By Our Words

If there is one word that strikes fear in the hearts of most church goers it is “evangelism”.  Most of us understand the necessity of people meeting Jesus.  All but the most callous are heartbroken at the thoughts of friends and loved ones spending an eternity far from God. 

And yet. . . Yet, so often we are reluctant to share our faith.  We don’t know what to say, we are afraid to offend, we are worried about what people will think of us.  And so we justify and rationalize and talk about our spiritual gifts and the gift blend of those who are successful soul winners.  And we still feel guilty about not saying anything. 

We’ll tell people that they have a flat tire, we’ll tell people that they left their lights on in their car or that they left their purse on the table at Tim Horton’s.  We will tell them about the great book we read or the new restaurant that we just tried.  We’ll share our political views and occasionally our fries but are reluctant to share the one thing that we say is of eternal importance, our faith.

And I understand that, like you I’ve made the list of people I was going to pray for and then lead through the plan of salvation.  Maybe, like me, you have memorized the “Roman Road” or some other list of scriptures that show people the necessity of accepting Christ.   And for those of you who think a Roman Road is a cobblestone highway it’s not.  Well technically it is, but that’s not all it is.  It is also a method that uses scripture from the book of Romans to lead someone through the plan of Salvation.

Romans 3:23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

When I was in university I took a course called Personal Evangelism and we used the book “You Can Be a Soul Winner, Here’s How.”  And as part of the course we had to go to the doors of complete strangers get ourselves invited in, compliment them on their home and children, show them the necessity of meeting Jesus and lead them through the plan of salvation.  It sounded very similar to the training I received before I began my very short lived, 1 week, career selling Filter Queen Vacuum cleaners.  I passed both courses and sold one vacuum cleaner and didn’t lead anyone to the Lord.

After I graduated from College I went to seminars put on by various groups, I read and re-read “Out of the Salt Shaker and into the World”, “The Master Plan for Evangelism”, “Contagious Christianity” and “Just Walk Across the Room”.  I have memorized acronyms and have trained for umpteen different crusades and have taken part in 3 “Billy Graham Schools of Evangelism”  And I still don’t do it well enough or often enough.  But I’m trying, and we should all be trying. 

I feel like the old preacher in Georgia who used to say “When a farmer prays for a corn crop, God expects him to say ‘Amen’ with a hoe.”   You can’t simply pray for someone’s salvation and never talk to them about your faith.

But this morning I’m not here to put a guilt trip on you about not sharing your faith, and maybe you are thinking: “Well, it’s a little late for that.”  

There is a phrase that most of us are familiar with, if only because of the plethora of medical shows that have graced television over the last fifty years, and that term is “First do no harm.”  Many believe it came from the Hippocratic Oath, which was kind of a code of conduct produced by a Greek doctor five hundred years before the birth of Jesus. And that’s about half right, the principle is there, just not phrased that way.  But the principle is, before you can begin to heal you need to make sure that what you are doing will not harm your patient. 

The scripture passage that was read this morning includes that same advice for us as Christ Followers.  We may not feel that  we are gifted or capable of being a soul winner but it is vitally important for us to do no kingdom harm in how we deal with people on a day to day basis.

And so in the last part of his letter to the Colossians Paul writes these words, Colossians 4:5-6 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

And so Paul begins by telling his listeners Colossians 4:5-6 Live wisely among those who are not believers . . .

Live Wisely  It is interesting to see the difference in the earlier translations, the King James Version spells it out this way. Colossians 4:5 ^KJV Walk in wisdom toward them that are without. . . Them that are without.  Without what? I don’t want to get all scholarly on you and go spouting on about the original language however the word that is translated “without” here literally meant “outside the door”. 

And we are sometimes uncomfortable with the concept of “in” and “out” when it comes to the Christian faith.  It seems so exclusive. And so we use phrases like “Who am I to judge?”  “they are very spiritual” “They seem to be” But the New Testament speaks in terms of black and white, you are a believer or you aren’t a believer.  Even Jesus draws very distinct lines in the sand like when he said in John 3:3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

And two thousand years ago the line was very plain, being a Christian wasn’t socially acceptable, it wouldn’t advance your career or make you friends.  Instead it would cost you friends, and your career and maybe even your life.

