Sunday, August 7th, 2022

Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O LORD, we have waited for You; The desire of our soul is for Your name And for the remembrance of You. With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness- Isaiah 26:8-9

 

Monday, August 8th, 2022

He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He- Deuteronomy 32:4.

• God never oppresses -Job 37:23
• The promise He gives, He also keeps-Numbers 23:19; Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalms 18:30
• He is an immovable Rock-Isaiah 28:16

Wednesday, August 10th, 2022

Isaiah 40:28-31 tells us why those who wait upon the Lord are in good place: 

• His understanding is infinite. 
• His power is infinite.

“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.”

• He promised
• He is willing
• He is able                                                                                                                                             

Thursday, August 11th, 2022

…from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows…James 1:17 Ah, Sovereign LORD…Nothing is too hard for you- Jeremiah 32:17 God is faithfully unchanging. All things are too easy for Him and nothing is impossible- our grounds for boldness.

Friday, August 12th, 2022

For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness- Isaiah 26:8-9 One of the tell-tale signs of apostasy is how modern Christians think there’s only room for mercy, not judgment, to bring about revival and righteousness. Very wrong!

Saturday, August 13th, 2022

And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? Luke 18:7-8 Heard someone say that because God promised justice, we don’t need faith for it. Read Verse 8. It’s precisely lack of faith hindering justice.

Sunday, August 14th, 2022

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God-Luke 6:12 This week we ask Jesus what the apostles asked “teach us to pray”- Luke 11:1 –Not recitals or memorized prayers, but the intense passion of Mount Tabor.

Monday, August 15th, 2022

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord- Philippian 3:8 Most Christians may read the passage and like it or even quote it, but how many truly live this? Often money or other things loom large in a Christian’s life.

Tuesday, August 16th, 2022

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. Psalms 73:25 Everyone who has progressed to something of value has had someone who played a role of helper. Yet, helpers can become as idols as money-Isaiah 36:6 David’s main help was God-Psalm 121:2

Wednesday, August 17th, 2022

But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her- Luke 10:42 One thing simplifies life but we have been conditioned to think that many things are required of us. A saint shut in with God face to face needs nothing else.

Thursday, August 18th, 2022

I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread-Job 23:12

One could say this is a higher level of desperation than (1)giving up wealth (2) giving up career advancement that earlier Scriptures suggested.

We can’t live without food.

Are we so desperate for Jesus?

Friday, August 19th, 2022

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself- John 12:32

• Rees Howells
• Praying Hyde
• John Knox
• George Whitefield
• Father Nash
• Apostle Paul

All these are great examples of prayer warriors.

We can be too, since the exalted Christ promised to draw us closer to Himself.

Saturday, August 20th, 2022

Therefore, since we have a great high priest…Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence- Hebrews 4:14-16 The glory of Mount Tabor can be ours since Christ has entered the holy of holies for us and the veil between us and God has been torn We pray, He shows up!

Sunday, August 21st, 2022

At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened- 1 Kings 18:27.

Jehovah sets Himself apart from Baal. He hears, He answers!

Monday, August 22nd, 2022

When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple- 2 Chronicles 7:1 Instant miracles and answers to prayers are part and parcel of Christianity (John 14:13; Acts 4:31).

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2022

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see- Psalms 135:15-16 Israel may have followed Baal in Elijah’s days but today’s idols are more sophisticated. Still, idols can’t save their worshippers.

Wednesday, August 24th, 2022

Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? Psalms 94:9 Unlike Baal, Jehovah’s priests don’t have to cut themselves to be answered. Indeed, God wants us to be full of faith when we ask. 2 Kings 22:19 Numbers 14:28 2 Corinth 6:2 Mark 11:22-24

Thursday, August 25th, 2022

Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk-Acts 3:6 In both OT and NT we see a God who answers prayers and demonstrates His power. Some, like Laodicea (Revel 3),may make gold god that won’t deliver.

Friday, August 26th, 2022

You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked- Revelation 3:17 It’s dangerous to trust in riches as an idol (Proverbs 11:28, Job 31:24,Jeremiah 48:7). Christ wants poverty of spirit.

Saturday, August 27th, 2022

For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”- Roman 10:13 Paul says it makes no difference who calls, Jew or Gentile. God answers all with no favoritism-Roman 10:12;Act 10:34 As hard-hearted Baal worshippers saw Jehovah’s answer to Elijah, they bowed. Rain came.

Sunday, August 28th, 2022

Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you… Exodus 14:13-14

Monday, August 29th, 2022

So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him- Isaiah 59:19 Pharaoh indeed got his army flooded by the Red Sea.

Tuesday, August 30th, 2022

And in the greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath; It consumed them like stubble- Exodus 15:7 When the saving and delivering arm of the Lord has been revealed to the saints, they should sing high praises to Him.

Wednesday, August 31st, 2022

They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the LORD I cut them down- Psalms 118:11 At the Red Sea, God told Moses, “why are you crying out to me ?”- Exodus 14:15 God had given Moses His name and authority in His staff. Often the victory is in decree of God’s truths.

….Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me… John 17:11

Thursday, September 1st, 2022

And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?- Mark 4:38 How come Jesus could sleep in the storm while disciples were terrified and accused him of being uncaring? “Where was faith ?”

Friday, September 2nd, 2022

What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash…I felt compelled… 1 Samuel 13:11-13

Saul refused to be still and trust God.

He lost it all

Saturday, September 3rd, 2022

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes- Psalms 37:7

Unlike Saul, David knew that the source of success was more important than the results of performance.

Holy Spirit vs Self.

Sunday, September 4th, 2022

Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered.

Psalms 105:4-5

Another week we get to pursue the Lord diligently and seek His Holy face!

Monday, September 5th, 2022

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart- Jeremiah 29:13.

We seek ,pray, and believe God with our hearts, not our minds first. Heart here is “Lebab” in Hebrew or “inner man.”

Mind as in Isaiah 26:3 is Yetser.

Also read Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 14:15 Romans 10:10 Romans 8: 26-27

Tuesday, September 6th, 2022

I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right- Isaiah 45:19

Seeking the kingdom of God first is not a call to misery [Matthew 6:33]. God will add to us blessings upon blessings. We don’t seek Him in vain. 

Wednesday, September 7th, 2022

For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants- Isaiah 44:3

Our seeking of God’s face should result in the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit. If we seek God acceptably (Hebrews 13:15), God promised that He would pour out the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:17). 

Thursday, September 8th, 2022

Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced- Psalms 105:5

• Lot’s wife turned to pillar-Genesis 19:26; Luke 17:32
• Isaac’s birth-Genesis 21:2-3
• The fall of Jericho- Joshua 6:20
• The resurrection of Lazarus- John 11
• The fall of Jerusalem-Matthew 23:35-36

Friday, September 9th, 2022

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him- Hebrews 11:6

Diligently seeking God must involve acting on what we hope for.

• We come to Him
• We believe Him
• We act on the Word
• God performs.

Seeking God without acting on the Word is not due diligence. It is dead faith (James 2:26). God is a rewarder- misthapodotes in Greek- of those who seek Him this way. He pays what is due, according to His own personal values [e.g. Sermon on the Mount]. We do not seek God in vain. 

Saturday, September 10th, 2022

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you- Matthew 6:33.

We seek the kingdom of God first when we are seeking with all our hearts [Jeremiah 29:13], seeking Him early/ earnestly [Proverbs 8:17], diligently- by craving His presence, scrutinizing His ways, and acting on His promises [Hebrews 11:6]. Seeking his righteousness involves obedience to the Scriptures and submitting to God’s plan [Matthew 3:14-15] and acting justly [Micah 6:8; Matthew 23:23].”All these things will be added”- means that we actually lose nothing that we give up in the visible world while prioritizing the unseen realm of God’s reign. Ultimately, it is paid back to us multiplied [Mark 10:30]. We do not seek God in vain. 

Sunday, September 11th, 2022

The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the LORD was filled with the cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God. 2 Chronicles 5: 13-14

The glory of God came down when they had finished to build the temple and were busy singing praises to Him. They may have sung for God before, but this was the first temple built to the honor of Jehovah in Jerusalem and He has delight and pleasure in the house built for His glory (Haggai 1:7-8)

Monday, September 12th, 2022

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”- Isaiah 6:1-3

The palpable glory that filled Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem when the priests were ministering to the Lord, Isaiah saw it from a heavenly point of view. He saw angels crying Holy, Holy, Holy, even as that glory filled the whole earth. Since Christ is the glory of the Father tabernacled among us (John 1:14), that glory has been given to us in Christ and when we behold Him, we behold the glory and face of the Father [John 14:9]. 

Tuesday, September 13th, 2022

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth- John 1:14

The 3 paragraphs below are taken from our December 2020 Christmas season devotional. 

We worship you, O Eternal Word of God!

As we continue our “Hail The Incarnate Deity” theme for this Christmas season, we have John 1:14 today. In this we read that the “Word became flesh.” In this phrase, John summarizes the entire virgin conception, birth, and human life of Jesus Christ. For it was the Word becoming flesh when Mary got pregnant by the Holy Spirit and power of the Almighty. The Word had become flesh when Mary went to visit Elizabeth and John the Baptist who was still in the womb could not stay still. We read: “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”- Luke 1:41. Sure, the flesh might have been a fetus at that time, it was flesh, nonetheless. It was the Word becoming flesh when Mary delivered the child in an animal stable. With all the stinking, terrible odor, that we could imagine might have been there. I used to go to cows stables at my Grandpa’s farm as a kid and they weren’t the best smelling places in the world. The Word became flesh in a place like that, coming from the womb to the world. By the time Jesus called John to be one of His 12 disciples, the flesh had grown up into an adult, though he had never known “the works of the flesh.”- Galatians 5: 19. He was fully human and yet He did not sin. Jesus tells us that this is one of His qualifications to judge us on the last day (John 5:27). Because He trod where we tread, He dealt with the issues we deal with, and was tempted in the same way we get tempted. He is the Son of Man. Our perfect and sinless Savior lived a human life and experienced several aspects of humanity that we are all familiar with. 

“Made His dwelling among us.” The Greek Word here is “Eskenosen” and it means to set up a camp or tabernacle. John probably used it to allude to the tabernacle of divine Shekinah in the wilderness that Moses had set up in accordance with God’s instructions. Christ tabernacled among us, carrying the divine glory and presence. The One “in whom are hidden all the treasures of Wisdom and knowledge”- Colossians 2:3. The One who “upholds all things by the power of His Word”- Hebrews 1:3, walked among men and they could see, hear, and touch with their hands (1 John 1:1). What a message! What a story of hope and joy He is ! What had He come to do here? It is a common observation that when a dignitary is expected to arrive at a location, say a president, prime minister, or attorney general, the people or institution those leaders are visiting are under maximum pressure to prepare very well. Things that need to be cleaned up are cleaned, the speeches are practiced and polished, decorum and protocol are a sight to behold. Now the Lord of the universe had come to the earth He had created. Was Israel ready? Are we prepared? Let every heart prepare Him room!

“We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only son.” They saw His glory indeed. When Peter asked Jesus if he could build a tabernacle for Him, Moses, and Elijah, he had seen His glory. He even mentions that event again in 2 Peter 1:18: “We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain,” he reminds us. But for 3.5 years, they saw a whole lot more than that. They saw Him turn water to wine and that first miracle is what John calls the first in which He showed them His glory (John 2:11). They saw Him raise Lazarus from the dead after 4 days. And what did Jesus say to Mary who cautioned to open the tomb because Lazarus’ body might have been stinking ?  “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”- John 11:40. And a moment later, He was calling Lazarus to come forth. No god, no magician, no religion could claim to be able to raise a dead person from the dead like that, after 4 days. Only Jehovah can do that and Jesus did it. The Greek Word used for “the only son” is monogenous, which clearly shows us that there’s a difference between the Son of God who came from heaven and the sons of God He has come to raise from the earth: “born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth.” We are blessed as sons of God but we are not the only begotten Son.

Scriptures summary:

 

Wednesday, September 14th, 2022

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.  Exodus 33:18-19

Moses had seen:

• The burning bush
• The rod turned to serpent
• The 10 judgments on Egypt
• The Passover
• The parting of the Red Sea
• The 10 commandments

Yet, he still cries “show me your glory.”  Since man lost his glory in Eden, this has been the cry of the redeemed [Romans 3:23; 2 Corinthians 5:1-7]

Thursday, September 15th, 2022

We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away…And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:13,18

Somehow Satan has not only succeeded to hide the glory of Christ from the unbelievers [2 Corinthians 4:4], he has managed to hide it from Christians as well, and most believers don’t see it [John 1:48-51; John 1:14; John 11:40; Numbers 14:21-23]. Some may even think that the burning bush, Red Sea, or Ten Commandments encounters that Moses had are greater than the cross, resurrection, and outpouring of the Holy Spirit that we have. Paul says that’s just not true, because what we have in Christ is far more established, far greater, and ever-increasing in glory. The supernatural workings of the Holy Ghost and His abiding presence are continually conforming us into God’s own likeness. 

Friday, September 16th, 2022

 ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the LORD of hosts.”- Haggai 2:9

The glory of the temple of Ezra and Zerubbabel was prophesied to be greater than the temple of Solomon at a time when its outward structure made older Jewish returnees embarrassed. This should encourage us because the glory of the church is not a result of what we can achieve, but rather what Christ promised to do. The glory of the church that Christ is building now is greater than the glory of any temple or tabernacle or work of God of the Old Testament [2 Kings 21:14; Isaiah 54:8; Psalms 94:14; Matthew 16:18-19; 1 Samuel 2:22; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Ephesians 2:19-20; 1 Peter 2:5; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Corinthians 12:24-29].

 

Saturday, September 17th, 2022

In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. Revelation 1:16-17

In John 14:23, we see Jesus promising faithful disciples that not only they would see His glory, He and the Father will make their dwelling with those disciples. The Greek Scripture has “ean”, which is translated as “if” , a conditional particle, this suggests that this manifest presence would not be for everyone who professes the name of Christ, but those who are diligent in seeking the kingdom of God first and His righteousness [Revelation 2:5; Revelation 2:16; Revelation 2:23; Revelation 3:3; Revelation 3:17-18]. The Greek word used for “dwelling” in John 14:23 is “Mone”- which is the same as in John 14:2, used for the mansions He will prepare for us. The Old Covenant with its many shekinah manifestations of God’s glory can’t be expected to have better and greater wonders than those enjoyed by New Testament saints. Failure to see this would place us in a perilous position as our accountability is in proportion to the glory we have seen [Numbers 14:21-23; 1 Corinthians 10:5-15; Hebrews 2:1-4; John 1:14; John 1:48-51; John 2:11; John 11:40] 

Sunday, September 18th, 2022

You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Exodus 19: 4

The redemption of Israel from Egypt is often compared to the redemption of New Testament saints from their sins. Just like Israel was destined for Canaan, we are also destined for heaven. However, God adds that this was a redemption unto Himself. The Land of promise is indeed part of the plan and very prosperous, but God is even a better catch. His worth is greater than heaven itself. Being carried on eagle’s wings reminds us that they played no role in their deliverance and neither do we. Our salvation was accomplished by Christ’s redemptive work on the cross and delivered to us by the grace of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and not a result of our own striving [Ephesians 2:8; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5]. 

Monday, September 19th, 2022

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus- Ephesians 2:6

Our waiting to be transported on eagle’s wings or being carried by the Lord on a daily basis in our jobs, ministries, callings, and activities may often seem overwhelming but that promise is sure [Isaiah 40:28-31; Psalms 34:4; Psalms 56:3; 1 Samuel 21:9-11; Psalms 40:17; Psalms 18 verse 19 & verse 33; Psalms 66:12; Psalms 4:1]. Even so, there often seems to be a lot we can do ourselves as we wait and the overwhelming nature of our tasks is usually felt-weakness that is graciously given to us so that we would not rely on ourselves [ 2 Corinthians 1:8-10; 2 Corinthians 12:9]. In those waiting moments, we must remember every success, work, and achievement in our lives is of God and what is a better way to help us meditate on this than going back to the beginning of our salvation- that we actually did nothing to raise ourselves from the graves of our sins and Christ burst those tombs open and we rose in flame and followed Him [Psalms 100:3; 2 Corinthians 1:21; 1 Corinthians 1:8; Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 2:8; Colossians 1:13]. We are seated in heavenly realms with Him at the right hand of God already and none of our own future achievement will ever equal that. 

Tuesday, September 20th, 2022

Behold, I send forth the promise of my Father on you. But wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high- Luke 24:49 [World English Bible]

Another thing that was done for us at the beginning of our heavenly journey, that we should remember in our daily fights, was the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Throughout the New Testament and in the experiences of many Christians, we see that this happened after they sought God, days or weeks after their salvation [Acts 2:1-4; Acts 8:14-18; Acts 19:1-6; John 7:37-39; Ezekiel 47:4-5; Romans 1:11]. The Holy Spirit is the ultimate Eagle who carries us. He is our Strength-Renewer who will refresh us. Disciples had to wait in Jerusalem to receive that promise “To be clothed with power from on High.“- The Greek word for “clothed” is endisesthe/enduo, which denotes a sense of sinking into a garment, and is used in Acts 12:21, where we see Herod was arrayed in royal apparel. Disciples had healed the sick while Christ was still with them, they had seen Him risen, and Jesus had even breathed on them to receive the Holy Spirit [Luke 10:17-21; John 20:22; 1 Corinthians 15:3-6]. Yet, we see Jesus telling them to wait on the promise until they were clothed with power. It is the strength worth waiting for. Once we have received that Baptism, it is worth waiting on being in-filled by the Holy Ghost so that we can be covered by that mantle of glory on a daily basis [Ephesians 5:18; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Romans 8:14; Acts 4:30-31; Colossians 1:29; 1 Corinthians 15:10; Ephesians 1:19].

Wednesday, September 21st, 2022

I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago- Psalms 77:11

The Lord often reminded His people of how they were carried on eagle’s wings and all past miracles they had witnessed to inspire future trust [Psalms 78:7]. The Psalm that follows this, Psalms 78:2-22, is a detailed example of how this works. “They forgot His deeds And His miracles that He had shown them.”- Psalms 78:11. That forgetting had a negative influence on their faith and this resulted in their judgment. What miracles David could have had in mind ? The flood and Noah’s rescue, the judgment of Sodom, Isaac’s birth, Joseph’s prophetic interpretation of dreams, the 10 judgments on Egypt, the Passover, the Red Sea parting, Manna from heaven, water from rocks, clothes that never grew old or deteriorated in the wilderness, the fall of Jericho, Joshua’s decree to the sun, the parting of Jordan waters, Gideon’s victories, Samuel’s prophetic gifts, and more. In our generation, we can remember Charles Finney, John. G. Lake, Smith Wigglesworth, Charles Price, F.F. Bosworth, William Branham, T.L. Osborn, Reinhard Bonnke, D.G.S. Dhinakaran, Brother Yun,  Paul Yonggi Cho, Chris Oyakhilome, T. B. Joshua, Alph Lukau, and more. We remember those past miracles so that we can believe in the Lord for the present, as He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever [Hebrews 13:8; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 6:18; Numbers 23:19; Exodus 15:26; Psalms 103:3; Matthew 4:23-24; Matthew 9:35; Matthew 12:15; Matthew 14:14; Matthew 15:30; Mark 8:16-21; Mark 9:18-23; John 14:12; John 20:30-31; Acts 5:14-16; Acts 19:11-12]

Thursday, September 22nd, 2022

Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him- Isaiah 64:4

The key of this verse is obviously “any God besides you”- as many people can testify that they have seen that Jehovah does great and mighty things on behalf of those who wait on Him. We sang this in “You Deserve The Glory” by Terry MacAlmon yesterday. There’s no one like Jehovah. Look at Abraham, for example. He is called the father of all believers. We read of Him in Romans 4:17, “As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations, before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.” It’s like Abraham exercised the faith in a dead-raising God twice. First, because his and Sarah’s body were aged and needed a reproductive miracle after her menopause (Romans 4:19-21). Second, because by offering Isaac, he technically received him back from the dead (Hebrews 11:19). What other God does this ? [Judges 10:14-16; 2 Kings 3:13; Isaiah 57:13; Isaiah 2:8; Isaiah 17:8-9; Proverbs 11 verse 4 & verse 28; Psalms 118:8; Isaiah 25:4; Isaiah 49:8; Isaiah 56:7]. We must understand that waiting on God is not sitting idle. It can involve searching the Scriptures to understand, seeking counsel, hearing insightful preaching, praying intensely, and doing due diligence [Psalms 132:4-5; Psalms 55:17; Psalms 77:2; Luke 2:37; Matthew 7:7-11; Luke 18:1-8]. God enlightens us and strengthens us by the Word. Then, He lifts us and carries us. He raises the dead by calling them to life [Ezekiel 37:4-10]. The outcome of waiting upon Him is “what eyes have no seen, what ears have not heard.”- 1 Corinthians 2:9. Not only in heaven will we finally see His radiance face to face, but even now He still does mind-blowing signs, wonders, and miracles for those who take hold of Him. He acts on their behalf on a magnitude and scale like never seen before. [Ephesians 1:19; Ephesians 3:20; John 14:12]. 

Friday, September 23rd, 2022

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint- Isaiah 40:28-31

As people wait on the Lord, they could be tempted to lean on their own understanding, with serious consequences [Proverbs 3:5]. The birth of Ishmael has often been said to be an example of this. Now, we are talking about Abraham, the father of faith.  It should alert everyone and cause us all to pause and ponder. The fact is, the fallen mind is too fertile to wait on God’s promises sometimes. This is why we need to be reminded that God’s understanding is infinite and our own is not. When we face difficult decisions and challenging circumstances, waiting on God means searching for His mysteries as He wants to share them with us so that we do not attempt to leap into the dark, but rather walk in the light. [Psalms 147:5; Jeremiah 33:3; Psalms 25:4; John 15:15; Romans 8:14; Isaiah 48:6; 1 Corinthians 14:1; 1 John 1:7; Isaiah 30:21; 1 Corinthians 1:20; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 Kings 13:17; Genesis 13:10; Galatians 4: 30; Genesis 21:9-10; John 11:9-10; Proverbs 4:18; Psalms 119:105; Exodus 23;20; Hebrews 1 verse 7 & 14; Numbers 20:16; Daniel 6:22; Genesis 24:40; Acts 8:26; Matthew 2:19-20; Psalms 34:10; Ecclesiastes 9:11; Zechariah 4:6; Isaiah 28:16; Psalms 138:3; Ephesians 3:16].

Saturday, September 24th, 2022

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body- Philippians 3:20-21

In the world we wait for many things that sometimes may seem frustrating and yet at the same time they are not a big deal. Have you had to stop at traffic lights like 3-4 times when you were running behind schedule ? I have seen  people who were waiting for doctors at healthcare facilities talking about leaving because they had been in the waiting room for 30-40 minutes. We often see tasks that may have been expected to complete at a certain date having to be delayed 1 more month. As frustrating as these waiting experiences are for all of us, they are not remotely close to the most important event that we are waiting for- the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s going to be so big and terrifying that He said we should pray to “be able to stand before the Son of Man”-Luke 21:36. The magnitude of that day is so big, God Himself exercises patience and delays it [2 Peter 3:9]. Since He wants everyone to be saved, the delay is to bring in as many souls as possible. This is why there’s good reason to believe in a coming revival and great awakening before that great and awesome day of the Lord. After all, He is also “The Lord of the harvest.”- Matthew 9:38. The judge of the world is also the Lord of revival and He will send us an awakening if we ask. Then, He will come in glory to carry us on His wings. Sinners are eagerly waiting for us to show them the glories and wonders of our Returning King right now [ John 4:35; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Zechariah 10:1; Ezekiel 34:26; Psalms 2:8; Revelation 1:7; Isaiah 64:1; Luke 19:27; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8; Matthew 10:8; Malachi 4:2; 1 Corinthians 14:24-25; 2 Timothy 1:6; 1 Timothy 4:15; Romans 15:18-20; Deuteronomy 33:25 Psalms 147:20; Deuteronomy 4:7; Psalms 33: 12; Isaiah 60 verse 3 & 20; Matthew 6:10; 2 Peter 3:12; John 14:1-3]

 

Sunday, September 25th, 2022

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone-Matthew 14:22-23

It’s amazing to see the multitudes that followed Jesus, a prophet who had no much financial means, drove fancy cars, or had the backing of the Sanhedrin [Isaiah 53:2; Matthew 8:20; John 9:22]. We read that people “pressed upon Him to hear the word of God”- Luke 5:1. Though, by the word of knowledge, He could have known the woman who touched him in that massive crowd, He asked to be informed [Luke 8:45]. There must have been real and great power in His ministry that drew such huge crowds [Matthew 12:15; Matthew 4:23-24]. After all, men will give all their belongings to keep their health [Job 2:4-5; Luke 8:43]- now they had a mighty physician healing them for free [Matthew 10:8; Isaiah 55:1; Matthew 7:29]. So, why do we see Christians in America bragging of minimal success as though we are in in an awakening ? Though God delights in the salvation of one single soul, should we be satisfied until everyone is born again and heaven-bound ? [Luke 15 verse 4 and verse 7; Matthew 9:38; John 4:35; Mark 16:15; Matthew 24:14]. The dry and barren land is not because people don’t want to hear the Word of God or know God. People are starving [ John 7 verses 3-8 & verses 14-39; Amos 8:11; Joel 2:24-28]. We are in a less Word and Gospel saturated society and age than the early church [2 Chronicles 15:3;Psalms 74:9; Acts 4:4; Acts 6:7 ]. International frontiers are even more desperate for Gospel power than America. So, it’s incumbent upon us to bring them to Christ [Luke 14:23; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 14:16; Romans 15:18-20]. God will bless our efforts [1 Corinthians 3:7; Luke 8:11 Acts 16:9; 2 Timothy 2:2]. What we need more is that power that Christ had and it will begin in our face-to-face communion with the Father, the Lord Almighty [Matthew 6:6].

Monday, September 26th, 2022

And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding- Jeremiah 3:15

As we continue our meditation on Matthew 14:22-23 this week, I see how this promise of Jeremiah was fulfilled in Christ, and should encourage us as we ask God to send us more laborers in his vineyard, prophets, evangelists, and pastors [Matthew 9:38; Ephesians 4:11-16]. We saw how crowds pressed upon Him to hear the Word of God and He had to dismiss them often in order to spend time with the Father. Jesus fulfilled the saying that a true man of God speaks to God for the people before He speaks to people for God [Luke 22:32; 1 Samuel 12:23; Ezekiel 22:30; 1 Timothy 2:1-5; Romans 9:3]. We want such pastors with God’s own heart speaking straight from the throne [1 Kings 22:14; John 5:19; 1 Kings 18:15; 1 Peter 4:11; John 6:63; 1 Corinthians 2:3; Jeremiah 23:29; Isaiah 6:6-7; Jeremiah 15:19] He was a pastor after God’s own heart, a Good Shepherd indeed [John 10 verse 11 and verse 15; Luke 24:19]. He taught the people glorious truths they delighted to hear, and then, rather than go to sleep, he engaged in intense and prolonged prayers on mountains [Colossians 4:12]. No wonder so much power and divine glory followed His ministry. As we seek to follow His example, not only should we press on to study and understand “great things He has taught us“- we should be “With Christ In The School of Prayer” to learn the secrets that made Him so effective in touching so many lives. God does indeed want to show forth knowledge and understanding when we preach [Hosea 4:6; Proverbs 4:7; Ephesians 1:17-19]. But He wants us to release more than that. He wants the whole world to be fed with the bread that came from heaven and that will happen as the anointing of God is demonstrated, which can only increase as we stand and worship before His throne, seeking His Holy Face [John 6:51; 1 Corinthians 2:4; Acts 4:30-31; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Hebrews 12:22-29; Isaiah 57:13B; Psalms 134:1]. 

Tuesday, September 27th, 2022

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear- Isaiah 59:1

Christ did so many miracles because He believed in miracles. One could say “No, He believed in God.” That’s true [Mark 11:22-24; John 14:1]. But what I mean is that Christ believed in the necessity of divine supernatural intervention [Matthew 12:28-29;John 5:6-7; Luke 5:5]. Paul calls this a “demonstration of the Spirit and power”- 1 Corinthians 2:4. So, they were not just necessary for people who needed them, like Lazarus’ family, they were credentials [Matthew 11:2-6; John 11; John 10:37-38]. Moreover, in Matthew 14:14, we see that Jesus was moved with compassion to heal. That’s a third element, beyond people’s needs and Christ announcing His credentials. God actually cares about people’s problems. “In all their afflictions, He was afflicted“- Isaiah 63:9.  Without this realization, prayer becomes of little benefit, if not completely pointless. Christ did so many miracles that if they had all been recorded, there would not have been enough books to write them. [John 20:30-31; 1 John 5:13; Ecclesiastes 12:12; 1 Kings 4:32; Luke 16:29-31; Luke 1:37]. Prayer and faith connect us to God’s miracle working power. It’s after His prayers of Matthew 14:22-23 that we see Him walking on water [Matthew 14:25-31]. Our devotion to prayer or lack of it is a true indicator of how much we believe in God’s power and love. Every time there are no miracles, it’s either because people are not asking or they are asking amiss [Isaiah 59:2; James 4:2-3]. It may sound harsh to read “You have not because you ask not”- but that’s what Holy Scriptures say. Whether we need the arm of the Lord to save people from drug addictions, sicknesses, accidents, demonic oppression, bondages, sins, hunger, death, debts, attacks, wars, and apostasy, we can find Scriptures that speak about all of these things and many testimonies that confirm to us that God’s arm is indeed not too short to save. The lack of revival or awakening is not because of God’s weakness, rather the failure of God’s people [Jeremiah 32 verse 17 and verse 27; 1 Corinthians 1:25; 2 Corinthians 13:4; 2 Chronicles 7:14].

Wednesday, September 28th, 2022

On another day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him- Job 2:1.

As testimonies of many saints show us, prayer can usher us into God’s glorious presence. D.G.S. Dhinakaran is an example. Considering how transformative and powerful that can be, it is odd how little of it is experienced even by Christians. Yesterday, we saw how our devotion to prayer or lack of it is a true indicator of how much we believe in God’s power and love. While prayerless Christians, who are really functional atheists, and the actual sworn atheists, may both neglect prayer, Satan knows how “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Reinhard Bonnke used to say “the devil loves atheists, though He is not one himself” [James 2:19; Matthew 8:29; Psalms 14:1; James 5:16].  Though prayer-less Christians fail to present themselves before the Lord, or bring their requests to Him in faith, [Philippians 4:6], we see how before Satan was cast out of heaven’s courts, he used every opportunity to present himself with the angels and bring accusations against the righteous. Job is an example. Even after Satan’s expulsion from heaven, he has not stopped destruction in the world [John 12:31; Revelation 12: 3-10; Zechariah 3:1; John 10:10; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 John 5:19; 2 Corinthians 2:11; Revelation 2:10; Acts 12:5; Matthew 13:24-29; John 14:30; John 6:11; Colossians 2:15]. So, why should Satan be more zealous for spiritual and invisible realities than the saints of the Most High God ?  Why don’t we present ourselves before the Lord in earnest when, not only have we been redeemed and made His children, we have been given an invitation to ask anything and everything, with the promise that we will be heard [Isaiah 58:4; John 14:13; Romans 8:32; Matthew 17:25-27; Psalms 50:15; Psalms 23; Matthew 9:35; Matthew 12:15; Matthew 7:7-11; Luke 6:38; Philippians 4:19; John 15:7; 2 Corinthians 1:20; 2 Corinthians 6:2]. What we should learn from Job’s book is that there’s a real war waged in the heavenlies. Our duty is to fight the good fight of faith by holding onto promises and and boldly presenting ourselves before our Father’s throne. Presenting ourselves before Him means being conscious of where we stand, that we are standing in the presence of the Almighty. God’s presence is not so much His coming into a room, as His glory already fills the whole earth; rather, it consists of us entering into that presence [Isaiah 6:3; Numbers 14:21; Psalms 72:19; Habakkuk 2:14; Acts 7:49; 1 Kings 8:27; Ephesians 1:23; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Jon 1:16; Matthew 5:33-37; 2 Corinthians 1:20; 1 Chronicles 16:11; Psalms 95:2].  Doing so through prayer should not be a passive, weak, or indifferent activity. Prayer should be the most passionate activity of our day. 

Thursday, September 29th, 2022

Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers- Luke 22: 31-32

We had said that Christ fulfilled the saying that a true man of God speaks to God for the people before he speaks to people for God. What proves that saying more so than this verse ? In Jesus’ prayers for Peter, we see a preview of His intercessions for the saints as Scriptures say “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”- Hebrews 7:25. Robert Murray M’Cheyne is credited with saying “If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.” How true! We need not fear Satan’s malicious schemes against us like He had against Job and Peter [ Job 2: 4-5; Romans 8 verse 31 and 34]. In Christ’s intercessions for Peter we see what makes Him such a great High Priest for us. Firstly, it is His perfect knowledge. Though Peter himself didn’t know his fallibility, Jesus already knew and prayed for His restoration. Secondly, it is His consistent, 100% success in prayer. As He says “I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me“- John 11:42. Thirdly, it is His compassion. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses.”- Hebrews 4:15. Fourthly, it is His sufficiency. “He is able to save to the uttermost.” We definitely do not need Virgin Mary, Saint Charbel, Pedre Pio, Saint John Bosco, Joseph of Cupertino, Saint Francis, John Paul II, to intercede for us, after their departure from this life [1 Timothy 2:5; Psalms 73:24-26; Hebrews 2:14-17; Hebrews 3:1-4;  Hebrews 12:23; 1 Samuel 28; Colossians 2:17-18; Revelation 22: 8-9; Acts 14:13-14; 1 Thessalonian 3:1; Isaiah 65: 3-4; 1 Chronicles 10:13; Galatian 1:9; Revelation 22:18]. Those saints may have gone to glory, but Christ is sufficient as our High Priest, Mediator, and Intercessor. Any addition to this is unbelief and weakens the covenant sealed in His blood [1 John 2:1; Hebrews 12:24; Romans 3:23-25; Hebrews 3:12-19; Romans 4:17-24]. Finally, “He ever lives to intercede for us.” There’s no expiration date of His office, except when the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more. When books are opened to judge the quick and the dead. At that time “every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”- Matthew 3:10

 

Friday, September 30th, 2022

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples- Luke 11:1

Though Abel is said to have offered a sacrifice that pleased the Father, it wasn’t  until his replacement brother, Seth, had a son called Enosh, that people started to call upon the name of the Lord [Genesis 4:25-26; Genesis 5:3-7; 1 John 3:12; Hebrews 11:4]. We are not even told that Abel prayed. We are told that he offered sacrifices. If men waited for the birth of Enosh to start to pray, that was at a time Adam was 235 years old, as Adam was 130 when he had Seth and Seth was 105 when he had Enosh. That’s quite a long time of broken fellowship with God, considering that we are taught to “ pray without ceasing“- [1 Thessalonians 5:17; Leviticus 6:13]. There must be an infirmity in fallen man to connect with God, making him an invalid in spiritual matters, or “asthenic”, to use Romans 5:6 Greek language. Spiritually, we are like the invalid man at the pool of Bethesda[John 5:6-7; Ephesians 2:1; Isaiah 64:6-7; Psalms 40:12; John 3:3-8; 1 John 1:2; John 1:11-13; 1 John 5:11; John 6:63; Psalms 138:3; Ephesians 3:16]. We are naturally strengthless and powerless in seeking God and praying fervent, acceptable prayers. We needed help. Thankfully, throughout history there have been men who were able to break through that lethargy of spirituality and it gives us hope that we can have a fruitful prayer-life ourselves. We can name Abraham who birthed Isaac, Jacob who wrestled with God and became Israel, Moses who talked to God face to face, Samuel who revived a fallen Israel in the times of judges, David the Psalmist, Elijah who brought the fire and rain down, Hezekiah who cried for his life to be spared, little known Jabez who prayed for God to enlarge his territory, and Daniel a man greatly beloved. It seems the greatness of these men is in the great testimonies they received after prayer [Hebrews 11:2; John 3:27; Genesis 20:7; Job 42:8-10; 2 Samuel 24:13-25]. The Lord turned their invalidity into validity. If our lives are going to count for the kingdom of God, we must be masters of prayer [John 15:5; Luke 6:40]. The disciples struck the right chord in asking Jesus to teach them to pray. Effective prayer, as we see in Scripture, has 2 main ingredients. Firstly, it has good content. We can’t offer God the sacrifices of fools [Matthew 6:7-13; Ecclesiastes 5:1-2; Leviticus 10:1-2; Hebrews 13:15]. This is what we see in the Lord’s prayer and Christ’s teachings in John 14-17. Secondly, it is done by the help of the Holy Spirit, who overcomes our infirmities [Romans 8:26-27; 1 Corinthians 14:15; Jude 1:20; 1 Timothy 2:8; Ephesians 4:30; 2 Corinthians 13:14; John 14:26; Psalms 141:2; Revelation 8:3-4]. Regardless of where we are in our prayer level, we won’t get answers until we get started and practice it constantly [Jeremiah 33:3; Psalms 50:15; Isaiah 55:6-7; John 14:12-13; Matthew 7:7-11; Romans 8:32; 2 Chronicles 7:14]. May the Lord teach us all to pray!

Saturday, October 1st, 2022

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need- Hebrews 4:16

The Greek word used for “approach” here is “Proserchomai” which means to come, draw near, visit, and present oneself. We see it used in Matthew 9:20, of a woman who came from behind and touched Christ. That woman had quite a lot of confidence and boldness. Who does that ? Would you run behind a prime minister, president, king, or even a bishop and grab the hem of his garments ? While that could look awkward, we have a situation where we are actually invited to do this, before the throne of grace. Scriptures say that “through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.”- Romans 5:2. There’s no qualification, credential, embellishment, cost, offering, or anything else that we need to bring to be accepted before God. We have been “accepted in the beloved.” We are already qualified [Ephesians 1:6; Colossians 1:12; Philemon 1:6; Ephesians 1:17-23]. We can receive what is our now. “ Now is the accepted time, now is the day of God’s favor“- 2 Corinthians 6:2. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Through Christ who loved us, and was not spared by the Father for our redemption, we will freely receive all things pertaining to life and godliness. We are heirs of the kingdom of God and He will answer our pleas now [Ephesians 1:3; 2 Peter 1:3-4; Luke 12:32; Luke 15:31; 1 Corinthians 3:21; Colossians 2:3; James 1:5; Luke 11:21; Jeremiah 27:5; Psalms 24:1; Haggai 2:8; Psalms 50:10-11;  Romans 8 verse 17 and 32; Galatians 3:29; Romans 7:4; Revelation 3:8; Ephesians 5:26; Ephesians 3:20]. We are children of God, joint heirs with Christ, the bride of Christ, and all that belongs to Christ is ours right now. We can receive knowledge for innovation, wisdom to carry out our callings, businesses, and ministries, creativity for music with melodies of angels that no one has heard before. These are things that even Seraphim, Cherubim, and angels who are continuously present and singing before the throne of God long to look into [1 Peter 1:12]. The New Covenant with its message of the Gospel, the blessings and privileges of the Gospel, all these have been entrusted to us. So, let us be bold in coming to receive grace and mercy in our time of need. As long as we breath on the earth, there will always be a need. If not of our own, may be of our family members, of our neighbors, of our churches, of our workplaces, of our communities, of our nations. There’s no need so great that it cannot be supplied through the blood and intercessions of our Lord Jesus Christ [ 1 Timothy 2:1-5; 2 Thessalonians 3:1; Luke 1:37; Jeremiah 32 verses 17 and 27; Hebrews 7:25; Mark 9:23; Matthew 9:29; Matthew 8:23; Mark 11:22-24; John 14:12; Romans 10:13; Isaiah 33:24; Psalms 103:3; Genesis 22:17]. We should avail, or take advantage of the offer the Lord has given us. We can either do this alone, in secret place, like Jesus did on those mountains in the days He walked upon the earth or we can do it corporately, like the church in Jerusalem did [Mark 1:35; Matthew 6:6; Acts 4:30-31; Acts 12;5-18; Hebrews 12:18-29; saiah 57:13B; Matthew 16:19; Matthew 18:18-20]

 Sunday, October 2nd, 2022

I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Isaiah 62:6-7

The Lord who watches over Israel neither sleeps nor slumbers [Psalms 121:4]. Only Him can raise intercessors who are that zealous like Himself, to intercede for Israel and the church [John 2:17;  Isaiah 9:6-7; Galatians 6:16; Romans 9:3]. Just like David was called to fight the Lord’s battles, the church age is a 2000-year-period of intense spiritual warfare for souls, righteousness, and God’s kingdom [1 Samuel 25:28; Matthew 16:18-19; Matthew 11:12; 2 Corinthians 1: 7-10; Psalms 110:1-3]. This age differs from the coming age of the millennium, in which Christ will reign for a  1000 years in Jerusalem, in peace and security. This prophetic difference between the church age and the millennium has often been compared to the difference between the reign of David and Solomon. David’s kingdom was a type of the kingdom of Christ, the Son of David, during the bloody and battlefield of the church age; Solomon’s kingdom was a type the kingdom of the Messiah, the Son of David, when He returns to rule in Jerusalem in peace and justice [1 Kings 5 verse 3 and 4; 1 Chronicles 22:8; 2 Samuel 7:5-13;  Acts 14:22; 2 Corinthians 11:22-28; Isaiah 11:8-9; Isaiah 2:2-4; Revelation 20:4-8]. It is in this age we fight and win battles for which we shall enjoy everlasting victory. For us to be set on walls of Jerusalem and the church as watchmen, first of all we have to hear the Lord call us. It is not something we could decide to become the undertakers without the Lord’s appointing and anointing [Acts 19:15; 2 Corinthians 1:21; 2 Corinthians 2:14; 1 Corinthians 15:32; Acts 19:20; Luke 1:71; Psalms 111:6]. The knowledge, the determination, the passion, the the warfare, the dangers, the victories, and all things related to this are all humanly impossible. So, Scriptures say, “I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem.” Because only the Lord can call, equip, anoint, strengthen, guide, provide, protect, and give victory through such perilous wars. The end game is for Christ to make Jerusalem excellence in the world and the church a mighty force that cannot be vanquished, till He appears in the sky to take the redeemed [1 Thessalonians 4:14-17; Acts 5:31; Hebrews 10:13; Acts 2 verse 17; verse 38 and 39; John 14:1-3; Revelation 19:7-15; Philippians 2:5-11].

