Don’t let friend or foe stop you from shouting out to Jesus. Speak up about your faith and cheer up someone with the Good News.
Methodist Minister Judy Cumberbatch made this message abundantly clear during a recent 7 a.m. mid-week service at Bethel Methodist Church.
Wide-eyed worshippers listened as she spoke about the incident in Mark 10:46-52 when blind Bartimaeus was told to shut up as he called out to Jesus who he heard was passing by.
However, rather than obey those who pleaded with him to “still his voice”, Bartimaeus shouted all the more, eventually gaining Jesus’ attention and his miracle of sight.
Noting that this Bible character had lost his sight but not his voice, Cumberbatch stressed that had he listened to those who tried to silence him, he never would have received his healing. She said that we too, must not be silenced when we need to hear and receive from God, or when it comes to sharing the good news of the gospel.
“When we as Christians listen to others who tell us to shut up, we fail to give out and receive what we should. Do not let anyone stop you from calling out to Jesus – when you do, He always answers,” Cumberbatch reiterated.
She further noted: “Just as Jesus heard the cry of Bartimaeus, so He hears us in the midst of our confusion and pain. When Bartimaeus in turn heard that Jesus had responded to his plea to “have mercy on me”, he immediately threw off his cloak – that which would hamper his progress – in order to go to Jesus.”
“What about you?” she asked the congregation.“ Are you willing to leave behind those things which hinder you from going to Jesus?”
Cumberbatch advised her listeners to stop listening to the voices of the devil and their enemies and desist from holding on to their homes, cars, children and even sicknesses.
“Too many people are coming into the church talking about their sicknesses and not calling out to Jesus about them. They are holding on to them. Let us ask God to show what we are holding on to, [let go of it and run into the arms of Jesus].”
Cumberbatch advised that just as blind Bartimaeus received his sight and followed Jesus, we too must be willing to follow Jesus all the way.
“Are we faithful stalwarts and followers of Jesus?” she asked.
“Do we, when we receive the gift of salvation, make up our minds to follow Jesus all the way or do we become pew warmers failing to testify about Christ?”She told her listeners that “life is beautiful when we walk with the Lord”.
She urged them to keep testifying about God’s goodness in their lives and to call out to Jesus in their times of need.•To have your church featured in Altar Call, please call 430-5494 or email cherylharewood@nationnews.comÂ
