Live With Joy-Part 2

This week I want to look at the remainder of the opening of Philippians, please join with me as we look at Philippians 1:8-11. What is interesting about these verses is that Paul has six prayer requests for the church body in Philippi as you can see here. Paul is giving us an example of how we can be praying for our fellow believers when we don’t know of specific situations.

“8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”

The first prayer request we should have for fellow believers is that their love of Christ would abound.  The use of the word “abound” means that we are praying that their love for Christ grows plentiful, it is overflowing.  It is through our love of Christ that we are set apart from this world just like it states in 1 John 3:1 “ See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” We are children of God and that means that the world does not recognize us because it did not know Him.  We do not give way to the corruption that is so very prevalent in today’s world.  We hold firm to what is good, “17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17. Here again we see that God does not change, He is light and pure not giving way to fears that are often found in the shadows. The more we hold fast to the truth of who Jesus Christ is, the more we are lavished with the love of God, and the more we stand out from this world.

The second thing that we can be praying for our fellow believers is that they will have knowledge.  This is not the knowledge found in the mind, but instead the knowledge that comes from having God’s word engraved upon our hearts.  The more time we spend in the Word, the more that we see who God is and can understand more fully what He has done for us.  I know in just the few short weeks that Mill House Ministries has been running, my knowledge of the Lord has grown and it is due to the desire to share what I know about Him to you, the reader.  We all should be asking God to grant us wisdom, and as we see in James 1:5, if we ask for wisdom it will be granted to us, “5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” And again in Matthew 7:7-8, we see that God wants us to ask for His wisdom “7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” It is with the wisdom that comes from God, we move into the next prayer request that Paul had for the Church in Philippi, and that is discernment.

Discernment is the ability to judge well, and that is a trait that is much needed today.  Everywhere you look there are false teachers, and the believer needs the wisdom of God to discern what is true and what is not.  We can cross examine the words from an individual and see how it is merited in God’s Word. “15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” James 3:15:18. By having knowledge and the Word of God inscribed upon our hearts we are able to test everything and be sure that it is good like we are commanded to do in 1 Thessalonians 5:21.   As we continue to grow in the faith, our ability to discern false teaching will become greater and we will be like those in Hebrews 5:14 who grew to desire more “solid” food from the Word and therefore are able to discern what is good. “14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:14

The ability to have discernment allows the believer to see what is best as is mentioned in Philippians 1:10. We are called to test everything and bring it back to what the Word of God says, 1 John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” We are not to believe everything that those around us, or even our pastors, say at face value.  We are called to have such knowledge and understanding of the Word of God that we can discern what is true and what is not.  As we have seen from the above verses, we can be assured that if we ask for wisdom and discernment, it will be granted to us.  This discerning heart will allow us to see what is true or false.

The next area that we can pray for our fellow believers is that they will be found pure and blameless (Philippians 1:10). Being found blameless here implies that we hold no secret sin in our hearts.  Our character we show to the world is who we are on the inside.  We are like Psalm 15 “1 Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? 2 The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; 3 whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; 4 who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; 5 who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things will never be shaken.” We do what is right even when it is not what we want to do, we help those around us without expecting anything in return, and by behaving this way, we are not shaken.

Finally, we need to pray that we will be filled with the fruit of righteousness, Philippians 1:11.  The fruit of righteousness, or the fruit of the spirit as seen in Galatians 5:22-23 “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. It is these actions that will show the world that we are set apart and “5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.” 2 Peter 1:5-7.

I want to go back and look again at verse 8, specifically the word affection. Here we have the Greek word splagchnon which means “the inward parts (heart, liver, lungs etc.) it is the emotions of the person.” We see that Paul longs for them with the affection of Christ Jesus. His desire is anchored in Christ to help His (Jesus Christ’s) body the Church. A great comparison of this word affection can be seen in 2nd Corinthians 7:15 where this word is first used in the Bible. Titus has affection for his fellow believers. How ironic this description of affection is characterized through the actions of obedience, fear, and trembling, yet through this it will produce rejoicing and confidence.

Paul is describing through Titus the progression and culmination of this process. Paul had grown in his faith and come to the point of joy and confidence being produced in his life and ultimately towards other believers. If we have obedience in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ this will bring about spiritual growth, as we learn more of our God’s Holiness and our incapacity, we will learn to fear and tremble God. However this is not a negative thing, for we find that through obeying God, fearing Him, and having the right form of reverence for His holiness, we find that it will produce joy in our life and the confidence that can only be found in Christ Jesus. Our affection is solely based in Jesus, by Jesus, and for Jesus. For Paul to say he had the affection of Christ Jesus was to be more than just an emotional statement, but one founded in obedience and the proper mindset to deal with God’s bride the Church. In short, Paul’s priorities were aligned with Christ’s priorities, one of the greatest signs of a spiritually strong believer.

As Christians our hope should be based on the excellence of Jesus Christ, our desire should be to follow Him for He is Holy. As for our brothers and sisters in Christ, our sincerity should be based solely on helping to edify the body of Christ which is the Church to have a greater relationship with Jesus Christ. Paul understood this and was overjoyed with the knowledge that the believers were acting correctly upon the word of God and growing in their faith. Just as Paul encouraged them in those dark times, let us who are in Christ stand together with Christ and live with joy.

Seek the Truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Why Prophecy?

          You have probably seen the social media posts, or you have asked the question yourself, “what’s coming next?” The world is driven by speculation. People will spend fortunes in an attempt to find their future, all to satisfy their curiosity, to find hope, or ease their dread of what is going to happen. I will never forget the craziness with Y2K or the year 2012, each person with their own theories and ideas. Christians are not excused from this craze, many flung scripture aside, and gravitated towards the year 1988 in the belief that was when Jesus Christ would come back, while others thought September, 2016 would be a time for Jesus to come back. Let’s not forget how many people thought the Anti Christ would appear on June 6th, 2006. In 2020, it is almost impossible to go on social media and not have at least one comment or suggestion of what the future holds. So many proclaim we are in the tribulation, others make assumptions off their own self ideology or pursuits rather than the Biblical truth.  

Now this post is not about what is coming, but rather informing the reader on how to find the answer for themselves. I do not believe a Christian should remain as infants in their faith but should grow. To do this one must have a full understanding of the complete scripture of God. “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ.2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it.” 1st Corinthians 3:1-2.

Many Christians today are neglecting to study prophecy, the six reasons below are not an exhausted list, but rather a list of the most common reasons people do not study Biblical prophecy. These reasons are:

1.     The belief that Prophecy will not help the Christian grow in the Lord

2.     The belief that Prophecy will mislead those who are younger in the faith

3.     The belief that Prophecy is scary

4.     The belief that Prophecy will take them from doing the Lord’s work now

5.     The belief that Prophecy will divide the Church

6.     The belief that Prophecy is too difficult to understand

Sadly, in today’s world I have witnessed Christians being lied to at the pulpit by those who would not discuss Bible prophecy and/or purposefully mislead those away from what the Bible clearly says about it.  

This post has been near my heart for some time, for my love for prophecy is one reason why I do what I do now. Growing up I would eagerly sit and watch the Hal Lindsey Report, through the eyes of what the Bible said, I started to see how the world was slowly being shaped for what was to come. The older I got the more I see the world as what was clearly being defined in the Bible.

This leads to our first point to tackle; The belief that Prophecy will not help the Christian grow in the Lord. The very notion of prophecy holding a person back from knowing God is laughable, for Christ declared in Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it for the time is near.” We are blessed if we read and take heed of prophecy. Revelation, which is the world’s most recognized book on Biblical prophecy, is the only book that God gives a blessing to the reader if they read it. No other book of the Bible has this blessing. Another example is with the Wise Men who came from the East! They had the privilege of seeing the child Jesus Christ! These gifts were used by Joseph and Marry as they had to flee with Jesus to Egypt because of King Herod’s coming murder attempt. We grow closer to God by studying the prophets and what was said, “For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.” Acts 13:27 If we do not study prophecy, we are missing out on what the Lord has to offer us in His Word. Simply put, if we study prophecy, we will grow closer to the Lord.

Our next misunderstanding is the belief that Prophecy will mislead those who are younger in the faith. I am a walking witness that Prophecy does not lead those who are younger in faith away from God. It has brought me closer and allowed me to see God in a real way. However, let us not take my word for it and let us look at scripture. In 1st Samuel 3, we see that God called a child to Him to become a prophet! “that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, ‘here I am.” 1st Samuel 3:4. John the Baptist who would become the greatest prophet of all time next to Jesus Christ, would literally leap in the womb at the very mention of prophecy being fulfilled, “Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah,40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. Luke 1:39-44

Paul, who spent just a few weeks in Thessalonica, spent a large time teaching on prophecy to new believers. In fact, both the first and second letter to them discussed prophecy as well. Prophecy, like any other part of the scripture, has its place to be taught in regards to a spiritually young or old believer, discernment must be used by those in leadership to identify what through the spirit must be taught, “Hear, o sons, the instruction of a father and give attention that you may gain understanding, for I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my instruction. When I was a son to my father, tender and the only son in the sight of my mother, then he taught me and said to me, ‘let your heart hold fast my words keep my commandments and live”  Proverbs 4:1-4. Apparently, God’s word has no age limit to its understanding, this is to include our spiritual maturity. Therefore, prophecy has no age restriction and should be taught at its appropriate spirit led time equal with all other studies.

Our next misunderstanding is the belief that Prophecy is scary. Simply put, this can be scary for only three reasons, first if you are a unsaved, if that is the case you are very right to be afraid, for Revelation 20:15 “and if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” What a scary promise! God has warned us of what is coming to those who do not recognize and follow Jesus Christ. If this is you, I would tell you now, this very second to stop reading, repent, and follow Christ. You do not know when your time is up, and no amount of good works will get you there. Only by repenting of your sin and recognizing that Jesus Christ needs to be in your heart and that you must be saved through Him. The second reason prophecy is scary is if you are unsure of your salvation. Rest assured if you have repented and have indeed turned to follow Jesus, He is faithful and just to forgive you of your sins but also to finish a good work in your life. Lean on Him and like the sinner on the cross, ask God to remember you, and see how quickly He answers you. What an amazing and loving God we have in Jesus Christ, who wishes and eagerly knocks on the door to our heart wanting to save us. For those who do experience Revelation 20:15, they will have no excuse for their decision.

The final reason prophecy is scary is if you are saved and you know that what is coming will be hard. Many Christians are currently in this boat. They do not want to study prophecy because it is scary, however you are going to live through tribulation if you like it or not for Jesus Christ said, “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled,” 1st Peter 3:14. If you are living for Christ you will experience it. Now if you believe that you are to experience the hour of trail, the wrath of God, do not worry! As Christians in the Church Age we are not destined for this, “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” Revelation 3:10. Our blessed hope is in Christ alone, Titus 2: “Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.” Titus 2:13. So as a saved person in Jesus Christ, let us not think of prophecy as scary but rather as a loving father telling us of what is coming for our benefit as a blessing.

Our next misunderstanding to confront is the belief that Prophecy will take them from doing the Lord’s work now. So, let us look at what Jesus Christ had to say about this, the “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away..” Matthew 24:14-23. If we believe that Christ will return one day, I would rather be doing the work of the Father than doing nothing. If you knew your family would possibly go through the prophecy spoken about in Revelation regarding God’s judgement on the world, you would be very busy trying to tell them to come to Jesus now! Prophecy is the best way to make a person eager to help in the Church now. For those who understand prophecy correctly, we know that this world is not getting better but worse, that does not discredit us from doing what we can now, but it keeps us heavenly focused since we are busy doing the work of the Lord now. I am an ambassador for Christ’s Heavenly Kingdom which He will one day come and rule on earth in a very literal sense of the word “rule”. So, let us do the work of our Lord so when the day comes, we to can hear, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

Our next point to discuss is the belief that Prophecy will divide the Church. This is not entirely a misbelief and is sadly seen in the world. However, prophecy has become a hot topic for several issues, one is that the enemy does not want us to study it. Satan will do whatever it takes to make sure we are not aware of the seasons of the Lord’s return and hopefully steal the one thing a saved person can let go of, hope. Without hope we are still saved but useless. 2nd Thessalonians was written because of false teaching that was secretly being put into the church. Many over the years have all attempted to push, sway, and manipulate the word of God from being spoken and read as it should be. I will not mention these groups names, but many and sadly dare I say most Christian groups/ denominations have started and/or have outright rejected the truth of God’s word for their own “Kingdom now” heresy. To those who believe that, allow me to point them to prophecy that they are fulfilling, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly.” 2nd Peter 2:1-22.

