uGather

All was lively on the morning of April 9th. The day was a welcome break from the week as the audience gathered for the moment. The worship team gave their praises, and after greetings and announcements were given out, Mathew Penhallurick took to the stage and opened with an interesting dynamic. 

Penhallurick chose ten volunteers for what they would soon figure out was a Bible Trivia competition. Mathew instructed the participants to arrange themselves in order of spice tolerance. Many emotions were expressed at that news, but all people ranked themselves. Penhallurick chose the least tolerant to participate first. At the first level, the punishment was Hot Cheetos, which moved to serrano peppers. Some of the questions that were asked included naming the first book of the Bible and identifying Jonah. 

After these individuals, the punishments were upgraded to the serrano peppers with Buldak sauce. Questions included identifying the first man, the timeline of Creation, and Peter’s denials of Jesus. Another round of contestants came up to the stage and answered questions about books in the Bible and details about Bible characters. When someone failed, they received a dose of wasabi. The next round of participants went to the stage and answered more difficult Bible trivia questions, with the punishment escalating to habanero peppers. The final group of contestants came up and were tried by ghost pepper sauce and the peak of the Bible questions. 

Mathew dove into the meaning of his trivia game, explaining the effects of tribulation. Penhallurick elaborated that pressure does not change a person, but rather it exposes the content of that person. Mathew gave real-world examples and also the biblical contrasts between Peter and Judas Iscariot to solidify his point. Peter and Judas Iscariot failed Jesus, and yet their responses to this failure defined their futures more than their mistakes alone did.

This is a profound lesson for those of us who may worry about our standing with God. No matter what your past may be, Jesus is always at the door of your heart waiting patiently for you to let him into your life. 

By Jared Lorenzo