All congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses across the world are being encouraged to begin holding in-person meetings during the week of April 1. Ricardo Barrio of Phoenix has been attending meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses since 1987. After decades of learning and association, Barrio views other congregants as family and the Kingdom Hall as a place to kindle love and kindness.

For most of the last two years, buildings for worship have remained closed globally due to the risks associated with meeting in person. Jehovah’s Witnesses in the U.S. also suspended their public ministry on March 20, 2020. Since that time, they have carried on their ministry through letters and phone calls while holding twice weekly meetings in a virtual format. Average attendance at these meetings exceeded 1.5 million each week in the U.S., even though there are fewer than 1.3 million Jehovah’s Witnesses in some 13,000 congregations.

“There is a collective shout of joy among Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world right now,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. Spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “While we have prospered in many ways as individuals and congregations using technology to bring us together, nothing can adequately replace being together in person. We have longed for this moment for the better part of two years.”

The move back to in-person meetings coincides with two global events being held in all 120,000 congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The first is a special lecture scheduled in most congregations for April 10 entitled, “Where Can You Find Real Hope?” Additionally, the annual commemoration of the death of Jesus Christ will be held on April 15. Both of these gatherings will be held in person at local Kingdom Halls with live speakers. No collections are ever taken. Guidelines for holding “hybrid” meetings have been sent to all congregations in the United States. Over the past six months, many Kingdom Halls have been equipped with the required technology to hold a productive meeting that allows for in-person and remote attendees, all of whom can participate in the discussions.

As of now, Jehovah’s Witnesses have no plans to resume their public ministry, though their “alternative” ministry continues. In fact, since the start of the pandemic through Nov. 2021 in the U.S. alone, Jehovah’s Witnesses spent more than 400 million hours in virtual Bible studies, writing letters of comfort to their neighbors, and making phone calls. They have released 77 new language translations of the Bible and held two global virtual conventions in more than 500 languages.

For more information on Jehovah’s Witnesses go to jw.org.

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As we approach Easter, many of us think about the meaning of Easter. It is not about bunnies, colored eggs, peeps, or chocolate candy. The Bible gives us the true meaning of Easter: “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NKJV).

As I was doing research for a sermon a few weeks ago, I came across a 2020 Pew Research Center survey that said 65% of adults in the United States identified themselves as Christians. I think most of us can agree that 65% of Americans don’t act like Christians. Gallup in a 2020 survey found that 47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue, or mosque. Other surveys say that 27% of Americans attend church regularly. If we add in those who attend church services on Christmas and Easter, we get 35% who attend church either regularly or occasionally.

Naturally, we wonder why so many Americans who say they are Christians don’t attend church regularly. This reminds me of two of Jesus’ followers on the road to Emmaus after Jesus’ crucifixion found in Luke 24:13-35. These two followers of Jesus had heard his teachings and most likely seen him perform some of his miracles.

As these two followers were walking on the road to Emmaus, we read in Luke 24:15-17: “So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. And He said to them, ‘What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?’”

They told this stranger that they didn’t know was Jesus about the events of the last three days. In verse 21, we see that so many of Jesus’ followers misunderstood his true mission when we read: “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.” When they got to Emmaus, they invited this stranger to break bread with them. It was then that we read in verse 31: “Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him…”

Just like those two followers of Jesus, many Americans who claim they are Christians need their eyes to be opened so they can truly know Jesus. Those of us who regularly attend church need to pray that our family’s, friends’, and neighbors’ eyes would be open. We need to share the love of Christ and share the Gospel message with them.

To those of you who believe in Jesus but don’t attend church, I invite you to come visit my church or any other Bible-believing church for a Sunday Worship service. I pray that your eyes would truly be open to Jesus.

Tim Hammond is the pastor of Oak Street Baptist Church in Kingman, AZ.

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Throughout the Bible, language of family and friendship is used to talk about our relationship with God. Our relationship is spoken about using the language of marriage, using the language of friendship, and using the language of parents and children. Close relationships like these are always covenantal. A covenant is a relationship built on promises.

Our relationship to God is a covenantal relationship too. He makes promises to us: to love us, to forgive our sins, to give us the gift of salvation, to help us unpack our baggage, to be with us always, to give us eternal life. And, as is the case with any good and healthy relationship, it’s a two-way street. We make promises to Him too. We promise to take our relationship – our life- with Jesus seriously.

That’s how it is with our relationship with God. God has made promises to us, and God is always faithful to those promises. We make promises to God, too. We promise to talk with God – prayer – to listen to God through prayer and scripture, to love God through worship, to help God by helping others.

We make our promises. And, if we don’t act on our promises, if we don’t live into our promises, our relationship with God doesn’t grow, our life with God doesn’t deepen. Allowing Jesus access to our lives is what we call the Means of Grace.

