Tag: Bible

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday April 26TH 2026, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

Volume 9, Number 9, Edition 409
“Communion”

I’ve been leading Communion for the greater part of the past 16½ years – spanning 3 home churches since late-2009. I led well over 100 Communions at my first church, and 79 Communions at my second church. I led my 18TH Communion at my current home church a couple of Sundays ago. We do it monthly, and we did it monthly at my previous home church. We did it weekly (at multiple services) at my first home church, and I alternated with a few others who also led Communion.

I’ve received a few requests recently to include a Communion here on my blog, so here’s the full transcript from 2 Sundays ago:

Thank You for that beautiful music to our Lord. We all sounded good. Our singers. Our musicians. Our church body. All of us singing in unison to and for our Lord God Almighty. AMEN.

God loves when we sing to Him. He loves when we reach out to Him with our voices. He loves when we worship Him. He loves when we show our love to Him. He loves when we show our love to others.

Let’s continue to worship Him, as we observe and celebrate Communion. Let’s remember what He did for us on that cross – and the love that was poured out for us from that cross.

Let’s reflect on the cost of love – the body broken – the blood shed – so that we may be welcomed – and forgiven – and drawn near.

Let us never take Communion lightly. Let us always take Communion seriously – with humility, gratitude, and respect.

The Bible says in Romans (5:6,8):
When we were utterly helpless – Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

If you are not yet ready to take Communion – then that’s OK. But – we want you to leave your past – leave your sins – leave your burdens – here. Don’t take them with you. Abandon them here. Repent of them here. Seek God for redemption, healing, and restoration. Surrender your heart to Him. He Himself has said – “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

If you are ready to take Communion – then we will do that together.

We observe and celebrate a believer’s Communion here at Highlands Community Church. What does that mean ? It means that if you believe, and follow, and trust, and love our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ – then this Communion is for you.

When Jesus died for us on that cross – He poured His life out for us. He suffered for our sins – once – for all time. He never sinned, but He died for us sinners to bring us safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but He was raised to life in the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18)

He poured the Holy Spirit out for us. And the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead – lives in each of us – who believe.

If you believe – then this Communion is for you.

Our Communion containers have an element on each end. The wafer is on one side, and the juice is on the other. We’ll take each one together as a church body.

Let’s remove the wafer from the container.

When it was evening – Jesus sat down at the table with the twelve disciples. As they were eating – Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then He broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples – saying – “Take this and eat it, for this is My body.” (Matthew 26:20,26)

Let us take this bread – in remembrance of Him.

Let’s open the juice on the container.

And He took a cup of wine, and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and said – “Each of you drink from it, for this is My blood – which confirms the covenant between God and His people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.” (Matthew 26:27-28)

Let us take this juice – in remembrance of Him.

Let us bow our heads. Let us pray:

Thank You God for Your ultimate sacrifice on the cross. Thank You for loving us, and giving Yourself for us. We love You Lord. We need You Lord. We are nothing without You Lord.

Thank You for Your awesome presence in our lives – and Your intentional purpose for our lives. May all of Your blessings and miracles constantly strengthen our faith in You, increase our love towards others, and unify our hearts and our souls. We honor You Lord. We praise You Lord. We worship You Lord. And my brothers and sisters we say – AMEN.

Pastor Tim – come bring us God’s Good News.

(And he did.)

My testimony is featured each week here on #SundayScripture – whether it’s part of a sermon, a testimony, or just me writing about the events of the past week. Hopefully it encourages you and inspires you to seek the Lord – and get closer to Him with each new day.

If you wish to learn more about the God I know – then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

Tags Bible, Blog, Christ, Christian, Church, God, Jesus, Message, Minister, Ministry, Pastor, Preacher, Reverend, Scripture, Sermon, Sunday

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Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday April 19TH 2026, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

Volume 9, Number 8, Edition 408
“Let’s Bow Our Heads. Let’s Pray”

I love to say those words. I will say those words whenever I’m invited to pray for a group of people. Or just one person. I will never turn down an invitation to pray. (I did that too many times early on in my journey.)

I was recently invited to pray before 67 of my neighbors at our clubhouse before our monthly breakfast. I humbly accepted the honor to do so. It was the first time ever nearly everyone there heard me pray aloud, as it was the first time ever that I was invited to do so. It was a Glorious moment, and I believe that God was glorified in that moment. The words flowed freely for God.

I love the fact that we actually pray before most of our meals at our neighborhood clubhouse. I know that in many neighborhood clubhouses praying is not even imagined, or it’s discouraged, or it’s even banned outright.

