Get the Word Out!

Happy Sunday!

At the 7:30 am service today, Bishop Alexis A. Thomas preached from St. John 12:9-13.  These scriptures record the events that took place after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Verse 9 says, "Word got out among the Jews that he was back in town. The people came to take a look, not only at Jesus but also at Lazarus, who had been raised from the dead." (Message)  The religious leaders then plotted to kill Lazarus because they were so threatened by the multitudes that believed in Jesus because of this real life example.  

In the same way, our enemy wants to silence our testimony.  He wants to keep us quiet. He knows full well that when word gets out about the miraculous things God is doing and has done in your life, people will glorify God!  We are living testimonies! We are examples, illustrations, and exhibits of the power of God.  The Bible says that even the earth testifies about God.  Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows and proclaims His handiwork." (Amplified)

Years ago, a sales representative said, "You have something the world can't live without!"  Of course, she was speaking of the product that she was selling. God basically says the same thing.  The world is waiting for us to reveal who God really is!  2 Corinthians 1:3-5 says, "All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.' (Message)  

Let's determine that this week we will tell someone about the wonderful things God has done!

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Promises

Happy Sunday!

Bishop Charles Dickerson from Pearlie Grove Baptist Church in Fresno, California was our guest speaker today.  At the 7:30 am service he preached, "The Promises of Jesus". He used John 16:33 as his reference scripture.

It's sad that in this day and age "Integrity" is hard to find.  It used to be that a man's word was his bond.  Meaning that if a person said they would do something you could trust that they would in fact do it.  Psalms 15:4 says, a good person "keeps all promises no matter the cost". (Voice)  We sometimes even find a lack of integrity in the church!

Aren't you glad there is someone we can trust!  That someone is Jesus. He keeps all his promises.  The Apostle Peter encourages us by saying, "The Lord isn’t slow to keep his promise, as some think of slowness, but he is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish but all to change their hearts and lives". 2 Peter 3:9 (Common English Bible)

In John 16:33, Jesus made three promises;

PEACE - Jesus promised us peace.  Not happiness because happiness is based on what is happening.  Pure peace and joy can be experienced even in the absence of well-being, success, and good fortune.  But don't worry, Jesus has promised us an abundance of those good things too.  Mark 11:24 says, "So I tell you to ask for what you want in prayer. And if you believe that you have received those things, then they will be yours." (Easy-to-Read Version)

PRESSURE - In John 16:33, the literal translation of the word "tribulation" is pressure. In this life Jesus assured us we would experience pressure.  Bishop Dickerson commented about his enjoyment of the video game "Temple Run".  He explained that in the game his avatar can run, leap, jump, and fight.  If he dies he has extra lives that allow him to continue the game.  Sadly, real life is not so simple.  The Apostle Paul addressed this dilemma in 2 Corinthians 4:8-10, "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. (King James Version) 

PRAISE - Jesus promised us an opportunity to praise! John 16:33 says, "But be encouraged! I have conquered the world.” (Common English Bible)   Jesus paid for our peace, prosperity, and healing on the cross.  He sacrificed his life in order for us to enjoy the benefits.  The work is already done!  We can praise God now for the blessings we enjoy and the blessings that are still to come.

Love and prayers, Cynthia

"Pour It On!"

Happy Sunday!

Bishop Alexis A. Thomas preached, "Pour It On!"  He used John 12:1-8.

Stevie Wonder wrote, "You know it doesn't make much sense. There ought to be a law against, anyone who takes offense at a day in your celebration."  Of course, he was speaking about those who did not want Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to be remembered with a national holiday.  Even in the bible days there were those that thought it just "didn't take all that".  

In this scripture passage, Mary has broken a costly box of ointment and anointed Jesus with the oil, washed his feet with her tears, and dried his feet with her hair.  Judas the disciple who would later betray Jesus comments that this is a waste.  He pretends to care about the poor, but the scripture says, "He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it." John 12:6 (NIV)

I'm going to let you in on a secret.  There is only one entity in the world that does not want God to be praised! That individual is Satan.  He was the original "Praise Team".  The Bible says, “You had everything going for you. You were in Eden, God’s garden. You were dressed in splendor, your robe studded with jewels: Carnelian, peridot, and moonstone,beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald, all in settings of engraved gold.  A robe was prepared for you the same day you were created. You were the anointed cherub. I placed you on the mountain of God. You strolled in magnificence among the stones of fire. From the day of your creation you were sheer perfection . . .and then imperfection—evil!—was detected in you." Ezekiel 28:12-15 (Message)  and  "How you’ve fallen from heaven, morning star, son of dawn! You are cut down to earth, helpless on your back! You said to yourself, I will climb up to heaven; above God’s stars, I will raise my throne. I’ll sit on the mount of assembly, on the heights of Zaphon. I’ll go up to the cloud tops; I’ll be like the Most High!  But down to the underworld you are brought, to the depths of the pit." Isaiah 14:12-15 (Common English Bible)

