by Pastor Cecil | Oct 16, 2019 | Mark
Mark 6:51
“Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.”
It is easy to slip into the habit of thinking that the disciples of Jesus were spiritually mature and always believed without ever having doubts or questions. His disciples had just witnessed Jesus feed 5,000 men (not counting the women and children) with just 5 loaves and 2 fish. Just a cursory calculation will reveal that it would have taken about 10,000 pounds of bread and fish to feed the multitude. Not only that, they had far more food (twelve baskets) when they collected the left-over broken pieces. We are told that they failed to believe because of their hardened hearts.
Jesus saw them straining at the oars during the fourth watch (3-6 a.m.) and He came to them walking on the water. When Jesus got into the boat the wind stopped and they were frightened and astonished…because they lacked faith and still had hard hearts.
They were very much like we are in our day and age—always asking for more and more, but not having a heart that is humble and broken before our Creator and eager to acknowledge Him as the Lord of our lives. The enemy of our soul delights in sowing the seeds of doubt which cause us to try to explain things as being coincidental or to be able to reason them out scientifically.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 7, 2019 | Mark
Mark 13:33
“Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.”
From my study of Bible prophecy I have concluded that there are no further prophecies that remain to be fulfilled before the Lord appears to call His church to that wonderful home that has been prepared for us. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” – Revelation 22:20.
With the return of Christ near at hand there is much work for us to do. We live in the midst of a lost and dying world. The word of hope and salvation that the lost need to hear should be on our tongue. As people see Jesus in us, we need to be ready to share the gospel message with them and have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
The first day of April and as you know many call it April Fool’s Day. It is commemorated by playing practical jokes and spreading hoaxes on the unsuspecting. Those playing the jokes reveal their deception by shouting “April Fool’s” at their targets.
Sadly, there are those who treat the prophecies of Christ’s return as only a joke, or they claim that we believers have been deceived. We have already observed enough fulfilled prophecies to know that Christ’s return is real and imminent. It is no prank just waiting to fool the unsuspecting. It is going to happen – – BE PREPARED!
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 1, 2019 | Mark
Mark 5:20
“And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.”
On the way to the land inhabited by the Gerasenes the disciples encountered a storm that was worse than anything they had ever experienced. They were certain their boat was about to be swamped and all of them would drown. In Mark, chapter four, we read about how Jesus calmed the storm (another one of His many miracles).
When the disciples’ boat finally arrived on the shore, they were greeted by a demon possessed man with super-human strength. Knowing who Jesus was and recognizing His authority, the demons begged to go into a herd of swine. Jesus granted their request (which demonstrates to us the power He has over demonic forces).
The man, now delivered and free from the demons, was so grateful that he begged Jesus to allow him to follow Him. Jesus declined, but told him to go home and tell his family. In today’s Scripture we read that the man went far beyond. He began to preach to the ten cities of the region.
We have no idea who this man was, but I eagerly look forward to seeing him in heaven to hear how it felt to be changed from maniac to minister to the Gerasenes.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 1, 2019 | Mark
Mark 13:33
“Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.”
From my study of Bible prophecy I have concluded that there are no further prophecies that remain to be fulfilled before the Lord appears to call His church to that wonderful home that has been prepared for us. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” Revelation 22:20.
With the return of Christ near at hand there is much work for us to do. We live in the midst of a lost and dying world. The word of hope and salvation that the lost need to hear should be on our tongue. As people see Jesus in us, we need to be ready to share the gospel message with them and have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Today is the first day of April and as you know many call it April Fool’s Day. It is commemorated by playing practical jokes and spreading hoaxes on the unsuspecting. Those playing the jokes reveal their deception by shouting “April Fool’s” at their targets.
Sadly, there are those who treat the prophecies of Christ’s return as only a joke, or they claim that we believers have been deceived. We have already observed enough fulfilled prophecies to know that Christ’s return is real and imminent. It is no prank just waiting to fool the unsuspecting. It is going to happen – – BE PREPARED!
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 14, 2019 | Mark
Mark 9:50
“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”
I once heard this wonderful illustration about motivating someone: While it is true that you can lead a horse to water, you can’t make him drink. But, you can salt his oats.
Some of us in Christian ministry wear ourselves out trying to force people to “drink” (spiritually) when they show no inclination and, in fact, flatly refuse. We heap on guilt or glitter, but there are still no slurping sounds. What is the answer? SALT THE OATS! Right! How do we do that? It is a good question and deserves careful consideration.
Salt is a very valuable mineral and has served many purposes throughout centuries. It is used to preserve food, to season foods, and even for its medicinal qualities. In Roman times the soldiers were even paid in salt, which is where the word “salary” came from. If you’ve heard that odd expression that someone “is not worth his salt,” it refers to the payment in salt that a soldier received.
With this bit of information in mind, in what way can we become “salty” Christians? Have you ever been in a room full of people and acted like you were yawning? Do you know what happens? Others start yawning themselves. Perhaps you could say that you “salted” the yawn reflex. We need to salt the oats spiritually!
There is no way we can live indifferent Christian lives and be salt and light to those around us. If we do that, we have lost our saltiness and no longer possess the appeal that will draw others to walk close to Christ. Are you salting the oats?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 13, 2018 | Mark
Mark 9:50
“Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”
Salt is very valuable and across the centuries it has had many uses. It was used to preserve and season foods and for its medicinal qualities. In Roman times the soldiers were paid in salt. That is where the word salary came from. When you hear the expression “he’s not worth his salt” it refers to the payment in salt that was received.
I once heard a preacher use a wonderful illustration. He said something like this: “While it is true that you can lead a horse to water, you can’t make him drink — but you can salt his oats!” I cannot begin to tell you the number of times I have thought of that illustration since first hearing it.
Some of us in Christian ministry wear ourselves out trying to force people to drink when they show no inclination and, in fact, refuse to drink. We heap on guilt or glitter, but there are still no slurping sounds.
What is the answer? SALT THE OATS! Right! How do we do that? It is a good question and deserves careful consideration. Are you salting the oats of those you come in contact with? Are you creating such a desire that people must drink from God’s well that never will run dry? Spend time in God’s Word and experience the thrill that will make you want more and more of Him.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
