Experiencing Jesus: Leads to New and Eternal Life!

Good morning all, I pray that all of you are healthy and well both in mind and body. Yesterday we spoke about experiencing God, and today we look to the text of the Gospel of John 3 where we experience Jesus.

Let's look to the text:

John 3

Born from Above

^{1 -2} There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, "Rabbi, we all know you're a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren't in on it."

³Jesus said, "You're absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it's not possible to see what I'm pointing to—to God's kingdom."

⁴"How can anyone," said Nicodemus, "be born who has already been born and grown up? You can't re-enter your mother's womb and be born again. What are you saying with this 'born-from-above' talk?"

^{5 -6}Jesus said, "You're not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the 'wind-hovering-over-the-water' creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it's not possible to enter God's kingdom. When you look at a baby, it's just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can't see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit.

^{7 -8}"So don't be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be 'born from above'—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it's headed next. That's the way it is with everyone 'born from above' by the wind of God, the Spirit of God."

⁹Nicodemus asked, "What do you mean by this? How does this happen?"

^{10 -12}Jesus said, "You're a respected teacher of Israel and you don't know these basics? Listen carefully. I'm speaking sober truth to you. I speak only of what I know by experience; I give witness only to what I have seen with my own eyes. There is nothing secondhand here, no hearsay. Yet instead of facing the evidence and accepting it, you procrastinate with questions. If I tell you things that are plain as the hand before your face and you don't believe me, what use is there in telling you of things you can't see, the things of God?

^{13 -15}"No one has ever gone up into the presence of God except the One who came down from that Presence, the Son of Man. In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up—and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life.

Nicodemus was a well respected teacher and leader in the community,but he still had questions that could not be answered and a void that could not be filled. So he went to have an experience with Jesus at night while it was still dark! Christ told him that he needed to be born over, to become a new person with new values and new directions.

Friends despite what you have accomplished, or what you have yet to do Jesus calls us into relationship with him through baptism yes! But also through a constant renewing or our mind. Everyday we should change growing closer to God. John Wesley would simply say that everyday we should grow closer to God through Christian Perfection.

So if you are new to the church or if you have been born and raised in the church twenty plus years ask yourself this question daily: How am I better Christian today than I was yesterday?If you are not, then be reminded of today's text and go in prayer to have an experience with Jesus. This is the way to a great life here, and eternal life with God.

Until next time, Love Pastor J

Experiencing God!; takes away guilt and removes sin!

In today's text for reflection the prophet Isaiah has an experience with God, but because of his sin, and the sinful nature of the people in his life he knows that he is going to die because he is in the presence of God.

This text reminds me of some ways the Church is viewed. Time and time again I have herd people say that they won't come to church because the building might burn down due to there sins or past. Its funny that today we still think like Isaiah, and just like with Isaiah God surprises us with forgiveness and redemption. Let's look to the text!

Isaiah 6

Holy, Holy, Holy!

^{1 -8} In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Master sitting on a throne—high, exalted!—and the train of his robes filled the Temple. Angel-seraphs hovered above him, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two their feet, and with two they flew. And they called back and forth one to the other,

Holy, Holy, Holy is God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
His bright glory fills the whole earth. The foundations trembled at the sound of the angel voices, and then the whole house filled with smoke. I said,

"Doom! It's Doomsday!
I'm as good as dead! Every word I've ever spoken is tainted—
blasphemous even! And the people I live with talk the same way,
using words that corrupt and desecrate. And here I've looked God in the face!
The King! God-of-the-Angel-Armies!" Then one of the angel-seraphs flew to me. He held a live coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with the coal and said,

"Look. This coal has touched your lips.
Gone is your guilt, and
your sins wiped out." And then I heard the voice of the Master:
"Whom shall I send?
Who will go for us?" I spoke up,
"I'll go.
Send me!"

In the end it turns out that Isaiah was exactly where he needed to be, in the presence of God. Instead of being ashamed, worried and afraid the prophet should have been rejoicing because of God's grace and purpose for his life. We are the same way in stead of avoiding the Church and a relationship with God; we should run into the presence of God! Gods grace and mercy is sufficient for us also, and God has a plan and purpose for our lives just like the prophet Isaiah.

Friends, know that your past sins and activities are not enough to keep you from experiencing God. God is the one source of completion, redemption and acceptance for all of us. Whatever you are going through, whatever you have done, know that God is calling you into a deeper and stronger relationship where your past is forgiven.

Until next time~ Be Well!

Are you in the house?

