A Mountaintop Experience

I was out walking this afternoon and I was reflecting on the majesty and beauty of the earth, at least, what I could see of it. Where there was once grass, trees, flowers, and mountains, now we have streets, sidewalks, houses, cars and trash.

No wonder we have so much trouble focusing on God and His creation! All we see when we walk outside is the work of our own hands.

God created the earth to be majestic; to be a reflection of His power and His glory. We've taken the beauty of the earth, which should point us to the beauty of God, and reduced it to the level of man.

At first, I experienced sadness at the loss of God's beauty in creation, but then I was moved to seek out that beauty in the creation that I could still see: the sky, the sun, the clouds, the trees, the flowers and bushes.

But it wasn't enough! I needed something more!

Scripture! I needed the Word of God to show me the beauty in creation!

Psalm 148

1 Praise the LORD!Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!

2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts!

3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars!

4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!

5 Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created.

6 And he established them forever and ever; he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.

7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps,

8 fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!

9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!

10 Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds!

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!

12 Young men and maidens together, old men and children!

13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven.

14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the LORD!

Take time to reflect on the beauty of creation and on the infinite goodness of the Creator!

Sweet, Sweet Spiritual Healing – John 5: 1-14

Click here to read John 5: 1-14 (ESV)

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Nobody wanted to waste time bothering themselves with an invalid.

After all, they think they're better, faster, more perfect, more righteous, and more whole.

Of course an invalid has problems. They can all see that very clearly. They expect that from an invalid. And this invalid is no exception.

(Snickering) He can't even get himself to the pool when the water is stirred. Why should I bother to help?

He's not worth the time or the effort, they say to themselves.

<<< Fast forward 2000 years >>>

What Jesus did for the invalid at the pool, we need Him to do for us.

There's just one problem.

We don't realize that we are the invalid at the pool!

We have it in our minds that we are some form of Jesus. No, we would never come out and say that, especially to other people in the church. But who are we identifying ourselves with, if not the invalid? It must be Jesus.

We have it backwards! We aren't the savior; we are the one needing to be saved!

But that goes against what we want to believe about ourselves.

We want to believe that we are the hero, the savior. We want to believe that we are more than capable of taking care of ourselves.

But it's a lie!

Sin entered the world and perfection was destroyed along with all hope that we could ever get ourselves out of the situation we're in.

And yet, satan whispers to us that we can. Just like the Garden of Eden, he slithers in and casts doubt on what God has said.

Maybe perfection wasn't completely destroyed.

Maybe we can be good enough on our own.

Maybe Jesus had to die for other people, but I can get into heaven myself.

Maybe I don't need a Savior. Maybe I can save myself.

And that is how the deception comes into our hearts and minds. Maybe that's why Jesus chose to heal this man out of all of the people waiting for the pool to be stirred: because he recognized that he could NOT save himself. He had been brought to a place where he understood his need for a Savior and was willing to acknowledge his own inadequacy.

We need to fully acknowledge our inadequacy. We need to fully understand our need for a Savior.

After all, if we could save ourselves by doing good works or being baptized as a child into a particular religion, why did God Himself have to come out of heaven, be born in a manger, live a perfect life, perform countless miracles, die a horrible torturous death on a cross, and be resurrected on the 3^rd day to finally ascend back into heaven where He was to begin with?

What was the reason for all that if we could somehow save ourselves?

We are the invalid. We need to understand that. We need to allow that to change the way we see ourselves and the way we see Jesus.

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Now for the bonus question!

In this passage, John, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, makes the point of telling us that this particular man had been an invalid for 38 years. Not that he had been an invalid from birth, but that he had been an invalid for 38 years.

What, if any, significance is there to the 38 years?

Please post your answers to the comments and let's see who can come up with the answer to this!

There might even be a prize for the best answer and explanation!

To God Be The Glory!!!

To God be the glory, great things He has done;
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He has done.

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For two days now, that old hymn has been playing in my head. Over and over it plays; a continuous melody within my soul. Sometimes a song gets stuck in our head and it means nothing.

This one means something. It means something special. It is a continuous outpouring of gratitude and joy that is pure worship and adoration of Jesus Christ!

Two days ago, Sonshine Fellowship Church purchased its own permanent facility at 7201 Sollers Point Road in Dundalk!

This Sunday (yes, this Sunday!) we will be meeting in our new location for the first time. God provided a place that we could move right in to, without having to do a lot of construction or repair work.

God knew just what we needed and He gave us more than we could have ever dreamed!

Therefore, you and your family are formally invited to come out and worship with us and see our new facility this Sunday, October 18, 2009. Please be aware that we have changed our service times slightly.

9:45am – 10:30am - Sunday School (currently studying evangelism & how to share your faith)

10:30am – 10:55am - Fellowship Time (enjoy coffee, tea & donuts while getting to know someone)

11:00am – 12:15pm - Worship Service (this week's message – Holiness by Pastor Terry Turbin)

Please note that this is not our grand opening celebration service for our new facility. We are still in the planning stages for that Sunday and we will be announcing more information about that soon! Until then, come be a part of what God is doing in Dundalk, MD!

To God be the glory, great things He has done!!!

You’ve Got To Believe Before You Believe - John 4: 43-54

Click here to read John 4: 43-54 (ESV)

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So many people believe in Jesus and call themselves Christians, and yet so many of those people are not true believers. What makes the difference? How can you know for sure that you are a believer and not just someone who believes?

Obviously this official had heard about Jesus and believed that He could heal his son. Otherwise, why leave his son's bedside when the boy was so close to death? There was clearly a knowledge about who Jesus was and the power that He had. The official believed that Jesus could heal his son, but he was not a believer at this point.

