Introduction to James Chapter 3

We have slowly been making our way through the book of James; a very concise writer who does not shy away from difficult subjects. His writings are very much to the point and often require the reader to do some self-reflection. While some may find his writings hard to manage, it is actually one of my favorite books of the Bible. James truly gets to the heart of issues that are still prevalent in both the Church and the Christian individual.

In his first chapter, James discussed such topics as endurance in faith, the difference between a trial and a temptation, the dangers of doubting, and our reaction to the Word of God. We learned that we cannot simply be hearers of the Word of God, but doers (James 1:22). We also learned that God does not tempt us (James 1:13-14). We learned what it means to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger when it comes to God’s Word (James 1:19).

The second chapter of James was as much of a reflection of the individual’s walk with Christ as the first chapter. In James chapter two, we learned that the outward appearance of an individual is not a mark of their faith, and to show partiality towards someone based on their appearance is wrong (James 2:9). We also learned that while we are not saved by works, our works will show the world who we belong to (James 2:17-18).

While chapter one caused the reader to reflect on their faith, and chapter two was a reflection of the church body, we come now to chapter three. In this chapter, James turns to a trait that is very difficult to control; the tongue. Chapter three embarks upon the task of encouraging the reader to reflect upon their speech as well as their behavior. This is by no means an easy thing to do. We will discuss how those who teach the word of God are held to a higher standard, how important it is to have control over your tongue, and where wisdom truly comes from.

I hope you are excited to join me as we learn from a man who lived with Christ and yet it was not until later did he come to acknowledge Jesus as his Lord and Savior. I would challenge you to prepare your hearts, spend time in prayer and read ahead as we start James chapter three. Remember that if you have questions, you can always reach out to the ministry on our contact page. This is going to be a marvelous time for us to examine what God has to say to us and I am excited to have you with me on this adventure.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A God Of The Living

Jesus said, in Mark 12:26-27 “But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB’? 27 “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.”

A God of the living! How easy to say, but do we truly know what it means? In fact the statement “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” implies present tense like they are alive and He is still their God! Yet, we know from history books these three men had been dead for over a 1,000 years. This is important for us to understand for several reasons which are backed up in other Bible verses. First, this statement implies that those who are saved in Jesus Christ and die are alive again, Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” Second, that He continues to be their God and there is nothing we can do to be ripped from His salvation, Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Third, it implies that God is greater than time and the laws that govern us and can place us in whatever time continuum that He so desires. Hebrews 1:8-14 “But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” 10 And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; 11 they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, 12 like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” 13 And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”

For Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they are very much alive right now with a very real and living God. It does not matter that their bodies have died, because they live and one day will have new bodies. For you and I, this means we have a practical application that is very much needed today! We have a living God who cares for us in this stage of eternity we are in, as well as the future. For those who are saved there is no difference right now in how He views us then in a million years well after the pre-written events of Revelation 22. We have a Heavenly Father who sees us as alive because of His actions and thus we can start today to take that seriously and be participants in a relationship with our Heavenly Father. I know there are some people out there that might need to hear this, I know I was one! Remember who we can trust, the God who is of the living.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

A reminder that even in grief, God is with us. Read it HERE!

More Than A Closing

March and April always seems to be the time of year that I see God work in big ways. Which is fitting since spring has begun. While there is new growth outside, I see new growth in my own walk with God and how He has used me in this past year. This holds true within this ministry as well. April marks the beginning of our journey with Mill House Ministries and if you had asked me back in 2020 if I believed that I would still be writing, well to be honest my answer would probably have been “No”. Ordinarily I am not the type of person to speak a lot and at the beginning of this ministry I honestly did not know if I had enough knowledge to even write for a month. However, God did then and will continue to teach me and allow me to share with you all what He has taught me. So as we approach the three year mark of this ministry I want to say thank you to all of our readers from around the world. Seeing this ministry grow has been something that has uplifted me more than once in the past three years and I am excited to see what God does as we continue!

There is something that I would like to do however, and that is to remind our readers what this ministry is about. Today I am not going to talk about the big picture of Mill House Ministries, but instead focus on the Wednesday posts. When Mill House Ministries was just a thought, I took a moment to see where I felt that God was calling me within this ministry. And so I decided that I wanted to write to fellow sisters in Christ, in no way am I a Pastor, I simply wanted to come alongside fellow sisters in Christ to encourage them to grow deeper in their faith. I have not always had the best mentors in the faith, and so the Wednesday posts were designed to show women how to take charge of their faith, to grow deeper in their knowledge of the Lord and the love He has for us. It is why my signature has been “seek the truth and encourage one another”. However, I am wondering if any of you remember which verses I pulled my signature from.

