John 10:1-21
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.
2 But he who enters by the door is the Shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear His Voice, and He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When He has brought out all His own, He goes before them, and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice.
5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what He was saying to them.
7 So Jesus again said to them,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All who came before Me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will come and go freely and find pasture.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand
and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know me,
15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I lay down My Life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My Voice. So there will be one flock, One Shepherd.
17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down My Life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have Authority to lay it down, and I have Authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.”
19 There was again a division among the Jews because of these words.
20 Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?”
21 Others said, “These are not the Words of One who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
Paul was blinded and healed.
The events are the same
as the Centurion asking
Jesus
to heal
with His Word
When we recognize the Authority of God, possibilities of great mercy and Love expand. Nothing is too difficult for The Lord.
We have all seen different aspects of this huge world.
The earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness, the world
and those who dwell therein.
We belonged, when I was in 3rd and 4th grade to an Episcopal Church in Garland, Texas, called "Church of the Resurrection." The Rector was Father Ted Nelson. So many aspects of Life. Ted, came to our house often, we fully attended St. Michaels and All Angels, in Dallas all my parent's married life, my newlywed years and I met Edward there in High School. But Ted was part of our life and we traveled to HIS Church from time to time and went on Wednesdays at noon. Father Ted Nelson had the gift of the Holy Spirit in healing. When I say healing, I am telling you of a Lourdes Church in Garland, Texas. Fund raising, in the Episcopal Tradition is once a year. No money was suggested. Ted prayed for my mother my sophomore year in High School and she was healed of a thyroid tumor the size of a huge strawberry. She hadn't realized the tumor, but she found it with her life long doctor on a 2 year old driver's license.
Why wasn't this a worldwide phenomena. God's Authority decides.
Matthew 13:11
And He answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has not been given."
The Church of the Resurrection had crutches, forearm crutches and all manners of things with wheel chairs donated upon healing. Wheel chairs and crutches would leave as the congregation or the visitors had need of the item. Father Ted Nelson lived to be 92 years old. And died, hmm, about, in the late 1990s. Still well known in Dallas, he was the founding Rector for the Anglican Church, Christ Church in Plano, Texas. This is a huge and beautiful Church. Alive and active.
Father Ted saw me soon after my father died when I was 30 years old. I was grieving. Angry. And we were, by that time, at Christ Church. Ted came and sat down in the pew with me. It was a very memorable conversation. Ted hugged me, he said, "You know I am a very busy man these days this is a much longer congregation and the Bishop has a list for me to get to each week. I was on my way out of the service and saw you. I really do not have much to say to make grief end. I am so sorry about your father, you loved so dearly. I prayed for him when he came to mind."
"I do have a Father conversation for you today, and know God asked me to speak this to you. I wanted to let you know why I left "The Church of the Resurrection." We had so many beautiful miracles of Jesus Christ. Everything comes from Jesus. You know this. And we had dry spells. God is in charge of who is healed. We would have 40 people who came to the altar rail to be healed. Not everyone was healed. That is when Jesus is truly Present when that healing takes place. I didn't know why the dry spell was continuing from months. And then we had a Parish Dinner and people stood up and yelled at me like I was to blame. And demanded healing. I rebuked them to understand on several occasions."
I added, "This happens in Scripture when the Exodus was happening in the desert."
Ted said, "That is a pertinent point. The Lord spoke to me and asked me, 'Ted, you may decide. Do you pick to stay where the people have become hard hearted, or will you go to the Church you have dreamed of building this Church into. Know that if you stay, it will remain angry and the same as it is. However, the next Church will be Holy. And will not be charismatic in the Holy Spirit as you have lived.' And I chose to work with those who are not hard hearted. I always dreamed of exactly this Church. And feel my life will have done what I was placed here to do."
I asked him if his answer had pleased the Lord. Ted looked solemn and humble and said he believed, yes, he had pleased The Lord. I think of Father Ted Nelson often. He clashed with my father loudly. I don't think I mind that, not at all. Not at all.
So how does this Scripture relate to my childhood to adult years and today?
The Type of Authority is the same today
The Word is Living
And Accurate.
Chose this Day, whom you will Serve.
Abba, Father,
So many times phrases
in Your Word
reach for our heart.
I am praying healing
for
Edward's eyes.
And for all of the Nations
Worldwide.
The Kindness of
Jesus Christ's Holy Spirit
to
reawaken
in our
Lives.
Abundant
Love
Abundant
Life
The Phrase
the offers us
such
Glory
On earth, as it is in Heaven
Your Will
be
done.
Help us all
find this
Glory and Work
each day
filling our
moments.
To see
More Heaven on earth
To be more Heaven on earth
To live as
Heaven on earth.
In Jesus Christ,
we live and move and
have our being.
Amen!
♔ Lord Jesus Saves †
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment