup kitchen, BLCF Café has been serving wholesome dinners to upwards of 150 of Toronto's homeless every Wednesday evening since January 2008.

BLCF Cafe/BLCF Church, 1307 Bloor Street West, one block west of Lansdowne Avenue. Help bring some warmth to those in need.

Thank You For Your Service!

Taps, full version on Youtube

 

Cold Water Roots Benefit Concert to Feed Toronto's Homeless

Bring a friend and support the needs of the homeless and marginalized in the heart of Toronto at the BLCF Cafe Community Dinner on Wednesday, October 26,2016 from 6PM to 8PM at 1307 Bloor Street West, Toronto, just west of the Lansdowne Subway Station. Suggested donation $15 or what you can afford.

An Open Letter To wallpart.com:

wallpart.com - This Website Will Steal Your Photos and Then Hack Your Computer

https://fstoppers.com/news/website-will-steal-your-photos-and-then-hack-your-computer-77511


An open letter to wallpart.com:

To:
 person: Andrey Gerzhov

address:          Freeland Unlimited
address:          28v Svetlitskogo, apt 161
address:          Kiev, Ukraine
mnt-by:           YURTEH-MNT
phone:            +38044-3222233 

e-mail: ripe@kittle.humgat.org  

SHAME ON YOU! Stealing from the homeless! The Copyright Infringement page/form  of wallpart.com is inoperative. All photographic and LOGO art and designs labelled of, and pertaining to, Bloor Lansdowne Christian Fellowship apparently has been lifted by WallPart.com, from either our web page: www.blcfchurch.ca or our BLOGs: bloorlansdownechristianfellowship.wordpress.com or blcfcafe.blogspot.ca – which is in violation of posted copyright notices on those sites. As the graphic content on Bloor Lansdowne Christian Fellowship sites cannot be copied or reused without written permission from Bloor Lansdowne Christian Fellowship or the owner of this media. Wallpart.com is instructed to immediately remove all media from Bloor Lansdowne Christian Fellowship and to immediately cease  the sale of and reproduction of any media take from our web and BLOG sites.   

Further, Bloor Lansdowne Christian Fellowship reserves the right to seek punitive and financial damages, costs, and penalties from WallPart.com for the illegal reproduction, sale, and distribution of any graphics taken from our web and BLOG pages without any written consent or approval of Bloor Lansdowne Christian Fellowship, which are protected under Canadian, American and/or International Copyright Laws.   

Note: This message has been copied and saved as legal proof of notification of copyright infringement notification sent to Wallpart.com  on Wednesday, October 12, 2016 at 4:17PM Eastern Time.  

-         Steve Mickelson, Bloor Lansdowne Christian Fellowship, 1307 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M6M1H7, 416-535-9578

Sadly, Bloor Lansdowne Christian Fellowship is not a wealthy church, as we struggle to fund our weekly community dinner, BLCF Cafe, where we feed upwards of 150 homeless and marginalized guests, by way our semi-annual fundraiser concerts. 100% of donations go to the purchase of food, styrofoam cups, plastic cutlery, etc. We do not have the resources to maintain a commercial web page to solicit donations and yet wallpart.com, by selling artwork taken from our pages is actually stealing from God's treasury, and from the mouths of the less fortunate. SHAME ON THEM!

We encourage any and all readers of our web and BLOG pages NOT to purchase any posters or other printed material from wallpart.com related to Bloor Lansdowne Christian Fellowship, as it was downloaded without consent or permission of the owners!

wallpart.com - This Website Will Steal Your Photos and Then Hack Your Computer

https://fstoppers.com/news/website-will-steal-your-photos-and-then-hack-your-computer-77511

America’s First Thanksgiving: A Holy Day Not A Holiday

Bloor Lansdowne Christian Fellowship – BLCF Church Message for Sunday:

‘America’s First Thanksgiving: A Holy Day Not A Holiday’

