Pastor Claude Thomas

Author: Pastor Claude Thomas

Laurie was about three when one night she requested her father’s help in getting undressed. He was downstairs and she was upstairs, and … well. “You know how to undress yourself,” He reminded. “Yes,” she explained, ‘but sometimes people need people anyway, even if they do know how to do things by themselves.”  (William C. Schultz, Bits & Pieces, December 1990.) People need people. “Others” is one of the core values we have as a family of faith. And we can make a difference when we relate to others from a biblical perspective. No one is perfect and all of us miss the mark at points in life. At those times we need someone to help us. Paul recognized that reality and wrote about it in Galatians 6:1-4. Those verses show a positive approach to helping someone who has missed the mark or been “ambushed by wrong.” Notice, Paul did not set out to destroy those who had been “ambushed by wrong.” He did not say expose them and decimate their character. He did not say excommunicate them. He did not tell the Galatians to obliterate those individuals or their families. He did not say to remove them from leadership. He did not tell fellow Christians to “watch out for them because they’re really bad sinners.” Paul told the Galatians to HELP THOSE BELEIVERS WHO HAD BEEN AMBUSHED. Here is what he said in Galatians 6: 2-3: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. In genuine humility, we can and should help others who have been “ambushed by wrong.” Isn’t that what Jesus came to do? Didn’t He come to help all of us? He did! And so should we. People need people!

Author: Pastor Claude Thomas

The Fall of 2002 was a very scary time to the people living around the belt-way of Washington, D.C.. Panic and fear gripped the hearts of families. A madman was randomly killing people in public places around the beltway. Schools were closed. Soccer and football games were cancelled. Schedules were changed and interrupted. Families changed their ways of doing things because of the threats to their families. It was only when the men were caught that the people breathed a sigh of relief.We are shocked and in distress when our families are threatened by such random acts of destruction. We are not accustomed to them. But they do show how we view the family. The Bible gives a very dominate view and definitive value to the family. In one instance the high value of the family is emphasized by taking the highest of all relationships, that of Christ and His church, and comparing the family to it. That was done in Ephesians 5 and 6.     But that was only another assertion of the value God gave to the home. He did it in the very first book of the Bible, Genesis. The Bible records it in Genesis 2. God first created man. Then he saw it wasn’t good for man to be alone. So, what did God do? The Book of Genesis tells us.    And the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him.” 19 So the LORD God formed from the soil every kind of animal and bird. He brought them to Adam to see what he would call them, and Adam chose a name for each one. 20 He gave names to all the livestock, birds, and wild animals. But still there was no companion suitable for him. 21 So the LORD God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. He took one of Adam’s ribs and closed up the place from which he had taken it. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib and brought her to Adam.     23 “At last!” Adam exclaimed. “She is part of my own flesh and bone! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken out of a man.” 24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. (Genesis 2: 18-24 NLT)    From the beginning God valued the home. I am grateful for the Judeo-Christian influence on our American heritage here. We historically valued the family. It is part and parcel of who we are.And I am convinced what we have we are to share with others. In many parts of our land and our world, the family is not so cherished. So, let’s stand up for the family! And let’s ask the Lord to give us wisdom and power to do it in a way that will make a difference.

