Dear Friends!
This Sunday on May 31, is a very special Sunday. We (CrossRoads Community Church) will be opening our doors for the first time since the quarantine began. How powerful this day is going to be! Finally, after all these months, the church will open back up!
Maybe your church has already opened back up and you have found yourself facing fear and anxiety. Perhaps your church will not open for a while and still you are anxious about it.
We are definitely living in uncertain times. But let me tell you why this Sunday is so important. IT’S PENTECOST SUNDAY!
In Acts 1, Jesus was speaking to His disciples after His resurrection. He had been appearing to them over a period of 40 days to prove to them that He was indeed alive. He TALKED with them about the Kingdom of God. He assured them that He was going away, and that He would come back again in the same manner that He left. Meanwhile, He told them to WAIT for the promise of Power! In Acts 1:8 the words of Jesus, “But you will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be MY witness, telling people about ME everywhere you go- in Jerusalem, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH! The Power of HIS Presence would spread throughout the whole earth and until the end of age!
(Ac 2:1) It is significant that Jesus ascended to heaven 40 days after His resurrection. “Forty” in Scripture stands for proving (testing) – here, the final days of the Old Testament age and the emerging of the body of Christ, a new era was the birthing of the church!
Now, fifty days have past, it’s the day of Pentecost! Do you know what Pentecost means? Let me explain! Pentecost is not about miracles, signs and wonder or speaking in tongues. It’s about the PRESENCE OF JESUS! The POWER they were about to receive was His forever indwelling PRESENCE!
For the past few days, the Lord has dropped words in my spirit. All I keep hearing is “Power in Presence!” I asked the Lord if He meant, Power in HIS presence, and HE said to me….of course!!!!
But now Jesus dwells in our temple, our bodies, and when we come together, each one is bringing POWER with them…..when we make “church” about Jesus, you are bringing the Power of Presence to the body of Christ! WE ARE BRINGING BACK THE ARK……WE ARE PEOPLE OF HIS PRESENCE!!!
You may be asking, “what does that mean?”
In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant represented the Presence of God! WE NEED THE PRESENCE OF GOD! There is POWER in HIS presence!
The Lord said,………. “I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites” (Exodus 25:22).
God wants to meet with YOU!!!!!!
In Hebrews 9 there is an explanation for the regulations of worship.
Read Numbers 17:10, Exodus 16:34, Hebrews 9 for more details of the ark of the covenant!
PLEASE DON’T STOP READING! I HAVE SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT TO TELL YOU!
Leviticus 25:8-12 (MSG) THE DAY OF PENTECOST IS THE FIFTIETH!
The Fiftieth Year Shall Be a Jubilee for You………Sanctify the fiftieth year; make it a holy year. Proclaim freedom all over the land to everyone who lives in it—a Jubilee for you!
Can you do that with me? Let’s set aside this Sunday to make it HOLY and let’s proclaim FREEDOM to the north, the south, the east and the west. I am believing in the middle of a pandemic for your debts to be cancelled! I am believing for restoration and… in Jesus name….I declare you are FREE and FULL! I pray that you will be complete, whole and living in abundance in all aspects of your life.
It’s the birthday of the NEW AGE…..A NEW ERA…….OF THE PRESENCE OF JESUS.
The day of Pentecost is about the POWER OF HIS PRESENCE in our lives.
It’s the birthday of the church! The birthing of a NEW AGE……. A NEW THING…..and guess what? The day of Pentecost is a day a jubilee and freedom. He that the Son has set free is free indeed.
Don’t make your Sunday gathering a country club meeting! Don’t make the service about the music and soloist. It’s not about the programs! Let’s not put the service in a box and say God can only do so much. Let’s make it about JESUS! Keep your mind, your heart and your thoughts solely on Jesus and the Power of HIS Presence. When you enter His the gates with thanksgiving in your heart and you enter His courts with praise on your lips, then you will see Jesus show up and HE will manifest HIS presence in the assembly!
*I want to ask for your HELP! I want to sponsor 5 teenagers to go to the Selah Retreat which is a weekend retreat for inner healing. I will be targeting teenagers who have experienced trauma and abuse from childhood. Maybe a childhood sickness, or rape and sexual abuse and physical abuse. It’s a weekend retreat that is designed to bring healing to the traumatized heart! I am going to do a Fb live on June 1 at 8:30 pm with Alison Lusted who is a counselor for trauma victims. I want to raise $3000. Will you pray about sending a teenager to Selah Retreat? You can sponsor a child for $600 to help me with travel and gas and the cost of the retreat! I have 3 teenagers signed up already and one person has sponsored $600 for one teenager and one person has given $100 toward the retreat!
If you know a teenager that has gone through foster care and has had a rough beginning, please send me their name and information. Please pray about the amount you can give to help a teenager go to a retreat and mark your calendar for next Monday June 1 at 8:30 pm FB Live with Alison Lusted.
