The Closeness of God’s Love

We will all spend this Holy Week differently than we have ever done before. Social distancing is becoming a part of our new way of life. It saddens me that I won’t be spending Good Friday and Easter Sunday with my church family. We won’t be shaking hands and hugging one another as we share the common Easter phrase “He is risen- Yes He is risen indeed.” We won’t be singing and rejoicing together as a congregation. But nevertheless, I know we will be rejoicing in our own homes because Jesus paid a great price, we do not have to experience social distancing from God our Father.

How grateful I am for God’s plan to redeem mankind. Without Jesus’ sacrifice how lost I would be, I would be without hope. I would spend eternity separated and distanced from God. Oh but today I rejoice because truly OUR SAVIOR HAS RISEN! And because of that, I can have peace.

What do the events of this week mean? First of all, let me tell you this is not a fairy tale. This is an event that changed all of history and it is the very foundation of our faith.

While Jesus Christ hung on the cross, eight miraculous events happened- events, which demonstrated that the cross was a triumph and not a tragedy. I want to focus on one event in particular.

The great veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. (Matthew 27:51) To the Jews, the veil was the most important thing in the temple because it surrounded the Ark of the Covenant, which symbolized the very presence of God. It was huge, it was sixty or more feet high; it was beautiful and made of the finest of materials.

Its significance is that it was torn by an act of God himself. It was the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy place and up until that time only the priest could enter one day a year, the Day of Atonement. When the perfect Lamb of God was lifted up, Jesus’ blood was accepted at the Cross-as final payment for man’s sin and the Holy of Holies, which was a place, limited only to the priest, has now become accessible to all of us!

Once we were distanced and isolated from God but because the veil was torn in two we now have direct access to God. As darkness came over the land and Jesus gave up his life, it was through His blood that the middle wall of separation was torn and now we have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2) It was at that very moment that Jesus paid the price so that we can have access to God and we can enjoy the presence of God every day.

What does that access mean? (John 3:16) It means we can have forgiveness for our sins, we can talk to God, we can have peace with God and the peace of God and we can have eternal life if we believe and accept Jesus Christ. We can have continual access to the very presence of God, The Holy of Holies has been opened to us and we can now “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. “ (Hebrews 4:16)

And isn’t that what we need in this world right now? As a believer God no longer lives behind the curtain, He lives in you and me. No matter what this world throws at us, anxiety, fear, confusion, isolation we do not have to give in to defeat we can be assured of victory. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace, in this world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Yes this Easter may be a little different, yes I will miss the presence of my children and grandchildren as we always have celebrated the resurrection together, I will miss our traditional Easter service and the presence of other believers, but I will rest in this; “This to will pass, God is in control”

This year I have a new Easter garment, pardon me while I put it on. It is the Armor of God and it was designed for Victory. And as I take up the sword in my hand and lift it up I say to you “onward Christian soldier there is a world to be won, no it’s not time to back up or give in its time to answer the call, tell His story and change our world.”

If you are not experiencing the peace of God right now ask yourself this question, ‘Have I made peace with God? Have I surrendered my life to Him?’ Will you accept His love and forgiveness right now; He is waiting for you with open arms.

Prayer: “Lord thank you for allowing me access to you, Make me, O Lord, Victorious over every circumstance; make me patient with every person; and give me the joy which no circumstance and no one will ever take from me…Amen”

Tune in to our YouTube channel this Friday, April 9th for our Good Friday Service at 7:00 PM for a Message of Hope and then this Sunday, April 12th for Resurrection Sunday Service at 10:30 AM for a time of praise and worship from the best Praise and Worship team ever followed by a powerful message by Pastor Rodriguez.

Please know that Pastor and I are praying for you and your families (Colossians 1:9-11). If we can pray for you in a specific way you can send your prayer requests HERE.  

In His Service,
Francine

Click HERE to access our YouTube channel then hit the subscribe button and the bell next to it to be alerted of all our online services.

AN UPDATE FROM PRAISE CENTER CHURCH

Deuteronomy 31:8 says “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

As our day to day lives continue to change quickly due to the COVID-19 responses from our government, I want to remind you that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). The bible tells us repeatedly that His word will not return empty and will never pass away (Isaiah 55:11, Matthew 24:35, Numbers 23:19, Isaiah 40:8). As believers, we have the great gift of taking refuge in God’s word during this time of unease and uncertainty.

I want to remind you today that God is with you during this pandemic! He has gone ahead of you to make the rough places smooth (Isaiah 45:2) and He says ”This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) Whether you are anxious about your health or your finances or just the uncertainty of your day to day life I encourage you to find peace in His word!

We know that as believers, the church is a place to reset and refuel and grow in God’s word and to fellowship with one another (Hebrews 10:24-25) Currently our state is on a stay at home order and although Churches are exempt from this order we have decided, that to keep you from breaking the order of staying indoors Sunday worship services will be closed to the public and will be streamed on our YouTube Channel.

We want you to join us online! We will not give up meeting, we will simply do it through technology. Simply click HERE hit the subscribe button and the bell just to the right of the subscribe button.

Now more than ever, it is important to hear the word of God and to come together in fellowship. I believe that God can move in the gathering of His people online just as He moves when we gather in person. And remember this is for just a short season!

Francine and I are praying for you and we look forward to seeing you soon in church, until then please let us know how we can pray for you during this time. You can submit your prayer request HERE.

Take a moment to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. It's easy and fast and will ensure that you are notified of every online service we have. We look forward to meeting with you and encouraging you online during the next few weeks!

In His Service,
Pastor William A. Rodriguez

Thank you for your continued support of the ministry. To continue to give your tithes and offerings during this time, please click on www.praisecenterchurch.com/give or download the GIVE+ app from the App Store on your Apple device or Google Play on your android device and enter our church information: Praise Center Church 3105 W. Florida Ave. Denver, CO 80219 or call the church office for other options at 303-922-1131