The ones who say that this is normal and just a season we are in right now, I would say, prophecy talks about you as well, “They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation” 2nd Peter 3:4. The two main parts at which people argue the most about in the Church is when Jesus is coming back for us, and when is He coming back! Both happen to be about Jesus acting directly with the world again. If you are the enemy, you are desiring for this day to never happen, “The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him. All his thoughts are, ‘there is no God.’…he says to himself, ‘God has forgotten: He has hidden His face; He will never see it.” Psalm 10:4,11. Prophecy will divide people in a church, but The Church in Christ Jesus can agree to disagree where God is unclear but hold fast to where He is vitally clear.

This finally leads us to our final issue to examine; the belief that Prophecy is too difficult to understand. How many times I have thought this or have had others bring it up to me. Nevertheless, I am reminded about what Jesus said regarding scripture, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” John 17:13. The Spirit of truth will teach those who are saved. If you are not saved, then you are incapable of understanding what is being said. Now this does not mean Christians will always know what is being said, for Daniel, who is thought to be one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament, even asked God for an explanation “I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me.16 I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this” Daniel 7:15-16. Some scripture is not to be fully understood until close to the time of it happening, “But as for you, Daniel, Conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase” Daniel 12:4. One great example is with the murder of the two witnesses in Revelation. They are killed while the entire whole world watches! Christians have attempted to spiritualize this for centuries while some held their ground and said, no there must be something here we do not understand yet, until along came television and live coverage. Technology can easily accomplish this prophecy now. God’s word is timeless, in it is what we need at the time of where we are. If we do not understand something currently right now, allow God to teach it to us through the study of His word, and through talking over it with other believers. Take everything back to the word of God and examine the scripture daily to see what He has written. If you are still confused about a specific prophecy, remember that it could be for a future that we do not fully understand yet. Prophecy is presently written, whereas the world needs to catch up. For centuries people mocked that Israel would never come back, yet here they are now back in their homeland. Finally remember this, “if the plain sense, makes sense, seek no other sense, less you find nonsense.”

I hope this brief study of Prophecy helped you understand the real-life application that it has in our life. I would encourage you to seek after the truth of God’s word and examine what He says. Ask your pastor if you have questions, if he will not give you an answer, keep asking until a pastor gives you an answer. Take all answers back to the word and examine it for yourself. Prophecy is a study that is a blessing to those who study and take heed of the seasons we live in. Never forget that if you have questions or concerns, we at Mill House Ministries are here to help. We have no problem with your questions and give weekly updates on issues, concerns, and possible answers to Bible prophecy. https://www.millhouseministries.com/on-the-radar

  Hold until relieved, Our blessed Hope is coming

JL

Live With Joy-Part 1

Hello friends, hopefully you have had a chance to read my brief look on who the Apostle Paul was. If not, you can find it as last week’s post, the post will give you a better understanding into where our next study is going.  Considering recent events around the world, from continued pandemic, riots, and natural disasters, I want to highlight how the Bible can spread joy.  The most influential book in the Bible regarding joy is without a doubt Philippians.  This is going to be a multi-part study looking at different sections of Philippians.  Before we get into our verses for today, I want to give a brief outlook on where Paul was when he wrote Philippians.  Paul was in prison for preaching the faith and was awaiting trial before Nero knowing full well that it could possibly mean his death.  This is a situation that does not exactly spark a joyous heart, and yet in the four chapters of this epistle the words “joy” or “rejoice” is mentioned 16 times! This is even more shocking when you consider that Paul only used these words a total of 36 times throughout the epistles that he had written.

So how could Paul find joy in his situation? For that we need to look at Philippians 1:1-7

“1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.

Even in the opening prayer of this book, Paul states that he is praying with joy. The joy that Paul has in this situation would typically not be recognized as the most joyful of scenarios to be in. This joy is directly in response to a person deliberately relying on the Lord when the opposition appears to have beaten you. It is true that for the Christian we will not have easy lives, however, we will have joyful lives because joy is a characteristic of God’s people.  It is a joy that is found only in His presence that flows from realizing our position in Christ, and what He has done for us.

So how could Paul be joyful in his situation? If you look at verses 6-7 it is because he has confidence in what God will do as well as His grace.  “6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.” Here we can see that Paul has confidence that God will complete the good work that He started in Paul, which is the good work that He starts in every believer.  Paul understands that God is a God who fulfills His promises, not only because he had seen it in his own life, but also because there is evidence of this throughout scripture.  For example, look at Psalm 33:11, “But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” Here we can see that God’s plans hold true and will continue throughout all generations.  By using the word “all” the author of this psalm was not stating that God’s plans will only be fulfilled by that current generation, or even Paul’s generation, but it would be completed throughout the past, present, and future generations. 

Again we can see that God is faithful to complete His work in Titus 1:2 “2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,” The hope of eternal life is there for everyone because God does not lie, He is incapable of changing His nature and that is a very good thing because it means that the promises that He makes throughout the Bible, He will keep. But in order to receive this eternal life, we all must come to grips with who we are and who God is.  We must understand that we are by nature sin and separated from God, it is only through His Son that we can receive this eternal life.  And by doing so we can see that God has plans for our future, “11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11. It is by knowing the characteristic of God that we have hope that we cannot lose our salvation or gain it by any other way than by accepting Him.

If you go back to verse 7 you can see that the other reason that Paul has joy in his troubles is that he is aware of God’s grace. “7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.” The Philippians stood by Paul during his defense and by doing so were confirming the gospel by following through the actions described in 2 Peter 1:4-8 “4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” By providing Paul support, the Church in Philippi was practicing God’s grace, and this allowed Paul to see that they truly shared in His grace with him.  If you look closely at 2 Peter 1:4-8, you can see that this is another promise that God keeps in us.  If we escape corruption of this world, we will see faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, affection, and love.  These are all characteristics of those who follow God and with these characteristics, it is impossible to not have the joy that Paul did even while facing a hardship. Look at Titus 2:11-15 “11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. 15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.” God’s grace appeared to offer salvation to all people, there is no one individual who can receive His grace based off their own merit, we are purified only by Jesus Christ.  But through God’s grace, we can live upright lives while we wait for that glorious appearing!

In the opening prayer we saw that Paul is praying with joy even though he is in a dire situation, he knows that the joy that he has come from knowing God and cannot be taken from him. We see that Paul is confident that God will complete His work in him and that through His grace that work will be completed.  We see that God fulfills His promises, does not change, and His will is done throughout all generations.  For the believers around the world who are facing many different hardships, I want to encourage you to remember Paul, and see that through it all God’s will is being done because He fulfills His promises and does not change.  Even in the darkest places, God is there with you and with that knowledge you can have joy in relying on Him. Just as Paul encouraged them in those dark times, let us who are in Christ stand together with Christ and live with joy. “8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:8-9.

Seek the Truth and encourage one another,

Alex

The Departure

Brothers and sisters, first I want to apologize for the lateness of the post, our goal at Mill House Ministries is to always have the very best published for fellow Christians and with such a heavy discussion I wanted to make sure the post was ready.

Today I wanted to bring your attention to a growing issue in the Church, a problem that is systemic within the Modern American Church, but also found throughout the entire world. This issue is a departure from the faith by those who lead in the Churches. What first started as only a few has now turned into more and more. It could be compared to a trickle of water, that as it runs down the mountain it continues to gain speed, the water slowly collecting until eventually the trickle of water has turned into a mighty flood.  

With all the craziness of the pandemic and lawlessness that has enveloped the world you might have missed the subtle news of a specific Christian band lead singer announcing that he is not a Christian and does not believe in God. What made his remark even more alarming was his announcement that he hopes that the others he knows in the industry who also do not believe in God come forth as well.  While the news might harp on your bodily health and the health of the justice system, I would tell you the greatest danger is actually found in what is happening to the Church. “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God” Hebrews 3:12. Believers are being led in worship by those who are not even saved! This should not be too much of a surprise since some of the most popular songs currently on Christian radio have some of the most blasphemous lyrics ever heard. I will just say, the character of my God is not reckless and His love for us is not anything close to reckless. To describe His character in such a manner, no matter from the point of view you are attempting to sing from is plain silly. I will sing of my God’s character based on the word of God and not what the world thinks His loving actions look like.

However, it is not just with worship leaders. We have those who have been preaching for years, step up and deny on the cable news that Jesus Christ is not the only way to heaven. They circumnavigate, Jesus’ legitimate claim to singularity of His perfect sacrifice for our separation from God. However, this should not be taken as surprising or a shock, for those who read the scriptures specifically prophecy know that this was coming. However while the world is preparing for their false savior to arrive, we are waiting for us to leave. “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3 As we come closer to the end of the Church age, we are to see the signs of our departure coming about. The doctrine of demons is already being preached in many Christian circles, new names but the same old trickery being played on those who do not seek the Word of God as the focal point in their lives. “ Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.” 2 Timothy 4:1-3. The love of what God wants in our lives has become absent, men and women are desiring to chase after the things of this world rather than the desires that God would have for them. I was shocked to see on TV the other day a preacher “prophecy” about the Covid-19 Wuhan Virus stating that it would get hot in the U.S and kill the virus and God would only reward you if you keep tithing. It was evidently clear he was more interested in keeping the money coming in rather than the truth of God’s word.  “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people” 2 Timothy 3:1-9. As more fall away from the faith, we can see the clear influence a dissolving Church has on a secular world, currently I believe Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago said it best about the news of this week, “And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.” Matthew 24:10 the love for man has grown cold, and why shouldn’t it? The love of God has grown cold and dead.

Nevertheless, this is ironically a sad but necessary thing. For yes, the hour is late, and the Church age is being considered by many in its final days (myself included). But how do you recognize those who are truly followers of Christ? It is by the fruits of the Spirit, but also by those who are willing to follow Christ even when it hurts. It was once explained to me that false teachers are a critical part of the Christian circle, they are like magnets and they draw the impurities out, allowing those who are truly Christ’s to stay put. They might be unwittingly used, but they are in fact being used for this very purpose, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” 1 John 2:19. We the sheep know the true voice of Jesus who is the good shepherd. Now if you are reading this and are worried because you think “what if I am not saved, what if I am going to be led astray?” I would point you to the book of Galatians and see how Paul was able to help instruct spiritually young Christians to recognize Christ as being the center of their life. While only six chapters, it is a powerful book. If you live in the United States, you are seeing our Christian world crumble before our very eyes. God has not abandoned us, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” Deuteronomy 31:6.  While God was telling this to the Israelites, His character does not change, and in fact Jesus continued this promise to the Christians when He said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” Matthew 28:20. Our God is with us no matter what, so why is there so many leaving the faith? I am not here to argue for or against Calvinism or Arminianism, but rather just recognizing that those who are of God’s flock will not leave. When Christ said, in John 17:12 “while I was with them, I was keeping them in your name which you have given Me, and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.” You see, while He is talking about the disciples, this character of Jesus still holds true, if one of His is missing He will leave the 99 for the 1. “What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?” Matthew 18:12. But those that are not His who are living in the flock, He will separate out, “He will separate them from one another as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” Matthew 25:32.

Nevertheless, as we see this great departure of the faith continue to get worse, those who are of Christ stand firm in our calling of which Jesus Christ is the head of the Church. Let us live in love. As those around us live in fear and their love for their fellow man grows cold, let us shine even brighter. We should be careful to which songs we sing in Church and make sure to take all sermons back to the word of God and examine the scripture daily. And as Paul said in Ephesians 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved Children, and walk in love just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us.” No germ is as contagious nor social disruption as dangerous as those who lead and teach in our Churches who are not one of us. Pray continuously for those who are in leadership roles in the Church, but also do not be surprised as our numbers dwindle, for just as a piece of metal is heated and purified, so is the real Church exemplified as the apostasy takes place.

Hold until relieved, Our blessed Hope is coming

JL

A Man from Tarsus

There are many stories of people leaning on the Lord throughout the Bible, and this is a process that continues today as we place our faith in Him.  However, there is none more impressive to me than the story of Saul of Tarsus.  He was no doubt a wicked man who sought to destroy the church. Yet, God chose him to be the one who would preach the gospel to the Gentiles.  If you do not know the story of the Apostle Paul, formerly Saul, please join with me as we do a brief look into who he was.

Saul was brought up in the Jewish faith and was a Pharisee like his father (Acts 23:6), he was educated and had great zeal for the Jewish faith (Acts 22:3).  He held to the ridged standards of the Jewish faith and had every reason to believe that by following the Jewish laws he would be saved.  Look at his own words in Philippians 3:4-6 “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless”. It was this zeal that caused him to persecute the church and its believers.  Saul was not only present during the stoning of the first martyr, Stephen in Acts 7:57-8:1, but also gave approval of it.  He sought to destroy the church and participated in its persecution by “Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.” Acts 8:3. Paul even had letters from the high priests allowing these actions. So how could God take someone who so obviously hated Him, and use him?  For that we need to look at the Saul’s conversion.