Monday, October 3rd, 2022

On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves- Zechariah 12:3.

After the rapture of the church to heaven, there will be a celebration known as “the wedding supper of the Lamb“- this will take place in heaven [Revelation 19:7-10; John 14:1-3; Psalms 45:2-17].  However, since not everyone is born again and sanctified, there will be some who will be left on the earth. The rapture will be for sanctified saints only. A conservative speculation could be 10%-25% of the current 2 billion professing Christians. We do not have the exact number of those who will be raptured, but they will probably be a minority of those in the visible church. In the rapture, Christ comes “like a thief” and many will be caught unprepared. In the Second Coming 7 years later, He comes openly and every eye will see Him. [Matthew 7:13-14; Luke 13:24-25; Revelation 16:15; Matthew 24:43-47; Luke 17:35-36; Revelation 1:7; Zechariah 12:10-11; Luke 21:27]. Still, those who will be taken are a lot of people being caught up into heaven and disappearing for 7 years. Suddenly, the man of sin, also known as the man of lawlessness, also known as the antichrist, will be revealed [2 Thessalonian 2:6-8; Daniel 11:31-45; Daniel 12:1-10;Matthew 24:21-22; Jeremiah 30:7; Revelation 13]. He will first establish a deceitful treaty with Israel, a covenant of peace. But as they are still saying peace and safety, a war will break out in the middle of the 7 years, when the antichrist will declare himself supreme ruler, curse God, and take over the reins of power in a large swath of the world [Daniel 9:24-27; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonian 2:4; Daniel 7:25]. He will declare a war against Israel and Jerusalem. It is towards the end of the 7 years that Jesus Christ returns and wages a war against the antichrist armies and defeats them. Since the millions of Bible readers can calculate 1260 days, the Second Coming won’t be “like a thief.” Christ’s war against the Antichrist is also known as the battle of Armageddon. It will be the bloodiest war ever recorded in history[Revelation 16:16-21; Revelation 19:11-15]. What will make it so bloody is because technology will deceive the world’s armies to attempt to clash with heaven’s spiritual armies [Psalms 2:8-12]. While the rapture will happen in the twinkling of an eye, the brightness of His second coming will take 75 days because of the battle of Armageddon. This is why Daniel uses 1335 days calculation rather than 1260 days of the book of Revelation as those 75 days come after the tribulation is over, when Christ is clashing with the millions of soldiers of the Antichrist [1 Corinthians 15:52; Daniel 12:11-13; 2 Thessalonian 2:8; Revelation 12:6]. Christ and all the hosts of heaven will crush those armies in the fullness of his fury “I trampled the nations in my anger; in my wrath I made them drunk and poured their blood on the ground.”- Isaiah 63:5. And 2 verses before that we see in Isaiah 63:3: “I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing.” This is the same language used in Revelation 19:15.

Tuesday, October 4th, 2022

The LORD will march out like a champion, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies- Isaiah 42:13. 

When Scriptures tell us that the Lord neither sleeps nor slumbers in watching over Israel and His people, they are to assure us of security at all times. We are protected against all foes, whether we are vigilant ourselves or not. We know that no enemy or army would ever match Jehovah Sabaoth, who is “mighty in battle”- Psalms 24:8. The world’s armies won’t be a match on the day of the Lord when He will bathe the the nations in their own blood in Jerusalem.  Pharaoh was not a match at the Red Sea, when Jehovah sank all Egypt’s soldiers in the bottom of the sea, with all their chariots. Even now, Satan in all his fury is not a match as Christ continues to advance His kingdom, reigning and ruling through His church [Exodus 14:14; Exodus 15:3; 2 Kings 19:35; Isaiah 63 verse 3 and verse 5; Zechariah 12:3; Revelation 19:11-15; Isaiah 59: 16-19; Luke 19:27; Matthew 16: 18-19; Matthew 18:18-20; Psalms 110:1-3; Hebrews 10:13; Matthew 28:18-20; Colossians 2:15; Matthew 24:14]. We have seen that on the day of the Second Coming the Lord will crush the nations that will have attacked Israel in the battle of Armageddon. In that day, He will be visible to everyone and how the war will happen will be in the eyes of all flesh. However, during the church age, He is still waging an invisible war against Satan and his forces. He will continue to defend, rescue, and establish His saints in his church in their daily struggles against the forces of darkness. 2000 years of church history have left us with a gigantic record of how the church has gone from victory to victory, from glory to glory, and the increase of Christ’s government shows no sign of slowing down. We participate in this warfare but the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, rather they are spiritual and pull down strongholds. Still, the battle is the Lord’s and He will soon crush Satan under our feet. Some of the invisible spiritual weapons that Christ uses in the church age are judgments against people. These can affect both Christians and non-Christians. They affect Christians who resist the Holy Spirit and provoke the Lord to jealousy. They also affect unbelievers who are obstinate in wickedness, defy Christ, stand in His way, or frustrate His purposes. [Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Corinthians 10:4-6; Romans 16:20; Luke 10:19-22; Acts 12:22-24; Daniel 2:37; Acts 19:20; Acts 13:8-13; Luke 1:74; Acts 12:5-18; Acts 14:22; 1 Corinthians 15:25; Isaiah 9:6-7; Psalms 2:8-12; Psalms 66:3; Psalms 111:6; Matthew 12:20-21; Luke 18:1-8; 1 Timothy 2:1-5; Acts 2:32-25; Matthew 6:9-10; Revelation 3: 7-8; Isaiah 22:22; Ezekiel 37:4-10; Ephesians 5:26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:9; Jeremiah 51:20-26; Jeremiah 1:19; Isaiah 41:15-16; 1 Peter 4:17;  1 Corinthians 10:22; Acts 5:5-10; 1 Corinthians 11:25-31; Revelation 2:22-25; John 2:17; Isaiah 45:9; Revelation 1:5-18; John 17:11; John 16:33; Job 38:12-13; Psalms 7:11; Romans 1:18-31; John 3:18; John 9: 39; Luke 17:1-2; John 20:23; Psalms 1:4; Psalms 35:5; Matthew 3:12; Psalms 97:3; 2 Samuel 22:8-9; Hebrews 12:29; Luke 12:19-20; Hebrews 9:27; Luke 13:7-9; Acts 17:30; Acts 14:16; Revelation 5:5; Daniel 2:35; Exodus 15:3; Isaiah 26:11; Isaiah 54:17; Job 42:2; Proverbs 19:21; Psalms 33:10-11; Deuteronomy 32:39; Romans 11:22 ].

Wednesday, October 5th, 2022

Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? – Deuteronomy 4:34

In this verse we see Moses opening our eyes to 2 things that are unique. The first is that “any god ever tried to take for himself.” Jehovah compares himself to other gods often so that He may affirm His glory [1 Samuel 2:2; Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 4:35; Deuteronomy 32:31; 2 Samuel 7:22; Psalms 96:5; 1 Chronicles 16:26; Jeremiah 10:11; Psalms 135:15-16; Judges 10:14-16; 1 John 5:21; Ephesians 5:5]. Idols compete with Jehovah in claiming divinity without actually having the credentials and worth of being elevated to the same status as God [Deuteronomy 32:37; Jeremiah 2:28; Isaiah 45:20]. Think of how many millions of people have worshipped Baal, Ashteroth, and Molech in the Old Testament. Think of many who still believe in polytheistic religions in Asia and Africa, to this day. What about technology, money, and power in the West ? These are the new gods. The Bible tells us there’s only one God, who created the heavens, the earth, peoples, and animals. We are His creatures. This God wanted this to be known and all people to leave their false gods [Jeremiah 4:1; Deuteronomy 4:30; Jeremiah 3:22; Jeremiah 7:5-7;  Isaiah 31:6; Hosea 7:16; Acts 17:25-28]. One of the ways He was going to reveal this was to choose a people and make a covenant with them. This is the second unique that Moses is telling us about. Jehovah chose Israel and grew them into a powerful nation that He delivered from the hands of Egypt by signs, wonders, and miracles. Other nations fought with spears, swords, arrows, horses, and chariots, but here was a nation that did not need those weapons to walk out in freedom. Many nations envied Israel for taking the land of Canaan, but often they were unwilling to be ruled by the God of gods, Jehovah Most High and His laws [Number 21:21-29; Joshua 1:5; Joshua 23:9-10; Psalms 111:6; Deuteronomy 9:4; Leviticus 18:3; Deuteronomy 18:9; Jeremiah 10:2]. Israel was His special possession. We see that language of Exodus 19:5-6 used by Peter in 1 Peter 2:9-11. A fulfillment of Hosea 2:23. This is further confirmed by Paul in Ephesians 3:6 and Ephesians 2: 19-22. I have seen debates, and even fights, between Jewish and Gentile Bible teachers whether the church inherits the promises and blessings of Israel. The truth is rather obvious. It is YES and NO at the same time. Yes, because all promises are Yes in Christ [2 Corinthians 1:20; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 4:1-11; Hebrews 6:15-20; Hebrews 8:10; Hebrews 10:16-23; Galatians 6:16 ]. Whoever is in Christ inherits those promises, like Exodus 19:5-6 and 1 Peter 2:9-11 we have just seen. But some promises are rather unique to Israel and specific to geographic Jerusalem, and therefore would not be applicable to Gentile Christians. For example, Aliyah, or the return of Jews from Europe to Israel in the 20th century was prophesied 2500 years ago by Ezekiel [ 7 chapter from Chapter 33 to Chapter 39; Romans 11:26]. We also see post-Cyrus, post- Ezra prophets like Zechariah prophesy a return, which obviously would not be a reference only to the events that had just been fulfilled [Zechariah 10]. Even Isaiah had earlier written about that [Isaiah 11:12; Isaiah 43:6;  Isaiah 49 verses 12, 18, 20, and 22; Isaiah 60:4]. The Gentile church and Israel are not competitors for God’s promises and blessings, but fellow heirs.

Thursday, October 6th, 2022

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.- Matthew 16:18-19

With the 21st century church that is Gentile-centric, we tend to forget that the early 12 apostles were all Jews. Christ Himself is a Jewish Messiah first. Of course, He is also the Savior of the whole world. Apart from Jesus Christ no one has eternal life. These 12 apostles who founded the church are very special, their very names are at the foundation of New Jerusalem, which comes down from heaven [Matthew 19:28; Revelation 21:14; Ephesians 2:19-22]. While Christ gave more gifts to the church upon His ascension, for Scriptures say “When He ascended on high He took captivity captive and gave gifts to men…”- Ephesians 4:11-16, those ascension gifts of apostleship and prophets were to equip the saints and perfect the church, but they would not be on the same rank and level as the foundational apostles. It must be noted that though the church is currently majority Gentile in numbers, the Jews are not forbidden from becoming born again and following Jesus Christ. The number of “Messianic Jews” has been increasing. Paul deals with this topic in Romans chapters 9, 10, and 11. So, there’s now neither Jew nor Gentile, we have become one new man [Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2: 14-16; Galatians 6:15]. The fights between Paul and Peter in Galatians 2 show us how this unity and reconciliation won through the cross was not an easy process in church practice. Even today, there are various issues that cause factions among different church groups. It is this united church that Christ has founded and that He continues to build that will continue to prevail against the forces of darkness [John 17:11-26; Acts 19:20; Acts 11:26; Acts 14 verse 16 and 22]. We live in an information-filled age, and every day, it seems we are flooded with more news of what Satan is doing to cause more chaos in the world. Often it seems like the devil is raising his fists against the church of Jesus Christ. However, Christ remains the Rock upon which the church has been built and Peter was his representative. We are now also His ambassadors. Whoever stumbles on this rock is broken into pieces and whoever it falls upon is crushed. Either way, no one can afford to be confused about Christ, resist Him, or try to sabotage His work [Matthew 21: 42-45; Isaiah 28:16; Psalms 118:22-23; 1 Corinthians 10:4-5; 1 Peter 2:7-10; John 21:14-18; 2 Corinthians 5:20]. The prevailing and triumphant church is a decree of Christ Himself that all saints should delight to rest in. Christ is the Lamb upon the throne, ruling the world for the sake and benefit of His church. He is walking amidst the lampstands, supervising the work of His church. He is administering gifts and preparing His bride for glory to reign with Him [1 Corinthians chapter 12; Matthew 18:18-20; Revelation 1:15-18; Revelation chapter 2-3; Revelation 4:9-11; Revelation 5:5; Revelation 19:7-10; John 14:1-3;  Ephesians 5:26-27; 1 Corinthians 15:25; Hebrews 10:13; Psalms 110:1-3; 1 Corinthians 4:7; Acts 20:26-30; 1 Peter 5:2-4; John chapter 10].

Friday, October 7th, 2022

I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign LORD. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.- Ezekiel 38:21-23.

It’s not just at the end of the great tribulation, when the Messiah returns in glory to rule in Jerusalem, that those who try to move Jerusalem are prophesied of risks of injuring themselves [Zechariah 12:3]. In Ezekiel chapter 38 and chapter 39, we see a pre-raptured, pre-tribulation scenario, in which Russia and its allies in the Middle East, will attack Israel and end up with destruction. This war will be followed by the last Jewish Revival in Israel in Ezekiel 39:21-29, in which a large number of Jews become believers in Jesus Christ. The revival will come after 7 months of burying the dead soldiers of invading armies. The description of this war clearly differs from the battle of Armageddon. Gog and Magog usually refers to Russia in prophetic terms. It will attack Israel before the rapture of the church to heaven. Armageddon will come later. It will involve Western armies led by the Antichrist, after the rapture of the church to heaven. Considering that this is a war prophesied 2500 years ago, and the stakes of the war in Ukraine have shown how far Russia is willing to go to assert itself, the fulfillment of this prophecy seems much closer to reality than at any other time in history. Russia already has 2 allies in the Middle East that are sworn enemies of Israel, Iran and Syria, which will be part of the coalition we see prophesied in Ezekiel 38. The Lord will gather them to attack Israel only to be burned up in a whirlwind of a firestorm. “Persia” is in Verse 5 and it’s modern Iran. These prophetic issues may seem like secondary to the life of faith of many Christian saints, but in Romans 9-11 and Ephesians 2:14-20, Paul lays out a doctrine of one-ness between the redeemed of Israel and the church.  Paul says that Gentiles are no longer strangers to the covenant with Yahweh. In the New Covenant, God creates one new man, who is neither Jew nor Gentile, but we are One Body in Christ.  New Testament gentile saints inherit all promises of the Old Testament, without replacing Jewish Israel. Israel still has a standing before God. It’s because of this that the Lord, “The Lion of the Tribe of Judah,” will defend Israel when Russia rises to attack her. Russia and its allies will be defeated by Jehovah Sabaoth. Ultimately, the entire nation of Remnant of Israel that Jesus will find at His Second Coming will be saved. In the church age, gentile saints are called upon to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. There are rewards and blessings for those who intercede for Israel [ Ephesians 6:16; Galatian 6:16; Psalms 122:6; Psalms 137:5; Genesis 12:3; Galatians 3:28; 2 Corinthians 1:20;  Psalms 121:4; Daniel 12:1; 1 Samuel 17 verse 26 and verse 45; Ezekiel 22:30; 1 Corinthians 16:3; Romans 11:1-5; Isaiah 66:10; Psalms 51:18; Jeremiah 51:10; Matthew 23:37-39; Numbers 24:8-9; Joshua 2:10; Genesis 49:9; Revelation 5:5;  Romans 11:26].

Saturday, October 8th, 2022

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly- Hebrews 12:22

In Galatians 4:26, apostle Paul introduces a new concept of the Jerusalem from above. “But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.” At the time Paul wrote this, the Jerusalem below was not free. It was simply a province of the Roman empire. It had killed Jesus and was persecuting the church. Paul himself had been part of the persecuting Pharisees. That Jerusalem would be destroyed by the Roman army years later [Matthew 23:37-39; Matthew 24:1-3; Luke 2:1-5; Acts 9:1-21; Acts 22:3-18]. Jerusalem has always been a prophetic mirror of the city of God . The ultimate city of God is in heaven above and will come down to the earth when God’s prophetic counsels are fulfilled. Long before David conquered Jerusalem and took it from the Jebusites, Abraham was looking for a city whose architect and builder was God [2 Samuel 5:1-12; Psalms 48:1-3; Matthew 5:35; 2 Samuel 6:1-20; Psalms 2:6-12; Psalms 132:8-15; Psalms 50:2; Jeremiah 30:18; Hebrews 11:10]  . Now, we know that God is the builder of all things. He is the one who built America. But there’s a specific city that has no human hands involved in its building. It is a supernatural and glorious city [Hebrews 3:4; Hebrews 11:16; John 14:1-3;  Hebrews 13:14; Revelation 21 verse 2, verse 10 to verse 14]. Thanks to the grace of Jesus Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we can take a peek into that city now, just like Moses saw Canaan after climbing Mount Pisgah. Scriptures don’t say we look it from afar because we are already its citizens. Scriptures declare that we have already come to Mount Zion. This is a very profound revelation that all our days on earth will be spent scratching [ Deuteronomy 3:26-27; Deuteronomy 4:21; Deuteronomy 32:49-50; Isaiah 52:1; Colossians 3:1-2; Philippians 3:20; Revelation 21; John 16:13-14; Philippians 3:13-14; John 21: 25; 1 Corinthians 13: 9-12; Job 36:26; Job 42:5-6; Habakkuk 3:2; Ephesians 3:19-20; Romans 11:33-36; 1 Corinthians 2:9]. We have come to that city of Mount Zion where no one becomes sick. We have come to that city of Mount Zion where Christ reigns. We have come to that city of Mount Zion where angels sing 24 hours a day, 7 day a week, crying “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord.” We have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly where gloom and doom do not abide. We have come to the mount of fire and of God. We have come to the spirits of just men made perfect. We have come to the abode of Moses, Elijah, Abraham, David, Daniel, Ezekiel, and Enoch [Psalms 103:3; Isaiah 33:24; Matthew 12:15; Matthew 9:35; Revelation 22:2; Malachi 4:2; Revelation 5:5; Revelation 4:9-11; Isaiah 6:1-8; Hebrews 12:18-19; Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5; 2 Kings 2:9-12; Matthew 17:1-6]. We have come to the church of the First born, to Christ Jesus the Lamb upon the throne, to the One who has called us into a kingdom of priests and kings for our God. We have come to praise and adore Him. We have come to receive answers to our prayers, miracles, provisions, mercies, and showers of blessings that will bring down a revival to  the Jerusalem below and all the nations of the world on earth. We have come to a place where we behold the glory of the Lord and are transformed in His very image, going from victory to victory, overcoming sin and Satan, and rising above all storms and afflictions of the world. We have come where we belong for eternity [Matthew 16:18-19; Matthew 18:18-20; Deuteronomy 16:16; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Acts 3:19; Ezekiel 34:26; Psalms 46:4; Acts 19:11-12; Philippians 4:3; Luke 10:19-22; Revelation 3:5; Revelation 20:15; 2 Corinthians 3:18;  Revelation 2:7; Revelation 3:21; Matthew 25:21; 1 Timothy 1:17; 1 Timothy 6:15-16; Psalms 84:4-7].

Sunday, October 9^th, 2022

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  Psalms 46: 9-10.

It may seem paradoxical to read in Scripture that “The Lord is a man of war“- Exodus 15:3, and then to read that Christ, His anointed One, is the “Prince of peace.”- Isaiah 9:5-7. It may seem even more contradictory to hear the Lord call us to war and at the same time call us to pursue peace [ 2 Corinthians 10:4-6; Ephesians 6:10-18; Colossians 3:15; Hebrews 12:14; James 4:1-2; James 3:14-15]. So, which is it ? Is He a man of war or is He the Prince of Peace ? Are we called to war or are we called to peace ? While there are situations in which we are to obey God implicitly whether we understand His commands or not, like Abraham offering his son Isaac for example, God has given us His Word to be a lamp unto our feet so that we can actually understand His thoughts, which are often above our thoughts, in how His commands and decrees are reasoned [Isaiah 55: 8-9; Psalms 147:5; Romans 11:33-36; Genesis 22; 2 Kings 21:1-7; Isaiah 40:28; Psalms 119:105; Deuteronomy 29:29; Acts 1:7; 2 Peter 1:19]. The underlying principle behind His call to war is because Satan is at war against His kingdom and against our own souls and lives. Satan does not want Christ’s purposes to succeed. He certainly does not want us to have a place in that kingdom. Sadly, Satan has supporters, whom the Bible calls “children of disobedience” and his evil spirits work through them to advance his agenda. This makes war often inevitable, though it does not make peace utterly impossible. The only reasons that the Millennial kingdom will be full of peace will be because of Christ’s physical presence and reign in Jerusalem and Satan’s absence from the world affairs [Ephesians 2:1-3; 1 John 5:19; 1 Peter 5:8; John 10:10; Colossians 2:15; Romans 16:20; Revelation 20 verse 2, verse 3 ,and verse 8; Revelation 1:7; Matthew 23:37-39; Zechariah 14:4]. In the church age, fallible man is still in authority and Satan’s deceptions continue to charm ignorant souls [Romans 13:1-2; 1 Peter 2:17; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Thessalonians 2:18;  Daniel 10:13; Acts 19:32; 1 Corinthians 14:33; Luke 22:53; 2 Corinthians 2:11; Hosea 4:6; Isaiah 5:13; Proverbs 10:21; Ezekiel 44:23]. The Lord also calls us to peace because that was His original intent. Satan’s interjection in between has not changed the nature of the kingdom of God [Romans 14:17; Isaiah 32:17; Matthew 5:9; Romans 15:13; Galatians 5:22]. What the world was before the fall, it will become again, and even better, after the Lord Jesus Christ returns to reign in Jerusalem. Peace is our end, not war. The Lord also has established the rules of warfare that make the battle His, not our own. We are to be quiet and still as He instructs, guides, and helps us. We are to follow His leadership. So, peace is also our process towards that final destiny of peace. Notice that though Psalms 46:10 is often quoted for individual tranquility, actually the context of the verse, the proper way to read any Scripture really, is one of wars ceasing, and wars are generally not individual matters. They usually involve nations, regions, and international players. So, while the peace should certainly start on an individual level, it must extend to families, tribes, and nations. In this age, one of the ways the Lord stops wars is by shattering spears, rather than men voluntarily beating them into pruning hooks [Isaiah 2:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:3; 1 Timothy 2:3; Romans 13:4; Isaiah 32:18; 2 Peter 3:13]. We know this because we have enjoyed the post-Hitler world relative peace that way since 1945. Peace and law still need enforcement during the church age. God ultimately helps us achieve that.

Monday, October 10th, 2022

“Their feet are swift to shed blood, ruin and misery mark their ways, And the way of peace have they not known- Romans 3:15-17

What caused the war in Ukraine ?  And what causes wars in general ? Geopolitical analysts can certainly come up with some key events to explain these things, but the Bible will tell us the bottom-line is the sin of man. Sin is so deceptive, it can make what is destructive to look like it is reasonable [Hebrews 3:13; Ephesians 4:22; Romans 7:11]. The Lord makes wars to cease and bring peace after those wars, but we are called to learn His ways of peace so that we do not end up in wars in the first place. Paul charges gentiles of wickedness in Romans 1 because they had ignored natural law. Then, he charges Jews of hypocrisy in Romans 2, as they should have known better,  having received revealed law. Paul concludes that all have sinned in Romans 3 [See verse 23]. Sin is at the root of all sins. Sin is a principle from which all evils we do not want to see in the world flow. In the process of reaching that conclusion, Paul declares that the way of peace sinners have not known. So, how can there be peace in the world, if the way of peace is uncharted, unknown, untried, and not followed ? It would not be possible. If wars are to cease in the world, then we have to be familiar with the way of peace and walk in it. It’s after opening that sore wound that Paul brings the balm of Gilead to heal it [Jeremiah 8:22; Isaiah 1:6; Jeremiah 14:19; Jeremiah 30:13; James 3:6; Proverbs 16:27;  Psalms 38:3; Matthew 9:12;  Matthew 12:36; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Isaiah 30:26; Isaiah 59:1-2] . In Romans 5:1, Paul starts to declare to us the way of peace. “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Peace, after all, starts with a vertical relationship, between mankind and the Creator [Romans 3:24-25; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21]. When David had stolen Uriah’s wife and killed his faithful soldier, he astonishingly prays “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.”- Isaiah 51:4. Wait a minute! We can list a number of people David sinned against. He certainly sinned against Uriah by taking his wife. He did sin against Bathsheba, by making her fall into sin and killing her husband. He did sin against Joab, by instructing him to get Uriah killed, involving a third party in his own sin. We could argue that he did sin against Israel by using his official hours to commit iniquity, when he should have been at the battlefield, fighting the battles of the Lord. And finally, didn’t he have a family ? He sinned against them too [2 Samuel 11; 2 Samuel 11:15; 2 Samuel 12:11]. Yet, God accepts his pleas for forgiveness, by claiming that He sinned against God alone. This is something we must grasp. After all, God is the Maker of all people and we are all His children and creatures. If we sin against any of His creatures, we sin against the Almighty. An injustice towards a creature, even “ the least of these,” is an offense towards God [Matthew 25:40; Proverbs 7:15; 1 John 3:17; Luke 15:21; Genesis 39:9; 1 Samuel 15:24; Job 33:27;  Luke 17:1-2;  Psalms 103:10; Ezra 9:13; Job 31:29; Romans 3:4; Job 40:8; Lamentation 3:22; Acts 17:30-31 ]. This makes sin exceedingly sinful. For, how dare we affront such a Majestic, Benign, Good, and Holy being ? How dare we offend God ? Peace with God is the first step towards peace with men. Honoring God is the first step towards honoring men. If we find a way to have peace with our Maker, we shall find a way to have peace with fellow brethren. The way to that peace with God, to being reconciled with the Almighty, was provided for us through the blood of Jesus Christ. He is Our Peace with God. Peace has terms and conditions and Christ is the only way of truth to that peace [Psalms 50:21; Ecclesiastes 8:11;Isaiah 42:14;  Psalms 90:8; Isaiah 45:22; Ephesians 2 verse 14 and verse 17; Colossians 2:14; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Acts 13:38; Luke 24:47; 1 John 1:7-9; 1 John 2:1-2; Hebrews 10:2; Hebrews 9:14].

Tuesday, October 11th, 2022

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace- Romans 8:6

On July 8th, 1741, Jonathan Edwards preached the famous sermon “Sinners In The Hands of An Angry God.” The Sermon is so famous that some people study it as a historical document, even if they may not have any interest in Christianity. However, as its title indicates, and it shall happen on judgment day, this sermon is much more than a historical document. All sinners who have not been reconciled with God through the blood of Jesus Christ will eventually fall into the hands of an angry God. And “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”-[ Hebrews 10:31; Isaiah 19:16; Matthew 10:28; 2 Corinthians 5:11; Isaiah 33:14; Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19; 2 Peter 2:3; Exodus 33:24]. Sodom knows this. Pharaoh knows this. Korah knows this. Saul knows this. Zedekiah knows this. Herod Agrippa I knows this. No one in their right mind would ever want to have God as an enemy. Reconciliation and peace with God is an emergency [Genesis 19:24; Numbers 16:32; 1 Samuel 28:15; 1 Chronicles 10:13; Romans 9:17; Exodus 14:24-31; Jeremiah 52:7-11; Acts 12:21-23; Isaiah 63:10; Deuteronomy 32:21; 2 Chronicles 36:16; Isaiah 45:9; Jeremiah 7:19; Jeremiah 44:8; Hebrews 3:15; Psalms 95:7; Hebrews 4:7]. This is why Paul pleads earnestly for sinners to make peace with God, to be reconciled with the Almighty . This is possible because Jesus paid the penalty for the sin of mankind, through His blood.  When God sees the blood of Jesus covering those who believe in Christ, the destroying angel passes over. The blood also cleanses the conscience and the Holy Spirit helps the believer to be acquainted with, accept, and receive assurance from Christ’s redemptive work. If God is satisfied with the blood of Jesus but man remains in the dark about the removal of his guilt, peace will not come. God is no longer an enemy, but man does not know about it. This is why assurance of forgiveness is an important part of walking out the reconciliation that Christ effected on our behalf. Not only are we forgiven of the sins we had, we are credited a righteousness we did not have. We have become the very righteousness of God. Christ is Jehovah Zidkenu. [2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Romans 4:5; Romans 3:24-25; Hebrews 10:2; Hebrews 9 verse 14 and verse 22; Hebrews 10:22-23; Colossians 2:14; Ephesians 1:6; 1 John 2:1-2; Isaiah 43:25; Psalms 103:12; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Romans 10:4]. The next step, according to Paul, is to be victorious over sin. This includes the dual work of the cross and the Holy Spirit. The cross has already provided a path to victory through death, the Holy Spirit has provided a new life, created after the image of God, to walk in good works that were prepared for the born again saint. The saint accepts the freedom the cross offered and begins to fellowship with the Spirit, know His presence, and walk with Him in the new life. This step is as important as reconciliation, because the new life can only be powered by the Holy Spirit [Romans 6 verse 6 and verse 11; Galatians 2:20; 2 Timothy 2:11;  Ephesians 4:24; Galatians 6:14; John 8:36;.1 John 2:15-17; Ephesians 2:6-10]. There’s no point of exchanging an old car with a brand new car that has no gas in the tank to drive it. It will not get anyone anywhere. The Holy Spirit is the fuel, the fire, the energy, the power for the new life. The Holy Spirit powers the zoe, eternal life of God. It is a life that originates outside of us and could never be lived out from within our own wisdom, intelligence, knowledge, or other aspects of human resourcefulness. The life of God can only be lived by God Himself inside of us. Christ comes to dwell inside our hearts through the Holy Spirit. As He governs our thoughts, plans, goals, and destiny, we walk in divine peace. Thus, the righteous government of Christ’s kingdom of peace begins within us. This is a step we cannot miss [John 15:5; Colossians 1:27; Romans 8 verse 11 and verse 14; 2 Corinthians 5:7; .John 14:26;  Isaiah 54:13; John 16:13-14; 1 John 2:27; Isaiah 26:3; Isaiah 48:18; John 6:63; Romans 14:17; Luke 17:21; Isaiah 9:5-7].

 

Wednesday, October 12th, 2022

For anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience- Hebrews 4:10-11

Since, “There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.”- Isaiah 48:22, it makes sense that those who are interested in having peace in the world would start at an individual level with the first 2 steps we have already seen. First, peace with God is absolutely necessary. That also brings peace in our conscience as the effects of the blood are applied there by the Holy Spirit. We proceed then to be victorious over sin , by appropriating the work of the cross in our dying with Christ and walking with the Holy Spirit. Abundant shalom is our portion as our minds are governed by the Spirit. [Psalms 119:165; Proverbs 3 verse 2 and verse 17; Psalms 37:11; Isaiah 32:17; Isaiah 57:21; Isaiah 48:18; Deuteronomy 5:29; Isaiah 66:12; Psalms 81:13-16; Psalms 147:14; Isaiah 26 verse 3 and 12; Romans 6 verses 4, 6, and 11; Romans 8:4; John 8:36]. Being in sanctification does not mean that we forget the blood and the cross of Jesus we needed in the beginning, as we still need them in our day to day living [Romans 5:2; Hebrews 10:22; 1 John 1:7-9]. The work of the cross is the only work God will accept for our redemption. Because of the revelation of the cross, we have ceased from trying to seek justification from our own endeavors and works. We accept that we have nothing to bring to the table for our salvation in either justification or sanctification. We cannot reason and sweat ourselves into sanctification. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the work in which we must rest as well, because the Holy Spirit is the Almighty and already knows where we are headed and what God requires of us. We must be filled with the Spirit to the brim. He will teach us the Lord’s ways, write His commandments and laws into our hearts, renew our minds, help us to set our minds on things above, and start to lead us step by step in what we need to do to align our lives with the will of God. Our entire souls now have become fully surrendered to the work of the Holy Spirit [Hebrews 10:10; Ephesians 2:6-10; Titus 3:5; Colossians 1:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; John 6:63; John 3:8; 1 John 2:27; John 19:30; Colossians 3:1-2; Romans 8:26-27; 2 Corinthians 8:5; John 15:5; Acts 6:3; Acts 11:24-26; Proverbs 27:2; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 2 Corinthians 3:2; Acts 4:32-37]. First, what we think and plan has to be approved by Him. Scripture actually says we must “test and approve what the will of God is“- Romans 12:2, which is only possible with renewed minds. Second, what we desire and long for, has to be consistent with God’s holiness—beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ, His glories, His affections, His wounds, His love, His compassion, His promises, and His power. The Holy Spirit will reveal to us these things to draw us closer to Him and induce in us burning zeal for His glory and desiring those things which are above. Third, our will also has to be conformed to God’s will. It would be pointless to know what is right in our mind, desire to have it in our affections, and yet are unwilling to fight for it and take hold of it. [Romans 12:1-2; Philippians 2:13; Song of Solomon 3:4; John 13:23-25; Ephesians 4:23; Matthew 13:22; Ezekiel 36:27; Romans 1:8; Romans 16:19-20; Matthew 5:14-16; Philippians 3:8; Ephesians 3:8; Deuteronomy 33:26;  Exodus 15:11; Luke 19:37]. This conformity to Christ is the way of peace and we must walk in it. The work of the Holy Spirit brings rest because we are free from the responsibility of carrying the loads and consequences of our own decisions. If He says it, we believe it. If surrendered souls hear Him instruct them what to do, there cannot be doubt that He knows better than we do. We must follow that, even if sometimes it may seem like it is hard, inconvenient, or unprofitable. We have entered His rest. We are trusting children, dependent upon our Father for our nourishment and sustenance. The Holy Spirit is the One who teaches us how to profit, succeed in righteousness, grow in wisdom, and advance the kingdom of Christ [Romans 8:28-30; Isaiah 48:17; Psalms 32:8;  Isaiah 30:21; Isaiah 45:11; Matthew 6:8; Psalms 62:8; Psalms 18:2; James 1:5-8; Romans 11:33-36; Psalms 147:5; John 1:12-13; Galatians 4:1-7; Matthew 15:26; Luke 11:3; Isaiah 33:16].

 

Thursday , October 13th, 2022

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord- Colossians 3:15-16

Scriptures declare that “the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”- Romans 14:17. This tells us what the kingdom of Christ looks like. It’s rather amazing that many of the desires of the people of the world who do not know God are actually things that arise from the light God created them with, even if dimmed by the fall of man, but which can be elements the Lord could use to begin to reveal to them the value and benefits of coming to Christ. Scriptures list the aspects of the fruit of the Spirit and then add “against these, there’s no law.” — Galatians 5:23—neither the law of God nor the law of man. We will never have too much kindness, too much love, too much peace [John 1:4; Romans 2:14; Daniel 4:34; Romans 1:19; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 Corinthians 9:21; Romans 3:10; Luke 18:19; Isaiah 64:6; Acts 26:18; 2 Peter 1:5-11; Colossians 1:10; 1 Timothy 1:9-10; Daniel 6:5; Ephesians 4:1; Titus 3:14;1 Peter 3:16; Hebrews 13:8]. This is why preaching the kingdom of God is not sufficient. We must manifest it in our living. While Protestants often discount Francis of Assisi words “preach at all times, use words if necessary“—arguing that lived Christian example is not the Gospel and would not save anyone—both Scripture and experience show that the way saints live can have an impact on outsiders. Of course, we cannot elevate our example to the same level as what is written in Scripture, or even the example set by Christ Himself. We must preach because “Faith comes by hearing the Word.”- Romans 10:17. Nevertheless, we may be the only epistle some unbelievers will ever read [2 Corinthians 3:2; 1 Peter 3:1; Romans 2:24; Isaiah 52:5; Ezekiel 36:20; 2 Peter 2:2; 2 Corinthians 2:16; 1 Corinthians 11:1; Ephesians 5:1; Hebrews 13:7; 1 Timothy 5:10; Genesis 18:19; 2 Samuel 18:27; 1 Kings 1:42; 2 Kings 9:20; 2 Timothy 1:7; Titus 2:7; Job 1:8; Numbers 12:7; Ezekiel 14:14]. Thankfully, living that way is possible because of the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. In John 13:35, we see Jesus saying that by the love disciples have for one another the world will know we are His disciples. This is our badge. In John 17:21, He prays to the Father that we may be one, that the world may believe in Him. We cannot ignore these things. Unity among different groups of Christians is part of our witness and it is only possible through the bond of peace. After all, we are members of one another and members of One Body in Christ. Unfortunately, this is not what Christians are known for these days. We see many fights. While Scriptures urge the saints to “contend for the faith once delivered to the saints.”— Jude 1:3, in the long run, it is peace that must rule in our lives and the church, not contention [1 Timothy 4:11-15; Matthew 5; Romans 12:18; 1 Corinthians 12:21]. Clearly, there are standards that cannot be compromised, both in doctrine and holy living. However, this should be done by speaking the truth in love.  We should learn to be slow to speak, insinuate, accuse, contradict, or break the “bond of peace” among the saints—and seek to investigate the truth fully and understand things as they really are—then we can minister without being involved in meaningless controversies. Peace must be our umpire or as the Greek language for “rule” puts it “brabeuo.”  Peace should be our arbitrator. Only when we are filled with the Word of God and are satisfied with where Christ has brought us is this possible. This is why Paul appeals to “any comfort from His love.” in Philippians 2:1, when he instructs the saints not to do anything from selfish ambition. Usually trouble-seekers have a deficiency of knowledge of who Christ is or they have received little grace, to be able to abide and walk in His love. They are conflicted and comfortless. The Holy Spirit is our comforter who satisfies us with divine joy and peace. He gives us guidance, miracles, songs of worship, prophecies, and all the blessings of the kingdom[James 1:19-20; Ephesians 4:3; 2 Timothy 2:23; James 4:1; Romans 14:19; Proverbs 11:12; Proverbs 10:19; Hebrews 12:14; Proverbs 3:30;John 15:25;  Proverbs 26:17; 1 Peter 4:8; Proverbs 17:14; Proverbs 10:12; Psalms 103:9; Job 42:8; Matthew 5: 23-24; Colossians 4: 6; Colossians 3:12; Ephesians 4:15; 1 Peter 4:11; 1 Samuel 7:12; Psalms 124:2-8; Psalms 109:3; Deuteronomy 33:7; Psalms 35:1; Job 9 verse 3 and 32; Zephaniah 3:5; Psalms 141:5; Philippians 2:12-16; Romans 8:31; Acts 20:12; 1 Corinthians 14:3; Isaiah 40:1; 2 Corinthians 1:4; Jude 1:21; John 14 verse 16, 18, and 26; Psalms 68:5-6; John 15:26; Mark 10: 29-30; Romans 8:26-27; Psalms 69:33; Psalms 113:7-8; 1 Corinthians 14:15].

