Heart Transplant
Well, if you missed revival Monday night, you missed out! We were beyond blessed by the Wilmington Celebration Choir and that blessing was followed by another blessing from Pastor Brian Rogers from Kinston.
You never have to wonder where the Wilmington Celebration Choir got their name. They celebrate God’s goodness! I never want to just listen to them because I LOVE watching them worship. I love the smiles, dancing, and raising of hands all in worship! Everyone up there looks like God is sitting right in front of them and they are singing for Him! And He was! As they sang, “This Is The House Of The Lord” I thought the roof may blow off! I thought about how this group travels and keeps a very steady pace. You might wonder how they do it. I think the words they sang is the answer. “You are the source of my strength!” Thank you, Wilmington Celebration Choir, for worshiping and celebrating God’s goodness with us Monday night! Thank you for preparing our hearts for Pastor Brian’s message.
I believe Satan was so scared of how powerful revival was going to be Monday night that he tried to stop it, but as always God gets the Victory! Pastor Brian got to PVUMC just in time, after a few glitches traveling to Wilmington. I was trying to remember what I wanted to write - just from his prayer! He thanked God for pouring His favor on him as he traveled to us. He asked God to make up where he left off in his message. He asked the Holy Spirit to let us know what He is trying to show us. He asked the Holy Spirit to stir us up. After the prayer he said he prays for us to be stirred because the Holy Spirit did not come to lie dormant! Pastor Brian never had time to catch his breath but after his opening prayer, God emptied him of himself and filled him with the Holy Spirit! Nothing is too big for God!
Pastor Brian thanked us for all being at church on a Monday night when State and Carolina were playing! I don’t care who won - nothing was as big as the celebration that we had! We were in a gym, knowing there is a real rivalry but we are always on the winning team because God has the Victory! He reminded us in the beginning that we are all as close to God as we want to be. He talked to us about Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a pure heart, O God. Renew an unwavering spirit within me.”
After the news this week of a helicopter crash killing nine people, we are reminded of how fragile life is. As Pastor Brian said, our physical heart will not beat forever. We have a decision to make with our spiritual heart. As he said, sadly, we prepare more for a hurricane than for our eternity. Do we want God to create a pure heart in us? This decision cannot be handed down from our parents or grandparents - it is ours and ours alone! God does not have grandchildren - just children. Our hearts will become hardened if we do not turn to God. Matthew 13:15, “Because this people’s heart has grown callous, their ears are hard of hearing. They have closed their eyes. Otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, turn, and I would heal them.”
A heart transplant, today, costs about 1.5 million dollars. But Pastor Brian reminded us where we can get a heart transplant for free! Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for us all. And He paid the price in full! Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Jesus is coming and it is time to make a decision. Have you accepted this free gift?