Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): Thanks for tuning in to the Power Walk Ministries broadcast. Today, Pastor Cannings is teaching on the Easter series titled "What Kind of Love is This?" From the time of man's first sin, God has planned to redeem us so that we can be reconciled to him.

We see the culmination of that reconciliation taking place on the cross where Jesus died. In our celebration of Easter, Pastor Cannings encourages us to truly be reconciled to God, irrespective of the obstacles and difficulties in our lives. Let's listen now as he brings the message, "Love is Persistent."

Dr. Paul Cannings: Way back in the '60s when I was—okay, here comes the truth—when I was a child, something happened in our home that was just funny. It was funny to us when we look back at it. At the time, we were all staring at each other, all eight kids staring at each other. My mom refused to get involved in it.

My dad, taking care of eight kids, was the breadwinner; my mom was a homemaker. So my dad, as a provider, had all of us looking all over the house for a penny. We joke about that as grown kids, and we had to look and look, and he would not tolerate anybody stopping from looking for that penny.

But back in those days in the early '60s, a penny was a lot of money. See, it was important to my father because he needed every dime, every penny to help manage his home, and he wasn't about to take that lightly because my dad was an excellent provider. My dad made sure his kids were well taken care of. I grew up knowing my dad would get that done.

So even though we may laugh at times, mock him about it secretly, we respect what that meant. See, folks, many of us say we're seeking God, but don't let the budget get too tight. Don't we have to get an extra job, and then we can't serve, and then we can't do our Bible study?

Many of us say we love God, but getting on our knees and having our devotions and praying can be so many distractions that we fall asleep and we're snoring before we know it when we kneel down to pray, or when we lay in our beds to pray, or when we even sit down to pray. Gone.

Many of us say we love God, but we give more time to television, to sports, all these different things. But you dare not tell people stay too long in a church house. But they'll do mall shopping forever. Some people would go to the movie house and they'll go from one movie to the next all Saturday.

People do these things because they have a passion for what they are engaged in and love. Today I want us, as we prepare for Resurrection Sunday, we have to remember that the person that we are going to worship, when no man sought him, he sought us. And that took thousands of years to get to the cross.

Thousands of years. He had to talk to Abraham. He had to set up his throne through David. And that's why Galatians chapter 4, verse 4 says he came in the right season and the right time. The whole story worked out in the book of Daniel, where, yes, he's going to wait for the Romans to be in place.

Why? They're going to work with the Greeks. The Greeks really were the intelligent group of people and they get less credit than the Romans do, but they set up the roads, the maps, the shipping lanes, and all these different things were in place so when he stands and tells the disciples, "Go ye into all the world," they can.

He came in the right season and the right time. He came knowing he's going to be born of a virgin who was poor. He did all of this because God so loved the world. He sought man when man was not seeking him. I don't care how good you are. I don't care how nice you are. I don't care how sweet you may be.

The Bible says our righteousness is as filthy rags in the eyes of God. And that he was the one who drew him to himself. He's the one that put faith in our hearts to even want to serve him, even want to turn our lives over to him. Then he dies and goes to sit at the right hand of the Father.

This is what we're celebrating this week: a person who sought us from the Garden of Eden all the way to Calvary. From the Garden of Eden, you go to Genesis chapter 3, verse 15. It's going to tell us the story had begun to redeem man. The whole Bible could have one title at the top: Redemption.

Because that's all that's taking place consistently. Even though he came to his own and his own did not want to receive him, he still sought them out. Jesus Christ passionately sought us. How could we say that we have the love of God in us, but we don't show up like Mary at the tomb?

Here's how Mary showed up, that teaches us what seeking Christ is all about. In John chapter 20, going to the second part of verse 1, he says this: "The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulcher."

Mary cometh to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them—watch this carefully—the obstacles that she's experiencing is irrelevant. She's going to go to a place where you don't find anybody else. So number one, Mary didn't care what anybody thought.

You could see that in her life. She didn't care if anybody knew she had seven demons. She's going to follow Christ; she's going to do what needs to be done. She's going to help him on his journey, set up his ministry. Mary didn't care about what people think about her anymore.

She mostly focuses on what Christ wants her to do. So any obstacles that were there, Mary's going to walk past the obstacles to experience Christ. When she doesn't see Jesus Christ in the tomb, Mary takes off running. The distance is irrelevant. She needs to tell the disciples in her mind somebody stole Jesus.

She's not thinking resurrection right now. That's what I'm saying when I first started out, that we can't say that she has the full message of the resurrection and everything else that the disciples knew. But everybody knew that Jesus Christ said he'll get up on the third day.

Because he kept saying it so much, people knew. So it's very possible that she knew this because she's coming back on the third day here, and Mary didn't come the other days. Mary wants to know where her Lord is so bad that Mary takes off running. Mary needs to learn where her Lord is.