The Means of Grace are simply ways we live out our promises to God. These Means of Grace include what John Wesley called Acts of Piety: praying, reading the Bible, coming to church, and giving. And they include what Wesley called Acts of Mercy: helping others in need, standing up against oppression in whatever forms it may take. The language of Acts of Mercy and Acts of Piety is really just theological talk for the kinds of things that are important to every good and healthy, loving relationship.

When we do the stuff of our covenant, God meets us in our acts of covenant faithfulness, and gives us grace, growing us up in the faith, healing our wounds, alleviating our burden. So here are three simple acts of covenant faithfulness that every one of us can do. Three ways to put our faith in action, and in the process, giving God something to work with as He continues the work of growing us up in faith.

Each day, make the decision to do something for for someone else. Be intentional and specific about it.

Each day, choose one word you would like to focus on in scripture, then look up scriptures that are about that word, such as grace or faithfulness.

Each day, think of five things you are grateful for. And, when you think of your list of things you are grateful for, say a prayer thanking God for those things, offering praise, thanksgiving, and adoration for all that God has done for you.

Three simple practices: doing good, reading scripture, and expressing gratitude through prayer. Three simple practices that help us be more aware of God’s presence, and help us make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. And, grace upon grace, giving God something to work with as God meets us in our covenant faithfulness and grows us up until that glorious day when our lives are no longer defined by the things of this world, but by the extravagant, all encompassing, never ending love of God. Grace upon grace upon grace.

Andrew Devereaux is the pastor of St. John’s United Methodist Church.

The post The means of grace first appeared on The Standard Newspaper Online.

In my last article I wrote about having true freedom in Christ over the bondage of sin. What does that true freedom look like?

Freedom in Christ can give us peace in difficult times. Each day things are getting more difficult with prices for gas at an all-time high, supply chain issues causing empty shelves at the grocery stores, and what is available costs more each time we go to the store. Our country is more divided than ever and now there is a war in Ukraine. So many people are under stress.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus said: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV).

With everyday life getting more stressful each day, we need to go before God in prayer. We need to tell God what our concerns are and ask Him to give us peace during these difficult times. In the Gospel of John, Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27 NKJV). That verse has always given me great comfort.

When I go through difficult times, I always pray with that verse and ask God to fill me with His peace, which is total and complete peace. The first time I prayed that, and I asked God to fill me with His peace, He put the following on my heart: When you are going through difficult times, are stressed out or angry, think of the love that I (God) have for you.

When I quiet my heart and think about the love God has for me His peace falls over me. That verse has given me so much comfort over the years.

There are so many distractions in the world today. So many of us are always looking at our phones, whether it is to check emails or social media. It is easy to find ourselves constantly watching the news when we are at home with all that is happening in the world today. There is nothing wrong with watching the news, but constantly watching it will add a lot of stress to your already stressful life.

With our daily responsibilities added on top of that, we feel overwhelmed and don’t have enough time in the day. My advice to people is take 30 to 60 minutes out of our day to read the Bible and pray. Turn off the TV, put down your phone, and you will find at least 30 minutes to spend with God. Making time to spend with God by reading His Word (the Bible) and praying will help you tremendously.

Tim Hammond is the pastor of Oak Street Baptist Church in Kingman, AZ.

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Houston, we have a problem. You all remember when and why those words were spoken. But in all seriousness, we have a problem. We who inhabit the Earth have a problem. And that problem is sin. We live in a world defined by brokenness and sin. We don’t like to admit it, but it’ the truth. We are all sinners. We are all too familiar with what brokenness feels like.

Paul, in many of his writings, gives lists of sins people commit, so let’s go through the list and see where we end up. Now, everyone at home, do me a favor and stand up, and stay standing until directed otherwise.

If you have murdered someone, go ahead and sit down. If you have ever committed adultery, have a seat. By now, probably most of us are still standing. What about coveting? Have you ever looked across the street to see the neighbor’s new sports car, or perfect landscaping, or scrolled through Facebook and seen all the things certain friends have going on in their life and thought, “Gee, I wish I had that”? Go ahead and have a seat.

Have you ever told a white lie? Or said something hurtful to someone else? Or talked back to your parents? What about gossip? You’re out.

But the point is, we all fall short of the glory of God, there are no exceptions. We all have a problem.

But there is good news! You see, there is a solution to our problem. The solution to the problem of sin is grace. It’s grace, for it is by grace alone we are saved. Yes, the grace of God is the one force in our lives more powerful than sin, with the power to overcome sin and even death itself. And we see this grace that solves the problem in the death of Jesus Christ. As Christ was hoisted up on that old rugged cross, the one who was blameless, the one who was without sin, took the sins of the world upon himself. And, in doing so, Jesus did what righteousness required and overcame sin’s power over us along with all the consequences of our sin. And we have access to this grace shown to us on the cross by faith, by believing.