Satan's praise was perverted by pride and arrogance.  So now he wants to keep you from praising God.  He's subtle.  He shows you some over the top extreme person who praises loudly, and lives loosely.  You don't realize it but a seed has been planted in your mind.  You don't want to be like that person!  So you hold back on the praise. He causes someone to sit next to you in church.  That person begins to praise and almost knocks your lights out and your wig off.  You think to yourself, "that ain't God!"  You are right!  God does everything decently and in order..."For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people." 1 Corinthians 14:33 (New Living Translation)  But don't let those kinds of people stop you from praising, dancing, singing, and shouting!  Remember King David?  He was a true worshipper and he danced before the Lord. 1 Chronicles 15:29 says, "But as the Ark arrived in Jerusalem, David’s wife Michal, the daughter of King Saul, felt a deep disgust for David as she watched from the window and saw him dancing like a madman." (The Living Bible)

Pour it On!  Praise God!  Give him the glory and honor he is so worthy of!  Praise him daily in the way you live!  Praise him on the job by the way you work!  Praise him in your finances.  Praise him!  "Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord." Psalm 150 (King James Version)

I can't tell you how to praise Him, but I will say, "Pour it On!"

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Don't Count Me Out!

Happy Sunday!

Bishop Alexis A. Thomas preached, "Don't Count Me Out!"  He used St. John 11:20-22 as his reference scriptures.

Bishop said, "The story of Jesus is the story of Ultimate Recoverability".  Pits are not permanent.  Failure is not final, and sickness is not unto death."   Our lives are testimonies of the "Comeback".  even the Psalmist said, "Weeping may last for the night, but there is a song of joy in the morning". -  Psalm 30:5 (God's Word Translation)

When Bishop was preaching I thought of March Madness.  Now, I'm not a true follower and I don't have a bracket, but I heard there was an upset last week involving Duke.  Feel free to respond to this e-mail and set me straight if I'm wrong.  The team that was pitted against Duke, I think it was Mercer.  They wanted the world to know, "Don't Count Me Out! Don't underestimate what God can do or will do in my life!  It may look like I don't have what it takes, but with God ALL things are possible!

In this scripture text, Lazarus the friend of Jesus has died and been buried.  To the community, to his sisters, and to the disciples it appeared that Jesus was "late".  But you know what the old church folks used to say, "He may not come when you want him, but he's always on time!"    God's timing is perfect!  The Psalmist repeatedly tells us to, "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." Psalm 27:14 (King James Version)

Don't count me out!  Don't count yourself out either!  No matter our age or position in life, God can do great things in and through us!  You may never know in this life what a simple act of kindness did in the life of a stranger.  That child you treated with love, that neighbor you helped, or that co-worker you responded mercifully to could one day do great things.  Hebrews 6:10 says, "God doesn’t miss anything. He knows perfectly well all the love you’ve shown him by helping needy Christians, and that you keep at it." (Message)   And finally, Galatians 6:7 says, "Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life." (Message)

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Are You Living On Purpose?

One day a man visited his doctor because he was in excruciating pain. The doctor asked him, “Where does it hurt?” The man answered, “All over.” The doctor told the man to touch his shoulder. The man touched his shoulder and cried out in pain. Next, the doctor told the man to touch his forehead. The man touched his forehead and cried out in pain again. The doctor told the man to touch his knee. The man touched his knee and winced in pain. He said, “Doctor, everywhere I touch, I’m in pain.”

The doctor thoroughly examined the man and concluded, “No wonder you are in pain everywhere you touch – you have a dislocated finger!”

We may laugh at the ridiculousness of this man’s situation, but many of us are doing the same thing, just in a different way. Many of us feel like everything in our lives is wrong, yet in fact just one thing in our lives is wrong. However, this one thing affects everything. This one thing is that many of us are living a life without purpose. We are simply going through the motions – existing day by day, weighed down by the emptiness of a life without meaning.