Today the line is blurred because there are cultural Christians.  To illustrate: I am a Habs fan, don’t look at me that way. When we returned from Australia I decided that if I was to truly embrace my Canadian identity that I would need to have a hockey team to cheer for, so I chose the Habs.  It didn’t take long to discover that in hockey there are Habs fans and anyone but Habs fans.

Now in saying that I really don’t know anything about the Habs, don’t know their history, have only been to one live game, and that wasn’t willingly and the only games I watch on TV are during the playoffs, if then if there isn’t anything else to watch and I’m not reading a book. At any given time I can usually only name one or two players on the team.  And you are thinking you’re not much of a fan.  Don’t judge me. Who are you to say that  I’m not a habs fan?

It’s the same way in Canada with religion, most people know that they need to be identified with some religion and so for whatever reason they choose Christianity.  They really don’t know anything about Christianity, don’t know it’s history, the only services they get to are the playoffs, you know wedding funerals, Christmas and Easter, and that’s only if there isn’t a conflict with other things in their lives. And if you question their commitment they say “Don’t judge me. Who are you to say that  I’m not a Christian?”

But two thousand years ago the lines weren’t blurred and Paul recognizes that those in the early church were going to have to co-exist with those who were outside the church, those who weren’t believers.  And he doesn’t tell them to cloister themselves in little commune, only venturing out when absolutely necessarily, instead he acknowledges that both those who embrace Jesus and those who don’t are going to occupy the same communities. 

There are times that we wish we could live in a world that shared our beliefs and our culture and our language.  That we would never have to worry about people challenging our faith and blistering our ears with their language.  But that wasn’t a reality for the church in Colossi and it’s not a reality for us today, and it shouldn’t be.

God loved lost people so much that he made the greatest sacrifice that he could for them, he sent his son.  And the very first believers were commanded to become fishers of men.  And one of the things that I learned while I was fishing with my dad was that you were a lot more apt to catch fish if you were where there were fish.  And so the early church knew that if they were going to love lost people like God loved lost people that they would have to be willing to make sacrifice like God did.  And by choosing to live with those who did not believe they often faced persecutions and scorn and even death. 

And by choosing to live with those who did not believe they were able to demonstrate the love of God and to live a godly and holy life and because of that those who were without became those who were within.    But we aren’t just told to live with those who don’t share our beliefs we are told to live wisely with them.   

Notice that he didn’t tell his readers to live smartly but to live wisely.  And there is a difference, I heard an article on the radio this week about EQ, and that’s not to be confused with IQ.  IQ measures your intellectual ability.  EQ measures your emotional intelligence and emotional intelligence impacts many different aspects of your daily life, such as the way you behave and the way you interact with others.

One author wrote “If you have high emotional intelligence you are able to recognize your own emotional state and the emotional states of others, and engage with people in a way that draws them to you. You can use this understanding of emotions to relate better to other people, form healthier relationships, achieve greater success at work, and lead a more fulfilling life.”  Or as Paul wrote,  Live wisely among those who are not believers.

And that is tough.  Paul is telling the church to live in such a way that their lives won’t be a hindrance.  That people won’t be able to use as an excuse but look at . . .  and you can fill in the blank.  They are no different than me, or they did this or they did that. 

Just think before you do something.  We need to live the way that Christ commanded us to live, love the way Christ commanded us to love.

And the passage continues Colossians 4:5-6 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.

Be Aware  When I took Personal Evangelism it was very much concerned with meeting someone and initiating a spiritual conversation, leading them through the plan of salvation, guiding them through a decision and prayer and pointing them to a church.  And people go saved that way, but seriously.  You don’t have to be strategic about find someone who doesn’t know Jesus.   The story is told about a battle during the civil war and the fortunes had turned on the Union troops and the commander called for a retreat.  When suddenly an enlisted man broke ranks, ran across no man land, hit a confederate soldier with his rifle and carried him back dumping him a the officer’s feet.  The officer looked at the man and said “Where did you get him?”  to which the man replied, “Over yonder and there are enough there for everyone.”  You don’t have to look very far to find those who need Jesus; they share your work place, your class room and might even live under the same roof.  Be aware that people are watching how you live and what you say.   There is so much truth in the statement that you are the only bible some people will ever read.  They are watching what you do and what you say, which leads us to the next point.

