Scripture – NIV
Matthew 28:17 –
When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
Judges 6:12-15 –
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
Mark 9:17-24 –
A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
“You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
“ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
Joshua 1:8 –
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Psalm 1:2 –
…but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
Bob’s thoughts:
We were looking for a church where our grandchildren would be comfortable while in our care for the weekend. Their cousins, who attend here and whom they normally see, would not be there this weekend and I didn’t know if it would make a difference. My granddaughter was rather matter of fact: “Well we have to go to church” whereas my grandson was less enthusiastic but willing to go.
Because one of our daughters and her family worship here, we are familiar with the church and many members. We have heard how God is growing this church, but I was still surprised how many people I didn’t recognize since our last visit. I was greeted by only one person, another sign of a growing church. I had a vision of this church building a new physical church and I think God is giving them a heads up as to His plan.
Because we worshiped here with Fountain Park, I was lamenting the loss of the impressive wooden cross usually kept to the side of the stage until I realized there is a cross on the stage, it was partially blocked by the praise band.
The pastor’s message about our doubts keeping us from action for Christ was brought home perfectly with his story about an encounter between his father and a seeker. I had recently read an observation by Henri Nouwen that “Rabbis guide their people with stories and ministers usually guide with ideas and theories” I think with the intention that we all need to tell our story.
The female worship leaders’ voices were complementary and sounded great together. Though I couldn’t stand and sing, I enjoyed the enthusiasm of the praise team.
The pastor opened the message talking about trust falls, which made me think: We just did a sort of trust fall in the recovery room. I felt fine and didn’t realize the anesthesia in my leg had not worn off. When I stood to prepare to go home, I crashed to the ground and took my wife with me. After what should have been plenty of time, I collapsed again. My wife was smart enough to stay out of the way this time and I got to stay overnight for testing. However, I was presented with a bunch of people to witness to and tell my story.
One more thought: I finished the last of the decaf at church Sunday morning and filled my cup the rest of the way with regular. It was the first really enjoyable cup in a long time.
Jan’s thoughts:
Two of our grands were staying with us for the weekend, so we took them to their church. As usual, many folks greeted us and we were made to feel especially welcome.
This was the fourth message in the series entitled Hear It, See It, Risk It and was called Doubt – Spiritual Hearing Loss. One of the most personally powerful declarations I heard was that doubt is a question whereas unbelief is a conclusion. It made me realize I had been confusing the two for some time, so this was a huge relief to me.
His instructions for when doubt strikes included: prioritize hearing from God, look for answers but live with mystery, and act on what you heard last.
He ended with an intriguing story about seeing God at work in the lives of several people in some incredible ways, but only because those people were willing to take a risk God led them into. The story is ongoing, so I hope I get to hear the end when it comes about.
Our prayer for this church:
Lord, we pray You make Your plans for Your church known in Your perfect time. Amen.
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