Glad Tidings

Hearing God’s Voice in the New Year!

1 Jan , 2020  

GT—Volume 17 Issue 1

Joseph Chooses to Honor Mary

Joseph was a spiritually attuned man. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was apparently an adulteress. When he thought in his own generosity, instead of accusing her publicly, he chose to put her away quietly. Not muss, no fuss, no publicity. I’m sure her parents (Joachim and Anne, according to tradition) were relieved, since a public denouncement would have meant stoning.

But, when Joseph had a prophetic dream, everything changed for him. He was obedient. He embraced Mary in marriage. He embraced her pregnancy. He embraced the reality that he was to be the earthly father of a child of the Holy Spirit. It is clear that Joseph was a godly man. He was sensitive to God’s leading. He, unwillingly, but submissively took his late-stage pregnant wife on a 70-mile donkey ride to pay the required taxes. The ride precipitated Mary’s labor.

Upon their arrival in Bethlehem, he urgently sought a room where her baby could be born. Urgency forced Joseph to accept an otherwise unacceptable stable for animals. Cleanliness was a problem, but the body heat of the animals brought warmth to an otherwise chill night. Scripture doesn’t give us word of the birth, but I suspect with importance of the child, birth went according to nature and the mother and child did fine.

Mary and baby were somewhat recovered from the process, when Joseph was confronted with shepherds who rattled excitedly about an Angelic announcement about the baby. His first inclination was to drive those trespassers away. But Mary invited them in, so Joseph relented. Their joy was contagious, so by the time they left, the atmosphere in the stable was ebullient. dove-vector-clipart

Three Royal Visitors

Mary and the Baby Jesus could not travel the 70 miles back to Nazareth for several weeks, while they grew stronger. They had to have a better place to stay and they had to eat. Joseph began searching for a home and work. Likely his carpentry skills were needed in the town so he was able to obtain work. His skills became known so his part-time soon became full-time. I suspect he was able to rent a small house for the three of them and rig an outdoor “shop”.

It was a year and a half later, while he was planing a door he was making, when he heard, “Carpenter!” Joseph turned to see several richly attired men on camels. A camel driver was speaking to him.

“The star,” he pointed up. Yes, there was that beautiful, magnificent star overhead. It had been there night and day for all these months. People had gotten used to it and stopped remarking about it.

“May I assist, you?” Joseph responded.

He began in a strange language, but switched to Greek which was the trade language. His accent and Joseph’s rudimentary knowledge of Greek were making communication difficult, but not impossible.

“Yes, we have a baby boy,… You want to see him?” People had long since stopped asking about the Baby, since he was just like all babies, except precocious and quite perceptive to human feelings.

“Please wait, while I speak with my wife.” Joseph placed the plane on the work bench, wiped his hands on a clean rag, brushed sawdust and chips off, before going into the house. “Mary, there are several rich strangers who want to see Jesus.”

The Baby began to dance around and chanted “Let me see!” Let me see!”

“Joseph, my beloved, it appears that we must bring them in,” Mary smiled in answer.

The personages crowded into the small room, and while they nodded and greeted Mary respectfully with long flowery (and somewhat indecipherable) phrases, their eyes kept darting to the Child that was their main interest. With a wave of her hand toward little Jesus, she gave permission for them to concentrate on the Child. They clustered around and volubly, but unintelligibly to Mary and Joseph, conversed. They nodded and fell to their knees and obvious prayer. Joseph couldn’t tell whether they were praying to Jesus or about Him to God.

Jesus stood calmly, excepting their adulation, smiling. As they quieted down, He reached out His tiny hand and touched each one on the cheek. Joseph could tell that each one felt resoundingly blessed. There were a few moments of silence then the Christ Child said laughingly, “Go home.”

It was as if they had awakened from a beatific dream. They reluctantly rose. One went to the door and called to the camel driver. In a few moments he came in with three containers. One of the personages took from the camel driver a cruse that appeared to contain about a log (ca. one pint) of oil. Another man took a pot (ca. 1 pint) of ointment. A third took a coin cask. They turned to Joseph, handing each gift in turn. They saluted Joseph and Mary, and did obeisance to the Christ Child, and then left.

After thanking the men Joseph had set the gifts aside and formally bowed in thanksgiving. With them gone it was time to examine the gifts they had left. He opened the log. “Mary this is frankincense! This much is worthy about 30 years labor!” Next, he reached for the pot. This one has myrrh!” This, too is a fortune!” Setting the pot down he picked up the cask, “This one is heavy.” As he tipped back the lid, his eyes got big. “There must be one hundred shekels of gold here!” He sat down on the floor, in a daze.

“What does it mean, Joseph?” Mary asked.

“It means I’ll never have to work again,” but he thought a minute. “I like working, making things with my hands.” He looked at his wife, “My dearest, I’ll never stop working. But one thing sure. We’ll never go hungry!”

Joseph Dreams and Angels Speak

It was several nights later that his peace was disturbed. Unaccountably even with his new-found riches, Joseph felt apprehension. He expected to feel satisfied, even complaisant, but instead it felt like a warning. He did not speak of his confusion to Mary. He fell into a deep sleep. He dreamed that the same angel that had assured Joseph to take Mary for his wife, came again. But this time with a warning. The angel warned that Herod was a severe threat to the Christ Child. Joseph must pack and immediately take his family to safety in Egypt.

When he awoke, shortly before dawn, Joseph began planning. It was 35 miles to the sea coast and to connect with the “Way of the Sea”, the shortest way to Egypt. Then it was nearly 200 miles to the  in the Nile delta. By easy stages it would be nearly a month journey, traveling every day but the Sabbath. He had enough money to get to the coast and the city of Ashdod, where he could exchange one of the gold shekels for 15 silver shekels, much easier to use to pay and would raise fewer questions, thus drawing no attention. That would be enough ready money to get them to a home in Egypt. Thus, Joseph again listened to God and saved his family and the Messiah. dove-vector-clipart

Listening To God

At the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew we have repetitions of the lesson to listen to and obey God. But first we must turn to Luke. There Zechariah, an old priest had a visit from the Archangel, Gabriel. Zechariah was not open to hear of a miraculous birth to his wife, without a sign. He had been a priest for many decades, so the vision of an angel should have opened his heart to listen, believe and obey. Instead, he questioned and asked for a sign. Much to his embarrassment, the sign he was given was to be mute for nine months, (Luke 1)

In contrast, Mary a teen-age virgin, in simple faith said to Gabriel, “I am God’s serving girl. He may do with me what He desires.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.  (Luke 1:38)

Simple surrender to God’s will. Her heart belonged to God, so she was submissive and obedient.

“and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)

The young have far fewer learned preconditions to faith.

Whereas, older more educated and experienced in the world have more baggage to overcome in seeking to be in relationship with Christ. They have learned to test everything to see if it is true. Too many bad experiences taint the simple faith of youth.

Joseph was a mature man, perhaps middle age (which in those years meant over 30). Nevertheless, his openness to listen to the angel made him obedient to strange, inconvenient, and uncomfortable commands of God. Joseph did not dither. He did not test the waters or tempt God, asking for “fleeces”. His simple faith led him to obey. As a result, he first saved Mary, and then he saved the Messiah.

As Mordecai said to Esther,

“For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then will relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but thou and thy father’s house will perish: and who knoweth whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).

God’s will be done! If His will is done by you in obedience, you will be blessed, as was Esther and Joseph. But if not by you, and God has to pass on to someone else, then, at least you will lose your blessing and, at worst, you will suffer for your disobedience.

Hesitating to Obey

Too many believers today are more afraid of what “people will think” than what God thinks. They are concerned that they may be taken as a fool, so they do not act on God’s promptings. When we turn a deaf ear, we train ourselves not to listen to The Holy Spirit’s promptings.

