The memories of this day from my childhood are so vivid for me. Every year without fail, my mother would present hot steaming syrup to my father, as if it were a freshly brewed cup of coffee. As he grimaced in disgust, my mother would exclaim, “April Fools!” and roaring laughter was heard ‘round the block.
Today in the office, our delightful administrative assistant Kelli Stevers, shared with me a favorite April Fools’ joke she once told her small group of teen girls, that the Dakotas decided to merge. No longer would there be North and South Dakota, just one big plain state. “O my, what do we do? There will only be 49 states!” Gullible young ladies had to be reminded it was April Fools’ Day.
What this day is, unofficially, of course, is National Atheists’ Day. The reason? Because the Bible says, “The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.” (Psalm 14:1) One would be a fool to say there is no God, for indeed, He is all around us as confirmed by the complexity of our world, the moral compass in our hearts, and the revelation of Scripture confirmed by the prophecies, the greatest of which is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
So here we are on the Thursday before Easter, just four days away from the biggest piece of evidence, the resurrection, displaying God’s loving personality, and His divine attributes! And we would all be fools not to share this news with others. Pray for, invite, and bring a friend. This Easter, come on time, park further, sit closer, and have a heart ready to receive God’s Word for you! In Christ, Pastor Mark
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( 3.3 / 7 )If we were to step back in time 2000 years ago, we would be eight days away from the crucifixion, hopefully walking with Jesus to Jerusalem. His eyes were looking straight ahead, His heart was getting ready for His impending death, but His spirit was determined and strong. It seemed like nothing could stop Him.
But on His way through the town called Jericho, Jesus saw a very interesting sight indeed. Because of the crowd, a man of short stature was straining to see Him, while perched on the limb of a sycamore tree. Jesus stopped and said to this man, "Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home."
If we have the heart of Jesus, we will not overlook anyone either. We will not look past them, we will not look right through them, with a blank stare, but instead, out hearts would be looking for the people God puts in our path. This happened to Jan and me this week. Marlo Hunter’s Uncle Denny passed away recently, and she graciously asked me to lead his service. While meeting with the family before and after the memorial, I got to meet one of God’s precious angels. Her name is Katelyn, just a few months old, and a child with downs syndrome, but one who God and family have absolutely come to love. And if you had the chance to spend time with her, you would come to know why, because God sees value in every single life.
You don’t have to get straight As, play in the NBA, or start a new business to count for God. Let’s all make sure we don’t just walk by a Zacchaeus or Katelyn God puts in our path. Ask for Jesus’ eyes. “God, help us to see people as You see them and to stop and speak a word of witness.”
In Christ,
Pastor Mark
Important dates to mark on your calendar:
Sunday, April 4: Easter!
Sunday, April 18: Church Picnic, following the 2nd service at Woodglen Vista Park, Santee
Remember to read The Weekly Edition of the Good News Globe written by Linda Lilyquist here: http://www.gatewaychurchonline.com/medi ... ng_six.pdf
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( 3 / 49 )Dear Friends of Gateway,
The signs of Spring are everywhere. My crepe myrtle is starting to bud; Winter's grip has loosened. The roses are showing new growth, and the blooms are around the corner. God could not have picked a better time for Easter. New life is everywhere.
The renewal that we experience through the change of seasons is about to be celebrated all across the globe. Jesus, once dead, came to life again! The entire Bible hangs on this truth: the resurrection. To believe otherwise, is to really be a fool, and that celebration is held on April 1st, not April 4th. The Roman Centurion standing at the foot of the cross knew what death was about; in Rome, all the leaders of a hundred soldiers were battle tested and had seen death up close. This man certified that Jesus had died, making the final confirmation by a thrust in the side of Jesus' body, right into the heart producing a mixture of water and blood flowing down. It was Jesus' blood that paid for our sin. But the better news is that Christ rose again, proving that we could not only experience forgiveness, but new life. On Sunday we will take the Lord's Supper together and remember Christ's sacrificial gift, and again look forward to Easter. Our joy, our calling and our responsibility is to not just accept this truth, but to share it with others.
In Christ,
Pastor Mark
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( 3 / 52 )As the days lengthen and our weather warms, Christians turn their hearts to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His resurrection at Easter. In preparation, today is a day of prayer for us at Gateway Church. During the weeks ahead, all throughout San Diego, churches are taking time to pray and fast, asking God to move in our city as we lead up to Easter. Would you consider taking part in this focused endeavor? There are some prayer guidelines and suggestions from our website that may help in your time of prayer. Click here http://www.gatewaychurchonline.com/mini ... ayerchain/ for our website Prayer Ministry page to download pdf files of 10 Specific Prayers for Revival and Spiritual Awakening and a reminder to pray for friends, co-workers, neighbors and family members who need to experience the love of Jesus.
This Sunday, I will be speaking about one single, nameless, yet famous act that helped prepare Jesus for the challenge of His trial and the cross. My hope is that as we look at this anointing of Jesus at Bethany, we will be challenged to be more gracious and generous. As we read through the Gospel of Mark, we not only see Jesus in His sinless life, but now in the last half, His atoning death, where Jesus takes away our sin and the burden of guilt can be lifted. Fall deeper in love with Him, and then come and celebrate with us together at Gateway! Remember it is time to spring forward this Sunday, so we will see you an hour earlier!
In Christ,
Pastor Mark
Be sure to read our Weekly Edition of the Good News Globe by Linda Lilyquist here: http://www.gatewaychurchonline.com/medi ... g_four.pdf
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( 2.8 / 41 )It is preparation time for the celebration of Easter. In my sermon series, Headlines from the Life of Jesus, all events lead up to the crucifixion and resurrection. Yes, Jesus was a great moral teacher. As we will see Sunday, a miraculous Healer, but most of all He was the one that took us from being trapped in our sin to being reconnected with God. To get ready, we have a Saturday Spring Cleaning Day, March 6th from 9-1pm at the church. Pattie Williams is providing lunch for all those who are working, so please make us aware that you are coming.
Cleaning our facility will give us the physical preparation for Easter; the spiritual readiness will be participating in “Gateway Prayer Wave 2010.” This will begin at the church next Wednesday at our 10AM midweek service. We are asking people to commit to praying for one half hour in your home or at the church. The church building will be open for prayer Wednesday, 10am – 10pm, and on Thursday, 6am – 10am. Start by asking God whom He would like you to invite. List and pray for family members, friends, and co-workers to become open to and receive God’s gift of salvation.
There is one last piece of encouragement that I have, as we get ready. God must do His work, but we must also do ours. One final picture: a little league baseball player finally gets his opportunity. The bases are loaded, there are two outs, but the young man in all of his excitement forgets to take his bat to the plate. The moral of the story: you cannot get a hit unless you swing. How can the Lord use you unless you open your mouth?
In Christ,
Pastor Mark
Consider adding your voice to proclaim Jesus is risen!
GROW Children's Ministry Easter Choir: http://www.gatewaychurchonline.com/mini ... r%20K-5th/
Resurrection Celebration Choir: http://www.gatewaychurchonline.com/ministries/music1/
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