The first aspect “seek the truth” comes from Ephesians 5:1-2, “5 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” First and foremost, the focus of the Wednesday posts are on Christ. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Light (John 14:6). Without Jesus Christ in our lives, we are not saved and have not been reconciled to God. And so our posts focus on Him with the ultimate authority being the Word of God, the Bible. My goal has always been to seek the truth that is found in Scripture. Without Jesus Christ, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, this ministry would not be how it is today. There are many false teachers out there today, and I wanted to provide a place were those who are seeking or have already placed their faith in Jesus Christ can be assured that the words that are written are based off of the ultimate authority, the Bible. I do not place my writings above the word of God and nor should you. Take everything that you read here and other places, back to Scripture to ensure that it measures up with what God proclaims. Follow the footsteps of those mentioned in Acts 17:10-15.

Now the second half of my signature “and encourage one another” comes from 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 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.” As I mentioned, I have not always had the best mentors and so I wanted to be more. I wanted to provide a ministry that allows Christian women to understand and own their own faith, while also encouraging women to behave as the great women of faith. Hebrews 11 is the chapter of those who possessed great faith, but it does not mention only men. There are great women of faith such as Sarah and Rahab mentioned, and the Bible is also filled with stories such as Ruth, Abigail, Hannah, and Mary. We need more women of great faith today to encourage the younger generations to hold fast to their beliefs and this can only be done if there are women around who can help to teach them what Scripture says. Not just on topics about how to be a Godly woman, but hard topics such as being in a marriage with a nonbeliever; signs of the times; and how to deal with those who have sinned against you. Remember Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus to learn, this needs to be every woman who claims to be a Christian; we need to own up to our faith.

Now to be honest, there are times where even I have forgotten the verses that my signature came from. After three years of writing it simply became a habit to sign off with “seek the truth and encourage one another”. But now, with these verses fresh in my mind and understanding what I had hoped God would use this ministry for; I am excited to see where He takes this ministry for my fellow sisters in Christ. Jesus Christ is who I serve, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15b and I know through Him this ministry will accomplish great things. So while my signature is still the same, I hope that you are just as excited as I am to see what comes next.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Mill House Ministry Prayer Request

Every now and then, we here at Mill House Ministries take a moment and want to say thank you to our readers and ask for your prayers. While this blog and ministry has been going now for over two years, it was created out of a burning desire to encourage believers to keep their eyes on Jesus Christ and to call for those who are not saved to come to Jesus before it is too late.

While not a post about the ministry, today we want to ask for your prayers. We have two specific prayer requests. First, that the Lord will continue to teach us His word and give us that burning desire to share it. Second, that we can continue to reach those around the world with the Gospel of Christ. These two prayer requests are greatly appreciated and we ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers.

But I do not want to end there, if you have prayer requests and would like us to pray for you; we ask that you go to our contact page and send us an email. We love to hear from our readers and will keep you in our prayers. If you have questions, we are here to help you find the Biblical answer that God has given us in His word. Jesus is an amazing God, and we live in a technological age where believers in Jesus Christ can reach each other without ever being face to face.

I want to say thank you for being apart of the Mill House Ministry and spending your days with us as we go on this amazing adventure. Thank you for your prayers and know that our work here is not done until we hear God say “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

Thank you for keeping us apart of your life.

Mill House Ministries.

Re-Post Friday

A reminder that it doesn’t matter what time period we are in, God is active! Read it HERE!

Promises

We have all dealt with broken promises at one time or another. We have either made promises that we have not been able or willing to uphold or we have been on the receiving end of a broken promise. Maybe it is because human nature causes us to view promises as something that has the possibility of being broken that our human nature has such a difficult time in understanding that God’s word is finite and His promises will be kept. One section of Scripture has recently shown me how much God cares to keep His promises. 

“And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded. 11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 12 Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.”

1 Kings 11:9-13 

Let’s face it, when we are angry at someone the desire to break any promise made to them becomes stronger. Our sinful nature wants to get back at those who have hurt us and so we ignore any obligation to uphold what we have said we will do. However, right off the bat we see that this is not the case with God. God was angry with Solomon because Solomon, a King who possessed more wisdom second to only Jesus Christ, did not follow after God. Solomon took foreign wives and worshipped their gods/goddesses. However, God still upheld the promise that He made. This promise can be found in 2 Samuel 7:1-17; but for this purpose here I want to point out 2 Samuel 7:16.

“Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”

You see, the promise that God is upholding here is not one that was even made to Solomon, it was made to his father King David. God kept a promise to a man who had his faults, but who turned to God and sought to live for Him. It is here that we see a characteristic of God, He is willing and capable to uphold His promise to a man long dead. God promised David that his throne will endure forever, because of this promise God made sure that one tribe stayed under the power of David’s line. This promise led to the bigger picture, Joseph the husband of Mary is from the line of David (Matthew 1:1-17) and we all know that Jesus will reign forever. So the next time that you feel as if God can’t or won’t keep the promises that are made in the Bible, remember that even though Solomon failed and turned away; God kept His promise to David which resulted in the salvation of the world.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

God Wants To Give More

Asking God for His assistance does not annoy Him. Many people ask God for only a little help because they are under the belief that He will not answer the BIG prayer requests. No where in the Bible will you see God say, “Only ask the easy stuff” but rather we are told; “Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.” Ephesians 3:12; 1 John 5:14 “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” This does not mean we can ask for anything on our hearts and no matter what it is He will give it to us, as a perfect parent He gives perfectly not in error.

