What Kind of People…the Church?

Afternoon and welcome!

We has a guest pastor today because Pastor Kevin is in Tennessee.

Lynn Ashcroft based the message today on John 5: 13-20

13 ¶ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.16 Confess your trespassesfn to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.Bring Back the Erring One19 ¶ Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soulfn from death and cover a multitude of sins.

See the NKJV PrefaceNKJV Footnotes(5:4) Literally, in Hebrew, Hosts

So what kind of people should the church be?

A praying people.

We probably prayed before we even got out of bed this morning. Again when we did our personal study, then again at group study. That is good and the more we practice, the better and more often we will pray. Dn’t be the one that waits for others to do the praying, we should always be the n prayer.

Also, a praising people.

Lets not be walking around with a scowl on our faces. Be happy. Be intentional about it. Greeting others with a smile and a hug does so much for you and for the receiver!

A healing people.

Look for opportunities to minister to someone and help heal them. You never know how much good you can do by visiting someone who is homebound, or in the hospital. Even a hug at just the right time can be a help to someone who’s feeling down.

A confessing people.

Confess your transgressions to each other and pray for forgiveness.

A saving people.

Who will tell others about Jesus if we don’t take it upon ourselves to do so? Don’t let Satan stop you with all his lies. Don’t let him stop you from sharing the good news of the gospel with others.

And that’s what kind of people the church should be. I think we have a pretty healthy church based on that but like brother Ashcroft said, “We can always do better!”

Thank you for being here and if this resonated with you, be sure to leave me a comment. I’m praying for safe travels for Kevin and his oldest boy on their return from Tennessee. 🙏