We begin by welcoming God's presence into every aspect of our being and our world. It is an invitation for Him to move freely in our hearts, minds, souls, and spirits, stepping into life's challenges and moving them as He desires. God is a prayer-answering, mountain-moving, life-changing God, and we acknowledge His greatness, goodness, and mercy. We invite Him to breathe on us, to grant a fresh anointing, and to push us forward into newness. [06:38]
Psalm 139:7-10 (ESV)
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
Reflection: Considering the challenges you currently face, how might intentionally inviting God's presence into those specific situations shift your perspective or next steps?
Jesus' question, "What do you want me to do for you?" was not a superficial phrase, but an eternal inquiry from the Savior. Even on His journey to the cross, Jesus stopped for Bartimaeus, a man society had overlooked. This profound act reveals God's unwavering compassion, demonstrating that He is never too busy or focused on His own path to miss those in distress. God is always concerned about the human needs of those on the margins. [37:48]
Mark 10:46-49 (ESV)
And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.”
Reflection: When you encounter someone who feels overlooked or marginalized, what specific action could you take this week to reflect Jesus' compassionate posture of stopping and truly seeing them?
Jesus, though in the form of God, emptied Himself and took the form of a servant, becoming obedient even to death on the cross. This profound example teaches us that true greatness in God's kingdom comes from serving others, especially those less fortunate. Service is not about rights or claims, but about doing what is right and being available to meet needs, mirroring Christ's selflessness. We are called to serve those who are marginalized and looked over. [46:12]
Philippians 2:6-8 (ESV)
who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Reflection: In what area of your life or community might God be inviting you to embrace a more humble, servant-hearted posture, even if it means setting aside your own expectations or comfort?
Bartimaeus's story reminds us of the power of persistent faith. Despite being rebuked and told to be quiet by the crowd, his pain caused him to shout out to Jesus. His unwavering belief that Jesus could help him, even when others dismissed him, illustrates that faith stands firm. When we are suffering or in pain, our cries reach God, who hears and brings justice for His chosen ones. Pain, at times, is packaged with a blessing, causing us to scream and call for help. [51:17]
Luke 18:7 (ESV)
And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?
Reflection: When you face a situation where others might tell you to be quiet or give up, how can you cultivate Bartimaeus's persistent faith to continue crying out to God for help and justice?
Jesus' question, "What do you want me to do for you?" is an invitation for our faith to speak, not a test of His knowledge. It clarifies our desires and aligns our expectations with trust in God. Like Bartimaeus, who asked for what he truly needed—sight—we are called to articulate our personal petitions. When God restores our "sight," it transforms everything: how we live, move, and follow Him, enabling us to walk differently and with renewed purpose. [57:47]
Jeremiah 33:3 (ESV)
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
Reflection: What is one specific, deeply felt need or desire you have been hesitant to articulate to God? What would it look like to bring that personal petition before Him with expectant faith this week?
Jesus invites a tangible, renewing presence into the gathering, calling for God’s power, peace, and fresh anointing to move through the sanctuary and into every life. The narrative shifts to Mark 10 and the roadside encounter with Bartimaeus, where Jesus—already headed to the cross—stops, calls, and asks a question that demands faith: “What do you want me to do for you?” That pause reveals a pattern of kingdom service: Jesus models radical availability, prioritizing those the world ignores and treating service as costly, incarnational humility rather than a transactional exchange. Stopping cost Jesus time and attention; stopping requires more than words—it requires presence, a readiness to be interrupted and to enter another person’s need.
Bartimaeus embodies persistent faith. Though rebuked by the crowd, he shouts, names Jesus as the Son of David, and refuses silence. His bold petition forces a clear reply from the Savior and demonstrates that faith must articulate its need before God: asking does not inform God but clarifies the worshiper’s trust and desire. When Bartimaeus asks specifically for sight, the restoration is not merely physical but vocational—sight reorients his path, unleashes his movement, and leads him to follow Jesus freely. The account underscores that personal petition, persistence, and being called by Christ transform marginality into mission.
