When Jesus Opens Your Eyes, Life Is Different

What would it be like to be able to see after living one’s entire life in darkness? Life would be dramatically different. In this week’s message, we will look at the lives of two people whose lives were drastically changed when Jesus opened their eyes to a dynamic spiritual truth.

Scripture: Mark 10:46-52

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.”

And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.

Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.”

Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

Renewing Reflections

It is our prayer that Renewing Reflections will be a blessing in your life this coming week. This quote is taken from the sermon Biblical Teaching Is Important delivered on Christian Crusaders October 29, 2000:

While reformations have been necessary in the Church, it is also true that there needs to be times of reformation in the lives of individual Christians. How many of us have not been misled by a Christianity that was legalistic? Well-meaning people in the Church felt it was necessary to establish man-made laws to keep believers in a faithful relationship with God. We were taught that it was sin to dance, play cards, go to movies, and the list went on. If we did these things, our salvation was not sure.

ChristianCrusaders.org

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On the Light Side

Optometry Jokes

What was the lens’ excuse to the policeman?

I’ve been framed, officer!

Where do you send a depressed eye?

To the low vision center.

Where is the eye located?

Between the H and the J.

What happens when the retina cries?

You get retinal tears.

A man went to an eye specialist to get his eyes tested and asked, “Doctor, will I be able to read after wearing glasses?”

“Yes, of course,” said the doctor.

“Oh! How nice it would be,” said the patient with joy. “I have been illiterate for so long.”

A woman walks into an optician’s office to return a pair of spectacles that she purchased for her husband a week before. The assistant asks, “What seems to be the problem, madam?”

The woman replies, “I’m returning these spectacles I bought for my husband. He’s still not seeing things my way.”

What do you call a deer with no eyes and no legs?

Still no eye-deer

Patient: “I can’t see very far in these new glasses”

Optom takes him to the door: “What’s that up there?”

Patient: “The sun.”

Optom: “How far do you want to see?”

These jokes just get cornea and cornea!

Can You Really Follow Me?

What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus Christ? Several of Jesus’ disciples wanted to serve in a prestigious place in his kingdom. However, Jesus had a different thought in mind when he asked people to follow him. Listen this week as we talk about what it really means to serve Christ in his kingdom.


Scripture: Matthew 20:20-28
Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

“What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”


Renewing Reflections
It is our prayer that Renewing Reflections will be a blessing in your life this coming week. This quote is taken from the sermon Servants delivered on Christian Crusaders October 18, 2009:

We cannot have Christ without a cross. The Kingdom of God turns the world’s  idea of power and glory upside down and inside out. The agenda is not how to refrain from being offensive to the culture in which we live. The agenda is how to tell the story of Christ, for without Him we are helpless. This is a message the humanist cannot stand to hear, and sooner or later our lives will sense the world’s displeasure with us. This is the suffering we will experience in sundry ways.


On ChristianCrusaders.org
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On the Light Side
Feeling it was time for a shakeup, a company hires a new CEO. This new boss is determined to rid the company of all slackers.

On a tour of the facilities, the CEO notices a guy leaning on a wall. The room is full of workers, and he wants to let them know he means business! So he walks up to the guy and asks, “And how much money do you make a week?”

Undaunted, the young fellow looks at him and replies, “I make $300.00 a week. Why?” The CEO then hands the guy $300 in cash and screams, "Here's a week's pay, now GET OUT, and don't come back!"

Feeling pretty good about his first firing, the CEO looks around the room and asks "Does anyone want to tell me what that goof-off did here?"

With a sheepish grin, one of the other workers mutters, "Pizza delivery from Domino's."

Jesus First

We place great value on our family, our intellect, and our money. All these things are meant to enrich our lives and help us find our place in the world. But Jesus said that we must be willing to give all those things up in order to be saved. Impossible to do? So how then can we be saved?