Then Jesus makes a statement that doesn't seem to address what the official asked. He says, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe."

There is much commentary and discussion about the "you" being plural and referring as much to the Galilean people as to the official, but what I noticed immediately was how that statement was prophetic to the official and how he came to be a believer. It was uniquely personal to him.

The official, whose son is at the point of death, can respond with nothing except a final plea for Jesus to come before his child dies. Jesus, who is never late but always right on time, says simply, "Go; your son will live." No fanfare, no trumpets, no choir of angels singing in the background; simply a Word of Power from the God of Creation!

"The man believed the word that Jesus had spoken to him and went on his way," the Scriptures record.

The official believed that Jesus could heal his son, but he was still not a believer at this point.

The official believed that Jesus had healed his son, but again, was not a believer at this point.

In fact, it was not until the official met the servant and was told what time the boy had recovered that he became a believer, just as Jesus had prophesied when He said, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe."

Then the official became a believer and his entire family as well. Why? Because it became personal!

So, are you a believer?

Or do you just believe?

The difference is life or death.

Do you know for sure?

Let’s Make It Personal – John 4: 39-42 ESV

Click here to read John 4: 39-42 (ESV)

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Salvation is a personal thing. It is between you and God. I cannot say with 100% certainty whether you are saved or not. I can only look at the visible fruit in your life at any given time. The same is true for me. It's why the Bible exhorts us to "examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith."

Because it's personal.

When the woman from the well ran into the town to tell everyone about Jesus, she already had a testimony. A very bad testimony. Everyone in the town knew who she was and what she was doing.

But she was about to get a new testimony. Her past deeds and mistakes were not going to be washed away, but they were going to be washed clean!

Now, I need to stop here and admit that there is no explicit statement in this passage that she became a believer. But I do believe that she did because she evidenced several outward characteristics of genuine conversion:

• She sensed her need for forgiveness (She desired the Living Water - John 4: 15)
  
• She had confessed her guilt (She stated He was a Prophet and was right about her - John 4: 19)
  
• She recognized Jesus as the Messiah (Only the Messiah can answer these questions - John 4: 25)
  
• She was showing fruit by bringing others to Jesus (She had received something wonderful and wanted to share it - John 4: 28-30)
  

Jesus had come to meet her personally and it is especially significant that her first impulse was to go and tell others about Jesus. The desire of new believers to proclaim their faith is a common experience. Some of the most zealous witnesses for Christ are brand new believers because their minds are fresh with the weight of their guilt and shame, and the exhilaration of being set free from it.

That was the case with this woman. The first thing she did was tell the men of the town that He had told her everything she ever did. Jesus had held her sin up to the light and compelled her to face who she really was. That she talked so freely about it shows that she had been liberated from the bondage of her guilt.

Her testimony had a great impact on the town, but Jesus had an even greater impact! Salvation became personal for the others in that town when they declared "It is no longer because of what you (the woman) said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."

Has it become personal for you?

If you need to make it personal, check this out then leave me a comment so I can follow up with you.

God wants it to be personal. That's why we were created! That's our purpose in life!

The All You Can Eat Buffet – John 4: 31-38 ESV

Click here to read John 4: 31-38 (ESV)

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Why food?

Jesus could have used any number of different things to illustrate His desire to do the will of the One who sent Him, but He chose food. Why?

Because food sustains us. Food strengthens us. Food refreshes us. Without food, we will weaken, then grow sick and eventually die. We cannot call ourselves living beings and deny ourselves the very thing that keeps us alive.

And so it is with our spiritual lives. We can hardly call ourselves spiritually alive if we refuse the very thing that feeds our spirit: obedience to Jesus Christ.

Jesus calls us to not only do His will, but to accomplish His work here on the earth. But what is His will? What work does He desire for us to complete? It is to fulfill the Great Commission. It is to go into all the world and preach the Gospel, making disciples of all nations, and baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Jesus then compares accomplishing His work to a great harvest. The seed of the Gospel has been sown in the world and now we are called to come along and reap the fruit of someone else's labor.

But the cool part is that we are not only gathering fruit, we have entered into their labor and receiving wages for work they have done.

Remember the parable of the workers in Matthew 20? The first workers were called at 6am and agreed to work all day for a denarius. Others were called at 9am to work all day for "what was right," others were called at noon to work all day for "what was right," others were called at 3pm to work all day for "what was right," and finally, still others were called at 5pm to work all day for "what was right." When they were called to be paid at 6pm, the last were paid first and were given a denarius, one day's wages. When the first workers were to be paid, the ones who had been there since 6am, they expected more, but were paid the same, one denarius. They were upset, but the master emphasized his generosity with the last workers who were called.

Even though we have been called in these last days to fulfill the Great Commission, God, like the master in the parable, desires to be generous with us and we will receive the same as those who labored for the Work of Christ in the centuries before us, because we have entered into their labor with them!

There is food for all to eat. The buffet is set for us, if we know where to look. We need to seek out our family, our friends, our coworkers, and even the strangers we see every day who need the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our labor will not be in vain! We can be satisfied!

^"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."

Awesome News Blog!

I enjoy reading the news, and I really enjoy Christian news sources. I came across a new one this morning and I wanted to share it with you. It's brand new (2 posts old) as of the writing of this blog post, so you have the opportunity to get in at the ground floor like I did. Let me know what you think of it, because I think it's awesome! It's exactly what the world needs right now: a voice of truth in a world of deception.

Anyway, here's the link: Bible News Today.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I will! Be sure to spread the word, too!