Thankful Thursdays is one of seven posts at Lillie-Put dedicated to raising the praise of Jesus in the blogosphere. Today I am posting Darren’s testimony. Darren is the lead singer from We are Messengers Band. You can find out more about them HERE.
Post your own praise story or song in the comments section below.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. Ge. 1:1-5
We have been discussing the attributes of God for the last several weeks. Romans 1:20 says
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
If you have missed any of our previous discussions they can be found on THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS PAGE.
What do we mean when we say God is gracious? Watch this.
My sister’s friend from Zaandam has sent us further updates of my sister’s fund-raising campaign to the Netherlands.
Here is Mirjam’s update.
All the Easter services are over…
All the Easter eggs have been found and eaten…
Feeling the post-Easter dip?
Don’t know what to do with yourself?
Why not head over to http://www.tinyurl.com/brendalillie
and pledge some money to help Brenda J. Lillie get back to the Netherlands as soon as possible!
Tomorrow night the StageLife Theater production team is having a meeting. On Skype, because unfortunately we’re still not all in the same country. And while Skype is great, sometimes Brenda J. Lillie looks like this, and sounds even weirder.
It would be really great to get her back in the Netherlands so we can get on with building this ministry together. She only needs $340 a month more in order to come back.
If you want to help, please go to http://www.tinyurl.com/brendalillie and pledge. Any amount is greatly appreciated!
“Engaging in prayer turns Kingdom priorities into present realities.” -Anon
Worship Wednesdays is one of seven weekly posts on Lillie-Put designed to facilitate a culture of worship.
Check out
MAGNIFICATION MONDAYS
TEHILLAH TUESDAYS
THANKFUL THURSDAYS
FAITHFUL FRIDAYS
SHOUTIN’ SATURDAYS
AND SACRED SUNDAYS
When you have finished praising here today add your own praise post in the comments section below
Information on We Are Messengers Band can be found HERE
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Ma. 26:41
Welcome to Magnification Mondays. One of those places at Lillie-Put where we seek to make God great!
Happy Easter Monday everyone! Celebrate with us and with David Phelps.
Here is some more info on the Gaither’s Ministry.
George Santayana is quoted as saying, Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
In the world failure to look back and remember the lessons of the past is a sure way to make sure we are going to make the same mistakes again.
In Christianity the stakes are even higher. A failure to look back at the cross and receive not just its lessons but its purpose does not mean it will happen again in the future. Christ was crucified once and for all time. He will not be crucified again. In this case refusing to look back effects those who refuse to do so. Those who will not look back at the sacrifice of Christ have no future to look forward to. Without the cross there is only a certainty of future judgment. Life, at death, becomes torment without hope.
Holy Week must seem strange to those who are not Christians. A celebration based around the brutal and unjust death of our founder would on the surface seem counter-intuitive. But the truth is, that death needs to be celebrated because without it we have absolutely zero hope of reaching Heaven.
Isaiah says it this way,
Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression[a] and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.[b]
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes[c] his life an offering for sin,
And Paul says this,
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:a The old has gone, the new is here! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.21God made him who had no sin to be sinb for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
But it is not even enough to look back at the cross. In looking at the cross and receiving Christ’s forgiveness our own pasts are absolved but we cannot stay in the place of forever looking back at the cross. Holy week does not end at the cross or at the grave. It comes to fullness at the empty tomb. It is not the cross that propels us into the future but the resurrection! Jesus died but then He rose again. Death couldn’t hold Him! And death cannot hold his followers either!
Jesus said, I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. John 14:18,19
Here is the thing I am not waiting to start living my resurrected life. I looked back many years ago and received forgiveness from Christ. From that day on I have begun living my eternal life. I am now always looking forward to what God in Christ has for me.
AND YOU CAN TOO! START BY LOOKING BACK AT THE CROSS AND ASKING FOR FORGIVENESS. THEN LOOK FORWARD IN FAITH BELIEVING THAT THE RESURRECTION SHALL BE YOURS.
Happy Easter everyone! Here is one of my favorite Easter quotes from this week.
I love the thought that I am an Easter Person and as such I am able to overcome despair. What an awesome quality to possess in this epoch of history!
Please add your own quote or Easter song in the comments section.