Author: Pastor Claude Thomas
Multiplication is a wonderful idea. I’m not sure exactly when it was invented, but what a great idea!
When I look at the Scriptures, I see that Jesus is the master of multiplication. The gospel writers reveal Jesus’ power of multiplication (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14). I want to set the scene. Jesus is busy healing people whom he loves and “has compassion towards.” After the day gets on and on, it begins to get dark. These words “When it was evening” (Matthew 14:15) tell us. Jesus has spent His whole day, literally “multiplying Himself” by healing the sick ones in “a great multitude” (Matthew 14: 14).
But as the day draws to a close, “great multitudes” are hungry. The disciples’ solution was to send the hungry people to the various villages around Galilee and get something to eat. The disciples don’t understand that the Master of Multiplication is with them. To let them in on the secret, Jesus, almost in an aside, says, “They don’t need to go away to eat something. You give them something to eat.”
The disciples, apparently unaware of Who is with them, look at Jesus like a cow at a new gate. “Jesus, this is a deserted place. We’re in the middle of nowhere. No resources. All they could find was five loaves of bread and two fishes brought by a little boy. Not nearly enough to feed 20,000 people.” It didn’t matter how much they had or didn’t have. It only mattered that they gave what they had to Him. Jesus, the master of Multiplication, could easily do the rest.
Jesus abruptly turns to them and says, “Bring me what you have. Bring them here to Me” (v. 18). He tells everyone to sit down (and they do!! Quite a feat for 20,000 people), He blesses the food, and breaks the bread, giving it to the disciples to distribute. Jesus shows the disciples that only a little is more than enough for Jesus to bless and use. It’s interesting that Jesus multiplies the very little that the disciples could find. When the little boy gave Jesus a little, He gives them back a lot, but a lot to feed others.
Have you ever wondered if you could make a difference in caring for the hungry of this world? There are so many of them! Can the little I can give make a difference? I believe it can… and will… if we give like a child and as unto the Lord! He will take our gift and multiply it many times over.
You and I can make a gift today and the Lord will multiply it many times over. For more information on how you can give, go to: www.feedthechildren.org.

Author: Pastor Claude Thomas
When you consider the many maladies people experience in life, you wonder if it is possible for them to experience a meaningful life. But according to the Bible, the environment does not determine our capacity to experience life in the truest sense.
Jesus said many wonderful things. One of them was, “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” We find these words in the book of John (John 10:10). Isn’t that exciting? That’s the kind of life that John was experiencing. It was real, fulfilling life. And real life is something that John was passionate about.

“Well, that’s fine for John, and it’s fine for people who get all the good breaks in life,” you might say. Or, “That’s fine to have that kind of life if that means that you’ll always have good things happen to you, or if you’re rich,” you might say. I want to challenge all of us with a powerful thought: abundant life has nothing to do with things “going our way,” getting rich, getting what we want, or living “the good life.” Do you know what abundant life, the kind of life that John speaks of, is all about? It’s all about a relationship with Jesus. You see, faith in Jesus allows us to live a life that is:
1. blessed,
2. peaceful amid storms of life,
3. confident and at peace even in crisis and tragedy,
4. full of experience,
5. hopeful and optimistic,
6. loving and caring,
7. confident about future, even through death.
This is the kind of life that John describes with that one little word, “life.” And those who have it can share it with others.
And those who know the blessings of material abundance in life can and should share those in need. One way all of us can do that is through Feed The Children, Inc. For more information contact Feed The Children at www.feedthechildren.org.

Posted By Pastor Claude Thomas

A political analyst asked a man what he thought the problem was with the government. The man replied, “I don’t know and I don’t care.” The analyst said, “You got it!”

Well, ignorance and apathy about government seems to be a problem in our nation.

In the 2000 presidential election there were 205,814,000 eligible voters. 105,396,475 voted. Or about 51.2 percent voted. (Source: Committee for the Study of the American Electorate. 2000 figures from Census Bureau and FEC.)

Some said they didn’t bother to vote because they didn’t think their vote would make a difference. That was until the count began to be registered and the count in Florida would make the difference in the election of a president.

Well, we want to challenge ourselves to move beyond apathy and ignorance to become informed and active citizens. I want to speak to the value of the government and good citizenship. Let’s see what the bible has to say about “Our National Capitol, Our State Capitol, Our City Hall, and Me.”

Paul addressed those matters in the epistle he wrote to the Romans in chapter 13.

1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

We want to become active and informed citizens. As followers of Jesus, we will be motivated to become informed and active citizens when we believe…

Author: Pastor Claude Thomas

God has a plan/purpose for humans prior to their birth. “And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me. When as yet there were none of them” (Psalm 139:16).     David declared God knew him and planned his days both before and during his term in his mother’s womb.

David wasn’t the only writer of the Old Testament to make such a declaration. Jeremiah was a prophet in the 6th century BC. He was given to prophecy to the people of Judah.

