Acts 9:36-43 The...
Illustration
Object:
Acts 9:36-43
The City Temple church in London was packed with worshipers on Easter Sunday morning in 1941. None of the congregants knew this would be their last Sunday worship service in their historic church. Four days later the Nazi aircraft buzzed overhead like flies around something dying. Wave after wave of Nazi planes unloaded their payload of bombs destroying much of London including City Temple. The following Sunday morning the congregation met in a rented hall. In spite of total decimation of their property … insecurity rampant in the streets … facing fear and insurmountable odds, the church sang their morning call to worship "Lead us, Heavenly Father, Lead Us."
Author Randal Denny commented, "A building belonging to the church can be destroyed, but the CHURCH cannot. It is God's possession."
Tabitha was a member of the church who was possessed by God. Though she was dead, God was not done with her. Through Peter she was raised to life. Many of our churches seem dead or dying, but they are God's possession and he is willing to bring them back to life if we will allow him to do so!
Derl K.
Acts 9:36-43
In a 1970s Batman comic, the caped crusader takes a trip to a place called Crime Alley. There is an air of mystery about his purpose there; he seems to be moving aimlessly, though stealthily, through the run-down area. He asks around for a woman named Leslie Thompkins. A little old lady is nearly robbed while taking a deposit to a charity foundation and Batman saves her, and she remarks that it is good to see him again, although she doesn't understand why Batman comes to watch over her one night out of every year. Batman thanks her for her good heart and leaves, his night in Crime Alley drawn to a close. As he flies away, he thinks back to the night his parents were killed -- in Crime Alley. The audience learns that the little old lady is the mysterious Leslie Thompkins, and that she was the person who found a young Bruce Wayne crying over his parents' bodies, and the woman who helped him get through his grief. Like Tabitha, Leslie Thompkins' love for others gave her a protector greater than she could have expected.
Leah T.
Revelation 7:9-17
By the time this is published, the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver will already have been played. While I greatly enjoy watching the various events, one of my favorite parts of any Olympic Games is the opening ceremony. It always amazes me seeing all these athletes from every part of the globe coming together, putting their differences aside, and uniting for two weeks for a common purpose: to celebrate athletic excellence.
Imagine how much more thrilling this scene in Revelation would be, seeing people of every language, every ethnic background, and every culture imaginable joined together, not to celebrate athletics, but coming together to worship the one true God!
Craig K.
Revelation 7:9-17
It was a difficult year for Heather, although she will tell you that she made it through. She had moved too many times during the past five years and sensed that another move was coming. She felt uneasy at the thought of yet another move and the fear of the unknown. She experienced a death in her family. She was facing financial problems. The many concerns that she faced were beginning to take a toll on her health. She knew that she should have found comfort in God's promises, yet she says, "It's too easy to panic when life seems out of control."
When we face struggles our first thought might be that we did something wrong. Heather learned through her struggles that God does not guarantee a trouble free life. Instead, truly living for God can mean that there will be tough times every now and then. Yet, Heather claims, "God will be with us every step of the way." She affirms the belief that God has a plan for her life that fills her with a fresh sense of hope as she faces an unknown future.
The apostle John had a powerful vision while living through some difficult days. The vision gave him and the other believers hope. Hope can be found in the belief that no matter how bad things become God is still in control. On the day of vindication John claims that, "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Tim S.
John 10:22-30
Many people have trouble with poetry because it does not tell things plainly. The goal of the poet, it seems to many, is to twist words into unintelligible units of sound and spread them around with funny spaces on a piece of paper. Someone reading a poem needs to know what the poet is referencing with certain symbols and word choices -- and often those symbols and word choices are very difficult to interpret! A good poem has many layers of meaning, and a reader must be able to sort through the symbolism and images in order to arrive at the greater truth held within the words of the work. Poems are valuable because they tell us important things about our lives and ourselves; but they are most valuable because they do not tell us plainly. Their true value lies in giving us the chance to come to the conclusions on our own.
Leah T.
John 10:22-30
Moving toward the east side of the great temple in Jerusalem, to Solomon's porch, to find shelter from the chilling wind, Jesus' last scene of public ministry takes place. It is the Feast of Dedication or Feast of Lights, as it was also called. It was a time of hope for the Jews, for it marked the last national deliverance. This was also a time of tremendous celebration for the restoration and purification of the temple, particularly the altar, by Judas Maccabeus three years after its desecration by the Greek general Antiochus Epiphanes in 178 BC. At this feast excitement ran rampant for there was the hope for a new beginning. People from all over the Jewish community were wondering if God's divine deliverer would come to set his people free. They moved closer to Jesus wanting to know if he was the Christ … "tell us plainly." He says, "I told you, and you do not believe." If we are to have hope we must believe in Jesus.
Rutherford wrote, "Our hope is not hung upon such an untwisted thread as, 'I imagine so,' or 'It is likely'; but the cable, the strong rope of our fastened anchor, is the oath and promise of him who is eternal verity; our salvation is fastened with God's own hand, and Christ's own strength…" What a hope! What a security!
