So Close But Yet So Far

Scripture Reference John 5: 1-8

1After these things there wasa feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes. 3In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered,[waiting for the moving of the waters; 4for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.] 5A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, "Do you wish to get well?" 7The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me." 8Jesus said to him, "Get up, pick up your pallet and walk."

This passage teaches what misery sin brought into the world. This man endured pain and infirmity for thirty-eight years. He had witnessed others being healed at the waters of Bethesda, but for him there had been no healing. Friendless, helpless, and hopeless, he lay near the wonder-working waters, but derived no benefit from them. Year after year passed away and left him still uncured. No relief or change for the better seemed likely to come, except from the grave.

At certain seasons the waters of this pool were agitated, and it was commonly believed that this was the result of supernatural power. Whoever stepped into the water first after the troubling of the pool would be healed of whatever disease he had. Hundreds of suffers visited the place; but so great was the crowd when the water was troubled that they rushed forward, trampling underfoot men, women and children, weaker than themselves. Many could not get near the pool. There were porches that surround the pool where some spent the night, creeping to the edge of the pool day after day, in vain hope of relief.

Alone and friendless, feeling that he was shut out from God’s mercy; the sufferer had passed long years of misery. At the moment the water was troubled, he had no one to help him into the pool. He had seen the rippling of the water, but had never been able to get farther than the edge of the pool. Others stronger than he would plunge in before him. He could not contend successfully with the selfish scrambling crowd.

The sick man was lying by the pool lifting his head to gaze at the pool, when a tender, compassionate face bent over him and the words “Wilt thou be made whole?” Hope came to his heart. . Jesus does not ask the sufferer to exercise faith in Him. He simply says “Rise, take up they bed and walk.” The man's faith however takes hold of his words and every nerve and muscle trills with life.

Through the same faith we may receive spiritual healing. By sin we have been severed from the life of God. Our souls are palsied. There are many who realize their helplessness and who long for that spiritual life which will bring them in to harmony with God; “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death? (Rom. 7:24)” Look up! the Savior is there freely offering the purchase of His blood, saying with tenderness and pity, “Do you wish to get well? (Verse 6)”

Believe His word and it will be fulfilled. Put your will on the side of Christ. Will to serve Him, and in acting upon His word you will receive strength. He will impart life to the soul that is “dead in trespass, (Eph.2:1)”. He will set the captive free that is held by weakness and misfortune and the chains of sins.

No matter how far you may think you are from your healing, God is not far away He is right there standing over you, with love and compassion; biding you to arise in health and peace.

By: Lillie Jackson and B. Stevenson

Happy Autumn

Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff-- including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see. This was passed on to me from another pumpkin. Now, it is your turn to pass it to a pumpkin. I liked this enough to send it to all the pumpkins in my patch.

God Bless You & Happy Fall!

e-mailed by E. Buckhalter

Who Touched Me!

Scripture Reference: Matthew 9: 20-22 (NIV)

20Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."
22Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.

In the sermon on Sunday October 18, 2009, Pastor Collins’ focus was Personal Faith. The woman in Matthew 9:20 was healed by her faith. The affliction, by Matthew’s comparison to Mark and Luke’s account, is very brief: "A woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years" (v. 20). This, a female disorder, would have made her ritually unclean and defiling to others (read Lev 15:19-33), which helps to explain her seeking to make contact with Jesus inconspicuously.

Matthew's dominant interest is Jesus' authority. His omission of details found in Mark 5:25-34 and Luke 8: 43-48), serves to highlight the person and authority of Jesus. Note the woman's expression of faith, v. 21, witnesses to Jesus' extraordinary authority ("If I only touch...."); and the actual healing takes place "from that moment" when Jesus addresses her, v. 22, rather than from the moment when she touches him, v. 20 - which underscores the fact that the woman's faith is the instrument of healing, not the cause. It is Jesus' authoritative pronouncement about her faith that saves. Jesus cleanses the defiled one, rather than being himself defiled by the touch of the unclean (Matthew 8: 2-4).

Pastor Collins’ message declares the importance of personal faith and its different types.

1. Connected Faith – The experiences of others or testimonies of fellow believers.

2. Textbook Faith – Faith demonstrated by biblical characters, David faced the giant Goliath; Abraham left his home for the land of promise and whom God made the father of many nations; Daniel continued to pray to the God of Israel: Moses by faith went to Egypt; and Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, would not bow and worship the idols. The scriptures are full of men and women of faith.

3. Personal Faith – What God has done for you—delivered you from drugs, and alcohol? Has He healed you? Has He been you lawyer in a courtroom?

The grace and love of God is not about us, it is all about God. It’s about God and what He had done for us. Jesus shows us God’s favor in the midst of our failures, which in many cases are self inflected.

To be in line for a blessing, God does not have to call you by name. You do not have to be an upstanding person in the community. All you have to do is have faith. Jesus was passing by on His way to Jairus’ house, when this social outcast, a woman who had spent all of her money seeking out a healing, touched Him.

Faith removed every barrier for this rejected woman. In her desperation, faith drove her to risk deliberately touching Jesus’ garment. In return she received a loving welcome and total healing.

by: b stevenson

A Believer's Blessing

Scripture Reference: James 1: 1-5 (NIV)

Greeting to the Twelve Tribes:
1 James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad:

Greetings.

Profiting from Trials:
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

It’s believed that the author of this book is James the son of Joseph and Mary, who was the half-brother of Jesus. James was the leader of the early church in Jerusalem. The introduction to this letter is very significant. James introduces himself as a servant relating not to his relationship to Jesus through Mary, but the relationship that he sustained after Jesus became Lord in his life.