© October 9, 2016 by Steve Mickelson

Based on a Message shared at BLCF on October 12, 2014 

BLCF Church Bulletin October 9, 2016

Announcements and Call to Worship:

Responsive Reading #607 (Creator and Sustainer – from Psalm 104); Prayer                                                                                                   

Opening Hymn #440: All the Way My Savior Leads Me; Choruses                               

Prayer and Tithing Hymn #572: Praise God from Whom All Blessings

Scripture Verses: Colossians 3:17, 1 Chronicles 16:23-34, Luke 17:11-19

Let us pray…

Welcome to Bloor Lansdowne Christian Fellowship on this Thanksgiving Sunday in the heart of Toronto. Our lesson this morning is appropriately on the subject of Christian Thanksgiving or ‘Worshiping the Lord in the Splendor of Holiness’. This brings us to our first Scripture Verse, where we are implored to make all that we say or do in Jesus’ name, as an expression of thanks to God the Father:

Colossians 3:17 (ESV)

¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Does this verse indicate that we should celebrate Thanksgiving in the name of the Lord? And if so, where is the connection to God in this holiday? For the answer we must look into the origins of this national holiday, which I shared in a lesson last Thanksgiving. Let me recapitulate from a message that I shared here at BLCF last Thanksgiving: Canadian Thanksgiving from kidzworld.com (updated on October 7, 2013):

America’s First Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving Day

Harvest Season and the 49th Parallel

The secular view for Canadian Thanksgiving arriving earlier than its American counterpart is that Canada is geographically further north than the United States, causing the Canadian harvest season to arrive earlier than the American harvest season. And since Thanksgiving for Canadians is more about giving thanks for the harvest season than the arrival of pilgrims, it makes sense to celebrate the holiday in October. So what are the differences between Canadian and American Thanksgiving, other than the date? Not much! Both Canadians and Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with parades, family gatherings, pumpkin pie and a whole lot of turkey!

How It All Began

The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are more closely connected to the traditions of Europe than of the United States. Long before Europeans settled in North America, festivals of thanks and celebrations of harvest took place in Europe in the month of October. The very first Thanksgiving celebration in North America took place in Canada when Martin Frobisher, an explorer from England, arrived in Newfoundland in 1578. He wanted to give thanks for his safe arrival to the New World. That means the first Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated 43 years before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts!

For a few hundred years, Thanksgiving was celebrated in either late October or early November, before it was declared a national holiday in 1879. It was then, that November 6th was set aside as the official Thanksgiving holiday. But then on January 31, 1957, Canadian Parliament announced that on the second Monday in October, Thanksgiving would be "a day of general thanksgiving to almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed." Thanksgiving was moved to the second Monday in October because after the World Wars, Remembrance Day (November 11th) and Thanksgiving kept falling in the same week.

http://www.kidzworld.com/article/2614-canadian-thanksgiving#ixzz2hXOhQaCi

So, in a legal sense, thanks to the Canadian Parliament, the current observation of Canadian Thanksgiving is a day in which we give thanks to almighty God for the blessings of the bountiful harvest. The wording of Parliamentary legislation not only acknowledges God, as well as our Lord’s authority as almighty or omnipotent! But does the Bible indicate an expectation for us to give thanks to God? We find the answer in 1 Chronicles 16:23-34 (ESV):




²³ Sing to the Lord, all the earth!     

Tell of his salvation from day to day.

²⁴ Declare his glory among the nations,     

his marvelous works among all the peoples!

²⁵ For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,      

and he is to be feared above all gods.

²⁶ For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,     

but the Lord made the heavens. ²⁷ Splendor and majesty are before him;     

strength and joy are in his place. ²⁸ Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,     

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! ²⁹ Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;     

bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;

^[a] 30      tremble before him, all the earth;     

yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.

³¹ Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,     

and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”

³² Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;     

let the field exult, and everything in it!

³³ Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy      

before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.