Friday, October 14th, 2022

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus-Philippians 4:6-7

Our faith will be tested in this world and we will go through trials. This is God’s design for our growth and maturity, so that we can reach a point we lack nothing. We will also be attacked by Satan,  who is always looking for someone to devour. Satan’s attacks and divine tests have different purposes, but in the end they both work for our good. God’s tests have good intention while Satan’s attacks are meant for harm, but God is able to turn what is meant to destroy a saint into a blessing. James says that the trial of our faith produces perseverance, while Paul says perseverance produces character.  Perseverance and character must endure the heat and pain of struggles in order to reach perfection. When James says that we won’t be lacking anything, he is not suggesting that we will be having plenty of money after trials. There are Scriptures that talk about divine provisions but this is not it. This is about reaching the full stature of Christ. Jesus was perfect and did not need anything in character or virtue or holiness or union with God. He was one with God and whoever saw Christ saw the father. Ultimately, this is where sanctification should lead us [James 1:2-4; Psalms 105:17-19; 1 Samuel 22:5-23; Matthew 5:48;  Romans 5:3-5; 1 Peter 1: 7; Isaiah 48:10;  Luke 21:19; Philippians 2:22; James 1:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Hebrews 6:19; Hebrews 12:14; John 10:30; John 17:21; Ephesians 5:1; 1 Peter 1:16; Ephesians 4:13; 1 Peter 5:8; Job 23:10; John 10:10; Psalms 17:3; 2 Corinthians 2:11; Job 2:3; James 5:11; Genesis 50:20; 2 Peter 1:5-11; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Corinthians 2:3; 2 Corinthians 5:11; Luke 6:40; Psalms 66:10 ]. We know that this is a long journey, going through mountains and valleys. Even when Paul was at the end of his ministry, he said he had not yet attained it. However, he was pressing on towards that goal of his calling.  Knowing the end of our tests should keep our eyes fixed upon Christ, as challenges are means that Satan could use to cause anxiety and discouragement. While meditating on the eternal life we have received is one of the things we are encouraged to do in order to keep our eyes on the prize of the destination, Paul is also encouraging us to deal with situations as they are, by the prayer of faith. “But in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”— there may be several situations that will arise—going from point A to point Z, with A being our faith starting-point and Z being our final destination—but we can point to how many of these have already revealed to us the bountiful mercies of God and His great power. If someone is at point Q and they have already gone from A to P, they surely should believe God for the remainder of the journey [Philippians 3:13-14; Romans 8:28-30; Romans 11:29; Ephesians 1:3; Romans 8:32; 2 Samuel 7:8; Psalms 113:7-8; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Numbers 23:19; James 5:15;  Malachi 3:6; Titus 1:2; 1 Peter 1:13; Hebrews 3:1;  Hebrews 12:2; Psalms 126:5; Matthew 17:24-27; Mark 8:15-16-21; Matthew 8:23-27; Isaiah 40:4; Proverbs 4:18; Psalms 42:2;  Numbers 33:3-52; Psalms 84:4-7; Hebrews 12:22 ]. The reason many unsurrendered Christians overwhelm themselves is because they try to reason and act outside of faith parameters and instructions, reducing life to success and failure, rather than to God’s workings and leading. But such is the nature of modern apostasy. It involves a mixture of pagan philosophies with their unbiblical terms and Christian doctrine, ending up with teachings that confuse God’s children. Are Christians trying to be like John McAfee ? He was once a billionaire, lost his money, was at one point arrested for drug possession, and died in Italy before extradition to USA. But this is what modern “Christian teachings” are after. That’s rather too easy to do. If so, why are we still praying for a revival ? When are we going to fill all of Asia with the Gospel like Paul ? Christianity is not about what Christians are able to achieve in their own ability, it is about God’s work. His working will never fail. This is why surrendering to the Holy Spirit’s work is necessary. Jesus says “come to me ye who labor…”- Matthew 11:28. Our teachings should lead people to rest their souls in Christ. We do this by pointing them to God’s past faithfulness and His promises so that they can trust Him with their challenges. We all should stay thankful about what the Lord did in the past. In Scripture, God often reminded His people those miracles He had done for that purpose. He will never forsake His inheritance. Christ is a faithful friend who sticks closer than a brother. He has called us not just to be servants, but to be trusted intimate companions. We are treading where Peter, John, and Paul trod. It is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom with all its glories. He shall perfect all things that concern us and the peace from the realms of glory shall saturate our hearts. Shalom [Psalms 34:1; Psalms 55:22; 1 Peter 5:7; 1 Corinthians 13:8; Deuteronomy 32:20; Hebrews 13:5-6; Psalms 107:41; Isaiah 60:22; Habakkuk 2:3; Psalms 91:14; Exodus 14:14; Psalms 78:3-8; Psalms 46:10; Matthew 11:28; Proverbs 18:24; Proverbs 17:17; Psalms 94:14; 1 Samuel 12:22; James 2:21-23; Genesis 22:12-17; Obadiah 1:17; Romans 4:13; John 15:14-15; Psalms 138:8; Philippians 1:6; Psalms 57:2; John 3:27; Psalms 113:7-8; Jeremiah 32:27;  Luke 12:32; Luke 22:28-29; Matthew 7:7-11; John 14:27; 2 Peter 1:2-4; Ephesians 3:19-20; Mark 9:23; Hebrews 11:6; Luke 18:7-8] 

Saturday, October 15th, 2022

You stilled the roaring of the seas, the pounding of their waves, and the tumult of the nations-Psalms 65:7

We read of Joseph in Scripture, “Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him.”—Psalms 105:19. Looking at the book of Genesis, we don’t see Joseph in anxiety during those years that the Word of the Lord tested him. Now, we know that the Word of God itself is tested, pure, perfect, and infallible. So, it was not the Word of God that was being tested, rather it was Joseph. That Word had come to Joseph in a form of a dream. There’s no doubt that this is one of the ways that God has spoken throughout history, to this day, though we have now a more sure word of prophecy in the gospels of Jesus Christ and the epistles written by the apostles. Scriptures say “When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.”- Matthew 13:21. This wouldn’t be said of Joseph or David. They stood firm on their prophecies during tribulations. They finally reached a place of exaltation in which they fulfilled their prophecies. This is important for us because the victory of the church is in proportion to the collective faith of the saints. Both Joseph and David are types of Christ and many aspects of their stories can be studied in parallel with Christ’s own life. But there are similarities between their lives and what is prophesied of the church as well. I have covered this in one of my books called “Basics of Christianity.” [ Psalms 18:30;Psalms 12:6; Psalms 19:7; Matthew 24:35; Numbers 23:19; Psalms 119:89; Isaiah 55:11;Isaiah 40:8; Genesis 37:5; Matthew 13:21; Job 33:15; 1 Samuel 3:1; Matthew 2:13-15; 2 Corinthians 12:1-4; 1 Timothy 1:18-19 ║Genesis 37:3 vs Matthew 3:17; Genesis 37:4 vs John 15:25; Genesis 37:11 vs Mark 15:10; Genesis 37:18 vs Matthew 27:1; Genesis 37:23 vs Matthew 27:28; Genesis 37:28 vs Matthew 26:15; Genesis 39:4 vs John 3:35; Genesis 40:2-3 vs Luke 23:32; Genesis 40:13 vs Luke 23:43; Genesis 40:15 vs Hebrews 4:15; Genesis 41:46 vs Luke 3:23; Genesis 41:55 vs John 2:5; Genesis 45:1 vs Luke 24:31 ║1 Samuel 16:11 vs Matthew 16:16 vs Revelation 19:16; 1 Samuel 17:14 vs Psalms 23:1 vs John 10;  1 Samuel 17:2 vs Micah 5:2 vs Matthew 2:1;  2 Samuel 15:30 vs Matthew 26:38;  1 Samuel 17:50-51 vs Colossians 2:15; 2 Samuel 7:13 vs Acts 15:16;  Psalms 16:9-11 vs Acts 2:27-35 ]. An example of similarities between these men and the saints today is that we must go through tribulations to enter the kingdom. Scriptures also say that we are heirs of Christ’s kingdom, if we share sufferings with Him [Acts 14:22; Romans 8:17; Philippians 3:8-10].Now, we know that God’s prophetic counsels will eventually be fulfilled. Christ will reign with the church during the millennium in Jerusalem. It will be a kingdom of peace [Revelation 20:4;  Daniel 7:18; 2 Timothy 2:12; Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:28-30; Romans 5:17; Isaiah 2:2-4]. The question is, how about now ? How much is possible ? How much of the kingdom can we experience before Christ comes back ? When He was born, angels sang “And on earth peace, goodwill toward men“—Luke 2:14. Was this merely intended to be a prophecy of the millennium after Christ’s second coming or could this apply to the church age, after the first coming of Jesus Christ ?  There are 3 things that show us we can experience great peace on earth now. First, in Mark 9:23, Jesus sets things straight that the limits of how much of the kingdom can be experienced are quite blurred when faith is alive. “All things are possible to Him who believes.” That’s not just about healing miracles, but all things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Second, the Psalms 65 we took today largely deals with the earth in its fallen state. “You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.”- Psalms 65:5. That’s certainly true now. And, as we see in Psalms 65:7, the tumult of nations, that is not something expected for the millennial kingdom, because it will be a  reign of peace. None will be able to resist Christ then and Satan will be bound for 1000 years. It is now that Christ calms the tumult of the nations with the same authority that told the raging seas “Peace, be still“—Matthew 8:26-27. Finally, 1 Timothy 2:1-5 urges us to pray “For kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” Because “He wants all men to be saved.” We would not be instructed to pray for peace during the church age if it was not possible now. The goal is to allow the Gospel to be shared freely. Though the early church in Jerusalem was persecuted, we read that after Paul’s conversion, “The church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers“- Acts 9:31. With the chief persecutor, Saul of Tarsus, now part of God’s family, churches could enjoy rest and peace. Surely this was done by Christ Himself. When Peter is detained later on, what happens ? Does the church fold hands and say, “well, persecutions are God’s will, Peter is growing stronger in trials of prisons.”- That’s sadly an error of modern Christianity. We read in Acts 12:5  “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”- Acts 12:5. What happens next ? An angel bursts Peter out of prison. Christ taught us to pray with perseverance, expecting God’s justice to be done in answer to our prayers [Luke 18:1-8; Matthew 12:20-21]. Coming back to 1 Timothy 2:1-5, peace is not just for the benefit of Christians or the church as we see in this passage. We pray for kings and those in authority, regardless of their beliefs or religion. What God gives us a “go-ahead to do”, He also gives us the benefit or privilege to expect. The prayer of faith is always supported and strengthened by the revealed and written Word. The Lord has spoken. Let’s believe!

Sunday, October 16th, 2022

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all- 2 Corinthians 13: 14

In Christianity, there have been various movements that emphasized one person of the Trinity, some even suggesting that you can be more successful in your relationship with God and ministry, by focusing on One Person alone. There have been “Jesus Movements“- there have been “Holy Spirit Encounters” and there have been “The Father’s Heart.” While God did work through these movements to build up His church, it is possible that He was overriding human weakness and misunderstanding, rather than endorsing each and every teaching that arose in those movements. Splitting the persons of the Trinity or having a sense that one is more likely to recognize your prayer than the other was not taught in the early church, as we see in the epistles written by the Apostles [John 10:30; John 16:13-14; Genesis 1:26; 1 Corinthians 11:7; Genesis 11:6-7; Isaiah 6:8; Matthew 3: 16-17; Matthew 17:15; Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38; John 14:28; John 17:21]. We know, of course, that each person of the Trinity has had His own separate role in our salvation, from election to justification to regeneration to sanctification. For example, we were not chosen by the Holy Spirit, we were chosen by the Father. The Father was not crucified for us, it was Jesus Christ who was crucified for us. The second coming of Jesus was not on Pentecost, it was the Holy Spirit who descended and baptized the church on Pentecost. We do not ask for blessings in the name of the Holy Spirit, we pray in the name of Jesus. Despite these distinct roles we see, God is one in three persons, acting in harmony, and what one does, the other is in full agreement, and there would not be a request granted by the Holy Spirit that could be denied by the Father or Jesus Christ. In the Nicene Creed, we see where it is said of the Holy Spirit “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified.” And yet, despite this confession, we do not actually see Jesus teaching that we would pray to the Holy Spirit in John 14-17 teachings that prepared the apostles for His departure. He kept saying that we would pray to the Father and He would ask the Father. In the Lord’s prayer, He starts His teaching as “Our Father who art in heaven.” None of the three persons in the Trinity feels jealous, envious, frustrated, that the other is worshipped, honored, feared, served, or mentioned [Ephesians 1:3-5; John 10:36; John 8:58; John 3:3-5; John 3:16; John 5 verse 17 and 19; Acts 2:1-4; 1 John 2:27; Romans 8:9; Matthew 6:9-13; John 14:16; Acts 1:4; Romans 8:26-27; 1 Corinthians 12:11; Matthew 7:7-11; John 1:11-13; John 14:12-14; John 16:24; Acts 19:2; Revelation 1:5-18; Acts 4:30-31; Philippians 2:9-11; Mark 3:28-29; John 20:17; Matthew 16:28; John 7:33-39; John 3:34; Matthew 12:28; Isaiah 11:2-3].  But Scriptures have given us quite plenty of material to teach us about God, reveal us His nature, His power, His ministration, His works, and the distinctiveness of these 3 persons, who are One God. It is part of growing into maturity to know these things and not confuse them. Let’s rejoice in what our God has done for us. Christ has indeed given us His grace. He bled and died for our sins and reconciled us with the Father. He added grace upon grace. He taught us, saved us, and is interceding for us. We are so happy to have such a wonderful Father. We lack nothing in His kingdom. We are accepted in His love and are clothed in righteousness, honor, and glory. We are His precious children. Our Father lavishes us upon us good gifts. We are also so thankful to the Holy Spirit, who has come to dwell with us and be with us. He reminds us the great and amazing things Jesus taught. We would have forgotten them if it was not for His teaching. He opens our minds to understand the Scriptures. He gives us healing gifts, prophetic gifts, speaking in tongues, evangelism, teaching, administration, and more. He is so kind to abide with those who are so apt to grieve Him or ignore His promptings, revelation, and Omnipotence [Romans 15:4; John 5:39-40; Luke 24:45; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 2:15; Matthew 4:4; John 6:63; Luke 15:11-32; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:19; Matthew 26:28;  Hebrews 10:5; Revelation 4:1-11; Revelation 5:5; John 16:33; Ephesians 4:30; Isaiah 63:10; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:8]. 

Monday, October 17th, 2022

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life- John 3:16.

In Paul’s benediction of 2 Corinthians 13:14, he gives each person of the Trinity a certain attribute, for which the saints know God and are related to Him. He talks about the love of the Father being with us. This reminds us of John 3:16, where Jesus tells Nicodemus that “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son.” The New Testament tells us a lot about God the Father. While we will come back to the voice of the Father at Christ’s baptism when discussing the Trinity from Matthew 3:16-17, the first time we see Jesus mentioning the Father after that in the Gospel of Matthew is in Matthew 5:16, where He says that we should let our good works shine so that men would see them and would glorify the Father in heaven. Towards the end of Chapter 5, He admonishes us to look like our Father in character [Matthew 5 verse 45 and 48]. When Jesus goes into Matthew 6, we see Him again talking about the Father. Now He is saying that we will not be rewarded by the Father if these good works, or alms-giving, are simply done for show [Matthew 6:1]. The Father sees in secret and what we do, praying and giving, should be done in secret, and our Father will reward us openly. The same is said about us fasting in verse 18. It is after these introductory remarks, that we see Jesus teaching us to pray “Our Father who art in heaven.”  Further down again in Matthew 6, we see Jesus talking about the birds of the air being taken care of by the Father and they do not lack food. His question is, if the Father cares for His creatures of so little value, won’t he take care of you, O you of little faith ? He comes to the conclusion of Chapter 6 that the pagans run after all these material things of the world and our Father knows that we need them. That we should seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness instead, because all these other things shall be added to us [Matthew 6:26-33]. In Chapter 7, we see Jesus telling us to ask and ask big, expecting to receive. He asks questions of whether men had the habit of giving snakes to their kids who asked for fish. Of course not. Then He concludes, if you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, won’t the Father in heaven give the gifts of the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him ? [Matthew 7:7-11]. Matthew seems to be focused on God’s love for His creation. He makes His sun to shine on good people and evil people, because evil people are His creatures. He provides for birds and makes roses beautiful, because they are His creatures. He gives so liberally to His creatures that anxiety and doubts should be seen as very dishonoring to Him. In terms of redemption, we see the Father involved significantly. In the Gospel of John, we see Jesus talking about being sent by the Father [ John 3:16-17; John 3:34; John 5 verse 30, 36 and 38; John 6 verse 38 and 57; John 7 verse 29 and 33;  John 8 verse 16 and 29; John 9:4; John 11:9; John 12:35; John 17:18; John 20:21]. Christ sees Himself as a missionary, from heaven to earth. This is foundational to His reasoning for the great commission “as the Father sent me into the world, I am sending you into the world.” Obedience to the great commission must be pleasing to the Father as it seems to be at the very center of what Christ was doing. We must do the works of the Father while it is still day. They are not just supposed to be done, they should be prioritized and done urgently. When Paul writes about Christ’s coming in Romans 8, He says that the love of the Father in giving us Jesus to die for our sins is all the proof we need that He would not withhold anything good from us. If God gave us the most expensive gift, how much more will He freely give us other less expensive and significant gifts [Romans 8:32]. One of the most heart-wrenching illustrations of the cross I believe is in Genesis 22, when God asked Abraham to give Isaac. It is possible that humans may not be gripped by the love of the Father giving His own Son to die for humanity unless they have a similar example, from their own race. Can you imagine putting your own child on the altar, bringing down a knife and killing the child ? And then sacrificing that child by fire ? It’s unthinkable humanly speaking. Which is why some false teachers, usually who also tend to be universalists, deny the substitutionary death of Christ. They consider the cross simply a consequence of human rage and hate, rather than of God’s plan and giving. Finally, Paul blesses the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in Ephesians 1:3-5 and then adds that “He chose us.” What does that mean ? John 6:37 may be the easiest explanation to understand: “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” Our inclination to seek Christ, believe in Him, and serve Him does not arise from ourselves. It is a desire and a passion put there by the Father. It is a result of the Father’s electing love. We do not love God first. It is Him who loved us first and we love Him because He loved us first [1 John 4:19]. Failing to see the love of the Father must be the worst form of blindness. Failing to love and serve the Father must be the worst form of ingratitude.

 

Tuesday, October 18th, 2022

The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again- John 10:17

Paul associates Jesus with grace. This is not to say that Christ’s love is less than that of the Father. Jesus tells us “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends“—John 15:13. And, as we know, Paul was not actually part of those friends when Jesus died. He would become a zealous enemy of Christ until confronted by Jesus Himself “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me ?” —Acts 9:4. He would later write, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”— Romans 5:8. Paul would also become known as the apostle of grace. Many of the teachings of Paul on grace can actually be understood from the Gospels, seeing how Jesus interacted with various groups of people— sinners, Pharisees, disciples— and what He taught as God’s spokesman. Arguably, Paul’s most concise definition of what grace is we find in Ephesians 2:8— “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”— [Also see Ephesians 2:9; Romans 3:28; 1 Corinthians 1:28-29; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5; Galatians 2:15-20; Revelation 3:9; Matthew 8:11-12; Galatians 3:1-9].This was an important teaching taught by a “former outsider.” Sometimes Christianity can feel like an insider’s club, in which people who do not belong feel like they will never be able to fit in. But the stakes of Evangelism— seeking and saving that which is lost—make that situation untenable. Paul reminisces the grace of Jesus Christ he received in these words: “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.”— 1 Timothy 1:13-15. To be clear, Paul has a different approach in sharing his testimony in Philippians 3:4-10. Many of us who grew up in the church— even if it was the Catholic church—can relate to some aspects of Paul’s testimony in Philippians 3:4-10, probably more so than those in 1 Timothy 1:13-15. Religious upbringing, Scripture studies from infancy, and ministry activities in the church—can all make someone feel like they have performed well enough to get into heaven. Paul says that by these types of  accomplishments no one will be justified. Which is why his second testimony in 1 Timothy 1:13-15 sheds a clearer light on how the grace of Jesus Christ works. In 1 Timothy 1:13-15, Paul focuses on the law he had broken, not the law he had kept. Though, of course, we know that no one will be justified by keeping the law, it has always been seen that breaking the law makes you an outlaw and an outcast, casting you into outer darkness [Matthew 8:11-13]. Look at what happened whenever Jesus dealt with sinners and Pharisees in the Gospels. In Mark 2:15-17 we read: “While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners? On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”” Obviously, Jesus wasn’t saying the Pharisees were healthy. He was basically emphasizing that a Savior is only here for saving sinners. We also see a similar confrontation in Luke 7:39 “When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”— this was the woman who was shedding tears on his feet and wiping them with her hair. Let’s just say that this looks scandalous in many ways. Hardly any Christian preacher in America today would put himself in a such a situation because simply there’s no interest and urgency in seeking and saving the lost, at any cost. Other similar stories in the Gospel would be like Zaccheus in Luke 19:1-10 ; the paralytic brought down from the roof in Mark 2:1-5; And last but not least, the woman that the Pharisees wanted to stone in John 8:3-11. It must be emphasized that the grace of Jesus Christ towards sinners was not to make them comfortable in their sins. Look at Matthew chapter 5 to Matthew chapter 7, sermon on the Mount. Even those who accused Jesus of being too lenient towards sinners would not be able to claim they had obeyed every single line of the sermon on the Mount. How many who consider themselves righteous have— made vows or sworn unnecessarily ? Been angry ? Refused to help the poor ? Served God for showmanship ? Lusted ? Brought offerings to church before reconciling with those they offended ? Slandered ? Judged the sins they themselves committed ? Spoke ill of tithing ? Worried about finances ? Put first their careers before the kingdom of God ?— and all other things that Jesus preaches against in the Matthew 5-7 and Luke 6:17-49 sermon on the Mount ? Isn’t it obvious that “all have sinned” and the grace of Jesus Christ was never meant to be a license to sin ? Even after salvation, the sermon on the Mount is the cornerstone of our obedience. Restoring our relationship with the Father is why Jesus had come and had accepted to lay down His life, so that sinners could be on a path to holiness, having been cleansed and empowered by the Holy Spirit to walk in righteousness [2 Timothy 1:9]. Jesus says, “this is why the Father loves me.” He suffered the worst of scorn, had sleepless nights, many times went without food, was often endangered in his ministry, serving at no apparent financial or worldly advantage, and finally dying the death of the worst criminals on the cross of Calvary [2 Corinthians 8:9]. This is our God, the Servant king. 

Wednesday, October 19th, 2022

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”— Matthew 3:16-17

We know that it was because of the love of the Father that Jesus Christ came to seek and save that which was lost—all of us sinners. The Father gave us His most precious gift while we were still ungodly and ungrateful. We also know that it was because of the grace of Jesus Christ we were able to know the love of the Father and were brought into God’s family—we were washed, sanctified, healed, and anointed to serve God in ministry. Because of Jesus we are able to approach the throne of God with boldness so that we can receive grace and mercy, not just for ourselves and our families, but also for all the nations of the world. But what about the Holy Spirit ? Who is He ? What has He done or does for us ?  Right at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, we see the Holy Spirit descending on Him in the form of a dove. Though we read that John the Baptist was full of the Holy Spirit from birth, the dove did not go on his shoulder at the Jordan River. It went on Jesus only. The Holy Spirit is very specific in His work. Though the Father had decided to prepare a body for Jesus, which would be offered for our sacrifice and redemption [Hebrews 10:5], the Holy Spirit is generally invisible,  even though He may take up a form of dove like we see here. The Holy Spirit was the power behind Christ’s miracles. When Peter is giving a testimony at Cornelius’ house, we read: “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.”—Acts 10:38. The Holy Spirit is the anointing on the Anointed One. The good works of healing those oppressed by Satan were done under His anointing [Luke 5:17; Luke 6:18-19; Matthew 12:28]. When Jesus started His ministry, He confessed “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the Gospel.” — Luke 4:18. This was a fulfillment of Isaiah 61:1, Isaiah 42:1, and Isaiah 11:2-3. Jesus clearly honored the Holy Spirit’s presence and the Holy Spirit honored Jesus’ ministry. He anointed Jesus to heal, save, deliver captives, and proclaim the year of Jubilee. Jesus had the Spirit without measure [John 3:34].As Jesus was preaching in the temple during the feast of tabernacles, He talked about the Holy Spirit flowing from within those who would believe, like rivers [John 7:37-39]. This would be a fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy—of a river above the knees, shoulders, and head—in which we can only swim in and would carry us—Ezekiel 47:4-5; 1 Kings 18:2; Acts 8:39; Ephesians 3:19-20. This promise would be fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended like a mighty rushing wind [Acts 2:1-4]—They began to speak as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit [Acts 2:17; 2 Peter 1:19; 1 Peter 4:11]. Jesus had said “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”— Acts 1:8. This was a difference-maker and Jesus had said that His ascension to the throne at the right hand of the Father was to our advantage. After the Holy Spirit came, He could indwell billions of Christians, rather than have Jesus alone walking down the streets of Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit empowers more people to carry out the work of redemption and do even greater works [John 16:7-8; John 14:16; John 14:12]. That difference the Holy Spirit made could be seen after Pentecost, when in one day, 3000 people believed in Jesus, as Peter preached in the power of the Holy Spirit. It did not happen at a Buddhist temple in Shandong or at the Osiris temple in Egypt. The Holy Spirit is always specific in His work. He knew that the only believers in Jesus who were waiting for Him were at a particular upper room in Jerusalem and He went straight right there. On that day, the difference was also physically apparent. On one hand, the disciples spoke in other tongues they had never spoken. On another, they looked like they were drunk with wine. The Holy Spirit is other-worldly and His presence and influence can cause euphoria sometimes. Often Christians confess of weaknesses, endless weaknesses—where did the Holy Spirit go ? Once the Holy Spirit comes upon a Christian and the Christian becomes filled with the Spirit, the first identifying difference is power. Not only does He anoint us for ministry, He also works in us to will and to do according to His good pleasure [Philippians 2:13]. Someone will say, what about Paul’s thorn in the flesh ? Isn’t that a weakness ? Oh, what about Paul’s handkerchiefs that healed the sick ? Humans remain humans after they are anointed with the Holy Spirit. But Paul’s primary goal was to minister with a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit [1 Corinthians 2:4-5; 2 Corinthians 12:9]. Coming back to the scene of the baptism at the Jordan River— we see the Trinity. There’s Jesus being baptized. There’s a voice of the Father endorsing His ministry. Jesus was already pleasing to the Father and holy[Hebrews 1:9]. We also see the Holy Spirit descending upon Him. A number of times we see God speaking of Himself in plural. In Genesis 1:26-27, He says, “Let us make man in our image…”— at the tower of Babel, when man has rebelled against God, He says, “Come, let us go down and confuse their language.”—Genesis 11:7. After Isaiah sees a vision of heaven, with seraphim crying Holy, Holy, Holy, we see God asking, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” To which Isaiah answered, “Here am I. Send me!”—Isaiah 6:8. Jesus said “I and the Father are One”—John 10:30—and “The Father is greater than I”—John 14:28. Clearly distinct persons in the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is God and He has come to dwell with us. Let us give Him the honor, glory, and obedience due Him. 

Thursday, October 20th, 2022

So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty— Zechariah 4:6

Since Jesus said that it was to our advantage that He would go and send us the Holy Spirit, it is important that we get to know Him and be good partners with His work [John 16:7; 1 Corinthians 3:9; John 14:16; John 16:13-14; 1 John 2:27 ]. In Paul’s benediction he writes that He wants us to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit. The Greek word he used is “koinonia” We find used in Acts 2:42, where disciples broke bread together and spent time enjoying each other’s company. It is used in Romans 15:26, where Paul is talking about the church’s contribution for the welfare of the poor. It is used in 1 Corinthians 10:16, where Paul talks about the elements of communion, the cup of thanksgiving and bread, saying that the meaning of these is our participation in the Body of Christ and sharing His blood. Koinonia involves spending time together, partnership in labor, and giving gifts and offerings. Since He is God and our best offerings would be meagre—and sacrifices do not impress Him that much anyway—offering ourselves would be part of this fellowship. Are we His ? Do we belong to the Holy Spirit entirely ? Are we men and women of God ? Do we spend time in His presence, hearing Him speak to us through Scriptures ? Of course, we should give to God’s work, but the emphasis is in us being, first of all, consecrated to the Lord. Do we spend time listening attentively to His instructions, whether in private or in public worship ? This is how He chose Paul and Barnabas to go become missionaries, as we read in Acts 13:2—While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” We know that there are churches today that recognize this type of instruction from the Holy Spirit, while other churches have a more intellectual approach. You go to seminary, you find a job you like in ministry, they evaluate whether you qualify, hopefully they pray, but ultimately, they determine whether you are a “good fit” based on their interests, doctrinal beliefs, salary expectations, and missional goals. In a way, not different from any secular business. There may be hoping that God will work out all things for good but not this level of prophetic accuracy we see in Acts 13:2, of what God actually wants to do for the church and the region. The challenges of building the church—which is really not our ultimate responsibility—but the Lord’s own burden— is not very different from what Zerubbabel had when he was the leader of the Jewish returnees that king Cyrus had released to go back to Jerusalem to try to rebuild the temple [Matthew 16:18-19; Ezra 1:2-11; Ezra 3:1-3; Haggai 2:1-4; 2 Timothy 1:16; Acts 9:23-25]. You will see in the verse that follows the prophet writes “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. “—Zechariah 4:7. We already know how older Jews were frustrated by the foundations of the building as we see in Ezra 3:12. In Haggai, we see that there was an issue of money, as the Jews were more concerned with building their own houses, while the house of the Lord was laying in ruin. We read in Haggai 1:4— “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?“— Generally speaking the saints, both in the Old and New Testament look to God for what He can give to them, not what they can give to Him. This could explain why there has been spiritual decline in the West despite the prosperity of “Laodicea.”—which is the church spoken in Revelation 3:14-21—used to compare with the modern church. There’s actually nothing wrong with wanting to be blessed by God financially. The problem, as we see in the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 6:26-33, is the priority. It takes time to pursue money and it takes time to pursue God, so what should come first ? People will not have a mastery of Scriptures overnight. Even some fulltime ministers who have dedicated their time to serve God for 20-30 years don’t understand it. Their denominations are falling apart and churches are closing. So, how will carnal, self-serving, “secular Christians“—be of any use in the hands of the Holy Spirit to revive the church ? And how can we be effective if we do not even know or agree what the will of the Lord is for ourselves, families, communities, and nations ? So, in the end, the resources we spend most of our time seeking for ourselves—give us an illusion of might and power— like emphasizing having “a successful secular business” or a “debt-free multi-million dollar church building“—turn out to be worthless in the eyes of the Holy Spirit—since they are in the hands of people who barely know His ways—and therefore cannot accomplish His purposes. We should remember that the Lord has generally gained most glory when we depended less on the arm of the flesh, on our own abilities, our own philosophies, our own resources—and simply prayed and trusted Him— and He saw us through difficulties supernaturally. “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?”—Jeremiah 32:27—the way saints would pray after being gripped by this Scripture is different from the way they would if they were to reason in the flesh what is and is not possible. I have seen it in my own life. A ministry that has been exemplary in this regard is YWAM. I remember reading the book “Is that really you, God“—by Loren Cunningham—and the book talked about the growth of their missionary organization through the voice and leading of the Holy Spirit. God would tell the leaders that He would give them this or that building, something that would be costly and they would get it. That’s how faith works. That’s how the Holy Spirit works. We have to listen to Him [Isaiah 31:1 Jeremiah 17:5 2 Chronicles 16:12 2 Chronicles 32:8 Jeremiah 12:5 Deuteronomy 17:16 Deuteronomy 20:1; Isaiah(2:22; 20:5; 30:1); Psalms (118:8; 146:3)].

Friday, October 21st, 2022

Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good— 1 Thessalonians 5:17-21

Since in Paul’s benediction we are told to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit and Jesus had said that His ascension to heaven would be to our advantage, it is a great loss if we do not walk with Him and receive from Him whatever gifts and instructions He has for us. Not only we will never be as powerful, intelligent, and wise as the Holy Spirit is, it is actually offensive to God to try to take His role in our lives and ministries. He is our leader, we are just followers. He is our Provider, we are just recipients of His manifold graces [ Exodus 13:21; Romans 8:32; Matthew 7:7-11; 1 Corinthians 12:8-11; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Timothy 6:17; Luke 1:52-53; Isaiah 63:9; Romans 8:26-27; Isaiah 31:1; Jeremiah 17:5; 2 Chronicles 16:12; 2 Chronicles 32:8; Jeremiah 12:5 Deuteronomy 17:16; Deuteronomy 20:1; Isaiah 2:22; Isaiah 20:5; Isaiah 30:1; Psalms 118:8; Psalms 146:3]. It is as we lay all things in His hands that we will experience His amazing guidance and great miracles. When you graduate high school, which college major should you take ? If you get approved by 5 universities, seminaries, Bible schools—which one will be the best for you ?  If you have 5 job offers after graduation, which one should you take ? Which city or country should you live ? Sometimes what looks good on the outside may not be God’s will. Lot was told by Abraham to choose where He wanted to take his cattle, and Lot chose Sodom, because He saw it as pleasant. We know how this turned out for Lot [Genesis 13:10-11; Genesis 19 verse 24 and 26; 1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Corinthians 2:9; Acts 1:24; Psalms 32:8; Isaiah 30:21; Romans 8:14; Acts 16:9; Matthew 21:2; John 1:47-51; John 16:13-14]. Because of how highly complex these decisions can be for us, we not only need to continuously fellowship with the Holy Spirit, we also should be asking Him guidance. Brother Lawrence’s book “The Practice of the Presence.” has often been mentioned as useful for us to learn this practice. It may seem difficult to pray without ceasing if we have a full schedule of meetings and activities. However, communion with the Spirit is based on union with God primarily, not so much how long we have to spend alone with Him—though we should find time to do that as well. “But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.”—1 Corinthians 6:17. If we are one with the Holy Ghost, then where we go, He goes. What we are doing, He is there. He is with us always. The  issue is not about location or activity, rather acknowledgement, attention, adoration & asking, assurance, and action. We have to acknowledge His supreme authority and follow His guidance. Where we are, we have to acknowledge His presence. We have to be attentive to His instructions and revelations, as He will minister to us throughout the day. We have to worship and adore Him. We should ask Him His thoughts on what we are doing or want to do—like David used to do when he consulted the Urim and Thummim— “shall I go up to the Philistines ? Will you deliver them into my hands ?“—2 Samuel 5:19. We should then have assurance and confidence that He is hearing us and working with us. We are His partners. Finally, we should take action on whatever He reveals to us. Faith without works is dead. Ultimately, all the things we hear from God, we have to act on them. This is how we release the Spirit’s power, which is at work within us. Otherwise, it will remain dormant and unproductive. We can do this in our busy schedules, though we should find time alone to pray in private, just as we should pray in public gathering. When the Holy Spirit shook the house where the disciples were praying, they had been asking the Father to give them boldness to preach and stretch His hand to heal. They had dedicated that time to seek God for a supernatural answer [1 Samuel 23:2; 1 Samuel 14:41;.2 Corinthians 4:18; 2 Chronicles 20:12; Psalms 121:2; 1 Chronicles 16:11; Amos 5:6; Psalms 139:7; Ephesians 3:17-20; John 15:9; John 17:26; John 14:16; Matthew 28:18-20; Isaiah 55:8-9; James 2:26; Hebrews 10:22-23; Romans 4:17; Acts 14:9; Acts 4:23-31]. Paul also says we should be thankful. It has never been good for God’s people to grumble, murmur, or be anxious. Paul further says we should not quench the Spirit. The atmosphere of worship and exhilarating joy we have in church meetings on Sundays or in crusades in remote parts of the world, should not be left there. The glory and awe of a holy convocation should be with us in private life. Finally, Paul says we should not despise prophecies but test all things. I have been amazed by Paul’s standards of ministry validation. We are told by one of Paul’s companion that the audience of Berea was “more noble” than the one in Thessalonica, because they tested everything Paul said against Scripture [Acts 17:11]. How often do ministers today feel slighted and dishonored when people use Scripture to validate teachings, whether they are from God or from men ? Paul saw it as a positive thing. The same would be true for utterances that are not sermons or Bible teachings, but words that are claimed to be “prophetic messages.” Scriptures tell us not to believe every spirit. Being open to prophecy and not despising what people have to say, does not mean being open to deceptive spirits [Psalms 104:4; Colossians 1:12; Psalms 100:4; Numbers 14:28; 2 Corinthians 2:17; Deuteronomy 29:29; Luke 16:15; Acts 20:32; 1 John 4:1]. We should eat the meat of God’s words and throw out the bones of men.