Derl K.
The City Temple church in London was packed with worshipers on Easter Sunday morning in 1941. None of the congregants knew this would be their last Sunday worship service in their historic church. Four days later the Nazi aircraft buzzed overhead like flies around something dying. Wave after wave of Nazi planes unloaded their payload of bombs destroying much of London including City Temple. The following Sunday morning the congregation met in a rented hall. In spite of total decimation of their property … insecurity rampant in the streets … facing fear and insurmountable odds, the church sang their morning call to worship "Lead us, Heavenly Father, Lead Us."
Author Randal Denny commented, "A building belonging to the church can be destroyed, but the CHURCH cannot. It is God's possession."
Tabitha was a member of the church who was possessed by God. Though she was dead, God was not done with her. Through Peter she was raised to life. Many of our churches seem dead or dying, but they are God's possession and he is willing to bring them back to life if we will allow him to do so!
Derl K.
Acts 9:36-43
In a 1970s Batman comic, the caped crusader takes a trip to a place called Crime Alley. There is an air of mystery about his purpose there; he seems to be moving aimlessly, though stealthily, through the run-down area. He asks around for a woman named Leslie Thompkins. A little old lady is nearly robbed while taking a deposit to a charity foundation and Batman saves her, and she remarks that it is good to see him again, although she doesn't understand why Batman comes to watch over her one night out of every year. Batman thanks her for her good heart and leaves, his night in Crime Alley drawn to a close. As he flies away, he thinks back to the night his parents were killed -- in Crime Alley. The audience learns that the little old lady is the mysterious Leslie Thompkins, and that she was the person who found a young Bruce Wayne crying over his parents' bodies, and the woman who helped him get through his grief. Like Tabitha, Leslie Thompkins' love for others gave her a protector greater than she could have expected.
Leah T.
Revelation 7:9-17
By the time this is published, the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver will already have been played. While I greatly enjoy watching the various events, one of my favorite parts of any Olympic Games is the opening ceremony. It always amazes me seeing all these athletes from every part of the globe coming together, putting their differences aside, and uniting for two weeks for a common purpose: to celebrate athletic excellence.
Imagine how much more thrilling this scene in Revelation would be, seeing people of every language, every ethnic background, and every culture imaginable joined together, not to celebrate athletics, but coming together to worship the one true God!
Craig K.
Revelation 7:9-17
It was a difficult year for Heather, although she will tell you that she made it through. She had moved too many times during the past five years and sensed that another move was coming. She felt uneasy at the thought of yet another move and the fear of the unknown. She experienced a death in her family. She was facing financial problems. The many concerns that she faced were beginning to take a toll on her health. She knew that she should have found comfort in God's promises, yet she says, "It's too easy to panic when life seems out of control."
When we face struggles our first thought might be that we did something wrong. Heather learned through her struggles that God does not guarantee a trouble free life. Instead, truly living for God can mean that there will be tough times every now and then. Yet, Heather claims, "God will be with us every step of the way." She affirms the belief that God has a plan for her life that fills her with a fresh sense of hope as she faces an unknown future.
The apostle John had a powerful vision while living through some difficult days. The vision gave him and the other believers hope. Hope can be found in the belief that no matter how bad things become God is still in control. On the day of vindication John claims that, "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Tim S.
John 10:22-30
Many people have trouble with poetry because it does not tell things plainly. The goal of the poet, it seems to many, is to twist words into unintelligible units of sound and spread them around with funny spaces on a piece of paper. Someone reading a poem needs to know what the poet is referencing with certain symbols and word choices -- and often those symbols and word choices are very difficult to interpret! A good poem has many layers of meaning, and a reader must be able to sort through the symbolism and images in order to arrive at the greater truth held within the words of the work. Poems are valuable because they tell us important things about our lives and ourselves; but they are most valuable because they do not tell us plainly. Their true value lies in giving us the chance to come to the conclusions on our own.
Leah T.
John 10:22-30
Moving toward the east side of the great temple in Jerusalem, to Solomon's porch, to find shelter from the chilling wind, Jesus' last scene of public ministry takes place. It is the Feast of Dedication or Feast of Lights, as it was also called. It was a time of hope for the Jews, for it marked the last national deliverance. This was also a time of tremendous celebration for the restoration and purification of the temple, particularly the altar, by Judas Maccabeus three years after its desecration by the Greek general Antiochus Epiphanes in 178 BC. At this feast excitement ran rampant for there was the hope for a new beginning. People from all over the Jewish community were wondering if God's divine deliverer would come to set his people free. They moved closer to Jesus wanting to know if he was the Christ … "tell us plainly." He says, "I told you, and you do not believe." If we are to have hope we must believe in Jesus.
Rutherford wrote, "Our hope is not hung upon such an untwisted thread as, 'I imagine so,' or 'It is likely'; but the cable, the strong rope of our fastened anchor, is the oath and promise of him who is eternal verity; our salvation is fastened with God's own hand, and Christ's own strength…" What a hope! What a security!
Derl K.
