Making History

Mark 14:1-9

The Plot to Kill Jesus

14 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death. ² But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.”

The Anointing at Bethany

³ And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. ⁴ But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? ⁵ For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply.
⁶ But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. ⁷ For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. ⁸ She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. ⁹ Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

This is one of the most powerful stories in the bible...here is a woman who made history! She prepared an offering in advance for Jesus' death, and resurrection! Her mark on the Kingdom of God will never be forgotten...Jesus Christ Himself testifies on her behalf - she never led a bible study, she never preached, she never did any high-flying act for the gospel's sake...she simply spent her life on Jesus and now, it's a memorial for all time...

How do you live your life? Are you spent for the gospel? Understand this truth; your legacy as a child of God isn't based on how well you lived for God, but how your life in Christ impacted others...a man/woman of God who loves God and follows Him without hindrance, will make history! Will you make history, or just excuses?

We are so concerned about the 'trip', we've forgotten all about the 'destination.' 

Killeen Homecoming 2015

Genesis 9:9 - “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you..."

I must say that this Homecoming has been the best I've attended to date! It literally felt like a Bible Conference smashed into 3 days!!  ALL of the messages were timely, and powerful! The people from our church in Pasadena TX were so blessed, energized, challenged, and changed...I couldn't ask for anything more!

There were relationships established, fellowships renewed, and struggling Christians encouraged! It was a greater delight for me to see people in churches that my wife and I had the privilege of pastoring before...and the icing on the cake was that my Mother attended the last night of the Homecoming and knelt down at the altar!  I was blown away by everything that Jesus did in such a small window of time!

It is in our best interest to give God all the glory in everything we see and do. He truly orchestrated all these things in advance to show my wife and I, our children, and the church, His might and power! I explained to my Pastor that this was literally the first time ever that I longed to return to my home because I was so fired up and ready to apply what was preached and taught!

God is on the throne and I am so blessed and humbled to be a part of what God is doing! Listen to me, if you've left your church, fallen away from Jesus, walked away from calling...it's not over! You can return in power and dominion with Jesus Christ! You have a calling and destiny, don't let it go to waste!!

We as people of God have something inside each and every one of us that the devil cannot stand...that is His Resurrection Power!! We may be put down for whatever reason, but in Christ, we have the ability to rise again!!  Let's go get it for Jesus Christ!

Sincerely,

Pastor LaMont Melrose

Life and Death Gate

Proverbs 10:19

19 In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.

Luke 6:44-46

44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his hear brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

I read an article not too long ago about a young girl (Journee Woodard), who went to the Dentist for a routine cleaning, only to discover that she was suffering from a grapefruit size tumor attached to her pancreas! She underwent a 9 hour surgery to have it removed. This involved cutting into her gall bladder, lungs, and pancreas to remove this thing!

What got me curious was the fact that, in her desire to get her 'mouth' worked on, she found other problems on the inside, and without addressing her mouth, her life would've been forfeit. The same is true for you and I - when we deal w/the issues concerning our mouth - we'll find other areas of our lives that need our attention, and this honest examination can be life saving.

Life and death are in the power of the tongue! You know, as a child of God, it is really important that we watch what we say - words are spirit and they are life, and what we put out there can either build/edify, or demolish / destroy someone or something!

I really encourage you to speak life into ALL areas of your life! We must never underestimate the power of the spoken word! In fact, you live in the context of a sentence! The Lord created the 'Universe' - that's essentially 2 words: Uni = One...Verse = Spoken Word...this is where we live and how we exist...so your words carry an incredible weight...

So, the moral of the story is, fix your mouth, and the rest of your body can be saved!

Loss of Vision

Genesis 27:1-4

Isaac Blesses Jacob

27 Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” And he answered him, “Here I am.”
2 Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. 4 And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”

Genesis 27:22-23

22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 And he did not recognize him,

We see in this passage, an older man with a loss of vision. He must rely on his feelings now versus true vision...I know many Christians who are just like that. One of the great tragedies in this is, when you lack vision, it will limit your discernment and pervert your priorities...

As we see in verse 3 and 4, the desire of Isaac is that his son would go out and hunt for the savory game that he loves...a stew which will later be Esau's demise...you know, your present pleasures can wreck your family's destiny!

Another thing to note is, because he couldn't see, he had to feel his way around...unfortunately, when it came to knowing the truth from a lie, there was no hope in him being able to know which was which...verse 22 of our text says that what he heard was truth, but what he 'felt', was a lie.

Christian, have you lost your vision? Have you lost the passion and drive that brought you thus far? If you have, you need to get it back, and only Jesus can restore you and put you back in your proper place; let Him do it.

The Desperate Cry

Psalm 18:6 - 6 In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

Our text says that in the midst of our sins and bondages – we can cry out for His help and He will come through for us! Let me ask you – just how desperate are you? Now I realize that there are people who only cry out to God when they’re in trouble – God is the judge of their hearts…but, there is something to be said about a desperate man/woman who is willing to come clean and beg for forgiveness…

What so touches me about this verse is David. He paints this interesting picture for you and I as he glances into eternity. Imagine with me, God is in heaven, being praised day after day, night after night...the angels, saints that have gone on to heaven before us, all of the wonderful creatures we've yet to imagine or describe are all in constant worship of the King of kings! In the midst of this - He hears our prayers!
It's as if He were to stop, just to listen to the prayers of His saints come into His throne room, all the way up to His ears!!  That's the power of persistent and meaningful prayer! Have you ever prayed like that? Have you ever been so desperate before God that you didn't stop until you were confident that He has heard you? Or do you give up because you haven't seen what you wanted to see just yet...I mean, come on God - it's been 2 weeks!!

