Sabbath 9/27/14 Daytona Beach SDB Minister Terri sermon The Long Walk Home Matthew 5:10
Think about what God has done for us in our lives. How He has strengthened us when we were weak. How He has been there for us and how we made it through. God turned the evil from the devil into something good for us. The scripture says we are blessed when we are persecuted. Our walk with God starts in the womb because He formed us and chose us. We just didn’t know it. Sometimes God seems far away but He is always with us.
From the time we are born, we start the long walk home. Lots of things happen on this long walk home. Some of us are good little children and grow into dependable adults. There are some of us who are completely wild like we had no home training. Every one of us hears about God at some point in our life, from either family, friends or God himself. When we choose to Not follow God, things seem to be fine with no consequences. But when we Do choose to follow God, it seems like everything breaks loose. There are bumps in the road and craters in the road. All this happens on our long walk home.
One of the craters in the road is persecution. We wonder are we going to fall in the crater or can we walk around it? It’s not so much the persecution we receive for our belief in God, but how we handle the persecution that is put upon us. There are some countries that if you even think about God, you are either whipped or put to death. We, in America, live in a place where we are supposed to have freedom to worship God. Well, right now there is a minister in Columbia, South Carolina that is doing jail time because his church’s praise for the Lord was too loud for their neighbors! The judge sentenced the Pastor to jail.
It will cost them $4,000.00 to sound proof their church. Their church uses a lot of different musical instruments to praise God. But the neighbors decided that it was too much noise and the Pastor was put in jail. The Church is still going on and praising God while this Pastor is in jail. You can find the news story on the internet. This man is being persecuted for his beliefs. But we hear nothing bad coming from him. This Pastor is still humble, godly and still walking with God. He is a show of faith, a testament on how you handle persecution.
This is happening right now and the Word of God tells us there is nothing new under the sun. What has gone on before will go on again. The Children of Israel were persecuted also. I never thought I would see the day when I would have to worry about if I made too much noise praising God. Singing our praises to God. The way you praise God is what reaches His heart. Having someone tell you that your praise is too loud and not legal, gives a lot for us to think about. I don’t know about you, but I would be in jail today. I would be in my jail cell praising and dancing for God. The jail guards would be saying “Miss Wilson, you need to calm down.” I would throw up my hands in the air and keep praising God!
So let’s keep this pastor and his congregation in our prayers because Praise is what we do! We don’t need to be afraid to praise God in any form or fashion. Our long walk home from our birth until we see God is filled with lots of dangers seen and unseen. This is why in my benediction, I ask God to shield us from danger seen and unseen, so that we may gather together again to praise God’s Holy Name. It is through Him that we are protected. Even when the law says we are wrong, it is God saying we are right. God inhabits our praise. Be mindful that even though it may not be legal to man, it is pleasing to God.
AMEN
Think about what God has done for us in our lives. How He has strengthened us when we were weak. How He has been there for us and how we made it through. God turned the evil from the devil into something good for us. The scripture says we are blessed when we are persecuted. Our walk with God starts in the womb because He formed us and chose us. We just didn’t know it. Sometimes God seems far away but He is always with us.
From the time we are born, we start the long walk home. Lots of things happen on this long walk home. Some of us are good little children and grow into dependable adults. There are some of us who are completely wild like we had no home training. Every one of us hears about God at some point in our life, from either family, friends or God himself. When we choose to Not follow God, things seem to be fine with no consequences. But when we Do choose to follow God, it seems like everything breaks loose. There are bumps in the road and craters in the road. All this happens on our long walk home.
One of the craters in the road is persecution. We wonder are we going to fall in the crater or can we walk around it? It’s not so much the persecution we receive for our belief in God, but how we handle the persecution that is put upon us. There are some countries that if you even think about God, you are either whipped or put to death. We, in America, live in a place where we are supposed to have freedom to worship God. Well, right now there is a minister in Columbia, South Carolina that is doing jail time because his church’s praise for the Lord was too loud for their neighbors! The judge sentenced the Pastor to jail.
It will cost them $4,000.00 to sound proof their church. Their church uses a lot of different musical instruments to praise God. But the neighbors decided that it was too much noise and the Pastor was put in jail. The Church is still going on and praising God while this Pastor is in jail. You can find the news story on the internet. This man is being persecuted for his beliefs. But we hear nothing bad coming from him. This Pastor is still humble, godly and still walking with God. He is a show of faith, a testament on how you handle persecution.
This is happening right now and the Word of God tells us there is nothing new under the sun. What has gone on before will go on again. The Children of Israel were persecuted also. I never thought I would see the day when I would have to worry about if I made too much noise praising God. Singing our praises to God. The way you praise God is what reaches His heart. Having someone tell you that your praise is too loud and not legal, gives a lot for us to think about. I don’t know about you, but I would be in jail today. I would be in my jail cell praising and dancing for God. The jail guards would be saying “Miss Wilson, you need to calm down.” I would throw up my hands in the air and keep praising God!
So let’s keep this pastor and his congregation in our prayers because Praise is what we do! We don’t need to be afraid to praise God in any form or fashion. Our long walk home from our birth until we see God is filled with lots of dangers seen and unseen. This is why in my benediction, I ask God to shield us from danger seen and unseen, so that we may gather together again to praise God’s Holy Name. It is through Him that we are protected. Even when the law says we are wrong, it is God saying we are right. God inhabits our praise. Be mindful that even though it may not be legal to man, it is pleasing to God.
AMEN