And now that she's went to get the disciples to help her figure it out, they heard the seminary professor of professors teach Jesus Christ. So let me go get y'all, and you tell me what's going on. So she brings the leadership to the table, and guess how the leadership functions?

Now verse 3: "Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple and came to the sepulcher. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulcher. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in." He saw it, but he's not going in.

"Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and seeth the linen clothes lie. And the napkin that was about his head, was not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself." Okay, watch this carefully. "Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw, and believed."

"And believed. But as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead." "But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping." Watch the difference. That's verse 11. She doesn't just take a peek, see the linen, okay, this is too much. No, she goes in. Not take a peek, stays in.

And she starts weeping. See, that's a different heart. Please hear me. The minds of the disciples is operating. The heart isn't fully there. That's why Christ would come to Peter and say, "Peter, do you love me?" He doesn't come to Peter and say, "Peter, why you deny me, man?

I healed your mother-in-law, I gave you the best fishing day of your life, you went up to the Mount of Transfiguration with me, I've allowed you to be in the inner circle, and God even sees that and let you say, 'I'm the Christ, the Son of the living God.' How can you just turn your back on me?

And then after all these years I've been discipling you, you're going to just curse in front of everybody. Really, Peter?" No, he says none of that. He just said, "Peter, do you love me?" Because that is the fundamental thing that determines how we function when Jesus seems absent in our lives.

When troubles and hardships and difficulties come and pain come, do we get on our knees? Do we become like Mary? Because that exposes love. If we're like the disciples, all head knowledge, we may come to Christ and take a peek in his word because we have a busy week.

God becomes this luxury because we do what he says, but we don't function like Mary because the issue at the bottom of all of this is the level of love and passion drives us to seek him at a different level. Jesus Christ is speaking to them the whole time. He's speaking to them the whole time.

But they cannot erase what they saw of him being arrested, beaten to a pulp, and he didn't do nothing. So Jesus Christ purposefully left his garments there to show them that there was a resurrection. This resurrection is not just spiritual, it is bodily.

They're going to later see how it works when he comes through the walls, but Thomas touches him. So they're seeing the message. They're seeing also his garments, which means that when they enjoy a meal in their culture and enjoy the fellowship, they would leave their handkerchief to say, "I wish and hope you would invite me back."

Jesus Christ is leaving his garments as a way to say, "I loved our fellowship, I loved our time together, and I look forward to us coming back together again." He is communicating right there in the tomb, but they're so distracted by all that has taken place, they can't hear him.

Love causes us when the noise is loud to at least stay at the cross. Because there's no place to go but my Savior. That is the love. You can't find no place to go but him. We will seek him, and he promises us we will find him. Stay focused.

Guest (Male): Thank you for that powerful reminder, Pastor Cannings. What is the level of our passion that drives us to seek God? Let's renew that passion in our love for him this Easter. Log on to powerwalkministries.org. That's powerwalkministries.org. And you can also call us at 281-260-7402 or write us at PO Box 920517, Houston, Texas 772092.

Pastor Otis L. Cunningham: My name is Pastor Otis L. Cunningham. I'm the senior pastor at First Missionary Baptist Church in Huntsville, Texas. And I tell you, this conference has been dynamic. I'm so energized, I'm so encouraged by all the classes that we've taken. I just hate I couldn't take them all. But hey, I thank God with me and my wife here. She's taken some and I've taken some, and it is outstanding.

Herman Figueroa: My name is Herman Figueroa, Ocean Avenue Baptist Church in Jersey City, New Jersey. It's been an amazing experience here, far than my expectations. So much learned here. The teachers, deep in what they was saying. Very useful material to go back to our church and not just to grow, but to find strategic ways of bringing other lost souls to Christ.

Dr. Paul Cannings: I am so excited about the conference coming up April the 23rd through the 25th. I really am ecstatic about it. Pastors have come together on a committee, helped with the process moving forward. Excited about our first conference last year, but this conference this year is going to be greater.

There's like about 40 classes here. Let me give you a taste: the pastor and deacons functioning under the leadership of Christ; a biblical approach to resolving conflict in the church; traits of successful biblical leaders; cultivating a healthy and productive team environment; overcoming the stagnation in the church; discipling leaders; dealing with how do we grow people and do evangelism at the same time.

Despite all the difficulties churches are facing, we can find a powerful, effective way forward. A lot of teachers are coming to teach. They're well-trained, well-educated, practicing these principles within their church. Come, be a part of April the 23rd through the 25th.

Go to powerwalkministries.org. Powerwalkministries.org so that we could move forward together for God's glory. Look forward to seeing you. You will not be in any way disappointed at this conference.

Guest (Male): If you're in the Houston area or you're visiting, you're always invited to join Dr. Cannings at Living Word Fellowship Church. You'll find the location and service times at lwfellowshipchurch.org. And as we leave you, consider Mary Magdalene's love for the Lord. May it challenge us to have the same passion and desire to overcome obstacles in order to connect with God.