Here is what God said to him, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

Here is the point. God has a purpose for each person! You and I do not live as accidents. We live as a result of the purpose of God.

For many years Ethel Waters, singer and actress, sang for the Billy Graham Crusades. She was precious and loved by all.

Her experience is a wonderful testimony to the miracle of life and how God has a purpose for each one of us. She was conceived when a young man raped a teenage girl named Louise Anderson. This young and frightened girl was unable to tell anyone what happened to her. When her pregnancy became obvious, her church excluded her.

She went to her aunt’s home. The woman next door heard this young girl cry out in pain and came to deliver the bright and alert baby girl named Ethel. The mother resented Ethel so much that the grandmother raised Ethel. She was moved around from one broken down shanty to another in the slums and red-light district of Philadelphia. Ethel never knew what it was like to have a secure or stable home life. Sometimes she would have to sleep on the steps. Ethel learned to survive by stealing. The prostitutes taught her how to “swipe milk from the stoops of other people.”

Ethel was never cuddled or experienced the display of affection from her mother. She never had a lap to sit on or a shoulder to cry on. She was totally rejected.

But by God’s grace Ethel came to know God through Jesus Christ. And she came to see herself through His eyes. Through His grace she discovered her uniqueness and worth in Jesus Christ. She would say, “GOD DON’T SPONSOR NO FLOPS!!!”

That is why she could sing…

“Why should I feel discouraged?

Why should the shadows come?

Why should my heart be lonely

And long for heaven and home?

When Jesus is my portion

My constant Friend is He

His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He watches me
I sing because I’m happy

I sing because I’m free

For His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He watches me!!”

Life is a miracle from God with a purpose given by God! Let’s live it!

Author: Pastor Claude Thomas
Life is a miracle from God! The Psalmist declares it in Psalm 139. He wrote,
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
Since life is a miracle from God, we are to cherish it. Psalm 139 is a psalm about God’s knowledge, presence, and power. When David wanted to illustrate the omnipotent power of God, he did something very surprising. He did not talk about creation…although he could have. He did not refer to the stars or the sun or the moon or the galaxies or even the universe. He could have used either of them. He was familiar with both because as a shepherd he spent time outside living in God’s creation and looking at God’s heavens. But he didn’t use either of them to illustrate the power of God. Rather, he used the human body.
In verses 13-14 David showed God’s power in the formation of life.
Here is what David said, “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.”(v. 13) The word translated “covered” is the Hebrew word “sha-nak” and means “knit together, or to bring together in an orderly fashion.”
He went on to say, “My frame was not hidden from You.” The word translated “frame” literally means “bones.” The picture gets clearer. He said what was made was “skillfully wrought.” (v. 15) That phrase described the work of a weaver forming a beautiful tapestry with precise workmanship.
He went on to say, “Your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed.” The word “substance” referred to an unshaped mass and the fetal position of an embryo.
When David looked in the mirror, he didn’t attribute his existence to Mother Nature or the chance of a random explosion that resulted with pieces falling into place to form the human body. He saw the miracle of life. And that miracle was from God!
Saint Augustine once said, “People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering. 1.
Take a good look at yourself and know you are a miracle from God!!! More wondrous than the stars that twinkle, the sun that shines, the moon that glows, the tree that grows, the lightning that strikes, the thunder that roars, the snow that falls, or the ice that freezes is what you see in the mirror. You are a miracle of life that came from God. Therefore, let us cherish life, preserve life, and celebrate life!

