- Members of the Sulphur Springs community are hosting a drop-off point for relief supplies to go to the victims of the Joplin tornado. You can leave donations (cash, toiletries, and ready-to-eat food, especially) at the Shiloh Auditorium (309 Griffin Ave.) 10 AM-3 PM and 6 PM-9 PM May 26, 27, and 28. Also at the Arvest bank in Noel during bank hours.
- From June 6 to the 29th there will be free lunches up at Shiloh for local children under 18 years old. Volunteers are needed, please contact Shirley. For more information.
- Elaine has successfully finished delivering goat babies for the year.
- James is scheduled to come to Christin on May 26! Pray that they will be able to find the perfect home together.
- Johnny Lee was let off early from Youthbridge.
- Vernon and Nellie had a wonderful trip and are now in Liverpool for Mark and Lydia’s wedding.
- Dixie is still holding on. Please pray strength, help, and comfort to her.
- Rita and Charlotte are settling into new home at Concordia.
- Jonathan had two of the greatest weeks of his life!
- Christin and Johnny Lee were able to be at church.
- Pray for the devastation in Joplin, MO after the worst tornado on record.
- The Densmores will be traveling up to Ohio, pray mercies for them.
- Kyle Kirkland is a 26 year old man who was terribly injured in a car wreck, is currently paralyzed from the chest down, and is fighting pneumonia. Please remember him, his family, and his doctors. Pray for his complete healing for the Lord’s glory.
- June’s stepdaughter, Lisa, has been diagnosed with breast cancer (she recently lost her son and father). Pray that she will feel the Lord’s presence every day and every hour.
- Julie has a hospice patient: a baby who was born without a brain. Please pray healing and growth for that child, and God’s grace for the parents.
- Carol Murray is struggling with settling her aging aunt’s affairs in a tough situation.
- Vivian’s mother, Bessie Kyle is struggling with the first stages of dementia. Please pray for her husband, Elmer Lee, and their son and daughter-in-law, Gayle and Lynda Kyle, who are taking care of them.
- Pray for improvements in Mary’s health and a change for the better in her life.
- Byron, Pam, and Markus need your prayers.
- Remember our leaders and soldiers.
We tend to look at John 10 as an island--devoid of context. However, when we read it in conjunction with chapter 9, interesting things come to light.
The man who was born blind (ch. 9) was probably at least 30 years old at the time of his healing. All his life he had been a social outcast, and his parents were branded with the stigma of sin. The Pharisees were the holy church of the day, and judged this man and his family as deserving of God's wrath.
Jump ahead to John 10 where vs. 1 comes right on the heels of the Pharisees saying, "What? Are we blind too?" Jesus proceeds to tell them a little story about sheep, shepherds, and thieves. He clearly states that He is the good shepherd, so who are the sheep and thieves in this story? The first thought might be, "The church, they are the sheep, and the devil, he is the thief." But is that so? In the context of the blind man's healing, his condemnation before the Sanhedrin, and the discussion of the Pharisees' guilt, it can be assumed that this is the way things stand:
- The Good Shepherd: Jesus
- The Sheep: those who are cast out, like the blind man (they're blind and know it)
- The Thieves: the Pharisees, the "church" of their day (they're blind and don't know it)
- Stealing: The church can steal life. In John 10:10 Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." The church sometimes does the opposite of that: it makes salvation a matter of "dos-and-don'ts". It also takes Christians' resources and pours them into someone else's (not God's) dream and vision. Unlike the shepherd, it takes and takes, and never gives back to the sheep.
- Killing: The church kills by taking away hope. This can be accomplished by loading the sheep with unnecessary burdens and unrealistic expectations. In Matthew 23:1-4 Jesus condemned the Pharisees for doing just that. What are the burdens we should carry? Have a look at Acts 15:19-20.
- Destroying: We destroy someone when we render them unable to believe. How many people have you ever met who said they "tried church" or "did the Jesus thing" and it "didn't work" for them? The church can turn people away from the truth for the stupidest reasons.
Check your posture to the world. Are you a thief or a shepherd to those around you? Personal Application: on any given day would others call you a giver or a taker? Jesus was the greatest of all givers. He gave "life...and...abundantly." Jesus is out to give life to those the "righteous" have rejected.
Are you?
