IT IS FUNNY HOW I WAKE UP WITH GOSPEL CHORUSES ON MY MIND SO OFTEN. IN LIGHT OF THE MID-TERM ELECTIONS, I DON'T MIND HEARING CHORUSES LIKE THIS.
V1
There is coming a day
When no heartaches shall come,
No more clouds in the sky,
No more tears to dim the eye;
All is peace forevermore
On that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.
V2
There'll be no sorrow there,
No more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no pain,
No more parting over there;
And forever I will be
With the One who died for me,
Oh, what a day, glorious day that will be.
Chorus
What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
When I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
Then He'll take me by the hand,
And lead me through the Promised Land,
Oh, what a day, glorious day that will be.
There were other songs as well, and I appreciate each and every one of them. They shaped my life, and the anointing could be felt when Brother Stanphill sang them. Actually, that is where I began to understand the difference when they sang the Presence down into the building and when they didn't. The hair on the back of my young neck and on my arms would stand up. I am sure that some of you have had similar experiences.
One lady, June Hibbard, would sing and I have never forgotten what I felt when she sang. I was just a kid in the pew, but God used people like her to speak into my life.
I hope you don't mind if I have just a bit of a stronger gaze at the Eastern Gate. It is unsettling to think America, especially the people raised in the Bible Belt could let go of conviction of conscience and vote for someone with atheistic views and anti-Christ concepts. In light of all this, I want to remind you of the need to hold the things of this world lightly. "This world is not our home" the song writer said, "I'm just a passing through, if Heaven's not my home oh Lord what shall I do, the angels beckon me at heavens open door and I can't feel at home in this world anymore."
This is not a pie in the sky hope; this is the reward for the believer. When I was 8 years old the worship leader in our home church was a song writer. I began to think about why I can remember so many songs he wrote. His name was Ira Stanphill; he would write songs about heaven. We would listen as he led worship backed by the Bethel Temple choir in Fort Worth, Texas. He wrote these songs and some of them still have airtime in my mind occasionally.
V1
There is coming a day
When no heartaches shall come,
No more clouds in the sky,
No more tears to dim the eye;
All is peace forevermore
On that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.
V2
There'll be no sorrow there,
No more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no pain,
No more parting over there;
And forever I will be
With the One who died for me,
Oh, what a day, glorious day that will be.
Chorus
What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
When I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
Then He'll take me by the hand,
And lead me through the Promised Land,
Oh, what a day, glorious day that will be.
There were other songs as well, and I appreciate each and every one of them. They shaped my life, and the anointing could be felt when Brother Stanphill sang them. Actually, that is where I began to understand the difference when they sang the Presence down into the building and when they didn't. The hair on the back of my young neck and on my arms would stand up. I am sure that some of you have had similar experiences.
One lady, June Hibbard, would sing and I have never forgotten what I felt when she sang. I was just a kid in the pew, but God used people like her to speak into my life.
I hope you don't mind if I have just a bit of a stronger gaze at the Eastern Gate. It is unsettling to think America, especially the people raised in the Bible Belt could let go of conviction of conscience and vote for someone with atheistic views and anti-Christ concepts. In light of all this, I want to remind you of the need to hold the things of this world lightly. "This world is not our home" the song writer said, "I'm just a passing through, if Heaven's not my home oh Lord what shall I do, the angels beckon me at heavens open door and I can't feel at home in this world anymore."
This is not a pie in the sky hope; this is the reward for the believer. When I was 8 years old the worship leader in our home church was a song writer. I began to think about why I can remember so many songs he wrote. His name was Ira Stanphill; he would write songs about heaven. We would listen as he led worship backed by the Bethel Temple choir in Fort Worth, Texas. He wrote these songs and some of them still have airtime in my mind occasionally.
There's Room at The Cross for You.
Well Now It's Jesus and Me
God Can Do Anything But Fail
Jesus And Me
Mansion Over The Hilltop
Thirty Pieces Of Silver
We'll Talk It Over
I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
Suppertime
Beyond Tomorrow
A Crown Of Thorns
Follow Me
Just Tell Them When You Saw Me
I Was On My Way
Inside Those Pearly Gates
He Washed My Eyes With Tears
Well Now It's Jesus and Me
God Can Do Anything But Fail
Jesus And Me
Mansion Over The Hilltop
Thirty Pieces Of Silver
We'll Talk It Over
I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
Suppertime
Beyond Tomorrow
A Crown Of Thorns
Follow Me
Just Tell Them When You Saw Me
I Was On My Way
Inside Those Pearly Gates
He Washed My Eyes With Tears
It is possible that you have experiences like this as well. I remember the first couple of times I heard a message in tongues as a young person, and they were both right to me. I can share them like the day they were given in the church service. My question today is still, "What is man that he is mindful of us, or the son of man that he visits us". At Heritage we used to sing the song Surely the Presence of the Lord is in This Place; I don't think I have heard those feelings described any better than the line, "I can feel the touch of angel wings, I see glory on each face."
I am aware that my love for God was enhanced by what I experienced as a child. I was saved with no one else around, by myself on a Sunday Morning, His sweet presence came and visited me. I feel that presence now, at 2:20 am, on a day like this.
I told a story Friday Night in the River meeting about a little boy who would go into a toy store and play with a little mechanical Merry-Go-Round. He was not aware that the owner of the store was going bankrupt. Every day he would come into the toy store, and the owner would allow him to play with the toy he could not afford. He would watch the Merry-Go-Round rotate as tears of joy ran down his cheeks. He would pick it up and laugh with joy. The owner allowed him to go outside on the sidewalk in front of the store, people stopped to watch the happy child. People came in and bought all of the Merry-Go-Rounds and many other toys. They bought so many, the shop owner's store was saved. I love the presence of God more than that child loved the Merry-Go-Round. It is a message we communicate with our heart, soul, and body that others see and are influenced by.
God is in full charge, and he is waiting in the wings to step out on the stage of life, to appear as the Bible says He will.
I believe in you and I am praying for America this morning.
Pastor Cleddie
I am aware that my love for God was enhanced by what I experienced as a child. I was saved with no one else around, by myself on a Sunday Morning, His sweet presence came and visited me. I feel that presence now, at 2:20 am, on a day like this.
I told a story Friday Night in the River meeting about a little boy who would go into a toy store and play with a little mechanical Merry-Go-Round. He was not aware that the owner of the store was going bankrupt. Every day he would come into the toy store, and the owner would allow him to play with the toy he could not afford. He would watch the Merry-Go-Round rotate as tears of joy ran down his cheeks. He would pick it up and laugh with joy. The owner allowed him to go outside on the sidewalk in front of the store, people stopped to watch the happy child. People came in and bought all of the Merry-Go-Rounds and many other toys. They bought so many, the shop owner's store was saved. I love the presence of God more than that child loved the Merry-Go-Round. It is a message we communicate with our heart, soul, and body that others see and are influenced by.
God is in full charge, and he is waiting in the wings to step out on the stage of life, to appear as the Bible says He will.
I believe in you and I am praying for America this morning.
Pastor Cleddie