1. Cited by Zig Ziglar, Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World, p. 150.

Author: Pastor Claude Thomas
All of us who have experienced the grace and salvation of God have reason to be grateful. Now, the question becomes this: how do we express gratitude to Jesus for all He has done for us?
Well, we can learn from individuals in Scripture. One of them was a leper whom Jesus healed. What did he do? He returned to Jesus and expressed gratitude through worship. The record says he “glorified God with a loud voice.” (Luke 17:15)
His worship wasn’t restrained. He fell facedown before Christ and offered thanks for this powerful, life-changing healing. There are two obvious dimensions in the leper’s worship:
1)Unrestrained praise [“glorifying God with a loud voice” (Lu 17:15)]
2)Humble gratitude (fell facedown at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks [Lu 17:16])
Jesus was pleased by the leper’s worship and gratitude.
God desires we express our thanksgiving through worship. In Leviticus 7:12ff God gave Israel guidelines for expressing gratitude as a way to worship. Lev 7:11-13: ‘This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which he shall offer to the LORD: 12 If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer, with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil. 13 Besides the cakes, as his offering he shall offer leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offering.
What did that mean? At its simplest meaning it is this: they thanked God for His provision in their lives through worship.
The people of God worshipped as an expression of gratitude.
Consider the “Call to Worship” found in Psalm 95:1-7.
1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
3 For the LORD is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
7 For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand.
We show our gratitude to Jesus by worshipping Him!!! But how doe we practically do this?
First, remind yourselves of the reasons to be thankful. Take a few moments and run through your heart and mind to consider the goodness and greatness of God.
Second, as an act of worship say a prayer of gratitude to God.
Third, sing. Yes, sing with gratitude in your heart!
Fourth, open the Bible and experience the Lord at the point of His word with gratitude for what it means to us!
These simple reminders will cause us to worship as an act of gratitude to Jesus!

Author:Pastor Claude Thomas

Easter, brings with it a number of customs and traditions. From the Easter Bunny to Easter egg hunts, we know about the traditions associated with Easter.
You know, we celebrate Jesus every Easter. We remember the crucifixion of Jesus on “Passion Friday.” And that was highlighted in tremendous fashion a couple of years ago with Mel Gibson’s film, “The Passion of the Christ.” And in that film, as we know, Jesus’ death by crucifixion is the centerpiece of the work. It captured the intrigue of people across this nation and other places of the world. So, at Easter we remember Jesus’ crucifixion.
But Jesus wasn’t the only one that died that day. He was one of three who died that day. Why hasn’t a movie been made about those other two?
More than that, we often forget that the Romans didn’t just crucify three people. History tells us that thousands of people were crucified under Roman rule. Why don’t we remember any of those people?
What makes the death of Jesus so special?
Let Paul, the great interpreter of Jesus, tell us in single statement recorded Romans 4:25. He said Jesus: “…was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”
What sets Jesus’ death apart? His death affects you like no one else. There is no doubt that Jesus died. Roman crucifixions were for all to see.
Matthew recorded that two women went to the tomb where the body of Jesus had been put. And in chapter 28, verse 5, the angel told them he knew they were seeking Jesus who was crucified.
Perhaps you have seen the portrayal of His death in Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.” It was an accurate portrayal of what happened to Jesus.
So, the question isn’t whether He died. The real question is “Why did He die?” Time magazine’s front page asked that question. (Time, 4/12/04) People want to know!
Shortly before Easter in 2004 Peter Jennings did a special on the life of Jesus and the life of Paul. Paul was the great interpreter of Jesus’ death. And in Romans 3 he tells us why Jesus died. Jesus died…
To show God’s justice to us… Romans 3: 25For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times. 26And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus. NLT
Why did God “put Jesus forth to die…?” To pay for our sin and show He was just. Someone had to pay the price for sin. Either the one who sinned… or God had to do it another way.
When I was a child I “painted” my grandfather’s car with some house paint I found in the garage. I did something wrong that made it hard on him. There wasn’t one thing I could do to “fix” it. So, my grandfather “fixed” it himself. He paid for it to be repaired.
Our sin is an offense to God. And a just God must deal with our sin. But we could not and cannot fix it. So, to show God was just, He wrapped Himself in human flesh. He paid the penalty for our sin. And He showed God is just.
He died to show God’s justice and to show God’s love for us.
The moment your children come into the world, you love them. Period. He or she has done nothing to earn your love, but you love them anyway—simply because they’re yours. And you continue loving them, no matter what. This is unconditional love, and virtually all parents have it.
I have never met a father who has said, “I don’t love my children.” Of course, all fathers love their children. But here’s where too many of us fathers drop the ball: we don’t express it. We don’t say it and we don’t show it. Or we show our love only at certain times, in reward for certain types of behavior. As a result, our kids get the idea that our love for them is conditional.
God didn’t drop the ball! There is no question of His love for us when we see what He has done on the cross. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The word “demonstrates” could be translated “stands up.”
When Jesus was lifted up on that cross, God lifted up His love for man for all to see.
What do you see when you look at the cross? Some see a fairy tale of the cruelest proportions. Others see the atrocity of evil mankind killing a misguided, young Galilean.
But I see the love of God when I look at the cross.
Why did Jesus die? To show God is just and loving. But there is more. He died to save us from our sin. What Jesus did through His death to save us from our sin is so comprehensive that it took three metaphors to describe it.
First, there is a metaphor coming from the court of law. In verse 24 of Romans 3, Paul described a person as being “justified.” The term was used to designate a man not guilty of something.
Second, Paul used the metaphor of slavery to describe what Jesus did. The term “redemption” referred to purchasing a slave out of bondage to set him free. Paul used it to describe what God does in setting a sinner free from the control of sin.
Third, Paul used the metaphor of the “mercy seat.” This was a place in the Temple where the High Priest sprinkled the blood of a sacrifice and the sin of the nation was mercifully blotted out. So, Paul said the cross was the place and the blood of Jesus was the sacrifice so the sin of the nation, of families, and of individuals could be taken away!
So, Paul declares Jesus paid a price so God could: 1) designate us right in His sight, 2) set us free from the bondage of sin, and 3) take away the guilt of our sin!
The issue is not whether the Jewish leaders were responsible for the death of Jesus or whether the Roman officials and soldiers were responsible. The issue is settled. The blame game doesn’t work here.
Jesus died for all of us… hanging on that cross He saw you… and you… and you…and me. He died for us!

