Show of hands – How many people here believe in God? Don’t be shy. If you believe in God raise your hands.
I want to share with you a very brief life story…
When I was in the second grade on occasion some of us boys were in the fashion of handing girls notes that would say “Do you like me? Y or N”. Now if they circled Y “and that may have been perhaps 10%, then we would be play mates during recess – swing on swings, hang on the jungle gym, if we play kickball make certain you are on the same team. However when recess was over so was what we knew of as “The Relationship”.
Towards the end of the second grade my father passed away. Although a sad event in my life, as I look back there were some blessing delivered. First I was introduced to Death which made me more aware of Life – becoming more mature. Additionally I grew closer to my mother and my mother has a close relationship with God so I gained a relationship with God through my mother. I was baptized July 29, 1975 at Camp Hunt.
Now my home congregation in Schenectady NY had a vibrant youth group. Full of leaders such as Doris Polnich, at this time we had a strong youth group. We had rock stars like Joe Hamilton, Charlotte Hamilton, Doris Polnich, John Fender, Aaron Feur, Laurie Lantz and many more. They would do things like get together just to sing and praise God, knock on doors, meet twice a month for Youth Meetings, travel around the state to Youth Rallies at sister congregations, attend events at NCJC. They were on fire. I was not yet a teen but I benefited from this. I would hang with them.
As I became of age those individuals moved on and the dynamic as well as those who were leaders of the congregation changed. A typical Sunday morning for me was to rise early and participate in the bus ministry. When classes started I would conduct the children’s worship service while adults attended class. During worship service I was the song leader. After services I would continue my work on the bus ministry. This continued on through my Senior year in high school. In my senior year King Bernie with a group of young folks from Texas came to NY and started a Campus Crusades for Christ movement on the local college campuses. They wanted me to go to college locally and join their forces.
But by this time I was feeling exhausted and just want to get away. Away from the Church scene. Away from the work. Away from the service and ministry life. So I went to the University at Buffalo. It was there that I met this girl. We started dating.
I recall on one of these dates we were going to see a movie using the public transportation and at a bus stop on Kensington Ave in Buffalo it was cold. So cuddling together to keep warm during a quietness of the moment I started singing the song – Jesus, Jesus. She wanted to know what that was all about. I told her that it was just a remnant from my past – don’t concern yourself.
Later that year we went to visit my Mother and my girl friend had all types of questions. Of course my mother had all types of answers – divulging my experiences with service to the Lord.
When we got back to Buffalo, Tessa, now armed with my history, wanted to start going to church regularly with me. I said sure – but I am not getting involved. We can just be observers was what I was thinking.
Now if any of you know anything about church services you will know that there is some singing, some praying , the Lord’s table is served, some more singing, some preaching and then an invitation is offered and during the invitation the preacher will say “come forward as we stand and sing”. It is at this time all those that want to leave early, go to the rest room, stretch their legs get up and if they are sitting on the preachers right they turn left out of the pew or if they are on the preachers right they turn out of the pew and head toward the back.
Well Tessa was taking that opportunity but instead of turning left – she turned right to the sound of Just As I Am. Instantly I realized what was happening. My eyes began to well with tears of joy. An elderly woman sitting in back of me tapped me on the shoulder and stated to me “Don’t cry. Would you like a tissue? ” She handed me a cloth to wipe my tears.
That moment – I will never forget. It change my life. My whole perspective about God’s purpose for me in my life and about my dedication.
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In Exodus there was a man named Moses. Moses, a Hebrew by birth, raised along side the privileged of Egypt knew who his kin were. While out one day he witnessed an Egyptian treating a Hebrew person harshly. Moses rose up a killed the Egyptian and buried him.
Another day Moses was out in the population and he noticed two Hebrews at odds with one another. As he attempted to mediate, one of the Hebrews said to him, “Are you going to kill us as you did the Egyptian?” At this point Moses knew he was in trouble because what he had done was known and he would have to pay for his actions with the Egyptians. Moses fled into Midian where he married.
While Moses was working in the pasture an angel appeared to him as a burning bush that was not consumed by its flames. Then Moses heard the voice of God who told him first to remove his shoes because where the bush burned was Holy Ground. Then God requested of Moses to return back to Pharaoh in Egypt because God remembered his people the Hebrews and the hardship they were experiencing at the hands of the Egyptians and to tell the Pharaoh to let the his people go.
Moses gave God several excuses why he shouldn’t go
- Who am I? I am a nobody to make such a request.
- Whom should I say sent me.
- They will never believe I am having a conversation with Almighty God.
- I am not eloquent in speech.
- Please send someone else.
Cerebral Palsy is a debilitating disease. I know that when parent see children running and playing, active – it must grieve their heart. To know their child may never run and play and be active in such a way.
It must grieve the heart of our Father in Heaven to see us stumbling around like babies sometimes. As Christians we don’t want to share the love, we don’t want to share the joy, we don’t want to share the gospel of our blessed Lord Jesus and the life he offering all because we might be embarrassed, we lack the courage, we don’t think it is our ministry, because we’re lazy. Now if you are a new Christians you need to be afforded all the patience and time to grow properly from milk to meat. But if you are a mature Christian regardless of your age…
Why did Jesus come to Earth. There were several reasons.
- To fulfill the Law (Matt 5:17)
- To Reveal the Father