Crossroads Community Church

April 16, 2014 · 0 Comments

We began Holy Week with Palm Sunday and partook of the Lord’s Supper as we prayed for God’s richest blessings to rest upon the Community of Shelburne

The warmth of Spring was in the air and the love of God inhabited the praises of His people as we entered Holy week with Palm Sunday. Worship was heartfelt and Pastor Don prayed over the service. Our sister Shellie came forward to share her experience at a ladies retreat called Redeemed to Restore where she learned to hear from God. With the help of the Lord she faced unresolved emotions and overcame feelings of anxiety over her children and anger of what she has lost, she discovered that God has a purpose and wishes to bless others through her life and by trusting Him she felt free from pain and received overwhelming peace. We pray that many in Shelburne would also get to know God’s peace and freedom. Pastor Don Prayed, “Dear God we thank you for your love and forgiveness, help us turn to you even in our weak moments so we can share your love with those around us, in Jesus name, Amen.”

He then asked, “Do you know anyone with a type ‘A personality’?” They are ambitious, focused, status conscious, truthful, impatient, they want people to get the point and they are extremely proactive. Jesus did not seem to mind type A personalities when He called Peter his first disciple, “18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen,” Matthew 14:18-20. Jesus knew Peter’s heart and also knew he would often fail but Jesus always built Peter’s faith up just like when He saved him from the water,(Matthew 14:30-31). Peter was also the one who recognized Jesus for who He was, when Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was they had differing ideas but God had revealed to Peter that Jesus was the Messiah,(Luke 9:18-20).

We know Jesus loved Peter but when it was needed Jesus rebuked Peter as on the night of His arrest when Peter cut a soldier’s ear,(John 18:10-11). We too like Peter have moments of weakness and failure and we step away from our faith in Jesus as we try to resolve tough crisis on our own. Instead we ought to pray for God’s help and wisdom so we can be at peace. Even with best intentions we can still fail, Peter certainly did, in his passionate resolve to not abandon Jesus , He still denied three times as Jesus had predicted(Mark 14:27-31). Even so Jesus knowing Peter’s frailty and heart, Jesus prayed for Him so that He would not be lost and that He would be an encouragement to his brothers(Luke 22:31-32). Haven’t we all denied Jesus at some point in our lives? Our idle words spoken, or when we fail to share our faith in Him with others we too have denied Jesus, but surely we too can trust Jesus to help us in our times of weakness. Words have power to hurt or heal, to build or tear down , encourage or discourage so we ought to use our words for good and grow wise,(Proverbs 18:21, 16:31).

Our lives should reflect what we say we believe, our Sunday words should match our daily actions, we should practice what we preach, if we talk the walk we should walk the talk,(James 1:22-24). When Jesus sent us on the great commission He meant it,(Matthew 28:18-19). When we don’t do what the Holy Spirit tells us we are denying Jesus, when we fail to be faithful in the little things like inviting people to hear what the Lord has done, we risk missing out on God’s greatest blessings and hindering salvation for others. When this happened to Peter He wept, he felt guilt and shame. How about us, do we feel the same when we have denied Jesus?

Let us take heart Beloved, even if we have failed in the past, Jesus invites us to repent, just as Peter wept and felt ashamed, Jesus wants to replace our sorrow and guilt with forgiveness and purpose. Jesus asked Peter three times “Peter do you love me, Do you really love me and are you my friend?” (John 21:15-17). Jesus forgave and restored Peter for a purpose that he could live for Him and be there for his fellow believers. Since we all fall short of the Glory of God we all need to be restored and Jesus always reminds us that His grace is sufficient for us,(Romans 3:23-24, 2 Corinthians 12:9). When the enemy tries to condemn us with feelings of unworthiness, remember Jesus thought we were worth dying for. So this week we can share the forgiveness and love of Jesus with a friend or neighbor so they too can experience His joy and peace, Asherey Shalom!

To learn more visit www.shelburnecrossroadschurch.ca