One of the understandings of habits is that reinforcement increases learning. If we say, “Yes,” to anything, it is easier to say, “Yes,” the next time and harder to say, “No”. If, after a string of yeses, a “No” breaks the string, it weakens the impetus to say, “Yes”, the next time. The reverse is also true. A string of not listening to the Lord, makes it harder to hear Him next time.

Remember, God is Omnipresent. He is here all the time! The Holy Spirit dwells in the spirits of believers. He is speaking to guide us all the time. Listen to His direction and follow it.

Sure, you will make some (many!) mistakes and feel a fool. But pour the salve of Christ’s forgiveness on your wounded ego and smile broadly and declare that you are a fool for Christ.

Keep trying to live under the immediate directions of your Master. In so doing you will soon learn to recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd,

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.”   (John 10:27-28dove-vector-clipart

Obeying God

The Believer who hears, but does not obey, has not really heard God’s voice. God does not speak in, “If you, please?” or “When you have a mind to.” His word is LAW!

I once heard a missionary say, when he was a teen he was at a meeting when a visiting missionary gave an altar call, “If the Lord is calling you to the mission field, step down front. I want to pray for you.” The missionary I was listening to said, “I hid under the piano, hoping the Lord would not see me.” Obviously, since he was a missionary, the piano was an ineffective hiding place from God’s missionary call.

“Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall overwhelm me, And the light about me shall be night; Even the darkness hideth not from thee, But the night shineth as the day:” (Psalms 139:7-12)

God calls each believer to life-long holy work. God’s retirement is “outta sight!” “it’s Heavenly!”, but not in this world. He is a severe taskmaster,

“But who is there of you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say unto him, when he is come in from the field, Come straightway and sit down to meat; and will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank the servant because he did the things that were commanded? Even so ye also, when ye shall have done all the things that are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which it was our duty to do.” (Luke 17:7-10)

We have been saved because God loves us. He has given us release from the burden of sin, robed us in Christ’s righteousness. Our war with God is at an end and we have peace with God. Nevertheless, while we are in this world, God has work for us to do. Jesus said

“Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. It is as when a man, sojourning in another country, having left his house, and given authority to his servants, to each one his work, commanded also the porter to watch. Watch therefore: for ye know not when the lord of the house cometh, whether at even, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or in the morning; lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” (Mark 13:33-37)

When we apply this Parable to all of us, we must generalize the application. Jesus used the porter as the example. He was to keep watch diligently, since the master likely would return unexpectedly and catch the porter slacking off. The application is that God has assigned us believers (each and every one) work to do, according to each one’s ability. Our job differs from one another, but we are our brother’s keepers.

A Habit of Obedience

As long as we have breath, we are to be attentive listeners to God’s directions and to do as God calls us. Our Lord knows our strengths and weaknesses. In the Parable of the Talents, Jesus stated the Master gave out Talents “according to his several ability”.

“And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his several ability; and he went on his journey.” (Matthew 25:15, cf.14-30)

Jesus knows what you are capable of doing. He will give you responsibilities to carry out that will stretch you, test you and give you great satisfaction in their accomplishments.

In fact, we are less confident of our capabilities than Jesus is. We are more apt to give in too quickly.

Life is hard. We live in a fallen world. We are strangers in a strange land. After being born again, we are remade for God’s Kingdom of love, kindness, mercy, generosity; whereas, we live in a material world that is broken and we live in a culture of, “Me first, and the devil take the hindmost!”

Thus, to walk with Jesus takes concentration and effort, because we are fighting upstream against the current of the world, the flesh and the devil. Everything around us tells us we are going the wrong way. It is hard to persevere, impossible on our own. Holding tight to Jesus’ hand we can carry on, if we keep holding on.

So, settle it in your heart and engage your will to listen carefully to Jesus. Learn to filter out all the static of the material and the negative spiritual world. Remember, “My sheep know My voice.” Focus on what your spirit knows. Then do it.

Love God and Love Others

Basic ground rules are Love God & Love others!” Jesus wants you to acknowledge Him in all you do. Then He wants you to care for the needy, minister to the sick, and to proclaim the Good News that Jesus still saves, so all may come to Christ.

As you kneel to pray, give your heart wholly over to Jesus. Set aside all your activities and cares, while you humble yourself before Almighty God to worship our Great God and praise Him without reservation. Then arise from your knees equipped to minister in His name. Build up other believers by always praying for them and giving them what God requires of you. Always leave them with a blessing.

Look for opportunities to lend a helping hand, particularly with the aged and invalid. There are more opportunities around you than you will see in just living your life. In Christ “Lift up your eyes, for the fields are ripe unto harvest,” and you are the laborer the Master has sent into the fields to reap what He has sown. Hear and obey. dove-vector-clipart

Questions Demanding Answers

This is a recurring feature. I pose a question in this issue. You have the opportunity to send me answers. I will publish the best ones in the next issue. Please cite Biblical authority, and keep you answer within 250 words.

QUESTION: What does it mean to be a saint?

ANSWER: We have a confusion of terms because in the 10th Century, Ulrich, bishop of Augsburg was a great man of God. When he died in A.D. 973, John XV, Pope of the Catholic Church canonized him as an especially godly man.

That began the Roman Catholic Church policy of recognizing significantly holy men and women, declaring that they were credited with more merit than they needed to achieve heaven, thus, there was a bank of “Merit” that accumulated and that Roman Catholics could tap into it to seek for answers to prayer. Thus, began the practice of appealing to the “saints” for help in life.

In the Bible the term “saint” occurs often, 20 times in Psalms and 8 times elsewhere in the O.T.

In Romans 8 times, Ephesians 9 times and The Revelation 14 times, plus 29 times more in the N.T.

Hebrew language has two primary words for “saint” – 1st, “khaw-seed” = “kind, i.e. religiously, pious (a saint) a godly (man, good, holy (one), merciful, saint. 2nd, “kaw-doshe” = “sacred” (ceremonially or morally), “God” (by eminence), an “angel”, a “saint”, a “sanctuary”, “a holy” (one).

The Greek has only one word – “hagios” = “an awful thing”, sacred (physically) “pure’, blameless” or “religious”, “consecrated”, (most) “holy” (one, thing), “saint”.

Both languages treat the word “saint” as a general term, i.e. anyone can be a saint, whose life comports to godliness.

In the New Testament, the term pertains to all believers. Jesus died as the perfect sacrifice for all the sins for all of mankind. Everyone, regardless of race, sex national origin, or position in society, can come and surrender to Jesus as Lord. He washes their sins away in His blood. Further He justifies them and covers each one with His robe of Righteousness! Their surrender and His action transform each one into a saint., a sanctified one.

No special merit; the most heinous criminal in all the world, if at the moment of death repents and asks Jesus to save him, in the next moment is a saint.

Now, in human terms, that does not seem fair. “How come he or she gets rewarded after living a life of crime?”

God is not interested in what we have done, but where our hearts are. When our hearts turn to embrace Jesus, that is all God requires.

In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus told of a Master who paid workers the same amount, regardless of how long they labored. This was a picture of life. Everyone who comes to “work” with Jesus is rewarded by becoming a saint.

QUESTION: Who was the fourth King of Israel?

The Holy of Holies

Join me in bowing before our God in gratitude that we can speak directly and personally to Him. He is our loving Father, so we can embrace Him boldly, but respectfully.

Lord Jesus, You are gracious beyond what I can understand. You, Who are the Son of God, You Who were instrumental in Creation, You Who will be the Judge of all men at the Last Day, have offered salvation to mankind. Fickle, ungrateful, rebellious, people disdain Your offer. Despite the affront, You continue to offer it.

As Sovereign Lord God You could force us to take Your offer of salvation. You could cut off everyone who refuses Your first offer. Either response for the rebuff, would be understandable and is Your prerogative. But Your love is not peevish. It is not vengeful. Your Love is unconditional, in that You continue to offer forgiveness and salvation as long as a person lives.

