Take up your mat
Acts 9:32-43 32 As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. 34 “Aeneas,” was we Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. 35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. 37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”
39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.
And the miracles continued. The paralytic walked, the dead woman was raised, and the story of Jesus reached more and more people. And do you know what happened? The Church continued to grow.
Physical illness in the Bible is always a metaphor for our spiritual condition. Just as a paralyzed man is physically bound, sin places spiritual constraints upon us.
Jesus came to seek and save the lost, but His compassion moved Him to address physical maladies as well. And, the miracles performed by Jesus as well as His disciples served to validate His identity.
May we follow the examples set by Jesus and His Apostles as they provided for the needy, and may we put our faith into action by taking up our mats and walking along with those healed in both body and spirit.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Great is Thy Faithfulness
Lamentations 3:21-26 (NIV) 21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.
Today The Church at Rock Creek celebrates her 30th anniversary. I have been a part of this church for four years, and only really became plugged in after going through Immerse, followed by joining various Life Groups.
I have heard those early years were hard, yet a dream was born, carried along by individuals who waited upon God, who hoped in God, and whose faith in God sustained them. And they learned that as long as they walked with God, they would not fail.
So today, I join my church in celebrating this landmark. I lift my pastors up in prayer, and praise God that He gave Mark a vision for West Little Rock that continues to impact lives today.
- “Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.- Refrain:
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see:
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
- Refrain:
- Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. - Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow—
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
(Thomas Chisolm, 1923)
May we who make up The Church at Rock Creek continue to be found faithful to the call of Jesus Christ upon our lives.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
I will give thanks
Psalms 7:17 – 8:4 17 I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.
Psalm 8
1 LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
to silence the foe and the avenger.
2 Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
Oh, how I cherish the psalms! When we begin our day with the declaration, “I WILL give thanks to the Lord because of His righteousness; I WILL sing praises to the Lord Most High,” we are setting the tone for our day. When we speak out loud the majesty of God, we are reminded of Who God is!
When we begin to understand that our relationship with Jesus was never intended to be static, but it is a living bond that either grows with attention or dissipates with lack of care, then our time is no longer wasted. We recognize the absolute supremacy of God, and the more time we spend with Him, the more we crave.
Today, let us commit to growing our connection with God by declaring Who He is and who we are in Him. Let us begin each morning in:
Praise
Our Father who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Supplication
Give us this day our daily bread
Repentance
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive the trespasses of others.
Guidance
Lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
Declaration
May we learn to seek out the Lord early, daily, in good times and in bad, for this is the will of God.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen
Overcoming an infamous Reputation
Acts 9:26-31 (NIV) 26 When he (Saul) came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30 When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
As children, we are likely taught that the one thing to value and protect above almost anything else is our name. Saul was proud of his name but found a reputation once established is difficult to change.
Paul tells the church at Philipi, “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.”
But God…because of the sacrificial work of Jesus, we are given a new identity. However we were recognized before, we are now disciples, Christ followers, and nothing will ever be the same.
Still, Saul learned it takes time to rid ourselves of past associations. People were wary of his motives, afraid his new attitude was simply a ruse to find and persecute Christians. But a young man named Barnabus had witnessed the transformation and testified to the veracity of the change. Barnabus accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey and became well known as an encourager among Christians.
May we be aware of how our words and our actions impact others, and may the light of Jesus shine through in everything we do and say.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen
Saying “yes” to God
Acts 9:10-16 (NIV) 10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.
11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem
Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah. 23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.
Do you remember the game, “Pin the tail on the donkey?” Played at childrens’ birthday parties, a child’s eyes were blindfolded, he was spun around two or three times and then pointed in the general direction of a donkey’s likeness taped to the wall. He was handed a paper tail and told to “Pin the tail on the donkey.”
Unlike the game where some light filtered through a blindfold, Saul’s blindness was total and represented the darkness of sin. Ananias, fearful of Saul’s reputation, was still faithful to God’s direction and went to lay hands on Saul. And, when God opens our eyes, we can truly see.
May we follow the example of Ananias whose faith overcame his fear to follow God wherever He may lead.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
