Tag: Sunday rest and reflection
Sunday Rest and Reflection:Pentecost Power!
Dearly beloved friends,
Greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ! Another week is beginning and God’s people gather in buildings, homes, and small groups to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord! We are so blessed to know Him and love Him! From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, Jesus is being praised around the earth in every country and culture.
However, many still do not know Him. Over half the earth’s 6.3 billion people still have not heard of Jesus Christ. Many are lost in false religions and are entering eternity under God’s wrath. His Church is charged with going and telling every one! To do this Jesus sent the church the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person who lives in each one who is saved and has repented of sin. He wants to fill us with “living water” and power to share that “living water” with the lost of the world.
Many Pentecostals seem caught up with emotional experience of God and speaking in tongues and even the gifts of the Spirit. They go from meeting to meeting craving more of God’s presence and desiring to see miracles. This is all well and good, but misses the mark! God gave the Holy Spirit to equip us to be His witnesses to the lost world. He sent us to go. He promises us that the signs and miracles will follow us as we are out doing the work of ministry and reaching the lost! We must leave the meeting empowered by the presence of the Holy Spirit to reach our lost friends and family.
Listening to God’s directing voice helps us know when to talk and when to be quiet and pray. We must pray in the power of the Holy Spirit for then we pray according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-28) We build ourselves up in our faith as we pray in the Spirit. (Jude 20) No one can come to Christ unless drawn by the Father so we desperately need the Spirit for evangelism. (John 8:44, 16:8-11) The Holy Spirit give us direction and boldness to speak and act in the face of persecution. God has empowered His Church!
As you attend church this Lord’s day, pray that the place where you meet will be shaken by the power of the Holy Spirit! Ask the Lord to fill you again with the Holy Spirit! Go into the week to fulfill God’s command to reach the lost! Have a great week in Jesus!
In His Love, Pastor John
Sunday Rest and Reflection: Lifting Up Jesus!
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus Christ! Welcome to another day of rest in His finished work of redemption! It is at the cross that we find our rest with God and can enter into relationship with Him. The cross of Christ draws our attention and draws us Him.
As I reflect back on this week’s reading in the Gospels of Luke and John, I am drawn today to chapter three of John. Jesus had an encounter with a prominent teacher of the Jews, Nicodemus. He came to Jesus by night to ask Him some questions. Nicodemus recognized that Jesus was a teacher sent from God and noted the miracles that He had done. Jesus told Nicodemus that no one could see the kingdom of God unless they were born again! (John 3:3) Nicodemus had trouble grasping how this might take place. He was thinking about natural birth and growth when Jesus told him about the Spirit bringing the second birth. Nicodemus asked him how this could take place and Jesus answered him with one of the most famous verses in the Bible.
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:14-16
Jesus used an incident in the life of Moses where the people were dying from a plague of poisonous snakes. Moses had prayed to the Lord and God showed him what to do. He was to make a bronze serpent and put it on a pole and lift it up in the center of the camp. Any Israelite who was bitten could look at the bronze serpent in faith, believing that God would heal him and receive that healing. (Numbers 21:1-8) Jesus presented Himself as the one who would be lifted up between heaven and earth. All who looked at Him and believed, would be saved from the universal bite of the ancient serpent, Satan.
God’s great love for us motivated Him to send His Son to be lifted up for us! Jesus, who knew no sin, was made sin for us that we might be saved. All who would believe on Him would be born again by the Holy Spirit. They would receive the gift of God’s heavenly Breath or Wind! Eternal life is the realm of God Himself! What amazing truth comes as we contemplate the lifting up of the Son of Man!
Now God has lifted Him to the highest place! He is risen from the dead and ascended into heaven! He is praying and interceding for us today! We who believe are seated with Him and will see Him soon! Hallelujah!
In His Love, Pastor John
Sunday Rest and Reflection: The Crucified King!
Dear friends and followers of Jesus Christ,
Greetings on this the Lord’s day! It is another beautiful day to gather with God’s people and worship! Jesus is risen! He is the King of all Kings and Lord of all Lords! He is the ‘first fruits’ from the grave, having conquered death and hell! That great swallower of mankind choked on the King of Life and had to let Him go!
As I reflect back on the readings of this last week, I am again drawn to Mark’s account of the crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus had lived, taught, and performed many outstanding miracles among His own people. When He was arrested in the night by the temple police and brought before the Sanhedrin, the High Priest, Caiaphas, asked Jesus if He was the Christ. Jesus simply said, “I am”. (Mark 14:62a) Before Pilate, Jesus was asked if He was the king of the Jews and He replied, “Yes, it is as you say.” (Mark 15:2) Pilate asked the crowd, what shall I do with the “king of the Jews?” “Crucify Him!” was their reply! (Mark 15:12-13) The sign over his cross read: “The King of the Jews”. (Mark 15:25) The crowd taunted Him on the cross asking this “King of Israel” to demonstrate his power by coming down off the cross. (Mark 15:32)
I can’t seem to get this idea of the King being crucified by His own people out of my mind. How could someone who did only good and demonstrated only love to His people be rejected and treated in such a shameful way? What kind of love is this on the part of this King, that He would be willingly crucified for those who would treat Him so shamefully? How can He now show this love to me when I have also treated Him shamefully? What would I be doing now if He had come down from that cross?