America is 243 year-old. In our advanced years we have to a large extent decided we do not need You any more. We have declared You, Lord Jesus as a persona non grata. We have made You the untouchable of our society

Your name cannot be mentioned in government, schools or in entertainment (unless it is used in blasphemy).

Despite our blindness, we desperately need You to govern us. We have made an effort to govern our nation without You for the last half century, or so. We have made a perfect mess of this nation. Our peoples that were a melting pot of cohesive nationalities and cultures have fragmented into national, racial, political cliques, vying for supremacy. We have thrown away Your morality of loving all people, preserving life, respecting others and others property. We have traded godly love for fleshly lust. We have rebranded what is true, and real and natural and made our own definitions, arrogantly declaring we are what we are not.

Have mercy on our stupidity. Have mercy on our delusions of grandeur. Forgive our usurpation of Your prerogatives. Forgive our displacing You in the temple of our lives with statues of ourselves. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts with the blood of Christ, strip us of our sin-filthed rags and reclothe us in Your righteousness.

Renew a right spirit, a godly attitude of seeking after You, “as the hart thirsteth after the water brooks”. Give us a spirit to acknowledge You, a heart to praise You and a will to glorify You in all we think, say and do. Help us our God! Help us God Almighty!

 Hallelujah! You are worthy of all honor glory and praise!

Amen!

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Christ and Culture

Advent Study #4 – Love

22 Dec , 2019  

Scriptures of Love

 

Jehovah did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all peoples: but because Jehovah loveth you, and because he would keep the oath which he swore unto your fathers, hath Jehovah brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Know therefore that Jehovah thy God, He is God, the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and loving-kindness with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations   (Deuteronomy 7:6-9)

Comment

We believers have been grafted into the tree of God’s love. We are deeply privileged to have been elected to be children of God and heirs of His love.  dove-vector-clipart

 

But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, gathered themselves together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, trying him: Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?

And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments the whole law hangeth, and the prophets.   (Matthew 22:34-40)

Comment

Our Savior calls us to an extravagant outpouring of love. If we are to love God in this way, we must consider the totality of God’s love for us. Once we embrace the concept of the total love God has for us and our total love for God, we are called to embrace the concept of total love for others, emulating our loving Father, whether or not others deserve it; whether or not they respond in like love.  dove-vector-clipart

 

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God.   (Ephesians 3:14-19)

Comment

When Christ dwells in our hearts, His love is in us. He then schools us by the Holy Spirit.

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak: and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall take of mine, and shall declare it unto you.  (John 16:13-14)

The Holy Spirit will teach us about the expanse of Christ’s love – all we can assimilate now in our materialistic framework, all that we can bear in our frail physical being.  dove-vector-clipart

 

I rejoice greatly that I have found certain of thy children walking in truth, even as we received commandment from the Father. And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote to thee a new commandment, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we should walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, even as ye heard from the beginning, that ye should walk in it.  (2 John 1: 4-6)

Comment

His Commandments are summed up – “Love God, love others”. Augustine said, “love God and do as you please.” Out of love for God, all you do will please Him, because your love for Him does not allow you to displease Him by overt sinful acts. Thus, when a believer pleases God, it pleases the believer.  dove-vector-clipart

 

“And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. And if ye love them that love you, what thank have ye? for even sinners love those that love them. And if ye do good to them that do good to you, what thank have ye? for even sinners do the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? even sinners lend to sinners, to receive again as much.

But love your enemies, and do them good, and lend, never despairing; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be sons of the Most High: for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil.

Be ye merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”  (Luke 6:32-36)

Comment

Love is fully exercised when we struggle to love the unlovely, the undeserving and the ungrateful; just like God loves us who are unlovely, undeserving and ungrateful.  dove-vector-clipart

 

A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.   (John 13:34-35)

Comment

To the Jews God gave Ten Commandments, whereas to believers Jesus gives just one,

“This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.”  (John 15:12)

This, “as I have loved you”, is an extremely high threshold!  dove-vector-clipart

 

“And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote to thee a new commandment, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.”  (2 John 5)

Comment

When the Holy Spirit repeats the same teaching in Scripture several times, He really wants us to learn, obey and exercise that principle – love one another!  dove-vector-clipart

 

Questions for Love

God refers to His covenant with His people as a “covenant of love”. How is this different from the New Covenant?

Answer: The covenant of love God speaks of in the Old Testament is God’s covenant or faithful promise to love the Children of Israel. In Jeremiah 31:31-34 God introduces the concept of a new covenant.

Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith Jehovah. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Jehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.   (Read Jeremiah 31)

This is different in that God’s commandments are not external, but internalized. We obey, because we love Him. His love is not taught as an article of faith, but is experienced through the action of the Holy Spirit.

 

What happened to Israel when they broke the Old Covenant?

Answer: God punished them, often destroying the worst offenders, but God put even the faithful remnant through the chastisement.

Did God stop loving them?

Answer: No!

 

John 13:15 says that everyone will know His disciples, if we love one another. How does this work?

Answer: When Christ’s love permeates our lives, it cannot help but be noticed. Our loving words about and acts to our siblings in Christ demonstrate what is going on in our hearts.

 

In your experience, do you find it easier or harder to love non-Christians as you do other Christians?

Answer: Because there is spiritual connection it is easier to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. There is no spiritual barrier, which is formidable. Our compassion for Non-Christians is based on their great need for Christ or it is based on physical attraction. There is no spiritual component, since the unbeliever’s spirit has not been quickened by Jesus.

 

Reflection Question of Love:

Is it easy for you “to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” for you?

Answer: It is beyond our capacity in this temporal and corruptible form to grasp Christ’s love. Even when we are in our imperishable bodies in the Presence of God, we will not be able to plumb the depth, nor measure the span, nor grasp the scope of God’s love.

Nevertheless, we currently have the capacity for much greater appreciation of God’s love than we experience, so our desire is to grow in that knowledge daily. Then when God calls us into His Presence, we will be joyfully surprised by the magnitude of God’s love for us!

 

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Christ and Culture

Advent Study #3 – Joy

15 Dec , 2019  

 Scriptures for Joy

 

And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.   (1 Chronicles 15:16)

Comment

The Tabernacle of Moses had been replaced many times over the centuries. The one was at Shiloh was old. David built a new Tabernacle and situated 1t in Jerusalem. David loved the LORD. He loved music, so he determined that the LORD deserved musical praise 24 hours a day every day. To facilitate that, he turned Levites into singers, musicians and dancers. Thus, there was joyful music of praise continually glorifying God.  dove-vector-clipart

 

And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron.

And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the Lord, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite.

Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.

Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.

Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.

Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.   (1 Chronicles 29:7-13)

Comment

David was preparing all that was necessary for Solomon to build a glorious Temple for יהוה. He invited the people to contribute. They joyously came forward with great generosity. The bringing their treasures filled the people joy as sacrificially they gave their treasures to adorn the Temple of the LORD.

David praised God for His

  • Greatness
  • Power
  • Glory
  • Victories He had given Israel
  • Majesty

He further acknowledged God created all, so everything belongs to Him. With great joy David gave thanks to Almighty God.  dove-vector-clipart

 

Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.

The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us: That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.

And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the Lord, be nigh unto the Lord our God day and night, that he maintains the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require:

That all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God, and that there is none else.

Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.

And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the Lord.   (1 Kings 8:56-62)

And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the Lord our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days.

On the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people.   (1 Kings 8:65-66)

Comment

Solomon had completed the first Temple. He called a convocation of all the leaders and the people in Israel. Solomon adjured the people to always seek God, and to keep their hearts open to Him. He called the people to perpetually remember and repeat Solomon’s words to keep their relationship fresh with the LORD.

