John 5:1-9                                          

             Life has a way of throwing things at us that we cannot plan for. Things happen that cause us to get in a slump. However, God never gives up on us, and there is absolutely nothing we can do or not do that will cause God to not love us. Because we have been created with brilliant minds and the ability to make choices it is up to us to turn to God. This is literally what it means to repent.

 

           Today's text shares with us an unnamed person whom Jesus visits with at the Pool of Bethesda. Jesus simply asks him a yes or no question. "Do you want to be made well?" While it seems straight forward the person begins to explain the situation that prevents the needed healing. There are no indications as to why the person has been an invalid for thirty-eight years, only an excuse as to why the person continues to lie on their mat in a state of self pity. Yes, it seems the person does want to be made well, however we see Jesus take the initiative to make the healing take place. Jesus tells the person to "Get Up! Pick up your mat and walk." At once the scripture tells us that the person was cured and picked up their mat and walked.

 

          The difference was they believed Jesus cared for them and could cure them of their adversity. No one stands outside having things that blind side us. However, we also have the same love and care of God wanting us to be made well. It is simply up to us to get up out of our own self pity, rid our self of the crutch, and walk daily with our Lord. The power of the Holy Spirit can stir with in us the inspiration to be who God needs us to be. We are all called to be ministers of the Gospel and spread the good news of God's love in the world where we live. Obviously the first thing we must do is to rise up over the things that are preventing us from doing our Lord's work. God qualifies those who answer the call. There is absolutely nothing that God will call us to do that God will not provide what we need to do the task.

 

         Now that we have begun the journey of priming the pump in our journey of a transformed life the next step is to plan to attend worship and Wednesday night fellowship to deepen our knowledge and find out more about quenching the thirst of our souls. Each one of us has been provided a book, Treasures of the Transformed Life. By next Sunday we should have read through part II, pg. 104 the section on Prayer. If you are getting a late start then skip part I and make sure you have read part II about Prayer. This will be our focus for next Sunday and the follow up on Wednesday Night.

 

        Rev. Tac is praying that everyone draws closer to God through this forty day study. We simply are challenged to only read one short chapter per day, attend worship, and participate in the Wednesday night fellowship where the final teaching on each part will be taught. Amen? Amen!   

 

n Christ's Love and mine - Rev. Tac Coley

Rev. Dr. Gary Whetstone
John 3, Mis-understandings.

Was Nicodemus smarter than a fifth grader? Obviously he did not understand the message that we must be born again. Well he did not have to look into the Foxworthy show's camera; rather he chose to visit Jesus in the dark to ask about being born again. He knew the Jewish religion very well, yet he failed to understand what Jesus was teaching about being born of water and the Spirit.

 

We also heard Dr. Whetstone share with us that through the years at Winterville United Methodist Church that we have been blessed with many servants. Many who understood the need of being the faith community and living out a faith in God.  Being born of the Spirit allows us not to focus on the buildings and grounds as a shrine, but to understand that we are to be obedient servants who clearly understand that we worship God. As we continue to worship together we remember those who out of faith have built and rebuilt facilities for this purpose. While at the same time have understood they are to worship God through their faithfulness as being servants

 

Today we celebrate the high honor of being a part of this faith community, while we must understand that we are challenged to meet the needs of extending the Kingdom. Our focus starts with our own personal relationship with God. It is through being born again into the Spirit of God that we realize that we are the hands and feet of God. Like those before us it is up to us to continue to live out our faith as we serve God by discovering our place and performing the task that God is calling us to. We are to help make sure that everyone understands how, where, and when they can fulfill their purpose through sharing the Spirit of God.

 

In closing let me remind you that we have good news for Winterville UMC. This Sunday we began handing out study books for the 40 Days Of Transformation. For the next six weeks we will all have the opportunity of learning more about ourselves and how to experience life richer and fuller than ever before. Our Lay Leader, Jack Eisenmen along with several other leaders will be leading us through this campaign. It is extremely powerful and has the potential of creating transformation for us as individuals as well as corporately. We can all find deeper ways of being who God has created us to be. Please pick up your copy of the book and plan to be with us both on Sunday and Wednesday Evenings for the next six weeks. It is my prayer that we all participate and enjoy living closer to God and closer with each other. Next week we start with Priming The Pump.  Amen? Amen! --- Revtac.