“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.” Acts 9:1-9.

In these verses we see that even while Saul was planning on continuing his persecution of the Church, God had another plan for him and that was to reveal Himself to Saul. Here it is made clear to Saul that the God that he was persecuting, was actually the one that he was claiming to follow.  Saul was following the Mosaic Law, but this law does not leave room for grace. God had to humble Saul by taking away his sight in order for him to come to Christ.  Saul’s story continues in Acts 9:10-19.

“10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” 13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” 17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.”

I want to take a moment here and look at the disciple Ananias. Imagine for a moment if you were told that one of the greatest enemies to the Christian faith was coming to your town with the authority to arrest believers such as yourself.   Now imagine that you are told to go to this man.  Do you think that you would react as Ananias did?  After hearing what God wanted him to do, Ananias had the faith that God would protect him from Saul’s determination of destroying the Church, Ananias knew that God had greater plans for Saul.  This is the reaction that we should have when confronted with any non-believer.  We need to share the gospel with them without fear for we do not know what God has planned for that person.  While we might not get the joy of seeing them come to Christ in that moment, like Ananias did with Saul, we could be planting a seed that could eventually help that person see that they need Christ.

For Saul, having Ananias come and speak of what happened to him on the road to Damascus showed the great power of God.  This caused him to turn his zeal of persecuting the church into a zeal to grow the church.  He began to preach in the name of Jesus Christ which baffled those around him who had heard of his reputation “21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.” Acts 21-22. It is not just with Saul that we see this type of transformation, anyone who has become a born-again Christian has a transformation like this.  True we may not all be persecuting the church exactly like Saul, but we are working to destroy the church by not living to the full potential that God has for us, and this potential only comes when we humble ourselves before the Lord and accept that He is the only way to redeem ourselves to Him.  We cannot do this through religious efforts, good deeds, or charitable acts.  It can only be done by accepting the sacrifice that He made for us on the cross.

Now if we take a brief look at the rest of Saul’s story, we see that he is imprisoned, shipwrecked, stoned, bitten by a viper, and left for dead.  And yet he continues to preach the gospel with all joy.  This is important for the believer to understand, especially our brothers and sisters around the world who are facing imprisonment and other trials for continuing in the faith.  God does not promise that we will live an easy life if we follow Him, what he does promise is that we will live a joyful life.  Throughout all his trials, Paul never gave up the good fight, his desire was to continuously see the gospel spread to the ends of the earth. Each time he was imprisoned it allowed for others to hear of Christ.

As you can see, God’s power has the potency to transform any person’s life. This is a great reminder to all who believe they are too far from salvation to ever be saved. No matter your past, He can be your future, all it takes is for you to meet Christ right now in the present.

Seek the Truth and encourage one another,

Alex

In Christ Alone (2)

Dear friends,

I am once again excited to write to you today regarding our spiritual unity found in Christ Jesus. If you have not already read part one from last week on May 25th please read that first. As last week, today’s post is heavily taken from the book of Colossians which should be read in its entirety.

I would like to draw your attention back to Paul, who was writing to a group of believers who he had never personally met. Here at Mill House Ministries, we have been given the glorious news that we have been able to reach hundreds in the name of Jesus Christ. Our goal of this two-part series is to encourage you in your walk with Christ as we continue pressing forward for the faith. Let your heart not be troubled by the problems of this world, and keep your eyes focused on who is greater than this world which is Jesus Christ.

I want to help explain something to you, which might sound strange to some, but this needs to be addressed. As we know the world is growing darker and many Christians are anxious, I would tell you to stand strong in the Lord, for if you are connected to Christ you are a new creation and found in who is stronger than this world, and that person is none other than Jesus Christ. For as He died, so did you, as He was risen from the dead, so were you. Paul to the Colossians was very clear on this, if we have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above where Christ is, He that is Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. Allow us to set our mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For we have died, and our life is hidden with Christ in God, the troubles around us are nothing compared to the communion in Christ. When Christ who is our life, is revealed, then we also will be revealed with Him in glory. I heard once, “because Jesus won, we win” I think it cannot be said more simply than that.

Furthermore, brothers and sisters, I write to you for this very reason. To remind you that God has not abandoned us to this world but has sent us a helper, which is the Spirit of God, but has also promised one day to come back for us. However, this does not mean we are currently left without Jesus personally in our lives. For if we are saved in Christ, we are with Christ already. While this might sound hard to believe it is the underlining theme of Colossians. “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Therefore, let us continue to strive for Christ while we are still here. Put aside anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from our mouths. Allow us not to lie to one another and remember that we are to lay aside the old self for the new self. This new self is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created you and I. This renewal is not based on religiosity or whom we are born to on this earthly realm, but rather to our heavenly Father. So, as you have been saved remember to act accordingly.

Remember to put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bearing with one another and forgiving each other. Which at this current time is needed more than ever before. Allow us to forgive those who wrong us, for we do not need to look too far back to see how God has forgiven you and I. However, it should be noted most of all, allow us to have all our actions, thoughts, and our very character built on love. To allow such character of action to come forth we must acknowledge that the peace of Christ is ruling our hearts. For even though we are apart, we have been called to be one body and be thankful. Daily our time needs to be enriched by the word of Christ, desiring His wisdom and teaching, guiding us to proclaim together as one the awesomeness of Jesus Christ. Our actions must be done in such a way that people know they are done for the Lord, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Yet, I wish to take a moment to help remind you that while we might come from different nations, cultures, previous beliefs, and personal stories, we are now found in Christ. This does not mean we lose our own personality but rather it becomes clearer, fuller, and more distinct as it was designed to be. For Christ makes us whole, without Him is to be empty and void. Furthermore, because of this we are to be subject to our Father and subsequently as He has commanded us to those who oversee us. This does not mean to accept abuse but rather live according to what is pleasing to God, being obedient and well-pleasing.  Allow us to have sincerity in our heart, fearing the Lord and desiring to give Him praise in all our actions. Remember verse 23 in chapter 3 says, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” Do not worry about those who have done wrong to you, or who hate you, for God has promised to deal with them in His own time. We should conduct ourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity to share with them the good news which is that Jesus Christ died on the cross for them and is resurrected. We should be kind in how we speak to others allowing them to see through our own actions God’s love. This does not mean to accept their actions, especially if the action is sinful and against God’s commandments but rather in loving them towards Christ. Be mindful to think before speaking as to know how we should respond to each person in our lives.

Nevertheless, we should devote ourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving. Prayer is typically forgotten as the ultimate weapon of the Christian, this is sad, since having the ability to talk directly to the God of the Universe is an amazing advantage no one outside of a Christian has. Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:18 “with all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the Saints.” Know that we are here praying for you as well. For the chances of us personally meeting in this life are slim, allow me to give you one final encouragement. This encouragement is based on Revelation 3, remember to keep His perseverance, for He will also keep us from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. For Jesus is coming quickly and we are to hold fast to what He has given us.

I will always be ready to remind you of these things that I have written to you about. While yes, the chances are, you already know these lessons, I find it important to help encourage you with these words. As long as Mill House Ministries is here, we want to help remind you to follow the word of God and to seek after His own heart in everything that you do. I pray that the Lord will help you to remember His word so as you need it, the words would come to you. That the Spirit of God would allow you to have clear understanding and knowledge which is pure and reasonable and found in only one man who is Jesus Christ.

I end on this, no matter what, remember God’s word is alive and well, and we are to read and study it. The disciples, and all those 2,000 years ago all wished they could see the day which we are clearly living in the season of. So, until that time, we look for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus. Keep strong in the faith and follow Him who is good to save you.

If you are ever in need of prayer, have biblical questions, or are in need of comfort, please reach out to the ministry so that we can help. While yes, we might be far apart we are unified in one Spirit, in Christ Jesus.

Hold until relieved, Our blessed Hope is coming

JL

Words of Encouragement

Words of encouragement

There is no doubt that 2020 has been a year like no other, it is a year that we have seen bushfires, locusts, earthquakes, volcanoes, threats of WWIII, and of course famine and plague around the world.  This year is not even half way over yet but I think it is safe to say that it has affected every single person in ways that have never been seen before.  Not surprisingly there has been an outcry of when things will return to normal.  However, as Christians we should not be clamoring for things to return to the way that it was, because we have a hope in the future and the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  With how this year has gone, I am reminded of Matthew 24:4-8. Here you see Jesus talking about a period of time that is becoming oddly similar to what we have seen in 2020. I am not saying the tribulation has started, but the warning signs are clearly present. For the believer this is the worst of times but the best of times. We see the world growing darker, but our soon exit is coming closer. Let us read Matthew and see what Jesus was talking about.

“4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6 You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.”

If you have ever been in labor, or been around someone who was, you can understand the sentiment here.  That the “pains” become more and more noticeable until finally that moment of birth is here.  Reflecting on this verse, you can easily see how 2020 can be described as birth pangs.  It started off with fires and locust leading to natural disasters, rumors of wars, and various attacks.  For the non-Christian it would be easy to be dismayed at this world, and to be honest, this isn’t the world that I want for my child.  But here is the amazing thing about this situation, it all leads to the return of our risen Savior. While the rest of the world is going crazy and waiting for the next disaster to hit, the Christian should be looking at these events with the knowledge that it means one day our Lord will return and to which there is no greater hope for the Christian.   

I hope when you look at Matthew 24:4-8 you see that God has a plan for all of this, which is to bring all those who will accept Him into His family.  The times we are currently living in were predicted by Jesus Christ, He knew what was coming, and knew what was needed to bring that last person to lean on Him.  I am not saying  He will return tomorrow, next week, or even in this year for “36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” Matthew 24:36.  All this means is that His return is coming soon! If we see the signs of the tribulation appearing, our liberation is closer.

If you are reading this and disagree that our Lord will return, I ask that you look at 2 Peter 3:3-7. “3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” 5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. 7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” God knew there would always be scoffers, there were scoffers not long after Jesus’s resurrection. But when you look back at the last few months, you must see that things are not continuing as they once were.

For the Christian reading this who may be wondering why all of this is needed, just look to 2 Peter 8-9. “8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” The Lord delays not to cause pain and misery, but because He does not want anyone to perish.  He is waiting for that last person of this age to accept Him so that He can bring us home.  And this is a promise that we should be grateful about.  And what I mean by that is this, if He had chosen to return before January 2012, I would not have come to the realization that I needed Him, that my works would not be enough to get me into heaven.  And that holds true for you, God waited to give you time to accept Him, just like He is waiting for that last person to accept Him.  We should hold firm in the fact that God does not break His promises and there are two other promises that I am grateful for, “6 Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 and “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 In both of these verses we can see that we are asked not to fear, for God will not leave us but, for the saved, He goes with us and strengthens us.  In these days we need that sure promise to which all may have if they call upon the name of Jesus Christ and ask for His forgiveness of sins and follow Him.  Finally, I want the reader to know that we here at Mill House Ministries are praying for you, we hope that you find these posts encouraging, and hope that you will reach out to us for any prayer requests or questions.  We are here to serve you in the body of Christ.

Seek the Truth and encourage one another,

Alex

In Christ Alone (1)

Dear friends,

To the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who are found around the world. To my own countrymen as well as those in other nations, grace to you and peace from God our Father.

It has come to our knowledge that Mill House Ministries has been able to share the gospel to over 10 countries and hundreds of people. I give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. How amazing to know that the Church of our Lord and Savior Jesus is alive and eager for His word. Today’s post is part one in a two-part series dedicated to those who are eagerly awaiting the soon return of our Blessed Hope. Our foundational scripture is heavily based on the entire book of Colossians and should be read in its entirety. Much of what is stated today is directly taken from Paul in the book of Colossians.  

When Paul had heard that there were believers in Colossae and Laodicea, he was ecstatic, I can only believe that the excitement I have now is similar to his. I have never met you, however, my heart is eternally thankful for the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ with you. The honor to talk regarding the richness of Jesus to my fellow partakers in Christ is a humbling experience, and one I tend to not put to waste.

I want to encourage you to stay strong in the faith leaning not on your own understanding but fully on the Lord. I would urge you to not cease from praying and asking God that you be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. By doing this, we can walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. Do not fear the challenge of such a calling, because we are strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience. His joy is a foundation for us by allowing us to give thanks to the Father, who has qualified us through Jesus Christ to share in the inheritance of the saints. In short, God through His good will and power, can transform us into the very aspect of what we were designed for.