³⁴ Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;     

for his steadfast love endures forever! Footnotes: a. 1 Chronicles 16:29 Or in holy attire

While the Scriptures admonish us to praise God for the miracles and blessings in our lives, we know that everyone does not do so, as we read in the account where Jesus healed the ten lepers, in Luke 17:11-19 (ESV):

Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers

¹¹ On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers,^[a] who stood at a distance ¹³ and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” ¹⁴ When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. ¹⁵ Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; ¹⁶ and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷ Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸ Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”^[b]

Footnotes: a. Luke 17:12 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13 b. Luke 17:19 Or has saved you

It is ironic that only one of the ten lepers who were cleansed or healed of their affliction, gave thanks to the Lord, and he was a Samaritan! Though perhaps it is not surprising, when we see the behavior of some who claim to be believers in Christ are not followers of Christ, in that they often tend to put themselves before the Lord, when acknowledging who is responsible for their salvation. And since we are part of Christ’s Church, which is the bride to Christ, we see how the Apostle Paul exemplified such an expression of gratitude in his letter to the Church in Rome:

Romans 16:1-16 (ESV) Personal Greetings

Thanking Fellow Believers


16 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant^[a] of the church at Cenchreae, ² that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well. ³ Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, ⁴ who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. ⁵ Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert^[b] to Christ in Asia. ⁶ Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. ⁷ Greet Andronicus and Junia,^[c] my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles,^[d] and they were in Christ before me. ⁸ Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. ⁹ Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. ¹⁰ Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. ¹¹ Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. ¹² Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. ¹³ Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. ¹⁴ Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers^[e] who are with them. ¹⁵ Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. ¹⁶ Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

Footnotes: a. Romans 16:1 Or deaconess b. Romans 16:5 Greek firstfruit c. Romans 16:7 Or Junias     e. Romans 16:7 Or messengers f. Romans 16:14 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 17

In this passage of Scripture, Paul gives thanks to fellow believers in Christ, whom he refers to as his ‘kinsmen’ with whom he was imprisoned. Paul equated fellow apostles and workers to brothers and sisters in Christ. The mother of Rufus was described like a mother to Paul. Paul continues to refer to others in terms of endearment, such as his ‘beloved’, worthy of a ‘holy kiss’. How Christians thank the Lord for the gift of salvation, and the new covenant, which includes the promise of the resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit is best expressed in the manner we treat others: as beloved members of our own family. For when we behave towards one another in the Spirit of Christian love towards one another, we walk in the ‘Splendor of Holiness’ described 1 Chronicles 16:29, also described as wearing ‘Holy Attire’. And we can only be worthy donning Holy Attire through our Lord, Jesus, Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV):

Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Let us pray...

Closing Hymn #392: Take Time to Be Holy

Benediction - (Colossians 3:15): And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

Transformed by the Touch of a Homeless Man - A True Story by Kent Holland

 

Transformed by the Touch of a Homeless Man - A True Story by Kent Holland

I had just sat down in the Philadelphia 30th Street Station and tucked myself comfortably behind a newspaper to await my train to Washington, D.C., when, to my dismay, I saw a homeless man walking up to me.  His approach was slow and deliberate. He stood before me, waiting for me to make eye contact.  When I finally looked up to acknowledge him, I was discomforted by this man, probably in his mid-forties, with dirt and grease on his hands and unkempt clothing.

What struck me most about him, though, were his indescribable eyes, eyes that seemed to know me, that seemed to penetrate right through me; that appeared be full of love, compassion and sorrow. Being a rational, unemotional lawyer, I tried quickly to put those thoughts out of my mind.  I thought I must be imagining things.

We looked at each other in silence for a moment and then he asked, “Sir, may I speak with you?”

My first thought was, “Oh no, here we go again, another bum begging for a handout.” I had never appreciated the plight of the needy.  They made me uncomfortable and perhaps a bit afraid.  I felt they should stop bothering people, and go out and get a job like everyone else.  I had apparently never learned (or perhaps I had forgotten) the Scripture that tells us:  “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”  1 John 3:17-18.

