©2006/2007 Building God's Kingdom Together, Inc.

Text Box: Text Box: If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." John 11:48 So from that day on they plotted to take his life. John 11:53 How easy is it to do the right thing when it causes things to go well for you? Very, very easy! Who would not want to have things go well and have others commend them for doing the right thing! So you would think that having raised Lazarus from the dead would have led a throng of folks to believe in Jesus. You would think that everyone who witnessed this great miracle on the spot would have committed to follow Jesus. We learn from John 11:46 that there were some people who after having witnessed this resurrection miracle made a beeline straight to the Pharisees. They shared the miraculous sign they had just witnessed. While they could have gone to family and friends with this good news, instead they ran to the ‘authorities’ to be sure they were informed. The Pharisees, in turn, called a meeting of the religious leaders, the Sanhedrin. This strange twist in the story shows the dual reactions, or consequences, of Jesus’ act of love for Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, and obedience to His Father. For his friends and disciples who were present, it was a confirmation of their faith in Him as the Son of God. Text Box: On the other hand, the Pharisees saw this miracle as a confirmation that they needed to take the strongest action possible to silence and end Jesus’ ministry. In essence, Jesus’ action of raising Lazarus from the dead was bringing Him closer to His own execution, His own crucifixion. What is often overlooked about this great resurrection healing is that because of it the Sanhedrin made a policy decision. They determined that they should arrest Jesus and have Him killed. In their estimation, Jesus would cause the Romans to destroy the religion of the Jews, particularly the elimination of the Sanhedrin itself. In their own minds, the murder of Jesus was critical to the continuation of their worship of God. But imagine with me, how this miracle may have affected Jesus. He was faced with death firsthand that could have been avoided if He had only responded when He was first called by Martha and Mary. Yet, His obedience to the Heavenly Father’s direction caused Him to hold back and allow Lazarus to die. Not much later than this event Jesus was faced with the same situation, but this time He was the one who was about to die. Only if He were obedient would He die. (To be continued)

   Jesus & Obedience — Part 3

          by Pastor Dave Bassett

 
Text Box: Where are your children?      by Judy Bassett Text Box: Happy early Mother’s Day to all you Moms. Being a Mom is one of God’s greatest gifts. He loans us our precious children to teach and train up in the knowledge and teachings of Christ. We do the best we can, pray a lot, and leave the rest to God. Only God knows what is happening with our children and where they are all the time. Text Box: I’m so glad God keeps track of our kids when we can’t. Whether your children are young and you leave them with a sitter once in a while, or your kids are grown and out on their own, we can’t help being concerned about them when we don’t know what they are doing! God knows! God loves them more than we do! Amazing, isn’t it? Happy Mother’s Day! Text Box: Empties4Cash Thank you to those who have been saving and sending in your used ink-jet cartridges. We continue to receive confirmations from Empties4Cash, and we receive a check once a month for those cartridges that have been sent in. If you need more baggies to send in your used cartridges free of charge, please e-mail me and I’ll send them out to you immediately. Text Box: Building God’s    Kingdom Together

May 4, 2007

May, Issue #1

Building God’s Kingdom Newsletter

Special points of interest:

 

· Jesus & Obedience—Part 3
   by Pastor Dave

· Where Are Your Children?
   by Judy Bassett

· Mildew or Mil-don’t
   by Pastor Dave