Colossians 4:5-6 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

Speak Graciously The bible constantly warns us of the danger of the tongue, and we are all aware of that.  We don’t need Solomon to tell us things like Proverbs 13:3 Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything.  Or Proverbs 15:2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.

And it was Abraham Lincoln who said “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt”

And this is tough, probably not for you but for me.  There are times I think I need to have business cards printed up that say “I’m sorry, I’m a jerk”.  Because too often I am to quick to speak my mind, or to be sarcastic in my response to someone. 

Paul tells us to make sure our speech is gracious and attractive.  But listen to how the New International Version translates this verse Colossians 4:6 ^NIV Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.   Not just gracious but filled with grace.  When you talk to people who don’t share your faith is your conversation filled with grace? 

And while salt is common place today, two thousand years ago it was an incredibly valuable commodity.  I could preach an entire sermon on salt, and I have.  But let it be suffice to say that salt was used for preserving food, for flavouring food, for medical reasons and even as part of the salary of Roman soldiers was designated for the purchase of salt.  Thus the phrase “Worth your salt.”   It was seen as something of great value.  Is that how our words are seen, not by us, but by those who hear them? Or overhear them.

I’m afraid that there are times that the closest my speech comes to be flavoured with salt is that it stings, and that’s not the way it’s supposed to be.  Which is why we are told in Ephesians 4:15 to speak the truth in love.  It’s easy to speak the truth, not so easy to speak the truth in love.   

And one of the greatest culprits these days is Social media; regardless of how you feel, people aren’t going to put their phones down. 

And all too often we use social media to vent and it really sets up a “them and us mindset.”  We are right and they are wrong, and here are all the reasons they are wrong.  And while it’s easy to hide behind our Facebook or Twitter profiles the damage that can be done is immeasurable.

Larry Wilson, the pastor of Fall Creek Wesleyan Church, recently posted a blog entitled “8 Social Media Mistakes You Need to Stop Making Right Now”  and in it Larry writes, “Advocate any position you truly believe in. But please do so kindly and with no attempt to humiliate, crush, demolish, wreck, or reduce to a puddle of tears the people who disagree with you. Say something nice or at least say it in a nice way.”

Words are words, and they need to be spoken with grace and seasoned with salt, regardless of whether you speak them, write them, post them or tweet them.  Very few people have ever been argued into Christianity, and probably fewer still have been embraced Christ because of a rant they’ve read on Facebook about their lifestyle posted by a nasty Christian.

Remember when your mother used to tell you, if you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all?  Not bad advice. 

And this goes back to the live wisely, check stuff before you post it, because when you don’t sometimes you end up looking like an idiot and if it’s in any way connected to your faith it makes all Christians look like idiots, just sayin’.

And as long as we are here, listen to Paul’s words in Ephesians 4:29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.   Did you catch that?  Don’t use foul or abusive language.  And I don’t care if everyone uses this word or that word, if you have chosen to follow Christ then you have chosen a higher path.  And that applies for what you post online, and also who posted it before you.  When you repost something and the original title contains vulgarities it reflects on you and if you profess to be a Christian then it reflects on the Christ you serve.

I have seen people from Cornerstone post wonderful spiritual stories followed by something with language that would make a sailor blush, I know, I blushed.   So in case you found Paul’s words a little vague I will read them again, slower.  Ephesians 4:29 Don’t use foul or abusive language.

You can’t separate your faith from who you are, and you don’t want to.  It’s not enough to speak graciously to co-workers and strangers and then snipe at your family and friends.  Or the other way around, only being nice to the folks you know.  And I understand that there will be times that you have to defend your faith in no uncertain terms.  But you don’t have to be nasty or get personal about it.

And you are thinking “That’s really tough”  Yep, sure is and it’s not something you turn on and off.  Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:1 So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.   How do you do that?  By embracing the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.  Seriously you can’t do it alone and that was never the intent.

Have you given your speech over to God?  Every day? Have you asked him to guide your words and to make them gracious?  Every day?

If you pride yourself on your sarcasm, or being able to put people in their place with your words you might have a problem.

We are told in Galatians 5:22-23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  What if our speech was coloured by those characteristics?  

So, knowing that you can’t do it yourself, and knowing that the Holy Spirit can produce that kind of fruit in your life, is today the day that you surrender your will and your words to the Holy Spirit?  

