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Location:
6425 Jefferson Rd. For
directions, click here.
FROM
THE PASTOR From When
Jesus came through her town, Mark's
gospel says a large crowd was "pressing
in" on him. The woman believed that if
she could just touch Jesus she would be
healed -- but how could she ever get
close enough? The
answered is: she pressed in. She
pressed harder than the crowd.
Determined and persistent, she finally
got her opportunity. She just brushed
the hem of His garment -- and received
the healing she longed for. Several
years ago, my wife, Beverly, wrote a
song about seeking revival. It says,
"We won't give up and we won't despair
until we see revival in this
place." That
reflects the determined attitude of
those who press in and receive from
God. This
kind of unwavering persistence is
modeled elsewhere in Bible as the way
we should approach God. In
Mark 2, a crowd gathers in a house to
hear Jesus teach. The people press in
so tight no one else can get inside the
building. But
there were four desperate men, carrying
a fifth desperate man on a pallet
because he was lame. In their
desperation, they "out-press" the
crowd. They climb up on the roof, tear
a hole in it, and let the man down to
Jesus. When the Lord sees their faith,
He heals the lame man. In
Luke 18, Jesus "told his disciples a
parable to show them that they should
always pray and not give up." This is
the parable of the unjust judge who
neither feared God nor respected men.
But, because of her persistance, the
judge grants the request of a poor
widow. Don't
miss the meaning of this: Jesus isn't
saying we have to badger God to get an
anwer. He is saying if an unjust judge
would grant justice for reason of
peristence, how much more would our
just and merciful Heavenly Father act
on our behalf! We
've been praying and laboring for a new
building for many years now. We are so
close, yet we still face a significant
funding gap. This
is not the time to give up or give in.
It is the time to "get up and press
in!" Continue to pray in faith, asking
God to give us everything we need to do
His will. And,
remember, with God, all things are
possible! God
loves you and so does the preacher. See
you in Church Sunday!
Gateway
Church gathers
for worship
Sundays
at 10:30 a.m.
(Hwy. 129) in Athens,
Georgia.
Ministry
of the
Word:
Recent
sermons
Our quarterly e-magazine
Gateway
Today
For the Gateway family
Pastor
Jerry's Weekly
E-Mail
Gateway
Today
The
e-magazine of
Gateway Church
SPRING
2005
Pressing
in
God
honors persistent faith
(Mark
5:24 NRSV)
Three
of the four gospels relate the story of
a woman who had spent all her money on
medical help. Nothing had worked. Now,
she was desperate.
by
Jerry
Sermons
A
determined attitude
Prayerful
persistence
©
Gerald R. Varnado. All rights
reserved.
