Awaken The Dawn

A Vessel of Honor

judgment, now and later. 14 It is uncanny how the timing of Jesus’ doctrinal interpre- tation coincided perfectly with His ministerial activities. For instance, entering Jericho triumphantly, surrounded by an exultant crowd, Jesus pauses to heal a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, whose voice would have been otherwise muffled by the cacophonous crowd. How can he judge the sincerity of those whom he chooses to be His disci- ples? How does he know when to start telling His fol- lowers about His impending crucifixion? Jesus’ framework is prayer. In prayer, the Son of Man per- ceived both the nowness and laterness of what He is doing and what He is teaching. Apparently, He knew some things ahead of time, while other things came to Him as He needed them. Still, I maintain that it was in the context of prayer that He found His direction. I remember so well how this once worked for me. I had begun pastoring our church in San Jose which met in the old 20th Street Church of God we had purchased. The building was run down, and the sidewalks were buck- ling. I was particularly concerned about the hazard the uneven side walk posed: someone could get hurt on them, but we didn’t have any money, so I prayed about it. One afternoon as I drove home from church, I felt com- pelled to stop at the Purple Heart used clothing store. My hands spun the wheel towards the store before I realized what I was doing. I got out of the car and entered the store. Somehow, I felt I had to be there for a reason. I looked around the store and saw no one that I knew. Nervously, I approached a candy machine and got some- thing to eat to occupy my time. Then I felt I should look

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