Even in today’s world we should be thankful for what He has done, for He rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son. This transfer is why we are considered Ambassadors in this world, we are not destined to stay but to be taken to God. Now many might be thinking this is crazy talk but think about it. God through His Son, Jesus Christ has come to not only rescue you and I from our own sin but from the clutches of this world. We do not belong here but with God. It is why when we die, we are to be present with the Lord. However, while we are alive on planet earth, let us present ourselves worthy to be called sons and daughters of God. We should be eager to love more, defend the innocent and strive to be represent the greatness of Jesus Christ to a fallen world.

We have a great example on how to act, for while He is God, Jesus Christ is also wholly man. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created through Him and for Him. We can rest assured that He was before all things and because of Him all things are held together.

I know many right now are down trodden and saddened by the turn of events, we see Christian leadership fail and pastors continue to tickle the ears rather than speak the Truth of God. However, do not forget who the Head of Church is, lean on Jesus’s words, the very word of God is our daily sustenance. Remember because of the Father’s good will, Christ has been made first place in everything, and the fullness of us is to dwell in Him. Some might ask what this means, I would point you to the cross. Through Him all things who are found in Christ, we are reconciled through His blood on the cross to which peace is capable for us to reach. Do not lose hope in these days, for our fullness is not in the pastors, it is not in the church assembly, or the place you live, but rather in our Lord. As the late Ravi Zacharias once said, “what defines you as a person is not who you are but whose you are” we must be defined in who our fullness is guaranteed.

Jesus is the only person who can guarantee that remarkable promise, not any other religion or god, no other name but Jesus Christ can save us.

As Christians we can look in retrospect to our former deeds, these alienated us from God by being hostile in mind and engaging in evil. Yet He has now reconciled you and I in His fleshly body on the cross in order to present you and I before God, holy and blameless and beyond reproach.

I cannot encourage you enough to continue in your faith firmly established and not moving by what the world says but towards the gospel which brings us hope.

Just like Paul in Colossians, it is sad that we have not been able to meet face to face, however we will meet one day with our Lord. But until that day comes let us not forgo fellowship with one another in spirit. For we are one in Christ. Pray continuously for one another, encourage one another, and most importantly continue in the Word of God and keep your eyes focused on the Blessed Hope. I pray that your hearts may be encouraged with these words knowing that the fellowship we have in our Lord is stronger than any earthly ties.

However, I wish to warn you of a danger. This danger is prevalent in all Christian circles no matter where you call home. Let no one trick you with persuasive argument. See to it that no one takes you captive through lecture, the tradition of men, or their understanding. Rather be bonded together, which comes from the full assurance and understanding resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

In Him we are made complete. No traditions, no additional work, no religiosity, but Christ alone.

I would encourage you to not be troubled by the world’s governments and the rise of antichristian polices but rather know that He is the head over all, He has all rulership and all authority and one day every tongue will confess that He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Finally, in ending part one of this two part series allow me to push you to pray for one another, pray for us here at Mill House Ministries, that we might continue to help encourage, strengthen and alert you to what God would have us do. Remember each day is a blessing from the Lord, and it should not be taken lightly. Allow us to humble ourselves daily in God’s Word, eagerly asking that the Holy Spirit reveal to us what God has desired for us to know. God has not left us as orphans but rather He has given us the Spirit of God who teaches us all things and brings to us remembrance of all that God would have us know.

I end today on this, we here at Mill House Ministries are dedicated to the proclamation of the Word of God, and the encouragement of all believers to stay in the fight. However, if you are unsaved or not sure if you are saved, I cannot stress more strongly today is your day to come to Jesus Christ. For you are not good enough, and you cannot be good enough. However, in the acceptance of Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for you, you can be made whole. Please do not continue your day unless you are certain of your relationship in Him. If you have questions, comments, or concerns please reach out to us here at Mill House Ministries and we would love to help answer any questions you might have.

 Hold until relieved, Our blessed Hope is coming

JL

Noble Character

Last week we took a look at the characteristics of a woman who is not a follower of Christ, this week I want to look more into the characteristics of a true Christian woman.  There is not a better set of scripture that show these characteristics then Proverbs 31:10-31, these verses describe a woman of noble character.  But what does it mean to have a noble character? Well, unlike last week’s blog, a woman with noble character will not be arrogant or proud, a woman of noble character will put others first, will be charitable, maintaining their integrity, and do what is right no matter the difficulty.  We can see these characteristics throughout Proverbs 31:10-31

 “10 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. 11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. 12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. 13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. 15 She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. 16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. 17 She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. 18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. 19 In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. 20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. 21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. 22 She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. 25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. 26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. 27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” 30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 31 Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”

Within these verses there are several characteristics that a Christian woman should aim to have.  The first of which I want to discuss is how a woman with noble character interacts with those close to her. Proverbs 31:11-13, talks of how she brings her husband good, how he has full confidence in her.  To have full confidence in someone means that you trust them completely to be reliable, trustworthy, and have the ability to succeed.  By saying that a woman has the full confidence of her husband means that he can leave her to her tasks, whatever that may be, and he will know that it will be completed.  Throughout the rest of Proverbs 31, you can see how this ability to act influences the woman’s family and household, this ability  

Whether or not we like to admit it, our actions not only influence the way others see us, but also how they see those closest to us.  The Proverbs 31 woman behaves in such a way that she brings not only respect for herself, for she is “clothed with strength and dignity” Proverbs 31:25, but also for her family.  The husband of the Proverbs 31 woman is held with respect among the city elders.  It used to be that sitting at the city gate is where the elders of the city would discuss the local affairs.  To have a seat here is a great honor, and through this understanding I was reminded of 1 Timothy 3:8-11 “8 In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9 They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.11 In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.” The beginning part of this verse is the characteristics of a man who is wishing to serve in the church.  However, by the end of the verse you see that not only is the characteristic of the man scrutinized, but also his wife.  A woman of noble character is worthy of respect by not gossiping, in control of their temper, and trustworthy in what they do. This idea is also stated in 1 Timothy 3:11”Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.” This puts into practice Proverbs 12:4 “A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.” As well as Proverbs 11:16 “A kindhearted woman gains honor, but ruthless men gain only wealth”

I do want to make a note here for women who are reading this who have unbelieving husbands.  Through the scriptures we can see that by behaving as a woman with noble character, it is possible that you can win your husband over to the Lord.  This can be found in 1 Peter 3:1-6 “Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.” The idea of submitting here is the same as submitting ourselves to God. As we submit ourselves to Him and allow Him to work in our lives we become sanctified, and as those around us, specific to this verse our husband, see the process of sanctification they can see the reverence for the Lord come through and possibly be saved.  I ask that you continue to strive towards God and see what He can do in your marriage.

I also want to add for those who are in abusive relationships, there is no evidence in the Bible that states that you must put up with it.  The usage of submitting is in that we accept that Christ is in control of our lives, when 1 Peter 3:1-6 states that we as women must submit to our husbands it is submitting to the role that He has designed for both men and women.  There is no reason to accept abuse and if you are in that type of situation, I hope that you are able to find help to get out of the situation. If you remember our study on Abigail, I would argue that Nabal was abusive, but there is always hope that there is a David there as well.  Be like Abigail and have the courage to remove yourself from the situation.

Continuing our look into the Proverbs 31 woman, the next characteristic that we can see is that she works willingly. In my younger years I was under the impression that God cared for men more than women. Sadly I would later on be told by others it was wrong that I was the main financial provider while my husband was in school, I had no clue that the Bible had a clear picture of being a women and her responsibilities. Imagine my surprise when Proverbs 31 was shown to me.  As JL has continually told me, if anyone believes that the Bible doesn’t care about women’s rights they need to look at Proverbs 31, while the world still did not recognize a woman as a credible witness, Jesus after the resurrection first revealed Himself to women to tell the good news.  In these verses, not only is this woman someone to be respected, but she is in charge of more than just the house and children.  I want to highlight a few verses that show this, “13 She looks for wool and flax. And works with her hands in delight.” Proverbs 31:13,“16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.” Proverbs 31:16, “18 She senses that her gain is good; Her lamp does not go out at night” Proverbs 31:18, and “31 Give her the product of her hands, And let her works praise her in the gates.” Proverbs 31:31.  By looking at these verses, you can see that the woman here is earning her own money by selling her made goods, the Proverbs 31 woman is an entrepreneur! She not only keeps an eye on the doings of her household, but also works to increase it.  Another interesting note when reading Proverbs 31, is that she is described as having strong arms for her tasks, this implies that she is a hard worker and is therefore living out Philippians 2:14 “14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing”. If you continually grumble or argue about the work that needs to be done, whether that is in a work setting or over household work, the job will almost always not be completed to the best of your ability.  As women of noble character, we need to complete every task without grumbling, for our work not only reflects upon ourselves but as seen above it is a reflection on our family.  We need to consider 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 “11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, 12 so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.”

If you notice in the verses highlighted, as well as others in Proverbs 31, you can see that this woman continually works hard, she “does not eat the bread of idleness” Proverbs 31:27. This woman always has something to help with the family.  There is one thing that I want to point out here since I know  it is prevalent in today’s society.  But if you are a stay at home mom, or otherwise not working in the “traditional” work force, do not believe that you cannot be completing this aspect of the Proverbs 31 woman.  The Proverbs 31 woman also is the woman who is working to make sure that appointments are made on time, keeping things on a schedule, and caring for those around you.  This also does not mean that if you are working, that you cannot be completing this aspect of the Proverbs 31 woman as well.  I have met working moms who still make sure appointments are kept, things are right on schedule, and their families are cared for.  The important thing to notice here is that a woman of noble character does not complain about the work. And if you look at verse 28, you can see that through her hard work not only is her household cared for but her children call her blessed and she is praised.

This ability of hard work means that a woman of noble character will have no fear for her household, verse 21.  Through working vigorously, “she sees that her trading is profitable” (verse 18), she has the resources to care for her household and to not be worried about hard times or seasons.  But a woman of noble character does not lean on her own strength for this, she knows that everything is provided by God.  Matthew 6:25-34, “25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” It is through faith in God, that He cares for us, knows the desires of our hearts, and provides of us, that the woman of noble character has no fear for tomorrow and can “laugh at the days to come” (verse 25)

The next characteristic of a noble woman will stem out of her ability to provide for her family, and that is being charitable.  If you look at verse 20, you can see that she is caring for the poor and needy as well. She understands the words in Deuteronomy 15:11 “11 For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’”. This woman understands that there will always be those who need help, but she freely opens the doors for them.  She does this without expecting anything in return much like in Hebrews 13:16 “16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” her only reward for helping those around her will often times be that God is pleased with her actions. She is not shouting from the rooftops or making a big deal of how she is helping those around her, she is doing it simply because that is what God calls us to do.

The next characteristic of a woman with noble character is that “she speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue” (verse 26).  A woman of noble character will have knowledge and her advice will be sound.  This knowledge isn’t book smarts or street smarts, it is the final characteristic described of the Proverbs 31 woman, and that is the fear of the Lord (30).  A woman of noble character understands that just like in Proverbs 1:7 “7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” And in Proverbs 8:13 “13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” A woman of noble character understands that to get knowledge means to fear the Lord by recognizing that she has sinned and fallen short of what He has called her to be.  The fear of the Lord will lead to hating the characteristics of what we had discussed last week, pride and arrogance, evil behavior, and perverse speech.  A woman of noble character knows that true wisdom will not lead to her being prideful of herself, instead she will give everything back to the Lord knowing that, “17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” James 3:17.  She will see that having this wisdom will protect her as stated in Proverbs 4:6-7 “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.” And it is through this knowledge that she will continually stand for what is right, no matter how difficult the situation is or what the outcome will be.

And as the description of a woman with noble character closes we can see that she is blessed just like Provers 3:13 states, “13 Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding,” A woman of noble character is bless through her husband’s confidence, her children and her household, and most importantly with the knowledge of the Lord.  All of this allows her work to bring her praise from those around her. A woman of noble character gains respect of those around her, believers and unbelievers alike and it is this way that a woman can help bring others to the kingdom of God. By being like Wisdom and leading others down the path of righteousness. I want to leave you with this last verse, Philippians 4:8 “8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Seek the Truth and Encourage One Another

Alex

A Jesus Analysis

As a Christian reflects on the words of Jesus Christ, it will become apparent to the person that His words typically have several lessons that could be applied. There was always the Blatant lesson, typically something all people would move towards, but other times it was something deeper, something that the observer would have to dive into for a greater understanding. One of those passages which has a deeper meaning can be found in Luke chapter 6. The foundational scripture for today is chapter 6:20-26. Here God gives us eight simple guidelines to help us understand our location in our spiritual journey. Let’s read the passage before we continue,

“And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. 23 Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. 24 But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. 25 Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way”

Jesus is outlining the characteristics of two groups of people. The saved and the unsaved. The four Blessed remarks and the four Woe remarks are each a spiritual marker in a person’s life.  While they are each different, the Blessed and the Woes do reflect one another in a progressive order.

