Pastor Roger Jackson urges men at FSUMC to delight more in ‘God’s presence’

As the men at Fenimore Street United Methodist Church (FSUMC) in Brooklyn celebrated “A New Beginning” two Sundays ago, the church’s pastor, the Rev. Roger Jackson, urged them to delight more in “God’s presence.”

“Brothers, men of God, the more we delight in God’s presence, the more fruitful we will find ourselves becoming – men of God, who are more the conquerors in Christ Jesus; men of God, who have been transformed by the renewing of your mind; men of God, who can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens you; men of God, who are empowered by the Holy Spirit to work together for the glory of God,” preached Rev. Jackson in his sermon, during “Men’s Day” Worship Service on Sunday, based on Psalms 1-3, 6a.

“Prior to this day, this moment in the timing of God, the men as a group have been in a holding pattern,” he added. “The men, whether they recognized it or not, were waiting for the approved flight plan, not from the control tower before making their way to the runway in the airport, but they were waiting for the approved flight plan of God before taking off in what they have now declared to be a new beginning.”

Rev. Jackson said the men of Fenimore Street United Methodist Church, at the corner of Rogers Avenue, have declared, via their theme, “A New Beginning,” that they are “re-focusing, re-tooling and on the move in a different way than in the past, and it just so happens that the Psalmist provides us with a blueprint for success.”

He said the “blueprint” has nothing to do with changes in leadership and/or assigned responsibilities but that “the blueprint for success has everything to do with the way in which God’s designed plan for success becomes our reality in the here and now.

Pastor the Rev. Roger Jackson, second from left, front row, with 9-year-old Nicolas Charles, who offered the opening prayer, and the Men’s Committee at Fenimore Street United Methodist Church. Photo by Nelson A. King

“Each man has to decide for himself that he wants to re-focus, re-tool, and move differently for the past, in some way, shape or form, and then use God’s blueprint for success to achieve this newly-declared beginning as a group,” said Rev. Jackson, noting that the first three verses in Psalm 1 “speak of the way in which we are blessed as a result of our faithful response to God’s revealed directive for life.

“Because we are already in a right relationship with God, God measures our faith by our response to His revealed will for our life,” he added. “We are blessed with unspeakable joy when we follow the blueprint for success that is laid out in the Word of God for our lives.

“Brothers, new beginnings are visible in the lives of men who have their priorities in order,” he added. “And at the top of their listed priorities is being in and staying connected to God, whose wisdom is accessible through His Word.

“We can be just as assured in being and doing things differently as the prophet Jeremiah was after God told him, ‘I know the thoughts that I have for, plans to prosper you and not harm you plans to give you hope and a future,’” continued Rev. Jackson, stating, however, that there are also some “distinctive behaviors and decisions that men who have decided to begin anew make as it relates to – not only the way in which they remain in the presence of the Lord, but also with who and how we interact with others.”

He noted that the psalmist says that the first distinguishing behavior made by men beginning anew is that they are blessed “because they do not walk in the council of the wicked.

“Put plainly, if my blessings come from being connected to God in a personal way, and the word of God is designed to be a lamp unto my feet and a light on my pathway, and I have living within me the Holy Spirit, whose job is to comfort, teach and guide me in all things pertaining to God, how in the world can I be blessed by God while taking the advice of those who are not serving the one and only true and living God?” he asked.

Barbadian-born Orson Harris, co-chair of the Finance Committee at Fenimore Street United Methodist Church, accepts financial contribution, on behalf of the church, from Men’s Committee Treasurer Barbadian-born Norman Edwards, left, and President, Vincentian-born Shaphat Jack. Photo by Nelson A. King

“It’s not that we can’t have yet-to-be-saved friends and associates, but we must guard against allowing their ungodly ways to become ours and then start justifying the change that has taken place within us as being the real me,” he added. “And what eventually happens is that the natural progression will take place and, before you know it, you will begin saying the same disparaging things about those who are properly connected to God, along with those who are ridiculing our faith and trust in God.”

However, Pastor Jackson said the good news for men who remain faithfully connected to God in healthy ways is that “every one of our needs will be met.”
He said the psalmist points out the Godly written prescription “that keeps us in the will of God, even while we interact with friends and associates who are among the yet to be saved.”

According to Pastor Jackson, the psalmist says, “to delight ourselves in the law of the Lord, and, on his law, meditate day and night.”
In other words, he said Godly men seek guidance from the Word – both for decisions in life and for ministry initiatives within the household of God – “and and not from anyone or anywhere else.”

Rev. Jackson also noted that the psalmist says, “By living within the ordinances of God, we are like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.”
“I love that this Psalm is communicating a present reality and not a future hope for those who live according to God’s law,” the pastor said. “He says that we are like a strongly rooted productive tree, and not that we are going to become like such a tree.

“Put plainly, as we consume the Word, which is the law and the wisdom of God, our nature and the nature of our productivity change, and God’s goodwill becomes a present reality for us,” he added.
Rev. Jackson said that prosperity has “absolutely nothing to do with the receiving of materialistic stuff or money, but the strengthening of our faith because we are living with a sin nature.

“As a result of the disobedience of Adam, our Spirit man needs to be constantly nourished in order for it to remain healthy and productive,” he said. “So, as the tree is constantly being nourished by streams of water, so that it bears fruit in its season and so that its leaves are not malnourish as a result of insufficient water, the law, which is the wisdom of God, nourishes and sustains us, as we meditate on it both day and night.

“The word of God, which is the law and wisdom of God, will re-train you for this new beginning that you desire to have,” Pastor Jackson told the men.
The service was punctuated with unique selections from the Men’s Choral and Bro. Edward Hyde, a member of FSUMC’s Men’s group.