Friday 3/22/13 The Temple

Dear Heavenly Father.  First off, I just want to tell You that I love You.  Then give You all honor and glory for a great night and thanking You in advance for a good day today.  It is a beautiful day, dear Lord, and we give thanks for it.  Help me, Lord, with the message, and Lord, today here on this line we call it Salvation Friday, so we ask this day that You would cleanse we who are saved so we are fit to go and serve You and talk to the lost and we pry You will open the doors for us and help us to lead in these lost sheep.  Be with all those who are walking out in faith and working for You, dear Lord, and bless them.  Lord, watch over the sick and those who need Your touch.  In Jesus' Name, I pray.  Amen.

Dear brothers and sisters, it is indeed a beautiful cold winter type day with some lake effect snow drifting over the mountains and landing here at the Southern Location of the North Pole.  It is also Salvation Friday on this line, so today we pry that God will use we who are saved to seek out the lost and that when we find them we can bring them forth to Jesus to be saved.  Please pray that God will clean You and help you when you go to work for Jesus.  To be a good witness for the Lord, we need to be living for Him.  And brothers and sisters, we need to have on our Jesus smile and not be a grump.  I have heard people say when they are being witnessed to by someone who is a grump and even being a gossip that "if this is how Christians act, grumping and talking about others behind their backs, then I do not want to be a Christian."  We must always remember that Christian means to be Christ-like.  I know that sometimes it is hard, those are the days we must really lean on Jesus and tell Him we need more help than normal to walk in His sandals.  Jesus loves you, talk to Him today and thank Him for loving you.  Speaking for myself, I am so unworthy of His love, yet He died loving me, so it is time to act like I really care and work for Him in all I do.  I should have a slogan that would go like this ... "Jesus, in all I do, this love's for You."  And work hard to stick to it.  WILL YOU JOIN ME TRYING THIS?  Now let me wrap up the week of Triumphal Entry with Jesus at the Temple.

Jesus at the Temple:  3/22/2013.

Luke 19:45 - Then He entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling.  46 "It is written," He said to them, "My house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers."  (NIV)

Mark 11:15 - On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there.  He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.  17 And as He taught them, He said, "Is it not written; 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations' But you have made it a den of robbers."  (NIV)

Brothers and sisters, I have had people tell me that our Lord Jesus never really got upset.  As you know, we are to be Christ-like because we are Christians, and yet there are times when we get upset and from time to time might and for the lack of a different term "go off" on someone or a group of people.  In my scripture choice today which ties in with the Triumphal Entry I have been working on this week, we see Jesus going into the Temple whee selling of goods and money changing was going on.  Jesus was upset because The Temple was used as a market place, and folks, if you have been to a real market place, as in where they have lots and lots of fresh fish and where chickens are cleaned on the spot, the market place really stinks.  This of course would make for a real stinky temple for worship and in my humble opinion would keep people away.

Jesus also referred to the Temple as "His house."  And He was not going to permit it to become a house for a den of robbers.

Mark 11:17 - And as He taught them, He said, "Is it not written:  'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations,' But you have made it a den of robbers."  (NIV)

Not only were the "money changers" robbing the people who came in to spend money, but they were and this is the most important part, I think, these folks were robbing the Temple of its sanctity.

Now let us fast forward to today, and as we know, our churches of today have "White Elephant Sales", "flea markets", they also have craft sales, dinners, and other things in those church buildings to raise money for their church.  Just a couple of things from me on this.  First, it would be wonderful if churches did not need to do fund raisers due to the fact that people would tithe and that would cover all their bills.  With that said, I do NOT have a problem with fund raising when done on parking lots, in the kitchens and places the churches build for dinners, etc.  But when they "move out" the altars, the crosses, and the other things used in Worship, and are using that "Temple" part of the church buildings ... The worship center should be held in deep respect for our Lord Jesus and used for worship, and in fact, when fund raising events are going on in other parts of the buildings, the Worship area SHOULD BE OPEN FOR WORSHIP.  The altar should be open for prayer and people from the churches should be there asking if people need prayer.  We here at Carry The Light Ministries pray with EVERYONE who comes in for food.  Even if they do not request prayer, we pray with them.  We also ask them this question ... "Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior?"  While we do not have fund raisers at our home, which is our ministry base, we do have our once a year picnic in the park, not to be used as a fund raiser but a "thank you" picnic.  I know others must raise the funds to keep the doors open.  To those I pray they would read and study about Jesus at the Temple and go from there, and I also suggest that you have prayer warriors that float the area praying with and for people.  May the Lord bless this message and also those who read it.

Dear Father in Heaven, a late prayer request has come in today for Tim Blouch's mother who has cancer.  Please heal her, dear Lord.  And Lord, thanks for taking care of the men working on the building today and the past two days.  Thanks, Lord, for protecting "David" today as one of the tools tried its best to get him.  Lord, thanks again for all You do.  Please bless those leading services this Sunday when most messages will be about the Triumphal Entry.  In the name of Jesus, please anoint this line, and anoint me, Lord, to keep working for You.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Today we grow again as we welcome "Fred" to our line.  Please also pray and add to your prayer lists Tim Blouch's mother who has cancer.  I am trying to get her name.  Now, brothers and sisters, go forth sharing your blessings with others, telling them about Jesus and knowing He loves us all.

Love ya (pass it on).  Pastor Dan.