I wasn’t inclined to give this man any attention, and I certainly didn’t want to give him any money.  But he hadn’t asked for money.  He asked only: “May I speak with you?”  What kind of a question was that?  As I pondered him and his question, his incredible eyes gripped me.  Finally, I couldn’t remain seated any longer.  I stood up to face him.

“Will you feed me?” he asked.

I wasn’t prepared for that question.  As he continued to speak, his language seemed peculiarly articulate, and his words became increasingly strange and disquieting.  He spoke like a well-educated and intelligent man, not at all like what I would have expected based on my image of him.

All around me, finely dressed men and women hurried off to dinners, shows, and business meetings.  Others, like myself, looked forward to getting home to their families.  Many milled about in the cathedral-like structure, with its spacious halls and its magnificent columns rising to meet beautifully carved and painted ceilings high above.  Others slept. Some chatted with colleagues or friends.  Others sat idly, lost in thought, daydreams or fantasies.

I wondered why he had so intentionally picked me out of this mass of people.  So, I asked him, “With all these people sitting around daydreaming, why did you choose me? Why did you pick me from behind a newspaper?”

“Because,” he answered, “you look like a gentlemen with whom I should speak.”  Those were his actual words.

This homeless man actually used better grammar than I normally do.  He sounded like an English teacher and I wondered,  “What’s going on here?”

Even stranger than his speech was the fact that instead of asking for money, he said his purpose in approaching me was that he thought he “should speak” with me. Now, this got my interest.  What could he possibly have to say to me?  In my cynical heart, I was disdainful and critical of this man.  He looked like he was perfectly capable of working for a living, but had chosen to live the life of a bum instead. I just came right out and challenged him, saying,

“You’re obviously a well-educated man.  You speak better than I do.  Why aren’t you working instead of being on the street?”

“I’m glad you asked that,” he replied. “I hoped that you would permit me to share something with you.  I’m a pharmacist by training.  For twenty years I was employed as the pharmacist at a hospital right here in town.  Life was good.  I had a wife and two children.  I had a nice house.  I thought I had it all.  Yes, life was good; until the day I received a phone call at the pharmacy telling me that my house had burned down and my wife and children had perished in the flames.”

Perhaps his story would have made me suspicious since it had obvious potential as a good come-on for a beggar to use.  But truth was in his teary eyes.  Even the genuine sadness in the matter-of-fact way he told his story made it impossible for me to doubt its truth. He went on to explain his situation.

“After losing my family, I could no longer think clearly. I couldn’t concentrate well enough to make a prescription. But even if I could, I no longer had any desire for my job since I had lost my whole reason for living.   Everything I lived for was gone.  I’ve been on the streets ever since, talking to men like you who need to know.  I share with them, and eat with them, but I never ask for money.  It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten, and I’m very hungry, will you feed me?”

Looking back on the scene now, I’m embarrassed to say that by this point in the conversation I was still clueless about what was happening here.  My insensitive and foolish response was to offer a couple dollars so he could buy something.  He looked at me with kind eyes and gently declined my offer of money.

Once again, he asked:  “Will you please feed me?”

Did he mean this literally and, if so, what did he expect me to do?  I asked if I could buy him a burger and fries at the McDonald’s located in the station.  But this was not what he had in mind. Instead, he asked me to join him for lunch at the small atrium-like cafe located in what might be described as a chapel hall just off the main cathedral of the station.

At this point, I didn’t know what to say.  What could I say to this increasingly mysterious man who had picked me out a crowd and then confidently directed me to the specific café where he expected me to join him for lunch?

I had a train to catch but, as I considered the homeless man, my heart was strangely moved.  What began as a passing thought that perhaps I might as well sit down with this man for a few minutes became a compelling desire to do just that.  The train could wait.  There would be another one later. Talking with this man had become the single most important thing I could do at that moment, even though I didn’t understand why.