I’m also invited to pray at most of our monthly board meetings at the Sebring Historical Society. A fellow Minister serves with me on the Board, so when he’s not there – I fill-in for him for the Invocation. When he’s there – I yield to him as having far more experience than myself. The same applies at our quarterly membership luncheons which are open to all of our members and the general public.

And I also pray on most Sunday mornings at my home church. I love to lead in prayer alongside my closest brothers and sisters of my church family. But I also encourage others to lead in prayer as well. Every believer and follower of our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ has the power of the Holy Spirit to pray privately and publicly to God. It is not just for the Pastor or Preacher or Minister or Elder to do. It is for all to do. We are all qualified by God.

So encourage each other and build each other up – just as you are already doing. (1 Thesssalonians 5:11 NLT)

If you wish to learn more about the God I know – then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

Tags Bible, Blog, Christ, Christian, Church, God, Jesus, Message, Minister, Ministry, Pastor, Preacher, Reverend, Scripture, Sermon, Sunday

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Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday April 12TH 2026, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

Volume 9, Number 7, Edition 407
“Persecution”

From The Beatitudes in The Gospel According To Matthew:

God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you, and persecute you, and lie about you, and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers. (5:10-11)

That’s happened to all of us – no matter how long we’ve been believing and following our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ. But no worries:

Be happy about it ! Be very glad ! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember – the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way. (5:12)

It’s easy and convenient to keep all of this a secret from the world – just to avoid mockery, harassment, and yes – even discrimination. There are people out there who hate us – I mean really hate us – because of what we believe – because of who we follow. But that’s not what God wants for us. God’s Kingdom won’t get bigger if His believers and followers don’t share it with the world. We can’t lay low and stay hidden and keep quiet just because the world wants us to. We don’t answer to the world anymore. We answer to our God Almighty – our Lord of Glory. The world does not hold back on its beliefs. We must not hold back on our beliefs.

Christ said: “Everyone who acknowledges Me publicly here on earth – I will also acknowledge before My Father in heaven. But everyone who denies Me here on earth – I will also deny before My Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:32-33)

A single acknowledgement or denial does not determine your eternity. It must be a lifetime commitment to Christ. Do you believe His promises ? Will you follow Him forever ? Seek Him.

If you wish to learn more about the God I know – then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

Tags Bible, Blog, Christ, Christian, Church, Easter, God, Jesus, Message, Minister, Ministry, Pastor, Preacher, Resurrection, Reverend, Scripture, Sermon, Sunday

Bible Blogging Christian Church God Holidays Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday April 05TH 2026, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

Volume 9, Number 6, Edition 406
“Easter Sunday”

Today I observe and celebrate my 20TH Easter Sunday with my brothers and sisters of my church family. Before salvation – back when I lived in the pit of despair – and the mud and the mire – Easter was just another day of the year – 1 of the 365. Now – it’s the most important day of the year – and the reason why I live today.

As the Bible says in the Gospel According to Mark – Chapter 16 (1-7):

Saturday evening – when the Sabbath ended – Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on Sunday morning – just at sunrise – they went to the tomb. On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb ?” But as they arrived – they looked up and saw that the stone – which was very large – had already been rolled aside.

When they entered the tomb – they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, but the angel said – “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth – who was crucified. He isn’t here ! He is risen from the dead ! Look – this is where they laid His body. Now go and tell His disciples – including Peter – that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see Him there – just as He told you before He died.”

HE IS RISEN ! HE IS RISEN – INDEED ! The Lord has really risen ! He appeared to Peter. (Luke 24:34). He was seen by the Twelve, and the more than 500 of His followers at the time, and by James (the half-brother of Jesus), and by all the apostles, and by Paul. (1 Corinthians 15:5-8)

On this day that our LORD has made – we join our brothers and sisters in Christ – God’s children – all across this great nation of ours – and all around the world – as we observe and celebrate the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ – our Lord + Savior.

We join our brothers and sisters of this global church family on this Resurrection Sunday, but we know that every waking moment of each new day is a renewed celebration of Christ conquering the grave, and rising from the dead, and giving us life.

HE IS RISEN ! HE IS RISEN – INDEED ! And since He is risen – we have risen from where we once were.

Jesus keeps His promises – then, now, and forever. He does what He says He is going to do. He is who He says He is. He is risen. He is risen – indeed. He is alive. He sits on the throne of Heaven. He is the King of Kings. He is the Lord of Lords. He gives us life. He breathes life onto our dry bones. Breath of God – breathe on us ! He makes all things new. He gives us hope. He gives us purpose. He makes us vessels of vibrant living water. Rejoice ! Be glad in it !

If you wish to learn more about the God I know – then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

Tags Bible, Blog, Christ, Christian, Church, Easter, God, Jesus, Message, Minister, Ministry, Pastor, Preacher, Resurrection, Reverend, Scripture, Sermon, Sunday