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Ministries
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We started out this rally tonight wondering what differences there would be in praise if cartoons got saved. Those of you who came late? You snooze, you loose! It was kind of silly, but fun! Yabba dabba do yah! Rah re ruh yah! It reminded us that it's our job to praise God in a whole new way. Not all cartoons were included. Remember those roadrunner cartoons where the coyote falls off a cliff and the impact creates a kind of grave? That's what happens to us when we don't have hope. We crash and burn. We need hope. On Sunday so many of us gathered to celebrate the hope we share in Jesus' resurrection from the dead at various worship services around this island. Little did we know that the next day, the bad news about the closing of Molokai Ranch would hit us like a ton of bricks. But God is still in control and God is still good! And that is the news that we need to share. Some people who were, and many people who weren't, at our sunrise services have suddenly had their lives changed. There are still many questions, and lots of anxiety. The one thing that seems to be in short supply is hope. That's the challenge for us Christians. We have to express our hope in a whole new way! We have to point people to Jesus, not by our words but by our love and by our lives. When Peter encountered the beggar outside the temple (Acts 3:6), he didn't say "Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee… in the name of Jesus be saved!" No. Instead, Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk." Peter helped deal with his physical need so that the man's spiritual need could be taken care of. When Jesus walked on the earth, what was His primary concern? The kingdom of God. How did He show that? He taught, He healed, and He fed. Some people came to get healed and never even came back to say thanks. But that didn't stop Jesus from healing. Some came only for the bread He had, but that didn't stop Him from feeding them physically and spiritually. Some people only came for the show, but that didn't stop Jesus from teaching them about the kingdom of God. This is not the time for bumper sticker Christianity. If we go up to someone who's just lost their job and maybe their home and tell them "Your future's so bright you just gotta get some sunglasses!" It will be taken as a slap in the face or even as a curse. As James writes "Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?" We know that God has given us a future and increased our hope… but they don't! We know that there's hope for eternity when you know Jesus… but they don't. And we know when things get the darkest that we can turn to the Light of the world who will lead us through any trial… but they don't. Before they are ready to hear our gospel, they gotta see our Jesus.
And He has put us here, on this island, at this time, to be His hands,
and His arms, as our sister Haunani just shared about getting a hug
when she needed it most. We are here to be messengers of His love. You know after hearing so many stories about fire, I'm hesitant to
go on, but do you remember Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah? They were
taken captive and given new names in Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego. They were promoted to important jobs. But they refused to
serve the gods of that land. They worshiped the one true God. So they
were bound and thrown into a blazing furnace. The fire was so hot that
it killed the soldiers who threw them in. But when the king's advisors
looked into the fire pit they weren't dead. They were walking around.
King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers,
"Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?"
They replied, "Certainly, O king." He said, "Look! I
see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the
fourth looks like a son of the gods." Nebuchadnezzar approached
the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!"
When they came out everyone was amazed. The fire had not harmed their
bodies, not a hair of their heads was singed; their robes were not scorched,
and there was no smell of fire on them. BUT the ropes that bound them
were burned off. They weren't harmed, but the rope was gone. The fire
that was meant to kill them actually freed them. Even though their circumstances
looked grim, God had not let them go. God brought them from hopeless
circumstances to a new life filled with hope. |
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