Even Now

Where is he?  Where?  Where is he?  How many times had she asked that question over the past four days.  Her only brother had come down with some mysterious virus and nobody could do anything for him.  Well nobody except for their friend Jesus.  How many times had he reached out his hand and the blind had seen, or the lame had walked.  If there was any hope for Lazarus it would only be through Jesus.  Granted she hadn’t actually asked Jesus to come, she had only sent word that His friend was deathly ill.  If Jesus was the friend that he professed to be wouldn’t he have come?

But she had waited and Lazarus got worse, and she waited and Lazarus died, and she waited and Lazarus had been buried.   Jesus had healed the paralytic and he didn’t even know him, he healed the blind man who was just a face in the crowd, surely he would come for his friend.    And still the thought tormented her, where was he, surely she couldn’t have misjudged Jesus so badly.  He had eaten at their table and slept under their roof surely that had meant something to him, or maybe not. 

And then a murmur began to weave it’s way through the crowd that had gathered to mourn with the two sisters, the master is here, Jesus has arrived.  And Martha couldn’t help herself, she was on her feet rushing to meet her friend.  The thought that had burned in her heart was already on her lips,

John 11:21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.

I don’t think it was said with a mean or vindictive spirit, but I don’t think it was simply a statement of fact either.  I think she was disappointed in Jesus and felt betrayed and I’m sure the question even though unasked could be read in her eyes, “When you heard he was sick, why didn’t you come then?” 

Max Lucado says that “The grave unearths our view of God” And he’s right how often have we heard “God if you existed my child wouldn’t have died, if you’d have answered my prayers my life wouldn’t be empty, if you cared my mother wouldn’t have developed cancer.”? 

How often are we guilty of dealing with God in that very same way, of demanding to know why he doesn’t do it the way we want it done, when we want it done?  The experts tell us that it would have been a two day walk from where Jesus heard the news to Bethany, and you all know how an expert is defined?  X being the unknown quantity, spurt being a drip under pressure.  So if we take the experts word for the distance and add to it the two days that Jesus waited before he left we come up with a grand total of four days, the exact number of days that Lazarus had been in the grave. So Lazarus was dead before Jesus was even told that he was sick.  Sometimes we just don’t know.

And then she said the most incredible thing, something that revealed volumes about her character and her faith, John 11:22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

“Jesus I may not understand what you’ve done, I may not be able to explain it, I may not like it but even now I still believe that you are capable of anything.”

How about it people?  Are you convinced even now that he is able to do anything?  Are you?  What do you believe that God can do even now through Cornerstone Wesleyan Church?  All we have to do is look at what He has done in the past to see what he can do in the future; because what he did yesterday he is capable of doing today.

1) Even Now God Can Do The Impressive.  I love the story of Gideon.  Maybe you don’t know it, after all it happened almost three thousand years ago.  It was during a time that Israel had come under foreign rule, the story is found in the book of Judges.  The Midianites had conquered Israel and the people had run for the hills, literally living in caves and ravines.  Not satisfied with that the Midianites made a nasty habit out of burning any Israelite fields they found and killing their animals.

In a situation like this who do you need?  You need a hero right and where do you find a hero, well I checked the yellow pages and they skipped right from herbs to hobbies.  But if you’re God you don’t need the yellow pages and so an Angel was sent to a young farmer named Gideon.  Well to make a long story short Gideon raised an army of 32,000 men not bad.  But God said “Hey you guys could defeat the Midianites all by yourself, tell anyone who is afraid to go home.”  That did it, 22,000 of them left.  Imagine how Gideon must have felt.  But still 10,000 is better then none.  But God said  “Hey Gideon still too many, get everyone to drink from the stream and keep only those who drink from their cupped hand.”  Well maybe you know what happened 9,700 of them knelt down to drink and Gideon was left with 300.  To quote God in Judges 7:7 The Lord told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.” And he did! 

Now that’s impressive.  But not necessarily impossible.  You see the three hundred men surrounded the Midianite camp in the middle of the night each one armed with a trumpet, a clay pot and a torch.  On a prearranged signal they blew their trumpets and smashed their clay jars, waved their torches and yelled  “For the Lord and for Gideon.” Well the Midianites had just been woken up, panicked turned on each other and beat a hasty retreat. 