Our first comparison is, the poor and the rich.

“Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the kingdom of God” and “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.”

Some will tell you this is discussing the poor within a financial meaning. This could not be farther from the truth; such an idea has come from the Latin American liberation theology and has unfortunately spread. Jesus cared for the poor, not because of their financial status but because of their need for a savior. He was quick to call out those who only wanted food because they were poor, “Jesus answered them and said, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal” John 6:26-27. However, this does not mean Jesus didn’t understand the issues that wealth might inhibit someone from becoming a believer. Jesus told the rich man whose financial status was hindering him from following Himself to sell his possessions and give it to the poor, “Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Matthew 19:21. Nevertheless, these markers “Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the kingdom of God” and “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.” Can help designate our spiritual attitude and life. To follow the Lord, one must first understand his or her spiritual bankruptcy. One must have the fear of the Lord, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the holy one is understanding” Proverbs 9:10. Why this fear you might ask? The understanding that you and I, before God are worthless and can never match His perfection. God is eternally perfect and we have never been and will never be able to save ourselves on our own accord. However, for those who recognize that God has paved a way to repay this debt through His son Jesus Christ, we can be saved. Yet, first there must be a recognition of such a deplorable state. Further more as Jesus says Woe to those who are rich, if you go about your day thinking you are alright and that you are good enough or that your status is ok than what you have right now is as good as it is going to get. You will never be sanctified in Christ if you think you have what it takes. These two markers give the first clue to the saved or not saved person. It is the initial step in both of their journeys. For both, it is a recognition of oneself on a spiritual status. One is poor and in need of God’s richness through His son, the other rich in their own actions and deeds.

Our second comparison is the hungry and well-fed.

“Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied” and “Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry.”

As before, Jesus is not talking about food but rather something deeper, something more potent. The desire for righteousness. “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth” Psalm 119:103. “But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.” Matthew 4:4. Jesus is clearly interested in our earthly needs “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” Matthew 6:25-26. Yet, ultimately He wants and is talking about our desire for His word, our hunger for what He wants in our life. Saved or not saved, as we continue down our spiritual journey we will find either a yearning for His word or we will find a yearning to say no to His word. A good example of a group who did not look to God’s word but rather to their own spiritual righteousness were the leaders in Ezekiel’s day. They thought themselves to be righteous enough, they thought wrong.  “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?” Ezekiel 34:2. As we continue down our path we can see the growing fruition of our earlier decision to recognize our spiritual bankruptcy or believe in our spiritual richness. For here the saved is hungering for the Word of God, while the unsaved are seeking their own answers.

Our third comparison is weeping and laughing.

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh” and “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.”

This comparison shows our progression of our decisions that come to a realization of who we are. Jesus makes it clear, that as you get a clearer understanding of who He is, you will realize how worthless you really are, “Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts" Isaiah 6:5. The more I study the word, the more I find myself at a lost as to why God would love a wretch like me. For I am as guilty as Judas, as vile as Jezebel, and as evil as Satan. Yet, I am able to see that one day God will make me whole, that through His saving grace I will shout for joy and be glad for what He has done in my life. “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6. I was once told that the more time we spend with God the more we see our faults, and the more we appreciate God’s grace and mercy. For the unbeliever, they stand in their belief that they are right in this world, for many it is a chase on a down hill slope. Life is good and in their own eyes it should be enjoyed now. By now both have moved in their progression considerably into a new standing in their walk. For the saved, they have understood their spiritual need for God, they have hungered and desired to know Him greater and have finally understood more of who He really is and how we really do not measure up. They are finally at a point of dependence where they lean on Him for understanding and not on the world. For the unsaved, they moved from believing they were spiritually ok, belief that they knew enough and did not need to seek after what God would say to them, and finally into the idea that their life is a joyful cause. This is the most troubling of the three stages, in the first two stages there is still the level of conviction of God calling to the person to repent and turn from their ways. By the third stage, this conviction is starting to dwindle and ultimately leaving the person in void of listening to the call from God at all. “And just as they did not see fit [f]to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips” Romans 1:28-29. For the unsaved the joy of the world is finally arrived. Yet what they don’t know is one day they will realize the error of their ways, and that God is a God of pure justice.

Our final comparison is different, here Jesus is using an “outside consultation” of sorts to help provide analysis for the location of our spiritual journey. Jesus is using the relationship we have with the world to help signify our relationship with Him.

Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. 23 Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.”And “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.”

Here we have Jesus allowing another witness, not just His own words but something that can help us locate and identify other saved and unsaved individuals. It is no longer ourselves alone who see our decisions, but also the world. The world is one of the greatest witnesses in highlighting our spiritual reality for the simple potency that of being this witness. For those who are hated by the world, who stand for what is right no matter the reaction, it is like a beacon, a loud fog horn blaring that they are a Christian. Now this doesn’t mean to be annoying, or careless with our decisions. Sadly, many people have gone out and screamed, argued, and berated others, all in an attempt to drive them to Jesus and these people have done nothing more than shame Jesus’ name by their actions. A great example as to how we should act can be found in Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego who stood against what was wrong, or look at Stephen who stood firm and proclaimed Jesus Christ to all. For the unsaved, the world highlights their ability to connect and be one. For the unsaved this is the final connection marker of their spiritual journey, a slave to the world, and a slave to the master of this world. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15 “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4. “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.” 1 John 3:13.

Jesus is giving us a clear example of two different spiritual journeys, one alive in Him, saved and brought to life. This person will be rich due to Jesus’ richness, they will be full due to Christ’s complete fullness, they will laugh with joy for He has the will to do a good work in them. For the unsaved who is left in the end, spiritually bankrupt, hungry for the truth, but not able to find it, weeping and gnashing of teeth, it is a tragedy that they have only brought on themselves. There is a saying “what we do in life, echoes into eternity” how more accurate could that be? Our decisions now, will have an eternal impact on us. So as you reflect on your life and as you interact with others take a lesson from Jesus and see where a person is in their spiritual journey, not only will it help you understand yourself but also those around you. God is not attempting to play with your soul, neither should you, if you are not saved you should become saved, if you are saved reflect on the spiritual markers and see where you are on this spiritual journey. Always be pressing forward, always be seeking the truth, for the truth will not only set you free but will make you whole.

Hold until relieved, Our blessed Hope is coming

JL

The Other Woman

This week I want to take a break from discussing the characteristics of the women found throughout the Bible who have put their faith in God, these women are admirable and are something for the Christian woman to aspire too.  However, there is another type of woman described in the Bible that needs to be addressed, for she is a dangerous woman. With this post let us discuss the woman who is not a follower of Jesus Christ. This woman is described as making herself wholly like this world and serving the master of this world. What makes this woman dangerous, is her claim to follow Christ however, when her characteristics are compared to the previously discussed women, we can see she does not belong to God.

This type of woman is found throughout scripture but the main verses that I want to look at are in Proverbs.  Proverbs describes this woman as a cancer to those around her (Proverbs 12:4), someone who tears down her home with her own hands (Proverbs 14:1), someone who is like a leaking roof (Proverbs 27:15), where it is better to live on the corner of a roof or in a desert land than with a quarrelsome woman (Proverbs 21:9, 21:19). The type of woman that I am talking about is someone who is prideful, arrogant, does not show kindness, is deceitful, and seeks to bring down those around her.  She does not know the redeeming power of Christ, because she is so wrapped up in the master of this world. 

A woman of this character will have the traits found in Proverbs 6:16-19 “16 There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18  a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, 19 a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.” And it is here that I want to begin our discussion, looking at these verses we can see that those who have these traits cannot belong to Christ, and yet I have meet many so called Christian women who amplify these traits. Perhaps you know them too, the women who are arrogant and disdainful to those around them, who believe that they are superior.  These women often lie to get what they want and act affronted when called out.  They devises schemes to make themselves look better, often times they will manipulate a situation to separate friends or family and cause conflict. They are the women who claim to hate drama but drama seems to follow them everywhere.

The truth about these women is that even if they claim to be followers of Christ, they belong to the master of this world.  They soak their lives into this world instead of standing above it.  1 John 2:15-16 “15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[a] is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.”

But what is it about these women that makes them dangerous? For that answer we need to look to Proverbs 9:13-18 “13 Folly is an unruly woman; she is simple and knows nothing. 14 She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city, 15 calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way, 16 “Let all who are simple come to my house!” To those who have no sense she says 17 “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” 18 But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.” Here we can see that just like Folly, a woman who claims to be godly and have the right answer is dangerous. She urges, calls, and guides others only to have them fall into calamity as well. Her words are persuasive and her actions enticing, yet in the end her path, her characteristics only lead to death. Her continuation in behavior that opposes God gives others the misinterpretation that it is acceptable behavior.  And while God does love everyone, it is clear from Proverbs that there are things that He hates.  And if a woman knowingly and continually is behaving in ways that oppose God, she cannot be one of His.

Another aspect that makes these women dangerous is found in James 1:26, “26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.” And in Titus 1:16 “16 They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.” These women are dangerous because they are walking around with the idea that they are saved, they believe that they have “fire insurance”.  They have deceived their own hearts into believing that they belong to Christ. If they did an inspection on their lives, there would be no change in their behavior from when they weren’t “saved” to the present. They have not known the redeeming power of Christ.

Now I want to be clear about something, I am not saying that a women who is a true follower of Christ is perfect, or even sinless for everyone has sinned, and it is possible that at times a Christian woman will behave in a way that goes against what God teaches. However, the difference between a women who belongs to God and one who does not is that they will not continue in their sin.  They will “make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.” 2 Peter 1:5-9.  God transforms the lives of those who belong to Him. It is something that I have seen in friends who have become believers, it is something I have seen in myself since I became a believer.  When you belong to Him, you develop a hunger for His word and as that hunger grows, traits like goodness, self-control, and perseverance grows in the life of the believer. Yes we still fail but we get back up, knowing the Lord has forgiven us and we lean on Him, as seen in Proverbs 24:16, “For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity.”

These women recognized that they have sinned but instead of continuing in it like the women mentioned above, they behave like those found in 1 John 3:6 “6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” Instead of continuing in behavior that separates mankind from God, these believers have turned from it and continue in it no more.  Again this does not mean that they never sin, however for the true child of God it means that we do not find joy in it. It is through this that we can separate ourselves from the world and its desires.

These women are like wisdom as described in Proverbs 9:1-6 “Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars; 2 She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine; She has also set her table; 3 She has sent out her maidens, she calls From the tops of the heights of the city: 4 “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks understanding she says, 5 “Come, eat of my food And drink of the wine I have mixed. 6 “Forsake your folly and live, And proceed in the way of understanding.” This woman has recognized her folly, turned from it and found the knowledge and understanding that comes from knowing God.  She then takes this knowledge and shares it, much like the foundational verse of this ministry.  Titus 2:3-5 “3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 so that they may [a]encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”

If at this moment you are not sure if you belong to God or not, I encourage you to look at your life. Do you have traits as warned of above?  If so, from what we can see in Scripture it would appear that you hold the traits that God detests, and as shown above, anyone like this has deceived their own heart and are not following Christ but instead the ruler of this world.  If this is you or someone that you know, it is possible to be like the other woman mentioned.   When you accept that you are a sinner, acknowledge that God is Lord and that He died to save you, you become a new creation. “17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!”2 Corinthians 5:17. 

Seek the Truth and encourage one another,

                     Alex

Outside Perspective

 “Many have asked the question and yet, so few have ever fully understood why. Those who claim they know, sound silly! And of course they should, they would have to possess knowledge from outside of life itself, for what we question to be known, we would have to know the unknowable, to comprehend the incompressible…but don’t be fooled to misinterpret impossible for complexity, our question is answerable. It is as if a cup in a cupboard declares that it has special knowledge of the mysteries outside the cupboard and kitchen. The other dishes mock and laugh, they taunt the cup with silly questions and examine the cup’s statements to what they know. Silently the cup listens and allows them to continue with their mockery, until finally one day they ask the cup ‘how is it possible for you to know the secrets of outside the cupboard and kitchen?’ The cup just answers, ‘I am his travel cup, I go where the master goes.”

