On Sunday, July 21st, Jason delivered the sermon at a church planted last year by a dear Mozambican friend of ours whom we’ve known for fifteen years. He started by sharing some of his personal testimony and how at a time when he was at his lowest and was running from God, the Lord never left him.
He shared that sometimes when we are rejecting the Lord, God will send someone on His behalf to encourage us and plant seeds that He uses to lead us back to Him. He reminded the congregation that we must be available to our brothers and sisters in Christ, who are not only in our own individual church, but who attend other churches throughout our communities and even those all around the world.
God calls all His children to join as ONE. In the book of Acts, we see how those who were following Christ Jesus had come together to help each other, whether it was through encouragement, corporate prayer and worship, or even the sharing of what food, shelter, or other resources they had.
Jason went on to share a beautiful illustration from his time in the military. He was part of a special unit consisting of a team of six men who were trained to work cohesively together. There was a training exercise they performed where they would have to lift a very large and heavy log. One man could not possibly lift it, but the six of them together could lift it, put it on their shoulders, and carry it for a very long distance.
Sometimes the weight of what we or another brother or sister in Christ is going through is too heavy for one, but together – united - we can carry that burden.
Jason then went on to share with them Zephaniah 3:9, “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD and serve him with one accord.” (ESV)
This prophecy foretold of a time where we would be one people in Christ, made of many nations, and that we would speak with the same heart and mind as Christ. Though most Bible translations read as "one accord" or sometimes as "shoulder to shoulder," the original Hebrew is literally written as "one shoulder," illustrating the carrying of burdens and weight as a single unified shoulder that cannot be separated.
We are part of the body of Christ – altogether. Just as a hand cannot operate detached from an arm, Christ expects us to cooperate and function together as one body.
When God confused the languages at the tower of Babel, He did so because the people were unified but with the wrong heart. They wanted to elevate themselves. But now, we live in a time where we need to come back together and be unified in Christ Jesus, with one heart, one mind, one “shoulder” with our brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world.
When that happens...
Nothing, in His name, will be impossible to us!
At the end of his sermon, Jason encouraged the congregation, reminding them that no matter what they go through, they are not alone. He reminded them that the Lord is with them, the Lord is for them, and He loves them more than they could ever know. He encouraged them to be unified with other believers and to be willing to be with them as one shoulder.
He then did an altar call, asking if anyone was far from the Lord who wanted today to be the day they reestablish their relationship with Him. Nearly twenty people came forward!
After praying for those, Jason then asked if there was anyone present that didn’t know the Lord and wanted today to be that day. A young girl and two women came forward to declare Christ as their Lord. The youngest was the pastor’s niece. One of the ladies had been attending the church for a while. The other was a visitor who had come to the church for the first time.
What a blessing and joy it is to see lives changed and people coming to know the Name above all names!