Secondly, the letter is significant as it relates to the 12 tribes of Israel -- the Christian Jews who were dispersed throughout the world; Jewish believers spread over the world, as the result of many scatterings and captivities and persecutions. And now James is writing to them to encourage them and instruct them.

A constant note throughout the book of James, is that these people suffered because they were Christians. Their sufferings were many: They had lost their jobs; young people had been thrown out of their homes; children were mocked and turned out of the Jewish schools. Furthermore, the Gentiles hated them because they were Jews, and the Jews despised them because they were Christians.

The introduction is also a brief salutation: "Greeting." The Greek translation of "greeting" is "Rejoice!" "Be satisfied!" How could they rejoice in their present circumstances?

Pastor Collins’ sermon “The Believers Blessing,” relates suffering as testing of our faith; and that there is a blessing in our pain and distress. Pastor Collins preached about the faithfulness of God; how God would not allow His people to be tempted beyond what they can bear; and that God would always provide an out -- a way to stand up under afflictions. (See l Cor. 10:13).

In the scriptures, James makes two important points about suffering:

1. Suffering is inevitable.
James writes "Count it all joy when you meet trials."(verse 2) Trials are not optional. Peter tells us, "Don't think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing has happened unto you. But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings; so that when He is revealed in His glory you will be revealed also."(l Peter 4:13) Suffering is a normal part of the process God uses to bring us to glory.

2. Suffering is purposeful
Suffering is the testing of you faith, suffering produces dedication, persistence and faithfulness. "But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him"(verses 4-5).

God looks at our lives, and moves to complete areas of inadequacies or incompleteness. God in all His mercy and grace, will bring things into our lives that will reveal what we are really like. At that point we will need to lay hold of the resources of Jesus Christ. The Lord will go right through our lives from top to bottom molding and shaping us to maturity.

Christian friends, can you rejoice in suffering? Because you know that God is dealing with an area of your life that needs to be corrected, are you willing now to let God do whatever he wants?

author by: B. Stevenson

There is a Blessing in The Breaking

Scripture Reference: PS 34: 17-19

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;

In Psalms 34, Saul was King of Israel. He wanted to kill David. David ran away. Saul followed him. David went to Gath, which was a Philistine city. The king of Gath was Abimelech. He was not a friend to David. David became afraid. He should have trusted in the LORD. He did not, but made a plan of his own. He made Abimelech think that he, David, was insane. For this reason, Abimelech did not kill David. In those days it was of the belife that it was wrong to kill "an insane" person. Abimelech sent David away. He went to a cave in Adullam, which was a few miles away. 400 people went to the camp that David made in Adullum. They were running away from a difficult life in Judah. Today we would say that they were refugees. The story is found in I Samuel, chapters 21 and 22. In Psalm 34 David thanked God that he was safe.

In this 34th chapter of Psalms, David is heart broken, he is on the run from King Saul and is forced to act in a manner not befitting David the king; David the warrior. He did not trust in the Lord to deliver him out of the hands of Saul. He devised a plan of his own which God did not approve of.

Pastor Collins, in his sermon told the church that there in no failure in God. We should trust in the heart of God. A dose of pain, affliction, and loss will teach us to be contrite. David had go through many problems--his son left him; He was sick and his family had all turned away; now he was on the run and hiding in a cave. God had to this for David to be repentant.

David made a personal devotion to God, (Ref. Psalm 34:1-3) He here David praise the greatness of God, promising to keep in remembrance during his whole life the goodness which God had bestowed upon him. David declares, “I will extol the Lord at all time; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice" (NIV). The term soul signifies David's spirit, as if he said, I shall always have ground of boasting with my whole heart in God alone, so that I shall never allow myself to fall into forgetfulness of so great a deliverance."

Verse 3, shows still another fruit which would be the result of David's giving thanks to God; namely, "that he shall induce others by his example to the same exercise of devotion; no more, he calls upon all the godly to unite with him in this exercise, inviting and exhorting them heartily and with one consent to praise the Lord."

As Christians, we should remember that although God governs the righteous, and provides for their safety, we are still subject and exposed to miseries. But being tested by trials, we give evidence of God’s invincible constancy, as our deliverer.

If we are exempt from every kind of trials, our faith would languish; we would cease to call upon God, and our faithfulness would remain hidden and unknown.

It is, necessary that we go through various trials that we acknowledge that we have been wonderfully preserved by God. If this should seldom happen, it might appear to be accidental or the result of chance; but when countless and endless evils come upon us in succession, the grace of God cannot be unknown. David, therefore, admonishes the faithful never to lose courage, for God can as easily deliver us a thousand times, and will never disappoint our expectations.

Prayer #101

Dear Lord, mighty God, the one who has been faithful through all of my ups and downs. Your goodness sustained me and led me all the way through the wilderness of pain, sorrow and derogation.

Heavenly Father, when I came begging to you for help, not as a humble servant; But as one who had fallen short over and over again. You the forgiving God knowing my faults sustained me with all your grace and mercy.

Thank you for loving me and for your protection; even when I was too caught up in the world and its ways, to realize that I was not walking in the path of righteousness. There were many times I did wrong; I turned my back to you; Seeking things that would satisfy the flesh and gain worldly approval.

Thank you for standing there waiting quietly, while I took a path of destruction. And just when I was about to fall off the cliff of ruin; your love and tenderness, shielded and guided me back to a resting place of sweet contentment.

Thank you for answering my prayers, when I came running to you pleading and pledging, loyalty and commitment, only to fall away and become trapped by worldly attractions again. But you Lord has been faithful to me. Thank you for your love and kindness. Thank you for your faithfulness. Amen

(from Barb's Book of Prayers written by B. Stevenson)