Author Unknown

To be a Christian and have such a connection to the only being who was outside of time, who is currently in and out of time and who will be after time is a remarkably quick way to find yourself asking for a headache. And yet that is where the Christian is, they have been given the extraordinary opportunity to understand the reality of how it all began and how it will end. It baffles me when I hear Christians ask the simple questions of “how did this all begin?” or “does anyone know what is going on with the world?” or “how will it end for us?” The Bible has a clear outline for us on how this will all go about. Today’s post is the clear but unique look at the timeline of the Bible, and inconsequentially the timeline of human history. However, rest assured today’s philosophical topic is rooted in Biblical truth!  

For centuries people have incorrectly been taking the Bible and turning it into two parts, Old Testament and New Testament. When in reality the Bible can be dived into three simple parts. However, before we discuss the three sections, we need to first lay out some ground rules into how we are to move forward. First off, God was before time, and is after time, “Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” Psalm 90:2. Second that God does not change, “For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” Malachi 3:6. God is all knowing, “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” Psalm 147:5. Yes, God is all powerful and is everywhere (omnipotent and omnipresent), however those two characteristics of God are not actually needed for displaying the outline of the humanity. We are discussing the sections within historical progression of time, not God’s complete capacity to do whatever He wants when He wants and at any time in history or this exact moment. We are keeping within man’s perspective. We are keeping our understanding of God limited in this study so as not to lose sight of our objective, to outline the Bible and subsequently human history.

Now that we have that out of the way, we can finally start with the meat of the subject today!

As stated before, the Bible can be taken into three categories. The first category we can call the Credits. Now before we continue, we need to understand something, the first category is actually in two segments and begins with Genesis 1:1 through Genesis 11:32. This first segment can best be seen as God’s opening narrative to the play or movie. This is all about how the world gets created and goes upside down. The second segment picks up at the end of the Bible at Revelation chapter 20 through the end of the Book. This segment, just like the first, is about God telling how it all ends and what happens to all the different characters. In both segments God is providing information that would not be normally known to us, for instance we know there is something outside of time, yet we have never seen it. We know of Justice and Love and Mercy, yet we have never seen it in its purity. From the Credits we can tell that God has informed us of such information. When reading the Bible in these particular sections, we need to recognize the necessary need to read it as it was meant to be read.

Allow me to digress for a minute, picture in your head the last movie you watched. Now before it began there were “credits” telling who made the movie, who produced it, and if its older they might even have who is in it. At the end of the movie you see the same information and more details on who helped to make the movie. At any point in the credits do you read the name, for example “Frank Sinatra” and say, “oh we need to spiritualize it?”. No, you take it as it says and assume Frank Sinatra is in the film. When you see the iconic Disney castle at the beginning of the film, you do not say “oh boy, I can’t wait to see this Sony picture?” nonsense! Doesn’t that sound absurd? So why would anyone read and attempt to spiritualize the credits in the Word of God? There are several aspects in the credit category found in Genesis and Revelation that should be read symbolically and those are abundantly clear, two examples are “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:15 and “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.” Revelation 22:14. Nevertheless, Christians have taken liberty in spiritualizing or blatantly taking out of context much of the Credits to the point that the rest of the Bible does not make sense. It would be like seeing “George C. Scott as General Patton” it’s obvious he isn’t the real General Patton but the person next to you in the theater is all excited to see the real General Patton walk on stage. God wrote His Bible for us to take and read comprehensively and accurately so we should do just that. “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;” Proverbs 2:6.

Moving forward, the first category needs to have its characteristics explained. It is not a standalone work and should be read with equal value to the other two categories. In these verses God is dealing with the world as a whole. At this point He is interactive with the whole world! He creates the universe, man sins, He curses the universe, He floods the world, He deals with wicked man and deals with the righteous man, He makes a new universe. So, when reading these parts take this into consideration, chances are it is literal, and God is interacting on a large scale.

Now we come to our second category, or commonly known as the Old Testament. And just like the Credits it can be split into two groups. First in Genesis 12:1 to Acts 1:8, then it picks up again in Revelation 4:1 and continues through Revelation 19:21. During the Old Testament we can see God is directly dealing with a specific group of people. These people, depending on where you are reading in the Old Testament, are either, one man (i.e. Abraham) or a nation being Israel. The Old Testament is a very misleading name, it signifies something in the English language which the text does not actually mean.  

“Testament is an old English word that means, “covenant,” or “agreement between two parties.” It was derived from the Latin testamentum. This term was used to translate the Greek and Hebrew words for covenant; berit in Hebrew and diatheke in Greek. Hence the Old and New Covenants became the Old and New Testaments. This is the ancient meaning of the term

However, the two parts of Scripture are not “testaments” in the modern sense of the word a last will and testament. Rather, the term speaks of an agreement, covenant or contract. Consequently, it is unfortunate that the English word “testament” is still used to describe the Old and New Covenants that God has made with His people.”[1]

Do not get confused with our goal of understanding the categorical markings of the Biblical outline of human history and the Universe with the covenants in the Bible, the Lord makes several with different people which He upholds. If this category was to be renamed, it should be something to the larger aspect, giving the proper perspective on God and Israel and their unique relationship. A personal proposal would be Teleiosis Ioudaios or Fulfillment of the Jew. This entire category of the Bible is directed around the Jewish nation and people. Genesis 12:1, God calls Abraham in order to create a nation. This story continues with this interaction until the promise Messiah Jesus Christ who is born of a virgin, lives a perfect life, dies on the cross, three days later resurrects, and then ascends into Heaven in Acts 1:8. During this entire time God is dealing with Israel, this does not mean that others do not have a special part to play, Ruth, a gentile, was part of the line of Jesus Christ heritage. There are many gentiles that were found righteous throughout this section of the Bible. However, moving forward in the Bible we come to the second section of the Fulfillment of the Jew. Revelation 4:1 God’s direct interaction with Israel begins again. Sadly, there are many in the Christian world today who will deny this, however the book of Daniel specifically discusses the final seven years that God has set aside for Israel.

So, moving forward, the second category needs to have its characteristics explained. It is not a standalone work and should be read with equal value to the other two categories. When reading consider how God has a special relationship with Israel, however this does not mean He does not care about the world. In fact, this special relationship is specifically designed to show God’s orchestrated plan to save the world. Salvation is still the same, the belief that God would send a sacrifice for our sins. Time wise you would have to believe that it would either come one day or that it has already come. The power of faith is timeless, and the justification found in Jesus Christ is priceless. Abraham was justified by faith, while the 144,000 will be saved in like manner, and belief in Messiah Jesus Christ.

Our final category is the New Testament, and yes just like the Old Testament, the name should reflect what the time is. A better name would be the Age of the Church. This category, unlike the Credits and the Fulfillment of the Jew, is all in one piece. It starts at Acts 1:9 and goes until Revelation 3:22, and can be summed up like this,

The Age of the Church can be described as the historical account of the adoption of the gentile believers into the family of God, while preparing them to be the bride of the Messiah.

Two things to take away from this category. Paul makes it clear that the gentile has not replaced the Jew, but rather through God’s love and mercy have grafted in the gentile believers with those Jews who also believe in Jesus Christ. Second. “But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.

17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; 21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.” Romans 11:13-21

  While the Age of the Church is a specific time for mainly gentiles, there are many Jewish people who are born again. Yet, this does not mean the gentile is to incorporate themselves into Judaism or to be bound to the law of Moses. Rather they should be liberated to love God and seek Holiness, for He is Holy.

So, moving forward the third category needs to have its characteristics explained. It is not a standalone work and should be read with equal value to the other two categories. Should be read seriously, where it is literal read literal, and where it is symbolic read symbolically. Take the same vigor as you would with the other sections to find the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the scripture you are reading. Finally, if there is a question regarding a specific verse or statement, go back to the Credits or the Fulfillment of the Jew to seek an answer. The glorious thing about the entire Bible is that it will answer and vindicate itself.

So now we come to the final “so what factor” with all of this, while yes, I know that we today have ran across several areas and have covered the entire Bible in one quick post. Nevertheless, I want to commend you for sticking with it! The Bible, when addressed with genuine desire to learn, will show you how quickly God will jump out at you from within His word. These three categories The Credits, Fulfillment of the Jew, and The Age of the Church are all unique in their own aspects.

Remember if you are asked by anyone where this is all this going, feel free to take them to the Credits, if someone asks you why does God care take them to The Age of the Church, and if they ask why did God have to do it that way take them to the Fulfillment of the Jew. God gives us the reason for the universe, He gives us the reason for existence, He gives us the reason we have the hope that we do. God is a very personable God; He is just eager to show us the answer to these deep-thinking questions. However, none of this is possible unless you have a relationship with Jesus Christ, we must be the travel cup if we are to find these answers. That relationship is not built on good works, it is not built on being good, its not built on being religious. It is built on a relationship with Jesus Christ. Salvation is that Jesus Christ being whole God and whole man, was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, died for our sins on a cross, and on the third day rose victoriously from the grave being the final sacrifice needed for man. All we must do to accept His sacrifice is acknowledge that we are sinners, believe that Jesus Christ, being whole man and whole God, living a perfect life, died and rose again for us personally, confess with our mouths that He is Lord, and follow Him.

I understand the danger that people might take this lightly and simply restate that they believe and are saved, I would encourage you to read Romans 10:9-10, Acts 16:31, Acts 2:21, Romans 5:7-8. So as you crack open your Bible and start to read of this cosmic story that is underway just remember that the same God has given you the chance to see outside of the cupboard and the kitchen for a chance to be His as well.

Hold until relieved, Our blessed Hope is coming

JL

[1] Don Stewart, Blue Letter Bible, 2020 https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/stewart_don/faq/bible-special/question4-why-old-and-new-testament.cfm

Abigail

The story of Abigail is one that is often overlooked, but in continuing to understand the personality of a Christian woman her story needs to be addressed. Abigail is described as “an intelligent and beautiful woman” 1 Samuel 25:3, and is the exact opposite of her husband Nabal, whose name means “fool” and was a man who was “surly and mean in his dealings” 1 Samuel 25:3. Through the story of Abigail, we can learn a great deal about what is means to have a discerning heart and how to apply a spirit of gentleness in a difficult situation.

The full story of Abigail can be found in 1 Samuel 25, but I will give a brief background on her as well.  As already mentioned, Abigail was married to Nabal who had a place of business in Carmel.  David, who had not become King yet, and his men had moved into the Desert of Maon and while there had protected Nabal’s shepherds.  Upon hearing that Nabal was in the area, David sent some of his men to ask Nabal to “be favorable toward my young men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.” 1 Samuel 25:8

Nabal’s answer was true to his name, he denied any knowledge of David and the agreement they had for the protection of his shepherds.  This response angered David who began to plan an attack on Nabal and his household.  However, a servant of Nabal’s found Abigail and reported to her what her husband had said, but also what David’s men had done for them.  Abigail without hesitation grabs compensation and set out to meet with David.  When she found him, Abigail bowed down before David and asked that the blame be put on her, she begs David to ignore her husband since “his name is Fool, and folly goes with him” 1 Samuel 25:25, she states that had she seen David’s servants and heard the request they would have received compensation, Abigail then asks that David rethink his attack.  She states that “Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, since the Lord has restrained you from shedding blood, and from avenging yourself by your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek evil against my lord, be as Nabal. 27 Now let this gift which your maidservant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who accompany my lord. 28 Please forgive the transgression of your maidservant; for the Lord will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil will not be found in you all your days. 29 Should anyone rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, then the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God; but the lives of your enemies He will sling out as from the hollow of a sling. 30 And when the Lord does for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and appoints you ruler over Israel, 31 this will not cause grief or a troubled heart to my lord, both by having shed blood without cause and by my lord having avenged himself. When the Lord deals well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.” 1 Samuel 25:26-31.

David accepts Abigail’s compensation and tells her to “Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request.” 1 Samuel 25:35.  When Abigail returns to her husband, she finds him feasting like a king and very drunk.  She wisely waits to tell him of what she had done until the morning when Nabal was not in the middle of his gluttony.  When Nabal heard what had been done “his heart died within him so that he became as a stone. 38 About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died.” 1 Samuel 25:37-38.  Upon hearing of Nabal’s demise, David praised God for dealing with Nabal and keeping David from wrongdoing.  David then extends to Abigail an invitation to be his wife, which she accepts.

