THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER

There are a number of ways to gauge how healthy a church is, one of them is by how much the members care for one another. I must tell you—with much joy—that I see a lot of caring going around in our midst. Without my having to ask, you have already formed groups of visitations. And, without my having to ask, you have already provided transportation to those in need. Thank you.

But, there is another way to measure how healthy a church is, and that is by looking, how freely we are from all the things that bind us. Stormie Omartian warns us, “We all need deliverance at one time or another. That’s because no matter how spiritual we are, we’re still made of flesh. And, no matter how perfectly we live, we still have an enemy who is trying to erect strongholds of evil in our lives. God wants us free from everything that binds, holds, or separates us from Him.” Amen to that.

A healthy church is built on spiritually healthy individuals—sinners who have been set free from the bondage of evil. It doesn’t matter how much care we have for one another and how much joy we have in serving Him, if we are still bound by evil, we won’t go far, and we won’t last long. In a matter of time, we’ll fall and bring everyone else down. It is therefore imperative that we periodically ask God to “deliver us from evil” as taught by Jesus in the Lord’s Prayer.

On a different and happy note, I would like to share with you the good news that Tante Daisy has been discharged from the nursing facility. She is now settling down at home after “travelling” far and long in medical facilities. For this we give thanks to God. Yes, we cannot predict what will happen tomorrow, but as the song says, “I know who holds tomorrow and I know who holds my hands.”

Pastor Paul