What an incredible day! We did something really different and filmed part of the message 'on location' in a cemetery. Exploring John 11, we read about the death of a man named Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus who he loved. When Jesus gets to the grave site, Lazarus had been dead for 4 days. It was a powerfully defining moment, as Jesus insisted on opening the tomb, and he called Lazarus from the grave and Lazarus walked out, wrapped in his burial clothes from head to toe! Jesus had proved with absolute clarity that he had power over life and death, saying, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even though they die, and whoever lives by believing me in will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26, TNIV)This wasn't just a question for the people mourning for Lazarus, it's the question for us. So today, we asked it boldly and gave people a chance to respond. 28 people decided today for the first time that Jesus is Lord, is the Way, the Truth, the Resurrection, and the Life. Another 18 folks said that they wanted to know more. There is nothing more important on my calendar than following up with these folks.
God is always Good - all the time. But sometimes we are able to see His Goodness more clearly. Today we were able to see God more in an unusually powerful and dramatic way. People's lives were changed. Their eternities were altered. History was made. And the world will never be the same!
(Posted by Brian C. Hughes, Senior Pastor)
5 comments:
When ONE person professes Jesus is Lord, we know there is rejoicing in heaven! What the heck does it look like/sound like when there are 28 at once???
I am speechless and overwhelmed. How can our God be so good?
......because He is.........
wow. wow. wow. yeah you. yeah production team. double yeah God. Seems you will already have your first "why we do what we do" for next year's meeting. A.W.E.S.O.M.E.
Thank you for doing this service. I spoke to you after yesterday's service, I'm the one who just lost my father two days ago and we haven't even buried him yet. The message was a POWER one and just what I needed to hear. When I came to church I said a prayer before entering that I would find peace with the father's death. That is what happen yesterday, I found the peace. GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!!!!
My husband and I look forward to coming to church every Sunday. (we have only missed two Sundays in three years that we have been coming to PCC) We even plan our vacations around not missing a Sunday. Pastor Brian, we love the passion that you have to getting the message out every Sunday. We get all excited about what the message will be about and we walk away with something POWERFUL each and every Sunday. Thank you again for listening to me and for the message, my grieving has started in a positive way. I stepped out of my comfort zone yesterday and you were there to listen, so THANK YOU!!!!
I was so amazed at the response I had to the video portion of the service. I have often wondered how it would be to sit in a service that was video-format. You know some churches have multiple sites and use video or telecasting for those multiple sites. The power of the screen was incredible to me today and I can see how effective it would be to have church done that way. This was a new thought to me since I always thought I would only like church "in person". I have had this service on my mind for so many days now. WOW!
Brian, I can't tell you how meaningful this message was to me.... Kudos to you! = for always allowing God to speak through you in a powerful way! This message was powerful, and to know that 28 people gave their hearts to Christ, is like a spiritual pep rally to keep us all motivated to share God's awesome love with those who are still seeking.!
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