Through this story we can see that we are called to have a discerning heart and to deal graciously with trouble.  This story could have turned out differently if Abigail had chosen to hesitate upon hearing the news that her husband was going to deny David payment for his protection.  Not only would David have participated in needless bloodshed and would have later regretted his actions of killing many innocent people due to the actions of one man. Or if Abigail had acted harshly it would have led to the same bloodshed.  Abigail’s reaction to the servant’s news always recalls Proverbs 14:6, “A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge is easy to one who has understanding.”  It is no doubt that Nabal is acting as a scoffer, seeking his own wisdom but missing God’s.  Abigail however, understands what must be done and this understanding makes the decision easy to make.  She knew that neglecting those who had helped them would only bring trouble to her family.  The only way to stop this was to confront the situation.

Now we see through Abigail’s actions that confrontation does not necessarily mean harsh words.  She approached David with the spirit of humbleness, she brought herself to the place of a servant in order to deal with her husband’s actions. She begged for forgiveness and even took the blame upon herself even though she was not the one who saw the original messengers.  She approached the situation as someone from Proverbs 15:1, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger”.  Her words spoken in a tone of gentleness and respect, got through to the angry David.  His response to her perfectly sums up how a gentle answer can turn away anger.  “Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me,” 1 Samuel 25:32. David recognized that it was the Lord who had sent Abigail to him to turn him away from actions that he would have regretted. 

The angry future King had been pacified and Abigail must now return home to her husband.  Nabal, unaware of the threat that his wife had stopped, was feasting and drinking.  Here is another example of how having discernment can only help those who belong to God. Imagine if Abigail had told her drunk husband what had happened.  Do you think he would have seen the errors in his way? Or do you think it more likely that he would have acted, like his namesake, foolishly.  I believe this is the most likely occurrence from seeing the characteristic of Nabal from early on in this chapter. It is likely that had he heard that David was planning an attack, Nabal would have decided to attack as well, and the needless bloodshed that Abigail was trying to prevent would have taken place.  Abigail once again acted wisely and waited until after Nabal was sober to tell him the news.  The resulting death of Nabal shows that in His own time, God will deal with the enemies of his people.  Nabal’s fate is a perfect example of Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling”. Nabal had thought that he had gotten away with not paying David, hosted a feast, and later meet his demise.

Now hearing the story of Abigail, it brings to mind Proverbs 2:11, “Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you”.  Through her discretion and understanding of the situation Abigail guarded herself and those around her.  Abigail is a great example of what to do when we are faced with a situation that we know we can have an impact on. Abigail should be accredited with not only having discernment but for being courageous, for without her many innocent people would have died. When discernment is used correctly, we can be resolute in our need to not sit and let a situation pass us by, there are times we need to confront the situation head on and times we should allow events to play out. Abigail knew when to go to David to fix the issue before needless blood was shed, but also knew when to wait to tell Nabal. Abagail even shows her discernment to know what is outside of her control when her husband is taken from her, she wisely waits upon the Lord who graciously gives her a better man.  No matter if the situation requires a direct approach or not, confronting difficulty with a spirit of humbleness will often get a better response.

Seek the Truth and encourage one another,

                        Alex

Our 411 to Understanding Scripture

Historical accounts state that when explorers first discovered Niagara Falls, they were told by the local Native Americans of the legends of how the great waterfall was formed. The locals believed the falls were formed by the “great snake”, and a young girl would have to be sacrificed to this snake in order to pacify the falls. The idea of a mystical relationship between man and the great falls was established and practiced. However, this practice was built on a lack of knowledge of the actual river.

As time went by and settlers moved further west, the nation grew, and Niagara Falls became known as the “honeymoon Capital of the World”, here tourist from all over would come and enjoy from a distance the magnificence of the falls. There was no intimacy of knowing what the falls were. As time went by engineers found another practical aspect of the falls, and that was to have a hydroelectric power plant. By drawing on the natural force and resources they could produce power for hundreds of thousands of people.[1]

Now you might be wondering where I am going with this, but what if I told you that Niagara Falls is a great example of the relationship man has, at times, with the Holy Spirit. Some Christians have a magical idea of the Holy Spirit, just like the Native Americans with Niagara Falls. Other Christians look at the Holy Spirit much like the tourist who simply enjoy watching from a distance and never fully experiencing the power of the falls. The final group of Christians have come to terms with what the Holy Spirit is wanting to do in our daily life and are experiencing the full power of what He is doing.

Intellectually the Holy Spirit can be an exceedingly difficult part of the Trinity to understand. All humans have a father, all humans have dealt with a son or someone who is a son of someone else. However, it becomes difficult for us at times to fully understand the Holy Spirit. As a child I treated the Holy Spirit more as the tourist, knowing God the Holy Spirit was there but only as one part of the Trinity, while never fully understanding God in this character and as He wished for me to know. In my young adult years, I pictured the Holy Spirit as more of the Native Americans. I thought He was mystical and would bestow gifts on those who were the most emotionally swayed. It would not be until I grew older that I started to grasp the scripturally sound person of the Holy Spirit.

Now today is not a deep dive going over the entire aspects of the Holy Spirit, nor is it a post regarding the spiritual gifts. Today we are going over the simplicity of why we need to have the Holy Spirit, not just with salvation but rather in our daily walk.

Sadly, the reality of the situation is that many believers today are not aware of the power of the Holy Spirit. This is to their disadvantage since the biggest aspects of the Holy Spirit after salvation are with the Holy Spirit guiding the Christian in their understanding of the Word. This is missed by 99.99 percent of Christians today. Allow us to go to the book of John and see one of the first times that Jesus describes the Holy Spirit and the necessary need of Him to show up.

5 “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; 11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” John 16:5-15

This is an especially important aspect for us to understand. Jesus Christ did not state the Gifts of the Spirit as being the reason for the Holy Spirit, and it is vital that we understand this. The first reason why the Holy Spirit is sent is for “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” this can be clearly seen from the number of Christians there are. The very fact that Christians exist today, although none of us have walked with Jesus Christ as the Disciples did during His life on earth, and none of us had the experiences of seeing the written miracles described in the Bible. Yet, here we are, born again saved Christians. This is only because of the work that the Holy Spirit has done. The conviction and recognition of our sin is brought through the Holy Spirit. This is only the beginning for a Christian, to fully understand the power of what the Holy Spirit wants to do in us we must recognize, just like the engineers with Niagara Falls, what is there. Reread verse 12-15“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

Yes, the answer is that simple. The Holy Spirit outside of the salvation process is poised to help us primarily with understanding scripture and to have a better understanding of God as a whole. I would argue that the symptoms of many in the Christian life today highlight the apparent lack of knowledge or understanding of the Holy Spirit’s desire to help us learn. Many believers think that the gifts of the Spirit is the main reason He is here today, however I would point out that the disciples had not received the Holy Spirit when Jesus sent them out to minister in Luke 10:1-24. I am not saying the gifts of the spirit do not exist today, however the discussion is deliberately being put aside for the Holy Spirit’s greater calling with us. If Christians would better understand the person of the Holy Spirit and His desire to help us, much of the scripture and its applicability would become apparent.

A good example of this is the Proverb’s challenge. Read each chapter of Proverb at the beginning of your day on the date of that chapter. Ask for God to reveal the wisdom found in those chapters. There have been several times I have been at a crossroads of wanting to say something, do something, or at a loss on how to act. Sure enough, after years of reading those chapters I find a verse that will “pop” in my head which will give me the guidance I need. Remember “through insolence comes nothing but strife, but wisdom is with those who receive counsel.” Proverbs 13:10. The Word of God is alive to those who are willing and capable of listening. It is apparent that, to those who are not saved they will not understand scripture, “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:5, The world is not capable of understanding “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” 1 Corinthians 2:14.

So why do so many Christians seek non-Christian guidance? It is because they do not know the magnitude of the intimacy God the Holy Spirit wants in their life, “but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24. Remember this warning found in Proverbs 19:27 “Cease listening, my son, to discipline, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.” Jesus Christ told the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit to come as described in Luke 24:49 “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Yet from comparing the scriptures we can see that Jesus Christ had already given them the Holy Spirit, “And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them.” John 20:22.

So what changed? What happened? For that answer we go back to John chapter 16:7 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” The Holy Spirit was breathed on them by Jesus, but they were told to wait for the Holy Spirit’s time on earth, for their apparent blessing of God. The Holy Spirit was coming to empower them, to teach them, and to show them. Just look at the transformational difference between Peter before and after. He is denying he knew Jesus Christ to a little girl “Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.”70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” Matthew 26:69-70 yet a little over a month later he is declaring to thousands Jesus Christ. Many people highlight the transformational conviction in Peter’s words and how passionate he is, however, I would argue he is giving us a prime example of the Holy Spirit guiding us in understanding the scripture as promised in John 16. Just look at what Peter says in Acts 2 and how he connects Old Testament scripture to what was going on at that time.

“14 But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. 15 For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; 16 but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:

17 ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says,
‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
And your young men shall see visions,
And your old men shall dream dreams;
18 Even on My bondslaves, both men and women,
I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit
And they shall prophesy.
19 ‘And I will grant wonders in the sky above
And signs on the earth below,
Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke.
20 ‘The sun will be turned into darkness
And the moon into blood,
Before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come.
21 ‘And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. 24 But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. 25 For David says of Him,

‘I saw the Lord always in my presence;
For He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken.
26 ‘Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted;
Moreover my flesh also will live in hope;
27 Because You will not abandon my soul to Hades,
Nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
28 ‘You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.’

29 “Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. 32 This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. 34 For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says:

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
35 Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

The “so what” factor must now come into play, for us living today in the 21st century we have two choices that we must make regarding the Holy Spirit. The first is with the salvation and acceptance of what Jesus Christ did on the cross, knowing He was the perfect justification for you and I to be saved. We fail, where He rightfully succeeds. Based off of that justification the Holy Spirit is able to place in us a new heart and a new spirit as described in Ezekiel 36:26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” The second choice is allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us scripture. So, take a few things with you the next time you attempt to read your Bible. You cannot go wrong with this,

1) First ask God for Him to teach you the word, “Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 30:21

2) Context, Context, Context. Make sure you know the who, what, where, how, and why of the scripture. “every prudent man acts with knowledge” Proverbs 13:16

3) Be careful who you ask for guidance, “the naïve believes everything, but the sensible man considers his steps” Proverbs 14:15.

4) Whatever is told to you go back to scripture and see for yourself, “the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.”  Acts 17:10-11.

5) And the final thing to remember, be in the Bible daily! Just as the people in Berea who examined the scripture daily.

The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity, He has as much right to be worshiped and respected as the Father and Son. However, do not reject His biggest purpose for coming to earth for the Christian, to help guide and teach you the scriptures. So read the Bible not just spiritually or literally, but seriously. There are parts which are poetic, historical, literal, and so much more. Examine the words carefully remembering, “if the plain sense makes sense, seek no other sense less you find nonsense.” If you lean on God the Holy Spirit, watch how He will be able to do a good work in you as you study the Word of God. The Word of God will truly become alive for you as it was for those who have gone before us today.

Hold until relieved, Our blessed Hope is coming

JL

[1] Concise Bible Doctrines Elmer L. Towns

Mary and Martha

Perhaps you have heard the story of the sisters Mary and Martha before. If not, it can be found in Luke 10:38-41, “38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

            This may seem like an interesting start in learning what it means to be a Christian woman, especially if you look at the woman described in Proverbs 31, but in today’s world there are a lot more Martha’s than Mary’s.  Granted, right now with a large amount of the population confined to their homes we are forced to slow down some, but this isn’t always the case.  I’m sure we have all been in the situation of trying to get a meal ready, clean the house, and going through a mental checklist of all the things that need to be done. Often times, we wake up with that list going through our heads and before we know it, its evening and we haven’t spent any time with the Lord. Being busy isn’t a bad thing, in fact the Bible is clear that we are not to be idle.  Just look at Proverbs 6:9-11 for a result of what happens if we are idle, or 1 Timothy 5:13 which shows that when we are idle we become busybodies and gossips talking about things that do not need to be mentioned.  We are not called to by idle in the Word of God, or in our relationship with Him, but to be active.  The issue of being busy comes when we are busy for the sake of being busy.

            Take Martha for example, she literally has the Lord in her house! And instead of learning from Him, she is focused on other things.  I know this is an issue that I have struggled with in the past, wanting to spend time in the Word, but my mind is elsewhere.  I’ll be reading through my Bible but my mind is more focused on what needs to be done today, what my daughter is doing, what we should have for dinner, well you get the picture. And I know in that moment that I am not truly with the Lord. I am treating this time as just another check mark to be done on my daily list.  And just like Martha, when I am so busy with other things I become anxious.  My mind wanders from the Scriptures and I begin to worry about making sure all doctor appointments are scheduled, if we have the groceries that we need, did we pay the bills, or did I miss something? In that moment, I am exactly like Martha, I have God’s word in front of me but I am not listening to what He is teaching me.

