l| a time to be silent and a time to speak |l

Thought-provoking Day

Church today was thought-provoking.  

(1) Worship 

Had worship training in the afternoon, and a brother referred us to a not unfamiliar text - Mark 2 - but highlighted something new to me today. 

He posed the question: How desperate are we, to touch God. In the story of the paralytic healed (below), his four friends were desperate enough for Jesus to heal their paralysed friend, that they pushed through the crowd and broke through the roof of JESUS' home, so that their friend would be healed. 

He also pointed out that God works according to our faith... By the faith of these four friends, Jesus healed the paralytic. Can we be the facilitators that bring the congregation through the crowd and buzz, even past the message, to the heart of true worship -- before the throne of God, where the source of the River of Life is? 

And lastly, he said that we cannot bring people to where we have not been. If we, the worship team, doesn't meet God through worship, then how can we bring them past the outer courts and to the holy place? 

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Mark 2

The Paralytic Healed

 1When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home.

 2And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them.

 3And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men.

 4Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.

 5And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

 6But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,

 7"Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?"

 8Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, "Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?

 9"Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven'; or to say, 'Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk'?

 10"But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--He said to the paralytic,

 11"I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home."

 12And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this."

 13And He went out again by the seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.

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(2) God's Calling in My Life

A guest speaker today said, instead of praying the usual 'God, what's Your will in my life?', we should earnestly seek and pray, 'God, what is Your calling in my life?'. For knowing one's calling from God will lead to knowing His will and henceforth determining the decisions we make. Makes sense. 

I really don't want to look back one day, and realise that I've 'missed' the 'original' calling that God had for me. Sure, we can't thwart God's plan for our lives, for He wants to prosper us. But will there be a 2nd best that we settle for unknowingly? Perhaps I'm wrong and it's useless going through this discourse now. Point is, seek for the calling and work towards it. The speaker also said that our calling matches our gifting. Makes sense again. 

Is this the quarter-life crisis? Stuck at the cross-road. 

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As Living Stones

 4And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God,

 5you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

 6For this is contained in Scripture:
         "BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone,
         AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."

 7This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,
         "THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,
         THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,"

 8and,
         "A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE";
         for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.

 9But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

 10for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.