The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let Him not leave us, nor forsake us: That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments   (1 Kings 8:57)

He appealed to the people to be obedient to God every day just as they were on that day of glorious celebration. To allow their bodies go along with their spirits, Solomon Presented to the People of God a continual, bountiful feast for two weeks. As the people went home, their hearts were filled with gratitude for what the LORD had done for Israel through the reign of King David.  dove-vector-clipart

 

And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel, did eat, And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the Lord had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.   (Ezra 6:21-22)

Comment

These folks had in their short-term memories their banishment from the Land of Promise, and being castaways in Babylon, a pagan culture. To have the foundation celebration of the Passover in the Land of Promise was ecstasy. Their joy knew no bounds.  dove-vector-clipart

 

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; And let them say among the nations, Jehovah reigneth.

Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; Let the field exult, and all that is therein; Then shall the trees of the wood sing for joy before Jehovah;

For he cometh to judge the earth. O give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; For his loving kindness endureth for ever.   (1 Chronicles 16:31-34)

Comment

God’s reign is the cause for great rejoicing in Almighty God. It resounds throughout the whole of creation. His judgment is true and will eliminate evil. That will free the sentient and the non-sentient of Creation to experience, unhindered, God’s loving kindness.  dove-vector-clipart

 

But let all those that take refuge in thee rejoice, Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou wilt bless the righteous; O Jehovah, thou wilt compass him with favor as with a shield.   (Psalms 5:11-12)

Comment

Our God is a fortress and a high tower. In Him we never need to fear. We love His name, because in His name we are more than conquerors. Because we love the Lord God, He has clothed us in His righteousness. His favor becomes our shield from all evil, so out of trust in Him and gratitude for His favor, our hearts overflow with joy.  dove-vector-clipart

 

looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.   (Hebrews 12:2)

Comment

Jesus is not only our Creator, but He granted us the faith to believe in Him. Further, He sent the Holy Spirit to work in us to sanctify us in preparation for our entry with panoply into the Kingdom of God. It was his joy to suffer all to have the privilege to usher us, redeemed, cleansed and sanctified into the Present of Almighty and all righteous God. Finally, to have the complete joy of in triumph take His rightful place on the throne to the right of His Father.  dove-vector-clipart

 

that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ: whom not having seen ye love; on whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.   (1 Peter 1:7-9)

Comment

Our faith is proved by our faithfulness in following Christ. Tried in the fires of tribulation, all the dross is removed and we come through as much fine gold! When Christ shall return, we will stand forth as prime examples of His grace delivered to us.

Despite the real Jesus being immaterial, and therefore, invisible to our eyes, our embrace of His reality gives us reason to Rejoice. But not in worldly joy, but far more, a joy that is heavenly and surpasses what we can declaim; therefore, it is joy unspeakable and full of glory.

There is no joy greater than to experience the results of our salvation in and through Jesus Christ: the eternal life in the Presence of the infinitely loving God Almighty.  dove-vector-clipart

 

Questions for Joy

 

What was the difference between worship in the Tabernacle of Moses and the Tabernacle of David?

Answer: The worship in the Tabernacle of Moses was primarily sacrifice of animals to atone for sin. It was the priest’s job to slaughter and burn the carcasses of the sacrificial animals. They pursued their job in workman-like efficiency. The atmosphere was solemn.

The Tabernacle of David, in contrast, in addition to the sacrifice of animals, the Levite musicians were playing, singing and dancing to worship יהוה. They were expressing love for the Holy, Righteous God. They were performing to His honor with joy. It was noisy, it was lively, it was jubilant.

 

What caused the People to rejoice greatly when they brought their offerings to the Temple and to יהוה?

Answer: They had a monument to their God. The Temple made God seem more permanent, more real. They were glad to bring their offerings. Further, as they relied more on יהוה, He prospered them. The free-will offerings were presented out of deep gratitude for His blessings, and because they were prospering. After God’s bounty, their tithes seemed a smaller amount, because the prosperity made what was left so much greater than the whole in previous years.

 

How can inanimate and non-sentient things, like the sea, mountains and trees, “sing for joy before Jehovah”?

Answer: To some extent this is hyperbole; however, God is Creator and he can give to non-sentient things the cognition to appreciate being created.

 

What does it mean that Jesus had to go through ridicule, scourging and crucifixion to receive the joy that was awaiting Him?

Answer: Before he could cry, “It is finished!”, our Savior had to drink the cup the Father presented Him to the dregs.

“Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”  (Hebrews 4:14-15)

He had to be tempted and to experience the depths of our pain and suffering, (even to include the experience of His Father’s turning His back on His Only Begotten Son, because Jesus took on the guilt of all our sin on the cross).

“Thou that art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and that canst not look on perverseness, …”  (Habakkuk 1:13)

Thus, Jesus, because of His love for us, bore our penalty for sin, freeing us to rejoice with “joy unspeakable and full of glory” in the presence of our Father, basking in His love for eternity!

 

Reflection Question of Joy

Have you ever had occasion to “rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory”?

Answer: We experience great joy at falling in love, on one’s wedding day, at the birth of a child, at receiving a much cherished and longed-for gift, at being praised by someone we respect.

But the abounding joy described as “unspeakable and full of glory”, we will experience at our gathering around the throne of God and worshiping Him with all the fervor within us, falling on our faces in adoration and casting all the honors we have ever received at the feet of our magnificent and majestic God, and I suspect, interspersed with dancing and singing His praises in jubilation!

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Christ and Culture

Advent Study # 2 – Peace

8 Dec , 2019  

Scriptures for Peace

 

Think ye that I am come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: for there shall be from henceforth five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.  They shall be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother in law against her daughter in law, and daughter in law against her mother in law.   (Luke 12:51-53)

Comment

Since God becomes first priority in a believer’s life, that often evokes jealousy in spouses, parents and siblings, who feel slighted.  dove-vector-clipart

 

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.  (John 14:27)

Comment

This is not a worldly peace, that is the absence of turmoil, but a heavenly peace that surmounts all worldly turmoil.  Jesus gives a peace that is eternal not temporal.  dove-vector-clipart

 

Wherefore remember, that once ye, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision, in the flesh, made by hands;  that ye were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.  But now in Christ Jesus ye that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, who made both one, and brake down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in the flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; that he might create in himself of the two one new man, so making peace;  and might reconcile them both in one body unto God through the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: and he came and preached peace to you that were far off, and peace to them that were nigh: for through him we both have our access in one Spirit unto the Father.  (Ephesians 2:11-18)

Comment

Jesus Christ has reconciled sinful unbelievers who were at war with God, rebelling against His holiness and His Commandments. His reconciliation through the blood of the cross has settled the war between a person and God. Jesus has drawn the elect into the spiritual realm of the Father. He has thereby bestowed His peace on all believers, making them of one fellowship, i.e. brothers and sisters in Christ.  All then have the same goals to love and the glorify God and one another.  dove-vector-clipart

 

If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men.  (Romans 12:18)

Comment

Be peaceable and trust the Holy Spirit to make up any differences between the believer and others.  dove-vector-clipart

 

Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice.

Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

 The things which ye both learned and received and heard and saw in me, these things do: and the God of peace shall be with you.  (Philippians 4:4-9)

Comment

If believers start by thinking of all the good in Christ, they will then be led to passing on to him all their anxieties.  In so doing, the believer is relieved and has room for the peace of God to rule in his heart.  dove-vector-clipart 

 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.  (Galatians 5:22-23)

Comment

As the Holy Spirit matures us, He will engender the blessed fruit of peace in our lives.  dove-vector-clipart 

Questions for Peace

 

Is it possible that these passages in Luke and John are both true? If so, how?

Answer: God’s peace is for His elect. Those who are enmity with God will have no godly peace in this life or in eternity. The turmoil in families comes from the fact that one or more members of a family have surrendered to Jesus and others have not.  This conflict of loyalties unhappily leads to resentment, dissension and contention.

