QUARTERLY JOURNAL
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When the Stones Cry Out

“He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.’ ” – Luke 19:40 ESV

When Jesus came down from the Mount of Olives, the Saints, those that believe in Him, rejoiced and praised God with loud voices. “And when He was come nigh even now at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the might works that they had seen;” (Luke 19:37). Some of the Pharisees who were in the crowd told Jesus to rebuke the crowd for making loud noises. I think what they were really saying was, “It don’t take all of that,” or “Why are you making all that commotion, that’s not necessary,” or here’s another one, “Who are you to be rejoicing and praising God after what you did last week? or some folk revealed what they are thinking by their actions. Have you ever noticed that while some folk are standing up and waving their hands and rejoicing and praising God, that a certain percentage of the church congregation are still sitting and going through great pains not to make any sudden movements? Sometimes I think this is due to guilt. Sin will make you feel guilt and if a person did something that they feel was contrary to the Word of God and they have not resolved the conflict or have not confessed the disobedient behavior (sin) then they may have a difficult time freely praising the Lord during Worship services. It is possible that spiritually and subconsciously, John 4:24 may be in action during worship services, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

In the case of the Pharisees they hated Jesus as well as His believers and they wanted Him dead and His believers silenced. The Lord responded as magnificently as always, “…I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out” (Luke 19:40). The bottom line is that somebody or something is going to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice. It’s either going to be people, or it’s going to be the rocks. One Sunday we should put a camera outside looking at the rocks so that when it’s time to rejoice and praise God and the people in the sanctuary decide to sit and not rejoice and praise God, then we can look and see something else rejoicing and praising God, and it could be the rocks outside.

The Lord lets us know that if we are quiet the stone will start shouting. Do you want stones to be rejoicing and praising God instead of you who the Lord has equipped to do it? Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again, I say, Rejoice”. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 says, “Rejoice evermore.” Revelation 19:9 says, “Let us be glad and rejoice…” The word rejoice is mentioned 253 times in the Holy Bible. The word rejoice means “To give joy to.” It is a transitive verb is characterized by having a direct object.

Rejoice is a word of action towards a direct object and for us that object is our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, and we need to show action when we worship and praise the Lod.

So, the next time we have an opportunity to rejoice let’s do it, without hesitation, so the rocks don’t need to cry out.

 

Submitted by Trustee Stanley Ridley



Living on Purpose with Purpose

Some of us are born to sing; others are born to shop. Among us we have a variety of great abilities. Some of us are gifted mathematicians, teachers, or motivators. Others of us can fix computers, or program them. Still others can sew, or say so. Some of us are great orators, or writers. Some of us are great athletes. Others are very creative. Some of us are great expositors; others great listeners. You and I have a variety of great abilities, but do you know what our greatest ability is…? Responsibility. The sum total of our lives is how we handle responsibility. Responsibility is your ability to respond to life. It’s reflected in that bios-life that Pastor preached about – it’s what makes us human – and it’s a gift from God – to be able to live the Zoe-life in the midst of our humanity.

Much of our life has not been in our control. We did not choose our parents or when or where would be born. We did not choose the unique gifts and talents that we proudly bask in – Responsibility is how we handle everything else; how we respond to what life throws our way, and impacts us more than any other thing. It may surprise you to know that although very gifted, God cares more about our character than our achievements while we’re here on Earth. God put us on the Earth for primarily two reasons: To know Him personal, and to develop character. Our lives today are preparation for what’s to come, and how we respond ought to be indicative of a follower of Christ, who know that he is the one who give meaning to life. We ought to live responsibly know that we are a steward of the life we have been given.

Responsible people make the most of the life they have been give. Accordingly, we are admonished in Ephesians 5:11-17 with these words from The Message Bible: “Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose those things to the sham they are. It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ. Wake up from your sleep, climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light! So, watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times. Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.” From this day forward, may we be inclined to live our lives on purpose with purpose.

 

Submitted by Deaconess Irene Gardon



Saved By the Gospel

“Be Ready Always to Give an Answer to Every Man that Asketh You a Reason of the Hope…” 1 Peter 3:14-15 KJV

I have not vetted the facts, but I recently read somewhere that based on present growth rates for the world population and religious groups, in roughly 180 years, half of the world’s population will be Muslim. It was stated that if the growth rate continues as it currently is, in 80 years Islam will surpass Christianity and become the world’s largest faith-based group. It stated that Islam’s rapid growth is mostly the result of a higher birth rate among its followers, and that Islam also wins more than it loses through conversions. I don’t know if this is true or not, and I only mention it here because I wonder if the face of Christianity is changing.

At this point in my reading, I was challenged to write down the number of people I had talked to one on one about salvation in the past 12 months. I wasn’t embarrassed to write down my numbers, but I was embarrassed that they were so low. The book that I read alluded to the possibility that the message of soul saving salvation has become a thing of the past for the Christian church. It talked about how Sunday School is not like it used to be and Wednesday Night Bible Study and Prayer Meetings are grossly unattended, in comparison to Sunday Morning Worship. The writer went on to say that because of the declining two-day dialogue about the Word of God, ignorance is growing at an alarming rate amongst Christians, and that many Christians struggle to articulate sin vs. sins; reconciliation vs. redemption; and law vs. grace. He said that like the 9-month bulge in the belly of a pregnant woman, we too are about to give birth to a new offspring of Christian believers, but the coming generation bears no resemblance to God, the Father, or Jesus Christ, His Son.

I guess I was a little bothered by it all, because on some level it seemed to ring true; and I wondered what has changed about Christianity; Jesus is the same! I was forced to ask, “Are we spending too much time on Church Programs, and not enough on investing in the Kingdom of God? Are we truly about our Father’s Business? And do we really know what His business is? Are we doing His Will?” I know that individually some of us are doing great things, and if asked to write down numbers of those whom you have talked to about salvation in the past 12 months, the numbers would be great; but the real question is, what have we done with Jesus? Is it just enough that you have your ticket to Heaven, and everybody else can get there on their own? While I may have my questions about the direction that the Church is heading, I know this: Christianity is not for weaklings, or the faint of heart. It takes courage to follow Christ, especially in the silent repression that we face every day as our culture becomes more secularized, and anti-Christian. Could it be that we have become less vigilant to take the Kingdom by force, because the World system operates on individualism (love of self); Secularism (god is not necessary); & Relativism (making oneself the standard)? I fear that the world has lost respect for what the Church has to offer due to growing compromise within and it is my sincere prayer that we do not shift our focus from the Great Commission, for it was the preaching of the gospel that saved me.

 

Submitted by Deaconess Irene Gardon