God does some impressive things in our lives, perhaps helping us deal with anger, or helping our relationship with our spouse or our children.  People have prayed for work and found the perfect job.  That’s impressive.  People have been sick and others have prayed for them and they have gotten better, that’s impressive.  God answers prayer in an impressive way, but none of those things were impossible.  People have found the perfect job without praying, sick people have gotten better without praying, relationships have been restored without God.  But he does do impressive things in answer to our prayers.

Are there situations in your life that you need to say, “Even now I believe God can do some impressive things for me.”  Maybe you’re at the end of your rope in your marriage or frustrated with your children and you feel like only a miracle could help, he’s still in the miracle doing business.  God still does the impressive.  Throughout the Bible we read how God stepped in and helped his people.  Abraham, David, Solomon, Joshua, Moses, Daniel each one could tell an amazing story of the impressive work that God did for them and even today there are people who would confirm that even now, May 18, 2014 ,God does the impressive.

God has done impressive things with this church. 

Twenty years ago, next month, you could have fit Cornerstone around a kitchen table.  Nine years ago there were forty of us meeting together at the LeBrun Centre in Bedford.  Today close to three hundred or us meet each Sunday in a multi-million dollar facility and there are probably three times that many in the community who would identify themselves with Cornerstone.  “Of course Cornerstone is my church, I go every Christmas.”  And that’s impressive but not impossible.  After all every church was started at some point. 

God can and will continue to do the impressive through Cornerstone Wesleyan Church.  When?  Even Now.

2) Even Now God Will Do The Improbable.   Do you remember the story of David and Goliath?  It seemed that everyone wanted to whump on Israel, this time it was the Philistines.  The story is found in the book of 1 Samuel 17.  The Israelites are on one hill, the Philistines are on another hill and the Philistines trot out their Champion, Goliath, and he was one big sucker standing over nine foot tall. Throwing down a gauntlet Goliath says, 1 Samuel 17:8-9 Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves!

Well, none of the Israelite soldiers were all that excited with the prospect of taking on this guy.  But along came David, not a soldier a shepherd, not an adult but a teenager and armed with a slingshot and five smooth stones he killed the giant and saved the day.

What would you say to that a professional soldier armed with the very best armaments available to him challenged by a mere boy with little more then a toy.  What are the chances of David being the victor.  Possible but not probable.  Hey, God not only does the impressive he does the improbable.  Daniel surviving a night in a den full of lions, Abraham and Sarah having a child in their nineties, Noah building a 450 foot boat miles from the nearest major body of water.  Impossible no, improbable yes. 

And God does the improbable today.  People addicted to one thing or another who have tried everything to break that addiction have turned to God and have conquered it.  Possible yes, probable no.  But even now God does the improbable.  Through prayer abusive husbands have become loving mates, shrewish wives have become encouragers and impossible teens have become our friends. 

Possible yes, probable no.  But even now God does the improbable.  Cancer patients have been prayed over and all traces of the disease have disappeared, Possible yes, probable no.  But even now God does the improbable. 

What are some of the improbable things that you need doing in your life, things that just aren’t likely to happen.  Need a personality transplant, he can do that, need self-control he can do that.  Do you have giants in your life that need to be put down?  He still helps to defeat giants.  And not only can he do the improbable in your life he can do the improbable in your church as well.  He’s already doing it. 

When we moved into the building almost nine years ago we decided that we needed to do more to impact those in our greater community and those in our world.  And since then we have provided thousands of pounds of food for Feed Nova Scotia through our monthly collections and Harvest for the Hungry.  We have provided meals for thousands of people who have been staying at Ronald McDonald House while their children were being treated at the IWK.  CIA has had an impact on the lives of people we will never meet because of work we have done at shelters for homeless teens and victims of domestic abuse, have served meals in soup kitchens and sorted through tons of food at Feed Nova Scotia.

Through your sacrifice we have drilled wells in five villages in Sierra Leone, have provided  resources for homeless teens in Odessa in Ukraine and made a difference in the lives of countless others in Haiti, Ghana, Thailand and Cuba.

A little over a month ago 27 families from Cornerstone stepped up to the plate to sponsor children in Peru in Partnership with Compassion Canada.