Scripture: Mark 10:17-27

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knee before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good – except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”


Renewing Reflections

It is our prayer that Renewing Reflections will be a blessing in your life this coming week. This quote is taken from the sermon Walking Through Life With Jesus delivered on Christian Crusaders April 9, 2008:

Life is changed when we walk with Jesus. If you do not believe it, ask St. Paul in Rome as he is awaiting martyrdom, Martin Luther in Wittenberg as he is waiting to be tried, or George Washington at Valley Forge in the midst of battle. Ask Clarence Thomas, who wrote while waiting to be confirmed by the United States Senate, “The more hopeless things appeared, the more vulnerable I felt, the more I turned to God’s comforting embrace. Over time my focus became primarily God centered.”


A Quick Way to Start Your Day on an Uplifting Note

ChristianCrusaders.org features a daily devotion, front and center on the site’s home page, where you can immediately find food for spiritual thought anytime you need it. Then visit the Faith Links page for further Bible helps!


On the Light Side

Moving On

A rich man was near death, and he felt very grieved, because he had worked so hard for his money and wanted to take it with him to heaven. So he began to pray that he might be able to take some of his wealth with him. An angel heard his plea and appeared to him, “Sorry, but you can’t take your wealth with you.”

The man implored the angel to speak to God to see if He might bend the rules. The man continued to pray that his wealth could follow him. The angel reappeared and informed the man that God decided to allow him to take one suitcase with him. Overjoyed, the man gathered his largest suitcase, filled it with pure gold bars, and placed it beside his bed.

Soon afterward the man died and showed up at the Gates of Heaven to greet St. Peter. Seeing the suitcase Peter said, “Hold on. You can’t bring that in here!” But the man explained to him that he had permission and asked him to verify his story with the Lord.

Sure enough, Peter checked and came back saying, “You’re right. You are allowed one carry-on bag, but I’m supposed to check its contents before letting it through.”

Peter opened the suitcase to inspect the worldly items the man found too precious to leave behind and exclaimed, “You brought pavement?!!!”

Just a Closer Walk

How would people describe you? Would they say you are kind, trust-worthy, and generous, or would they describe you as self-serving, angry, and unreliable? If you long for a greater sense of nearness and intimacy, you may find it surprising to learn that it all begins with surrendering yourself. Please join us this Sunday as we talk about how to grow in our love for others and for our heavenly Father.


Scripture: John 15:1-8

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”


Hymns

“All Hail the Power”
“I Surrender All”
“Just a Closer Walk”


Renewing Reflections

It is our prayer that Renewing Reflections will be a blessing in your life this coming week. This quote is taken from the sermon Shine! delivered on Christian Crusaders February 24, 2008:

Go on the offensive, children of light! Expose fruitless deeds of darkness with your actions. Treat people with kindness, fairness, humility. Refuse to participate in unfruitful works, exercise values of light, and walk in integrity. This exposes evil. Expose them with your words by speaking up. If you see something that is not in accordance with what is pleasing to God and is destroying lives, then speak up. Not only negatively, but also speaking positively, pointing to the better way of Jesus Christ. It’s not always the comfortable thing to do, but as children of light, we play for an audience of One.


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On the Light Side

Top Ten Funny Electrical Shorts
What is the definition of a shock absorber?
A careless electrician.

Do you know how an electrician tells if he’s working with AC or DC power?
If it’s AC, his teeth chatter when he grabs the conductors. If it’s DC, they just clamp together.

What did the light bulb say to the generator?
I really get a charge out of you.

What Thomas Edison’s mother might have said to her son: “Of course I’m proud that you invented the electric light bulb. Now turn it off and get to bed!”

Sign on the side of the electrician’s van: Let Us Get Rid of Your Shorts.

Two atoms were walking down the street one day, when one of them exclaimed, “Oh no – I’ve lost an electron!”
“Are you sure?” the other one asked.
“Yes,” replied the first one. “I’m positive.”

Why are electricians always up to date?
Because they are “current” specialists.

What would you call a power failure?
A current event.

Did you hear about the silly gardener?
He planted a light bulb and thought he would get a power plant.

How do you pick out a dead battery from a pile of good ones?
It’s got no spark.