Pentecost
from page B5
ground of the organization
and showed the highlights
of the bishop's visit to
Ecuador. Mack challenged
his parishioners to sponsor
at least SO children before
The Compassion
Experience left at the end
of the week.
Mack said he has trav
eled to Third World coun
tries many times, and going
to Ecuador was a different
experience for him. He said
it gave him a sense of
"making the Scriptures
come alive," and what he
discovered is they love
God there like we love God
here.
The church's dance
ministry performed a very
uplifting routine that got
everyone out of the pews.
Woodson was in route
to the celebration to sup
port his friend Mack, but
was happy tq deliver the
message when he received
the call to do so .
"I think if you are going
to be competent, you have
to be a professional, so if
you are going to be a
preacher, then be a profes
sional," Woodson said. And
when asked how he was
able to come up with a ser
mon on the fly, he said,
"After 40 years of preach
ing, that's all you ever do,
and I guess it's that simple,
you know."
Woodson's sermon
touched everyone who
attended, even the guest
ministers, who were on
their feet, hanging on his
every word.
Photos by Timothy Ramsey
Bishop James Woodson of St. James Home of Fresh
Start Ministries in Greensboro delivers the sermon
during Union Baptist Spring Pentecost Conclave,
with Bishop Sheldon McCarter of Greater
Cleveland, left, and Bishop Sir Walter Mack Jr. to
the right enjoying the show.
Lesson
from page B5
mercy on them.(Luke
17:13). Jesus was not
affended by the ten lepers
who asked for compassion.
He merely directed them to
go and present themselves
to the local "priests" (Luke
17:14) to affirm that they
had been healed. Their
faith was demonstrated in
their willingness to do as
Jesus instructed without
anything further being
done. They simply took
Him at His word and as
they made their way to the
priest they were cured of
their disease (Luke 17:14).
It did not take long for one
of the ten lepers to realize
he had been completely
cured. Out of a sense of
gratitude, he turned back to
find Jesus and enthusiasti
cally shouted praises to
God. Touching a person
with leprosy made you
unclean according to
Jewish law. Jesus, howev
er, did not let this law pre
vent His letting the "former
leper ... lay at His feet and
repeatedly thank Him for
what He had done (vs.16).
As the man lay facedown
at Jesus' feet. He rhetori
cally asked whether ten
men had been healed of
their disease. Jesus then
asked where were the other
nine and goes on to say that
the one who did return was
a foreigner (vs. 18)... evi
dently, at least some of the
absent nine were Jews.
Without more discussion,
Jesus tells the Samaritan
(former leper) that his
"faith" had "saved" him.
This statement infers that
he had been permanently
rescued from his predica
ment as a result of his trust
or faith in Jesus. The man's
physical healing was
accompanied by his spiri
tual deliverance from sin.
For Your Consideration:
If you had been the healed
leper, how do you think
you would have expressed
your gratitude? Like Jesus,
what risks do believers
sometimes face when they
reach out to persons in
need?
Life's Application: We
as Christians stand in need
of situational deliverance
and forgiveness. Though
the issue of eternal salva
tion has been dealt with
already, physical disease
and personal sins are still
realities of our life. We as
believers need to look to
the Lord for helping in
time of sickness and for
forgiveness of the sins that
damage fellowship with
the heavenly Father. These
things being true, then how
^can we not go to our loving
Savior for help and hope?
i
The members of Union Baptist pray during the '
Spring Pentecost Conclave on Thursday, April, 28.
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