Tuesday, April 28, 2009

GREAT LOVE IN BALTIMORE!!

It's wonderful to see God's people doing exactly what He told them to do.
In Essex, MD (near Baltimore) Friday night Janet Wood and other church members had gone to the streets of their neighborhoods to gather whoever would come, not only for a meal, but also to worship the Lord.

ARE YOU WORTHY TO JOIN IN THE WEDDING FEAST?
This reminds me Jesus' parable about the wedding invitation. Many have been invited, but would not come. Many are busy with their business. Others actually killed the servants! (So, the King destroyed them Matt 22:7). I can't understand why they would not want to come to this great feast!

Mat 22:2 The kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king who made a marriage for his son.
Mat 22:3 And he sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they would not come.
Mat 22:4 Again he sent out other servants, saying, Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage.
Mat 22:5 But not caring, they went their ways, one to his field, another to his trading.
Mat 22:6 And the rest took his servants and treated them spitefully, and killed them.
Mat 22:7 But when the king heard, he was angry. And he sent out his armies and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
Mat 22:8 Then he said to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they who were invited were not worthy.
Mat 22:9 Therefore go into the exits of the highways, and as many as you shall find, invite them to the marriage.
Mat 22:10 So the servants went out into the highways and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. And the wedding was filled with reclining guests.

Make no mistake ---when you read on in this chapter, you will see that God does separate the good and the bad. The guest who is not in “proper clothing” at this feast, will be cast out of the wedding party and into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (vs 11-14). Proper clothing means we must be sanctified and holy when we stand before God on judgment day.

Revelation 3:5 The one who overcomes, this one will be clothed in white clothing. And I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

Obviously, since the one who overcomes will not have his name blotted out in the Book of Life, the one who does not overcome WILL BE BLOTTED OUT!
THIS IS TRULY POOR! We must equip these people to overcome. They must hear the Truth of the Word of God.

But “Praise the Lord!”
There are still a few in Baltimore who are dedicated to reaching the lost and discipling the least of these.

Pastor Sharon Wamsley, frequently shouts “Praise the Lord!” in worship, pumping up the workers, as the youth and servants prepare lunches for homeless outreach, “Are you ready to share the love of Jesus?! Are you ready to praise the Lord?!”

Her husband, Pastor Louis Wamsley, leads us out in prayer and verse:

Mat 25:35 For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in;
Mat 25:36 I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.
Mat 25:37 Then the righteous shall answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry, and fed You? Or thirsty, and gave You drink?
Mat 25:38 When did we see You a stranger, and took You in? Or naked, and clothed You?
Mat 25:39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and came to You?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you have done it to Me.

We take two vans of workers into the city. When we arrive at the end of the Jones Falls Expressway, there are about a hundred people sitting on the steps of an old catholic church. We have eighty packed lunches. Two people who asked for prayer are healed: Gina and Maurice. Four others have dedicated their lives to Christ. One, who gave his life to Jesus, Rudolph, (red shirt) joined us in Word and prayer for Maurice's healing. We're still praying and believing for Aaron and Hakim to come to the Lord.

At revival services the Lord moves mightily in signs and wonders. The Word from Mark 4 encourages us to cross over to the other side, noting that Jesus slept during the storm, but when He got up, he rebuked the fearful disciples, “Peace! Be still!” “Why are you so fearful?!”

Finally, Pastor Tim emphasized the truth about real worship and true service to God:
“WE DON'T NEED ANY MORE PIMPING PREACHERS!”

“WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU STEPPED OUT OF THE THOSE FOUR WALLS TO WIN A SOUL?”

Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, In as much as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you have done it to Me.