 

How could Jesus, who was born to die and who was chased all over Israel by the needy, enemies, and the paparazzi of the day have peace to give away?

Answer: The peace that God gives is spiritual and is not disrupted by worldly cares.

 

Why is the command of Romans 12 conditional?

Answer: Paul recognizes the limitations of the believer as well as the receptivity of those around the believer.

 

What would it actually mean to have the “peace of God, which passeth all understanding”?

Answer: When all the world around a believer is in confusion, turmoil and even angry contention, the believer is unaffected and can with equanimity offer wisdom to bring God’s peace into an ungodly situation.

 

Reflection Question:

How can one sing about peace in the midst of conflict?

Answer: The peace of God is beyond human control.  In the midst of the worst, when we have placed our trust in Christ, He manifests His peace in our hearts.  When we are confident that our lives are in Christ, hid in God, the problems that the world throws at us have negligible effect on us.  When “nevertheless no longer I live, But Christ lives in me, even threats to our lives are of no consequence.  As long as I live, I am in Christ.  When I die, whether in bed, or under persecution, I am secure in Christ.

With that stance of faith, we can be at peace and sing of the glory of God, and sing in peace of the joy of the Lord, of the hope of the Lord and of the love of the Lord.

 

Paul and Silas were beaten bloody and the placed in prison , with their feet in stocks.

And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely: who, having received such a charge, cast them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.  But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns unto God, and the prisoners were listening to them;   (Acts 6:23-25)

Pain, dire circumstances are of no consequence when we are in Christ and walking in obedience.

Christ’s peace reigns.  dove-vector-clipart 

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Christ and Culture

Advent Study #1 – Hope

1 Dec , 2019  

Scriptures of Hope

 

And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.   (Genesis 28:13-15)

Comment

God gives us the promises of land, progeny (children and family), God’s presence, and the Messiah (our Savior, Jesus).  dove-vector-clipart

 

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;

And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.   (Isaiah 11: 1-12)

Comment

Characteristics of the Messiah:

  1. Spirit-given wisdom
  2. Power
  3. Knowledge
  4. Awe-inspired respect
  5. Righteousness
  6. Judgment

He will establish Peace on Earth, so “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain”. He will spread the knowledge of God throughout the Earth and all people will be filled with God. He will recover the remnant of the faithful from all parts of the earth.  dove-vector-clipart

Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.

The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.

And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.

And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.

And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.

And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will.

Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:

When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.   (Acts 13:16-24)

 

Comment

Paul rehearsing the recapture of the Promised Land by the Children of Israel, four centuries after they abandoned it. The promise of the Messiah fulfilled in Jesus, the God/man.  dove-vector-clipart

 

Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.   (The Revelation 22:7)

Comment

Jesus promised to return.  dove-vector-clipart

 

He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.   (The Revelation 22:20-21)

Comment

The earnest cry for the return of our LORD.  dove-vector-clipart

 

Questions of Hope

What do these passages have in common?

Answer: they all are looking forward to Christ’s Coming, either the first time or the second, or both. That is the sure and certain hope of every believer!

 

What gives you hope?

Answer: Jesus confirmed he is faithful with numerous infallible proofs. His confirmations are daily, if we just look with our spiritual perception, instead of our material perception.

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.   (Romans 5:1-13)

 

Are the promises in scripture ever a discouragement to you?

Answer: No!

 

If so how do you resolve the problem?

Answer: Because Despite the reality that I will never measure up to God’s promises, He, in love, has freely given the promises to me – not from my deserving, but through His election.

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”   (Romans 8:14-17)

 

These last couple of verses in the Bible express a longing for Jesus to come again. What does this say to you?

Answer: Maranatha! Even so LORD Jesus come quickly? I am eager to be fully in my Messiah’s presence, and in the presence of my heavenly Father, and in the Presence of the Holy Spirit (in the way we can never be in our material state).

 

Reflection Question:

Because the future is unknown and we cannot control it, what gives you hope?

Answer: My hope is in nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

… for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them.”

“But now in Christ Jesus ye that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ.   (Ephesians 2:8-10 & 13)

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Christ and Culture

Advent Celebration: Christmas!

24 Dec , 2016  

Christmas Day – The Christ Candle, white

mary-on-donkeySo Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.    (Luke 1:4-7)

God Sent His Son

God did the most unnatural thing through the most natural means. God’s desire is that each person acknowledge sin, turn away from sin and embrace Almighty God as Lord. Throughout the Old Testament history, the Jews had Scripture that taught that God was the only true God and to be worshipped exclusively. Further, they were to treat other people well, dealing fairly with equals and taking care of the weak.

La Nativite a la TorcheAs we read we see a repetition of the pattern: faithfulness to God and brothers, declining into apostasy and abuse of the weak. God sent numerous prophets to call the people back. When the people listened, they returned for a generation and then fell away again.

This was no surprise to God. He had a plan for complete salvation waiting in the wings. He waited until there could be no mistake that it was impossible for anyone to live up to God’s standard. Everyone sins and falls short of the glory of God.

God’s Plan for Salvation

Therefore, He arranged for His Son to become fully man in addition to being fully God. The mission of the God/man, Jesus, was to be the innocent victim who would die as an atonement for the sin of the world. The process required, first, being conceived in a miraculous way, but growing naturally in a mother’s womb for 9 months.

baby-jesus-sleepingNext after birth, Jesus, the Son of God would spend 30 years growing naturally into manhood and maturity. And only then assume the ministry of teaching about the kingdom of God. Finally, Jesus would voluntarily walk into death, innocent of all sin to die as the sacrificial victim. In His death, Jesus atoned for your sin and mine. He opened the way into life eternal. He established the way to live victoriously in this fallen world.

Jesus is God’s Plan

All this began one night with the birth of a baby. When Mary delivered the Baby Jesus, the Angels rejoiced and proclaimed the glorious news. The Shepherds came, saw and worshipped, and joyously evangelized on their way back to the sheep. Mary contemplated the life of her son, the innocent babe at her breast. Years later, John prepared the way for Jesus to minister, stating Jesus must increase and he, John, must decrease.

He must increase, but I must decrease.

He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to w
hat he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.
Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.   (John 3:30-36)

We Celebrate Jesus

We celebrate the birth of the innocent on Christ’s Day with carols and worship and gift giving and feasting. It is the time of innocence and joy.

Nevertheless, Christ’s Day is the harbinger of the Passover celebration when the Lamb of God was sacrificed to atone for the sin of the world. Out of the depth of the sorrow over the death of the innocent One, who died in our place, we are raised up in joy three days later at the triumph over sin and death in the resurrection of Jesus the Christ. That innocent, weak babe we celebrate now became the triumphant Risen Christ!

Christmas Day: Prayer

advent-christ-candleLord Jesus, I bow before Your Presence in humble submission. I am truly a sinner, but You have truly redeemed me by Your blood.

You came humbly as a baby. You submitted to the cries of thousands. You worked Yourself to exhaustion healing the sick and casting out demons. You demonstrated what life in God should be.

Give me the joy of the Angels in acknowledging You as the Good News to all men.

Give me the humility of the shepherds to come with empty hands and open heart to the manger to worship You as a baby.

Give me the wonder of Mary at the amazing love of God that as a baby and as an innocent victim You come to my rescue.

Give me the courage of John to proclaim the coming of the Lord in judgement, but also in love for those who surrender to You.

I am Yours, most loving Lord. Consecrate my life to You and Your ministry all the days of my life. At the end bring me through death to triumphantly enter Your Glorious Presence, and there dwell with You in love and joy forever.