We went over to the cafe and ordered a good meal.  We sat together and talked for quite a while. Our conversation touched on issues that I wouldn’t normally discuss with an acquaintance of many years.  He asked me questions about myself and what I was doing with my life.  Perhaps my guilty conscience made me imagine things, but it seemed that he knew things about me that I didn’t want him to know.  I felt like he could see the immorality that was ruling my life, and that I was well on the way to destroying my marriage and family.  Without actually saying so, he seemed to know that I was living for my own self-gratification, driven by the desire for prestige, power, and enough money to gain financial independence.  My life style could be described by the motto: “I want it all, and I want it now!”  One of my friends even printed that saying on a large button and fastened it to the lampshade in my law office.

Finishing our meal, I rose to leave.  He turned to me then and asked: “Will you make me a promise?”  I must have given him a surprised and bewildered look.  He held my eyes with his as he said, “Think about this. The next time you see someone who is poor, needy or homeless, remember me!  I once had everything you have now.  I had a wife, two children, a good job and a home.  I lost them all in an instant.  The difference between you and me is so small.  You could lose everything as quickly as I lost it.  Remember me.  And remember that all you have is by the grace of God.”

When he spoke of the grace of God I thought of how often I had heard preachers, parents and teachers speak similar words.  They had always seemed so trite.  Coming from this man, however, I was awestruck by the simplicity and truth of this statement.  In that moment, I experienced an odd sensation. I felt that his words had hit hard right where I needed to be hit.  Even as I stood there, I found myself thinking that this man got to me like no preacher or teacher ever managed to do.  I had often quoted the scripture saying “It is by grace you are saved, through faith … it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. (Eph. 2:8-9).  

But I had forgotten the very next verse which states that we are created by God to do good works (vs.10).   

Then there is the Scripture in the New Testament book that says:  “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well, keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:15-16). 

I can tell you that as I stood before the homeless man my eyes were opened to the fact that my own faith was bogus.  It wasn’t real.  It was mere words.  It wasn’t backed up with action.  My faith was dead.

The homeless man wasn’t even done with me yet. Looking steadily into my eyes, he asked: “The next time you see a homeless person or a someone in need, will you feed them, will you care for them, will you clothe them, will you meet their need?  Don’t give them money. That isn’t what they need.   They need you.  Will you give them of yourself?  Will you love them?”  

This final question stunned me.

An uncomfortably long moment passed while I thought about it.  Quietly, almost reverentially, I replied, “I will.” His eyes gleamed as he smiled and wished me well.  As I boarded the next train for Washington, the impact of what had happened to me in Philadelphia and how it was going to fundamentally change my life had not yet dawned on me.  This homeless man had ministered to me in a powerful and moving way.  A day has rarely gone by since then that I have not remembered him with his incredible, loving eyes, peering into me.  I often wonder about him and whether he could have led me to such a change without this being a divine appointment.  As a new love and compassion seemed to well up inside of me from depths previously unknown, I realized that when I said “yes” to the homeless man, I had said yes to God.

As the days and weeks passed after that, I found myself practically walking on air with a deep sense of peace and joy.  I began talking to people and taking an interest in people that I previously would have crossed the street to avoid.  While traveling in other cities since then, I have found myself asking homeless men to join me for dinner, buying bus and train tickets for men who claim they need to get home, and spending time listening to them and talking with them. That might seem like odd behavior for even a man much more spiritual than I.  It was certainly extraordinary behavior for me.

Having no rational, reasonable explanation for my transformation, I concluded that I had experienced a spiritual encounter of a most dramatic kind.  In my search for the source of this new experience, I bought a copy of an easy to read version of the Bible, The New International Version (“NIV”).  One of the first passages to catch my attention was in the first book of the New Testament, at Matthew, chapter 25, which describes a scene when people will be brought before the “heavenly throne.”  Two large groups of people are standing before the King.  One group He blesses and the other He rejects.

To those He blesses He says: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”  To the surprise of the good people who say that they don’t know when they did any of these things for the King, He will respond: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”  And for a final irony, he turns to all those people standing at his other side and tells them they are cursed and must depart his company because they didn’t care for Him when He was in need.

