Preparing for Haiti ...

By Pastor R Dallas Greene

Here are some of my thoughts on Haiti and specifically how God prepared the team and I for our trip. It was (and still is) an incredible journey of seeing God move and work. I hope that you'll come back throughout the next few weeks to read my blogs on Haiti as we will continue to post them every few days. You'll also be hearing from some of the members of the team and what God did in and through them as well.

Isaiah 58:6 “Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loosen the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?”

I decided to spend the first three weeks of this year fasting and praying.  I know that I would be going down to Belladere, Haiti in April and I was praying this Scripture back to God.  Here were some of my questions and God’s answers:

Q.            How do you want me to fast?

A.            Fast like Daniel eating only fruit, vegetables and drinking water

Q.            What kinds of chains of injustice do you want to unloosen?

A.            The people of Haiti have been exploited unjustly

Q.            What cords of the yoke do you want to untie?

A1            The people of Haiti to break the yoke of slavery to France-made agreement with Satan to owe their allegiance to him if they could be granted independence.

A2            The people of Haiti to experience freedom must renounce their agreement with Satan

Q.            How do you want the oppressed set free?

A.            I want to free them from oppression from the enemy by showing them that I have already blessed them with abundance.  I have already given them plenty of sunshine and 10 million mango trees.

Q.            How do you want to break every yoke?

A.            About 14 days into my fast, I was really hungry.  I had allowed my hunger pains to be a signal to pray.  This time, however, I went to the kitchen to look for food.  On the counter, there was a bag of dehydrated mangos from Costco.  The brand name was Phillipino mangos.  I had learned that a dozen export quality mangoes goes for $1.25.  I figured we could pay the farmers a fair trade price, dehydrate them, export them to America, sell them and return the profits to Haiti.  The profits would be used to transform communities.

SOAP on Mark 8

By Jim Peterson

Scripture:  Mark 8:4  “His disciples answered, “but where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”

My observation:  Even after witnessing the feeding of the 5,000 noted in Mark Chapter 6, the disciples still didn’t understand the power Jesus had to handle a seemingly impossible situation.  I wonder if my reply would have been different.

Application:  when faced with difficult or even impossible situations, I need to take comfort in the fact that God has the power to overcome anything if, in faith, I just ask.

Prayer:  Father, thank you for revealing your power and your love for me through your Word.  I am encouraged to know that you care about what is going on in my life and that you will listen to even my simplest request.  

S.O.A.P. on Mark 6

by Ali Berger (our new youth intern!)

Scripture:

Mark 6: 49-50: “but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Observation:

- Jesus had told the disciples to get in their boat and begin to go to Bethsaida, while Jesus stayed behind and went to the mountainside to pray.

- Jesus saw the disciples struggling to travel against the wind, so He walked out on the water to them. - Jesus meets us where we are at. He desires to carry us through the “storms” of life.

- The disciples are filled with unbelief and are scared, thinking that Jesus is a ghost. -A perfect example of how we react in situations that we do not trust God with and do not expect Him to show up in. When He does reveal Himself in those situations, sometimes we do not recognize that it is Him, and the love and compassion that He has for us.

- Jesus speaks to them and commands them to take courage, affirms His presence, and tells them not to be afraid.

- When Jesus commands His disciples to “take courage” He uses and explanation point. They are seldom used throughout the Bible. This stresses the importance of His command to take courage!

- Courage is defined as: the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.

Application:

- What am I fearful of?

- Do I try to take care of my fears by myself, or do I give God control of my fears?

- Do I look for God’s presence in every situation, or am I filled with unbelief?

- In the storms of life, am I courageous in Christ?

- I can give control of my fears to God, and let Him begin to conquer my fears. I can look for God’s presence in every situation. I can spend more time studying God’s word so that when storms come my way, my faith is rooted in Christ and I will have the courage to face the storms and conquer them with God by my side. 

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for Your desire to meet me where I’m at. Thank You that You do reveal Yourself not only amidst our storms, but daily. Help me to recognize Your presence in my life and to make decisions as a courageous believer. I give You control of my fears, and I ask that you calm and heal them, so that I may no longer be afraid, but be able to face trials courageously. I love You, Lord. Thank you for delivering me. 

SOAP on Mark 2:1-12

By Erin O'Hara

Scripture:

Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Observation:

-          “Their” refers to four friends of a paralytic man were not stopped by a full house or blocked doorway.

-          Spurred on by faith, these four men broke open a hole in the ceiling of this house and dropped their friend in need of healing at the feet of Jesus

-          Jesus recognizes a need (the paralytic man) and responds to faith (of the man’s four friends)

-          Jesus extends forgiveness to the man first.

o   We don’t know if the man was paralyzed by fear, unbelief or even if his physical condition was a result of sin in his life. But Jesus first addresses the brokenness of his soul before his broken body.

-          Later in the passage, Jesus gives complete physical healing.

Application:

-          What kind of friend am I?

-          Do I bring my friends, their sins and/or their needs before my Savior?

-          If a door is blocked or life is busy, does my faith spur me to hack through a roof, interrupt a meeting and take my friend to the Source of all answers?

-          I realize that many around me may be living in sin, unbelief or even paralysis – unable to have faith or bring themselves, their needs to the Great Healer.  I can have faith on behalf of those dear to me. I can pray fervently, believe on their behalf, bring them before Jesus and allow Him to respond to MY faith.