To the Glory of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; Amen

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Christ and Culture

Advent Celebration: Fourth Sunday

18 Dec , 2016  

Domenico_Ghirlandaio_-_Preaching_of_St_John_the_Baptist_(detail)_-_WGA8865

Fourth Sunday in Advent – The John the Baptist Candle, purple

…during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.  He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
 Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
 And all people will see God’s salvation.’”    (Luke 3:2-6)

John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”  (Luke 3:16)

John the Baptist

nicolas_poussin_-_st_john_the_baptist_baptizes_the_people_-_wga18294John was a cousin of Jesus.  His birth was miraculous, since Elizabeth, his mother, was too old to bear children. He was a Levite and could have been as priest. Instead, under the direction of the Holy Spirit he became a prophet. His mission was to prepare the way for Jesus, the Messiah and Son of God.

His ministry was a harsh one. He proclaimed the sins of all the people to such an extent that the leaders of the Jews challenged his right to preach. Fearlessly, he called all to repent of their sin, including those leaders challenging him.

John went on to declare that the Messiah was at hand. John’s ministry was to make the hearts of the people ready to receive the message of the Messiah. He preached to raise the expectations of the people to be open to the salvation that Jesus would proclaim. John introduced the concept of empowerment by the Holy Spirit through the ministry of the Messiah.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”   (Matthew 3:16-17)

John’s Message about Jesus

OXYGEN VOLUME 13The believers of today have embraced salvation in Christ. The understand that their sins were washed away by the blood Jesus shed on the cross. They understand that they have, in Christ, eternal life.

What they have missed is the experience of the power of the Holy Spirit working in their lives. John stated that the Lord Jesus Christ would baptize believers with the Holy Spirit. He would instill fire in believers’ spirits. Jesus promised that believers would receive power to witness.

Paul taught that there were nine manifestations of the Holy Spirit that those who were baptized with the Holy Spirit could experience. He further enjoined all to seek the baptism and infilling of the Holy Spirit.

Advent Sunday 4: Prayer

advent-candle-4Lord God Almighty, I look for the coming of my Lord Jesus the light of the world. The world is growing darker as sin reigns in all aspects of our culture. Jesus called me to be a light in the world to dispel the darkness of sin. I am a weak light and I am overwhelmed by the prevalence of sin all around me.

I believe Your coming into the world was not just to give me hope for life eternal. I believe You have called each believer to be a witness in the world, proclaiming salvation through Jesus Christ.

For that mission in a world that does not want to be told that all are sinners and damned, I need supernatural power. Grant me the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in me to encourage and inspire Your ministry through me.

To the glory of the One and only Lord God; Amen

 

 

 

 

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Christ and Culture

Advent Celebration: Third Sunday

11 Dec , 2016  

The Annunciation

Third Sunday in Advent–The Mary Candle, pink

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.   (Luke 2:16-19)

Mary the Mother of Jesus

l_annonciation_de_1644_philippe_de_champaigne

The Angel Gabriel speaks to Mary.

Mary was young, perhaps 14 0r 15 years of age, when Gabriel appeared to her.  At first she was frightened, but the Archangel reassured her. He announced that God intended to give her the wondrous privilege of carrying, birthing and nurturing the Messiah, the Son of God.

Since she was a virgin she wondered how this could be possible. He instructed her that the Holy Spirit and the power of God would manifest to and in her. Mary responded in humble faith, submitting to be an instrument in God’s hands.

I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.   (Luke 1:38-44)

Jesus is Born

Mary with JesusNine months later, after the labor of delivery in the humblest of circumstances, she held a baby, certainly her son, in her arms. Her husband, Joseph who loved her and accepted that the son was not his, was at her side. And then, rustic shepherds arrived, claiming to have seen angels.

At first, Joseph was protective and barred them from entry. Mary asked Joseph to admit them. They came and worshiped the baby and soon left.

In the ensuing silence Mary reflected on the announcement, on the acceptance of Joseph, prompted by an angelic dream, on Elizabeth’s greeting (“the mother of my Lord”), on the hard trip from Nazareth, on the labor in difficult surroundings and on the unexpected visit and the worship of the shepherds.

Truly, she held a miracle in her arms. She became committed to this little bundle for the rest of her life. She did not know the future, but she knew to expect miracles.

Advent Sunday 3: Prayer

advent-candle-3Glorious Holy Spirit, come in the power of God to fill my heart with faith.  Give the humility to look on Your moving in my life as Your work and not my own.  Give me the faith to submit to any miracle You desire to manifest in my life.  Remove from me any pride of place or privilege, so that I can become a worthy vessel of your Spirit.

To the glory of God my Guide and Teacher; Amen

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Christ and Culture

Advent Celebration: Second Sunday

4 Dec , 2016  

Second Sunday in Advent–The Shepherds Candle, purple

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.   (Luke 2:16-18)

Angels Visit the Shepherds

govert_flinck_-_aankondiging_aan_de_herders

“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Luke 2:9-10)

Like a mighty army the myriad angles marched away into nothing. The faint light of the stars shone on the awe-struck faces of the shepherds. Momentarily stupefied, they turned to one another. “God came to us with this amazing announcement.”  For a moment, they were just amazed, and then it came to them: “The Messiah! We have to go and see!”

Captured by the import of the message they considered nothing else, leaving their sheep, they raced into the nearby Bethlehem.
There, according to the word of the angel they found the newborn at the breast of a young woman, hardly more than a girl. This domestic scene was set in a barn with all the animals around.

Shepherds Worship Jesus

christmas-1010749_960_720With God’s revelation, they recognized their Messiah in the person of the newborn babe. In simple humility, the shepherds bowed to worship God’s Son born of woman. Their worship was in spirit and in truth.

Jubilant, they headed back to their sheep, loudly praising God. As people called out to them asking what all the fuss was about, the shepherds joyously announced the coming of the Messiah who would deliver God’s people.

They were indeed the first evangelists, proclaiming the Good News that Jesus had come to save us from our sin.

Advent Sunday 2: Prayer

second-advent-candlesGracious Savior, I come before You to acknowledge that You are my Savior and my God. I worship you for Your surrender of Your life, so that I can live with You forever.

Give me the joy that the shepherds experienced in finding our Savior. Holy Spirit give me the boldness to proclaim the Good News to all we meet, telling each that there is a Savior in the world and He has a wonderful gift for each one who believes.

To the glory of God, our Savior; Amen

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Glad Tidings

God’s Love Celebrated! Merry Christmas!

3 Dec , 2016  

GT—Volume 13 Issue 12

Christmas is Comin’, By Gum!

gt-logo-2016Christmas in the Church calendar does not begin with Christmas Eve and end Christmas Day (too often with great relief!) It begins with a season called, “Advent”. This is a four-week celebration that anticipates the birth of the Christ Child. For believers, it is a time of remembrance and excited looking for the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Son of God became a God/man (in truth fully God and fully man). He was “veiled in flesh” so, none but believers could recognize the Son of God. Unbelievers saw only a man, preaching great truths of life with God and proclaiming the further truths of the Kingdom of God.

God sent His Son the first time to demonstrate God’s love for mankind. He ministered exhaustingly to the needs of the multitude. Their infirmities and sins weighed on the heart of Jesus and aged him prematurely (at 32, the Pharisees looked upon Him, seeing a 50-year old).

They rejected His truth, while maintaining their misunderstandings as truth. God presented them with living proof of His love, but the unbelievers killed Him.

What confused the leaders most was their desire for a conquering king who would deliver them from the Roman yoke.

What God sent was the Suffering Servant prophesied by Isaiah. The Son of God came as the Suffering Servant because that was what the people needed. Their need, and our need today, is forgiveness for sin and an atoning sacrifice to reconcile us to God. Far more than a conquering King, we need a Savior.