 

Saturday, October 22nd, 2022

And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him- Genesis 5:24

Paul writes in Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.”— to tell us the consequences of the fall of man before Christ became our righteousness. Sin is at the root of the curse, thorns, sicknesses, hardships, killings, wars, and natural death. Everyone in the world suffers consequences of sin, if not because of the sins they have committed, they can be because of sins other people have committed. Even Jesus who knew no sin suffered whips, thorns, and nails at the hands of sinners. So, sin has been destructive from the foundation of the world and death was by far its worst consequence. When Jonah ran away from God he carried the wrath of God with him and those in the ship were at risk of suffering the consequences of his sin. They had to throw him out for the waves of the sea to be quiet. So, how did Enoch and Elijah escape the major consequence of sin—death ? Consider how astonishing and mind-blowing that is in a world full of sin and after being born with a sinful nature. It is not like Enoch and Elijah had a virgin birth like Jesus. They were men just like us. Further, consider this— Abraham the friend of God died. Joseph the forgiving brother died. Moses the man of God died. Joshua the warrior of God died. Samuel the intercessor died. David the worshiping king died. Solomon the wise man died. Elisha the miracle worker died. Peter, Paul, John Wesley, Francis of Assisi, George Whitefield, John. G. Lake, Smith Wigglesworth, Joseph of Cupertino, Saint Charbel, and Billy Graham—all died. Sure, some could say that Saint Charbel’s body was incorruptible and kept in the state it was in for 70 years after he died, only appearing like he was simply sleeping a natural sleep, and yet he died nevertheless. The only man I am aware who is documented not to have died in the church age is the Maharishi of Mount Kailash we read in Sadhu Sundar Singh’s biographies. But he has not been raptured to heaven like Enoch. All these great men of God suffered the consequence of Adam’s sin. So, what made Enoch and Elijah break this law of gravity— the law of sin and death— that has brought down the best of men down to their grave ? In Acts 2:27-35, Peter tells us that David’s Psalms 16:10—”because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. “—was not actually about David—as he died like everybody else. It was about Jesus “who was declared the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead.”—Romans 1:4. That Psalm was about Jesus who rose on the third day. Christ effectively dealt with all consequences of sin, though the benefits of that redemption will happen in phases [Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24; Colossians 2:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Revelation 8:23]. Paul tells us about being caught up to the third heaven and seeing unspeakable things— yet he was not sure if it was in body or spirit only—and he surely did not stay there forever in that state. The same we hear of D.G.S. Dhinakaran in his testimonies. Rapture to heaven and staying there has happened only to Enoch and Elijah. We know a lot about Elijah because we read of him in 1 Kings and 2 Kings. In the book of Malachi, Elijah was also prophesied to come back to prepare the way of Jesus Christ—and he did come back, according to Jesus [Matthew 17:10-13]. Elijah fulfilled the saying that God “makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.”—Psalms 104:4. He had fanned into flame his whole life and was a servant of fire [2 Timothy 1:6; Mark 3:21; John 4:34; Acts 2:3; Acts 19:11-12; Acts 5:14-16; Luke 6:18-19; Matthew 12:15; 1 Corinthians 1:7; 1 Timothy 4:12-15; 1 Kings 17:1;  James 5:17; 2 Kings 1:12; Matthew 11:11-15]. We don’t have many chapters that tell us about Enoch but he must have had similarities with Elijah in his fellowship with God. His life was essentially one of communion and union with God. He walked with God and He was not. We know Enoch had a family and I am sure he had fields and cattle to take care of his family, yet God did not consider his family could miss him after his departure. Glorification is the ultimate end of our fellowship with the Holy Spirit. We should be so in love with Him, fellowship with Him, serve Him, and walk with Him—have our whole conversation in heaven—till we are raptured from the earth to heaven. Paul often spoke of this blessed hope with such great anticipation. “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”— [1 Thessalonians 4:17; Philippians 3:20; Colossians 3:1-2; Hebrews 11:10; Hebrews 13:14; Luke 14:25-27]. Could we be that generation ? Could we be the spotless church, without wrinkle, that Jesus Christ will gather ? Could we the bride of Christ who has adorned herself and will be caught up to be in the wedding supper of the Lamb ? Could we be those who will be taken into our heavenly mansions Christ has prepared without tasting death ? There surely will be a generation that will be and if it will be us, it will not cost us anything less than walking with God like Enoch and Elijah did [Ephesians 5:26-27; Revelation 19:7-15; John 14:1-4; 2 Peter 3:12; Psalms 45:10]. Are we asking a hard thing —[2 Kings 2:10; John 10:34-38; Psalms 82:6-8; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53] ? We do not have to spend all our days only talking about rapture anymore than Jesus did not spend 3.5 years talking about leaving. We can live for God and serve Him where He has placed us, even as we look forward to that blessed hope [Acts 1:11]. We must serve in the fullness of His anointing and fire—let anyone who is thirsty come—John 7:37. Our service should be nothing less than the measure of all the fullness of God [Ephesians 3:19-20]. It is impossible to be the Enoch generation without that.

Sunday, October 23rd, 2022

The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”— Haggai 2:9.

The glory of the temple of Zerubbabel was prophesied to be greater than the glory of the temple of Solomon, though Zerubbabel was not anywhere close to being as wealthy as Solomon. But being rich was not necessary for Zerubbabel because “The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”—Haggai 2:8.  God was going to help them build the temple and give them the resources they needed. This would happen on two fronts. First, He would give the people willing hearts to contribute, rather than hold onto what belongs to God. Second, He would use Darius to help them just like He had used Cyrus at the beginning of their journey back to Jerusalem [Exodus 25:2-8; Exodus 35 verse 21 &29; Exodus 36:2-3; 1 Chronicles 29:29; 2 Chronicles 35:8; Haggai 1:4-8; Ezra 6:1-4; 2 Corinthians 9:7-11].This second temple was the pride of the Jews in Jesus’ days. One day, after seeing what Jesus was doing in whipping the money changers who had turned the temple into a supermarket—[John 2:15-17]—and hearing Him say that He could rebuild it only in 3 days if it were to be destroyed—the Jewish leaders replied: “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?”—John 2:18. This second temple was the fruit of close to 5 decades of construction, from the year that king Cyrus had released the Jews to go back to rebuild it in 538 BC,  counting in the years it took later to do remodeling and expansion. But its glory wasn’t just the length of time spent in labor. It was truly impressive. Its magnificence even struck the disciples of Jesus so much that one day while he was leaving the temple “his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings“— Matthew 24:1, though Jesus Himself was not impressed with what their eyes were seeing [Matthew 24:2-3]—ultimately, God judges things by their end, not just their beginning or their present state—even if He may have encouraged the beginning [Jeremiah 31:28; Jeremiah 45:4; Acts 7:48; Deuteronomy 28:63; Jeremiah 7:4; Romans 11:22; Isaiah 46:10; Philippians 1:6]. But God’s instruction is always not to live feeling sorry for the past failures or fearful of possible future judgments, but to seize the present opportunity—to redeem the time—and enjoy His blessings [Nehemiah 8:10; Nehemiah 1:6; Luke 19:44; Hebrews 3:13; Zechariah 1:3-6; Jeremiah 31:33-34; Zechariah 2:4-5;  Ephesians 5:15-16]. At that time His command was clear: “build it.” The building of the temple of Zerubbabel was started in earnest with the blessing of king Cyrus, but had to be interrupted after Cyrus died, as his successors like king Ashurbanipal were not keen on letting the Jews rebuild their temple [Ezra 2:1-36;  Ezra 3:1-3; Ezra 3:6; Ezra 3:12-13; Ezra 4:1-24]. They had wasted their years of favor with king Cyrus focused on building their own houses and now they would have even a stronger excuse from completion of the temple, as they no longer had the legal permission to complete construction. It is in the second year of king Darius the Word of The Lord came to Haggai challenging the Jews —“These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the LORD’s house“—Haggai 1:2. The persecutions they had suffered had caused them to give up on their spiritual pursuits. When Haggai began to prophesy in 520 BC, about 18 years since they had left Babylon, the house of the Lord was still in ruin. However, despite their earthly pursuits and complacency, all was not well in their harvests[Haggai 1:4-8; Revelation 3:14-21]. After hearing the prophetic word of Haggai, they started to seek how they could rebuild again. At the same time, they had the favor of king Darius and were able to finish the work of rebuilding. God leveled the mountains that had hindered them. The day of small beginnings was eclipsed by the celebrations of a great ending [Zechariah 4:6-10; Ezra 6:1-15]. This should give us hope in our generation, as we see many similarities with these Jews. The doctrine of the church, the purity of its saints, the commitment to giving to ministry and missions, the respect of the church in the culture—are all way below what they were in the days of Charles Finney, D. L. Moody, Charles Spurgeon, Hudson Taylor, Smith Wigglesworth, John. G. Lake, Billy Sunday, and William Seymour [1830-1950]. Can the church be revived ? Are the best days of the church behind it or are they ahead ? When Jesus said that He could rebuild the temple in 3 days if it were destroyed, He meant His own Body [John 2:21].  If so, then the “good old days” do not have to be only in our nostalgia, they can be in our future. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever [Ecclesiastes 7:10; Judges 6:13; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8; Psalms 84:4-7; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 2 Samuel 3:1; 1 Chronicles 11:9;  Proverbs 4:18; Esther 9:4; Genesis 22:17; Matthew 13:31-33] ! The Lord can rekindle the love for His truth. He can sanctify Christians by that truth. He can give us a passion for giving to missions. He can raise pastors who are after His own heart. He can even cause nations to come to the brightness of our rising. Jesus Christ can build a church against which the gates of hell shall not prevail. He can restrain evil in the culture and shut the mouth of Leviathan. He can still the whirlwinds that hit the ship of His sailing pilgrims and bring them to safe harbor. He can build even a church with glory greater than the early church [Hosea 11:4; Luke 5:5-10; Ezekiel 20:44; John 17:17; Psalms 23;3; Matthew 16:18-19; Matthew 9:37; Jeremiah 3:15; Matthew 5:16; Isaiah 60: 1-3; Isaiah 27:1; Romans 16:20; 1 Samuel 12:22; John 14:13]—for His name’s sake!

Monday, October 24th, 2022

But the temple he had spoken of was his body— John 2:21

When Jesus was before the Sanhedrin, one accusation they had was, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.”— Matthew 26:61. Obviously, they had not understood what He meant. The temple had become an idol. Look at what they said after He rose Lazarus —John 11:48.  Even though the nation and the temple were given by God in His providence—these good gifts given by the Father had become idols. So, what exactly is John trying to tell us about the temple being Christ’s body ? In the Old Testament, God had told Moses, “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them“—Exodus 25:8. This sanctuary was God’s place of habitation among His people. Exodus, Leviticus, and Hebrews teach a lot about this. In Hebrews 8:5 we read that priests served: “At a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned…make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.’—quoting Exodus 25 verse 9 and 40; Exodus 26:30; Exodus 27:8. So, these things were shadows, “but the reality is in Christ“—Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 10:1. The tabernacle was rectangular in shape. The entrance was at the eastern side and the Holy of Holies, which was the end of it was at the western side. After the entrance there was the Outer Court, after the Outer Court there was the Holy Place, and after the Holy Place there was the Holy of Holies. The outer court had the brazen altar and the bronze laver. No one could reach the Most Holy Place without that entrance. This set up reminds us what Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth, and Life, no one comes to the Father except through me“—John 14:6. Christ is the gate of our entrance towards the Father [John 10:9]. The brazen altar was made from acacia wood and was laminated with a bronze surface. It is the place where daily animal sacrifices were made [Exodus 27:1; Leviticus 6:8-13]. This is where atonement for sin was made [1 Chronicles 6:49; Hebrews 13:12; John 19:17]. This altar was in a form of a square and had 4 horns, which were sprinkled with blood of the animals they sacrificed there [Exodus 27:2; Leviticus 4:7]. Since David talks about the Lord being the horn of his salvation and the horn is a symbol of a growth, rising on the head of an animal, it meant that growth, being raised up, being lifted in altitude, and attaining exaltation were only possible through a foundation of salvation, sprinkled with the blood—with no guilt [Psalms 18:2; Psalms 75:10; Psalms 89:24; Psalms 112:9; Psalms 89:17; 1 Samuel 2:1; Psalms 92:10; Hebrews 10:22]. Sinners who had done wrong unintentionally could be saved by taking hold of the horn, while the rebellious were to be removed [Exodus 21:12-14; 1 Kings 1:50-53; 1 Kings 2:28; Amos 3:14; Hebrews 10:26-27]. The blood was used for atonement because life is in the blood. Since God accepts redemption of life by another life, the life of Christ was poured out for us. [Leviticus 17:11; Ezekiel 3:18; Matthew 20:28; Matthew 26:28]. Passed that altar was a circular bronze laver, halfway to the tent of meeting [Exodus 30:17-21; Exodus 38:8; Exodus 40 verse 7, verse 30-32]. That basin was filled with water so that the priests who had sacrificed animals could wash hands there. It was also used for washing feet. That passage in Exodus 30:20-21 clearly states that the reason they were to do this was “so that they would not die“—atonement for sin without washing was not going to save them. It was made from mirrors of bronze of the women who served at the tent of meeting, which means that it could reflect images of those who were washing. This shadowed looking intently—closely and with great attention—”into the perfect law of liberty“—James 1:25—as the washing was meant to make priests holy [Psalms 19:13; 2 Peter 1:9; John 8:36]. This cleansing or washing happened after the altar, which means the cleansing of God’s people is continuous [1 John 1:7-9; Ephesians 5:25-27; John 13:8-10]. As soon as we go from here, we come into the holy place, passed the women who served at the tent of meeting. In the Holy Place, we find 3 important things: there’s the lampstand—the Menorah—made of pure gold, on the left side from the entrance. There’s the table of shewbread on the right side from the entrance—also known as the Bread of the Presence. And there’s the golden altar of incense in the center towards the end of the Holy Place Room—much closer to the Holy of Holies. The priests who served there attended to these 3 on a daily basis [Hebrews 9:2; Exodus 25:30-31; Exodus 27:20; Leviticus 8:10-12; Exodus 37:17-24]. Christ fulfilled all these as well. He is the Bread of Life and He is the Light of the world [John 6:35; John 8:12; Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3; Psalms 119:105; Revelation 1:13; Philippians 2:15; Matthew 5:14-16; Matthew 25:2-4; John 6 verse 51 and 63]. He satisfies us with good things so that we no longer hunger or thirst again [Luke 1:53; Psalms 107:9; John 4:14]. This is why often the temple is also seen as a picture of man—body, soul, and spirit [1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Corinthians 5:4; John 4:23-24; 1 Corinthians 3:16]—the work of renewing the mind with the illumination of God’s word starts after salvation [Romans 12:2; Ephesians 1:17-18]. It would be impossible to shine without this light, as we are simply branches[John 15:5].The longings of the soul are also satisfied after salvation, becoming holy desires. Since the altar of incense came towards the end, it was right next to the veil that separated the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies [Exodus 30:1-10]. Incense was burned there continually and its fragrance arose before God [Exodus 30:9; Revelation 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:17-21]. Its significance was waiting before God and drawing near. It is a place where our will is conformed to Christ’s will. It’s a place of intercessions [1 Timothy 2:1-5; Psalms 141:2; Revelation 8:3]. Finally, in the Most Holy place was the majestic Ark of the Covenant with its cherubim. It was beyond the veil. The mercy seat was on it [Exodus 25:10-12; Hebrews 4:15-16]. Only the High Priest could go inside once a year. When Christ died on the cross that veil was torn [Hebrews 9:7; Leviticus 16:2; Matthew 27:51; Hebrews 10:5; Hebrews 10:20]. Christ indeed was and remains the temple.

 

Tuesday, October 25th, 2022

For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment— 1 Corinthians 11:29-31

In Malachi 3:1 we read: “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple…“—and what would the Lord do after suddenly appearing in the temple ? In Malachi 3:3 we see the answer: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness“—we know that messenger who was a forerunner of Christ was John the Baptist. We know this prophecy was fulfilled in John 2—as He declared the temple to be a house of prayer for all nations. The zeal for God’s house that consumed Him did not end with that temple in Jerusalem. It continued in the church He founded. Which brings us to a rather solemn writing of 1 Corinthians 11:25-32, by apostle Paul, regarding this. In order to help us see how the situation faced by the church of Corinth is not necessarily foreign to the modern church, we can take a quick look at the “Halfway Covenant“—an interesting topic regarding the Lord’s table that I came across as I was studying various evangelists and revivalists —and reviewed Jonathan Edwards biography—especially the cause of his departure from the Northampton church he pastored. Other notable biographies would be Solomon Stoddard and Increase Mather. This Halfway covenant basically stated that since some of the people who were baptized as infants were not regenerate—or born again—they should not partake of the Lord’s Supper—unless they had evidence of the New Birth. They could still get many other benefits of church membership except this. A problem arose when those who did not have evidence of conversion outnumbered those who were true converts. They were “church members”—and therefore could vote which pastors they wanted and which they did not. That’s how Jonathan Edwards was voted out as he was opposed to giving communion to “Christians” who did not appear to be sincerely born again [See Matthew 22:8-14]. That’s obviously relevant in studying the 1 Corinthians 11:25-32 passage. Paul’s concern is about properly discerning the body of Christ so that those who come to the Lord’s table do so in a worthy manner. The first area of lack of discernment of the Body of Christ that we will look at is what is apparent in this passage Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11. That church was basically treating the Lord’s table like some big social party. Some got drunk with wine while others got nothing. Imagine 3 members drinking a whole bottle of wine in a congregation of 300 members. This is why Paul asks a rather simple question, “Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing ?”—1 Corinthians 11:22. This rather raises even another question. What were they doing if Paul talks about “humiliating those who have nothing ?”—could it mean that donations and offerings used to buy the bread and wine for the Lord’s supper played a role in partaking it ? That can certainly be inferred because those who did not bring offerings would be considered to “have nothing“—and therefore be humiliated by not taking part in Holy Communion. The church is not the secular and individualistic capitalist world. In the Body of Christ, which is a Holy Community born out of the love of God and the grace of Jesus—nobody brought anything of value—except Christ Himself—therefore no saint should be left out of the Lord’s Supper. In Acts 2 and Acts 4, we see this oneness went further than this. The second issue on discerning the Lord’s Body properly is what we see Paul talking about in the following chapter. He writes: “The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”—1 Corinthians 12:21. This is much deeper than the platitude of “we all need each other“—however true the aphorism. Paul understood the church as a body. What would happen if someone was to cut off their right and left hands [don’t try this] ?—we know they may not be able carry a box of foods. Without hands, it may not matter that the eyes can see and the ears can hear— as the body would be unable to carry out the tasks that only the hands can do. Paul finishes the passage of 1 Corinthians 11 by talking about the consequences of not discerning the Body of Christ. “That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep”—1 Corinthians 11:3o. In some Pentecostal and Charismatic churches that practice divine healing, there are often comments that healing is a mystery whenever a church member dies unexpectedly. After all, if someone who professes to have strong faith is prayed over by a dozen healing evangelists or a congregation of 1000 people—how else could they die—unless it was some kind of mystery ? Paul doesn’t seem to prevaricate on this topic. Death = Sin, period. Since there are hundreds of possible sins Christians could commit, from gluttony that leads to diabetes to a number of other sins that can cause not-so-obvious diseases—it may seem to be a mystery—but the bottom-line in most cases is that sin will be at the root. Moreover, what are the prophetic gifts for ? Many prophets today can discern this. Is there a Bible passage that talks about Jesus being sick ? So, in the presence of sickness a better posture would be the one Paul has “If we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment”—1 Corinthians 11:31. It’s better to tell the saints to examine themselves and repent, rather than hide them the truth in an effort to build faith in divine healing. The 20th century healing movement was born out of the holiness movement and Scriptures throughout connect these 2 aspects of redemption [Psalms 103:3; Isaiah 33:24; Acts 10:38; Mark 2:5;  Matthew 8:16-17; Exodus 15:26; Exodus 23: 24-26; Luke 13:16; 1 John 5:18; John 5:14; Acts 5: 1-11;  Exodus 9:8-35; Revelation 16:10-11; Psalms 107:17-20; Numbers 21:4-7; 1 Peter 4:17; Revelation 2: 20-23; James 5:14-16] 

Wednesday, October 26th, 2022

To make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless—  Ephesians 5:26-27

An interesting conversation happens between Jesus and Peter during the Last Supper. Jesus gets down to wash the disciples’ feet and comes to Peter, who says “you shall never wash my feet.”— John 13:8— to which Jesus replies: “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”— as soon as Peter understands the meaning, albeit partially, he changes his posture and goes to the other extreme—” ‘ Then, Lord,’ Simon Peter replied, ‘not just my feet but my hands and my head as well’ “—John 13:9—Jesus corrects Peter one more time, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”— John 13:10. Later on that evening, after telling them about the promise of the Holy Spirit, now telling them about the Vine, He says “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.”—John 15:3. So, what does it mean that Peter was clean but not fully clean or had dirty feet that needed washing ? Remember going back to the temple study we did before yesterday, we had talked about the brazen laver coming right after the bronze altar. A priest made atonement for sin at the bronze altar and then sprinkled with blood the horns on the four corners of the altar. Then he moved on towards the tent of meeting and  had to make a stop at the brazen laver to wash hands and feet. We saw that even though the atonement was the propitiation of sins proper, the brazen laver could not be bypassed [Exodus 30:20-21]. He who bypassed it and did not wash hands and feet, still died, even after the atonement for sin at the bronze altar. This can help us understand why Jesus told Peter that if He was not going to wash his feet then Peter would have not part in Christ and yet Christ refused to wash his whole body because he was already clean. Now, we know that Peter would also deny Christ three times that same night. Yet, he would be restored because Jesus had made intercessions for him. This is a perfect picture of the progressive cleansing of the saints after their initial salvation. A born again Christian who just got saved—even if he is an ignorant rapper musician—is as saved and free from God’s wrath as the holiest of saints who has been in ministry for 20-30 years. There are no degrees or differing positions in justification. We are all perfect in Christ—“For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being sanctified.”— Hebrews 10:14—one is already complete and faultless—the other is in progress and being refined. Peter was clearly in Christ and an affirmed believer. He had been a faithful follower and had clung to Christ—knowing that only Him had the words of eternal life. He had no other place to go and was not looking for any other Savior. He delighted in Christ’s service and was determined to preach His kingdom. Yet, when trial came that same night, he vacillated, stumbled, and fell. As we see Jesus telling us in John 15:3, what had made them clean was the washing of the Word He had spoken to them [John 15:3]. We see that this is the same language that Paul is using in our opening passage of Ephesians 5:26-27, where he talks about the church as the bride of Christ, who is being sanctified with the washing of the word—in order to be presented to Himself spotless and without wrinkle [Also see Colossians 1:28-29; Ephesians 4:13]. The Word of God is the truth that sanctifies us [John 17:17]. There’s no sanctification outside of it. There’s no sanctification in the opinions of men. “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”—Isaiah 8:20. It does not matter how famous, well-intentioned, or even close they are. They get a “get behind me Satan” admonition. Sanctification can only happen through the Word and it cannot be compromised. It is only the radiant and perfect church that Jesus Christ is coming for in the rapture to take to the wedding supper of the Lamb in heaven. It is stainless from the head to the toes. That’s long passed beyond outward wickedness or gross sins—because those must be taken care of by salvation. It has no wrinkles— creases, folds, corrugation, depression, or rough edges—is this what we are as individual members of the church and in our local church bodies ? Paul lists 5 things that Timothy had to set an example for in 1 Timothy 4:12—speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.  It is sad to say that if each was given a 20% score, that even many older Christians would not be able to get above 40%, let alone the younger ones. So, how can we be the church that Jesus Christ will come to take ? We have churches that will tell Christians that they do not need faith to be healed—despite hundreds of Jesus’ own words to the opposite. Many “Christians” in America are known for their hate, not their love. The speech for others is clearly out of line, for “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks“—Matthew 12:34. If the heart is devoid of faith and love, how can the speech be holy ? Purity goes hand in hand with love and faith, just as speech does. Obviously all these are worked in us by God in His grace and mercy, but we must actually be wanting them. Conduct or “anastrophe”  as we see in the Greek language that Paul uses, could be one of the easiest to fake—before untrained eyes. But the more knowledgeable we become, the higher standards of behavior we see. Paul appeals to his conduct when speaking to the Elders of the church in Ephesus—Acts 20:18-35. Samuel does the same in his farewell speech in 1 Samuel 12:1-23. These people knew them as they dealt with them personally on a daily basis. Are we like them—free from the blood of all men ? Do we intercede and fight for all saints as though we were fighting for our very own last breath ? Are we generous and free from greed ? That’s the church Christ wants. Judgment day we reveal it [2 Corinthian 5:10; 1 Corinthian 3:11-15; 1 Corinthian 4:5; Hebrews 4:12-13]. 

 

 

Thursday, October 27th, 2022

This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them— Acts 19:10-12

While preparing a sermon to preach at a church many years ago, it dawned on me that Jesus had actually whipped the money changers twice. The passage was chosen for me and I simply worked on preparing it. It seems quite deep. When Jesus confronted the money changers inside the temple for the second time—after his triumphal entry into Jerusalem—He said, “My house will be called a house of prayer”—Matthew 21:13, quoting Isaiah 56:7. That verse in Isaiah 56:7 actually adds “for all nations“—which would have been a surprising concept for the Jews of the first century, as we see the resistance the missions to Gentiles aroused later. The Father had made a promise to the Son that we read in Isaiah 49:6, “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”—and what a great promise to remember as we take a look at Paul’s ministry in Ephesus to plant a church there and see it grow into a mighty church in 2 short years. Paul arrived in Ephesus around 52 AD and the first thing he did was ask if they had received the Holy Spirit since they had believed [Acts 19:2]. This leads him to baptizing them and then placing hands on them to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit [Acts 19:6]. Noticing that is rather important because normally a preacher doesn’t place hands on new converts to be saved or to ask the Holy Spirit to come and indwell them. Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ has the Holy Spirit automatically [Romans 8:9]. So, why then did Paul lay hands on them ? Because this had been a practice in the early church for the Pentecostal experience the disciples had received in the Upper Room. Even when Peter and John went to Samaria, they did the same thing—laid hands on those who had believed the message of Evangelist Philip [Acts 8:14-18]. While the disciples in Acts 19 could be assumed not to have received a proper Gospel message for salvation as they had only received the baptism of John, such an assumption would be clearly wrong in Acts 8 as Philip had shared the proper and full Gospel. Laying hands to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was never taught anywhere in the epistles as that only happens automatically after someone believes in Jesus. It was only done for the Pentecostal outpouring of the Spirit for the purpose of carrying out the great commission with the Spirit’s supernatural works. This was standard church practice in the early church—because the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit for Christians and His supernatural work in evangelism and missions are totally different. After Paul did this, he had  3 months of fruitless labor, trying to argue with those who simply did not want to commit to Christ and had endless objections [Acts 19:8-9]. He learned wisdom from that mistake and left them and took willing disciples instead and started to pour into them [Acts 19:9]. He preached every single day to these hungry disciples for 2 straight years. We can imagine some brought others on their following lectures or discipleship classes and this chain led to the greatest harvest Paul had ever witnessed, “all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.”—Acts 19:10. This is why church planting will always be more powerful than hit-and-run 1 week evangelistic crusades—though I strongly believe in the value of such crusades—considering that God endorsed them in the ministry of Philip we see in Acts 8. Sustained power demonstration, Gospel sharing, networking with families, and numerical growth for a prolonged period of time ultimately is what effective church planting is about. When later Paul wrote the church of Ephesus an epistle, he said “you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone“—Ephesians 2:19-20. By that time the Ephesus church had become one of the most powerful Gentile centers of Christianity. It is in the midst of that growth explosion we read of quite unusual miracles that happened through the hands of Paul. It reached a point that people who took handkerchiefs home to those who were sick were able to see them miraculously healed, without Paul’s physical presence. The anointing is limitless in power when Christians sincerely believe. This was so successful that even some sons of Jewish priests tried to imitate Paul’s ministry. As the chapter progresses, we read “So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.”—Acts 19:20. That’s what church ministry should be. Spiritual decline is foreign to the book of Acts and Paul’s ecclesiology. This is going to happen in the coming great awakening in America. We are going to witness the most shocking demonstrations of power ever recorded—we will heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils, shut the mouths of lions, judge the wicked, move mountains, walk through walls, and consume evil with the fire from heaven. Acts chapter 20 is no less powerful. We see Paul giving his farewell address to the Elders of the church of Ephesus. One can read it in Acts 20:18-35. But if you read the earlier verses, you can also see the overnight preaching and the accident that happened to Eutychus and how he got raised from the dead. If our hearts are truly burning for Jesus, why don’t we take this challenge of Paul as the kind of example we should seek to follow ? [Psalms 111:6; Psalms 66:3; Deuteronomy 3:24; Judges 6:13; Joshua 3:5; Mark 16:15-20; Romans 15:18-20; Acts 8:8; Acts 5:14-16; Luke 6:18-19; John 14:12; Isaiah 53:11; Acts 17:30; Acts 14:16; Psalms 2:8; Genesis 49:10; Psalms 22:27; Psalms 65:8; Psalms 72:8; Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 60:3; Joel 3:14; John 4:35; Isaiah 60:22].

Friday, October 28th, 2022

And his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength, he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way— Ephesians 1:19-23.

When the church of Ephesus read these words, they were not some theory of what God could do for those who believe. They had witnessed these things as we have seen in Acts 19 study. Neither are these things confined to the first century church. They have been witnessed throughout the church age, including the 20th and 21st century. In an evangelism manual I wrote for our ministry in 2021, I have this testimony from a biography of Smith Wigglesworth written by Stanley Frodsham, called “The Apostle of Faith” — He narrates like this: My friend said, “She is dead.” He was scared. I have never seen a man so frightened in my life. “What shall I do?” he asked. You may think that what I did was absurd, but I reached over into the bed and pulled her out. I carried her across the room, stood her against the wall and held her up, as she was absolutely dead. I looked into her face and said, “In the name of Jesus I rebuke this death.” From the crown of her head to the soles of her feet her whole body began to tremble. “In the name of Jesus, I command you to walk,” I said. I repeated, “In the name of Jesus, in the name of Jesus, walk!” and she walked— Smith Wigglesworth’s life story [1859-1947] testifies that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But he is not alone. We know that there have been many other ministries like that. So, perhaps it is easier for us to read and understand Paul when he writes “And his incomparably great power for us who believe“—Ephesians 1:19. We already know that no one can be compared to Jehovah Most High. We praise Him that way in Psalms all the time. But Paul adds  “for us who believe.” If it were to tell us that God’s power is incomparable—”all for Himself”— we would have a whole list of miracles and stories that confirm this in the Bible. But that’s not what Paul says. As soon as we read  “for us who believe“—we realize the Gospel has called us into partnership. We are partakers of God’s divine nature and can do the same things that Jesus did [2 Peter 1:3-4; John 14:12]. This is important considering how it played a role in the success of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus. What happened in Ephesus would have been impossible for Paul without that power. This power that God has given us by the Holy Spirit is similar to the power the Father exerted when He shook the grave and resurrect the dead body of Jesus Christ. It is the same power that elevated Him in ascension and placed Him on the Father’s throne. Christ now is far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion. He is certainly above the angels of God [Hebrews 1:4]. He is above Satan and all forces of darkness [Philippians 2:9-11]. At the name of Jesus all these spiritual beings bow. Jesus is also above man—however intelligent ,sophisticated, and powerful. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him [Matthew 28:18-20]. The world we live in is held together by the power of His Word [Hebrews 1:3]. “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing.”—Isaiah 40:22- 23. We are all like dust in His presence, though the redeemed have been “called out” [Ekklesia= church]—from the world and have been changed from servants to friends of the king of kings [John 15:15; Revelation 1:5-18; 1 Peter 2:9-10]. Jesus has the name that is above every name and title. All things at interpersonal, institutional, city, provincial or state level, national, international, continental, or even at the United Nations, work “according to the counsel of his will“—[Ephesians 1:11; Romans 8:28-30; Isaiah 46:10; Job 42:2;  Job 34:29; Romans 11:33-36]. His understanding, knowledge, and wisdom are all infinite. His power has no limit [Colossians 2:3; Job 37:23]. Not only does Jesus have this power now in the church age, He shall even have this same power and authority when He comes to reign in Jerusalem in the millennium. In this age, Christ’s authority means that all things have been placed under His feet positionally—though they may not yet appear to be bowing at his feet in reality—they will be at some point [ Psalms 110:1-3; 1 John 5:19; Hebrews 10:13- again Matthew 28:18-20 and Philippians 2:9-11]. He is also the head over everything for the church and governs all affairs in the world for the spiritual benefit of his church. He is the head of all 5 ministries we read in Ephesians 4:11-16. He is certainly head of all pastors and denominations. All who have disagreements in their denominations can count on Him to help them in all their ecclesiastical matters. This church is the Body of Christ and “the fullness of Him.”—no other institution on earth is said to have the fullness of Christ Himself. Jesus is not in the church with the legs only or somehow “looking at us from above“—He is really in the church—in all His fullness, in all His glory, in all His power, in all His compassion [Matthew 18:18-20; Matthew 16:18-19; 1 Corinthians 5:4; Galatians 3:5; John 1:14;  2 Corinthians 6:16; Exodus 25:8; Isaiah 7:14]. There’s nothing impossible when the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is in our midst [Ephesians 3:19-21]. This is why the glory of the church is greater than any temple of the Old Testament. 

 

Saturday, October 29th, 2022

Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”— Revelation 19:7-9

All Christians are not going to die. Paul writes that some of us will be translated to glory without tasting death—when the rapture takes place [1 Corinthians 15:51-53; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17; John 14:1-4]. While John talks about a wedding that will follow, Paul also teaches that we will appear before the judgment seat of Christ [2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:10]—we do not see this judgment seat clearly mentioned in the book of Revelation. We do see the big white throne in Revelation 20, but the big white throne will be to judge damned sinners. It is generally believed that Christians will not stand before the big white throne, since their judgment will not be about determining their destination, whether heaven or hell, but about determining their rankings and positions in heaven. There will be Christians who will take 10 cities or 5 cities. There will be Christians who will suffer loss after the judgment seat of Christ, when the fire of God consumes all their works, having built in the kingdom using cheap hay and straw. Even our glorified bodies will not be the same, some will be like the moon in glory while others will be like megastars [ 1 Corinthians 3:10-14; Luke 19:12-27; 1 Corinthians 15:41-42; Philippians 3:21; 1 John 3:1-2; Daniel 12:3; Revelation 3:18]. In His grace, Christ provides rewards for little services like giving water to anyone who is a Christian [Matthew 10:41-42; Galatians 6:10]. Unfortunately, some will lose their rewards for not caring about people [Matthew 25:36-40; Revelation 3:11]. I have heard that if someone sows a seed into a prophet’s ministry, they will receive a prophet’s reward—that is a prophetic word or encounter or impartation —that will change their circumstances. I think we can all agree that there are always blessings associated with giving, both in this life and in the life to come [Luke 6:38; Matthew 6:19-21]. We also agree that those that benefit from any ministry are expected to support that ministry financially [Galatians 6:6]. However, Scriptures are rather clear that the most important rewards for our good works on earth—whether giving, helping, serving, healing, teaching, guiding—will all be ultimately rewarded in heaven [Matthew 5:12; Galatians 6:9; Revelation 22:12; Jeremiah 51:56; Isaiah 40:10; Genesis 15:1-2; Matthew 19:21]. This is not to say that Scriptures don’t promise temporal blessings [See Malachi 3:10, Proverbs 3:9-10]. it is to say that what is temporal should not be our greatest motivation. Look at how Paul worked hard for the kingdom of God  in Ephesus and then suffered after he left [Acts 20:23-24; 2 Timothy 2:9-10]. Yet, he said, “ I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”— 2 Tim 2:10. This seems to be like the best way to calculate the return on investment of what we do for the kingdom of God. We would not do the things we are supposed to do, to the extent we should do them, with the excellence we should do them, hastening the day of His coming—if  every service we offered was only a transactional one like businesses have with their customers. I have heard some Christians say, “don’t attempt to do great things for God, just rejoice in the fact that Jesus has done great things for you.”—that’s Satan’s deception. Indeed Christ loved us and called us. We love Him back and have answered His call. He promised to reward us for that. It is our services or good works that John sees arraying the bride in glory in Revelation 19:7-15—And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints [Rev 19:8]. Our good works don’t save us, but once we are saved, we serve diligently [ Ephesians 2:8-10; James 2:14-26]. Considering that we will wear all the good works we have done for God as our wedding gown, it would be lack of wisdom to be slack in serving God. We should be zealous for good works and do plenty of them [Romans 12:11; Ecclesiastes 9:10;  Acts 20:19; Matthew 20:6-14]. Our primary goal in service should be please the Lord who called us. We should serve according to the standards the Lord has set for us [Matthew 6:2-4; Matthew 5:14-16; 2 Timothy 2:5; 2 Corinthians 8:21; Galatians 1:10; Romans 15:2]. A soccer player cannot grab the ball and run with it in the hands, “as long as he can win.“—that’s a worldly mentality of success. Rewards are only for those who compete according to the rules—which means we have to actually know what those rules are and follow them. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ”—the Good News is that all Christians are the blessed invitees. But many are called and few will be chosen. Are we rapturable? Are we without wrinkle or blemish in God’s eyes ? Are we walking in holiness ? Do we serve to please God ? Are we telling others about this wedding banquet and “compelling them to come in ?“—Luke 14:23. When that day arrives, we will be walking down the golden streets of the Heavenly Jerusalem—with the blessed ones  like apostle Paul, apostle John, apostle Peter, Mary Magdalene, Enoch, Elijah, John Bunyan, George Whitefield, Saint Charbel,  Smith Wigglesworth, Billy Graham—and of course Jesus Christ Himself. What a day that will be!

Sunday, October 30th, 2022

Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!— Psalms 27:14

On the day I got born again, one fair evening of February, I had come into the conference hall for the evening session about 15-30 minutes earlier than the start time. Other people were socializing all around me, but I was reading John 3:3-8. I was 20 years old and I had been a Catholic my whole life. I had had 2 years of intense pursuit of God—having studied various authors, both Catholic and Protestant—including “The Imitation of Jesus Christ” by Thomas A Kempis, books on fasting and prayer by Zacharias Tannee Fomum, and another book by Watchman Nee—just to name a few—and having attended 6:30 am morning Catholic church mass on a daily basis. Even though I had grown up in a very religious Catholic home, these were some of the earliest authors to challenge my beliefs in spiritual matters. Some people could say I got born again at age 18 as I started to seek God intensely—and saw many incredible answers to my prayers—but I think that the real awareness of my New Birth was that evening when I was reading John 3:3-8—a passage that was not covered by the Protestant Evangelist I was listening to during the conference [James 1:18; John 1:12-13]. I got baptized by immersion the following day—a very hard decision considering I had been “baptized” as an infant at 9 months—as a Catholic. But when I was reading John 3:3-8, during that waiting time in the sanctuary by myself—for the very first time the reading of the Scriptures seemed to be very different than what I had been used to. There was an actual voice, still small voice, very clearly illuminating. It was like Jesus or the Holy Spirit were saying “This is the true way of salvation.” Just like Nicodemus, I had been religious—but I was not born again. And Jesus said “unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God“—John 3:3. I wanted to see the kingdom of God. That was the whole purpose of my religious activities. I did not care about the traditions I had known or followed up to that time—if I was going to follow Jesus and obey whatever He commanded me. If Jesus said “this is the only way you can see the kingdom of God“—then the matter is settled. Going to church cannot make someone enter the kingdom of God—even though it is commanded. Partaking of the Lord’s Supper or the “Eucharist“—as we called it in the Catholic church—cannot make someone see the kingdom of God. Participating in choirs, writing liturgical songs, and even teaching on the Bible—all cannot make someone see the kingdom of God—only being born again can. But I had never realized this in all my religious upbringing until that evening when I was waiting in the sanctuary, 30 minutes before the evening service. While waiting itself is not what brought me to God—as I had the habit of being in church services 15-30 minutes early and sitting quietly praying before services—for many years—it was only that time that I discovered the voice of God in my waiting in the sanctuary. We can say that God had chosen that moment to reveal Himself to me. This is important because no one can break from religious traditions without being led by a supernatural and powerful force. There are more hindrances to a religious person to embrace the reality of Christ and His kingdom, than there are for those who have never been involved in religion—and therefore already know that they don’t know anything. Our attentiveness in waiting and receptivity will be awakened by our humble recognition of what we lack. If we think we know, when we do not know, then we will never really know. The ignorant have their own blessings—in a way—as they are less likely to pretend to know God when they do not. David tells us in our opening passage of Psalms 27:14— “wait on the Lord“—and he says “he shall strengthen your heart.” One precedes the other always. We see this in the well-known passage of Isaiah 40:29-31—”those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.”— I have always been touched by Paul’s words—”I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength“—1 Timothy 1:12. Paul wasn’t saying that Jesus made him muscular. The Greek word used is “endunamoo“—which means to fill with power and increase in strength. While we know a lot about Paul and he attributes his successful ministry to the strength that Jesus gave him, it is safe to conclude that he obtained that strength through the established pattern of waiting on the Lord [Acts 9:9-17; Galatians 1:15-18]. Strength does indeed arise as we wait upon the Lord. Let us get into His presence, read the Scriptures, hear His voice—pray over what we have heard—receive a fresh impartation of His strength—and go to do what He instructed us, with “good courage.” Obeying God in what we know He has revealed to us as we waited upon Him—and received His strength—should not be with hesitation or trepidation. We cannot be like Peter when Jesus told him to walk on water and go to him [Matthew 14:29-31]. The Hebrew word David uses for courage is “Amets”—which can also mean being bold, alert, determine, steadfastly minded, established, hardened, and stout. We see it used in Joshua 1 verses 6, 7, 9, 18.  Joshua must have paid attention to Moses because strength and courage became his stamp on history [Joshua 10:1-43]. He had also known God through waiting in the tabernacle too [Exodus 33:11].

