View video of Pastor David's "June 3, 2007 - Bristol AG 80th Anniversary" message. Includes: Part 1 - "Great is Thy Faithfulness" and Part 2 - "Pentecostal Power".
My friends, there are three things I urge you to do:
- Read the Word of God daily!
- Pray unceasingly!
- Assemble together often to worship the King!
"Two blind men were sitting by the road. When they heard Jesus was passing by they cried out, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!" The crowd that was following Jesus warned them to be quiet but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"
So Jesus stood still and called them and said, "What do you want me to do for you?" They said to him, "Lord that our eyes may be opened."
So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him." (Matthew 20:30-34)
The cry for mercy by the two blind men was met with God's heart of compassion. Jesus is God come near to us. Jesus personally touches the eyes of these blind men and they receive sight. We believe this to be true. The crowd did not care about them. The crowd gave them bad advice. It is a good thing they did not listen to those people.
Often times we listen to the wrong things. Instead of calling on God by faith we listen to the whining and the warnings of the world. "Don't bother", "You're wasting your time", "Just get used to being blind and stuck there by the road". Listening to the wrong advice can leave you in the dark for a long time.
However, the desperate cry for help, no matter what state you are in, will cause God to stop just for you. He will call you to Himself and give you a touch of His healing that you will never forget. Then you will follow Him because of His great compassion.
“Who killed Jesus?” was the question Diane Sawyer posed to Mel Gibson, producer and director of the movie depicting the last twelve hours of the life and death of Jesus. (The Passion of the Christ 2004). The church I grew up in as a child, brought the subject up every Sunday. Being Bible believers, we read, practice, and teach the Bible everyday in our home. When I posed this question to our children, my twelve year old daughter did not hesitate to answer with the truth that Scripture itself reveals.
Jesus instructed His disciples regarding His death and according to Him, it was God’s will that He go to Jerusalem to die. “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, deliver Him to the Gentiles….and He will rise again.”(Matthew 20:18,19)
Who killed Jesus? The real answer is found in Romans 8:32 and it will surprise you. It is written, “He (God) did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all.” No man on earth could kill Jesus unless God planned it to be that way. Jesus knew this ahead of time and for this reason he came into the world. John the Baptist said, “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Jesus said, “Behold we are going up to Jerusalem.” The Passion of the Christ is the greatest demonstration of Holy Love and Saving Power this world has ever known.
What would the founder of Pennsylvania say to the authorizing of slot machines at the tracks? In a state filled with rich soil, river, and mountains full of wildlife, it would bewilder the peaceful Quaker to think that senators would spend their valuable time reviewing such issues. Gambling is a mindless and destructive use of one's stewardship going completely against the positive principles of productive living set forth by the Almighty Himself!
I read in a senatorial newsletter that in 2001, Pennsylvanians gambled more than 4.7 billion dollars in other states! Is the answer to this unbelievable loss of money the support of gambling in this state? People are throwing their money away for a very quick and risky thrill. Gambling is sin! It will never be justified in the eyes of the Only God who wants us to trust in Him with all our hearts!
Those who throw their money away on slot machines will never receive the promised reward from the Lord. The ones who give faithfully and generously to the Cause of Christ will never lose their reward and will receive a greater harvest of righteousness than what was sown! God will forgive wasteful living, but the consequences of every action remain! Each day of faith living counts with Him. Go and make a difference!
“You are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian.” Ephesians 2:19b (TLB)
The local church is designed to be a family and a place o0f fellowship for the believer in Jesus according to Scripture. In a healthy home, the husband and wife share all things and the children feel safe under their care. What every family needs is the commitment of love and the stability of devotion to each other. A marriage would fall apart if the wife or husband decided to live in other houses or hotel rooms six of the seven days out of the week. If children are involved, they would suffer a great deal under those conditions. In the same way, the local visible congregation of born-again, spirit-filled Christ followers, are called into commitment with each other as the family of God. We are mindful of other church families and pray for them like we pray for our neighbors. Yet, we understand that our commitment to Christ is adequately lived out only in the significant relationships we cultivate in and through our local church family.
A person who never goes to church would never experience the intimacy and the mystery of God’s presence we find when we eat and drink from the Table of Communion. Everyone wants a love that lasts. So many people have entered a wrong relationship just because they hope it will give them something to fill their emptiness. As it turns out, they are left with an even emptier bag than when they began. Every person born on earth needs the personal love of God to make them complete. The Communion Table of our Lord Jesus Christ is all about the personal love of God for you. Best of all, we can experience this spiritual intimacy God wants us all to have!
