We gathered the last day of our new family from Perry Creek to worship our Lord with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Pastor John gathered Joel up in his arms and prayed over him because Joel was providing the message this day for his new friends and church family. Young ladies of the church gathered to practice their songs for worship as we sat back and received a blessing from their gift of singing. Meida asked Ginger to come up and read from Psalm 100. We proceeded to begin worship with singing a hymn of praise unto the Lord. Pastor Saul stepped up to the podium and welcomed everyone in the Lord's to as we began our time of worship. Pastor John got up and shared a testimony of his church and once again talked about Psalm 127 being the foundation of his church back home. We are to totally trust and find joy in these words out of the book of Psalm. This scripture speak to us while here in Honduras this week. As the Israelites sang traveling through to Passover God provided for them all they needed and what they had left behind was well taken care of. This past week God provided the means of Pastor Saul to go to Mike and Ginger which in turn Mike and Ginger went to Joel our team leader and Joel presented the request to our church family. We were all obedient to God in providing the Funez family their new home. This was a true gift from God this past week to work with all of you. Thank you for this privilege.
Joel got up to share from God's word out of Luke 7:36-50 "Jesus Anointed By A Sinful Woman".
There are three characters in his passage of scripture, Jesus, Simon and the woman. Both Simon and the woman who we do not know her name, heard of Jesus before Jesus came to their town. Simon invited Jesus to lunch not out of hospitality but to test Jesus. Simon was skeptical of who Jesus was and what He was about. The woman however who lived a sinful life was not invited to the lunch but came to lunch anyways. Because she knew Jesus could change her life. We have here a woman who knows she is wrong but Simon who thinks he is correct.. One day we ourselves will come before Jesus face to face, how will Jesus see us. Are we going to be humble and filled with humility like the sinful woman or are we going to come before Jesus a prideful Christian.
How can we come approach and come see Jesus? There is two ways we should do this and two ways we should not do this. Jesus ate lunch with Simon and the woman came in and cleaned his feet with her most expensive perfume. So like the woman we should approach Jesus humbled and broken. The woman came to Jesus and throws herself at the feet of Jesus with tears flowing down her cheeks. God does not like a man with proud eyes like Simon. But Jesus ate with Simon. The humble woman came knowing she would be judged by others. Simon thinks he knows Jesus and is doing everything just right. No matter how good we are, no matter what all we do unless we have received Jesus Christ humbly we have absolutely nothing. Number two Jesus wants our best. Woman brought Jesus an expensive gift of perfume which she cleaned his feet with. Simon a wealthy man did not take the time to wash Jesus feet.
Two things we should not do is think we are superior to Jesus. Simon understood the parable but in his pride he doesn't want to give Jesus recognition. In verse 43 it shows Simon knew all the right answers but did not personally know Jesus. Number two we can be untruthful to ourselves. Joel shared how he knew the Bible, he knew the hymns, had all the right answers and was always in church but one day God sent the Holy Spirit Joel's way and changed his life forever. Joel now lives his life to please the Lord. Joel lives daily listening to God's will for his life and then all of a sudden Meida stopped talking, stopped translating for Joel almost as if she was disagreeing with what Joel was sharing. I looked at Meida and then at Mike, and said something is wrong with her. I took off of to her as she slowly shut down on me. I took her over to sit her down when along came our servant Beau right up there beside me. Joel graciously said, "I think God is done here for today". As we listened to want Joel shared prior to Meida getting faint on us we never know when our time will come to be face to face with Jesus. Are you ready today to be face to face with Jesus and let him say to you well done good and faithful servant.
Obviously Meida was done for the day but Pastor Saul got up there and led the church family in a time of prayer for Meida as Beau, Mike and I were trying to revive our dear friend and sister in Christ. Meida had gotten dehydrated from not drinking water that morning which we all could learn from. So praise God Meida got better but we saw to it she got water and lunch and sent her home to rest for the duration of this day. Thank you God for Meida and her life as she gives her all to YOU.
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