Monday, October 31st, 2022

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service—1 Timothy 1:12

Few days after Saul’s conversion, we read that “Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ—Acts 9:22. Days earlier he had been among Jewish leaders who persecuted Christians and now he was an unashamed defender of the way of Jesus [Romans 1:16; Galatians 1:23-24]. Where did apostle Paul gain that much strength to go against his former comrades in darkness and courage to stand upon the truth—in a such short period of time ? Do new converts in the churches of our cities and nations start doing this in their first 6-12 months after conversion ? Well, normally they should. Scriptures declare, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.“— James 4:17. This means that if we know that winning souls is wise and standing idly when the name of Christ is maligned is foolish — and we fail to witness for the Lord, we are sinning [Mark 8:34-38; Proverbs 11:30; Ezekiel 3:18; Matthew 20:6-14; Matthew 9:37-38; Acts 20:26; Jeremiah 48:10]. If we know that God answers prayers and has called us to pray for our families, cities, and nations—and yet fail to pray fervently, then we are committing sin [1 Samuel 12:23; Romans 9:2-4; 2 Chronicles 7:14; 1 Timothy 2:1-5; Isaiah 31:1; Ephesians 6:10-18]. If we know that we should work hard to provide financially, not just for our own needs and families—but also have more left over to give to others and fail to do so, that is a sin [Acts 20:34-35; Galatians 2:10; Romans 15:1; Acts 10:3-4; Proverbs 12:24; Luke 6:38; Matthew 6:2-4; Proverbs 13:22; 1 Timothy 5:8]. If we know that Jesus went about doing good and healing all the sick that were oppressed by the devil, and we fail to do the same, then that’s also a sin [Acts 10:38; Matthew 14:14; Galatians 6:9; Matthew 10:8; Luke 6:46;  John 14:12; Luke 12:47]. In fact, Scriptures declare, “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”—Romans 14:23. We also know that in the Great Commission that Jesus gave us, He said “To teach them to obey everything I have commanded you“—Matthew 28:18-20, which gives us 2 tasks: first, we have to obey everything Jesus commanded ourselves, and then, we have to make disciples who obey everything that Jesus commanded. We cannot make disciples teaching them to obey what we are not obeying ourselves. Both tasks will be enormous and would be impossible without divine strength. We cannot accomplish them by our own human efforts. We need divine strength for living the Christian life [Matthew 26:41; John 6:63; Romans 8:4].  We also need God’s strength for ministering to others [1 Peter 4:11; Acts 1:8; Luke 24:49]. So, how did apostle Paul gain the strength to do these things, then ? Our opening Bible verse of 1 Timothy 1:12 provides us an answer: Jesus Christ gave Paul His strength—and sight—as he prayed [Acts 9:9-17]. Since God is no respecter of persons, if we seek Him like Paul did, then He will also give us the strength we need, both to walk in holiness and to fulfill the great commission, serving others [Acts 10:34-35; Romans 2:11; Acts 20:21]. God distributes His graces to all who seek them diligently and sincerely [Hebrews 11:6; Jeremiah 29:13; 1 Corinthians 14:1; Matthew 7:7-11]. Since Paul knew that his spiritual children in the faith could only be effective with supernatural strength from above, he prays a prayer asking for the same in Ephesians 3:16-20. “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”—Ephesians 3:16. That’s like giving blood transfusion to an anemic patient. I have heard a proverb that goes like “give man a fish and you will feed him for a day. If you teach him how to fish, you will feed him for a lifetime.”—That’s how I see Paul’s prayer of Ephesians 3:16-20. If people have spiritual, relational, physical, and financial problems and they keep going to a prophet or an apostle to give them a word from God and help them sort out their troubles—they will keep going back to the same person for as long as they remain weak. But If they are prayed for to receive divine strength in their inner being and taught how to receive and walk in that strength—God will lift them up and carry them—then they will be free to solve their problems and can go and teach others to do the same—that’s the essence of discipleship, reproduction, and multiplication. Jesus had strengthened Paul in his inner-man. He could be thrown in a jail in Philippi and be burst out supernaturally with an earth-shaking seismic activity, as he prayed and praised God [Acts 16:25-31]. He did not need anyone to rescue him. He had all the rescue he needed deposited on the inside, because he had been “strengthened with God’s power in the inner man.”—And don’t think that the Romans 7 Paul who was too weak to obey God’s law stayed there either. We read the Romans 8 and Galatians 2 new Paul who walked after the Spirit and lived the life by faith in the Son of God—effectively annulling himself—and allowing Christ to live His own life in him [Romans 7:19; Romans 8:4; Galatians 2:20]. Christ’s strength in Paul’s inner man was Christ’s own presence [Luke 1:49; Romans 5:6; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Colossians 1:27]. Some Bible versions translate “Seek the Lord and His strength“—1 Chronicles 16:11; Psalms 105:4 [KJV; NASB], as “look to the Lord and His strength” [NIV], while the GNT reads “Go to the Lord for help“—what a powerful revelation for our total obedience—both in our personal lives and and serving the needs of others! We have the strength of Christ ! [ 1 Corinthians 1:25; Ezekiel 37:10]

Tuesday,  November 1st, 2022

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death—Philippians 3:10.

In Daniel 11:32 we read “but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits“—where we see him prophesying about the Maccabees, who resisted Antiochus Epiphanes, despite being outnumbered and less equipped militarily. This came from a firm resolution they had not to defile themselves with the abomination that he had brought to their land [2 Maccabees 9:1-12; 2 Maccabees 7:1-32; 1 Maccabees chapter 1, 2, and 3]. They knew their God and held firm and God delivered them. Even Daniel himself with the Jewish friends that were with him in Babylon were strengthened by their firm convictions—that came from knowing God intimately. The book of Daniel with many dramatic events that took place in Babylon is a testimony of what God can do with those who know Him.  But God had even better promises for the least of the saints of the New Testament [Matthew 11:11; Luke 10:24].  As we continue our devotionals on Psalms 27:14, on waiting on God and being strengthened as we wait—we should consider that knowing God and being known by Him is usually part of this process, which we can call a bridge towards becoming strong. This is confirmed to us when we consider how apostle Paul rewrites Isaiah 64:4—”Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him“—in 1 Corinthians 2:9, saying that no eyes has seen, no ear has heard what God has prepared for those who love Him. We wait on God because we love Him. And “whoever loves God is known by God“—1 Corinthians 8:3—or is recognized by God. Such a  person has a divine seal of approval and even Satan knows them and fears them [Acts 19:15]. Waiting on God as we search the Scriptures, worship, pray, and seeking guidance for our steps to be ordered of the Lord—quietly submitting ourselves to His light— is a place where we get to have intimate knowledge of God and God gets to have intimate knowledge of us—we become His friends. Spiritual knowledge usually comes to us in the form of revelation—the divine light is switched on and that brings us understanding of spiritual mysteries. The coming of Jesus was described this way—the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light [Isaiah 9:2; Matthew 4:16]. While multitudes of people saw that light, there were disciples that He chose that got access to even more mysteries and secrets of His kingdom [Matthew 13:11-13; John 12:38-40].  The role revelation plays in knowing God and understanding the kingdom prompted Paul to pray for it for the churches He had ministered to or heard about [Ephesians 1:17-19; Colossians 1:9]. This revelational knowledge, or “epignosis” as Paul called it is inexhaustible. At the end of our lives we will still know in part [1 Corinthians 13:9; Romans 11:33-36; Psalms 147:5].  Even though Paul was already advanced in his knowledge of Christ, he kept saying that he had not yet been made perfect [ Philippians 3:13-14]—and that he wanted to know Jesus and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship with His sufferings. We all can agree that many of us already know Christ, know that He was crucified for our sins, and that He rose on the third day. Are we automatically as strong, powerful, anointed, and greatly used by God to advance His kingdom like apostle Paul ? In many situations this may not be the case. Why then ? The knowledge of our Lord Jesus is meant to be productive and bring us into ” all the good things we have in Christ.”—2 Peter 1:8; Philemon 1:6. It is not meant to be ” Oh, I know that!” It should be transformational for ourselves and world changing. It should lead to dispelling darkness, defeating Satan, and advancing the kingdom of God in all its aspects.  So, if we conclude that we do not have what Paul had, our goal should be to know Jesus and the power of His resurrection like Paul did. We should long for the intimate relationship that Paul had with Jesus. We should count the cost of discipleship to lose the things of the world for the sake of the kingdom and follow Jesus all the way. We should learn to wait upon God and not be like the world that is always in hurry because of the cares of bios-life. Paul, like many other people, had known Jesus initially through a vision when he was not pursuing Him. But to know Jesus intimately everyone has to seek Him and pursue Him diligently. Waiting upon God will bring us to know His heartbeat—the things He cares about, the things He is concerned about, the things He wants, the things that make Him angry, the things that please Him, the things that He loves, the things that He is passionate about and zealous to see happening in the world. Waiting upon God is instrumental in helping the saints attain intimate knowledge of the Lord’s ways and heart [Psalms 103:7]. It is that intimate knowledge that makes them strong and helps them to carry out great exploits. The Holy Spirit descended upon the church for this very purpose. Jesus is away from us and yet He is with us always through His Spirit. He says “ Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors“—Proverbs 8:34.  Why ? Because those are the only people who will come to know the living God. Jesus Christ is alive and is worthy to be pursued. The power of His resurrection is the answer to all the problems of the world. May He use us to reveal that power to our generation!

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2022

They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.—Psalms 84:7

It is our intimate knowledge of Jesus Christ that will make us strong and effective for the kingdom of God [Daniel 11:32; 2 Peter 1:8; Philemon 1:6; Ephesians 1:17-19]. To understand spiritual concepts, often the Bible uses earthly or physical examples or metaphors to help us [John 3:11-12; Hebrews 5:11; 1 Corinthians 2:7-8]. For example, we read in Proverbs 14:4, “Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests.” We know that Solomon is talking about an ox, but this has also been used as a metaphor for Christian ministers of the Gospel [ 1 Timothy 5:7-9; 1 Corinthians 9:9-14; Matthew 10:10]. When Paul quotes Deuteronomy 25:4, he asks “Is it about oxen that God is concerned?“—to imply that this was a figure of speech.  But if Paul is comparing Christian ministry to oxen treading out the grain—then the minister of the Gospel is expected to be strong and productive. From that strength and productivity will come abundant harvest. Some have suggested that the meaning of the “manger is clean” of Proverbs 14:4 to mean that ministry can get messy sometimes—while I am not necessarily sure if that is what Solomon meant, my focus is on the strength of the ox. Thankfully, the strength to produce spiritual and supernatural results does not come from ourselves, it comes from Christ [John 15:5; Zechariah 4:6]. So, we now have a Biblical pattern of progression. Waiting on God leads to loving God. Loving God leads to being recognized by God. Being recognized by God leads to God revealing Himself to us and giving us the knowledge of the Holy One [Proverbs 9:10; Psalms 111:10; John 15:15; Psalms 25:14]. It is that revelational knowledge that we work with to grow strong.  Knowledge must be worked otherwise it will be unproductive. This is also known as obedience. If we receive Rhema word of God while waiting upon God or if we get a revelation spoken to us in our spirits or through a vision, God expects us to act upon it to get the results of what it promised. This is why the work of ministry is compared to oxen because the word and the work go hand in hand. There would be no harvest without such a combination. Faith without works is dead. Revelation without action is unproductive. Knowledge without obedience is ineffective. We only get a harvest from the knowledge we work with [Matthew 13:11-13]. Each time we come out of our waiting time before God we should ask ourselves, “What did the Lord speak to me today and how am I going to obey Him ?” The Psalms 84 that we are reading today is another good example of how this works. It starts with saying “How lovely is your dwelling place“—in Psalms 84:1, and then goes on to say, “Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.”—Psalms 84:4. This is the very core of waiting upon God. The Hebrew word that is used for “dwell” is Yashab and it means to sit still, abide, stay, inhabit, and settle. They are in the house of God but they are not waiting like patients wait at a doctor’s office or restaurant patrons wait in the drive thru. Waiting upon God should not be an occasion for falling asleep in the couch. We see Jesus waiting upon the Father in the garden of Gethsemane, but he was wrestling in prayer [Luke 22:44; Hebrews 5:7]. There were loud cries and sweat of blood. Hardly is waiting upon God these days carried out like the work of oxen. Which may explain why there’s little harvest in our waiting. Those who dwell in the house of God are ever praising Him. They abide there, continuously offering sacrifices. He goes on to say, “Blessed are those whose strength is in you.”—Psalms 84:5. People usually boast of where their strength comes from. They could say “we have 500 F-35 fighter jets and feel confident we could defeat that nation in war.” Sometimes they may even boast of the strength they have accumulated, but which did not come from their own efforts, rather was given by God—to their own detriment—as God will be jealous for His glory being taken [Daniel 4:30; 2 Chronicles 26:16; Hebrews 3:4]. We praise God because our strength comes from God. I remember reading the book “The Glory: Experiencing the atmosphere of heaven“—by Ruth Heflin. She talks about how praise has been used by God as an instrument of harvest and warfare—then somewhere shows how Jesus quotes Psalms 8:2, where David wrote that “from the mouth of babes God had ordained strength“— to interpret that “God had ordained praise from the mouths of children” [Matthew 21:6]. Of course David doesn’t want praise to be in the mouths only. He wants “everything within me“—Psalms 103:1; Matthew 15:8—not just the mouths. So, praise is in fact synonymous with strength. This reminds us what happened in Philippi when Paul was praising God in prison. Waiting upon God while praising Him is one of the ways we can grow in His strength. In Psalms 84:6 we see what this garment of praise does for the saints. They pass through the Valley of Baca, also known as the Valley of Weeping, a dry place that would normally be discouraging, but they do not lose their courage or zeal for God. It is a fact that in this world all saints will face tribulations. The question is whether we shall overcome those tribulations—only the strong saints will be able to. “They go from strength to strength till they appear before God in Zion“—Psalms 84:7. Far from being slowed down by that hard valley, they become emboldened even more, with ever increasing faith, ever increasing strength, and ever increasing joy [Nehemiah 8:10; Romans 4:20]—till they appear before God in Zion. Usually that’s always a place of abundance, flowing with milk and honey—where glory and goodness dwell [Psalms 84:11; Isaiah 33:24; Obadiah 1:17; Hebrews 12:22; Isaiah 61:3; Isaiah 54:3; Psalms 65:1;Psalms 110:2]. Thus, they are able to display God’s splendor. 

Thursday, November 3rd, 2022

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go—Joshua 1:9

We had talked about how Joshua was a man who knew how to wait on God, while mentioning Exodus 33: 11, at the beginning of this week. I find Joshua to be such a good example of leadership training that I wonder why modern leadership courses tend to be full of secular psychology and management lessons—even when they are done by Christians in church settings. I am all for learning from everyone out there, but the church is a different institution and things that are taught—such as leadership or pastoral training should actually be endorsed by the Bible. So, what are the lessons of leadership that we learn from Joshua ? The first one is the waiting lesson. When Moses was speaking to God face to face, Joshua would be there. It doesn’t say that Caleb was there or Eleazar was there. These could have joined in, but Joshua was attracted to God’s glorious presence more. I wonder why other people did not take this opportunity. Many of us have heard of amazing spiritual experiences, miracles, and revivals and we were like—I wish I was there. Don’t you think it would have been great to be there when William Seymour prayed for 4 hours every morning asking God to pour out the Pentecostal blessing ? I wish I was there. Don’t you think it would have been great to see William Seymour, F.F. Bosworth, and John.G.Lake team up to build part of the early networks of Pentecostal Revivalists ? What about John.G. Lake’s glorious revivals in South Africa ?The truth is, there are often glorious things that God does in the world and they pass before the eyes of the saints before they realize their value and take advantage of them. There are men and women of God who are here today and could be instrumental in training young ministers but those young ministers are not hungry to learn. This gripped me last year when T.B. Joshua died. Are we hungry enough to learn from anointed servants of God in the world today ? This is something that Joshua did not miss. He took the opportunity to learn from Moses. He was not always perfect, as we see him arguing that people who were prophesying outside of the camp should be silenced [Numbers 11:21-30]—yet when Moses corrected his mistake, he understood. So, Joshua gained significantly from those moments he lingered in God’s glory. Those moments he stayed behind even after Moses left. There were seasons I was so hungry for God—I would stay at church on Sunday nights praying till 3-4 am. Of course, I have become even hungrier as I gained more wisdom and understanding has become my sister [Proverbs 7:4]. Revivalists we read in church history most likely made much of sermons they heard because of prayer. Often the value of God’s presence, His teachings, His revelations, and miracles—produce different results—because earnestly seeking God plays a role in preparing the soil of those who hear or see them [Matthew 13: 18-23]. The harvest is proportional to the fertility of the soil we provide for the Word to work in our hearts. After Moses died, Joshua became the leader of Israel. God had told Moses about this to prepare him [ Deuteronomy 1:37-38; Deuteronomy 3:27-28]. This brings us to the second trait of Joshua—faithfulness [Numbers 11:28]. As he took command, we see  God telling him to be “strong and courageous“—Joshua 1: 3, 6, 9,  18. Waiting and faithfulness may qualify men of God for service, but if they will not deliver on the day of battle it would not be of much benefit. We can wait in silence, pray for hours, fast, and read our Bibles—but how we minister to various needs the people have will be successful only if we are strong and courageous in our faith—ready and able to release the power of God to demonstrate that Jesus Christ is alive and reigns as king. Even the battles that Israel did not need much fighting in like Jericho—required Joshua’s strong leadership [Joshua 6]. Some battles were more fierce than others [Judges 7:1-14]. Other situations required the use of authority within the camp of Israel [Joshua 7:15-26; Joshua 1:18]. Both required strength. Only when we are broken enough in the secret place of our waiting can we understand how challenging these decisions can be. God had sent them to conquer the land, but adherence to divine instructions was paramount. I have often been reminded that even though we may not be called to fight like Joshua—with swords and arrows—we have been instructed to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might—which involves the full armor of God [Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6]. We need the belt of truth for example. This is a hard one. What happens if Christians you would agree with politically or culturally embrace lies and deception ? Would you disagree with your own camp ? Well, the truth is blind to personalities, parties, and partnerships [Acts 10:34-35; Galatians 2:11-20]. We either keep it as a weapon to win divine favor or sacrifice it to please people and lose God’s blessings. The truth is often bigger than most people realize. If I wake up and think that Santa Claus is real, does that automatically make it so because millions of children may have been told this story to make Christmas fun ? Thankfully, we have the Bible. The Word of God is truth and unchangeable. In the midst of various opinions and guesses of fallen creatures, Scriptures unite the saints regarding God’s declared will. If our waiting on God does not anchor us in the truth, we will find it hard to gain strength from anywhere else [Isaiah 7:9; Hebrews 12:12; John 17:17; Acts 17:21; Proverbs 12:11; Numbers 23:19]. May the grace of Immanuel embolden us with courage! He will be with us always, even to the very end of the age [Mark 16:20; Matthew 28:20].

Friday, November 4th, 2022

Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.—1 Samuel 30:6.

The old days were not always good—we see that in what happened to David in Ziklag. We often compare the present to the past and could relish the past with a blanket absolution of all that went wrong, simply because we were not there, while condemning the present because of the evil we see surrounding us. To be clear, even Jesus condemned his generation. But He did not necessarily exonerate the past. [Matthew 11: 16-26; Matthew 16:1-4; Luke 11:46-51]. So, what happened to David in Ziklag ? Marauding Amalekites attacked the city and burned it [1 Samuel 30:1]. The Philistinian army had gone to fight Saul on the mountains of Gilboa, where Saul and Jonathan would end up dead. David also was not in town. The city had been left unprotected. The Amalekites came and killed people, looted, raped, kidnapped, and burned it down. This is really the succinct story of humanity after the fall of man. David was the leader of hundreds of men who had joined him in exile, while he was with the Philistines, running away from Saul. Yet, even these loyal soldiers and brethren could not stand defeat, loss, and humiliation—they blamed him. Some of the soldiers with David included the sons of Zeruiah, his own sister—they were Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. For security reasons, David had moved his own father—Jesse—and his mother, Nitzevet, to the kingdom of Moab, when he left the cave of Adullam he was hiding in [1 Samuel 22:1-4]. The times were hard. He did not have much except the word of the Lord that all would work out in his favor in the end. Now, this happens in the midst of all those hardships. Even as a hardened soldier in the wilderness, he could not take the abuse, insults, and threats from his own contingent. He wasn’t distressed simply because of the loss—even though that was painful—he was distressed because his own companions were talking about stoning him. Often responsibility for unfortunate things and calamities that fall upon camps, cities, and regions is on the shoulders of those who are in leadership. Sometimes the losses could be so significant that people aren’t just considering of abandoning, voting out, or dismissing the leader—but they are actually enraged enough to kill the leader. They were mostly bitter because of their families and relatives who had been kidnapped. The Hebrew word for “distressed” here is “Yatsar”—which also can mean being straightened in straits and being vexed. Many people have felt that kind of heartache, sorrow, grief, and sadness—that built up into real torment, suffering, and agony. Even Jesus felt that in the garden of Gethsemane, when considering the trial, whips, and nails of the cross. We want both our bodies and souls to prosper—but more importantly—that’s how God meant things to be—He wants the same for us [3 John 2; Jeremiah 29:11; Isaiah 13:6-7; Jeremiah 6: 23- 24; Jeremiah 50: 42-43; Psalms 35:27; Psalms 20:1; Isaiah 55:12; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Jeremiah 30:10; Lamentation 3:26]. So, distress is natural in the face of tragedy. Betrayal can compound that distress and create real anguish. “But David strengthened himself in the Lord“—the first thing we note here is that inner-strength is voluntary and independent of our surroundings, friendships, and circumstances. Encouragement from other people is good, but there may be situations in which a person will not be able to get that—and even if they do—it may not be enough. Courage and strength are resources of the spirit. They are like calories for the body, ATP for the cells, or glucose for the brain. If our bodies are energy-deficient, they will not function properly. If our spirits are strength-less, we cannot be joyful, peaceful, or hold firm to holy convictions. The Hebrew word for “strengthened” here is “Chazaq”—which can also mean to collect strength, be securely established, give powerful support, prevail, gain ascendancy, sustain, recover, and uphold. How did David strengthen himself in the Lord ? Knowing that David was a Psalmist and looking at Psalms 18, for example, we can get the idea of how David might have strengthened himself in the Lord. It starts with the words—”I love you, LORD, my strength.”—Psalms 18:1. Then he goes on to praise the Lord in all His attributes of strength—”The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”—Psalms 18:2. This is what we should do when we are waiting on God in all circumstances, especially challenging ones. The good thing about knowing God is that we will realize that there’s a name of Jehovah attached to every situation we may face. We know He is Jehovah Nissi, our banner or our victory [Exodus 17:14-15]. He is Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of the armies or the Lord of the heavenly hosts [1 Samuel 1:11; 2 Samuel 7:27; 1 Samuel 17:26]. And He is Jehovah Milchamah, the Lord of Battle or Man of war [Exodus 15:3; Isaiah 42:13]. He is all of this for the sake of His people who trust in Him. So, David strengthened himself in the Lord by remembering who God was to Him. He probably sang praises. The entire Psalm 18 shows us how David’s victories were rooted in this type of strength in the Lord [See verses 6, 14, 17, 19, 29, 31, 32, 34, 37-43, and 50] . It is after he received that impartation from above he gained the courage to command the army and go after the Amalekites and—”fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day“—and recovered everything they had taken [1 Samuel 30:17-18]. May we look to Him and be radiant ! May the Lord be our strength and victory today !

Saturday, November 5th, 2022

The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.—2 Samuel 3:1

We read in 2 Samuel 2: 9-10, that Abner, the former commander of Saul’s armies took Ish-bosheth, a surviving son of Saul, and ” made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel. Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to David.”—so, for a period of 2 years, the land of Israel was divided into 2 camps or kingdoms. This, again would occur after Solomon died, during the reign of Rehoboam. So, what tore the nation apart, what brought it together, and what divided it again ? The root of the initial breaking was envy and jealousy. Saul became envious of David after he killed Goliath. That’s strange because usually the less powerful people are supposed to be the ones envying the more powerful ones. But when power is involved, holding onto it at any cost can become an idol. So, the powerful can become ruthless and envious of little harmless individuals, because everyone who is blessed by God becomes a threat to them. That’s how Herod ended up killing all the children of Bethlehem, simply because he had heard the news that baby Jesus was born to be king [Matthew 2:1-2; Matthew 2:11-19]. Surely young babies under 2 years of age were not a threat to him! What about Pharaoh in Egypt at the time Moses was born ? We see the same thing [Exodus 1:8-22]. A murderous king killing infants who were not a threat to his rule. But he feared that one day the men would grow up and rise up against his kingdom. The fact is, earthly dominion has been like this since the fall. It doesn’t matter whether there’s a monarchy, a republic, or democracy, or “theocracy“—the name or intention of dominion is not the issue—the heart of man is. The more selfish, chauvinistic, and earthly the rulers are, the more wicked they become. So, the initial tearing of Israel was because of envy. Now Ish-bosheth would reign over the 11 tribes for 2 years while David was in Hebron at the same time. Their armies would clash during those 2 years. David won Israel to reign over the whole land not only because of the increasing power of his army, but his evident kindness and gentleness. Look at how he mourned Abner, a former general of Saul’s army, who was killed by Joab, in vengeance for Asahel’s life [2 Samuel 2:18-23; 2 Samuel 3:20-37]. The 11 tribes of Israel took notice that David had separated himself from Joab’s cold blood killing—and was not responsible for his general’s crimes. People were pleased and trusted his rule. We see the same thing when some of Ish-bosheth’s soldiers betrayed him and killed him while he was sleeping and brought his head to David in Hebron, to prove their loyalty [2 Samuel 4:5-11]. So, the 11 tribes of Israel surrendered not because of military defeat, but because of the trust David built through kindness and generosity. He also had proven faithfulness and leadership over the years [2 Samuel 5:1-4]. That’s what united the country for a space of 2 generations—the kingdom of David and Solomon—a total of 80 years—40 years of reign for David and 40 years of reign for Solomon—before it broke again when Rehoboam ascended to power. That second tearing apart was because of Rehoboam’s youthful rashness, irrational thinking, and maintaining forced labor to increase state productivity. In short, arrogant authoritarianism and high taxation in form of slavery—citizens forced to work for the state unpaid. Solomon had been able to do this and his kingdom stayed united because of the respect other tribes had for his excellent wisdom and the economic prosperity that wisdom had brought to the nation—but Rehoboam didn’t have that—so they were no longer bound to work for free without that respect for the king or economic apogee [1 Kings 12:1-19]. In one word, David and Solomon succeeded because of credible—divine-inspired—justice. They may not have been perfect in everything—but their sincerity towards that goal was obvious to everyone. From a military point of view, this strategy of wisdom paid off for David during the 2 years his army clashed with that of Saul’s family. 1 tribe fighting 11 tribes was outnumbered. But David had the divine anointing, his army was more organized and disciplined, and his decisions were wise, kind, and firm. He was not going to compromise God’s call or anointing, so he had to fight. But his authority was not going to exceed what was appropriate, so he negotiated whenever opportunity for peaceful resolution came up. He fought when he should and kept quiet when he shouldn’t fight. He also understood his limits in controlling his own army—”And even though I am the anointed king, these two sons of Zeruiah—Joab and Abishai—are too strong for me to control“—2 Samuel 3:39—they were very loyal and efficient militarily [2 Samuel 23:13-20]—but they were stiff-necked, oppressive, stubborn, and harsh [translation of the Hebrew word, “Qasheh”—in “too strong for me”— in 2 Sam 3:39]. Because David knew his limits, he understood that part of managing his own camp was delaying taking action on some of the most beneficial and yet evil soldiers [1 Kings 2:5-6]. Bringing Joab to justice was part of David’s unfinished business that Solomon had to take care of. Christians often fail to maintain this kind of balance we see in David. They either vacillate to seek the advancement of the kingdom of Christ in appropriate warfare and strategic decisions or they seek to do advance it through unbiblical tactics. But the goals of the great commission can’t be compromised—all spheres of society must be affected—at the same time its implementation should be done in God’s way—according to the Scriptures, by the Holy Spirit. 

Sunday, November 6th, 2022

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls—Matthew 11: 28- 29

Saint Augustine is credited with the famous quote, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”—so, it is rather a great blessing that the restlessness of the human heart is not a burden that has no solution—indeed the answer to this has been given by our Lord Jesus when He said “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” The burdens humans carry vary from individual to individual, from culture to culture, and from nation to nation—and though Scriptures teach us to “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”—Galatians 6:2, it is a command that the holy saints obey while knowing that ultimately Jesus is our all-burdens carrier. To him all people—small and great; all nations—rich and poor—can look with hope, entrusting Him all their burdens, whether they are easy to carry or heavy to lift. They may be burdens of iniquity, burdens of financial debt, burdens of slavery in all its forms, bondages of addictions, burdens of troubles, pressures of hostility— a  yoke of workplace oppression and labor exploitation—demonic oppression, the strife of tongues—and all other kinds of hardships that push down the soul and prevent it from flourishing and excelling into its God-intended purposes[Isaiah 10:27; Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18; Exodus 1:14;  Exodus 3:7; Acts 7:34; Exodus 6:6; Genesis 21:17-19; 2 Kings 4:1-7; Isaiah 54:17; Romans 8:32; Galatians 3:13; Psalms 31:20; James 5:4; Acts 10:38; Luke 13:16; 1 John 3:8; John 10:10; Psalms 66:12; Psalms 68:11-12; John 8:36; 2 John 2; Psalms 1:3; John 15:16; Galatians 5:1]—Jesus has come to declare the year of Jubilee—that is the Good News of the Gospel dispensation—when debts are cancelled, slavery ended, bondages broken, oppression terminated, diseases healed, and captives are set at liberty. No other philosophy, teaching, religion, or even government on earth can offer this to human souls. Jesus calls us to come to Him and He gives these things to us, “without money and without price.”—Isaiah 55:1-2. The question is whether we will believe who He says He is and is able to do what He says He can do for us. Will we keep trying to “pull ourselves by our bootstraps“—or will we entrust such a task to the Lifter of our heads ?—do we believe that Christ’s offer is for real ? [Hebrews 11:1; Romans 4:17-21; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Numbers 23:19; Psalms 3:3; Psalms 113:7-8; Psalms 27:6; Psalms 30:1]. When we read the Gospels, we find that the Jesus there is a caring Savior. Remember the time when thousands of people who had come to hear him were hungry ?— He said: “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar“—Mark 8:2-3—surely this compassion has not dried from His heart. Will He let his followers faint now ? If people’s needs were physical, He had bread and fish to give them multiplied. If the needs were spiritual, His compassion looked upon their souls with mercy and called for the Lord of the Harvest to send to them more laborers [Matthew 9: 35-38; John 4:34-36]. He did not neglect their bodily needs and He understood the greater benefits of their spiritual good. Both our bodies and souls were made by God for His glory and He cares for His creation so deeply that no need goes unnoticed and all those who call upon Him sincerely—in faith—are answered [Jeremiah 33:3; John 15:7; 1 John 5:14-15; James 4:2-3; John 14:13; Psalms 72:12; Psalms 145:16; Luke 1:53]. In exchange for our burdens, He asks us to take His yoke—accept His leadership, friendship, teachings, instructions, cross, and service. He is a Good Shepherd, so His leadership is gentle and wise [Psalms 23:1; John 10:11]. He is a Good Friend—who will be closer than our brothers, who will fight for us in adversity, and tell us the deepest secrets of the Father’s kingdom [John 15:15; Proverbs 18:24; Proverbs 17:17; James 2:23; Exodus 14;14; Romans 8:31; Jeremiah 33:3]. He is a Good Teacher—who will teach us how to profit in divine commandments and things that will benefit us, not just in our walk now but also for eternity [Isaiah 48:17; John 3:2; Jeremiah 3:15; Hosea 4:6; Isaiah 30:21; 1 John 2:27; John 14:26; Luke 6:40]. His instructions guide us with clarity and bring us into the Promised Land [John 14:6; John 16:13; Romans 8:14; Psalms 32:8; John 8:12; Proverbs 4:18; Psalms 119:105; Psalms 66:12; Joshua 21:45]. His cross frees us from the world and all the burdens that it casts upon us, so that we can share in the inheritance of His kingdom [Galatians 6:14; John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Romans 8:17; Mark 10:30; John 17:16; Luke 9:23-27; John 12:24; Philippians 3:10]. His service is delightful and rewarding— yielding precious silver, gold, and eternal glory [Proverbs 8:19; Hebrews 11:6; Isaiah 45:19; Revelation 22:12; Genesis 15:1; John 14:1-3; Psalms 73:24; Psalms 84:11; Malachi 3:10; Revelation 2:27; Revelation 3:8; Revelation 3:21; 2 Timothy 2:9-10]—why would we refuse this yoke ? Why would we reject this offer ?—Christ is our peace [Ephesians 2:14; Judges 6:24]. Our anxieties will be healed in Him. Our worries will find their rest in Him. Our concerns will be answered by Him. Let us come to Him with great expectation!

Monday, November 7th, 2022

The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering—Exodus 3:7

In Exodus 2:23, we read: During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God— how the prayers of Israel led to God putting in place a plan for their deliverance [Exodus 3:9]. God had already told Abraham that his descendants would be slaves in Egypt for 400 years [Genesis 15:13]. So, they already knew they would be delivered at some point based on that prophecy. The time of their cries coincided with the time that Moses was nearing 40 years in Midian. Moses had fled to Midian because he had initially failed, while trying to save Israel in his own strength and by his own initiative [Exodus 2:14-15]. Even for the most compassionate leaders, seeing oppression or injustice does not guarantee a solution. Dealing with that requires at least 2 things: the leader is empathic or willing to change the situation and he has the authority/power to carry out the deliverance. The reason Moses failed in Exodus 2:14-15 is that he had the willingness to help but did not have the authority/ power to help—ultimately Pharaoh was the ruler, had an army, and Moses could not stand before an army that powerful to rescue the Hebrews. This is where we see God step into the picture—since no man could save Israel—God would save them Himself. Pharaoh could have set them free but he did not want that. He had free labor to build him cities, bigger barns, and temples of his gods—and he was not going to let them leave. We see his attitude when Moses confronted him to let Israel go: “Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go.”—Exodus 5:2—even after Moses encountered Jehovah on Mount Sinai—Pharaoh was still not willing to listen to instructions alone. He could not be reasoned with. Such callousness has been the nature of many rulers after the fall—[Exodus 5:12; Romans 9:17; Romans 1:18-31; Daniel 3:14-26; Ephesians 2: 1-3; Philippians 3:18-20; Ephesians 4:17-20; Isaiah 51:13; Luke 18:2; Jeremiah 5:28]. Authority and power had to be demonstrated to break Pharaoh’s yoke on Israel’s children. God told Moses to let the people of Israel know this as we read in Exodus 6:6—“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.“— We see 2 things that Moses had lacked being given a solution after Moses returned from Midian. First, he was now an authorized prophet. He had authority from God to speak and to act on his behalf [Hosea 12:13]. God had told him on Mount Sinai: “now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”—Exodus 3:10. When God gives leaders authority, He commissions them to do certain tasks that are part of His great plan. Obedience is shown by accomplishing that mission. While we may speculate that God could have used anyone to carry this out, we see that Moses already had the willingness to take risks and do something. Secondly, Moses received power. God first revealed Him that power in the wilderness when He put his rod to the ground and it became a snake [Exodus 4:3]. This was meant to overcome Moses’ own doubts and hesitancy—What if they do not believe me or listen to me ? Being authorized by God to speak on his behalf has never been enough to carry out His missions. Power always has to be demonstrated for people to believe. Despite the resistance of Pharaoh—after 10 judgments and the Passover of the destroying angel that killed the sons of the Egyptians, while saving the sons of Israel— he realized it was impossible to resist the hand of the Almighty. Their day of deliverance would become a tradition to pass onto future generations to remember what the Lord had done for them—”Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the LORD brought you out of it with a mighty hand.”—Exodus 13:3. This redemption was a shadow of even a greater deliverance that Jesus would bring to the whole world through His cross and resurrection [Isaiah 9:2-4; Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 53; Matthew 1:23;Matthew 20:28;  Matthew 26:28; Mark 2:1-5; Matthew 8:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; John 3:16; Colossians 2:15;  Philippians 2:5-11; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Romans 8:32]. After Jesus rose from the dead, He gave authority and power to His disciples to preach this message of redemption to the world [Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20; Luke 10:19; Matthew 10:1; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1-4; Acts 10:38; Hebrews 2:2-4]. Sadly, we do not see many modern Christian leaders passionate about justice or breaking the yoke of oppression like we see Jehovah does. Back in the US Civil war when Abraham Lincoln was US President, there were “Christians” in the South who were fighting to maintain slavery. Since that ended more than 150 years ago, the US has made huge progress towards justice, but this came at a high cost, as see when we read biographies of people like Martin Luther King Jr. As we will be seeing this week, Jesus lifts heavy burdens, sets captives free, and has come to break all yokes of oppression—this is an essential part of His gospel— as we see Him proclaiming these very words during His own hometown first sermon in Luke 4:18, after He read Isaiah 61:1-2. Neglecting this part of the Gospel disfigures the beauty of the Savior, corrupts the Gospel, and is poor evangelistic outreach. It’s high time the church told the world “come to Jesus, all ye who are heavy laden“—again. Sure, He will give us eternal life after we die or are raptured to heaven—but His redemption breaks the yokes of oppression even today! [Isaiah 58]

Tuesday, November 8th, 2022

Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses—1 Kings 8:56

Moses’ risk taking behavior and initiative to rescue Israel was born of faith—but at the time he did not have the authorization of Jehovah and had not received the miracle-working power to deliver Israel [Hebrews 11:23-26]. That faith led him into the wilderness, where we are told that He went gladly, because —”By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.”—Hebrews 11:27. That faith had set him apart from Egypt and caused him to lose the privileges of an Egyptian prince and the pleasures that were seen in Pharaoh’s court. Genuine faith at the very minimum should lead the saints to act this way. Where Christians are still in love with Egypt or worldly things and they are still slaves to worldly pleasures—it may indeed be questioned whether they have saving faith [ 1 John 2:15-17; James 4:4;  Romans 12:2; John 7:9; John 15:19; Exodus 16:3; Numbers 14:2; Matthew 4:8-9; James 1:27; 2 Corinthians 6:14-17]. However, we also see that faith that set Moses apart was not enough to effect the rescue of Israel. He needed authority and power and once He received that from the Most High, he was able to break the resistance of Pharaoh and bring Israel out of Egypt. He would later pass on the baton to Joshua, who brought Israel into the promised land [Joshua 21:45; Joshua 6; Joshua 10; Joshua 12; Joshua 13:1-6]. It is after they had possessed the land and king Solomon was building the temple of the Lord that we see him praying the prayer in 1 Kings 8:20-66. After remembering all the Lord had done to bring Israel out of Egypt and bring them into the Promised Land, Solomon ends saying the Lord had “given rest to his people just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses“—The Lord had indeed freed them from the yoke of slavery—working for Pharaoh long hours without pay. He had ended their wandering in the wilderness and brought them into Canaan. He had rescued them from the Midianites in the days of Gideon, the Amalekites in the days of Saul, and the Philistines in the days of David [Judges 6:11-24; Judges 7:1-25; 1 Samuel 15:1-35; 2 Samuel 5:1-11; Deuteronomy 12:7-10]. We sang this yesterday in the 18th century hymn of Baptist Pastor—Joseph Swain—”We know he is coming to gather his sheep and lead them to Zion in love, for why in the valley of death should they weep or in the lone wilderness rove?“—They now could rest in Zion, free from all battles, build homes to live in, have families, prosper in their own land, worship the Lord in peace, and pass on an inheritance of blessing to their children. This is what rest meant to Israel at the time. As we are going to see in Hebrews 4 and Psalms 95:11, there’s more to the rest that God had prophesied, but by the days of Solomon, the promises He had given to Abraham and Moses had been fulfilled. The Hebrew word used for rest here is “Menuchah“—it can also mean comfort, permanent place, quietness, and refreshment. A homeless person or nomad who moves around, without owning a house, would not be considered to have a permanent place or a resting place. Property ownership and having one’s own home is an example of being in a resting place. We see that Jesus had been prophesied to bring a glorious resting place [Isaiah 11:9-13]. While this will eventually be fulfilled during the Millennial kingdom of Christ—rest for the Christian today involves 3 things. First, it means ceasing from efforts of reaching righteousness and acceptance before God by works alone [Ephesians 2:8; Hebrews 4:10; John 19:27; Titus 3:5; Galatians 2:11-20]. Second, it means relying on God’s strength and power for our sanctification, our ministries, and our jobs. God expects us to do those things out of rest [John 15:5; Philippians 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Matthew 11:28-29; Hebrews 11:1; Hebrews 11:6; Matthew 6:26-33; Psalms 127:1-2; Luke 5:4-6]. Third, it means reaching the peak of what our redemption meant—fulfilling the destiny that God assigned each one of us—coming into our earthly Promised Land, so to speak—by attaining the full stature of Christ, building strong families, reaching the world with the Gospel, and transforming the nations with the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ [2 Corinthians 1:20; Deuteronomy 1:11; Psalms 68:5-6; Psalms 115:14; Jeremiah 29:11; Acts 2:39; Deuteronomy 11:19; Matthew 19:14; 1 Timothy 5:14; Malachi 2:13-17; 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12; Philippians 4:19; Joshua 24:15; Matthew 24:14; Acts 1:8; Matthew 12:20-21; Psalms 111:6; John 14:13; Luke 6:40]. God’s plan isn’t just to save us and think of rest as simply relaxing and doing nothing. We are saved to serve others and fulfill His perfect plan for each of us.  This stage involves escaping the trap of “ the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches“—Mark 4:19. There are Christians who are constantly overwhelmed and burdened with the worries of how their financial bills will be paid—their housing, education, transportation, energy, communication, clothes—all the important things we need—which prevents them from making the Gospel priority. Reaching the lost becomes irrelevant while survival gains precedence. Others become financially secure, but are caught in the deceitfulness of riches—in which the focus becomes themselves and their earthly comfort. Both are wrong. Christ wants us to enter rest, while still being responsible for our obligations in life. It is a rest we enter by grace through faith—being in the Spirit—not by “pulling ourselves by our bootsraps.”

