April 28, 2011 Personal Appearances 3

"Peace be with you!" "Peace be with you! As The Father has sent me, I am sending you."

Folks, stop right now and pray, over the night there have been a lot of twisters. According to our local weather, we have been getting hit hard in our area, and right now we are under a severe Thunderstorm warning with high amounts of rain and heavy hail. But this is NOTHING like what has been reported coming up the Eastern Sea Board, including Alabama, which had twister with speeds of OVER 200 MPH. Early reports over 82 dead overnight from this line of storms. Over 140 twisters reported overnight.

So let's praise God this morning as we pray for others, yes, Praise God, for some folks have lost it all last night and if you are reading this, you have awakened and your roof is still on your house.
Last evening Dolores and I were both ready for bed (we retire early), then the storm warnings were posted in our area with those twister warnings, so I went to her and said, "please get dressed again in case we need to head to the basement." We got ready, made a plan for taking animals down with us. Second step was to head to our one small bathroom in the center of the house.. We wanted to be ready. So let me ask you, are you ready if the storm would hit, do you have a plan in place, HAVE YOU BEEN TO THE LORD TO BE SAVED, for that needs to be the first stage of the plan..Think of those people who lost their lives last night, were they saved? It is personal, between God, and each of us. LATE BREAKING - a tornado is right now over Gettysburg Pa. More in the message today...

Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters, it is Thursday and the day we pray for our schools and families, and how they both need it today. Along with the above prayers for people in the storm areas, please pray for all families, and most of all the family of God. Also please pray for Vicki.

Ok, I am back, we went under a tornado warning, so I took a break from the computer, and put on some clothes, and gathered our blind dogs into a small bathroom. We are ok, still being pelted by very, very heavy rain. Death toll update, 159.

Personal Appearances 3, John 20:19 - On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20 After He said this, He showed them His hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw The Lord. 21 Again, Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As The Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22 And with that He breathed on them and said. "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven, if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." (NIV)

So let's put us in the room, we are the disciples, and we are the disciples of today, we are to carry out the work of the Lord. Anyway we are sitting in the room, we are together and we are of course talking about Jesus, our beloved Jesus who we watch die. Now we, the disciples have been told that the Lord had been risen, and because of worries about others coming to get us, we have locked the doors. When He just appears in the room with us. He did not walk through the wall, if He did the Bible would have said, He walked through the wall, He just appeared. Now today if we wanted to I. D. someone we would ask for Photo I. D. But what did Jesus show for I. D.? Jesus show them His nailed scarred hands and His side that was pierced by a sword.

I am waiting the day when I meet my dear Jesus face to face and see those scars, not that I will need the I. D. from Him, I just want to see them. Ok, we are sitting there, and we hear the voice, "Peace be with you, would we not just be jumping for joy as the Bible said the disciples were, overwhelmed would be more like it.

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you!" and added this, "As The Father has sent me, I am sending you." And He breathed on them the Holy Spirit. Does this take your mind back to Adam where God made man from dirt and breathed life into him. Excuse me, but when the Holy Spirit comes over you, YOU COME TO LIFE! Until you receive the Holy Spirit, I think you are "dead." When do we receive the Holy Spirit? When we are Born Again, washed in the blood...

Now I want to research this some more and welcome people weighing in on this. "If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven, if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." To me, this looks like Jesus is giving those disciples the power to forgive others and let the choice up to them... As disciples of today, do we not have that same choice, if people ask us to forgive them, do we not have a choice? But be careful here, for we are forgiven by Jesus just as we forgive others. But surely and again I want to bring this out, Jesus is our only way to heaven and we know that He will forgive us. If we go to someone and ask them to forgive us, and they will not forgive us, that does not mean we cannot get into heaven. But we as Christians, and disciples of Jesus need to forgive others so we can be forgiven by our Lord. While those early disciples have the power to forgive others so do we, and Jesus has also given special gifts to all of us, and some will have the power of healing in the name of Jesus.

Ok, I need to wrap this out today, the storms are still in the area, and while there is no lighting in the area and we still have power, I need to shower, as we have a hymn sing this morning at the Bridges and I don't want people to drop over because I did not take a shower.

Dear Father in Heaven, our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones overnight and also to those who are injured, please be with them. Also I pray for our schools and families. In the name of Jesus, also touch Vicki this day... Amen.

Now go forth sharing your blessings, and folks, if you have not been hit by a storm, you have been spared, stand ready to help your brothers and sisters. And brothers and sisters, before you go another step be sure you have had your Personal Appearance before Jesus. As we see with the storms, we do not always get a warning. Love ya, Pastor Dan.