Monday

“God reigns over the nations;

God sits on His holy throne.”

~Psalm 47:8~

From Sue Minor/Tucker

I am emailing to ask prayer for my Mom and my step-father (Ruby and Aubrey Stokes), both of them are in North Oaks Medical Center. They had a incident on Saturday morning where Mr. Aubrey started to fall and Mama tried to help him and they both ended up on the floor and couldn’t get up and were not found for several hours when my nephew went to check on them. Mr. Aubrey was taken to the hospital and admitted for tests but Mama refused to go, then my brother and sister came home from Houston and talked my Mom into going to the E. R. this morning and she was found to have pneumonia and admitted to the hospital (both of them have been sick this week and Mama was found to have bronchitus on Wednesday and now it has turned into pneumonia). So I would appreciate all of your prayers for them both. Thanks.

Pray for Mrs. JoAnn (Thomas) Carter. She will have surgery tomorrow at Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge.

Pray for Mrs. Faye Price as she is at Kentwood Manor for a while.

Orin Davidson is at home with Naomi Tolar again. Pray for her as she cares for her dad daily.

Continue to pray for Mrs. Annie Belle Harrell as she hopefully learns something helpful as a result of recent tests.

Mike and Kelly Graham Prescott have a new baby born Friday at Woman’s Hospital. Allie Mikel Prescott has a dislocated hip, but otherwise is fine. Pray for them as this problem is addressed.

My niece has a new baby that was born Friday at North Oaks. Ashlyn Jade Stuart was born to Josh and Casey Stuart. Ashlyn has a big brother Aaron. They are at home in Independence. Josh will resume duties as a Marine very soon.

Tickets are now available at the church office for The Power of the Cross which will be presented in two weeks. Contact the church office (229-8111) for more information.

Pray for others as they have various appointments scheduled today or in the coming week.

Jared Prescott

Ruby Dillon

Frank Erwin

Miranda M. Erwin

Grant Smith

Chapter 3 says Jesus came to John for baptism (3:13). John objected at first, but Jesus convinced him otherwise and the immersion took place (3:16a). Scripture then records that the heavens opened up and the Spirit descended in the likeness of a dove. At that same moment, the Father declared, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (3:16b-17; cf. Mark 1:10-11).

Whatever doubts John might have had about Jesus prior to this occasion, they must have been erased, for he was in the presence of the Godhead (Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:9) and had incontrovertible evidence as to the identity of Jesus. And yet, when you get to chapter 11, John (now in prison) sends a rather puzzling question to the Lord. He asks (via a messenger), “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” (11:3).

What?! Wait a minute! “Are You the Coming One…?!” How can Jesus not be the One?! John, have you somehow forgotten about what you saw and heard back at the baptism? Are you suffering from some type of self-induced amnesia? Has imprisonment clouded your mental faculties? Of course Jesus is the Coming One!

Evidently John, like many of his Jewish peers (Acts 1:6), held certain preconceptions about the Messiah. He was looking for a king like David of old. He was looking for a military figure who would overthrow the yoke of Roman tyranny and oppression. He was looking for a political entity who would restore the kingdom to its former glory.

From John’s skewed vantage point, Jesus didn’t exactly fit with his Messianic expectations. Instead of initiating zealous political rallies and instigating a coup against Caesar, the Lord humbly moved among the common people of His day, teaching them and healing their sick. Instead of courting the Jewish hierarchy, Jesus bumped elbows with the unsavory elements of society (9:10; 11:19; 21:32). Instead of delivering his cousin and forerunner (John 1:23, 30, 33-34) from incarceration, He–for some unknown reason–allowed him to languish in a first-century jail cell! John embraced the tradition view of the Messiah and couldn’t reconcile the Lord with his longstanding bias.

“Are You the Coming One…?” I hear doubt and confusion in John’s question, despite what he had seen and heard back in chapter 3 at Jesus’ baptism.

It occurs to me that John is not the only person who has ever looked at the Lord through the lens of prejudice and predisposition. Often times I hear statements to this effect, “Jesus NEVER called names. (He didn’t? John 8:42-47). “Jesus was NEVER blunt with folks.” (He wasn’t? Matthew 8:22; 15:16; 21-28; Mark 2:1-5; 9:14-32; Luke 17:11-19). “Jesus NEVER got angry.” (He didn’t? John 2:13-16; Luke 19:45-46; Mark 3:6). “Jesus NEVER taught baptism was necessary for salvation.” (He didn’t? Hebrews 1:1-2; Matthew Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Romans 6:1-4; 1 Peter 3:21). Folks view the Lord in light of how they’ve been raised or what their “pastor” or parents have taught them, and not in harmony with what the Word actually says about Him. He’s a product of long-standing oral tradition and not the actual Coming One revealed in the Bible.

Dear reader, I urge you to carefully study what Scripture says about Jesus. Cast off the shackles of preconception and get to know (1 John 2:3, 4; 5:20; John 1:10; 14:7; Acts 13:27; Philippians 3:10) the real Messiah. What you want Him to be, what you expect Him to be, and what He IS may not be the same thing. (Mike Benson at: http://www.forthright.net/)

Have a marvelous Monday!

Anna Lee