Wednesday, November 9th, 2022

And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing— Isaiah 10:27

The prayer of Solomon in 1 Kings 8:20-66 that we saw yesterday seemed to express concerns Solomon had about possible future instability because of Israel’s unfaithfulness. As we look at Isaiah 10, like verse 24, for example, we see God talking about the threat of Assyrians as similar to the subjugation of Israel in Egypt. While Isaiah 10:27 is often quoted by many in deliverance ministries to talk about deliverance from demonic oppression, it was actually about the yoke of Assyrians. I have no issue with its use for deliverance, after all we see many New Testament authors re-interpreting Old Testament Scriptures with more allegorical or spiritual meanings, including names such as ‘Babylon‘ for example [Revelation 17:5]; however, the original text was about subjugation. The chapter itself starts with Verse 1 saying, “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees.”—that reminds us that just because something is law or is an ordinance of a city or nation, it does not make it just or right. Neither does it make it blessed by God, though the rulers may have authority from God [Romans 13:1-3]. By verse 5, we see, “Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger.”—which becomes a focus of later verses. We see that God had uses the Assyrians initially, and then later on the Babylonians, to humble many nations of the regions, including Judah, however, God had made it clear that their overreach and excesses would not go unpunished [Isaiah 10: 12; Jeremiah 25:12; Isaiah 13:19; Isaiah 14:25; Isaiah 33:1; 2 Chronicles 36:22; Jeremiah 27:7; Jeremiah 50:1-2;  Psalms 137:8]. Isaiah had seen the vision of the throne of God in the year king Uzziah died, around 733 BC—and about 32 years later Sennacherib came from Nineveh with the most threatening attack that Jerusalem had ever experienced coming from Assyrians. Thankfully, Hezekiah was a king who feared God at the time, was extremely wealthy, and was delivered by God [ 2 Chronicles 32:27-29; Isaiah 37]. Samaria would fall in 722 BC when Shalmaneser V attacked the city. Both the Northern and Southern kingdom had been weaker for quite sometime [2 Kings 14-20; 2 Kings 15:19; 2 Kings 16:5-9; 1 Chronicles 15:26]. Though Judah was spared from falling for about 125 years, they were under constant threat. During the reign of Hezekiah, we see how he was willing to pay tribute of large sums of money to the Assyrians, but their excessive demands back-fired [ 2 Kings 18:14-37]. This was the time that not only Isaiah prophesied to Hezekiah, but also to Shebna, the palace administrator, who had given bad advice to Hezekiah, about relying on Egypt [Isaiah 37:6-37; Isaiah 22:14-22; Isaiah 31:1-2]. God delivered Hezekiah when an angel from God attacked Sennacherib’s army and killed 185,000 soldiers in one night. What a turn around that was—going from paying tributes to an invading king—to trampling over the dead bodies of his soldiers few days later as you walk out of the city gates. That was a mighty breaking of the yoke of the Assyrians. It was not because of Hezekiah’s great wealth. It was not because of the palace administrator’s war strategies of calling on Egypt. And it was not even Hezekiah’s idea of drying the water flows going outside of the city gates. It was not fortifying the city walls [2 Chronicles 32:1-23]. All of those efforts would have utterly failed. It was because Sennacherib had provoked Jehovah, Isaiah had subsequently given a prophetic word,  and Hezekiah humbled himself before the throne of the Lord’s majesty and earnestly prayed to God for deliverance. The yoke was destroyed by the anointing of the Holy Ghost. Though Assyria remained a powerful empire for 68 more years, it finally fell to the Babylonians in 633 BC as foretold in Nahum 1:14. It had survived when it repented after Jonah’s preaching [Jonah 3: 1-10], but its judgment would come eventually [Isaiah 10:15-18]. When looking at Hezekiah’s deliverance, we see that angels of God indeed excel in strength—in executing judgment [Psalms 103:20]. Even David had unfortunately witnessed that [2 Samuel 24:14-17]. God has proven time and again that all supernatural power to save and destroy in His hands [Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 43:13; Job 9:12; Isaiah 14:27; Psalms 62:11]. For close to 100 years after Hezekiah, Judah would survive till Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem in 597 [2 Kings 24:12-14]. Even so, God had also foretold of the freedom from captivity that would occur under Cyrus [Isaiah 45:1-16; Ezra 1:2-5; Jeremiah 51:1-39]. God has controlled, reigned, and managed history by raising up prophets and kings to carry out His great plan with authority. He has released angels in those missions—the common denominator in all of these is that the cries and prayers of God’s people reached the throne of God—as they asked in faith—and God answered their prayers. When we started this week we mentioned various yokes that Christ will break—burdens of iniquity, burdens of financial debt, burdens of slavery in all its forms, bondages of addictions, burdens of troubles, pressures of hostility— a  yoke of workplace oppression and labor exploitation—demonic oppression, the strife of tongues— on these we can add political instability, post-war captivity, and military attacks[Luke 1:74; Psalms 66:3; Psalms 111:6; Acts 14:16; Acts 17:30; Acts 12:23; 2 Maccabees 9:5; Acts 13:9-12]. If we come to Jesus in faith, these yokes will be broken because of the anointing of the Holy Ghost [Isaiah 59:19; Isaiah 30:27-28; Acts 10:38; 1 John 3:8; Luke 10:19; 1 John 4:4; 1 John 5:4; Colossians 2:15; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6; Ephesians 6:10-18; Matthew 12:20-21].

Thursday, November 10th, 2022

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day— Hebrews 4:8

God had seen the misery of Israel, had heard the groaning and cries of His people, and He had sent Moses to rescue them from the house of bondage [Exodus 1:14; Exodus 2:23; Exodus 3:7-9; Exodus 6:6; Exodus 13:3]. After Moses died, Joshua had completed the mission by defeating the nations in Canaan and bringing the people into their inheritance in the Promised Land [Joshua 1:8-9; Joshua 21:45; Joshua 6; Joshua 10; Joshua 12; Joshua 13:1-6]. We saw how Solomon prayed in 1 Kings 8:20-66, thanking God and praising Him for bringing them into their Menuchah— their resting place and permanent home. Though they became unfaithful and were under the yoke of Assyrians, paying tributes, God broke that yoke with His anointing. God even delivered them from Babylonian captivity. So, why is Hebrews 4:8 bringing up this argument that Joshua had not brought them into rest and God had spoken of another day of rest ? First, we can see that the rest they had was not uninterrupted. It was not an eternal rest. Also, based on the book of Hebrews, we know that the Old Covenant was simply a shadow of the New Covenant—of better things to come. Joshua was a type of Jesus—the Savior of Israel and the whole world. There’s another promise of rest awaiting God’s people [Hebrews 4:1]. This chapter starts with the verse that says that because we have this promise, we should be careful so that we do not fall short. That’s warranted because only 2 people who left Egypt as adults, Joshua and Caleb, were able to enter that rest [1 Corinthians 10:1-15; Numbers 14:21-35]. Clearly God was not impressed with the numbers of those who would inherit the land but was firm with the demands of His own standards. The word used for “careful” in Hebrews 4:1 is “phobeo”—from which we get the English word, phobia. We see a similar word of “phobos” used with the same promise of future hope in 2 Corinthians 7:1. Does this mean that we should live as Christians who are fearful, frightened, and alarmed ? That’s not really what reverence for God intends. Usually people who live fearful of judgments are those who have not been made perfect in love [1 John 4:17-18]. They may fear coming under judgment but they do not fear being found unloving, partial, practicing tribalism, or envious. They have no shame of falling short of Agape love [Romans 13:8]. God’s standards are not their concerns, His benefits are the only reason they seek Him. Thus, theology simply becomes another field of study, like philosophy or history, and not a call to experience God in His fullness. They will talk of reconciliation and forgiveness with some hypothetical situations, but have no actual relationship with the brethren whom they expect to do this. Remember the saddest words a Christian could hear on judgment day would be—”I never knew you“—Matthew 7:21-23—which will be told to Christians who served God but were never actually sincere in their love [1 Corinthians 8:3]. Real love develops and grows in face to face koinonia or fellowship. Once we come into that love, like the disciples had in the early church [Acts 2:42-47], then we would see real unity and reconciliation in the church. We would have the perfect love that casts out fear. So, the phobia we see in Hebrews 4:1 is the caution to take care of the treasures we have received. We must be transgression-phobic. Paul said that our eternal treasures are carried in jars of clay [2 Corinthians 4:7]. If someone was tasked to carry hot tea to a very important guest—holding it in a glass that has no handle for grip, the person would have to be careful because if the glass was too hot and hands couldn’t hold it, it might fall to the ground, breaking the glass and spilling the tea. Thankfully, the treasure of the salvation we carry is not kept into our hands by our own strength, it is preserved by God’s powerful hand [John 10:28; Philippians 1:6; Jude 1:24-25; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Romans 16:25-27]. That eternal rest that still stands as a promise is far different than what Joshua had brought Israel into in Canaan. First, it remains in the future age to come, not in this present world—it is “another day“— we are to live encouraging one another as long as it called today [Hebrews 3:13]—but the inheritance is in the future. Second, there are people in the visible church who will not enter that rest—as God said—”So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”—Psalms 95:11. This is terrifying because whatever God vows will be fulfilled [Matthew 13:41; Revelation 3:1; Revelation 3:16; Matthew 5:13; Luke 17:1-2; Galatians 5:19-23; 2 Peter 2:1-9; Luke 13:24; Ezekiel 44:10-23; John 17:12; John 6:66; 2 Timothy 4:10; Matthew 22:12]. Are our names in the Lamb’s Book of Life ? Are our names on the lips of the High Priest interceding for us ?  Are our face shining like that of Moses, assuring us seeing, knowing, and intimacy with the King of Kings ? Are we groaning for our final redemption like Paul ? [Romans 8:23; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10]. Our groaning to be clothed with immortality will be rewarded with eternal rest. In the book “The Saint’s Everlasting Rest” by Richard Baxter—he writes that this rest is for persevering believers, adhering to the conditions of its offer, attending to the means of it, and in them is evident the work of grace as they follow what God has proposed. He admonishes that many in the visible church will not make it. Third, we can only enter it by faith—like Enoch entered glory—for “the just shall live by faith“—Hebrews 10:38. This means that we are forward looking—looking unto Jesus—we do not look back to the world, to the past, to the things we have left behind—we look heavenward. [Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 3:20; Colossians 3:2]. We cast all our cares and weights on Christ so that we do not get hindered by them and trust Him to lift them for us [Hebrews 12:1; Psalms 55:22; 1 Peter 5:7; Luke 9:59-62; 1 Corinthian 8:9]. 

Friday, November 11th, 2022

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”— Galatians 3:13

When Jesus died on the cross, He said “it is finished!“—John 19:30. What was finished ? The work of redemption was completed. There are about 7 crucial effects of the work of the cross we can easily see in Scripture, but these are by no means exhaustive. A Christian can only progress to the degree the Father reveals more of the work of His Son—in his death and resurrection. These 7 fundamental benefits of the cross are a good place to start. First, Jesus died for our sins [Matthew 26:28; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; John 1:29; Colossians 2:14; Romans 3:23-25]. This is a mighty deliverance that should be taken seriously. Fallen man tends to prioritize benefits that can be analyzed, such as poverty and wealth—however sin remains the cause of all the world’s problems. The sins of the world were a major burden that Christ removed by dying for us on the cross. Second, we died with Christ [Romans 6:6; 2 Corinthians 5:14]. We could only inherit the kingdom of God by becoming new creatures, not simply being forgiven our past sins. Moreover, the forgiveness of sins would not have been enough with the issue of a sinful nature hindering our sanctification. Therefore, we had to die. But God wasn’t going to kill all humanity to deliver us from the power of sin. We were crucified with Christ [Galatians 2:20]. Third, the law still stood in the way of the new creatures. John tells us that if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us [1 John 1:7-9]—anyone who understands the Scriptures, the sermon on the Mount for example, would agree with John the Apostle. The standards of the law are very high. Thankfully, our death freed us from its demands [Romans 7:4; Romans 10:4]. The only way we get to keep the law is as New Creatures, with it written in our hearts and minds, and us being Spirit-energized souls, not our old selves [Romans 8:4; Ezekiel 36:27; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Hebrews 8:11]. Fourth, Christ took our sicknesses and diseases. By His stripes we were healed [Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 8:16-17; 1 Peter 2:24; Psalms 103:3]. We no more need to carry sicknesses in our bodies than we need to carry hatred in our hearts—the same redemptive work that took the sins of believers, also took away their sicknesses. Fifth, Christ freed us from outside influence of any kind. It was for freedom that He set us free [1 Corinthians 7:23; Galatians 5:1; John 8:36]. This freedom in no way abolishes certain human obligations that require interdependence or union, but where those obligations would be corrupted and turned into a form of bondage, the freedom applies. Sixth, Christ gave us dominion through the cross. He triumphed over the principalities that ruled the world before He ascended on His throne—and His triumph was our victory. In His authority we have the same dominion that was granted to Abraham after he enacted a pre-Calvary sacrifice that mirrored the cross, when he offered Isaac [Genesis 22:13-17; Colossians 2:15; Matthew 28:18-20; Isaiah 53:12; Revelation 5:5; Psalms 110:1-3; Hebrews 10:13]. Seventh, Christ became a curse for us. How does this differ from Christ becoming sin so that we may become the righteousness of God ? How does this differ from Christ carrying our sicknesses and giving us healing by His stripes ? As we all know, sicknesses were some of the consequences of the curse of the law. For example, if you read Deuteronomy 28: 15-68, you will see that though sicknesses were part of the curse of the law, they were not the only things we see in the curse, which means the curse of the law is much bigger than sicknesses. We also know that forgiveness, as the solution of sin, does not always deal with the consequences of sin. For example, someone who is an alcoholic and has liver cirrhosis—a condition that can develop after years of drinking excessive amounts of alcohol—could receive forgiveness for the sin of drunkenness, but that may not automatically erase the fact he could end up dying shortly afterwards because of liver failure. Thankfully, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, which annuls those consequences of past drunkenness—if that new Christian has faith to lay hold of this spiritual offer and redemptive benefit. Not only can the sinner be forgiven past sins, they can be healed of their liver cirrhosis and be free from death because of it. The curse of the law went far and included: being cursed in the city [verse 16]; crops of the land [verse 18]; having no rain [verses 23-24]; losses in war [verse 25]; engagement for marriage broken before wedding as well as the tragic raping of a partner by someone else [verse 30]; children taken into captivity [verse 32]; subjugation by enemies [verse 48]—clearly all of these cannot be covered by the promise “By His stripes we are healed.” Healing wouldn’t cure those curses. Notice that there’s a difference between the curse of the law and the curse of the fall [Genesis 3:14-19]. Even after Christ died, creation still groans because of the fall [Romans 8:22]. Men still die even after Calvary [Romans 5:12]. Many effects of the curse of the fall are still in effect—however Christians have a promise that when Christ returns He will renew all things—and later on, after the Millennial Kingdom of Christ is over—and the little time granted Satan to deceive afterwards is complete—God will create a new heaven and a new earth, where sin and Satan shall never be. That’s the time all curses of the fall will no longer be an issue. So, Christ redeeming us from the curse of the law relieves the saints now of major burdens—they do not have to worry about the consequences of repented and forgiven sins. Christ becoming a curse for us effectively annuls them forever. 

Saturday, November 12th, 2022

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”— Luke 4:18-19

What is the Gospel ? This question sounds so easy, but answers we may get are not similar. A Pentecostal evangelist may say that the “full Gospel” includes salvation from sins and divine healing [Mark 2:1-5]. A Baptist evangelical may point to Paul’s 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, saying it’s a proclamation of the death and resurrection as the basis for the forgiveness of our sins and promise of eternal life. Yesterday, we saw how Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law [Galatians 3:13]. We saw at least 7 crucial redemptive benefits we have through the cross and those are by no means exhaustive. Christ is the Lamb of God that the Father has provided for the redemption of humanity [Genesis 22:8; John 1:29]. Every provision that a born again child of God who believes in Jesus will ever need is hidden in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ [Romans 8:32; Ephesians 1:3]. There’s no redemptive benefit or spiritual provision outside of this [John 19:30]. The power of God for the deliverance of fallen creatures is all bound up in the work of Christ in His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead [1 Corinthians 1:18; Romans 1:4; Philippians 3:10; Romans 8:11; Ephesians 1:19-20]. In the Luke 4:18-19 passage we read today, we see Jesus telling us what the Gospel is about. First, Jesus says that He is anointed to preach the Gospel—the Spirit of the Lord is upon me. Christian ministry is not similar to any other public speaking activities. A preacher is not a motivational speaker. A preacher is not a psychology analyst. A preacher is not a politician. Those speaking activities can be done with human intelligence. Preaching always requires the presence and power of the Holy Ghost—who is God of very God. If Jesus needed the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we Christian believers definitely need the Holy Spirit desperately. I remember reading the biography of Charles Finney. On the day he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the woods of Adams town in New York, he describes receiving “waves of liquid love“—he had been earnestly crying to God. The Second Great Awakening mighty harvest of souls can be traced to that Holy Encounter. Jesus was anointed when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove at the Jordan River, after being baptized by John the Baptist. The Holy Spirit makes preaching a work of rest. We do not attempt to conjure up results. Shouting won’t heal the sick. Longer sermons won’t convert more souls. The power of preaching is in the power of the anointing of the Holy Ghost. In the Shandong Revival of 1920s in China, sinners would come under conviction just by seeing Marie Monsen. Second, Jesus says that He was anointed to proclaim the Good News to the poor. The Gospel is Good News worth listening to. It must be proclaimed because ” faith comes by hearing the Word“—Romans 10:17. Most of us are saved because someone preached to us. Notice the target group for Jesus-kind of ministry—the poor. There was a rich young ruler that Jesus met and “He loved him“—Mark 10:21. Yet, that love Jesus had for the rich man when He looked in his eyes did not translate into salvation. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor—that turned the rich man off. There were rich people who followed or believed in Jesus and were saved—like Joseph of Arimathea. But majority of those who followed Jesus were poor. So, how did the rich countries of the West become possessors of the Gospel long before Asia and Africa that were poorer ? Because though the Gospel is preached to the poor, they do not necessarily remain poor. The light of the Gospel over centuries created a culture of freedom of enquiry, pursuit of knowledge, innovation, and excellent work ethic—four pillar of economic transformation that changed the course of history for Western countries. Third, Jesus said that He was sent to proclaim liberty to the captives or prisoners. We can understand this from a spiritual point of view—as people who were bound in the shackles of sin or addictions. Jesus declared sin to be a slave-master [John 8:24-36]. But there are also real prisoners in real jails. It doesn’t matter that they may have gotten there because of justice or injustice. All prisoners have hope [Zechariah 9:12; Acts 5:19-20] Nations in the days of Jesus were under what some would call “open prisons“—a term often used for authoritarian regimes—where people walk freely but their liberty is conditional—people may not have been in jails—but they were under the dominion of the Roman army—which could capture and kill anyone who opposed the emperor’s rule. Our liberty no longer has to depend upon the capricious decisions of fallen rulers—Christ is our Lord and King—and His kingdom is that of freedom [2 Corinthians 3:17]. Fourth, Christ’s Gospel included recovery of sight for the blind and deliverance of those who were oppressed [Acts 10:38; Matthew 11:2-6; Luke 13:16]. Divine healing and deliverance from demonic activity are essential aspects of Gospel ministry. Fifth, the Gospel proclamation is a dispensation of Jubilee [Acts 8:8]. It is the “acceptable year of the Lord“—the entire 2000 church history has been “the acceptable year of the Lord”—now is the accepted time, now is the time of God’s favor—2 Corinthians 6:2. I remember watching the film of “Ali Baba and the forty thieves“—and how shocked He grabbed the gold in the cave hurriedly—quickly grabbing the treasure He had found. It’s a picture I have in mind when thinking of the treasures of the Gospel in the year of Jubilee [Matthew 13:44]. It is worth our treasures and sacred honor—and we must grasp it at once—immediately [Hebrews 11;1; Matthew 15:21-28; John 2:4-5; 2 Peter 3:8; Isaiah 49:8; John 11:24-40; Acts 3:6; Acts 14:9-10; Acts 20:9-10; Romans 15:18-20].

Sunday, November 13th, 2022

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch—Isaiah 62:1

Our March- April 2021 “DEVOTIONALS OF REST” were done using 7 themes for 7 days a week. For Wednesdays, the main theme was Psalms 121:4, “Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep“—to avoid being redundant, and in an effort to cover as many Scripture passages as possible—that said the same thing for the theme chosen for each day—we added Scriptures that would be considered to remain faithful to the theme—while giving us a different view of God’s work for His people. Psalms 121:4 is a powerful Scripture for Christians who desire rest. Knowing that God will not go to sleep while we go to sleep should relieve us of worries, anxieties, overwork, and burn-out. It is in that context we look at Isaiah 62:1 today. The prayers we see in the weekly outline this time mentions the Israel of the Middle East and “The Israel of God“—Galatians 6:16—to distinguish the geographical Israel and the church of the Lord Jesus Christ—which is what Paul referred to as “The Israel of God.” In one of our devotionals 7 weeks ago, we had discussed Isaiah 62:6-7, talking about the dual application of many Old Testament promises for Israel—that the church of Jesus Christ now inherits many of them through faith in Jesus [2 Corinthians 1:20]—and yet by no means replaces Israel of the Middle East [Romans 11:1-31; Romans 9:1-5]. This is not our effort to simply try to find a middle ground between those who say that the church has replaced Israel and those who say that the promises of the Old Testament apply only to the Israel of the Middle East, and not the church. It is actually what the Bible teaches. For “No matter how many promises God has made, they are Yes in Christ. So, the Amen is spoken by us to the glory of God“—2 Corinthians 1:20. Christ is the fulfillment of “all the good promises the Lord gave to Israel”—Joshua 21:45; 1 Kings 8:56. Christians can safely claim those promises and be right [Ephesians 2:19; Ephesians 3:6]. Today, we see those eternal promises bring the Lord to affirm His determination to fight for Israel. “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent“—Isaiah 62:1. It is great folly for anyone to argue with His Maker [Isaiah 45:9]. It does not matter what political power they have, what religious convictions they follow, or how much money they have. If God says that for Zion’s sake He will not keep silent, anyone going against the Lord will fail [Job 42:2; Isaiah 14:27]. Lest anyone misunderstands what Zion means, God repeats Himself by saying “For Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet” —this is especially important where we are trying to delineate what promises can be claimed by the church and what promises belong only to the physical Israel in the Middle East. The Bible sometimes calls the church Zion [Hebrews 12:22-24]—in that passage, which is probably my personal life theme—we read “You have come to Mount Zion…to the heavenly Jerusalem…to thousands upon thousands of angels…to the church of the firstborn…to the Judge of all…”—it is clear here that Mount Zion here is spiritual and applies only to the church. However, whenever the Scripture does not specify whether the Jerusalem that is being talked about is “heavenly” or “above” [Galatians 4:26]—we can safely interpret the Scripture to understand it as the Jerusalem below, in the Middle East, and we would be correctly understanding what God meant. So, for Jerusalem’s sake God will not remain quiet means that, for the Jerusalem city in the Middle East, God will make His case heard, His hand revealed, His power known. Till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. Vindication is a legal term, while salvation is generally spiritual, though it may also be physical deliverance. The English dictionary says that “vindication” is the action of clearing someone of blame or suspicion. We know Satan is the father of all lies [John 8:44]. He is also known as an accuser [Revelation 12:10]. So, often the blame and suspicion that Satan uses, through the mouths or writings of those who serve him, are accusations based on lies. The good thing for us God’s people is that God has promised vindication. Ultimately, the hammer of truth is in Jehovah’s hands. He knows everything and He has the power to act. The Hebrew word used for Isaiah 62:1 word translated as “vindication” is actually Tsedek, which can also mean righteousness, fair, just, and accurate.  We see a promise that follows a similar pattern in Isaiah 1:26, “I will restore your leaders as in days of old, your rulers as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City.” —one of the ways that God works for the Tsedek of Jerusalem is to raise up leaders who are equal to that task— I will restore your leaders—both for its domestic well-being and international standing. Salvation will follow that vindication or righteousness. First, we can consider this to be physical deliverance. We often hear of bombing and rumors of bombing in the Middle East [Matthew 24:6]. New technologies such as Israel’s Iron Dome have been credited with protecting many lives in Israel. These weapons come from God who protects Israel—imagination or ideas to build and the skills requisite to accomplish that—all come from God [Exodus 31:3; Exodus 35:31; 1 Kings 4:29-30]—Sophia wisdom provides us the blueprint of what should be done, the ideas in our minds. Techne wisdom provides the skills of how to do it to bring a product ready for market or wide use. That salvation will also be spiritual in 2 phases. Before the rapture of the church to heaven, Israel will experience revival [Ezekiel 39:8-29]. After Christ’s Second Coming, all the surviving people of Israel who will escape the Antichrist will be saved [Matthew 23:39; Romans 11:26].

Monday, November 14th, 2022

 And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant—Exodus 14:31. 

When Scriptures tell us of the brotherhood of mankind, they write, “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.”—Acts 17:26. We do not need to have been there when Adam, Abel, Cain, and Seth were there, to recognize that we are their descendants. Similarly, Israel in the days of Jesus prided itself in being the children of Abraham, though he had died 2000 years earlier [Matthew 3:9; John 8:37-39; Acts 13:26; Romans 4:1; Luke 19:9]. Abraham had obtained a good reputation with the Lord and they wanted to be associated with His name [Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23]. This makes sense. It is  not uncommon for people to look for a well-known ancestor or even seek to be associated with famous people who are currently living. Identity is powerful for faith and confidence. Thankfully, when it comes to the people of Israel, God does not cut them off from their past or ancestry. Even when the Lord Jesus Christ returns on earth, the capital of His millennial kingdom will be in Jerusalem—not New York, London, Tokyo, or Shanghai—which are far bigger and wealthier cities. He is not ashamed to be called “The Lion of the tribe of Judah“— Revelation 5:5, even though Judah lived 1800-1900 before Jesus was born—and Judah was far from being a perfect man [ Genesis 37:26-27; Genesis 38].The stories of Israel we read in the Old Testament do not get old because the Lord who did them never changes. Not only do they give us examples of things that happened in the past, for which we can expect similar occurrences in our own times, they also remind us what the Lord has decreed and will fulfill—what He has promised and stands ready to accomplish [ 1 Corinthians 10:11; Romans 9:4-5; Ezekiel 12:25; Malachi 3:6; Numbers 23:19;  Ecclesiastes 1:9; Isaiah 28 verse 16 and 21; Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalms 44:1; Psalms 51:18; Psalms 102:13]. In the verse of Exodus 14:31 that we read today, we see how Israel reacted to the parting of the Red Sea and deliverance at a time they were pushed against a wall, so to speak. This was a time Israel was being birthed as a nation. God had surely multiplied them as He had promised Abraham and Jacob [Genesis 15:13; Genesis 21:12; Romans 9:7; Hebrews 11:18; Genesis 25:20-27; Genesis 26:24; Genesis 46:3-31; Exodus 1:12] —yet despite growing to hundreds of thousands of people—they were not militarily trained—they had no resources for war—they were not even ready for battle [Exodus 13:17]. God knew their weaknesses and He would see to it that this would not be an obstacle to their progress. So, it is a miracle that with the first major military attack after their new-found freedom would be crushed—not by their intelligence, might, or skills—but rather by “The God of Israel“—[Psalms 121:4; Psalms 73:1; 1 Samuel 17:26; Deuteronomy 7:6-8; Deuteronomy 14:2; 2 Samuel 7:23-24; Psalms 105: 8-15; Psalms 135:4;  Isaiah 41:8; Isaiah 43: 1-3; Isaiah 44:21; Jeremiah 31:1-4]. This wasn’t the first sign they were witnessing of what being in covenant with Jehovah meant—the blessing of being His special possession. They had already witnessed the Passover and other miracles. We see that this miracle produced a proper response—when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD—Exodus 14:31. Many Christians today are fond of making arguments against miracles—and yet one would have to be starving of the heavenly manna that is the Word of God to come up with such notions—everywhere you look in Scripture, God is doing miracles. How can it be concluded that they are no longer relevant ? And if we were supposed to argue that miracles will not always produce a positive result [Luke 16:31], we see Jesus arguing that the queen of Sheba coming to see Solomon’s supernatural wisdom and the potential repentance of Sodom if miracles had been there—He is showing us that there are people who are likely to benefit from such works—and even come to salvation [Matthew 11:23; Matthew 12:42]. Should we seek to minimize or maximize ways people could be saved ? At the very least, miracles remove potential excuses for unbelief. Israel was in awe of God’s power after they saw what happened at the Red Sea. These miracles would be the basis for God giving them the Law [Exodus 20:2]. Their remembrance would become a possible source of hope for future repentance [Hosea 2:15; Hosea 11:1; Jeremiah 2:2; Psalms 78:7; Habakkuk 3:2; Judges 6:13]. The absence of God’s supernatural works was often a sign of His displeasure [1 Samuel 4:17-18; Psalms 44:9]. This would lead God’s people to be in distress and their repentance and prayers were in hopes of rekindling God’s love in their hearts and seeing His face turn towards them again [Isaiah 37: 17-20; 2 Chronicles 20:12]. They expected His mighty deliverance accordingly [ 2 Chronicles 7:14]. Whenever God answered them and demonstrated His power, it led them to putting their trust in Him, which is ultimately His desire [2 Chronicles 20:20; Isaiah 30:1; Isaiah 31:1-2; Psalms 106:10-12]. Though the times have changed and God has many ways that He works that may not necessarily be the dramatic Red Sea parting that happened 1500 BC, He is still as powerful, great, and committed to fight Israel’s battles, as He has ever been. He is still formidable in battle. He is Omnipotent. He is still Israel’s Redeemer and He will continue to guide the nation of Israel, provide for its needs, and defend it against its enemies [ Ezekiel 28:26; Ezekiel 34:10; Amos 9:11-15].

Tuesday, November 15th, 2022

 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat— Nehemiah 4:6-9

The book of Nehemiah starts with pretty bad news: “They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire” — Nehemiah 1:3. And we are told how Nehemiah responded to those news when he first heard them- “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.”—Nehemiah 1:4. When I read these things my first impression is that the hearts of men of our times have become rocks. People don’t respond like this anymore. Where are the Nehemias, Josiahs, Daniels, and Hezekiah’s of our times ? Where are the torn garments ? Where are the sackcloth? Do we understand what our times require ? Indeed, is this the time for mirth, gaieties, spiritual blindness, folly, tardiness, poor understanding, spiritual lethargy, lack of zeal for God, and being ashamed of the Gospel ? When Josiah was fired up and started a revival in Jerusalem in 640 BC, he had about 35 years before Nebuchadnezzar attacked. If we were talking about a hypothetical nuclear attack on New York in 2030, do you realize 35 years would have been counted from 1995 ? Even if we had a great awakening happening in 2022, we may not have enough time to save America ? Is this the time for playing around with intellectual Christianity ? Where is the fire of God ? Fast forward 100 years after Josiah, Cyrus comes on the scene and releases the Jews to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. They struggle, but under the prophetic ministry of Haggai and Zechariah, the priestly ministry of Ezra, and royal-gubernatorial role of Zerubbabel, they finish to build the initial phase of the temple some 23 years later. Fast forward another 100 years, these great men of God have died and their children are still struggling for survival in Jerusalem. They have the temple, but now they cannot even maintain the wall. Nehemiah comes on the scene in the years of 446 BC to 433. He is still living in Susa, about 40 years after Esther had become queen there. He is servant of king Artaxerxes [Nehemiah 2:1], who by that time had been king for 20 years. Which leaves us to conclude that his father, king Ahasuerus- Xerxes I, the man who had married Esther, had died around 466-465 BC. Nehemiah is shaken by the news from Jerusalem. He cries to God and his whole demeanor changes. One day the king asks him why. To which he answered—“Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”—Nehemiah 2:3. It is at that time Artaxerxes becomes interested in helping Nehemiah and giving him what he needed to rebuild the wall [Nehemiah 2:4-8]. Despite this favor from the emperor, Nehemiah runs into trouble with local officials. Satan wasted no time to begin opposing God’s work. “When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.”— Nehemiah 2:10. That’s where the drama we find ourselves in the passage we read of Nehemiah 4 started from. Nehemiah secretly inspects the walls and then proposes a rebuilding plan to the Jewish leaders who were in Jerusalem [Nehemiah 2:11-17]. But eventually the word got out and it was no longer a secret —“But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”—Nehemiah 2:19. So, by the time we reach Nehemiah 4, this hostility had intensified to the point they planned to attack them for harassment, sabotage, and even assassination. What did Nehemiah do ? First, Nehemiah purposed to continue building. All the opposition in the world was not going to stop him from rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. He knew this was God’s will. He had prayed and received answers to His prayers. He knew he had the emperor’s blessing. So, he had just to focus and fight for completion of the work. Second, he encouraged his co-laborers. This was a major project that he could not have done alone. It is always good to work with those who are trustworthy [2 Timothy 2:2]—but even so, they should be encouraged, especially in hard times. Third, he knew who their enemies were. This is especially important in situations where trust is important in working for God. You do not want to be deceived that someone is a friend of Zion when he is a sworn enemy.  Sabotage often works with inside information. I had someone message me on social media 3-4 weeks ago with some bogus requests and God told me everything about him—pretty insane and evil the world we live in. Fourth, Nehemiah instituted a wartime strategy. Not only were they going to build the wall, they would take swords and spears [Verses 9-17]. What were the swords for ? The swords were for war. It’s important to understand that there’s a time for peace and there’s a time for war [Ecclesiastes 3:8]. Even Jesus said that we should not think He had come to bring peace but a sword [Matthew 10:34-39]. I have been convinced for quite some time that the great awakening that many American Christians have prayed for won’t come without judgments [1 Peter 4:17]. If it was supposed to come peacefully, it would have come already. It did not because the resistance to the Gospel is so stiff that judgments must occur [Romans 11:22]. We must understand the times correctly [Luke 12:56].

Wednesday, November 16th, 2022

For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this ?— Esther 4:14

The book of Esther starts with the words, “this is what happened during the time of Xerxes“—Esther 1:1, NIV. He was the son of Darius I and ruled over 127 provinces. Darius I had helped the Jews complete the temple in Jerusalem. So, the father of Xerxes I is the one we read in Ezra 4:5, who helped the Jews finish the temple [Ezra 6:1-13]. Despite these Medes and Persian kings having the influence of prophets like Daniel during the Cyrus and Darius years, and seeing what God had done during the years of Ezra, they largely remained pagan. By divine providence, Esther was chosen to replace Vashti and she became the wife of this world-emperor. Nobody knew she was a Jew—” But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.”—Esther 2:20. Just imagine having to hide your race or family background for fear it could hurt your opportunities and even get you killed. Though we live in the 21st century and these things took place in 480 BC, in many parts of the world the last 2500 years have not changed much about this. It is soon after queen Esther became queen that Mordecai uncovered the first plot to assassinate Xerxes [Esther 2:21-23]. This discovery that protected the life of the king would eventually work in his favor to elevate him in a high position. But in the meantime they would have to deal with a nuisance that would be Haman, the agagite. Since Agag was a well-known name of Amalekites’ kings [ 1 Samuel 15:9]—just like Pharaohs in Egypt—some say that Haman was a descendant of Amalekite royalty. This would make sense, at least prophetically, since God had sworn to “utterly destroy” the Amalekites [ Exodus 17: 14-15; 1 Samuel 15:3; Deuteronomy 25:17-19]. It is on occasion of defeating the Amalekites that Moses had built an altar for the name Jehovah Nissi—the Lord our Victory or Banner. This consideration reminds us of how enmity works, from a divine point of view, “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”—Genesis 3:15. Despite enmity being quite unfortunate, considering the brotherhood of all humanity, in redemptive history it has served an unusual purpose. Looking at the Old Testament, we see Isaac vs Ishmael, Israel vs Egypt, Israel vs Amalekites, Israel vs Midianites, Israel vs Philistines, Israel vs Assyrians, Israel vs Babylonians—it’s often been the case that being loved and chosen by God resulted in being excluded and hated by the world [Exodus 19:5-6; Deuteronomy 7:6-9; Matthew 10:22; Matthew 24:9; Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12; John 15:18; James 4:4; John 7:7]. Though the whole world belongs to God—as we are reminded in Exodus 19:5-6—God has a people he made a special possession. This distinction is what creates envy and then later on enmity. It shouldn’t be the case, but it’s been that way [Genesis 22:18; Isaiah 42:6]. This may explain why Mordecai had instructed Esther not to reveal her identity. When Haman began to plot against the Jews, he had no idea that the wife of his boss was Jewish. The trigger of this plot was rather strange—Mordecai had refused to kneel down before Haman—though every other noble and royal official did that [Esther 3:2-6]. Since Haman realized this was a religious and cultural issue, killing Mordecai did not seem sufficient for him. He had to kill all Jews. Considering that he was the Vice-emperor, he had great authority to carry out this plot. So, the plot went very far before Xerxes could analyze its consequences [Esther 3:10-13]. His name was being used in the things He did not fully understand. The Jews began to mourn, fast, and pray [Esther 4:1-3]. But Esther being so highly privileged in a pagan court, barely knew what was going on outside. She had to enquire what was wrong with Mordecai [Esther 4:5]. It is at this time Mordecai tells Esther and where our verse of Esther 4:14 brings us. First, Mordecai did not think that relief of the Jews entirely depended upon Esther—relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews—since God has always delivered His people of Israel, it did not matter so much which person He would use, as much as it mattered that the Lord Himself would be involved. Second, Mordecai warned that even though God could have saved his people eventually, through the hand of someone else, the waste of time to act on the threat would have resulted in the loss of many lives—including Mordecai and Esther. Third, he realized that her elevation was divine providence—who knows why you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this—God’s providence and opportunities come at particular Kairos moments—which we must wisely make most of or take advantage of [Acts 17:26; Ephesians 5:15-16]. For example, the rise of Cyrus 2 generations earlier, had been an opportunity to build the temple. If a Kairos moment is missed, it could take a long time to get another opportunity, as we see in Ezra chapter 3-5, in the delays of the completion of the temple. This was Esther’s “appointed time“—but it was a scary move. Haman was very powerful and her entrance into the king’s palace to intercede for the Jewish people could have resulted in the exposure of her identity and immediate death. So, she determined—I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish—Esther4:16. At a certain point, redemptive purposes for all God’s people should outweigh personal comfort, even in the midst of the most dangerous risks. The God who watches over Israel saved His people because of this act of courage [Esther 7 & 8]. 