In the past five years we have sent men, women and teens from Cornerstone to West Africa, Haiti, Cuba and Guatemala.  And they have trained leaders, built homes for widows, taken hockey bags of medical supplies and held orphans in their arms.

And ten years ago if we had of told people the impact that Cornerstone would have locally and globally we would have been told, “Well sure that is possible but it’s really not all that probable.”     

And today God still wants to do the improbable through Cornerstone.   Today God can help us to minister in improbable ways to our community and to our world. When?  Even now.

3) But Even Now God Does Do The Impossible.  Let’s return to our original story.  Jesus friend Lazarus becomes ill and his sisters send news to Jesus.  As we noted before in the account we have they don’t actually ask Jesus to come but judging by their reaction they expected him to come.  Not only did they expect him to come they expected him to come and heal their brother.  That much is evident in Martha’s  words in John 11:21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.  and the words of her sister in John 11:32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  

Now that’s pretty much laying it on the line, isn’t it?  “If you had been here you could have done the impressive, you could have even done the improbable, but you weren’t here and now our brother is dead”

Now you would think that with expectations like that and knowing Jesus the way we know him that he would have rushed to be with the sisters or knowing that he wouldn’t have made it in time did a God thing and zapped Lazarus back to health long distance. We would think.

But listen to what happened.

John 11:5-6 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days. Now I don’t know why Jesus waited two days, and I’m not going to pretend I do.  What we do know is that when Jesus heard the news his friend was already dead and ready to be buried.

And then he came.  But Lazarus had already been in the grave for four days.  And even though it would appear that Martha had reprimanded Jesus for not being there sooner she tells him “It’s not too late because even now you can perform a miracle.”

Could you do that?  Standing next to your brother’s filled in grave could you express that type of faith in God?  You see her statement was not so much saying that she believed that Jesus could raise her brother, but she would trust him even if he didn’t. 

Martha was saying.  “Even now I believe that you can do anything, but I will trust whatever it is you do or don’t do.”

But the story doesn’t end there, because Jesus goes to the tomb, let’s read John’s account of what happened, after all he was there.  John 11:38-44 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.” Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

Guy’s been dead five days, in the grave four days and he’s brought back to life.  That is impressive, and it’s improbable and it’s also impossible.  Dead people don’t come back to life that just doesn’t happen.  But it did happen.  You see it is the reality of what the Angel Gabriel told Mary in Luke 1:37 “For nothing is impossible with God.” and Jesus summed it up when he said in Luke 18:27 Jesus said, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.” 

And guess what God still does the impossible today.  People can change their behavior but only God can change their hearts.  What have you been told is impossible in your life?  Can you say with Martha “Even now”?

What would you have God do with Cornerstone Wesleyan Church?  Can you see it as God sees it?  Can you see it not as it is but as God would make it? 

Close your eyes for a minute and answer this question, if Cornerstone could be anything and do anything without taking into consideration any human limits.  Forget about money, buildings, or staff what do you believe God can do with this church? Because even now God can do the impossible.

This year we will continue to be there with a hot meal when families come back to Ronald McDonald House after spending the day next the sick bed of a child.  And while we need Vashti and Wanda to co-ordinate that effort it would be impossible for them to do it themselves. It becomes a reality when God’s people step up.

CIA will continue to minister in the downtown core, impacting the homeless and the hungry.  And while Pastor Ben co-ordinates the operations it will be men, women, teens and children giving up a few hours on Saturday who will make it a reality.

Right now James Galsworthy is in Uganda representing his God and his church.  Have you been praying for James?  Right now Val Lewis and I are working on a project that will take a team of doctors and health professionals to the Kamakwie hospital in Sierra Leone.

How many wells can be drilled in the future? How many children can be sponsored?

Pastor Marilyn and her team are working on a healthy marriage workshop for the fall.  We have dozens of children’s workers speaking God’s truth into the lives of children every week.  Pastor Ben and his team and helping teens connect with God. 

I read recently that our job as parents is to raise great adults not great kids, and we want to stand alongside of you in that responsibility. 

So this year which of your friends and family will begin a relationship with God that will impact their eternity?  We don’t just want them to come to Cornerstone, we want them to come to Cornerstone and meet Jesus. 

Can you believe the vision?  Can you believe God for the impossible? This is our future, so to quote that great Philosopher Yoda “Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.”