Available to all who will believe and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead. Cost - Free! Not by works so that no man can boast - it is the gift of God. What are you waiting for? Christ loved you and gave Himself for you even when you were His enemy. Are you a believer? What are you waiting for? You have been commissioned to proclaim this good news in your home, to your neighbors, on your job, in the marketplace, at the local restaurant and wherever you go! Live like you believe!
Where are you going? If you buy a ticket to Hawaii and board the right plane, you expect to be in Hawaii when the plane lands. Let’s say the plane does not leave until tomorrow. The scheduled arrival time is 6:00 PM. If someone asked you today where you would be tomorrow, you could say, “I plan to be in Hawaii at 6:00 PM.” In fact, you are so convinced of your plan you pay the full amount for the trip in advance, pack adequate clothing, and personal belongings, including a camera of some kind, and ensure that you have extra cash to bring along.
Where are you going in the will of God? It may not be as tangible as a travel ticket in your hand but the truth is you can know where you are going in your relationship with God. Faith in Christ’s sacrifice for sin and redemption of our souls assures us we are going to Heaven. Knowing where we will be in the not so distant future should cause us to prepare for it as best we can. In fact, when planning for the destination called Heaven, you don’t need to pack any clothes. You are guaranteed a great time because you will never be sick and there is no sorrow there. The best part…this is free. The only catch is that it requires a commitment.
It takes a commitment to buy a ticket to Hawaii and to follow through with the trip. It takes a commitment to believe Christ and to live in such a way so that when the time comes to board, Heaven is just a flight away!
Why is the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ so important?
That Jesus’ body came alive out of the grave three days after he was pronounced dead on the cross has never been unproven in two thousand years! The Biblical account informs us that Thomas touched Him, the disciples ate with Him, and eyewitnesses watched Him ascend into heaven. It was His recognizable physical being that convinced them He was truly alive. His body was whole and wonderful, without pain or weakness. His body was glorious! Jesus passed through closed doors, appeared and disappeared at will, defied gravity and ascended into the highest heaven in bodily form. Jesus body, though brutally mutilated, did not see decay! There are no old, dried bones to indicate that He remains dead. He is alive!
What does it mean to become like a child? How can an adult humble him or herself to be childlike?
These questions must have gone through the minds of some of Jesus' disciples when He set a child in their midst in answer to their question about who is the greatest. In Matthew 18:1-4 you will read Christ's formula for greatness. This emphasis on little children sounded quite contrary to all the commonly accepted ideas about status. Perhaps as the disciples looked at the child Jesus recruited for His object lesson, they began to see some of the qualities of the child that Jesus valued.
Look at the young ones around you. Notice their total dependence on others? Surely Jesus was calling attention to our dependence on God. How often do we impair our effectiveness by thinking we can get by with just our own ability! What new horizons of growth might become visible to us if we could see beyond the limits of our own resources to what God has made available to us?
What other childlike qualities can you nurture in your life? Openness? Demonstrative Affection? Desire to Learn?
Watch a child and find attributes that you can imitate spiritually. It's the path to greatness!
Many Americans have bought into the idea that faith is a non-essential. Those who have it should keep it private. There are those who fear anyone of faith stepping into a public office. Their reasoning is that people with faith are irrational and untrustworthy. If they are allowed or elected to serve in high positions they will only hinder the progress of enlightened humanity. Faith is not something respected or encouraged in America as it once was. For many, it does not appear on their personal priority list at all.
Jesus said, "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Matthew 7:14
How important is faith? According to the greatest person who ever lived, the "way which lead to life" can only be accessed by faith. One cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven unless they have faith in the God of Heaven. The Holy Bible is more important than any #1 New York Times Best Seller. Those who have faith in God have faith in the inspired scriptures of the Holy Bible. Those who have faith in God's Word have faith in Jesus Christ. Those who have faith in Jesus Christ for salvation are on the narrow (confined) road of eternal life. Why is it narrow?
Because it requires faith! "Without faith it is impossible to please God." Therefore, faith is absolutely essential for the progress of any church, city or nation!
Don't buy into the lie! Build your faith in God!
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion; Then make my joy complete by being likeminded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. ~ Philippians 2:1-4 (NIV)
Intercessory Prayer Intercessory prayer is both a privilege and a responsibility. As Aaron held up Moses' hands, we can help sustain our missionaries as they faithfully work to bring the light of the gospel to people lost in darkness. What a marvelous opportunity we have! Though we are separated by many thousands of miles, God allows us, through intercessory prayer, to be fellow-workers with our missionaries on the front lines of spiritual harvest around the world.