I was recently reading Mark 2, and to be honest, it's hard to get emotional when I think about where we are as it relates to Christ and people attending church and spending time with Jesus.
Let me begin this letter by saying -- you do not have to attend church to be close to, or spend time with Jesus. That is a true statement. I've spent time with my Lord in lots of different places and lots of different ways. One of the best ways, however, is just by being in His house, by worshipping His name, by reading His word and last but not least, spending time with His Children.
Never am I closer to Jesus than I am at church. The Bible says "the church" is the Bride of Christ. Don't you think the Lord loves spending time with his bride? I heard a pastor say once, "I don't have to go to church to be a Christian, just like I don't have to go home to be married, but my wife is a lot happier with me when I do." Back to Mark 2! Jesus had entered Capernaum and the people heard that he arrived. The Bible says, "They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them."
That's what makes me sad about society today, spending time with Jesus doesn't generate the kind of excitment it once did. Smaller churches are closing in large numbers, because the excitement is gone. I thought about this verse after driving home from New Hope on a recent Sunday. We had more than 60 in attendance, some faces we hadn't seen in a while, and a few new faces, too! There was a buzz and an excitment. We didn't reach Mark 2 levels where "there was no room left," but it sure does create a great atmosphere when more people are attending.
On this Sunday Louise had brought two first-time visitors with her and one of those visitors confessed that he had heard a lot about me, because Louise is so excited about the things going on at New Hope. I was humbled by his compliment and trust me, I understand that any excitement that is generated is courtesy of the Holy Spirit. If I am a vessel, I am honored, but all glory goes to God.
Louise is excited and that's great and I have heard from others of you that you are as well. We need that excitement. We need continued growth and if that's going to happen, it falls on all of us, to make it so!
In Mark 2, there was no more room, so look what the Bible says, "some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
At this point, our roof is safe, there is plenty of room for us to scoot over and make room in our pews, but it's it a great thought, that people are so excited about spending time with Jesus that they crowded the place he was at. They crowded it so much, these men had tear a hole in the roof and lower their friend to Jesus.
The Bible doesn't say it, but I have to think Jesus smiled a big smile as he saw this man in need of healing being lowered in. Scripture says, "When Jesus saw their faith," the paralyzed man was healed.
That kind of excitement didn't start in the wedding at Cana where Jesus turned water into wine, but that moment did start to generate some buzz. With each thing Christ did, as more and more people encountered Him, more and more people wanted to be around him. For us at New Hope, that's my hope and prayer. No we didn't start out with 125 people, but maybe a little buzz created on Easter of 2018 that carried over, continued to create an excitment about how God is working at our church.
I will close by challenge us all. Do you know anyone in need of healing? I am asking spiritually, physically or emotionally? Have you tried bringing them to Jesus? That's what we all should be doing, so excited about the healing we receivied that we can't wait to get others to come and experience it, as well.
If there is a buzz, let's keep it rolling and ind someone who doesn't have a church they attend regularly. Share the excitement that God is creating in our church family and then ask them if they want to come and see. Invite as many as you like, we have a little ways to go before we need to start tearing holes in the roof!!!!! Blessings and Much Love, Pastor George
Comments