Face to Face

One day Jesus was traveling through Jericho and the crowds were starting to gather wherever He went. A man named Zacchaeus was wanting to see Him. Being short, he had to climb up a tree just to lay eyes on Him. In the story, it was as if Jesus already knew He was going to go to his house. Zacchaeus is a great example of what happens when you encounter the living Christ. He came face to face with the One truly worth following and put everything on the line to be His disciple. You can look at the story in Luke 19:1-10.

In 1971, the Palmers, who wrote the book, The Winds of God Are Blowing, left Nebraska to visit Canada to see for themselves a revival that was breaking out. The Holy Spirit was moving in the western provinces. One account they wrote about was in Saskatoon where a farmer who sold cars during the slow season felt compelled to tell the congregation what God was doing in his life. He explained why he had arrived at the service late: “I must tell you where I’ve been. God has been speaking to me the last week or so about some of the sharp deals I’ve made. This morning I decided I could resist Him no longer. I’ve driven five hundred miles since leaving home, visiting people I’ve knowingly cheated. I told each one of them what had happened to me and why I was there, and we worked out a fair financial settlement in each case. It made a big dent in my bank account but, praise God, I can stand here tonight with clean hands!”

When you come face to face with Jesus, it demands a cleansing of your hands and your heart. Jesus doesn’t make you do it, you want to do it. You want to set right past wrongs and allow Him to fill you with a new Spirit. An encounter with the Living God strips down all inhibitions and makes you openly transparent with the attitude that "whatever it takes to get closer to You, that is what I am willing to do." Whether you are a new Christian or a longtime believer, this kind of encounter fills you with great joy and excitement in your faith. That’s what revival is all about. That is where we are as a church. We have been praying for God’s Spirit to move and He is answering our prayer.

For the next couple of Sundays I will be speaking from the book of Jude. Come and expect God to speak to us as we seek Him with all of our heart. There will be a special recognition of our veterans in our service this Sunday. We are blessed to live in a free country where men and women risk their lives for us to experience that freedom.

On Sunday night at 5:30 p.m. we will have our annual Harvest Dinner. You will enjoy good food as well as music from the Tacketts. What a day it is going to be…

Joy in Jesus!
 
Pastor Mike