Palm Sunday service on April 5, 2020 was broadcasted via streaming on Youtube channel. Apostle Samuel Hadiwidagdo urged us to understand our expectations of God precisely. “Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.'” The Bible text from Luke 9: 41,42 used as the basis for this service.

The Apostle invites us to looked back and said that when Jesus entered Jerusalem the people cheered and celebrated Him as the Messiah. But the people expected Him to perform earthly miracles and to deliver them from the yoke of the Romans, who were oppressing them. The people were too focused on their own prosperity.  “We want to align our expectations with the will of God,” said the Apostle. “Also regarding to the situation we are facing right now, we are not forcing miracles.” God will not save us simply because we gather regularly to worship Him and to pray to Him. “Our hearts’ attitude must correspond to God’s expectations,” the Apostle emphasized. We also shouldn’t expect God to punish His “enemies”.  “Jesus’ goal is to deliver us from the grip of the evil one and to help us to drive it out of our hearts.”

The Holy Spirit teaches us

The Holy Spirit teaches us what is needed to achieve peace. “What is peace? Peace is something that makes us happy, “said Apostle Samuel. This includes:

• Our faith in Jesus Christ. Believing in Him means trusting Him, even when we have trials to go through. Believing in Him also means walking the path He has shown us.
• Repentance. In order to attain the forgiveness of sins and the peace of the Risen One, we must acknowledge our sins, regret them, and be determined to fight against evil.
• Inner renewal. Exemplified the story of Zacchaeus a rich tax collector, after he met with Jesus, wealth is no longer the focus of his life, but he shared with his neighbours.

It is important that we work along on our salvation so that Christ can deliver us from evil and let us enter into His kingdom.

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