Pastor Eugene Smith

THE ROAD TO EMMAUS ~ LUKE 24:13-53 ~ Darla Smith Come on a journey down the Road to Emmaus with two disciples who were devastated, downhearted, disillusioned and set adrift by the tumultuous sea of events that they had witnessed during and after Jesus’ crucifixion. They were sad, their hopes were shattered and they were stuck in unbelief! BUT THEN…

Darla draws from the teaching of Jesus in John 15 about the way to abundant fruitfulness. Jesus is the vine, we are the branches and our heavenly Father is the vinedresser. He is the One with the qualifications for doing the necessary work of developing both quantity and quality of fruit in our lives. Branches who ABIDE bear much fruit.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation that seems like a mass of endless miry clay that threatens to swallow you up? Listen as Darla tells personal testimony of being rescued literally from the miry clay as a child and her application of Psalm 40:1-3 to our lives today. The Lord hears our cry and will act on our behalf. Isn't it time to exchange our ‘welly / rubber' boots for ... ?

Early in our experience of the Spirit-filled life, the God who speaks delivers a word to our hearts, lodging deep within our spirit. That word gives us a small glimpse of his will for our lives, but God does not necessarily tell us the purpose behind his promise. Yet he begins to fashion our lives so we can receive the fulfillment, something we do not yet comprehend! How did this work in the life of Joseph? Did the nation of Israel allow itself to be guided by the destiny God had spoken to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Let us hold fast to God's spoken word to our lives and ket us allow him to shape us to be the instrument of his expression!

How will God win the hearts of men and women? God sends his Son into the world, not as a triumphalist, but as a servant. The most important ordination service of time and eternity is recorded for us in the prophecies of Isaiah. What prophetic utterance did God speak over his servant as he sends him into a power-hungry idolatrous world?

The Gospel of John share s a unique perspective on the resurrection of Jesus. Indeed, the resurrection story is the climax of many themes in Jon's Gospel. One of those themes is the power of Jesus to create. And his bodily resurrection is the beginning of the new creation! Be encouraged as you hear about the amazing power of Jesus to totally transform the life of anyone that comes to him!

Do you find yourself standing in the middle of the desert... dry, thirsty and hungry? Isaiah 2:2 encourages us by saying, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord." Let's find out how mountains, valleys and deserts are connected. The Lord promises to bring rivers into our deserts... but we have a part to play. Enjoy, as we make this journey together.

God's people constantly violated his covenant. Yet God's people are his master creation. Is it possible for God to walk away from his people, his creation? What has God invested in them and what is his heart as they suffer the consequences of their rebellion? Listen to the tender mercies of God as he addresses the fears of those who are coming to the end of their captivity in exile.

To what can the love of God be compared? How does he communicate his fervent desire to be faithful to his people? What metaphors can he use that will make a deep impression on our hearts and minds? How does God convince us that he yearns to restore his people when they are in the depths of discouragement? God's love is deep, more powerful than that of a mother with her new born baby!

In Isaiah, God summons the nations to court to ask them how justice can be brought to the world. After showing the complete futility of the powers of the world to do so, God shows that he alone can do this. But how will he do it? His answer is to present something totally opposite of the world's spirit, a nondescript unnamed servant who will never draw attention to himself. This is the foundation of the nature of the kingdom of heaven, and this will establish righteousness throughout the world.

God is not just merciful, but his mercies are 'tender'. What does this mean? God is not some far removed, stoic, and unfeeling being, but the scripture reveals God as our heavenly Father who is deeply and profoundly moved in his emotions towards us. This reality should move us to love him more than ever, and give us great hope for revival.

The Old Testament story of Israel was still incomplete by the end of the Old Testament. The mission of Jesus is to bring that story to its rightful conclusion. To do so, he must step into the role of Israel and fulfill the responsibility of sonship. What does it mean to be called the 'Son' and what does that mean for the gospel?

What is God like? What is his heart, nature and disposition? Just before going giving himself to the cross, Jesus was asked if some Greeks could see him. Jesus gives a response as to what it means to truly see him, and through him to see the glory of God. Is God into titles or towels?

What did Jesus mean that if his enemies destroyed the temple of his body, he would raise it in three days? To grasp the fullness of what he meant, one needs to understand the history of the temple, and the expectation of the Jewish mind concerning the return of the Spirit, presence and glory of God to the temple once again! How is the coming of Jesus the fulfillment of the hope of nation?

What was the mission of Jesus? How did he accomplish is goals? How do we properly read the gospels. The story of Old Testament Israel was not fulfilled by the end of the Old Testament! Jesus first came to Israel and assumed their God-given mandate to be a witness to the nations. Once the gospels are read from this perspective, a much fuller grasp of their contents will rise.

Many verses from the prophet Isaiah are familiar around Christmas time. These verse take on more meaning when we understand the circumstances in which they were originally spoken. Listen to the advice Isaiah gives King Ahaz, and a fresh grasp of the promises brought to us at Christmas time will be received.

God created the heart with the capacity for great beauty, but sin has marred it. How can the heart be cleansed from all that defiles it? The gift of repentance works to cleanse and purify the heart so that it can receive the good seed of the Word of God, and bear great fruitfulness. Listen to learn how the process of repentance fashions and shapes the heart for great beauty.

Scripture abundantly uses the metaphor of marriage to describe our saving relationship with the Lord. But the western world doesn't always understand marriage through eastern eyes, and thus may miss a lot of significance of the full picture scripture teaches us. Enjoy hearing about our relationship with Jesus!

Darla Smith from Dwelling Place Christian Fellowship speaks about how God has given us the KEY to unlock the door of His blessing in our lives. His desire is to see 100% of His will fulfilled. Join in and hear of the four possible responses to hearing God's Voice as seen in the life of Abraham. Enjoy true ministry stories of Darla & Eugene Smith woven throughout the Word of God concerning the KEY to BLESSING!

True worship is costly. There are many lessons to be gleaned from the golden altar of incense that stood before the veil that led to the Holy of Holies. Yet this is the path to revival that will see the fire fall from heaven in our day. What is the nature and price of this worship?