Worship Service

 

This year is going to be different in alot of areas and worship is one for now anyways.  As we shared with a long time retired missionary and friend, one day at a time sweet Jesus.  So Sunday morning we had our pancakes of course, this has not changed.  But worship service followed on the North American porch as Mark brought the message from God's Word.  I believe it is said where two or more or gathered God will be glorified.  Mark obviously spent quiet some time on his preparation for sharing the gospel.  Thank you Mark for the time you took to share the Word.

Title of Mark's sermon was "Having Unlimited Faith".  Mark shared with his fellow police officers sitting in the circle how we all wake up each day not knowing what the day will hold.  Actually this applies to all of us.  But Mark shared his unlimited faith in God is what pulls him through all aspects of his daily walk.  This last year in both Honduras and United States has been a year where we may not want to remember.  Many times we need to remember our past in order to move forward and build for the future in our relationship with God.  God tells us in Isaiah 46:9 "Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me." to remember because He knows we have a tendency to forget.  Mark shared three points to always remember to help us get through tough times"

Remember whom you are!!!!  Galatians 3:26-29, "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Remember who you belong to!  Isaiah 43:1 says, "But now, this is what the Lord says-He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel; "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine."  No matter what storms you are going through God is always with  you.  It does not matter if a hurricane is coming through, if a pandemic or sickness is among us or if you're having problems in your family, He will always be right there walking with you through all the suffering.  We as believers must always remember to give Him praise as well.  He is walking along our side in the good time and through all of our accomplishments.  God deserves all the praises in all circumstances.

Remember where you are going! If you are a born again Christian and you believe in Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior your final destination is in Heaven.  Many times we find comfort in knowing where our love ones are when they take their last breath.  Their final citizenship is in Heaven.  Philippians 3:20-21 says "But our citizenship is in Heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body."  The things we endure here on earth are nothing compared to what we will experience in Heaven.  Remember you belong to Heaven and not to the world.  You have a Savior and His name is Jesus Christ.

God's Presence is with You:

There is no way anyone can covey or describe how close God wants to be with you.  When you believe, you truly give your life to Christ and accept Him into your heart then you will begin to understand God's desire to be with you.  We cannot just reach over and physically hold God's hand.  We have to have faith that He is right beside us.  Acts 17:27-28 says "God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us.  For in Him we live and move and have our being." Matthew 28:18-20 says, "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Understanding this concept of the Holy Spirit being with us always sometimes does not come easy.  We have to rest our soul, we have to have peace of mind, and joy in our spirits.  When we discover these things and have faith it will free our minds from unneeded anxiety and it will shine a light to guide our way giving us the wisdom to navigate the craziness of our lives.  This is also something we can say one day and forget about it.  How are we to keep God close to us.  We must work and remain in His Word studying and praying daily as much as possible.  2 Timothy 2:15 says, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the Word of Truth."  Dwelling on His Word as much as possible and praying with keep us focused on our faith in God.

Our Father Never Forsakes His Children:

Not only must we remember how God feels about us and we must understand God's Presence is always with us but we must understand that God will never abandon or forsake His children. Sometimes we may feel abandoned by God.  When we have natural disasters, death, famine, persecution, and whatever negative events that has occurred in today's society we must understand God has not left us.  Have you ever felt abandoned, forsaken, or forgotten by God?  One of the hardest lessons to learn in our faith is to not trust our own feelings in these times of grief.  WE are human and as such our will power sometimes is not strong.  We allow ourselves to let our emotions get the best of us thus clouding our judgement and causing us to lose focus on God and what He has in store for us. Consider Jesus on the cross.  He must have felt forsaken by God His Father during the pain and sufferings  that He endured.  How could God the Father abandon His only beloved Son!!! Jesus said in John 8:29, "The One who sent Me is with Me, He has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him." 2 Corinthians 5:16-19 says, "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.  Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them.  And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation."

Having Unlimited Faith gives us comfort in knowing God has a plan regardless of the situation.  Mark referred to the story of Job and how he lost everything but still continued to have complete and unlimited faith in God His Father.  So when Satan tempted Job, Job stayed strong in God is Father.  And at the end of the chapter God gave Job a new home and a new family and once again because Job was faithful and trusted God's provision, his provision was restored.

Mark shared as he was preparing the sermon he realized being surrounded by religion was not enough.  Mark shared he needed a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Mark shared the story of the woman who reached out to touch Jesus, if she could only touch Him she would be healed from numerous years of continuously bleeding.  This passage is in Mark 5:25-34.   The woman's touch was very different from just touching something.  Her touch was a touch of faith that Jesus would and could heal her.  Mark 5 was telling us that it is not enough to know that Jesus is the sacrifice who delivered us or the Savior of the world or the mighty healer and worker on our behalf.  It is only enough if we put our hand out and touch Him.  This touch of faith isn't the causal touch of careless presence by simply going to church, singing hymns or worship songs or putting money in the offering plate then forget about everything at the end of the last song until the next church service. This is the casual Christian who doesn't know the touch of faith.  We must live our faith out every single day of our life.  When we truly believe we have strength and courage to shine our light to our communities, our job, our family, our country, in whatever we are doing and where ever we are.  This looks very different sometimes depending on our lives.

If you want to believe and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ it is simple.  You only need to pray and ask Jesus Christ into your heart.  Ask Him to forgive you of your sins and believe that He is the true Lord and Savior.  If you believe and "Have Unlimited Faith" you will meet your Heavenly Father one day.