The reality of our lives is that we are separated eternally from God by sin. So long as that sin remains a barrier, we are doomed to separation from God forever. While we are under this curse of sin, the coming of the Son of God as a conqueror would be an extreme danger to us. He will come to eradicate sin on earth. Without His atoning sacrifice, all people (including us) would be eradicated. There is no mercy in the Son of God for sin.

john-the-baptist

John the Baptist, Stated he was a voice crying in the wilderness. His mission was to prepare the way for God’s anointed King, Lord Jesus, the Christ. When he saw Jesus, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world! He said. “I must decrease and He must Increase.” John 3:30

Since Jesus has come first as a servant, He has served us well by dying for our sins and cleansing us from sin (all who believe are saved).

For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;    (Ephesians 2:8)

Believers are no longer enemies of God. His Son’s Coming as the Conquering King can be joyfully anticipated.

He will destroy sin on the earth. All who perpetrate sin: the devil and his demons and all who have not embraced Christ will be cast into the lake of fire.   dove-vector-clipart

The Severity Of God’s Love

Now that sounds harsh. The early movie star, W. C. Fields, was a notorious unbeliever. When his Director found him reading a Bible on a movie set, he was shocked. The Director asked, “What are you doing, Bill?” He replied, “Looking for loopholes, looking for loopholes.”

Our emotions want to find a way to escape the consequence of sin, without surrender to Christ as Lord and Master of our lives. However, the plan of God has not been kept secret. Everyone within the reach of my writing has had many opportunities to comply with God’s requirements, i.e. obedience to God’s will, belief in the truths written in the Bible, acknowledge sin, embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Throughout the Bible is recorded the history of God instructing people in the way to live and remain a part of the family of God. Reading that history, we discover that as many times as God blessed His people they eventually turned away from Him. Many times, God sent witnesses to correct the waywardness of the people. Sometimes, they heeded the warnings and mended their ways; and then returned to obeying God. Too often, they ignored God’s corrections. As a result, He would remove His hand of protection. In His absence, enemies attacked, killing and sacking. Other times, drought destroyed crops, plagues afflicted and killed many. At times, these calamities drew the people close to the Lord God, but other times no warning, no calamity convinced the people that they were on the wrong road.

After King Solomon, the nation of Israel split into two nations–Israel and Judah. For two hundred years, God sought to turn the resulting Israel back to Him. They continued to refuse. God gave up on Israel. In 722 B.C., they were crushed and deported into Assyria. The people were ultimately assimilated and completely lost to the message of God.

Judah had a better run. The nation had many “good” kings who called the people back to God. Tragically a century after Israel was ultimately lost, Judah fell into Israel’s pattern of ignoring God and persecuting the prophets He sent to warn them.

israel-defeated

The people of Judah are led into slavery

150 years after Israel was destroyed and that part of the people of God were deported into Assyria, Judah was defeated by Babylon. They were led as slaves into Babylon. However, there was a difference. They acknowledged their sin and drew back to God while they were in exile that lasted for 70 years.

They returned to the Land of Promise to rebuild Jerusalem, the Temple of God and reestablished themselves as people of God.

500 years later, the Laws made to keep God’s People close to Him, had become barriers to a lively faith. God sent His Son to be the Redeemer and to save all who would trust in Him alone for relationship with God and for salvation from sin and entry into eternal life.   dove-vector-clipart

Will the Pattern Repeat?

The Embarkation of the Pilgrims

The Embarkation of the Pilgrims (1857) by American painter Robert Walter Weir at the United States Capitol in Washington, DC

America was founded for the purpose of communicating the Truth that Jesus is God and He is the Savior of all men. Columbus voyaged to a land he thought was India. When He landed, Columbus claimed it for Christ. Nearly 130 years later, the Pilgrims arrived on the shores of New England with the vision of establishing a godly nation.

Their vision proved to be God’s vision, and for 300 years America was a shining example to the world of a nation dedicated to Jesus Christ. The Pilgrims and later others evangelized the native Americans giving them the benefits of salvation. In the 1850’s, America became the foremost missionary-sending nation in history. Our missionaries, led by Christ evangelized on every continent, bringing the Good News of Jesus’ salvation to peoples who were living in fear of the evil in the world. Jesus delivered them and gave them joy in life.

America has not just shared the Gospel, we have shared our selves. We have given away our resources to nations all over the world to support them financially. We have sent food to starving nations. We have shared our medical expertise, without cost to peoples dying of ailments simple to treat with modern medicine. We have sent technology to disadvantaged nations, giving them jobs and income to help them rise out of squalor.

christmas-tree-decorationsUnhappily, 80 years ago, we began turning away from our faith in God. Increasingly, we have adopted a culture that excludes Jesus. This began with questioning the authority and the veracity of the Bible. The real turning point was 60 years ago when morality was thrown overboard. In the last 30 years, we have experienced a continual attack on anything that is Christian. We have done this, thinking that there were no consequences to legislating Jesus out of our culture.

The consequences that have occurred we have refused to see as the removing the hand of God’s protection. We were horrified at the scourge of AIDs but refused to recognize it as the consequences of homosexuality. We were horrified by the attack of 9/11, the worst loss of life as an act of war against our homeland. We are insensitive to the slaughter of the innocents in the abortion clinics. This, too, was a judgment of God.

weeping-libertyI am a voice crying in the wilderness, “Behold your God”. It is necessary for us to connect the dots and take warning. To save America, we must return to Christ as a nation. We must realize that God is not playing around. He is deadly serious that

  • Jesus be honored
  • Jesus be obeyed
  • the people of the nation live in righteousness
  • we give generously to all who are in need
  • we establish discipline in requiring people to be responsible to God and to one another

For centuries, America was a melting pot that drew us together. We drew people together around Christ. That must be our goal again. In the Revelation, the Resurrected Christ wrote letters to the seven Churches in Asia. He wrote to Ephesus.

But I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love. Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I come to thee, and will move thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent. (Revelation 2:4-5)

christmas-598132_960_720The Candlestick represents the life of the church. To remove it means that the church at Ephesus would no longer exist. This applies equally to America.

We Have Left Our First Love

We have left our first love. We have turned our backs on the Christ who has greatly blessed our nation to make it the most free, most generous, most prosperous, and most godly nation in history. We have lost sight of that truth. We have gotten caught up in the “Jack Horner Syndrome” – “What a good boy am I!” God is warning our nation and our people,

“Repent! Return to your roots in Christ! Your place on the world’s stage will last only so long as you obey me, the living God.”

We have become steeped in materialistic philosophy. We have been deceived that material well-being is all-important. We have secularized our thinking to reject the reality of the spiritual needs of people. A truth we have been unwilling to embrace is that unless a person is spiritually alive, material well-being is bankrupt. It is a dead end.

All the wealth in the world lasts only so long as one lives.

All the wealth in the world lasts only so long as one lives. Upon death, all this world disappears. If we are only material, then in this life alone we have hope. Were this true, then it does not matter how I get my well-being. The only important thing is securing my place, and the “devil take anyone else”. In this philosophy, no one else matters. They are tools to use and discard by the powerful.

Yes, the pattern of faith slipping away to disbelief and the resulting judgment of God against the unbelievers will continue. It will continue and America will end on the ash heap of history as so many nations have: Syria, Assyria, Israel, Babylon, Rome. They lasted hundreds of years, but died or dissipated in the end. More recently, the official atheist U.S.S.R. fell under its own weight. Without God, they are no more. America is speeding to follow in all these nations unhappy destiny.   dove-vector-clipart

Unless God Provides

christmas-551997_960_720There IS one loophole. I do not know whether W. C. Fields found or if he did, used it. That “loophole” is God’s provision. God always knew that men through their own efforts could never in many millennia achieve the purity and perfection to be in His Righteous and Holy Presence. Thus, left to our own devices individuals are barred from God’s paradise. It is not the meanness of God that bars us. It is the nature in us that seeks the lowest common denominator.

Actually, God is forthright in declaring He loves mankind. We are His creation. He wants us to be with Him during our short life on this planet, AND for eternity.