Prayer:

Oh Jesus, Healer, Compassionate Savior – Forgive me for the many times I only think of myself. Help me to have big faith for others. May I be challenged to invade a rooftop to bring my loved ones needs to you for complete healing. I believe you are the only One who can heal. Thank you for teaching me, using me and answering me.

Rescued & Adopted!

By Verlyn Mahaffey

It’s Wednesday, May 9, and I am here at my desk as usual waiting for my early morning friends to arrive to share together our lives, the Word, and a great book we are going through together.  I start to look at my email and I see one that seems so unusual, “Blind dog living in a trash pile gets the most beautiful rescue – The end is amazing.”   I am always a sucker for stories about animals!  I bring it up and begin to watch this amazing, loving rescue of the cutest little dog!  I am hooked and watch as people find him, discover he is blind, dirty and lying in the trash.  They pick him up and take him to a safe place where they wash him, cut his hair, take him to the doctors where it is discovered that an operation could restore sight to him so he could see!!!  And the operation is successful!  For the first time he sees.  You now see not a lonely, afraid little dog but a happy, beautiful little white dog, running, jumping for joy because someone loves him.  And he is ADOPTED!

Immediately as I watch, I think of the hymn, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!  I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.”

God through His Son reached down and saved me from the trash of this world, I was lost but He found me.  I was blind, but now I SEE.  Rescued!  Adopted!  What joy!  What love!  The end is Amazing!

If you would like to see this video just click here!

SOAP on Mark 4

By Pastor Mike Brubaker

SCRIPTURE:
Mark 4:1-20 (especially verse 9)
"And Jesus was saying, "He (or she) who has ears to hear, let them hear."

OBSERVATION:
- A repeat of the thought, "Listen to this!" in verse 3.
- It is more than a thought ... it's an exhortation, "Hear this."
- If you have ears ... use them. An expression in Biblical times "don't miss this" or "catch this."
- Not the repetition ... verses 3, 9 & 23 all in the same chapter of Mark.
- Contrast with the people in the Old Testament and New Testament who listened to the Word of the Lord but did not truly hear it ... they did not understand it, more did they obey it. Very tragic!
- There is an implication here about Jesus. He is claiming to be the Authoritative One saying this parable about the Sower & the Seed ... listen to Him as the Lord! The way we know that about Jesus' Authority is this clause ... "he who has an ear let him hear" is used at least 7 times at the end of each message to the 7 churches in Revelation chapters 2 & 3.

APPLICATION:
- Mike (and church family) ... use your ears to truly hear this parable!
- Mike, (and church family) ... don't miss this!
- Mike, (and church family) ... I, the Lord of the Word and the Lord of the church have given you spiritual understanding ... now use it!
- Mike, (and church family) ... you are sowers of the seed (v. 14), the seed is the Word of God, now go sow the Word in people's lives.
- Mike, (and church family) ... hear this, preach it & teach it; know it & show it; live it & give it and say it & pray it.
- Mike, (and church family) ... you are not responsible for the soil in other people's lives ... you are responsible only for the soil of your own life
- Mike, (and church family) ... sow the Word regularly into the soil of other lives.

PRAYER:
Lord God, help me to submit my heart to King Jesus and receive this teaching from Him. Lord, forgive me when I keep the seed (Word of God) from other people out of fear or busyness. May I humbly and daily, truly listen to you, Lord, and obey Your Word.
Lord God, please give us receptive hearts and listening ears to understand and obey Your Word through Pastor Eric on Sunday, May 6! Amen.

Mid-Week Moment

April 29, 2012

Pastor R. Greene

“The Marks of the Kingdom”

Mark 1:40-45;  Mark 3:1-6

SOAP:      S:  Scripture     O:   Observations    A:  Application   P:  Prayer

IS THERE ANY PLACE IN YOUR LIFE THAT NEEDS HEALING?            

·      God is the Great Physician

·      He can heal any disease

·      God uses many means for healing us.

S:   Mark 1:40-45

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”⁴¹ Jesus was indignant.   He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” ⁴² Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.⁴³ Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: ⁴⁴ “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” ⁴⁵ Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

Observations: 

·      Need for healing:  numbness,  unfeeling,  lacking compassionate

·      The leper was an “untouchable”; alone, lonely,  distressed.

·      The leper got down on his knees;   he called on the name of the Lord.

·      The leper believed that Jesus could heal him. (v. 40)

·      “You will never know what God can do until you ask Him. “  (Pastor R.)

·      Jesus was angry at the disease, at sin, at the effects of sin.

·      Jesus was compassionate at the same time.

Mark 3: 1-6

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. ² Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. ³ Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone”.  ⁴ Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.
⁵ He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. ⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Observations: 

·      Jesus’ enemies were looking for something to accuse Him about

·      Jesus was bold in asking the man to stand up in front of everyone.

·      Jesus was angry at the hardness of the Pharisees hearts.

·      The man had to admit his need “He stretched out his hand”.

Application/Action

·      Are you willing to stand up and admit you have a need?

·      Are you willing to pray for others who have needs?

IS THERE ANY PLACE IN YOUR LIFE THAT NEEDS HEALING?

ARE YOU READY TO PRAY OVER THOSE WHO NEED HEALING?