Thursday, November 17th, 2022

 I will allow no sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob— Psalms 132:4-5

In the Isaiah 62:1 we read this week, we see, “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.”—Isaiah 62:1. As we progress in this chapter, we see that it is not just the Lord who won’t stay silent. We see that He has called and set up watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem who will not stay silent either—I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest—Isaiah 62:6. The reason those watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem have been instructed to give themselves no rest is the same that the Lord has not given Himself rest—till the Tsedek of Jerusalem is shining forth. Till Jerusalem becomes a praise in the earth [Isaiah 62:7]. The Hebrew word for praise in Isaiah 62:7 is “Tehillah“—which we also see in 2 Chronicles 20:22 and Psalms 22:3. This is often associated with making joyful music to the Lord because of His greatness and His goodness. The greatness of His name itself is worthy of praise even if He did not do anything for us. When we look at the starry sky, we see the majesty of the Most High. For this, He deserves to be praised. But we also praise Him for His goodness towards His people—like when He delivered the Jews in the days of Esther—it would have been a good occasion to praise the Lord [Esther 8:16-17 ]. So, the Lord instructing the watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem to give Him no rest till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth—would ultimately lead to God’s own honor, as we would recognize the Lord had done that. Jerusalem is not the end of our praise and worship, God Himself is. But it would be a great joy for us to see God make Jerusalem prosper [Psalms 51:18; Psalms 102:13]. This brings us to the passage of Psalms 132:4-5 that we are reading today. In this, we see David having the same zeal that God calls the watchmen to have in Isaiah 62:6-7. The Psalms 132:1 starts with the words, “LORD, remember David and all his self-denial.”—what a good thing to think about. God remembers our self-denial, our labor of love [Hebrews 6:10; Nehemiah 13:14; Proverbs 19:17]. This is important because when we give ourselves no rest to obey God, in seeking the advancement of the kingdom of God, the growth of the church, and the prosperity of Zion, we deny ourselves many things. Think about the risks Esther was incurring in the passage we read yesterday. There were costs to that. There are costs to being a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ [Luke 14:26-33; Mark 10:30]. Rest is ultimately one of the joys of life and God will reward His dying saints with rest [Revelation 14:13]. On the days I have worked the hardest, it has dawned on me that when our lives on earth are over, death is actually a good thing—who wants to work that hard on earth forever ? The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away—Psalms 90:8. When we read Acts 19 and Acts 20, we see apostle Paul giving us an example of what serving God is like, when it is holy toil. We see, for example, in Acts 20: 18-19 Paul saying, “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents“—this is a good example of self-denial we should keep in mind, even as Christianity becomes full of grifters who don’t understand what holy toil is [Acts 20:20-31]. As the Psalm 132 progresses, we see what David did in denying himself. He said “I will allow no sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the LORD”—Psalms 132:4-5—we know that David had it in his heart to build the temple of the Lord and he is the one who made the architectural plans as well as the financial provisions for the temple that Solomon ultimately built [2 Samuel 7:3-28; 1 Chronicles 28:3-5; 1 Chronicles 28:8-21]. Though Solomon is the one who fulfilled that calling, David poured His whole heart and life into preparation. Each generation of the people of God has always done this. Moses may not have led Israel into the promised land, but Joshua needed Moses to get Israel out of Egypt. Younger generations that inherit God’s promises are not necessarily superior to older generations that may not have inherited those promises. They are often raised up, educated, taught, and given inheritance by their elders. Our Spiritual parents may not see the rapture, but we wouldn’t be strong and powerful enough to be the church of the rapture without their services. David did all of this for Solomon—so that Jehovah would have a glorious temple in Zion—and Jerusalem would become a city where the Tehillah of the Lord is. This is the zeal Jesus wants us to have for His kingdom and His church, as we pray and preach day and night [John 2:17; John 4:34-35; Mark 3:20-23; Romans 12:11; Revelation 2:5; 2 Samuel 11:11; Job 23:12; Mark 2:19-20; Matthew 16:18-19; Isaiah 9:6-7; Matthew 6:26-33; 1 Timothy 2:1-5; Romans 9:2-5; Psalms 78:6; Psalms 112:18; Romans 15:4; Psalms 22:30-31].

Friday, November 18th, 2022

This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus—Ephesians 3:6

In Esther 8:17, we read: “In every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.” On one hand, there were Jews celebrating deliverance. On the other hand, there were other nationalities that were taking on a Jewish identity. Why was this happening ? They were looking for safety and were in awe of what God had done for the Jews. While physical threats may be easier to understand for the natural mind, whenever Israel was involved in precarious situations, there was always a mystical nature to the deliverance they received. Remember the night of the Passover when they left Egypt, they put the blood on the doorframes—the sons of Israel survived, the sons of Egypt died [Exodus 12:3]. If Egypt had known about this and brought their sons under the blood, they would have survived too [Exodus 12:29]. The Lord’s plan in choosing Abraham and blessing Israel was ultimately for the purpose of blessing all nations and saving the world through Jesus Christ [ Genesis 22:18; Acts 10:34-35]. What Christ brought for the gentile Christians is much bigger than what these foreigners in Susa were doing in taking on Jewish identity. Ephesians 2:19 tells us, “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”—how did this happen ? Through what Paul calls “grafting” —But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree—Romans 11:17. Paul is telling us that gentile Christians are no longer “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise“—Ephesians 2:12. It has generally been taught to gentiles that salvation in Christ involves receiving Jesus. It was also understood as being part of the church of Jesus. Both of these things are true [Acts 4:12; John 1:12; Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:27]. But Paul’s understanding of what gentile Christians come into at their new birth goes way beyond these 2 major concepts. He writes that the commonwealth of Israel that involved all the blessings of Abraham and the covenant of promises are also now part of our inheritance as gentile Christians [2 Corinthians 1:20; Galatians 3:29]. In order to help us understand of this “one new man” [Ephesians 2:15], Paul tells us that through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, the fence or dividing wall that separated the Jews and Gentiles was removed. A good illustration of this dividing wall is the temple. It played a major role in this covenant and the gentiles had only access to the outer court. It was not a matter of what they wanted to be or how close they wanted to get to God. Their station was already assigned by race. The death of the Lord Jesus Christ ended this. Therefore, the church is the house of the Lord for all nations [Isaiah 56:7; Matthew 21:13]. Gentile Christians became “fellow citizens with the saints.”—as the Gospel went forth from Jerusalem to Samaria, and then to other nations, gentiles who became part of the church weren’t just converted to Christ, they were “grafted into” citizenship with the saints of Israel—Paul is using a metaphor of a vine with an olive branch grafted in [Isaiah 5:1-4; John 15:1-5; Romans 11:18-22]. Grafts are also used in medicine, like a person could receive a kidney transplant from somebody else. Since the recipient’s body immune system may have incompatibility with the foreign organ that was donated, rejection can happen. Rejection makes grafting difficult. However, what is hard for men, is easy with Jesus. Despite the early resistance of those who were in the church in Jerusalem, it became clear eventually that gentiles had been offered the same grace and the same salvation through faith in Jesus [Acts 10; Acts 11; Acts 15; Galatians 2]. Paul says that this grafting should be cause for humility, not pride. First, because there were original branches that were cut off. People like Caiphas who was High Priest when Jesus stood before Pilate did not receive Christ and lost their salvation, as did millions of other Jews. Paul asks, if God cut off original branches, would He hesitate to cut off the wild olive branches that He had grafted ? Second, it should lead to humility because we played no role in the grafting. This was a supernatural surgical operation. Jesus did all the work. It is a mysterious work that He continues to do through the preaching of the Gospel—Gentile Christians share with original saints in Israel 3 things: One Lord, One Body, and the covenant of promises. The Greek word that Paul uses for “fellow heirs ” in Ephesians 3:6 is “synkeronomos/ sugkleronomos“—which means sharing inheritance or being closely identified with or synchronized.  I do not believe that Gentile Christians have an inheritance of land in the church age, like the tribe of Ephraim [Joshua 16:4-5] and Benjamin would have had [Joshua 18:11-13]. What Paul is describing is spiritual inheritance. The promises of the Lord are rich and their value far outweigh entire continents. They are ours through Jesus Christ [John 14:12; John 15:7; 1 John 5:14-15; 2 Peter 1:3-4; Numbers 23:19]. Also, as members of one body, all the things that Paul tells us about the Body apply—these include interdependence, serving one purpose, sharing one hope—of being with our Lord Jesus Christ forever in glory. 

Saturday, November 19th, 2022

Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful pasture, a tent that does not wander; its tent pegs will not be pulled up, nor will any of its cords be broken….And no resident of Zion will say, “I am sick.” The people who dwell there will be forgiven of iniquity— Isaiah 33:20, 24

We had seen that some of Scriptures that mention celestial Zion like “You have to come to Mount Zion…to the heavenly Jerusalem…to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly…to the church of the Firstborn…to God, the Judge of all…” —Hebrews 12:22-24, usually speak of the church. While often Scriptures that talk about the Jerusalem below and the Jerusalem above can be easily distinguished, there are times that the promises of Zion seem to overlap. This is not surprising since the promises inherited by the Gentile Christians belong to the “commonwealth of Israel” anyway [Ephesians 2:12,19 ;Ephesians 3:6]. In Isaiah 33 we see such promises that could be understood as overlapping. It starts with Isaiah 33:1 talking about the woes of the destroyer, which would be understood to be Babylon. So, this Isaiah 33 would have been a promise for a post-captivity Jerusalem. It progresses to verse 5, where we read: “The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness.”—as we have seen in Isaiah 62, this is consistent with God’s intent for the Jerusalem below, the city of Tsedek, that the Lord wants to make a praise in the earth [Isaiah 62 verse 1,6, and 7; Isaiah 1:26]. Further down in verse 6, we read: “He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.”—this is still consistent with the Jerusalem below because the store of salvation would be for those who are still on pilgrimage, not the glorified. The fear of the Lord being the key to the treasures of wisdom and knowledge is also not something for those who are in heaven, because those in heaven no longer know in part, as we do on earth [1 Corinthians 13:9]. Nor are the “the spirits of just men made perfect“—Hebrews 12:23—instructed to have the fear of God as the means of growing in the grace of revelational knowledge and wisdom. Growth in grace is for those who are still below. One of the causes of fear is the revelation of divine majesty in contrast to man’s sinfulness [Isaiah 33:14]—The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: “Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”—yet this trembling and fear is not found in those who walk uprightly [Verse 15-16]. The verses 18 and 19 establish the understanding that this promises applies to post-captivity Jerusalem—the people of God who are no longer under the realm of “those arrogant people…people whose speech is obscure...”—it is after this we read the precious promises that could have a dual application and some could even say a triple application, if we add on the glorified Zion, after Christ’s Second Coming. The Zion that the Lord is talking about here is peaceful and has a tabernacle that is established in one place. It does not move from place to place like in the days of Moses in the wilderness. Then comes one of the most glorious promises—inhabitants of Zion will not say I am sick and their sins will be forgiven. Before we stagger at the promise of not getting sick, let’s first consider the easiest promise to believe—the inhabitants of Zion will have their sins forgiven. No one would challenge the possibility of forgiveness for those who dwell in Zion, whether we understand it as the Jerusalem below or the mystical body of Christ—the “church of the Firstborn.” Psalms 103:3 is similar to Isaiah 33:24 in terms of connecting forgiveness and healing. Other Scriptures that are worth reading on forgiveness of sins are Psalms 103:12; Micah 7:19; and Isaiah 43:25. “As far the East is from the West, so has He removed our transgressions from us.“—this forgiveness is complete and brings us into reconciliation with the Lord. The question becomes—how can we accept one promise and doubt the other—how can we agree with “Who forgives all your iniquities” of Psalms 103: 3 and still disagree with “Who heals all your diseases“—how can we say Amen to “their iniquities will be forgiven” —of Isaiah 33:24, as already applicable to all saints now—and yet argue “no inhabitants will say ‘I am sick’ ” of the same Isaiah 33:24, as only applicable to the saints who will be glorified and taken to heaven. That’s an inconsistent way to read and understand the Bible. As we see in Mark 2:1-5 healing of a paralytic man that Jesus told “Your sins are forgiven“—we can see that Jesus already fulfilled these promises by putting together the forgiveness of sins and the healing of sicknesses, in the same redemptive provision. We have already come to Mount Zion and this is a great privilege. Not only can we say all our sins have been forgiven—we have been cleansed—we have been freed from sin—and we have the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, to sanctify us, and transforming us into the glorious image of Jesus Christ—we have also been brought into divine healing and a supernatural state of divine health. We will never say we are sick. That does not belong to those who dwell in Zion. Sickness is inconsistent with the redemption of Christ. Diseases are incompatible with Christianity. “Is anyone sick among you ? Let him call the Elders of the church…the prayer of faith shall save the sick…“—James 5:14-16. James, the brother of our Lord Jesus, like the evangelists who wrote the Gospels, shared the conviction that sickness was not agreeable with the Gospel dispensation. It is high time the saints of the Most High of our times affirmed this promise we have inherited [Matthew 4:23-24; Matthew 9:35; Matthew 12:15; Matthew 14:14; Matthew 15:30; Acts 5:14-16; Acts 19:11-12; Acts 10:38; Matthew 10:1; John 14:12].

 

Sunday, November 20th, 2022

‘Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says the LORD, ‘Nor be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar, And your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, And no one shall make him afraid— Jeremiah 30:10.

At the beginning of Jeremiah 30, we read in verse 3, “The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the LORD ”—the Lord foretelling of the return of Jewish captives from Babylon back to their ancestral land in Israel. The Lord had afflicted them because of their disobedience and unfaithfulness [Jeremiah 4:18; 2 Chronicles 36:21; Jeremiah 25:11; Jeremiah 29:10; Daniel 9:2]—So the message of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The land finally enjoyed its Sabbath rest—2 Chronicles 36:21—in their unfaithfulness, they had worshipped idols, gods that had never saved them or could save anyone. In their disobedience, they had worked on the Sabbath day, a day of rest that God had given them to rest from their labors—and spend it worshiping and seeking Him. Their captivity is declared to be a time God stepped in and seized the land by force and granted its rest that they had robbed it for 490 years, going back to the days of Solomon. Jeremiah not only had prophesied their judgment, he had also prophesied their restoration. His punishment was temporary, not permanent. Their affliction was for a moment, not perpetual [Isaiah 54:7; Psalms 30:5]— For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. The Lord is a God of mercy and judgment—that should be known—but mercy triumphs over judgment [James 2:13; Psalms 103:8; Exodus 34:6]. We can see a lot of judgments that Jesus declared towards Pharisees and Jerusalem for example [Matthew 23; Luke 13:34; Matthew 21:32-43]—and yet spent most of His ministry doing miracles of mercy, healing the sick and feeding the hungry [Matthew 4:23-24; Matthew 9:35-36; Matthew 9:13]. The danger has always been the risk of considering one without the other. As the Lord spoke through Jeremiah, their restoration from captivity was a form of salvation— I will save you from afar, And your seed from the land of their captivity—the Hebrew word used for “save” here is “YASHA”—which can also mean deliver, avenge, and rescue from enemies. It is a common practice even in those who claim to know God to find themselves false Messiahs, be they political saviors or business gurus. Even Christians can surround themselves with people who say what their itching ears want to hear. When they see things in the world go wrong, such as political instability or government, going in the direction they do not want—rather than seek the way of salvation in what God has prescribed—they try to invent even new ways of sinning by seeking other false Messiahs—to dig even a deeper hole for themselves [2 Chronicles 7:14; 2 Timothy 4:3; Isaiah 30:1; Isaiah 31:1-2; Jeremiah 8:11]. It never worked for Israel, it would never work for Christians. God alone is our Savior, our king, our lawgiver, and our judge [Isaiah 33:22]. Yet, there’s no pit so deep that God would be unable to rescue His people from, if they look to Him for deliverance [Hebrews 7:25; Psalms 40:2]. Jeremiah proceeds to tell the people—Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, And no one shall make him afraid.  We know that though they did return, there were quite a few upheavals in the years that followed their return. After Cyrus released the Jews to go back to rebuild the temple, we read of Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, Rehum, and Shibshai—lodging accusations against Zerubbabel and his partners and successfully stopped them from rebuilding the temple as a result [Ezra 4:1-21]. We also know what Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite did 100 years later when Nehemiah was trying to rebuild the wall [Nehemiah 2:10; Nehemiah 4:1-16]. It may seem like the promise of rest and quietness upon their return did not materialize at least for 100 years. However, God’s promises of peace and rest are not dependent upon circumstances [Philippians 4:6-7]. His command not to be afraid or dismayed does not suggest that there won’t be reasons that could cause fear and worry. Rather, in the midst of those trials, those who make them afraid will be found to be nothing. If their eyes are focused on the Majesty of the Most High, rather than the foxes that steal their treasures, then they will really see things as they appear from heaven’s point of view. The return of Jews from Babylon to gather in Jerusalem was prophetic of Christ’s ultimate gathering of His people—The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people—Genesis 49:10. Shiloh was a prophetic name given to Jesus—the ultimate “King of the Jews“[Luke 23:3]—Shiloh means heavenly peace. Shiloh was also the resting place for the Ark of the Covenant during the early years of Samuel as a prophet [1 Samuel 4:1-4]. Considering that the Ark of the Covenant was the embodiment of God’s presence in Israel—and their source of victory [Numbers 10:35; Joshua 3:14-15; 2 Chronicles 6:41; Psalms 68:1]—we understand that the coming of Shiloh from the tribe of Judah was not just going to be for the gathering of His people—but also for the scattering of His enemies [Luke 1:74; Matthew 12:30; Psalms 2:1-12; Psalms 33:30; Luke 1:52-55; John 9:39; John 12:39-41; Acts 9:31; 1 Timothy 2:1-5; 2 Thessalonians 1:6; Exodus 23:22; Jeremiah 50:29; Matthew 16:18-19; Colossians 2:15; 1 John 3:8; Ephesians 4:8; Isaiah 54:17]. 

Monday, November 21st, 2022

In the fight with the Babylonians: ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath. I will hide my face from this city because of all its wickedness. Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before—Jeremiah 33:5-7

As Jeremiah 33 begins, we see one of the most powerful Bible promises in verse 3: Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. When Jeremiah prophesied about the fall of Jerusalem, many people who heard him thought he was out of his mind, hated Judah, or was prophesying falsehood. Those 3 accusations have often been seen whenever prophecy involved “negative” things that people did not like to hear—even if they may be prophetic words that are based on Scripture—not just “hearing or seeing things” other people may not be able to hear or see. Jesus experienced all of these things [Matthew 12:22-28; Mark 3: 20-22;John 2:17-21; John 7:12; John 7:47-48]. Sometimes misunderstanding is intentionally rooted in malice. Our hearts must be pure to receive from God. Spiritual things that have been freely given to us to unlock the treasures of the kingdom can only be understood by the help of the Holy Spirit [1 Corinthians 2:9-16]. This is why often Jesus said “He who has an ear, let him hear“—obviously He wasn’t saying those who have two auricles—everyone has earlobes—He meant whoever has the ability to recognize what the Lord is saying [Matthew 13:14; Matthew 11:15; Matthew 13:43; Revelation 2:29; Revelation 3:22; Mark 4:12]. So, what were the great and unsearchable things that the people Jerusalem did not know that Jeremiah knew ? He knew of the fall that was coming and how they could have prevented it. He knew which invading nation’s army would execute their fall. He knew how many years they would stay in Babylon. He knew which prophets were telling them lies, like Hananiah we see in Jeremiah 28:1-9. We can see that what Hananiah was doing could be categorized as “motivational speaking” in today’s language, but it was false prophecy. God was clear that people had to be careful to distinguish their own assertions with divine oracles—God’s word is authoritative and final while man’s words can be mere guesses at best—meaningless chaff and wind [Jeremiah 23:28-29]. Jeremiah had access to the rich secrets of the Lord [Psalms 25:14; Ephesians 3:8]. As Jeremiah spoke with authority those “unsearchable things” —He talked of how Babylon was God’s battle axe [Jeremiah 51:20-24]. God used Babylon to punish Judah but Babylon went too far and its excesses were overboard. So, God would in turn punish Babylon. We see God saying in Jeremiah 33:6 that the houses in Jerusalem would be “filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath”—though the Babylonian army would be attacking Jerusalem—God was saying He would be the one slaying them “in my anger and wrath.” However, the God who afflicted them was also clear that this affliction was temporary and He would restore them again—I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. The Hebrew word used for “healing” is “marpe“—which is from “rapha” and can also mean cure, remedy, and soothe.  The Hebrew word used for “peace” is “shalom“—which can also mean welfare, well-being, favorable, safety, soundness, and prosperity. The Hebrew word used for “truth” is “emeth“—it can also mean firmness, faithfulness, stability, sureness, and reliability. It is good to note that the NIV and ESV translated “emeth” as “security.” We are seeing another angle to healing here. We often see divine healing as usually physical. For example, someone who has prostate cancer or breast cancer being healed by God. However, divine healing can involve psychiatric issues—emotional or mental health. In this context, it was about national woes—backsliding, calamity, economic ruin, and property destruction [Hosea 14:4; Jeremiah 33:5; Jeremiah 18:17;  Jeremiah 21:10]. God’s healing power goes beyond bringing bodies back to physical health like we see Jesus did in His ministry [Matthew 4:23-24; Matthew 9:35; Matthew 10 verse 1 and 8; Matthew 12:15; Matthew 15:30]. God’s healing power extends to curing bad memories and emotional wounds—”By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion“—Psalms 137:1. Why did the Jews weep when they remembered Zion while sitting on the banks of rivers in Babylon ? They had bad memories of the invasion that ruined their nation. They had emotional wounds. Their kids were crushed. Their daughters were sexually assaulted or married to foreigners against their consent. They had seen their houses burn. They had lost their freedom and had become slaves. All these things can be depressing and cause anguish. But before that fall, the nation had lost soundness judicially, politically, militarily, and strategically. Even citizens did not trust each other, which hurt human relations. Their kings did not know how to make wise decisions. Their judges were blinded by bribes. Their soldiers were scared of war. They had become a laughingstock in neighboring nations. Lebanon was no longer offering a hand of friendship. Not only were individuals crushed, the whole nation had no strength or health [Jeremiah 14:13; Jeremiah 12:5; Jeremiah 25:37; Jeremiah 20:10; Jeremiah 38:22; Leviticus 26:6; 1 Kings 5:26; Deuteronomy 20:10; Isaiah 33:7]. Do we have faith that God can give this kind of restoration or healing to nations with similar problems ? The restoration and rest that we started to talk about yesterday in Jeremiah 30:10, would happen after their captivity. God would bring them healing first, then they would experience rest and quietness [Isaiah 14:3].

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2022

So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you- Joel 2:25

While the timeline of Joel or timing of his prophetic message has not been agreed upon, the timelessness of the message is clear. It could be that Joel prophesied before Babylonian captivity as many scholars seem to believe, but it is also possible he may have prophesied after captivity. Neither would affect the applicability to our current DEVOTIONALS OF REST. Joel 3 is particularly in mind as I try to look at what Joel 2:25 could have implied to a post-captivity Jewish population. Joel 3 verse 2 talks about God putting nations on trial for what they did to Israel. Joel 3 verse 5 talks about the charge the Lord has—they plundered the gold of His temple. Joel 3 verse 6 talks about the Jews being sold as slaves to the Greeks. While some think that Joel prophesied during the years of Athaliah’s reign as queen or shortly afterwards, around 840-830 BC decade, the Arameans who harassed Israel and Judah during those years did not damage God’s people to the extent we see in Joel 3. Once Hazael, the Aramean king, took gold that belonged to the temple, but Joash gave it voluntarily as a deal to avoid war [2 Kings 12:16-19]. No Jew was taken as a slave during that attack. At one point king Amaziah of Judah foolishly provoked Jehoash of Israel, friend of prophet Elisha. Amaziah lost the war, which resulted in some articles of the temple in Jerusalem being captured by Jehoash, but that again does not seem consistent with what we read in Joel 3 [See 2 Kings 14:8-15]. So, the message of Joel 3 would have been relevant to a post-captivity audience. It is with this consideration that we will look at Joel 2:25, even if the locusts mentioned could have come much earlier. The judgment that involved locusts was not a new thing. Moses had unleashed this judgment on Egypt by the command of the Lord [ Exodus 10:13-19]. Indeed, if it happened in pre-captivity Israel, it could have been a harbinger of future judgment with real militaries. God calls the locusts “my great army which I sent among you.”—we live in an age where the John 10:10 interpretation by some Pentecostal and Charismatic preachers has been taken to the extreme. In John 10:10, we see Jesus saying that He had come to give abundant life while Satan is a thief, who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Some have concluded that all destructions or all things that appear to be bad news/ losses must be from Satan. As we see in Joel 2:25, God takes credit for the famine. In fact, there’s almost no reference of a famine being caused by anyone else other than Jehovah throughout Scripture [Amos 8:11; Jeremiah 8:13; Amos 4:6-9; Ezekiel 30:12; Isaiah 30:20; Revelation 6:8; Revelation 18:8]. In Ahab’s years when Elijah prayed ? It was God [James 5:17-18; 1 Kings 17:1-9]. In Elisha’s days when there was such a severe famine that women boiled a child in Samaria ? Again it was the Lord’s doing [2 Kings 6:24-33; 2 Kings 7:1-10].So, we understand that the locusts that had consumed the harvest in Joel 2 were indeed sent by the Lord. Even the afflictions where we see the hand of Satan or at least his accusations involved—such as in Job’s case for example—God ultimately had given permission to Satan to do it [Job 1:6-21]. This means that in times of famine and adversity, God’s people should concern themselves with bowing down before the Lord’s majesty rather than be found rebuking Satan [Malachi 3:10-11; Haggai 1:11; Deuteronomy 11:14; Acts 14:17; Proverbs 3:10]. This doesn’t mean demons should not be addressed while doing deliverance ministry for those who are demon-possessed, but that is an entirely different topic. The key here is that famines usually have the hand of the Lord in them and we don’t deal with God’s hand by binding and casting out—we deal with God’s hand by humbling ourselves and bowing down. The people who understand this are more likely to pray correctly and see God’s answer and turn around—So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten. When God’s people suffer financial losses, harvest losses, economic ruin, and property damage—they do not just lose their livelihoods or “filthy lucre“—they may lose precious time or years. The 70 years that Jews spent in Babylon did not add anything to Judah’s GDP. The toils for Nebuchadnezzar was not building them houses and cities. 70 years is a long time to lose and it should be an encouragement for Christians who have lost a few years in one way or another—because of various afflictions and losses—So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten—God will restore those years. First of all, God is outside of time. He is eternal—with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day—2 Peter 3:8. God can accomplish for us in 1 week what takes some families 40 years or even 200 years. This means that when the Lord has us waiting and asks us patience, we cannot fret like those who act restless when they fear that they are losing time [Psalms 37:7]. Anxiety and worry birth Ishmaels and works of the flesh. God can give us 1 year what worldly people dream of acquiring in a whole lifetime [Matthew 6:26-33; Luke 5:5-6]. Second, now is the day of the Lord’s favor [2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 11:1; John 2:4-5; Matthew 15:21-28; Isaiah 43:19; Mark 11:22-24]. In the Gospel dispensation, Christ took captivity captive and gave gifts to men [ Ephesians 4:8; Psalms 68:17-19]. The Lord daily loads us with the benefits of His redemption. We live in the age of open doors that no man can shut. We are in that season in which whatever the Lord has taken to discipline us over the years, He will repay back to us, with double for the trouble endured [Job 42:10-16; James 5:11; Psalms 107:17-20; Psalms 136:3-5; Mark 8:17; Psalms 23:6; Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:32; John 14:12-13; John 16:24].

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2022

For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son —Colossians 1:13

 In Joshua 21:44, we read: “The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them…”—We see that as Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land, though they had to do battle initially, they eventually reached a point of rest—after conquering many battles. Sadly, as they became unfaithful to the Lord centuries later, they became weaker and lost battles. God gave them over to their enemies. They were defeated and carried as captives into foreign lands. Yet, the Lord in His mercy restored them back to Jerusalem, where they returned to rebuild the temple and live in security. We saw how through Jeremiah’s prophecies, God promised rest and quietness to those who would return. As we continue our devotionals for this week, we will try to apply these meditations to a New Testament context. People of our times may not be taken as captives into Russia, Iraq, or even China —but this does not mean they have no enemies—be they spiritual or physical. And the greatest enemy of humanity is powerful—Satan himself. Scriptures tell us a lot about Satan. He was once a cherubim in heaven. When he rebelled against God, he was able to bring one third of angels down with him. In Revelation 12:7-17 we read: “there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels“- verse 7. The conclusion of this war was that Satan was cast out of heaven. In verse 12, we read that he came to the earth with fury. Satan set up his kingdom on earth. He is certainly on social media! The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:1-2, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”—Satan is the one called here the “ruler of the kingdom of the air.”  He also wages war against us “in the heavenlies“—Ephesians 6:10-18. Angels are invisible and spiritual beings, not just invisible like Nitrogen, but also spiritual. The dark angels who fell down along with Satan are still invisible. Despite their invisibility, they do a lot of things in the visible world, which can be visible, harmful, and wicked. Consider the Gospel story of a father who had a son with seizures and came to Jesus. He described how evil spirits that tormented the young man thus: “Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”—Mark 9:18. These are typical symptoms of epilepsy. These are the works of an enemy we cannot see. He has ability to cause visible physical symptoms. Majority of people think of Satan as only working through suggestive thoughts, ideas, and ideologies. A story that may have helped us to think of this is Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. We see Satan saying: “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”—Matthew 4:3. But as we see in Mark 9, he also has power to cause physical manifestations in our world. He is definitely behind world wars. One of the 2 main reasons the Millennium Kingdom of Christ in Jerusalem will be peaceful is because Satan will have been bound [Revelation 20:1-8]. In meantime, Satan is still at work here, though Jesus has entered enemy territory, preaching the Gospel. Jesus tells us that one of the manifestations of His kingdom was casting out demons—Matthew 12:22-28: “If I drive out demons by the finger of God, the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Satan wants to control people, but Jesus came “to destroy the works of the devil“—1 John 3:8. Christ came to deliver the entire human race from the kingdom of Satan—which is a kingdom of darkness. Those who believe in Jesus have been blessed enough to get out of Satan’s control. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son—Colossians 1:13. Satan is so powerful that such a deliverance would not have happened by human willpower or following the Law. Human beings have no ability to deliver themselves out of Satan’s clutches—at least not before they come to Jesus. I know we have been taught by modern psychology that we can choose how we want to live—and to a certain degree this is true—especially if those choices start with believing in Jesus Christ. However, for someone who doesn’t know Jesus, choices are rather limited because Satan is “the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” When people go to bars and get drunk or use cocaine, did they make those choices ? Certainly they made those choices. But it can be hard to distinguish which choices they are making themselves and which ones Satan is influencing. Remember, he is a “spirit at work in them.”  For people who are “dead in trespasses and sins“—Satan’s control is so entrenched that their choices are largely influenced by him, though they may not be aware they are being led by him or doing his bidding. When Judas betrayed Jesus, we read “As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly”—John 13:27. Not only did Jesus know Judas would betray him, He knew the moment Satan entered into him to possess him and lead Christ to the cross. Judas may have yielded his choices to Satan long before that time—but he was certainly under Satan’s control in those moments he betrayed Jesus. Thankfully, the Father has delivered us from Satan’s grip and His kingdom of darkness [John 10:27-28]. He has translated us into the kingdom of Jesus Christ, which is a kingdom of light. It was a power-rescue. Our own will could not have been strong enough to get us out of that prison. We were lost and Christ broke us out [John 1:12-13]. Indeed, striving in our own efforts would have been unhelpful in leading us to rest in spiritual matters. Satan will try to hunt down his captives who escape His kingdom. Only God Almighty can give His people rest from the battles Satan wages against souls and give the saints total victory.

Thursday, November 24th, 2022

So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things?—Acts 4:24-25

After the miracle of the beggar who sat by the temple, thousands of people were curious to know how he had been able to walk. Peter had been clear that it was not their godliness that raised the man who had been disabled for many years—rather, it was the faith in Jesus Christ that had raised him [Acts 3:1-21]. That miracle had been an opportunity to declare to the people of Jerusalem the heinous evil they had done in crucifying Jesus, the glorious redemption that the Father worked through that crucifixion, and the majestic resurrection of Jesus from the dead—that proved He was Lord and God, as He had taught throughout His ministry. The Jewish leaders had come to join the thousands who were listening and were disturbed by this doctrine they considered to be heretical—so they arrested them and put them in jail. But Peter did not back down. When he was asked how the man had been healed, he declared the same things, adding that salvation could not be found in any other person, because there’s only one name given to mankind by which we can be saved from eternal damnation in hell and brought into God’s glorious eternal life in heaven—the name of Jesus Christ . The Jewish leaders were surprised how these uneducated fishermen could be so bold or even accomplish such a feat [Acts 4:12-13]. Rather than rejoice in the healing of the man, they flogged them, and sent them away with a warning not to do that ‘mischief‘ again. That’s where we see this prayer in Acts 4:24-31, of how the apostles and all disciples in Jerusalem responded to those threats. Yesterday, we had largely focused on Satan as our main enemy in a New Testament context. We had been trying to apply what we had seen earlier regarding the captivity of Jews in Babylon and their restoration. We had seen that Satan is an invisible enemy, though he can cause visible physical symptoms and is the source of serious damages in our world. Satan being the primary enemy of everything good the Lord has given to the saints—he must have been working through the Jewish Sanhedrin when they threatened the apostles, Peter and John. Satan hates divine healing, that’s for sure. You can see this in America and around the world. He does not want the sick to praise the Lord Jesus Christ for their rescue. Satan can even use religious leaders to attack divine healing ministry done in the name of Jesus. This is not to say that there are not some healing evangelists with ungodly behaviors—but that’s generally not always the case when you analyze how divine healing ministry is attacked. Indeed, the more godly a divine healing minister is, the more likely to be persecuted because those who are ungodly attract no serious attention anyway. There have been healing evangelists with a terrible conduct, such as A.A. Allen of Arizona, who died of alcoholism and drug overdose at a hotel in San Francisco. There have also been godly healing evangelists like Smith Wigglesworth and T. L. Osborn—but still even those who were godly were attacked. Only Satan’s involvement can be the proper explanation of why religious leaders would be angry that someone who was dead is able to walk or someone who who was in a wheelchair no longer needs it [John 11:44-48; John 12:9-10]. Details or material facts usually don’t matter—the bottom-line is to silence the Gospel preached with a demonstration of power. The Jewish leaders were also angry because, as they charged, the apostles had  “filled Jerusalem with their doctrine and determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood“—Acts 5:17-28; Acts 4:10. It’s like the Sanhedrin had proudly killed Jesus, but now that the masses were turning to Christ for salvation, they were trying to distance themselves from that murder, and silencing anyone who would talk about it. So, the prayer of the apostles in Acts 4:24-31 is rather instructive for Christians who minister in any hostile environment. The apostles were not the kind of people who would let their enemies—the enemies of the Gospel—triumph over them—stop them from ministry, evangelism, and missions—or silence the praises of God’s people. They had not corrupted the “Sermon on the Mount” teachings to translate that meekness means weakness. They were going to preach in the temple despite the ordinance forbidding them to do so because they had rather obey God than men [Acts 5:29]. They church enjoyed years of rest after emperor Constantine claimed to be a Christian—and even more so after the Protestant Reformation of the 15th century—but the early years of any new kind of divine work is struggle against a mortal enemy. It was not just Israel when they were trying to enter the Promised Land, it has been the circumstances of all saints throughout history—especially so of the early church apostles. They were fighting for future generations to receive the authentic Gospel. They raised their voices in prayer to God and acknowledged His greatness in creation. This is the first step to cast out fear [Isaiah 51:13]. They quoted Psalms 2, a song of Messianic Triumph—Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? [Psalms 2:1-12]. Any Christian under persecution must have a Psalms 2:1-12 mentality, otherwise Satan will win. There’s no victory without that. Real prayer must destroy Satan’s works. As they prayed, God heard them, shook their gathering, and filled them with the Holy Spirit again, so that they could spread the Gospel boldly.  

Friday, November 25th, 2022

’For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws– Ezekiel 36:24-27

In the Jeremiah 30:10 Scripture that is our main text for this week, we had seen that God had promised to save the Jews from the distant land where He had banished them, and He would return them to Jerusalem, where they would be in rest and quietness. They had lost peace and their land because of their unfaithfulness, but God would have mercy on them and restore them after 70 years. Today, we turn to the prophecy of Ezekiel regarding Jewish restoration, which seems to also connect to the promise of a New Covenant that God would have with Israel. The estimated year of birth of Jeremiah is 645-644 BC while Ezekiel was born around 625-623 BC. Jeremiah prophesied in the Southern Kingdom for 40 years before he ended up in Egypt at the age of 58-59 [Jeremiah 43:1-13]. On the other hand, when Ezekiel begins to prophesy, he had already been taken to Babylon, as he saw the visions of God in his 30th year by the Kebar river. Many of the prophecies of Jeremiah about captivity had already been fulfilled since Ezekiel begins to prophesy in exile. Since Daniel is believed to have been around 15-17 years old when Nebuchadnezzar took Jews to Babylon, he would have been roughly 5-7 years younger than Ezekiel, having been born around 622-620 BC. The imposing image that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dreams that Daniel interpreted is estimated to have occurred around 603 BC, about 4 years after Nebuchadnezzar had conquered Jerusalem. Daniel would have been around 20-23 years old when he interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream—which would have been around 10 years before Ezekiel began to prophesy as well. Though Ezekiel was older than Daniel, Daniel became known as a prophet 10 years before Ezekiel. Jeremiah was still in Jerusalem at that time and would remain there 16-17 more years. So, we have an overlapping period of 3 major prophets prophesying to the Jewish people and the nations about similar things, yet spoken in different places, and at different times. The opening text we have today is somehow similar to Jeremiah’s chapter 30 verse 19 and Jeremiah 31:31-34, which would be good to study in parallel. First, Ezekiel says that God would take them out of the nations in which they had been taken captive or scattered. In Jeremiah 30:19 we read the promise: “There will be joy and songs of thanksgiving, and I will multiply my people, not diminish them; I will honor them, not despise them“—the promises had a dual application—first, to the Jews of that period who would return to Jerusalem. Second, to the Jews who would form the nation of Israel in the 20th century, immigrating from Europe and United States. We had talked about this restoration in detail. Second, Ezekiel says that the Lord would sprinkle clean water to cleanse them from their impurities and give them a new heart and a new spirit. God was promising to remove from them a heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. He would give them the Holy Spirit, who would move them to follow God’s decrees. This is similar to Jeremiah 31:31-34, where we see that God would make a new covenant with the Jewish people, different from the one He had made with Israel when they left Egypt. ” ‘This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.’ “—Jeremiah 31:33.  Since these passages are quoted by New Testament authors [see Hebrews 8:6-17], the second part of these prophecies had a distant fulfillment. They would return to the land first, but God would make a New Covenant with them 500 years later.  This would be a covenant of spiritual rest—because it would no longer be about what they could do to please God or earn His favor—but rather what God was going to do for them to bring them closer to Himself. They would get physical, economic, and national restoration to their ancestral land, but the underlying issue of their unfaithfulness and captivity was their iniquity—and it had been proven that they had no power to solve that one. Since they could not save themselves from their sins, and their sins were their downfall, they could not save themselves economically and militarily either. The New Covenant involves much more than forgiveness and justification of sinners. In forgiveness, God wipes the slate clean and pardons sinners of the evil they have done [Romans 3:23-25; Jeremiah 31:34]—I will remember their sins no more. In justification, God actually credits an obedience they never had—the righteousness of Christ—the obedience of the Son of God [Romans 4:22-25; Romans 5:1; Jeremiah 23:5-6; 2 Corinthians 5:21]—Christ is Jehovah Tsidkenu—the Lord our righteousness. As glorious and comforting this aspect of the New Covenant is, it would be dishonoring to God to consider it the only offer He gave His people. He also promised to give them a new heart and a new spirit. The obedience would be worked in the hearts of His people by the Holy Spirit—”and move them to follow my decrees“—Ezekiel 36:27. This is far from being the things we do ourselves—it is God’s own work in us [Romans 8:4; Galatians 2:20]. “No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’ “—Jeremiah 31:34. Why ? Because it would no longer be necessary for the spirit-filled believer [1 John 2:27; John 14:26]—the Holy Spirit would work in them to “walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing“—Colossians 1:10. The ultimate rest is living and walking in the pleasure and glory of the Lord—not because of what we have accomplished, but because of what the Holy Spirit is teaching us and working in us [Philippians 2:13]. 