Here are Scriptures that describe God’s desire for us.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Jehovah, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end.   (Jerimaiah 29:11)

Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.   (Isaiah 1:18)

god-so-loved-the-worldFor God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on him should not perish, but have eternal life.   (John 3:16)

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We all shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”   (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.   (1 Peter 1:3-5)

The majority of people have one of three conceptions of God:

  • He is wrathful and only punishes people
  • He is a softie, a pushover who loves everyone no matter how bad they are
  • Likely most just do not believe in Him

There is some truth in the first two. God’s wrath is nothing to tempt. We should avoid his wrath at all costs. However, His wrath is abated when His Son enters one’s life. All those who belong to Jesus will never experience the wrath of God.

The second is true: God eagerly desires for you and me to be with Him in eternity. He loves us with an everlasting love. However, He will not allow sin to go unpunished. He will not receive into his glorious mansions any who refuse to acknowledge Jesus as God.

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.   (John 14: 1-3)

There is no truth at all in the concept that God does not exist. Those who espouse this spend their lives in living a lie. The evidence of God is undeniable to anyone who will face the truth.

in-utero

The balance of the cosmos, the intricacy of the human body, the facts of love, hope, faith cry out the existence of a loving and just God.

The balance of the cosmos, the intricacy of the human body, the facts of love, hope, faith cry out the existence of a loving and just God.

It is the greatest thing in all the world to embrace Jesus in love. It is soul-satisfying and spirit-enlivening. The love of Christ sent the Holy Spirit to us to dwell with us and in us. He has given us His Spirit as the guarantee that He will always be with us, encouraging, helping, and that He will welcome us into God’s glorious, loving, joy-filled habitation. There we will both joyfully praise the majesty of God and will feed on the heavenly viands and quaff the wine of the Spirit.

Our eternal lives will be at the same time replete–peaceful at rest; and yet we will be eagerly seeking after more of God’s Presence, love and bountiful manifestations in and through us.   dove-vector-clipart

The Mercy of God

The First Great Awakening

Revolutionary preacher, George Whitefield. Known as a famous revivalist preacher credited for the “Great Awakening” leading to the American Revolution.

As people in America changed from living for God and began living for self, the nation grew more profane. Out of His gracious mercy, Almighty God sent the Holy Spirit to revive the church and to convict the unbelievers. The First Great Awakening swept through the Colonies in the 1740’s. Amazing miracles occurred and amazing transformations in lives were the evidences of God’s grace. The cruder and sinful aspects of the culture died back and the churches burgeoned with faithful believers, many of them were new converts. The society became more civil and the hearts of the people more open to give and receive.

The Second Great Awakening

The revivals enrolled millions of new members in existing evangelical denominations and led to the formation of new denominations. Many converts believed that the Awakening heralded a new millennial age.

As is the pattern of humans, over time the first love cooled and the zeal for Christ and His Law faded. Culture coarsened and sin became common. In 1850, the Lord Jesus sent the convicting Holy Spirit to awaken the populace to the reality of their sin. Large groups of people came to revival meetings and heard and responded to the message of salvation in Christ alone. In this Second Great Awakening, there were masses of people wailing with tears of repentance. Thousands were converted and again society was transformed. Out of that revival grew the abolitionist movement and that resulted in freeing of the slaves.

Then again, parallel with the growing evils of the “New Morality” (the old immorality blatant), came the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on peoples of every denomination. The evidence was the multiplying of the “charismata”, the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.    (1 Corinthians 12:7-10)

The love of God for America has redeemed us from our sin before. Now join me in prayer for another Advent to revive our apostate churches. We must pray also for the Final Advent in which Christ will come to judge the peoples of the earth and establish His righteous reign   dove-vector-clipart

Questions Demanding Answers

This is a recurring feature. I pose a question in one issue. You have the opportunity to send me answers. I publish the best ones in the next issue. Please cite Biblical authority, and keep you answer within 250 words.

QUESTION: Where is the Holy Spirit now?

ANSWER: Jesus breathed on His Disciples,

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit:   (John 20:22)

Earlier Jesus had said,

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth: whom the world cannot receive; for it beholdeth him not, neither knoweth him: ye know him; for he abideth with you, and shall be in you.   (John 14:16-17)

The Holy Spirit is one of the Persons of the Trinity. He is Omnipresent. He is present everywhere all the time. So, the short answer is, “He is Everywhere!”. However, he is especially present in believers. Jesus imparted the Holy Spirit specifically to His Disciples and said that He would be with us. He has initiated the Spirit’s presence as a teacher about Jesus. He has come to dwell in believers. His special purpose is as a guarantee.

… in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation,—in whom, having also believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is an earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God’s own possession, unto the praise of his glory.  (Ephesians 1:13-14).

The Holy Spirit within is our assurance that we belong to Almighty God. He is our Father and He will never forsake us.

When the world dumps garbage all over us, when we suffer loss, when we cannot seem to get anywhere, we have the Holy Spirit’s witness in our hearts that He is with us. Because of His testimony in our hearts we know that nothing in this world or in the spirit world can separate us from the love of God.

The Holy Spirit is our Guide, present to lead us along Christ’s path. Jesus is the way and the Holy Spirit orders our steps so we do not wander off and get lost.

The Holy Spirit is our teacher. He teaches us what we need to know to live as overcomers in this fallen world. Further, He reminds of what Jesus taught us as recorded in Scripture. Thus, we need to read and study, so the Holy Spirit has those teachings available.

The Holy Spirit is our comforter when things go badly wrong for us. He is our strength in grief when we lose a loved one. He is our support when we have a worldly loss.

The Holy Spirit is our inspirer. He Inspired the many authors of Scripture. He gives us Rhema as we read the Scriptures. That is an understanding of the meaning of a text or a word that we had never learned before.

Where is he? With the unbeliever, silent in the background. With the believer, actively building up our faith and trust in Jesus.

The Holy of Holies

Join me in bowing before our God in gratitude that we can speak directly and personally to Him. He is our loving Father, so we can embrace Him boldly, but respectfully.

 Maranatha! Come quickly, Lord Jesus. My heart longs to be in Your unveiled Presence. Our Nation urgently needs Your redemption. Our world desperately needs Your reconciliation. Pour out Your Spirit of conviction upon us. Bring us to our knees in openhearted repentance. Many, if not most in America need heart transplants. Your word tells us that You will remove our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh that will be soft toward You. We are in great need of You.

Lord of lords and King of kings, our world is groaning over the rampant sin around the globe. Come in Your majesty, come in Your awesome power and sweep away the evil; judge the people, condemn all sin, and then restore the world to its perfect state prior to the Fall.

My gracious King, You said You would come quickly and bring rewards with You. You know my heart, Lord. Reward is secondary, the frosting on the cake. It is Jesus I long for.

To be in Your presence, Precious Jesus, would be glory for me. Your Psalmist says, “Thou wilt show me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” What a wonderful thought. You give us fullness, all the Joy we can hold, and spilling over. Beyond that You have a place for me at your right hand. The place of honor is for all believers! What a deep and thrilling pleasure to be seated next to You and even more to be honored.

You say in The Revelation “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst, let him come: he that will, let him take the water of life freely.” (22:17) I understand that the Holy Spirit will declare to the Church that time is up and You are going to return in glory and judgment. The Church, the Bride of Christ will unite with the Holy Spirit in a cosmos-shaking universal cry, Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!

I long for that Day when I will see You, my Savior face to face, when all This world’s trappings will be shed and my mortal body will be transformed into a celestial body. Then I will be able to glorify You and praise You unhindered by distractions.

Hallelujah! My Lord and Savior. Worthy are You to receive all Honor, Glory, Dominion and Praise.

Glory be to God the Father. Glory be to God the Son. Glory be to God the Holy Spirit.

Amen!

QUESTION: Who were the Magi and why did they come to see Jesus?

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