The startled outcry of these people is that they attended religious services and were good and decent folks, and surely there must be some sort of mistake because they never saw the King hungry or thirsty, or a stranger or needing clothes, or otherwise needing help. But the King responds, “whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

As I think about all the homeless and needy people I have ignored and passed by, while secure in my belief that I was acceptable to God because I put my faith in Him and attempted to live a good life, my heart aches with the knowledge that by ignoring these people who needed me, I have ignored and rejected God.

Much of organized religion today makes a great show of pomp and ceremony but seems to be lost in empty words, lacking any godly purpose or mission. In the Old Testament book of Isaiah, God tells the people “Stop bringing meaningless offerings.  Your incense is detestable to me. . . When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers I will not listen.” (Isaiah 1:13). This is rather dramatic.  In fact, it’s how I felt in my own life. Just as he wasn’t listening to their prayers, He wasn’t responding to my prayers either.  Why? God rejected their empty worship, and told them the kind of religion he wants to see.  He says: “Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow (Is. 1: 17).  So what is the Religion that God accepts?

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress….” James 1:27.

The Bible states that we are to live by the Spirit of God and bear the fruit of the Spirit, including “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”  (Galatians 5:22-23). If we take this seriously and ask ourselves whether we are genuinely experiencing and bearing these “fruit,” I believe we will see that each of us needs to accept the homeless man’s challenge, to make the decision from the depths of our being, to say yes to those in need, and to give consistently of ourselves (a listening ear, a helpful hand, and a compassionate heart).  This includes sharing ourselves and God’s compassionate love with not only those who have physical needs but also with those who have spiritual and emotional needs — not only those who are strangers to us, but those who are our colleagues at work, family members, club members, and neighbors.  This radical personal transformation of bearing fruit, giving of ourselves  (not just our money and our words), is the natural result of answering the call of the homeless man, answering the call of God.

When I said yes, my life dramatically changed.  An empty chasing of success has been replaced with a life of  significance.  I still earn my living as a construction lawyer, but where I find true peace, contentment and joy is through the experience of God’s love – especially when I share that love with others in meaningful ways.  How about you?  Have you heard the call?  How are you answering?  Are you saying yes?

J. Kent Holland, Jr. 6505 Chesterfield Ave. McLean, VA 22101 703-623-1932  Kent@KentHolland.com

            

Matthew 25:35-40 (ESV)

³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸ And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹ And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.’

BLCF Cafe Info Brochure

God’s Ministry and Discipleship at the BLCF Café

Bloor Lansdowne Christian Fellowship – BLCF Church Message for Sunday:

‘God’s Ministry and Discipleship at the BLCF Café’

© May 29, 2016 by Steve Mickelson

BLCF Bulletin May 29, 2016

 
Announcements and Call to Worship: Hymn #204: There’s a Quiet Understanding 

Opening Hymn #302: I Love to Tell the Story 

Prayer and Tithing: Hymn #572: Praise God from Whom All Blessings; Prayer Requests

Scriptures: Matthew 25:31-46, Matthew 19:16-22, Ecclesiastes 5:10-17

Let us pray…

Welcome to Bloor Lansdowne Christian Fellowship - BLCF Church, where we will incorporate into this morning's Praise and Worship Service with our annual meeting to members and adherents, followed by a Pot Luck luncheon. Considering the fact that BLCF's primary Gospel outreach is the church's hosting some 150 homeless and marginalized guests every Wednesday evening at the BLCF Café Community Dinner, it is not surprising that the lesson today is entitled: 'God’s Ministry and Discipleship at the BLCF Café.' Considering the subject of today's lesson, it is fitting that we have Matthew 25:31-46 as our first Scripture verse, which happens to be the same Scripture used as the Mission Statement of the BLCF Café and is posted behind the main serving table at the community dinner.

