Mark 11:9-10 –
And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
Luke 19:28-31
And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.
And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,
Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither.
And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.
We were a little early for this service and sat in the back pew; two people said hello and little more. I could not see a cross anywhere, although there was one projected on the screen later. I noticed no signage, nor did we find the restrooms.
There seemed to be a good age mix to the congregation and enthusiasm for the speaker. Perhaps the couple that came out from behind the curtain had not been there for a while but there was a round of applause when they appeared. The congregation was instructed to share with each other that “the best is yet to come,” and the applause then was for God.
There was a short video before the message “How to prepare yourself for Jesus.” I disagreed with some of the Scripture interpretation and I wasn’t sure of the context of the preparation for Jesus. Certainly there is nothing we can do of our own power to make ourselves acceptable to God.
He related a correlation to Marine Corps One, that the craft is not Marine Corps One until the president is on board. Maybe we all need to strive to be Jesus Christ One. We need Christ in our hearts to be anything.
When we stopped at Walmart later a woman asked if I had served as a Marine and then thanked me for my service…humbling and much appreciated.
It was nice to sing a few praise songs for which I didn’t need to see the words.
I read a newspaper article about this new church and was interested, and when I watched the video on their website I thought, “This is a church that ‘gets’ it.”
We walked into the sanctuary where perhaps 20 people were in conversation in various areas and after finding a seat, we sat there. After about 10 minutes a woman came near and said “welcome” and then left. Another 10 minutes or so passed before another woman came by to ask if we were first-time visitors. When we affirmed we were, she asked us to fill out an information card and turn it in and they would mail us a welcome gift. No one else spoke to us.
The chancel was decorated differently than most with black curtains all the way around the front area with two swaths of white that looked like outstretched arms shaking hands.
The person in charge of multimedia for this church is quite talented. Toward the beginning of the service the video from the website was shown, a reminder of the real reason for Easter, along with another about the difference between God’s way and the route humans would wish for.
The music leader/pastor’s wife and several others led the spirited singing. I especially enjoyed “Days of Elijah,” one of my favorites which I’ve not had the chance to sing for some time.
I think the message was called “How to prepare yourself for Jesus,” and was born mostly from the Luke passage.
I agreed with some parts of the message, such as the difference between a believer and a non-believer is the presence of Jesus; that we must listen for His voice and obey His commands; and the importance of repentance, a relationship with Christ, and regular worship attendance; and I wholeheartedly agree there most certainly is a battle going on.
The enthusiastic applause for Christ was refreshing, but I could not buy the concept that Jesus is unable to enter a life that is not properly prepared for Him, that anyone present “has no power because they lack preparation or are not healed because they have not prepared.” As important as it is to listen and obey, the lack of those or any other actions on our part will never prevent Christ from entering a life and heart. I believe it is inaccurate to say He is unable to be part of a person’s life until that person takes certain steps because any time we limit God, we are wrong.
Lastly, I’m unconvinced that anyone who does not know Christ could possibly prepare themselves for the wholesale change that takes place when He enters a person’s heart. (“Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” ~2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV italics mine)
We left when the sermon was over.
Lord, we pray the Holy Spirit moves through this whole church. Soften hearts so that everyone may become Jesus Christ One. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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