Author: Pastor Claude Thomas
There is something about being ungrateful for the good things of life. Shakespeare described ingratitude as a “marble-hearted fiend.” That is, he said that an ingrate had the heart of solid marble.
Again, Shakespeare said, “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child.”
From an experience of Jesus we learn about gratitude and ingratitude. It happened with a group of lepers. Lepers were among the saddest during the time of Jesus… physically, they lived in pain, socially they lived isolated from other people in leper colonies or groups, and religiously they were banned from the religious activities. They were among the most hopeless and helpless of people during the days of Jesus.
One day Jesus met 10 of them along the road. He gave to those ten lepers what no one else could. He gave them a new life!
How did they respond? You would think that all of them were so excited and grateful that they had to let Jesus know it. But they didn’t. Only one out of ten returned to express gratitude to Jesus. Now Jesus was disappointed the nine didn’t feel the need to express their gratitude (Luke 17:17-18). But the one grateful leper brought joy to the heart of Jesus and joy to his own heart.
Here is something to remember: a thankful heart will be a joyous heart!!
But we have the inclination to be like the nine who didn’t even return to say thanks. We, too, can fail to express our gratitude to God. Why?
1) We can tend to get over what Jesus has done for us and take Him for granted!! We do that with others and sometimes we may do it with God.
2) Perhaps we tend to think about what we don’t have rather than reflect on what Jesus has done and is doing and promises to do for us. A few years ago a survey was done in Orange County California…one of the most affluent counties in our nation. The question was… “What do you need most in your life?” The number one response was, “More money!” Rather than enjoying what they had, they were looking for more!
We can do that with the Lord! We focus on what we don’t have rather than being thankful for what we do have.
3) Perhaps we get too focused on other arenas of life and the brightness of His blessings is dimmed.
4) Perhaps…and the list goes on.
There are many possible explanations for being ungrateful but for the believer there isn’t one reason. I don’t want to be an ungrateful person. Do you? Of course not! It is sin to be ungrateful. As a matter of fact, there may be no greater sin on the face of the earth than the sin of ingratitude.
I know of nothing that stings the heart of a parent like an ungrateful child. And it stings the heart of God for us to be ungrateful!
I want to identify with the one leper who was grateful. It is big to express a heart of gratitude to God!