All week People have called and come into my office asking what is the purpose of the church, asking why do we need to go to church. My answer to these questions probably surprising to some were straight forward and simple. I answered each and every one of them saying that we Need To Be In The House! We must go to church to be with the people of God, church is where the community of God gathers; therefore it is the house of God. Simply put as Christians we need to be in the house. Our text for focus today says it better than I can let's look to ACTS 2:

Acts 2

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

2When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ ¹²All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ ¹³But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’

Peter Addresses the Crowd

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ¹⁷“In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. ¹⁸Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. ¹⁹And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. ²⁰The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. ²¹Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Friends I ask you are you in the house? Being spiritual is good, being a loving Christian is great but if you never take time out to go to the house of God something is missing. As a Christian we are called to fellowship and worship with the people of God! Are you in the house?

If we are not in the house, then we might miss our blessing, at times we miss the experience of the Holy Spirit. Understand that those people outside the house won't understand whats going with you or in the house. Outsiders and on lookers might question our sobriety and intentions.

However for those in the house, something special is taking place. For those in the hose power is bestowed upon them, they are able to communicate, they are able to get along to, to fellowship and go forward in ministry.

I pray today that if you are not in the house, you come on in and if you are in the house I pray that you stay!

Until next week, Be Well

Love Pastor J.

Who is in control?

REFLECT, on Who you are and Whose you are!


What a wildly wonderful world, God!
You made it all, with Wisdom at your side,
made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.
Oh, look—the deep, wide sea,
brimming with fish past counting,
sardines and sharks and salmon.
Ships plow those waters,
and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them.
All the creatures look expectantly to you
to give them their meals on time.
You come, and they gather around;
you open your hand and they eat from it.
If you turned your back,
they'd die in a minute—
Take back your Spirit and they die,
revert to original mud;
Send out your Spirit and they spring to life—
the whole countryside in bloom and blossom.

^{31 -32} The glory of God—let it last forever!
Let God enjoy his creation!
He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake,
points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt.

^{33 -35} Oh, let me sing to God all my life long,
sing hymns to my God as long as I live!
Oh, let my song please him;
I'm so pleased to be singing to God.
But clear the ground of sinners—
no more godless men and women! O my soul, bless God!

Reflect on who is in control!
Love Pastor J

Waiting on a Miracle

<sup>I know that in today's troubled times many of us are hoping and waiting for a miracle. We are in desperate need of a special blessing and something big to happen in our lives. Today's blog is for all people who find themselves in situations like this. Let's look to the text:

Romans 8:22-25
22</sup>We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; ²³and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Today's text from Paul's letter to the Romans reminds us to be patient. To be patient while God works is always a hard task, especially when we feel so desperate. However I still find myself echoing those same words that we must hope for what we do not see and wait patiently trusting God for our deliverance!

Brothers and Sisters be faithful and trust that God is working in our lives and in our situations!

Until Next Time, Be Well!

Have a job to do?

Acts 1

To the Ends of the World

^{1 -5}Dear Theophilus, in the first volume of this book I wrote on everything that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he said good-bye to the apostles, the ones he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. After his death, he presented himself alive to them in many different settings over a period of forty days. In face-to-face meetings, he talked to them about things concerning the kingdom of God. As they met and ate meals together, he told them that they were on no account to leave Jerusalem but "must wait for what the Father promised: the promise you heard from me. John baptized in water; you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And soon."

⁶When they were together for the last time they asked, "Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?"

^{7 -8}He told them, "You don't get to know the time. Timing is the Father's business. What you'll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world."

Do you have a job to do? Today millions and millions of Christians will journey into churches around the world, to pray, praise and worship God. The tragic things about this glorious day are that 1) it only happens once a week. 2) Many of the persons who will find themselves in their magnificent churches believe that that is there only requirement of God. Many Christians think that the only job they have to do is to go to church.

In our text today Jesus through the words of Luke reminds us that we have much work to do as Christians. The work is to go out, go out to the cities, the suburbs, the rual areas even to the ends of the world preaching the gospel. Friends yes we must go to church, yes we must worship, pray, praise and be filled with the Spirit. But then, we must go out to tell the world all that God has done, all that's going on and especially of the redemptive love of Jesus Christ.

On this Memorial day weekend, after church is over, while you are on your way to the Bar-b-Que, during half-time of the big game, tell someone about the goodness, grace, and love of God. On this day go and be Christ witnesses for it's your job as Christians.

We all have a job to do!

Until next week,

Be Well,

Love Pastor J

Bigger than we can imagine!

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:16-19

These words from the Apostle Paul should remain in our hearts today, because they remind us that we can not even grasp how deep the love and power of Christ runs. So today whenever you feel down, when you get upset and angry reflect on these words from Paul with me. Let's pray that no matter what happens this day and weekend that we come to know and grasp better the love that God has for us. With this love in mind all other failures and distractions are put into perspective. Thank God that God has our back! Yes thank God that God is bigger than we can even imagine!

Until next time....
Be Well, Love Pastor J