Purpose is not measured by what you have done compared to what someone else has done, but by what you have done compared to what you are supposed to do. The only way to know your purpose is to experience and walk closely with the One who has created and destined you for it. If you are a Christian, you do not need to be running around trying to discover your purpose. Rather, it is in experiencing God that your purpose will be made known. Experience God, and you will experience your purpose.

One of the greatest benefits that arises out of a close relationship with our heavenly Father is in His ability to guide, direct and prepare us for the purpose He has for our lives. When you truly embrace the principle found in the book of Psalm, “Be still, and know that I am God,” you will experience the abundant joy that Christ has promised you. Because you will no longer be spending your energy trying to see if this plan will work, or if this relationship will work, or if this job will work, or if this path will work because when you know that God is God – and you seek to get close to Him – He will show you your path, your job, your mate, your relationships, meaning and purpose.

If you want to experience God’s purpose for your life, experience God. Don’t go looking for His will, look for Him. It is in the close, abiding intimacy with the Father that you will not only discover, but you will also live out the destiny He has purposed for you.

Tony Evans

Happy Sunday Update!

Did you miss me?

I missed you.  I missed communicating with you during the last few weeks!

I've started a new position, moved to a new place and still need to get internet service connected at home.

March 2, 2014, Bishop Alexis A. Thomas preached, "I'm Good".  He used Philippians 4:11-23 as his reference scriptures.

Our enemy can't keep us from spending eternity with God in Heaven, but he strives to keep us from experiencing "Heaven on Earth".  Jesus paid the entire bill for our freedom; spiritually, emotionally, physically, and financially!  We are redeemed from the curse which is poverty, sickness, and death!  

The Apostle Paul wrote, “I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.” - Philippians 4:11-14 (Message)  We can make it if we know who we are.  How can we know who we are? So glad you asked.  We learn who we really are by the Word of God.  God says, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."   He proclaims your value and your worth.  You can trust him and say, "I'm Good!"

March 9, 2014, Bishop Alexis A. Thomas preached, "Are You A Sin-Finder?"  He used John 9.  

This is a familiar story.  Jesus and the crowd passed by a blind man.  Instead of feeling compassion on the blind man the people in the crowd asked, "Who sinned?"  "Who is to blame for the man's condition?"  They were skilled at pointing out sin.  They had a "Sin Radar".  Do you?  Don't get me wrong, sin is bad.  We should avoid sin at all costs, but we must be careful not to be judgmental.  

Jesus said, “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor." Matthew 7:1-5 (Message)

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Looking Forward

Happy Sunday!

I pray that you are having a wonderful Sunday!  I hope that you enjoyed the weekend and are prepared for the work week!  If you are already retired, or are self-employed, SMILE.  You don't have to brave the weather or endure the cold!

Bishop Alexis A. Thomas wasn't able to preach during the 11 a.m. Service.  As the old folks would say, "Praise was High!"  We worshipped and praised and had an opportunity to pray for those sitting near us.  But he did give us homework, we are to read Philippians Chapter 4 and next week I imagine he will continue his series entitled, "Keep Your Mind Right!"

The following excerpt from Pastor Tony Evans book entitled "God's Unlikely Path to Success" blessed me.  I hope it will bless you as well.

Looking Forward

The Bible is full of stories of men and women who were called by God to do difficult and even impossible things and found God to be sufficient.

The patriarch Joseph was called. But his calling didn’t mean an easy life. He was sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers. He was falsely accused by the wife of his Egyptian master. He was thrown into jail and languished there for years.

But if Joseph were here today, he would repeat the testimony he gave his brothers in Genesis 50:20: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” God empowered Joseph to fulfill his calling, which ultimately was to save his family from death.

If John Mark were here, he would tell you about God’s sufficiency to fulfill his calling. John Mark went out with Paul as an associate in the ministry, but he quit and went home when the going got tough.

Paul said, “I can’t use John Mark anymore. He might go left on me.” But Barnabas stepped in and gave John Mark another chance to do God’s work (Acts 15:36–40). And even though John Mark had messed up, he found grace from the Lord and became a valuable worker, even to Paul (2 Timothy 4:11).

The apostle Peter was called, but he denied the Lord three times. He had to get “recalled” three times into God’s service (John 21:15–17), and that time he didn’t fail.

A person who is serious about fulfilling the reason why they have been placed on earth will learn to view all of life through the grid of God’s intentions. That worldview will then impact their decisions. Even if you have made mistakes in the past, God can still use you right where you are. It is never too late for God to lead you to your calling.

—Tony Evans

Love and prayers, Cynthia