Matthew 25:31-46 (ESV) The Final Judgment

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸ And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹ And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.’ ⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ ⁴⁵ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The Matthew 25 passage, entitled The Final Judgment, Jesus reveals how the Final Judgement will have our righteousness will determine whether we suffer eternal punishment or be rewarded with eternal life, based upon our attitude and service that we give the least of our brothers and sisters. The only way we honor Jesus as Lord, is when we give the poor our unconditional love and compassion. When we feed, clothe, and help those in need, through humble service, we demonstrate our membership to the flock of Christ, following the Lord's teaching and example, when he humbly served his disciples by washing their feet.

The focus on feeding the poor and less fortunate is again demonstrated in the second of today's Scripture verses in Matthew 19:16-22, when the Lord explains to a wealthy young man what the difference exists between a "good deed" or a perfect or righteous act is expected to receive eternal life as a heavenly reward. Jesus explains that there is more expected that just being obedient to the Law, the young man must surrender his earthly wealth and riches to the poor and less fortunate. This saddened the young man, as he was not willing to give away what he valued on earth and place his faith in the hope of a heavenly reward, a treasure from God.
 

Matthew 19:16-22 (ESV) The Rich Young Man

¹⁶ And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” ¹⁷ And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” ¹⁸ He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, ¹⁹ Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁰ The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” ²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ²² When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The Parable of the Goats and Sheep, contrasts believers' true righteous faith by the flock of sheep's obedient following the Lord's example of humble servitude to others, as compared to the herd of goats who are typically stubborn and frequently need to be driven and directed. The difference between those who desire to accumulate earthy treasures and those who choose to desire to bank on a heavenly treasure come in our third Scripture verse, Ecclesiastes 5:10-17, which describes accumulating worldly treasures as a grievous evil, a vanity, as it indicates actions that are self-centered that can only lead to vexation, sickness and anger.
 

Ecclesiastes 5:10-17 (ESV)

¹⁰ He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. ¹¹ When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? ¹² Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. ¹³ There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, ¹⁴ and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. ¹⁵ As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. ¹⁶ This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? ¹⁷ Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger.

We see that our choice between worldly wealth or treasures I heaven, reveals the nature of our hearts desire, and how we will be judged on the day the Lord returns, in Matthew 6:19-21.
 

Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV) Lay Up Treasures in Heaven

¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust^[a] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

Footnotess: a. Matthew 6:19 Or worm; also verse 20

Our righteousness and faith in following the Lord's example, allows us to be reborn into a new life, with the promise of a reward more precious that gold, which is the salvation of our souls and the eternal life that was sought by the rich young man, 1 Peter 1:3-9.

1 Peter 1:3-9 (ESV) Born Again to a Living Hope

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, ⁹ obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Let us pray…

BLCF Annual Reports for 2014 and 2015

Closing Hymn #546: Sing the Wondrous Love of Jesus 

Benediction – (Romans 12:2): Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Pot Luck Luncheon

BLCF Cafe Fundraiser for Toronto's Homeless Wednesday May 25 at 6:00 at BLCF.

BLCF Cafe Info Brochure

Note: 100% of donations go directly to feeding upwards of 150 homeless and marginalized men, women and children at the BLCF Cafe Community Dinner. BLCF Cafe receives no government or corporate sponsorship. Come and support a worthy cause in the heart of Toronto.

JOIN US FOR A PRAYER WALK IN THE HEART OF TORONTO!

JOIN US FOR A PRAYER WALK IN THE HEART OF 

TORONTO!

TO PRAY FOR OUR COMMUNITY !

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On the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 PM

Join with those from other local churches

to worship, and to pray for one another and for the 

surrounding neighbourhood.

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On TUESDAY, APRIL 5th, 2016

We will be gathering at

BLOOR LANSDOWNE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

1307 Bloor Street West, 416-535-9578

(Just west of Lansdowne Ave.)

Get an update on the ongoing outreach initiatives

that are giving BLCF Church an important street presence 

and ministry !

EVERY PRAYER COUNTS !

So let's join together in faith looking to God for His blessing

on our community !