“Lamp of Prayer” April 1, 2012

As the Lord’s Week of Passion begins, let us turn our hearts toward Jesus and His Sacrifice upon the Cross of Calvary. Let us take special time this coming week to do something that will Bless the Lord, something out of the ordinary as we look forward to Resurrection Sunday.  We are blessed that you have joined us today in worship!

  

“For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the Salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.”  Isaiah 62:1       

Again we look at “Blessing the Lord!”  This is our goal, our quest, and we are strongly reminded of it as we come into this Week of Jesus Passion. I am challenged to worship more, pray more, read my Bible more, reach out to other more… to be mindful of those who are less fortunate than I, and to offer encouragement more often to those around me.  Today we are lighting the Lamp of Prayer in our Lord’s House. There are many reasons for this: but most of all we remember Jesus powerful and sorrowful words when He said;  “…Why sleep ye? rise and Pray, lest ye enter into temptation.” C Luke 22:46 A cry goes forth from the heaven, “Awake, awake: put on thy strength …” Such strength comes with a relationship with our God.  We grow in our relationship with the Father when we communicate with Him in Prayer, in Worship, in Praise, and in Ministering to others, C ‘like loving our neighbors as our self!’  I love the Passage of Scripture where Jesus took the three disciples with Him to the mountain and there they beheld the vision of Jesus talking with Moses and Elias/Elijah. In the glory of such a moment St. Luke reveals [9:30-32] that in their fear … [Matt. 17:6] “they fall heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw His Glory!” We are placing the Lamp in the Sanctuary today, to call us to Prayer, to a greater dedication, that we might be awaken to His Glory!  That we might win in the battle, the struggle against temptation.  Gideon won the battle with pitchers that held Lamps. Our ‘vessels’ [pitchers] must be filled with the Light of God so that our Lamps light the path before us and we are beacon to the lost.  I hear the Song of Solomon calling, “Arise my love, and come away.”  Come away from the fears of today, the things of this world, and come into My presence and I will sup with thee!  Awaken my heart O Lord!   Loving you, Pastor

“Come Bless The Lord!” March 25, 2012

Welcome to the Holy Lenten Season in the midst of the Commerce Family.  We trust that you have plans to commemorate our Lord and Savoiur as we approach the Friday of Darkness, the day of our Lord’s death. You are always welcome in this House of the Lord!  We are blessed that you have come to worship with us today!

 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” – Heb. 4:15

There are many thoughts when we bring up the subject of “Blessing the Lord!” In Christianity today, we need to have a deeper thought life!  As we meditate upon a Passage of Scripture, our thoughts will be guided by the Holy Spirit. He is the illuminator of God’s Word. The Holy Ghost is gentle and easily grieved. When we hurriedly give some thought to Scripture or breath a few sentences of worship as we go about our daily schedule, it does not give appropriate time for the Holy Ghost to prompt us to deeper meanings of God’s Word.  Please know that the Holy Ghost can work under any condition, He is the Spirit of God!  However to come into the sacred thoughts of Scripture and to see the depth of what is saying, one must ponder the Passage, and meditate upon it. We need to give “contemplation” room in our spiritual life.  Contemplation is a mental exercise. It is moments wherein we consider what we are reading, and give attention to it in a personal way. Meditating upon God’s Word, contemplating what He is saying to us will bring us into a higher level of Spiritual Awareness. The world is all about ‘new age’ and meditation, but this is not what I am talking about. To meditate upon God’s Word is a truly spiritual quest as we seek the heart of God, to ‘Bless Him;’ by searching for Him with all our heart.  Worshipping Christ is awesome and greatly desired of our Father God who loved Him so much that He would Sacrifice His Only Begotten Son that we might have Eternal Life! In this Holy Season of Lent, we focus on God’s Love, Jesus Sacrifice, and our awareness of more of Spiritual depth in our life.  Loving God, and Praising Jesus is where “Blessing the Lord” begins, but from there our life flows out to others.  It is in the “ACTION” of showing the Love of Jesus wherein we continue to Bless the Lord.  Hear His Words from Matthew 25:34-40; “…in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me!”  Share your life in Jesus ~Loving you, Pastor

Why do the Righteous Suffer?” March 18, 2012

We continue to be mindful of the Lenten season as we fulfill our discipline and keep our focus on our Savour!  We are blessed that you are with us in service today, may the Christ that we serve surround you with His Love!

 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” – Heb. 4:15

It’s an age-old question: “Why do the Righteous Suffer?”  Down through the ages this question has been asked a multitude of times.  Greater Theologians than I have pondered the question and have written pages and pages of manuscripts discussing this question.  I have not a new thought on it, except to simply go to the Scriptures for the answer.  The simplest explanation of Righteous is “right standing.”  We have no righteousness except in Christ.  When we stand in Him, it is His Righteous that is seen. This Righteousness come about when we are dedicated to serving Him, when He is first and foremost in our lives.  When we realize that we must move in forgiveness on a daily basis and be mindful of our conduct and our example of Him in our life.  That being said, the question comes forward:  If we are doing our very best to serve the Lord, trying to follow close in His footsteps, “why is there such suffering in the saints life? Sin is the beginning source of suffering. The Righteous have suffered from the beginning of time.  Consider Able: because of his faithful-ness to offer the right sacrifice, he lost his life.  Job of old: It was said of Him that he was a “man perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” Yet as we read the Book of Job, we note that he suffered great financial lost, family lost, and finally great illness.  Consider David, it is said he was a “man after God’s own heart.” Anointed to be King by the hand of a godly prophet, yet his life was threatened over and over, and he had to run for his life. On and on go the sufferings of the Prophets in the old Testament. In the New Testament, again there is suffering as Paul and Silas sat in stocks with their backs ripped open by the enemy’s wipe.  John the Baptist was beheaded, John the Beloved banished to the Isle of Patmos. In the old testament the Israelites suffered much: And this is what God said: “Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee… to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or no.” We have a Compassionate Savior who has purchased our end, it will be better then our beginning!                                            Loving you and praying for you, Pastor