Sunday Stuff

What a wonderful day in worship we had at the First Mount Zion Church on yesterday. There was a great feeling of anticipation from the moment I woke up in the morning. When we walked into the sanctuary, I couldn't wait to get to the altar for our early morning prayer. Again, I truly believe that during that set time of communion with the Lord at the altar is going to pay off real dividends for our church.

Penny again led a very spirited Sunday School class. The congregation is starting to become more interactive and participatory with her during class. Yesterday there were people engaged who never have said anything in a corporate setting since I have been here, yet they were completely into the subject matter. That class has spurred some in the congregation to ask for me classes on various topics, which is what I was hoping for. Thank God for progress!

Our praise and worship leader Jamal, returned to the church after having to be away for a little while to handle some personal issues that needed his immediate attention, and boy did I really miss him. He stepped right back into place and he flat out "killed" praise and worship. It was a much needed reprieve for me, as I have been leading the congregation with praise and worship, but that was really taking a great toll on my voice and energy level as a whole. I am so grateful that Jamal is back and I am going to turn him loose for real!

We continued our series on the book of Ezra, with an exposition of chapter 8:15-20, which I labeled the message, How to Handle a Problematic Predicament. For the great scribe and Hebrew scholar Ezra, had just been commissioned by King Artaxerxes, to lead God's people out of Babylon and return to worship the Lord in the newly rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. So as Ezra was leading 5000 Jews back to Jerusalem, he gets to the river called Ahava and stops in their tracks. For he does a quick inventory of the people in the camp, he notices that there were the people there, the priests were there, but there were no Levites in the camp.

This was a problem for them, because everyone had a role in the temple and without the Levites, a role was not going to be fulfilled. So Ezra sets out to show us how do we deal with our predicaments are problematic in verse 17 when he acknowledges that the good hand of the Lord was on them, and it is the anointing of God that gives us the ability to to deal with whatever problems that arise and occur. To often we attempt to handle issues with our own strength, but we must realize that our strength will not be able to withstand a spiritual situation. For Paul picked that up when he said that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12 ESV).