But He stayed on that cross! He died a sacrificial death, demonstrating for all ages the heart of the God we are called to love and serve. He rose from the dead and conquered the grave, death and hell! He now calls each of His disciples to take up their cross and follow Him! We go to our death each day to live in His fullness! We are also victors over death and hell through Him who loved us! What a miracle of love! Help me to understand it better, Lord! Help me to live it out by faith!
In His Love, Pastor John
Sunday Rest and Reflection: “He Is Risen!”
Dear Friends of Jesus,
Greetings again in His Wonderful Name! Jesus Christ is alive! He is risen from the dead! What a glorious theme from the Gospels. That is the best of the good news for all who believe in Jesus. Our Savior is not dead, but is living now and alive forever more.
Matthew record this event in the last chapter of his Gospel. At dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. While they were there, a violent earthquake shook the garden where the tomb was. The guards sent by Pilate to guard the body and secure the tomb shook and fell to the ground as dead men! A shining angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled away the stone to reveal an empty tomb.
“The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples, “He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.” Matthew 28:5-7
Jesus was seen and handled by all the disciples on various occasions over 40 days. He was seen by over 500 people at one time. (1st Corinthians 15:6-8) His resurrection so moved the disciples that they were willing to die, rather than deny Him! His resurrection is celebrated each Sunday by Christians who know and love Him and gather to remember, learn, and prepare for His coming again!
Have a great day of worship, prayer, and preparation with God’s family, the Church! He is risen! He is risen indeed!
In His Love, Pastor John
Sunday Rest and Reflection: Children!
Dear Friends,
Greetings on a beautiful day of resurrection rest! Fall is here and seasons are changing with leaves turning color and crops being harvested. Apples are for sale at the orchard and pumpkins are everywhere! We have had a bountiful year here for those growing crops and are again blessed as a nation to have an abundant food supply.
As I reflect back over this last week, there is so much that I could write on from Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus was truly the “Christ, son of the living God”! He demonstrated that again and again to his followers so they could believe and share their faith with others and ultimately reach the world. However, growing to be a mature disciple and follower of the Lord takes time and sometimes correction. I want to comment on a short passage found in Matthew 19:13-15.
“Then, children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hand on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” “When He had placed His hands on them, He went on from there.””
Children are so important in our lives and in the kingdom of heaven. When children are younger, they are more open and teachable and need to meet Jesus. It is the parents’ duty to bring their children to Jesus, to pray for them regularly, and lay hands on them. We must not do anything to hinder them. It seems that the disciples thought that Jesus did not want to be bothered by parents and small children. They rebuked them and tried to send them away. They dismissed these small children as insignificant and felt that one so special as Jesus would want to be left alone.
We need to be sure that we do not make the same kind of mistake! Many in the church seem to view children as a distraction. They don’t want to help with children and work to train them. Children and nursery workers are very hard to recruit and volunteers are hard to come by. Older people seem to feel that they have done their duty or put in their time. Younger parents say that they need a break. Many say that children aren’t their calling and they have no patience with them. We seem to suffer from the same mentality as these early disciples and stand to be rebuked by our master as well!
Jesus set a wonderful example for us all! He took time for children. He touched children and prayed for them. He took them into His arms and blessed them. He did not make excuses of having no calling, or being too busy, or having more important things to do. Children are a heritage from the Lord, a reward from Him! (Psalm 127:3-5) They will carry on Christ’s work, should Jesus tarry. Let’s be sure we are not hindering them and that we are praying for them, teaching and blessing them.
In His Love, Pastor John
Sunday Rest and Reflection: Jerusalem!
Dear Friends,
Greetings on this day of rest! The beauty of the Christian faith is the rest we have because of God’s grace through the finished work of Jesus Christ! We have been adopted into God’s family and made heirs and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. We have been declared righteous and have been justified in God’s sight. We can only rest in what Jesus Christ has provided and need not add another thing. In fact, we must be faithful to enter that rest by faith or we will miss out entirely!