That brings us to justifying grace. Justifying grace is the forgiveness that comes to us when we accept Christ as our Savior, when we say yes to Jesus, yes to salvation. I’m reminded of the story of Nicodemus found in John Chapter 3. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and came to meet with Jesus in the middle of the night. But he come by night in part because he was afraid. He feared the consequence he might face among his peers if he were to be seen with Jesus. You see, in John’s gospel, light represents the realm of belief and darkness the realm of disbelief. So, when Jesus says to Nicodemus, “This is the judgment, that the light has come into world and people loved darkness more than the light,” these words send us back to the beginning of Chapter 3. Jesus’ words are aimed directly at Nicodemus: “Will you continue in darkness or will you come to the light?”

The moment of judgment, the moment of crisis, and, in fact, the moment of decision for Nicodemus, and for us, is in the encounter with Jesus. This is Jesus extending justifying grace to Nicodemus.

Andrew Devereaux is the pastor of St. John’s United Methodist Church in Kingman, AZ.

The post Justifying grace first appeared on The Standard Newspaper Online.

KINGMAN – The Youth Group of St. John’s United Methodist Church is hosting a Mission Trip Barbeque Fundraiser to help raise money to send them on their upcoming mission trip.

The Barbeque will be on Mar. 20 at 11 a.m. at St. John’s United Methodist Church. Entry will be $12 a plate.

The youth will be serving pulled pork or pulled chicken, baked beans, coleslaw, and water or soda.

This will be the first mission trip the Youth Group will be able to go on in nearly 5 years, so any support from the community would be greatly appreciated. If you are planning on attending, you can RSVP by calling the church office at (928) 692-8828 and will help the youth estimate how much food to prepare, but RSVPs are not required to attend.

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COVID-19 shut down access to most U.S. prisons, including the Arizona State Prison Complex – Yuma, where Shannon Gunderman volunteered with a group of Jehovah’s Witness ministers. Without warning, inmates were cut off from a robust Bible education program that included weekly Bible-based discourses, audience discussions, individual Bible studies, and video presentations.

Within weeks, Jehovah’s Witness volunteer ministers visited the prison facility on a weekly basis conducting small group meetings for worship within each prison unit, and occasionally baptizing someone into the faith. When the prison facility went into lockdown in March 2020, Gunderman was determined to continue providing spiritual encouragement to the inmates, realizing that an alternate program for regular spiritual support would be needed to tide the inmates over.

Through a carefully composed monthly letter, Gunderman and fellow Jehovah’s Witnesses shared Bible verses and related scriptural information to approximately 30-40 inmates who have shown interest in the Bible’s message. In addition to Bible-based information, the letter included personal comments from congregants.

Each month, congregants were notified that a letter was being sent to interested inmates, and if they would like to forward a comment to the inmates they could. The comments were then sanitized to comply with applicable guidelines, and became part of the letter so that it resulted in an “interchange of encouragement,” said Gunderman. The results were surprising.

“We thought we were encouraging them, but then we got all these letters back in return that encouraged us,” Gunderman said.

“One [inmate] . . . lost his three-year-old daughter,” related Gunderman, “so we sent him a letter just telling him how much we were feeling for his loss.”

Although confident in the positive power of the monthly correspondence, Gunderman eagerly anticipates the day he can visit inmates face-to-face again. In-person communication and contact are difficult to replace, so “we’re hoping to get back there soon,” stated Gunderman.

To learn more about Jehovah’s Witnesses and their activity, please visit jw.org.

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Lent has begun, and we’re going to talk about grace. Prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying grace. But first, let’s turn our attention to the reading and understanding of scripture:

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2: 11-14).

Grace is the unmerited, undeserved love and favor of God, that is freely given for all people. Now, let’s talk Wesley. As many of you know, John Wesley is looked to by Methodists around the world as the founder of the Methodist movement that lead to the existence of Methodism as a denomination. He was one of the great theologians and intellectuals of his time in the second half of the 18th century in England.

It came to be on John Wesley’s heart that the faith of many Christian people was a dead faith. Meaning that many Christians were simply going through the motions of going to church on Sundays, but they weren’t really living out the faith we as Christians are called to. So, along with his brother, Charles Wesley, and a few friends at Oxford, they developed a “method” to living the Christian life. And central to this way of living the Christian life was John Wesley’s understanding of grace.

John Wesley put it this way: “It was free grace that ‘formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into him a living soul, and stamped on that soul the image of God, and put all things under his feet. For there is nothing we are, or have, or do, which can deserve the least thing at God’s hand.’”