The text calls the gathered to mirror this posture of service—stop for those on the margins, let faith speak, and be willing to serve like the One who emptied Himself. The invitation is framed practically and spiritually: whenever trouble comes, bring a clear, faithful petition; God hears the cries of the overlooked and responds in ways that redirect destiny. The closing prayer reaffirms God’s nearness in hospitals, homes, valleys, and mountaintops, asking for transformation that makes the people bolder, wiser, humbler, and more available to serve.
Just this morning when I was in the Walmart, the lady who had a bad attitude said, welcome to Walmart. How may I help you? Just a few weeks ago, I was in the McDonald's drive through line, and I got the same thing out of the drive through line. Welcome to McDonald's. How may I help you?
[00:33:26]
(20 seconds)
#ScriptedService
Jesus was the savior of the world. He was a lamb headed to the slaughter. He was carrying the weight of humanity's sin on his shoulders and walking a walk that would never be walked by another man. Yeah. He stopped.
[00:37:00]
(18 seconds)
#StoppedForUs
He stopped for a man that society had already passed by. He stopped for a voice others had stopped hearing. He stopped for a blind beggar sitting where nobody expected change to happen. Church that tells us something about god. God is never too busy. Yeah. To show compassion.
[00:37:18]
(20 seconds)
#GodStopsForAll
Bartimaeus was not recognized for his achievements because he was in essence sitting on the side of the road. You know, like with four flat tires, unable to go nowhere. Bartimaeus wasn't defined by his potential or the promises that he made. He was sitting on the side of the road and when they described him, they described him so that we would understand that he had some flaws, some problems, and some predicaments. If you're blind, you're physically handicapped. And and they were not concerned about him like Jesus was concerned about him.
[00:38:02]
(36 seconds)
#MoreThanMyCircumstance
``Jesus stopped for another reason because service was required. He need to be there. He stopped. He used the verse that the text said he stopped, and Jesus does not heal Bartimaeus right then and there. You know, Jesus said, let me I just need you to wait for a few minutes. I need to get a understanding. He he does not yell and structures to folks. He does not delegate it to people. He comes to a complete stop and let's just think for a minute what it means to stop when somebody's in need. Yeah. You know how fast we are. You know we're always going. When you stop, it cost you something. One of the most valuable things to human beings is not money but time because time is what creates money.
[00:42:25]
(48 seconds)
#StopToServe
Everything about this sinner's places Bartimaeus in the margins. He was physically limited, socially stationary, economically powerless, and and geographically out of the flow of traffic. In other words, they were going by and and you know what happens on the freeway sometimes when you're going down the freeway? If a car breaks down, we've been given these instructions our whole life. Get off to the side of the road. In other words, they wanted him to get out the way but Jesus called him back into the way. You you you know how we do it. We're not concerned about people on the sidelines. We're concerned about the people who are going down the road.
[00:47:53]
(37 seconds)
#BringTheMarginalizedIn
I'm sorry y'all. I'm sorry y'all. He he he didn't care what the crowd said. Oftentimes, when we're trying to get somewhere, we want to do something. We're worried about what the crowd says. We gotta stop worrying about the crowd because the crowd will show you who they are in due time. Text said in verse 48, many of them rebuked him and told him to what? Shut up. But you can't shut up when you know who's passing by. When you know that Jesus is coming or Jesus is on his way, it lets the world know I may be inconveniencing you but Jesus has something for me. Yeah.
[00:49:26]
(39 seconds)
#FaithOverCrowd
You know, you can't ask me to be quiet when I'm suffering. When I'm in pain, when I'm going through, you have to realize that pain often times is packaged with a blessing because when you go through something for god, when you have a debilitating disease, when you have something that shows up in your life that you didn't plan for, that you didn't know, and then you know that the savior is able to take care of it, guess what you do? You begin to scream. Yeah. You begin to shout. Yeah. You begin to call for help. His persistency is about his faith because faith erases what you're going through and gives you a consciousness to see that god has something better for me.
[00:50:04]
(47 seconds)
#ShoutYourFaith
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