As I reflected on the readings this week, I immediately thought of Zechariah’s final discourse on Jerusalem and the importance of this city in the plans and purposes of God. Jerusalem was known as the city of David, the beloved king of Israel, who took the city from the Jebusites. It was there that David made plans to build a house for God and purchased the threshing floor of Araunah for a place of sacrifice. (1st Chronicles 21:18-30) Solomon, David’s son, actually built the temple and Israel enjoyed a time of peace for 40 years during his tenure. (2nd Chronicles 7:1-3) As he dedicated the temple, the glory of the Lord filled the house so that the priests could not enter!
Several hundred years later, God’s people had slipped into idolatry and a shallow religion that brought about their captivity. The beautiful temple of Solomon was destroyed by the Babylonian invaders and God’s people went into captivity. After 7o years, Daniel the prophet read the prophecy of Jeremiah and saw that the time was nearly over and began to pray and fast. (Jeremiah 25:11-12) Jerusalem would be rebuilt and the temple again would stand. Nehemiah and Zerubbabel led the rebuilding efforts and the work went forward. God moved miraculously on the heart of King Cyrus and he supplied the authority and finances.
Prophets Haggai and Zechariah both urged the workers to rebuild the city and temple. God had plans for a greater purpose and glory yet to come! (Haggai 2:9) ( Zechariah 8:1-3) According to Zechariah, Jerusalem would be pivotal for God’s end-time program of judging the nations. (Zechariah 12:1-3) The nations will gather around Jerusalem to seek to destroy it in a final battle. In fact, Jesus Christ is coming back to Jerusalem and will again place His feet on the Mt. of Olives, causing it to split and form a way of escape for God’s people. (Zechariah 14:4-5) Following this great battle, the Lord will be king over all the earth and rule from Jerusalem! (Zechariah 14:9)
Jerusalem is the joy of the whole earth because it is the city of the Great King! Psalm 48 was composed by the sons of Korah to extol the virtues of Jerusalem and God’s presence and protection of His people forever! We surely should pray for the peace of Jerusalem! It is the home of our Great King!
“Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, His holy mountain. It is beautiful in loftiness, the joy of the whole earth!” Psalm 48:1-2
Sunday Rest and Reflection: “Priorities”
September 27th, 2009
Dear friends,
Greetings on this another day of rest and reflection concerning all God has done. Last Sunday night was marked by a deluge of rain that brought some trouble to our church building. We were replacing the roof and doing needed repairs, when about 5 inches of rain fell in a short time. We had felt roofing material on the roof, but it did not protect it from the heavy rain and we ended up with water inside the building. Many came to help with the clean-up. I am thankful that our church family pulls together in times of difficulty and redirects their priorities to help with our church building.
As I reflect on what God is saying through this time, I feel that He is gently reminding us of our priorities. Haggai, the last minor prophet we looked at this week, delivered a message from God about priorities. (Haggai 1:7-8) People are God’s priority, and He wants us to seek the lost. (Luke 19:10) Building His temple brings Him honor and He delights in each new ‘living stone’ that is added. We must be careful to assess our own lives and even our own church priorities. Are we spending more time on ourselves than on God’s priorities? Does it seem like we have a purse with holes in it? Are our crops ‘short’ because God is wanting to get our attention? Could it be that He is hindering our efforts because our priorities are misplaced?
God’s people listened and obeyed Haggai. (Haggai 1:12) The people feared the Lord and heeded the word from Him. God then stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the governor, and he and the people of God began to work again on the house of the Lord! God declared that He would be with them and would bless them as they again worked. This looks like the standard ‘formula’ for revival in action!
“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land or send a plague among My people, if My people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2nd Chronicles 7:13-14
As God’s people, let’s be about the Lord’s business. Let’s seek to humble ourselves and pray and seek His face. He promises forgiveness and blessing! Have a great week of right priorities! Jesus is coming soon! The Glory of this temple will be greater than the former!
In His Love, Pastor John
Sunday Rest and Reflection: Loving the Lost!
Dear Friends,
Greetings on another 7th day of rest and reflection. God’s love for us and for all of mankind is almost too much for us to fathom. We think we love others, but it is so easy to fall into attitudes of secretly desiring that those who hate us or oppose us would fall under God’s wrath. We can glibly say we love all people, but upon close examination of our hearts, attitudes, and words, our love is not what it should be.
As I look back on this week, the book of Jonah, covered in one day, has even more lessons for us to ponder. Jonah was given a mission by God to go to Nineveh and preach to a people who were lost and in danger of God’s wrath. Jonah did not want to go. Behind Jonah’s reluctance was a lack of love and some prejudice. He did not like the Ninevites and wanted to see them fall under God’s wrath. (Jonah 4:1-3) He thought that they were bad enough that they deserved everything that God could give them, and more!