In other words, it was not because the gift of life is something we deserve, but rather that it is a gift given out of God’s grace, God’s unmerited favor for us. It’s the Methodist understanding that it’s by grace we have life because God didn’t have to create us. It’s by grace we are made in God’s own image, by grace we have what we need in life. All that we are, and have, and do begins and ends with God’s grace.

Andrew Devereaux is the pastor of St. John’s United Methodist Church in Kingman, AZ.

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When I talk to people about Jesus one of the reasons I often hear for why they don’t want to accept Jesus is that they don’t want to give up their freedom. They say religion is full of rules of what you can and cannot do. My response is always, “You are correct, religion is full of rules, but I am talking to you about having a relationship with Christ, not living a life full of religious rules.”

What is the freedom that so many cling to over having a relationship with Jesus? Maybe it is the freedom to drink alcohol whenever they want. After all, many say there is nothing wrong with having a drink or two to relax. There are times that a drink or two leads to several more. In the best case, the next morning you wake up with a hangover. You are left searching your foggy memory from the night before to see if you did anything foolish or anything you regret. In other cases, you may wake up next to someone you met the night before which opens you up to a host of other issues. Some have woken up in a holding cell because they were arrested for DUI. Are those things true freedom?

That freedom that so many hold onto over a relationship with Christ is really the bondage of sin. The things that so many think are freedom actually hold them in bondage to addiction, anger, bitterness, and many other things that lead to a life full of struggles.

Before I became a pastor, I did jail and prison ministry for 9 years. At the end of one service, an inmate asked if he could share something with the other inmates. He told them that he had just been sentenced to life without parole. He continued to say that even though he would spend the rest of his natural life in prison, for the first time in his life he was truly free.

How could someone who was looking at spending the rest of his life in prison say he finally found true freedom? The gospel message had set him free from the bondage of sin. In the Bible, the Apostle Paul tells us: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1 NKJV).

The so-called freedoms that so many don’t want to give up are keeping them in bondage to their sins. We read in the Gospel of John: “Jesus answered them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.’” (John 8:34-36 NKJV). True freedom is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Tim Hammond is the pastor of Oak Street Baptist Church in Kingman, AZ.

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What do you do when you are in a sticky situation? Perhaps there is a clear right and wrong to the matter and perhaps there is not. What is your default position? Is it to dig in on principle, compromise, or cave? The depth of the issues and the personalities involved will determine how far you might go.

For instance, most of us will try to get along. We may not like, or even agree with, the direction that a concern is being managed, but the stakes are low enough to keep us from the fight. This seems reasonable.

What happens, though, when an issue is a Biblical one? Sadly, and more often than not, we create a new rule, a new law, or a new denomination to satisfy the offense. We find like-minds to congregate with and label the opposition as outsiders if they refuse to comply.

All of this is not to say that sometimes we must stand our ground, but what, in the end, is necessary to go to war over? Is it culture? Is it defense against evil? Surely, these should make for a united front.

Which, however, is more important? A. People having an opportunity to learn and hear of God’s love, hope, and mercy, or B. The messenger fits a certain quality such as age, sex, or race? If a person of another race speaks to a predominantly white, black, Hispanic, or Asian audience, should that message be of no value? Can a person of one gender not teach one of another gender? Is that, too, forbidden?

These types of questions regarding who can lead a group of people spiritually fall into one of two camps. The first camp states that a literal and timeless scripture is the norm and mandate. Deviation is sin. The other group would suggest that scripture is a malleable document and, therefore, nuanced. For this group, the application of hermeneutics opens the door for interpretation.

Can this go too far? Again, certainly. But I am concerned that when we doggedly and dogmatically assert absolute insight and understanding of scriptures, we alienate the opportunity to discover perhaps deeper meanings. Moreover, at what cost?

My position will not be popular among some of my readers, but the adage, “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity,” rings true. The church has always had disputes over things great and small. In the New Testament alone, disputes over food and recognition of certain days caused division!

In a timely article by Mark Ross, the suggestion of charity seems best.

“After two thousand years of church history, Christians are still divided on many key doctrinal issues, even on the very signs of our unity in Christ — baptism and the Lord’s Supper. How, then, can we be one in Christ and demonstrate the communion of saints? It would seem that either we must ignore our doctrinal differences and treat them as inconsequential, or we must remain permanently divided and in opposition to one another until Christ returns. Is there not a more excellent way?”

Yes, Mark, and yes, church, there is a more excellent way: charity. May we bear with one another as we grow in the knowledge of scripture.

Kent Simmons is the pastor of Canyon Community Church in Kingman, AZ.

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