 Christ, however, being the Good Counselor that He is, reminds Martha “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed-or indeed only one”.  This reminds me of Proverbs 12:25 “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” Christ comes alongside the anxious Martha, and tells her that only one thing is needed. Now this could be a reminder to her that a small meal is better than an elaborate one, but I believe that it is more important to consider that Christ meant that the only thing that is needed is Him.  The logic for this argument can be seen if you look at Mary.

Mary knows that Christ and His disciples need to eat, she knows there is a lot to be done, but she is focused on what is important.  Learning from the feet of our Lord. She is living out Psalm 46:10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Mary knows that the living God is before her and is sitting still listening to Him.  This aspect needs to be applied to our own time with God, push the thoughts of what needs to be done during the day away and focus solely on your time in the Word. By being still and listening to what the Holy Spirit has to say, will ensure that we can gain wisdom and discernment.

            Look at the nature of the two sisters, one is anxious and fretful while the other is calm and still.  By leaning on the Lord we can be like in Psalm 34:4 “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”  Or again in Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Again look at the anxious Martha, she definitely was not seeing how God can provide rest for us.  Mary on the other hand was relying on Him to teach her and was able to see how God’s yoke is easy and the burden light.

Christ wants us to spend time with Him, it’s how we get to know Him.  And just like in our earthly relationships, if we do not give our undivided time, we do not get to know God as deeply as we might have.  I encourage you all to remind yourselves of Mary when next you do your Bible study.  And know that Christ will come along side you to remind you that He is all that is needed.

Seek the Truth and encourage one another,               

  Alex

Christians Be Warned!

I was once asked if being from the United States meant I was automatically a Christian, I thought for a moment about how to best answer the question. The person who stood before me had never been to the United States, and to him “Americans” meant being a Christian. No matter where you come from or the life that you have chosen, there comes a point in our life which we will have to come to grips with the realization of who Christ is personally to us. For many He is a good man, to others He is a wise teacher, but He is so much more!

In the United States, I have seen the rise of the “kristian” a mockery, a forgery, the world’s replication of a Christian. A “kristian”, as I like to call them, is a person who appears to have the attributes of a born-again believer but is not one of us. The Spirit of God does not dwell in them, they have not been found Righteous in Jesus Christ. However, the “kristian” does dwell right now with us, they live among us; they worship in the same churches and in some cases, they are even the leadership inside the church. The “kristian” is presently with us and there is no denying it. Some might say that this is an inaccurate idea and not representing the reality of what is really happening. My answer to them would simply be, let’s go back to scripture and see what it says.

 15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” Matthew 7:15-23

God is aware that this would happen; He even gave a parable regarding how He would deal with the issue plaguing the Church having imposters. Matthew chapter 13. Here we see Jesus Christ talking to His disciples and explaining the issue of the impersonator and the true follower of God.

“Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.25 But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.” Matthew 13:24-27.

Here we see the wheat and the tares are indistinguishable at the beginning. Christians and “kristians” are living next to one another, serving in church with one another, and even disciplining one another. This is a dilemma, for a Christian to fully grow he or she must be firmly planted in Jesus Christ.  If they are getting spiritual guidance from “kristians”, someone who is not a part of the heavenly family of God, then it is all for naught.

At this point some might be questioning the logic, they might be saying “well isn’t that harsh, that person is only trying to be the godly person they need to be.” Well I would say that you are correct. A “kristian”, is trying to be a godly person. In fact, I would say that they are being a very godly person. Yet, it isn’t good enough. Scripture says, “for all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. Jesus even goes on to say, “If you were of the world, the world would love its own” John 15:18.

So, we now know that being a “kristian” is to be loved by the world. It is simple yet powerful, short but monumental. In plain speech it can be said like this, to have a Christian and a “kristian” in a room together is to have one really saved and one damned to hell. My last example I will give to help explain the evidence of this is Judas Iscariot. He lived with the eleven as well as Jesus, he went out with them, he was part of their daily lessons at Jesus Christ’s feet. He was with them until the point he went to betray Jesus. This is how a “kristian” is and will be. They follow Jesus, they listen to Him, they do the things to mimic, but they are not really one of His. Yet, what is a Christian to do about this? For the Church is infiltrated! Heresy is rampant, hypocrisy preached at the pulpit, and worship music dedicated to the embracing of demons is exalted. The 21st century believer really does find himself/herself in a real pickle.

Nevertheless, do not be dismayed for Jesus Christ who was and is and is to come, has planned for such an issue and is capable of delivering the wheats from the tares. For this however, we must go back to Matthew chapter 13.

“And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves *said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’29 But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Matthew 13:28-30.

The worst thing to ever happen to the Church was for it to become legal in the Roman Empire in 313 AD with the Edict Milan. A short 10 years later and it would be the official religion of the empire. The “kristian” would join the community and thus “mudding” the lines between the two.

Here in the United States, the “kristian” has influenced daily life with the Christian so much that the Christian has been negatively influenced by the “kristian”. Thankfully, due to Christ’s unwavering promises, we are not thrown away. Yet, the simplicity of a Christian to come away from the “kristian” is found only when something happens. When the world is allowed to persecute what it hates. In the United States, we have been protected for years however all that is changing. The world has set its eyes and agenda against the last few areas to which Christians are located freely. Do not fret, for this is a good thing! We are told in scripture,

“Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” Acts 5:41

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance” Romans 5:3

“For the sake of Christ, then I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10

You see, as the hardship comes, the “kristian” will flee. In fact, they will follow their real master, the world. They will be plucked away, and the Christian will be left, victorious in Jesus Christ. This does not mean that our days should be spent looking for someone to attack, berate, or hurt us but rather for us to stand firm in Christ. As a political scientist I have had the luxury of seeing the trends regarding the conservative movement in American politics and what was first a strong union between “kristian” and Christian within a voting bloc has been dwindled to the point where “kristians” are swayed and even arguing for rights that are against Christian core beliefs. The damage, however, is not only in our country but rather the world. Christians have been so plagued by the “kristian”, that we do not even know what we stand for. Bible prophecy is not taught but shunned in churches. I recently heard a pastor declare that there will be no more temples in Jerusalem. Even though Daniel, Zechariah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and so many more books in the Bible all talk about another temple or the events around it. Even Jesus Christ’s own words prophecy of a coming temple in Matthew 24 were rejected and spiritualized by the pastor.

Now we come to the “so what” factor, why bring this up, why tell us about this issue? I must admit my first blog post on Mill House Ministries was not planned to be this. Yet, the thoughts of what was stated in Ezekiel

“When I say to a wicked person, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood” Ezekiel 3:18.

Yet I want you the reader to know that we will not hold back from telling the truth. We love you too much, we love Jesus Christ too much to not tell you the truth of what He would have us say. Reflecting back to the beginning when asked if I was a Christian because I was an American, I simply stated no to the individual “I was a Christian before I was an American” he looked at me with a quizzical look and asked “before?” I smiled at him and replied, “I am willing to share with you if you want to know.” We eagerly sat down together and began to talk about Jesus Christ. 

Our culture, our identity, cannot be with this world but only in Christ. So even though the “kristians” have their “coalitions,” their “faith claim it movements” and “ear tickling ministries,”  we want you to know that the true body of Christ, the real Church is unharmed by such worldly trickery if we stand firm in Jesus Christ and His word. So, let it be said of us that when our brothers and sisters looked left or to the right, we stood our ground and encouraged them to keep their eyes on Christ. Let us not be moved or shaken by the world, for while it mocks, screams, and taunts us who are born again have someone in us who is greater than this world, we have someone who states the simple phrase, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming!

JL

Edition 1.

From Blessed Hope Podcast to Mill House Ministries

First, I want to thank you the reader for taking the time and seeing what this is all about. If this is your first-time hearing about any of this than enjoy seeing how God worked in our lives to transform from a simple podcast to a full ministry. If you were an avid listener of the podcast, I understand that this might be considered a crazy turn of events! Not only has the podcast not been running but it has transformed into something that it was not. Rest assured our hearts are still aimed at the Titus 2 approach and serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The only thing that has changed is the method.

Podcasting has always been a passion of mine, and the Blessed Hope Podcast was able to reach the hearts and minds of thousands around the globe. Nevertheless, there were many serious drawbacks from having only a podcast. We realized that a new approach was needed to ensure that we were meeting the needs of our listeners and getting the Word of God out there while still upholding to a professional quality level.

After many weeks of praying and seeking the Lord, we came to the conclusion that a ministry was needed. Here we can do a blog for those who need it, have the capacity to have ministry resources, and to allow believers who also share in our aim of serving the Lord Jesus Christ to aid in our mission. Thus, Mill House Ministries was born. Yes, one day we might bring back the podcast, but if we do it will be a part of the Mill House Ministries umbrella. Nevertheless, if you want to hear the episodes of Blessed Hope Podcast, don’t worry you can always go back and listen (link provided https://anchor.fm/the-blessed-hope-podcast ).

I would point out one quick thing before signing off, the Blessed Hope Podcast was never meant to be a one stop shop for people in their growth in Christ and neither is this ministry, but I would ask that you give it a chance to aid you in your personal relationship with Christ. Subscribe and follow along. AND AS I ALWAYS SAID IN THE BLESSED HOPE PODCAST!

1) TAKE EVERYTHING BACK TO THE WORD OF GOD!

2) SPEND TIME WITH HIM EACH AND EVERYDAY!

3) KEEP FOCUSED ON THE RETURN OF OUR BLESSED HOPE!

Remember that our actions here in this life will have a lasting impact on the Kingdom to come. Let us not wait, let us not sit idly by, let us finish the race so that we all might hear “well done my good and faithful servant.”

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming!

JL

An Introduction

Hello there! I am Alex, and if any of our followers from the Blessed Hope Podcast are here you would know me as the one who reads the daily Bible verses.  If you are not one of our followers from there that’s ok! We are excited to have you here.  So since this is my first blog, I wanted to give everyone a chance to get to know me.  I became a Christian in January of 2012, before that I was someone who would “play Christian”, but I had no idea what it actually meant to be a Christian and that is a Follower of Christ. This was nothing against my upbringing, in fact I had a great childhood.  I went to church camps where I had heard of Christ and heard that He had died for me, but I did not yet understand the significance of that action. I did not understand that I was a sinner, and that it was my sins that put Christ on that cross.  I believed that as long as I was a good enough person that I would make it to Heaven on my own merit. It wasn’t until I met JL in collage that I began to notice that there was something different about the Christ that JL was following, and the “Christian” actions I was doing.  After months of discussion and learning that it is through faith alone, in Christ alone, would I be saved and reconciled to God, I put my faith in Christ.

Now that you know a little bit more about me, I want to go into what the purpose of this part of Mill House Ministries is about. While this blog is directed towards women, I am in no way a Pastor.  I am simply a woman who loves Christ and wants to share what I have learned about my Savior with others, with the Bible being the ultimate authority.  I place the theme of this blog to be Titus 2:3-5 “3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” And the second part of this blog can be found in Ephesians 5:1-2 “1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, 2 and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

If your immediate reaction is to recoil at some “hot-buttons”, give me some time and I am sure I will address it, especially since when I was a baby believer I probably would have had the same reaction.  What I aim to do, is to share with you and help encourage Woman of Christ. I have seen far too many woman acting “religion,” having a works-based faith, or simply having a lack of understanding what the Scriptures say about our Lord and Savior. I want to be someone who “teaches what is good”, so that I can urge others to love those around them like God loves us. I want to help encourage others to be like the women found throughout the Bible, and not just the Proverbs 31 woman, but women like Ruth, Naomi, and Abigail. If you are new to the faith or have questions about what it means to be a Christian and don’t know these stories, don’t worry I have blogs planned to go into them, but I do encourage you to look them up yourself.  I want to encourage woman to be imitators of God, but mostly I do not want to malign the word of God.

From my background, I know that there are a lot of misunderstandings about what it means to be a Christian woman. In fact, I was once in a room where the leaders wanted the woman to stand up to apologize to the men for bringing sin into the world through Eve. Let me just say that this is very much wrong! And it is from that, and other experiences, that I can say I know Titus 2:3-5, has some “hot-buttons”. My goal with this blog is to help women truly see what God has for us, and I can tell you that it is an exciting journey to get to know our God!

As I said in the beginning, the Bible is the ultimate authority, and every post that I do will have the Scriptures there for you to read.  I implore you to read the verses on your own much like those found in Acts 17:11 “ Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Take back everything that I say to the Word to make sure that what I am saying is true, and if you see things a little differently, reach out to me! I want to hear from you! 

Sincerely,

Alex