"I still believe" Bishop Delroy Powell

John 11 New King James Version (NKJV)

1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”

4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”

8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?”

9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.

14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”

16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about [a]two miles away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Two truths about God’s delay.

#1. God’s delay is not an absence of God’s love

Lord he who thou love is sick. John 11.3 (NIV)

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. John 11:5-6 (NIV)

#2. God’s delay is not God’s denial

Just as gold and silver is tested through the crucible of fire, so God test the heart. Proverbs 17.3

“For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. (4) So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1.3 (NLT)

Prayer Points

• PRAYER POINT 1 - FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOST LOVED ONE’S (COVID-19 & OTHER RELATED HEALTH ISSUES)
• PRAYER POINT 2 - THOSE WHO ARE SICK IN HOSPITAL (AND THOSE FIGHTING THE VIRUS AT HOME) 
• PRAYER POINT 3 - THANKSGIVING (THANK GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS ALREADY DONE) 
• PRAYER POINT 4 - THOSE WHO ARE LONELY & DEPRESSED (AND THOSE LIVING ALONE & ISOLATED AWAY FROM THERE FAMILIES)
• PRAYER POINT 4 - OUR LEADERS (GOVERNMENT/ CIVIC LEADERS, CHURCH LEADERS & COMMUNITY LEADERS)

Creating a Palm Leaf

Click here for a Palm Template

You will need A4 white or green card or paper, colouring pencils or crayons and some safety scissors.

Step 1: Draw the image of a long thin stem from the bottom left of your page to the top right.

Step 2: Draw the leaves in one motion moving from bottom to top getting gradually smaller as you near the top right of the page.

Step 3: Repeat the motion on the other side of the stem moving from top right of the page to the bottom right of the page.

Step 4: Colour in you’re the palm leaf that you have created.

Now get ready to celebrate, wave your palm leaves and shout Hosanna Glory to the King!

Here's an example of what Elsie has done to celebrate Palm Sunday in her own way.