Saturday, November 26th, 2022

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious—Isaiah 11:10

Isaiah 11 starts with verse 1 saying, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”—Jesse was the name of David’s father. When prophets used this language, they were prophesying about the future Messiah—Jesus Christ. Then in verse 2-3 we read: “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD. His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears“—this is clearly about Jesus again. Isaiah is talking about the 7 spirits of God that rested upon Jesus. While the Holy Spirit is One and is God, He has 7 characteristics that are sometimes called “the 7 spirits.”  We read them in Revelation 4:5: “From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.”—This is written by John the Apostle, when Jesus encountered him on the island of Patmos and was giving him the book of revelation. He was caught up to the third heaven and saw the throne of God. So, what we read in verse 5 is one of the things he saw during that encounter. He saw lightnings coming from the throne. He saw rumblings of thunder coming from the throne of God. Before the throne there were seven lamps, which would be considered to be similar to the Menorah—remember everything Moses built and put in the tabernacle in which God was worshiped, had been done according to the pattern God showed him on Mount Sinai [Hebrews 8:5; Exodus 25 verse 9; Exodus 25:31-33; Exodus 25:40]—these 7 lamps that Moses built were shadows of the 7 spirits of God—and represented Christ being the Light of the world [John 8:12]. So, these 7 spirits of God that rested upon Christ are the same 7 spirits that we see burning as lamps before the throne of God. What are they ? According to Isaiah, they start with the spirit of wisdom. We know that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ [Colossians 2:3]. These are not limited to spiritual things. Just like God gave Solomon expansive wisdom, it is available to Christians who want to make an impact on the world in the name of Jesus [1 Kings 4:29-34; Luke 11:31]. There’s no scientific discovery that has ever come on the scene that Jesus didn’t know about. Yet, when Christ came into the world, He came as a humble preacher of God’s Word. His focus was on eternal things. Understanding and counsel are other spirits that rest on him. Christians often talk about not seeking to understand because divine things are beyond our understanding as a sort of humility—but this is false humility according to the Scriptures—in Ephesians 1:16-19  and Colossians 1:9-11, we see Paul praying for the churches to have understanding. In John 9:39, John 12:39-40, and Matthew 13:15 we see that lack of understanding of spiritual realities is a divine judgment on the unsaved, proud, and hypocrites. However, we must acknowledge that our understanding has to be sustained by faith and it will always be far less than what God has, which means there will be situations in which our trust matters more than our understanding—since God’s understanding is infinite and limitless, while ours is not [Psalms 147:5; Isaiah 40:28-31; Romans 11:33-36; Hebrews 11:3]. And when the Lord counsels, with the spirit of counsel, it is according to His infinite wisdom, knowledge, and understanding—which means we should pay attention. He is a Wonderful Counselor [Isaiah 9:6]—so following His counsel will lead us into divine wonders. Christ also had the spirit of might. Raising Lazarus, walking on water, multiplying bread and feeding thousands, cursing the fig tree, healing all that were sick—all those were “mighty works” [Matthew 11:21]—that proceeded from the spirit of might. Isaiah also tells us how with these spirits of God resting on Christ lead Him to make right judgments. “He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not decide by what His ears hear.”—this is one of the flaws of human judgment, which thankfully shall not be found in Christ’s justice. If I were to tell people that John Dalton or Isaac Newton cheated in a Physics exam, it is possible that 5%-10% could believe it without having any sort of credible evidence that it is true. Now imagine making consequential decisions of injustice for people with hearsay like that. It is after giving this background of who Christ will be, the spirits guiding him, and the nature of His justice [Isaiah 11:3-4]—that Isaiah looks forward to the Millennium Kingdom of Christ in Jerusalem—Mount Zion—and what it will be like. Isaiah had prophesied about the peace of the millennial reign of Christ before—see for example [Isaiah 2:2-4]—there will be no wars, no protests in the streets, no commotion, no noisy streets—it will be the golden age of Israel and all humanity—”The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat“—Isaiah 11:6—no fear, terror, destruction, avarice, greed, devouring one another, betrayals, malice, hatred, envy, jealousy, racial supremacy, ethnic conflicts, self-seeking behaviors—these are some of the flaws that cause unrest and take peace from the world. Imagine a 3-year-old boy playing with a wild lion or cobra and not being afraid that those animals will eat him. They will not destroy on Mount Zion [Isaiah 11:7-9]. Imagine tribes that had been known for strife in political matters, like we see in the Ethiopian war of 2021-2022, being able to walk together in harmony, with no fear that one is trying to hurt the other. Imagine our wildest aspirations of what the world peace would be like—things that even non-Christian poets sang about like—Heal The World—by Michael Jackson—that’s not a dream—it will happen during the Millennial reign of Christ in Jerusalem—His resting place will be glorious—all nations will be under this banner—because He is the desire of the nations [Haggai 2:7]—despite many ignoring His call to salvation today—Jesus will be finally seen for who He really is—the Prince of Peace.

Sunday, November 27th, 2022

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory—Psalms 63:1-2

The original devotional with the above text that we will expand on this week was done on Friday, March 19th, 2021. It followed the chosen theme for Fridays last year—”Seeking the Lord’s Presence and Strength”—from 1 Chronicles 16:11 as the primary Scripture for all Fridays. This means all devotionals we did on Fridays were more or less variants of 1 Chronicles 16:11, saying the same thing in a different way. For better orientation and effective Bible study of the DEVOTIONALS OF REST, we had Mondays covering the theme “Those That Wait Upon The Lord“—Isaiah 40:31, focused on waiting on God. Tuesdays were “Jesus Withdrew From The Crowd to Pray“—Mark 6:31 & Luke 5:16—focused on the example of Jesus in praying alone and taking rest from burdens or busy schedules. Wednesdays were for “He Who Watches Over Israel Never Sleeps“—Psalms 121:4, to remind us that God works for us while we rest. On Thursdays, we had “In Quietness/Stillness And Trust“—Isaiah 30:15 & Psalms 46:10 & Exodus 14:14. On Friday, we focused on seeking the Lord’s face. On Saturday, the theme was “Arise O Lord To Your Resting Place“—Psalms 132:8, focused on the manifest presence and glory of the Ark of the Covenant. This week, we will use Psalms 63:1-2 and the weekly prayer outline to try to see what it means to seek the Lord’s presence. Seeking the Lord is an invitation we have been given by God [1 Chronicles 16:11; Psalms 27:8; Luke 14:16-24; Proverbs 2:2-5]. David is saying in our text of Psalms 63:1-2 that he will seek God earnestly. If the King of Kings gives you an invitation to come into His palace, it is not something you would take lightly. The Hebrew word used here is “Shachar“—it means to seek diligently, to seek eagerly, to seek with longing, to enquire early, and to search painstakingly. God never said to seek Him in vain [Isaiah 45:19]. Seeking God is a well-paid employment [Hebrews 11:6]—for  “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” So, David took it seriously and sought God earnestly.  David also says “I thirst for you“—the Hebrew word he uses is “Tsame” —which simply means to suffer thirst. There was a time David was thirsty and asked for water from his hometown of Bethlehem, where the Philistines had positioned an army—his soldiers fought through and went to draw water—but when they brought it to him, he refused to drink it, saying it was the blood of the soldiers who fought to draw it from the well[2 Samuel 23:14-17]. If such was the passion they had to fight for physical water, how much more should we have for Jesus Christ, the Living Water ? David was a man acquainted with suffering thirst because of living so many years in the wilderness, but the greatest thirst of his life was God Himself—”As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after thee”—Psalms 42:1. Deer are some of the favorite wild meat. Many people in America love to hunt for deer meat. However, they do not usually have to chase them down too long because of the convenience of hunting guns. Yet, in David’s days, hunting involved chasing the deer, which had to run for its dear life. Since a thirsty deer that has not had water while on the run for a long period of time could collapse from dehydration, it must find water for survival. This imagery is what David has in mind to describe His desperation for God’s presence. There’s a difference between having God as a nice addition at the end of the week—on Sunday mornings—and seeking God as the very essence of life—One we could not exist or live without—One we need so greatly and achingly, without whom we will collapse spiritually and in other areas that are not spiritual. He is our everything—For in him we live and move and have our being—Acts 17:28. He says “my whole being longs for you“—”my flesh cries out”—Psalms 84:2. Seeking God does not have to be loud, but when David says he cried out, we must understand that he vocalized his desire with a loud volume. Even Solomon says that when we are seeking wisdom and understanding, we should cry aloud [Proverbs 2:3]. Let the Lord hear our voice—He gave it to us so that we can praise Him, sing to Him, and call upon Him! Jesus wants to give water to those who are thirsty [John 4:6-14; John 7:37-39]. The Lord promises: “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”—Isaiah 44:3. If we are thirsty and unsatisfied, it is because we have not sought the Lord’s water diligently. If the Holy Spirit is not filling our imaginations, emotions, and firing up our zeal for the things of God, it is because we have not longed for Him to the point of desperation. If there’s no revival in the land and sinners are lost—without God and without hope in the world—it is not the Lord’s fault [Ephesians 2:12; Hosea 10:12; Ezekiel 36:37]. David had seen his longing satisfied. He beheld the Lord’s power and glory in the sanctuary. He knew God really answered prayers. No reason we should wonder why the passed generations saw miracles and we are not seeing them in our generation [Judges 6:13; Psalms 44:1; Psalms 22:27-30]. The Lord remains the same and the head of the church is the same throughout the world—He will not bless some sheep and ignore others—unless those sheep do not want to be fed [Deuteronomy 32:15; Psalms 23:1-6; John 10:16; Ezekiel 34:23; Psalms 36:8-9; Matthew 16:18-19; Luke 5:17; 1 Corinthians 5:4; Galatians 3:5; Acts 19:11-12; Acts 19:20; Ephesians 1:16-19]. 

Monday,  November 28th, 2022

And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”—Romans 10:20

Apostle Paul here is quoting Isaiah 65:1, “I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a nation that did not call My name, I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!‘—apostle Paul would know this to be true because while he was still a persecutor of the church, Jesus had mercy on him and encountered him on the road to Damascus and saved him—Acts 9. It is refreshing to know that we do not seek God first, He loved us first, came to seek that which was lost, and saved us [Luke 19:10; John 15:16]. This is a promise that gives us hope for those who are far from God—that the Lord has the ability to bring them—I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd—John 10:16. This understanding shows us 2 responsibilities that those who are privileged to know Jesus have. The first one is intercessory prayers for the lost. The second one is evangelism and missions. In 1 Timothy 2:1-5, Paul tells us about the first responsibility. “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people “—1 Timothy 2:1—God is telling us what should be our first priority and duty to a dying world. We pray for kings and for peace among the nations, of course, but the goal is to create the perfect conditions to spread the Gospel—”in all quietness and godliness.” There are people in our neighborhood, in our schools, workplaces, and nations that do not know the salvation that is in Christ Jesus—and God wants us to stand in the gap for their redemption just like Abraham stood in the gap for Sodom—like Jeremiah would have done before captivity if God had not forbidden him—like Ezekiel understood when the Lord revealed to him what could have prevented Jerusalem’s fall—like Daniel interceded for the Jewish captives—like Moses stood in the gap for Israel— and like Paul wanted his countrymen to be saved [Genesis 18:17-33; Exodus 32:30-35; Exodus 34:6-7; Exodus 22:30; Jeremiah 7:16; Daniel 9:1-22; Romans 9:1-8]. Charles Spurgeon could not have made our duty for intercessions clearer when he said: “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.” The encouragement we have for these intercessions is that God wants all men to be saved and many people we pray for will come to know Him as a result of our pleading [1 John 5:14-15; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9; John 17:20]. We must create prayer lists for them and track answers to our prayers. We should keep in mind that before we came to salvation we ourselves needed someone to love us and pray for us [Acts 26:18; Romans 10:1; Matthew 9:37-38; 1 John 4:19; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:1-10; Jude 1:23]. Once the gentiles were not a people, but now we are the people of God—and that was not a result of our seeking [Hosea 2:23; 1 Peter 2:10; Romans 9:25]. Our second duty is evangelism and missions. This requires us to be prepared at all times as well as being faithful with opportunities the Lord will open for us [1 Peter 3:15; Colossians 4:6; 2 Timothy 2:25-26; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11; Acts 8:26-39; 1 Corinthians 16:9]. There are people that the Bible shows us that the Lord made them restless, troubled, and inquisitive—and only the saints prepared for those circumstances can be effective messengers of the Most High. “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”—Acts 16:30. These were the words of the prison guard in Philippi, where Paul and Silas had been detained until an earthquake shook the prison. The jailer realized these were not ordinary prisoners, they were the servants of the Most High God. Nebuchadnezzar and Pharaoh are other examples. Pharaoh had a dream about the coming years of famine, but it was a mystery that troubled him, and he could not find an interpretation [Genesis 41:9-38]. It required someone who had a gift of the Spirit of God to interpret the mystery and give a practical solution. Nebuchadnezzar, who was a pagan king, acknowledged God after his troubling dream was interpreted by Daniel [Daniel 2:28-48]. The greatness of our God has not diminished one bit in our “secular age.” IF we are anointed by the Spirit of God, gifted like we are called to be, and prepared for ministry—even the darkest places on the planet can see that God puts a distinction between His people and those of the world [Exodus 8:23; Exodus 11:7]. Let’s shine our lights [Matthew 5:14-16; Isaiah 60:1-3]. If the lost do not want God, it is because we have not created hunger and thirst in them by revealing them the healing compassion, words of knowledge, words of wisdom, miracles of provision, and all the wonders of our Lord Jesus. As for faithfulness in our contacts with the lost, this will involve us ministering even to those who are not inquisitive [Luke 14:23; Acts 8:5-8; Acts 17: 16-30]—the Athenians were not troubled by their idolatry, but Paul was, and he proclaimed them the way, the truth, and the life in Christ Jesus.

Tuesday, November 29th, 2022

Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame…The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing…The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry—Psalms 34:5, 10, 15

When I look over my life—my past and present—I can see how the way I pray and seek the Lord has changed over the years. I grew up Catholic and attending Catholic mass—and thankfully also Catholic schools—my seeking God efforts as a kid was not more than church attendance with family and family prayers with rosaries, done in groups of Catholic worshippers. I even served as an altar boy and could have said the entire Mass myself, having memorized every word spoken in regular Mass from age 8. Protestants could say that doesn’t count as seeking God and I wouldn’t blame them. It does not seem like it was serious.  In high school, by virtue of having so many Pentecostal friends who were already awakened to the Holy Spirit, I started to be “infected ” with a different kind of spirituality. Sometimes I would join Pentecostal Bible studies on week-days, like Wednesdays, while I went to the Catholic church services on Sundays. That was really the first time I got challenged spiritually. So, I really started to put my soul into praying, rather than doing memorized rosaries that were already made. I started to set goals of things I wanted from God and would pray for them. As a high school student, obviously my studies were my number one target for prayers. My intense competitive nature meant that I wanted to pray for the best academic scores I could get. To my shock, God answered those prayers. So, I kept asking for more. Until I became born again—and changed from Catholic to Protestant at age 20—my prayers were nothing more than seeking divine favor for academic performance to have a better financial future. At age 20, everything changed in how I prayed and sought the Lord. I began to pray for people to be saved—intercessory prayers for the lost. I really believed in this fire and eternal life I had received at my new birth. The day I got saved, I also spoke in other tongues, but I had no clue of the differences of the Pentecostal theology and other Protestant theology at that time, so my speaking in tongues were occasional at that time, until I met a generous Pentecostal missionary family that started to mentor me and give me some of their books for reading. Even so, early on I was cautious, as I wanted to investigate everything, and not end up in some Protestant heresies. As I began to read more books, so my prayers began to expand. The prayers of Paul in Ephesians 1, Colossians 1, Ephesians 3, and other prayers of Paul became some of my focused prayers by the 2nd year after new birth experience. Since they were prayers for the saints, I also started to pray for more than conversions of the lost. I started to pray for spiritual growth and maturity for myself and other Christians I knew in my surrounding. I really loved prayers and devotionals in the mornings. I loved especially singing “Holy Holy Holy, Lord God Almighty, early in the morning, my song shall rise to thee…” to kind-of-remind myself I had woken up and not rush outside before prayers.  I remember praying for one guy randomly and the Spirit’s anointing was very strong upon me. I prayed with tears, as I had been pouring my heart into that guy’s life, though he was much older than me—an organic chemistry professor. To my shock, when I met him later on, he told me how he jumped from a burning bus that was travelling from one city to another city—after they had a traffic accident—and I recognized that the time he was rescued was just a few hours after the Spirit had seized me and caused me to intercede for him with passion and tears. That blew my mind and literally changed my prayer life. There was an authenticity, a passion, an intensity, a fire in my first 3 years after new birth—that it was almost impossible for me to pray without having floods of tears flowing from my eyes [2 Timothy 1:4]—even if I was just praying over food for dinner—I could really tell that “something happened”—at my New Birth experience. By now, of course, my prayers have become something else, as I cover pretty much every topic in prayers—my own personal needs, my spiritual growth, my ministry, friends and the church, the nations, the lost, sending out series of judgments, and extended times of praises and worship [1 Timothy 2:1-5]. From this spiritual journey, I can recognize many things that David puts in Psalms 34 as really my own life experience. He starts Psalms 34 saying “I will bless the Lord at all times“—verse 1. Our prayers should not just be about our needs and wants. We should have a time we thank God for His mercies, praise Him for His greatness and goodness, and then have sweet worship to grow more intimate with Him. By verse 4, David says that He sought the Lord and the Lord answered him. This should be our testimony. We should have clear set-goals in prayer, which we shall see God answer, so that we can recognize that the Lord is real and answers our prayers. In verse 5 he says, “those who look to Him are radiant“—His glory and beauty is on our faces as we seek Him—like Moses—Exodus 34:33-35; 2 Corinthians 3:13-18. It transforms us inside-out. Then, in verse 10 he says that lions may grow hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Though we should not seek the Lord for His gifts or miracles of provision—and God Himself should be the prize our seeking— Psalms 27:4; Luke 10:42; Philippians 3:13-14; Proverbs 2:3-5; 1 Corinthians 9:24; Matthew 13:44; Psalms 16:11; Psalms 18:12 &28; Isaiah 60:5; Psalms 97:11—David reminds us here that we do not seek the Lord in vain [Isaiah 45:19; Hebrews 11:6; Psalms 145:16]. He blesses us as we bless Him [Numbers 6:24-26]. The Lion of the tribe of Judah hunts for our meat and brings it to us [Isaiah 40:28-31]. His ears are attentive to the cries of the redeemed, who sincerely love Him [Romans 8:32; John 14:12-13; John 15:7;  James 4:2-3; Matthew 7:7-11; 1 John 5:14-15]. May this encourage us as we seek the Lord this week!

Wednesday, November 30th, 2022

I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread—Job 23:12

Though God will reveal Himself to those who did not seek Him and bring them to salvation [Romans 10:20; Isaiah 65:1; Acts 9]— once we have come to know the Lord, we should pursue Him diligently and seek Him every day in prayer, worship, and the Word of God. These 3 areas of seeking are important for our growth as Christians. Prayer and worship were mentioned or covered in at least one of our previous posts for this week. On Sunday, we talked about seeking God as the very essence of life—not just a nice addition at the end of the week—but like living water that we cannot live without. On Monday, we mentioned prayer while looking at the duty the saints have to help the lost. Since those far from God do not seek Jesus or know Him, we are here to help them by praying for them. Yesterday, we talked about how those who seek the Lord are radiant, reflecting the glory of the Lord they behold, and receive provisions from His hand, even when lions may be going hungry. We do not seek the Lord in vain. Seeking God is a well-paid employment [Hebrews 11:6].Today, we will add on seeking the Lord through His word, in addition to seeking Him through prayer. In Job’s musings of Job 23, he had just said: “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”—Job 23:10. This was after he complained: “When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.”—Job 23:9. Basically Job was saying, I do not know God’s address, but He knows my address—I cannot find Him but He knows how to find me. Finding God is one of the promises for those who seek Him [Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 7:7-11; Isaiah 45:19]. We see that Job finally found God in Job 42, but in his days of sorrow his perspective was somewhat blurred. This was before Calvary, before Immanuel rent the heavens and came down [Isaiah 64:1-2; John 1:1-18]. In the New Testament we do not need to have these doubts that Job had because our God is always with us and has given us an ever-present Comforter [Matthew 27:51; Hebrews 13:5; Deuteronomy 31:6; John 14:16]. However, we can still learn some of Job’s best practices in seeking the Lord, like treasuring the words from the mouth of the Lord. The way Job sought the Lord reminds me of David after he said that he sought the Lord as the deer pants for the water. “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?“—Psalms 42:2. The thirst he had was not one he felt could go or would go unsatisfied. We see even more so the intensity of his praying in verse 3, where he says: “My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’ “—Here it almost sounds like David had friends similar to the friends Job had. God’s presence needed proof. Even Jesus faced this scorn on the cross: ” ‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ‘ “—Matthew 27:42. While God’s presence will not be withheld from us to the point we cry “Eli Eli lama sabachtani”—Matthew 27:46—we know that the saints must enter the kingdom through tribulations and the cross is still part of our experience as saints. Trials do not suggest the absence of God. Without the cross, there’s no resurrection or resurrection power. Unless the kernel dies, it won’t rise to produce many fruits [Acts 14:22; John 16:33; Romans 8:17; 2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Peter 1:7; Philippians 3:7-10; Matthew 28:1-6; John 12:24; 2 Timothy 2:12]. The breaking of the outer shell of the flesh is crucial for the release of the inner fragrance of the spirit. Because of this, such trials are as nourishing as prayer and the word. Jesus said that man shall not live by bread alone and that He himself was the bread that came from heaven [Matthew 4:4; John 6:51]. So, if we treasure the words of God’s mouth, we have to feed on Christ—we have to long and seek this much more than we do our breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Some days we must fast just so we can seek to be filled with Christ’s words. When Paul wrote Timothy a message he expected to reach the church, he said: “If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.”—1 Timothy 4:6. If we feed on Christ through His Gospels, we will be nourished up in the words of faith and not be forgetful hearers. The unbelief, doubts, dishonor of God’s name, and treating God like trash that we see among majority of Christians and pastors today—especially on social media—is a result of lack of this kind of nourishment. Christ’s words must fill us to the point that the only thing coming out of our mouths is love, faith, and hope [Mark 11:22-24; 1 Corinthians 13]. As for Psalms 42:1-3, we see that prayer must be mixed up with our Bible reading, in order to receive the Rhema of God, not just the Logos. We need the quickening voice of God inside our hearts, not just memorize Bible facts in our head. There’s a point where intense, passionate, zealous, groaning, powerful, sweet, intimate prayer brings us face to face with God like Moses on Mount Sinai or like Jesus on Mount Tabor [Exodus 33:11; Matthew 17:1-5; Romans 8:26-27; Isaiah 66:7-9]—we must seek to reach that place where prayer will sustain us like food. Let’s ascend the Mount of God [Psalms 15:1-5; Hebrews 12:22-24]—God’s glorious presence is our potion and portion.

Thursday, December 1st, 2022

Now set your heart and soul to seek the LORD your God. Get started building the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy articles of God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the LORD—1 Chronicles 22:19.

David was a very good father to Solomon. We are told by Solomon that a good father leaves an inheritance to his children’s children [Proverbs 13:22]—and what we read in 1 Chronicles 22 is a quite significant inheritance that David left for Solomon. One of the most important assignments that the Lord had for Solomon was build the temple and David did his best to make sure the work would be easy for Solomon. David found workers who would build the temple, both foreigners and Israelites [1 Chronicles 22:2; 1 Kings 7:14; 2 Chronicles 2 verse 7 and 14].David also was the one who provided the iron, the bronze, the timber, the silver, and the gold. His reasoning was: “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent…I must make preparations for it. “—1 Chronicles 22:5. This is what any good and reasonable father would do. David knew what the Lord wanted Solomon to do—build the temple—but he also knew that Solomon was no match to the kind of tasks that the Lord had called him to do. So, he had to make preparations and get everything for his son. Often the work of the Lord fails in some generations because either the fathers did not leave an adequate inheritance or the younger generations had no idea what the complexity of building the kingdom of God will be like. If the glory of God’s house is too little in our eyes we will not have ample provisions and preparation to build it. There are no problems that America faces in 2022 that would have been considered unpredictable in 2000 or 1990 or even 1975. Many ills and evils of society take decades to develop. But Christians who were in leadership in those years probably thought like Hezekiah in Isaiah 39:8—”…For the king was thinking, “At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.’ “—Though God had helped Hezekiah to defeat the Assyrians without a fight, he had opened the door for the Babylonians who would later wreak havoc on his children—and when he got confronted by prophet Isaiah, rather than repent like he would normally do—he shrugged his shoulders because the destruction would not occur during his reign. That was very selfish. David was not that kind of father. The Hebrew word used for “inexperienced” is “rak” and it can also mean soft, tender, delicate, weak, timid, and faint. God wants a strong people and those who are strong are called to carry the burdens of the weak [Romans 15:1-2; Romans 14:1; 1 Corinthians 9:22; 1 Corinthians 10:24; Acts 20:35]—David made sure to use his strength to help Solomon’s generation. From 1 Chronicles 22:7, we see David’s instructions to Solomon about building the temple. A striking acknowledgement of the pre-requisite for this assignment was the peace the Lord granted Solomon. “But a son will be born to you who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon, and I will grant to Israel peace and quiet during his reign.“—1 Chronicles 22:9. David’s job had been to subdue the enemies through warfare—2 Samuel 7:1; 1 Kings 5:3— and when his time on earth was complete, his son would be a man of rest—yet God takes the credit for Solomon’s rest. No amount of warfare that David did in the previous generation would have given Solomon rest—especially if the enemies of Israel thought that Solomon would be weak. Satan never goes to sleep in any generation. Unless Satan is bound, he will always deceive somebody somewhere that troublemaking is a good idea. Only God can give His people rest. This quietness came with a responsibility— Now set your heart and soul to seek the LORD your God—you have no Goliaths to defeat like I did, so you have no excuse for being slack in seeking God. “Set your heart and soul“—”devote your heart and soul”— in NIV—”determine in your mind and heart”—in CSB—the heart is what New Testament authors, especially Paul and John, also call the spirit. The mind is the intellect. Our destiny in what we will accomplish for God can be determined in our hearts and chosen minds and will [Proverbs 23:7; Matthew 5:8; 2 Chronicles 19:1-11; Ezra 7:10; 1 Samuel 7:3]. We devote ourselves to do those things we have been called for. There’s no mysterious gate Satan will use to attack us other than our hearts and minds—if we do not buy his lies, he has no entry—so, “guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.”—Proverbs 4:23. We have nothing good and glorious outside of God’s kingdom—so we might as well set our hearts on the things of God above all things and before everything else [Psalms 16:2; Psalms 73:25; 2 Samuel 12:8; Genesis 17:1; Psalms 23:1; Romans 8:32; Exodus 19:5-6; Jeremiah 7:23; Joshua 1:8; Proverbs 3:15; 1 Peter 3:15]. When the heart is unguarded, deception is easy [Jeremiah 17:9; 2 Chronicles 12:14]—even evil things could be called good because of deception [Isaiah 5:20; Galatians 6:7]. We are blessed by God when our hearts embrace the light of God and is in alignment with His standards of truth—the only source of enduring success and prosperity [Psalms 36:9; Psalms 119:130; John 8:12; Psalms 97:11; Isaiah 60:1-5]. Solomon would be doing physical work of constructing the temple and then later on bringing the Ark of the Covenant inside the temple, but God does not delight in sacrifices as much as He delights in obedience [1 Samuel 15:22; Hebrews 10:6-7; Psalms 40:6-7]. No amount of religious activities done supposedly to honor God can atone for one sin. So, walking holy before the Lord and seeking the Lord with all his heart was to come before all the other labor that had to be done for the Lord. The offerings of our hands are acceptable when the worship of our hearts is pure [ Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 2:14-17; Hebrews 13:15-16; Matthew 15:8; Psalms 50:9-17]. We are only on earth to do God’s will and pleasure and nothing else. Let us seek how we can promote the cause of Christ in our generation by building the church that Christ will glory in and that He will use to destroy the gates of hell—with wholehearted devotion and authentic worship. 

Friday, December 2nd, 2022

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things—Colossians 3:1-2

Yesterday, we had seen David instruct his son Solomon, “Now set your heart and soul to seek the LORD your God. Get started building the sanctuary of the LORD God…” —1 Chronicles 22:9. It is possible that some of us could think like—”Solomon was a king or a leader and I am just part of laity, so that does not apply to me as a regular Christian”—That’s usually a misunderstanding because the priesthood of all believers is taught in 1 Peter 2:9-10. Moreover, John the Apostle also says that all saints are kings in Revelation 1:5-6. Christ has made all of us priests and kings for our God. The nature of the New Covenant means that we all have access to God, not just those in formal priesthood or professional ministry or five fold ministries [Romans 5:2; Ephesians 2:18; Hebrews 4:15-16; Hebrews 7:25]. Moreover, seeking God should not just be for the sake of building a temple or the church, we seek God as individuals for His worth for our own personal lives, not just the corporate gathering of the saints. As Paul always does in his epistles, he starts by talking about the redemption we have received through Christ, the salvation we have by free grace, and then proceeds to talk about the implications of that for holy living. We see that in the Romans 1-5 first section of the book of Romans dealing with sin and God’s redemptive plan. Then Romans 6-8 in the second section of the book of Romans he talks about sanctification. We see that again in Ephesians 1-3 that are focused on the salvation by grace and God’s redemptive plan at the beginning of that epistle and then Ephesians 4-6 focus on sanctification and how those who follow Jesus are supposed to walk in a manner worthy of their calling. This is the same method he uses in Colossians 1-2 talking about our translation from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Christ, the forgiveness of sins, and our perfection in Christ through justification. Then, in Colossians 3-4, he talks about our progressive sanctification and walking wisely in our day-to-day living. God may have revealed Himself to us when we were not seeking Him and we may have been born again simply because somebody else prayed for us and then shared with us the message of the Gospel [Romans 10:20; Isaiah 65:1]. But at some point all of us will have to seek God for ourselves. We will have to set our minds and hearts on seeking God beyond what our spiritual fathers and mothers taught us—beyond what our friends, mentors, and Bible study groups have been able to show us. Spiritual growth has a huge personal aspect. Paul is saying “if ye then be risen with Christ“—if you are no longer dead in your trespasses and sins [Ephesians 2:1-10]—if you are not ignorant of Christ’s resurrection from the dead and if you are no longer an unbeliever destined to perish in your sins [1 Corinthians 15:17-19]—If you have the hope of being resurrected from the dead when the Lord Jesus Christ appears to take the redeemed [John 5:24; John 11:25; 1 John 3:1-3]—then, consequentially, because of our assertions/conclusions in the previous chapters—set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Paul says in Ephesians 2:6 that the saints have been raised with Christ and are positionally seated at the right hand of God right now. If God has seated me in heaven at His right hand positionally, why shouldn’t I want to be there mentally, visually, mystically, and eventually taken there through the rapture when Christ appears ? If God has brought me to Mount Zion positionally, why shouldn’t I want to imagine thousands upon thousands of angels in Joyful assembly crying holy, holy, holy—whether I am at church or at home—why shouldn’t I want to seek to join them through spiritual encounters like apostle Paul and John—why shouldn’t I want to see Jesus standing or sitting in heaven like Stephen did ? [2 Corinthians 12:2-4; Revelation 4:1-11; Acts 7:55; Psalms 34:7; Hebrews 1:14; Psalms 104:4; Exodus 23:23; Luke 12:8; Psalms 103:20; Acts 8:26; John 1:51; Genesis 28:12-16; Ezekiel 1:3-28; 1 Corinthians 2:9-16]. Seeing heaven, seeing angels, being caught up to glory, encountering the throne of God and all other supernatural experiences are not for the Old Testament prophets, first century Christians or some Catholic mystics in the 12th-20th century—that should be looked upon as unattainable for the Protestants, Pentecostals, and Catholics of the 21st century—we are to called to study these things freely given to us as we read them in the Scriptures—to set our hearts and minds on those things above so that we can desire them and ask God to manifest Himself to us [John 14:18]. The book of Revelation has provided us quite an imagery we can fill our minds with to help us in this process of renewing our minds with things above [Romans 12:2]. We see the 24 elders bowing—we see a multitude with palm branches—we see the glassy sea—we see the throne from which flashes of lightning emanate, where rumblings of thunder come from—and we see the Lamb upon the throne—”those wounds yet visible above, in beauty glorified“—we see the Ancient of Days sitting in judgment and books opened before Him [Revelation 4:10; Revelation 5:1-4; Revelation 7:9 Daniel 7 verse 9,10, and 14; Hebrews 12:22-24; 1 Kings 22:1-38; Isaiah 6:1-8; Job 2:1-7; Luke 22:31]. We are to called to dwell there in our imagination—Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things— think of angelic zeal and their cries of Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty—rather than how to accumulate money, seeking worldly pleasures, or political tricks to get political issues win by carnal means. Notice that the Scriptures don’t say that government on earth doesn’t matter or that working for an income at a secular job is wrong. We have plenty of Scriptures that talk about those things as well. But if we look to God as the creator of all of these things, we are more likely to trust Him for His ordering these things for our good—rather than spend our days overly concerned about what the far left or far right are trying to do in politics—what the economic trends, recessions, and stock markets could mean for our future. These things will go the way we want them to go if we seek the kingdom of God first and His righteousness—and our will aligns with Christ’s [Matthew 6:33; Psalms 127:1-2; Hebrews 11:6; Luke 5:5; Luke 10:19; Colossians 2:15; Philippians 4:19; Psalms 23:1-6; Luke 12:32; 1 Timothy 2:1-5; Acts 5:19-20; Acts 12:7; Acts 9:31; Psalms 149:4-9; Psalms 2:1-12; Jeremiah 32:27; John 15:7; 1 John 5:14-15]

Saturday, December 3rd, 2022

And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring—Number 15:39

Many of the Scriptures that we see are rather strong and they can create disturbance in unstable minds. There are people who would never hear a preacher teach on the cross during the Passion Week/Holy Week, like Good Friday for example, without construing that somehow the death of Jesus on the cross means they should not do God’s work since “It is finished” or that the preacher is giving a license to sin in teaching that Christ is the Lamb of God who takes the sins of the world or anything to do with the Old Hymns of Redemption we learned as children [John 19:30; Romans 6:1; John 1:29; Psalms 103:12; Micah 7:19; Hebrews 8:12]. I witnessed that back in March-April season. But I have long heard from God and learned that strong passages must be preached accurately and faithfully when they are given to us by the Holy Spirit because what people think or how they react is irrelevant if we want to see the great awakening. In the modern church in America, we have Christians who don’t understand the atonement or believe in justification because preachers are afraid to teach on those topics clearly. If preachers cannot teach the whole counsel of God for fear they will be accused this or that, they will end up with a diluted Gospel that can hardly save anyone. The same is true with the teachings on the fear of the Lord, obedience, sanctification, and holiness. With that background in mind, let us turn to Numbers chapter 15. What re the things we see taught in Numbers 15 ? It starts with verse 1 telling us “The Lord said to Moses“—this is the word of the Lord. Then He proceeds in verse 2: “After you enter the land I am giving you…”—these would be their instructions after possessing Canaan-land. God’s rules are not just for the facilitation of us reaching our destiny, they are the commandments we must keep while living the dreams of our destiny. In verse 3, we see these rules applied to offerings that were a fragrance before the Lord. These offerings included animals and grains. They were the fruits of their farming/husbandry. Some of them are called “freewill offerings” or “voluntary offerings”—which would distinguish them from sin offerings or cleansing offerings [Leviticus 23: 37-39; Ezekiel 46:12; Leviticus 19:3-25; Leviticus 5: 1-13; Leviticus 1:3-17; Leviticus 4:13-20; Leviticus 14:34-53; Leviticus 22:18-32; Deuteronomy 12]—in short, worship cost something in the Old Testament [2 Samuel 24:24]. This is interesting because there are Christians in the New Covenant who speak against tithes and offerings, not only because they see them as sources of prosperity for the preachers, but also because those Christians are against the idea of giving anything at all—which in either case—the refusal to give is unjustified [Malachi 3:10; Matthew 23:23-24; Mark 7:11-14; Matthew 10:10; 1 Timothy 5:18; 1 Corinthians 9:14; Luke 10:7]—I have seen preachers, who in their anti-prosperity Gospel, nullify the Word of God we know regarding tithes and offerings. The sin of greed of some preachers should not lead to extremes that corrupt the Word of God. Getting closer to God and building His kingdom will cost us something—but whatever we give comes from God anyway—and we would never out-give God [Luke 6:38; Philippians 4:19; Psalms 50:9-12; Haggai 2:8; 2 Corinthians 8:9; 2 Corinthians 9:7]. Coming back to Numbers 15, we see in verses 13-15 that these rules applied both the Israel citizens and foreigners in the land. In verses 20-21, we see that the Lord required the firstfruits. It would have been inappropriate, ungodly, and dishonoring to give God the left-overs. If the tenth of the produce was to be given to the Lord, it had to be taken out before any other expenses or consumption for one’s own needs. God’s offerings and gifts came first. The following passage of Numbers 15:32-36 is one of the hardest ones. A man was caught gathering wood on the Sabbath day—a day of compulsory rest. Israel had no revelation what to do with him so they kept him in custody until the Lord told Moses what to do—have the whole camp of Israel stone the man to death for breaking the Sabbath rest. This gives us a glimpse of God’s anger and wrath against unwarranted and forbidden labor. Rest is not an option among many others. It is a life and death issue. It is after that passage we see the verse of our opening Scripture today. The Israelites were told to make tassels on their garments. The Hebrew word used here is “Tsitsith“—which can also be written as Tzitzit and has also been called “tallit.” These were to remind Israelites the commandments of the Lord so that they would not seek after their own lusts. I have seen people who question things like imagery of celestial realities we are to imagine when we set our minds on things above—as though they are superfluous, unnecessary, and unnatural. This is nothing other than carnality and offense with the Word of God. If we do not think of heavenly things, we will think of carnal things. If we do not remember the commandments of the Lord, we will seek after worldly lusts, greed, and idols. Sanctification does not develop in a vacuum. We look and we remember. We must set our hearts on things above. Our minds and consciences must become captive to the Word of God [2 Corinthians 10:5; Joshua 1:8; Psalms 1:2; Genesis 24:63; Psalms 119:11; Psalms 25:5; Psalms 63:6; Psalms 112:1; Psalms 40:8; Psalms 119 verse 35, 47, 72; Deuteronomy 6:7; Deuteronomy 11:19; Ephesians 6:17; Genesis 18:19; Psalms 104:34; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; Deuteronomy 17:18-19; 1 Samuel 15:22; Jeremiah 17:9; Jeremiah 16:12; Matthew 13:15; Matthew 23:5; Matthew 5:1-48; James 1:22-27; 1 Samuel 16:7; Matthew 6:4; 1 Peter 3:15; Jeremiah 31:31-33; Hebrews 8:8-12; Hebrews 10:16-23; Exodus 36:27; 2 Corinthians 3:2-3]