Luke 18:1-8, 18 Then He spoke a parable to them that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’” 6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

I've known verse 8 to be used in the context of Jesus returning to rapture His church, but that's not what it's saying at all. He's asking this question after a parable about persistent prayer!
In other words, you've asked, you've thirsted and hungered after an answer from God - He decides to move on your behalf, only to show up and realize, you've given up before the blessing arrived!

When God returns with your blessing/answer/breakthrough - will He find faith?

Hands Up Don't Shoot

Matthew 11:12 
12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

After weeks of anticipation, grand jury announces decision on whether to indict Officer Darren Wilson, whose fatal shooting of Michael Brown caused national uproar.
FERGUSON, Mo. — A grand jury on Monday declined to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager, resolving a secretive, months-long legal saga and reigniting powerful frustrations about America’s policing of African Americans.

The decision means that Wilson, 28, will face no state charges for the Aug. 9 shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown. It also set off a show of fury on streets near where Brown was shot, a reflection of emotions that register in this riven city as either out of control or justifiable.

At least two police cars and a half-dozen buildings were set aflame. Not far from Christmas lights in downtown Ferguson that read “Seasons Greetings,” police fired tear-gas canisters to contain the crowds. People looted liquor and convenience stores, a response that ran counter to the peace that Missouri authorities, President Obama and Brown’s family had requested.

Now I’m sure that everyone has their own opinions and their own take on what happened, what is right and what is wrong – however, I believe we spoke out as a Nation…that voice cried, when we are unfairly treated (Especially by Authorities), we will counterattack! This is nothing new people – this is in our DNA. We are Americans and for centuries, we have fought for our right to express ourselves, reveal our character (Even at other’s expense), and demand our voice and opinions be heard. That lies in the fabric of this country. This is something that transcends all races in this country. We can borrow from our history; which I believe we have…

The American Revolution began in 1775 as open conflict between the united thirteen colonies and Great Britain. By the Treaty of Paris that ended the war in 1783, the colonies had won their independence. While no one event can be pointed to as the actual cause of the revolution, the war began as a disagreement over the way in which Great Britain treated the colonies versus the way the colonies felt they should be treated. Americans felt they deserved all the rights of Englishmen. The British, on the other hand, felt that the colonies were created to be used in the way that best suited the crown and parliament. This conflict is embodied in one of the rallying cries of the American Revolution: No Taxation Without Representation.

Having understood this, I have a unique question…where is all this fight, fervor, and passion, when it comes to the Kingdom of God? We hold picket signs, yell and scream, burn down businesses, and fight for our rights – but do very little to stand up for Who we believe in!

Listen, if we have passion and an opinion about the things going on in the world – how much more passion should we have about the One who created the world?!

Jesus died on the cross so that we can be set free, isn’t that worth a voice to cry out? Will you be the mouth piece God needs in these last days?

People are rioting in the streets, setting buildings on fire in the name of someone who is dead…can’t we preach in the streets and get set ON fire for someone who is risen from the dead?!?!

Rom. 1: 16 – ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ…’

All of You Lord

John 6:53-58

53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed,[a] and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

John 6:66-69
66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

The Power in Consuming Sacrifices

Let’s go back through Jewish history quickly:

(Leviticus 6:9-10)  
"And that which is left thereof [from the meal-offering] shall Aaron and his sons eat; it shall be eaten without leaven in a holy place; in the tent of meeting they shall eat it…it is most holy as the sin-offering and the guilt-offering 

When the Jewish people were in the wilderness before they entered the land of Israel, the consumption of meat was associated with holiness. Every piece of meat consumed came from an animal sacrificed in the Mishkan (Sanctuary), an act meant to bring the worshiper closer to God. The word korban (sacrifice) is related to le-karev, to come close. Through the sacrifice, worshipers felt they were giving themselves vicariously to God.

In the times of the Mishkan the consumption of meat was not something taken for granted, as it generally is today. Each sacrifice had a definite purpose: to offer thanksgiving, to atone for a sin, to commemorate a holy day (such as the Korban Pesach, or Paschal Lamb), or to make one feel closer to God.

Those offering a sacrifice felt that they were giving up something from their prized possessions. People owned animals as sources of labor or food, as well as a form of capital; hence slaughtering them in connection with the Temple rites was a sacrifice of a precious source of income and food.

The animal was not considered just a distant commodity as is generally the case in today's world of corporate agriculture; rather, it was a creature that the owner raised and saw on a daily basis, and whose needs were a matter of personal responsibility and even concern.

Jesus called Himself the ultimate sacrifice, and He called His body, ‘The Temple’ – this is where the sacrifices were to be consumed, until after the people entered the Promised Land…then sacrifices could be consumed elsewhere.  To consume His blood, was to partake in His holy communion understanding that the shedding (Or sprinkling of blood) was to be remembered forever.

Jesus and the people understood what He was saying – His sacrifice wasn’t random, unnecessary, or common…there was relationship involved and concern. Sacrifice was more than the quality of the animal being sacrificed, there was personal involvement with the development and nurture of the beast before the slaughter – there was personal cost involved! This is what Jesus was bringing to light!

The same truth still applies today – people go to church at random, they play Russian Roulette on the web or phone book…however, long lasting faith is borne out of  relationship – care – concern, not FANATICS

Finally, did you hear the desperate cry of Peter?

Peter answered Jesus saying, ‘What else is there?’

- What am I gonna do? Go back to the world?
- Where am I going to go? Back to my old ways?
- Do you really believe I’m going to revisit my pig slop?
- I’ve made a mess of my life, now that I have a religious experience, that’s going to be enough to go on?

Peter said, ‘LORD, I NEED YOU FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE’ – is this your testimony?

Is Jesus like unemployment? He’s just enough to get you through to the next Opportunity?

 His blood was poured out for you, so that you can walk in the newness of life.