Now
there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called
Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great
number of disabled people used to lie – the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One
who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him
lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he
asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
“Sir,”
the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is
stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
Then
Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was
cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The
day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to
the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry
your mat.”
But
he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”
So
they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”
The
man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the
crowd that was there.
Later
Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop
sinning or something worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the
Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.
So,
because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began
to persecute him. In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at
his work to this very day, and I too am working.”
This
church is spread over numerous buildings in an urban setting; we had looked forward
to visiting for some time.
I was
surprised not to find a cross somewhere although there may have been one
projected on the wall. The large sanctuary was pleasantly and tastefully
decorated.
With
the number of people worshiping on a Sunday it is understandable that no one
would recognize us as visitors.
I thought
the musicians were talented. Also they must have a good business manager to
keep this all together.
The
sermon was based on the paralyzed man whom Christ healed at the Pool of
Bethesda from the 5th chapter of John. The message was well
developed and delivered.
One
of the interesting points was the man didn’t search after Jesus to thank Him or
even to see who He was. We are all a thankless lot, we focus on the gift and
not the Giver, and we quickly forget how low we were.
God
spoke to me through the message: I have not been near what I can be in Christ.
This was a wake-up call to get back to where God was calling me.
I
am overjoyed we finally made it here. The size of this complex is surprising,
and though we wandered around some I’m sure there was much we did not see.
In
addition to a Saturday service, there are four services on Sundays. We arrived
before the earliest service let out so were able to note the sanctuary was just
about filled to capacity, and the same was true of the service we attended.
Naturally,
with a congregation this size it is not possible to notice visitors, but those
with whom we spoke were gracious and hospitable.
I
know many churches have a counselor on staff, but this one has a Counseling
Ministries Department.
The
facility was beautifully decorated and the sanctuary especially was stunning
with icicle lights all around, amazing lighting, and an impressive sound system
that did not overwhelm even our sensitive ears.
Early
in the service one of the pastors spoke some and lead a prayer during which all
present were given a moment to ask God what He wanted to be different in our
individual lives, then reminded that we need to trust and obey and to have
faith in God, not faith in our faith.
The
sermon, “Powerful Evidence,” explored the importance of gratitude and a personal
relationship with Christ as both a basis for and evidence of our witness. A couple
of points that caught my attention were: we cannot be powerful on our own, we
need God’s Spirit to be powerful; the healed man in the Scripture, his focus
was off…like the religious authorities, he was more concerned about the
legalities of carrying a mat on the Sabbath than in knowing Jesus’ name or
expressing gratitude for his healing.
He
quoted A.W. Tozer that “God waits to be wanted,” and warned against being what
Tozer called “nominal Christians” who warily watch God from a distance but refused
to make a commitment to follow Him. He referred to those people as “God
stalkers” and queried those present whether we wanted to know God or were
content just to be God stalkers.
I
was strongly affected by this worship service. The preacher spoke with passion
about “our living, passionate God.” The third point in his sermon notes was, “He
(the healed man) had been in that sad condition for so long that his will was
as paralyzed as his body.” I know how it feels to be healed from a lack of
expectation and hope, and this message made me realize I want and need to know
the Healer more.
Lord, we pray the world will see Your glory. May we always seek to be a beacon for You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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