When he did obey the Lord, he became upset that the Ninevites responded to his preaching and repented! He knew God’s heart of mercy and understood that if they truly repented, God would not follow through with the promised judgment! He sulked and wanted to die. He was angry with God for showing mercy to this people! God, however, was still merciful to Jonah. He used a quick-growing plant to illustrate to Jonah his care for him and to help Jonah understand the importance of those in Nineveh who needed His mercy. (Jonah 4:10-11)
As we think about this ancient story of a prophet of the Lord who had prejudice in his heart, we can’t help but examine our own hearts. Are we reluctant to go to those we know who are different than us? Would you go and share Christ’s love and message with a neighbor who was in the homosexual lifestyle? Would you be willing to go to neighbors who were from another culture and show Christ’s love? What about showing Christ’s love to Muslims who moved near you? Would you be open if the Holy Spirit asked you to go to someone whose body was full of piercings and tattoos? These questions are not meant in any way to be judgmental of those who are different from us or to put condemnation on us. They are meant to help us examine our heart attitudes for real love and true commitment to Christ’s mandate to reach all people with the Good News!
May this day of rest and reflection fill you with a new love for those in the world. Ask the Lord for opportunities to show love to those you may be reluctant to share with. May He bless your week! In His Love, Pastor John
Sunday rest and reflection: Spirit outpouring!
Dear Friends,
Another day of rest begins to remind us of the finished work of our Savior, Jesus Christ! We can truly rest from any effort on our part to try and save ourselves. We can put away religion, sacrifices, penance, and extravagant offerings as possible ways of paying God back or purchasing freedom. The debt of sin is canceled! Simply asking Him in faith for mercy has brought the remedy as a gift! (Romans 6:23) Putting our trust in Jesus Christ is sufficient and it is finished! (Romans 10:9-10) What a blessing!
As I reflect back on this week’s reading, the book of Joel comes easily to mind. We had only one day to read this and reflect on it and it is so rich in revelation and truth. God’s desire has been to bless His people and make them a blessing to the entire world. He would do this by living in their midst and placing a covering of His glory over them. He would provide for them and be their source of real food and living water. He would clothe them in the finest of garments and they would reside in the land of milk and honey. He would drive out all of their enemies and His presence would mark them as a chosen people, blessed beyond measure.
However, sin had so devastated mankind and even God’s people, that they lived far below their God-given potential. His people lost His glory in their midst and fell into idolatry and under the curse brought on by their sins. In Joel’s day it was a locust plague! This plague was uses as a type of the coming ‘day of the Lord’. The remedy for this plague was found in rending of hearts, not clothes. Broken hearts make good vessels for God to pour His Spirit into! The Holy Spirit heals and binds up wounds. He brings the Word of God to our inner man and faith arises to live in victory! Signs and wonders begin to follow the preaching and living of God’s Word for He honors faith and obedience. Prophesy flows from the presence of the Holy Spirit. We see the plans and purposes of God and are able to take faith-actions that save us and those around us.
We desparately need an outpouring of God’s Spirit on our church and land! Consider this book of Joel and let the Spirit prompt you to take the proper actions. Ask for an outpouring into hearts prepared by brokenness! God is faithful! In His Love, Pastor John
Sunday rest and reflection: prayer!
Dear friends,
Greetings again this first day of a new week! Hopefully, you are spending it gathering with God’s people to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the first day of the week. He began a new day, called ‘today’, a day of salvation and good news for all mankind! He is alive and we have the hope of eternal life in Him alone! There is no other name given under heaven among men by which we must be saved! (Acts 4:12)
As I reflect back on this week’s readings, I am quickly brought back to the prophet Daniel. His life of dedication and prayer lived out in the country of Babylon in the midst of pagan culture is amazing! His world was radically changed with the captivity and move to a strange culture. He kept his spiritual bearings by praying three times a day. This habit got him into trouble later in his life. He was probably nearly 90 years old when this habit caused him to be thrown into the lion’s den during the reign of the Persian king Darius. His faithfulness to pray stopped the mouths of hungry lions. (Daniel 6:19-22) He got to share with this king about His God and brought Him honor! (Daniel 6:26-27)
Another time, Daniel was reading the Book of Jeremiah where he saw that the captivity would last 70 years and realized that it was almost over. He began to seek the Lord by fasting and prayer, confessing again the sins of the nation that took them into captivity. (Daniel 9:4-19) This beautiful prayer of repentance brought a swift answer from God by means of Gabriel, the Archangel! The amazing answer was the word concerning the “Seventy ‘seven’s” which tells the number of years until the Messiah would come. Prayer is an awesome privilege and God loves to share with His servants.
God’s House is to be a “house of prayer” for all nations! (Mark 11:17) We gather to worship and to pray for His kingdom and will to be done. There is power when God’s people gather together and agree together. Don’t miss out on gathering today and take time to pray! Read the Word of God and pray for it’s completion in you and your family! God hears and will answer! What a privilege we have!
Have a great week in Jesus! In His Love, Pastor John