However, God’s character is better revealed with this scenario in Mark 10:13-16.

“13 And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16 And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.”

Here we see that people just wanted Jesus to touch their children; the fact that nothing is stated regarding demon possession, serious illness, and/or death reveals they just wanted Jesus to help the children with minor issues common in children. The scenario paints a perfect picture of man asking God for something less than what He wants to do. The word “touch” in the Greek is “haptomai” which means to simply touch. They asked for something small, something insignificant; and yet God wanted to do more. This is further expounded by those who think we should not waste God’s time, the disciples rebuked the parents for even bringing a request to the Son of God. “But the disciples rebuked them.”

Here we see a total failure for people to recognize the character of Jesus Christ. They ask for little and God wants to give them more. James helps us understand this principle. James 4:2-3 “2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

We need to recognize that God wants to help us even with the BIG THINGS.

“14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16 And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.”

While there is a massive principle for us to review on a different day regarding salvation and the Kingdom of God, today we are examining that Jesus wanted to bless the children. Instead of just touching them, He does more! He embraces them, this Greek word is “enagkalizomai” which means to take one into your arms and hold them tightly. Today, we might call this a “bear hug.” God gives them a bear hug and blesses them. This was more than what the parents were asking for and yet it reveals that God is wanting to do more in our life. Yesterday was Resurrection Sunday and we need to examine what it means to have God in our life. He did more than die and rise again on the cross. We just ask for a touch and He wants to give us a bear hug and bless us. Maybe we need to stop and realize how much He really does love us and how His actions declare this.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

A post from our guest writer! Read it HERE!

Authority

When we think of Easter, we undoubtedly consider the ramifications of the cross. While it is important to understand the events leading up to Jesus being crucified and His resurrection three days later, there is actually a verse that is related to these events that seems to be overlooked. You see, there is much focus on the events directly before Jesus is betrayed and then crucified. Many this weekend will be discussing Jesus’s actions while in the garden and during the trial. These are all important topics to understand and absolutely need to be discussed, however, we often forget one very important aspect and that is this: who has the authority to send Jesus to His death? The answer can be found in Jesus’s own words.

“No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

John 10:18

The cross is often a stumbling block for many. Why would God the Father demand Jesus to be crucified? Why would Jesus go through with it? Was He nothing more than a puppet following the strings of the master? Well, by looking at John 10:18 we see that is in no way the case. We see that Jesus willingly and by His own authority laid down His life so that we may become sons and daughters of God. The final days of the Son of God in His earthly body may seem tumultuous, but here we see that Jesus knew what would be asked of Him and He had the authority to fulfill the task.

  But this authority did not end when Jesus gave up His life so that we may be redeemed. His authority continued so that He could take it up again. This is very good news for those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ because without the authority to take up His life again, Jesus’s work would be half unfinished and we would still looking for a way to be redeemed to God. But since Christ has the authority to take up His life again, we are redeemed through His death and resurrection.

  I hope now you understand that while the events of the cruxifixction and resurrection seem haphazard, it wasn’t for God. In fact, the verse that we have been discussing occurred well before the betrayal. Jesus always had the authority to give up His life, just as He always had the authority to pick it back up. So now I ask you, does the Man who willingly gave His life for you have authority in your life? If so, how wonderful for we know that God is faithful and His promises are true! If not, I pray that today is the day that you take that step in faith.

 Seek the truth and encourage one another,

 Alex

Tradition, Liberty, and Corporate Reflection

Have you ever been rescued before? Like from something that was really dangerous or even life threatening? If you have, you will never forget the person or people that helped rescue you from that situation. It will follow you for years to come. Today, I wanted to write to you about a rescue operation that took place a few years ago. Ironically, this specific rescue operation involved more than a global operation; but rather something that expanded the universe and time itself.

1 Corinthians 1:30 “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” We needed saving and even before we knew we did, God had a plan, Romans 3:21-24 “21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” Before we even knew we needed Him, He was thinking of you and I. Now what does this mean for you and I today? Of course this means we need Jesus Christ in order to be saved, of course we cannot earn salvation on our own, of course we are in desperate need of Jesus to finish His work in us. But also more! Now, in Christ after salvation; we get to look at Resurrection Sunday in a new light. We get to celebrate our rescue, our moment of a hero stepping down to help you and I live. This is why the we have three celebrations we get to do in order to recognize and celebrate this successful rescue as born again believers.

All three are instituted by the Lord and should be practiced by Christians.

First the Lord’s Supper.

Matthew 26:26-29 “26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. 29 “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

Luke 22:19-20 “19 And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”

God’s Son Jesus Christ gave us a symbol of celebration with others who have been rescued to remember what He has done for us.

Our second celebration instituted by the Lord is baptism.

1 Peter 3:21-22 “21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.”

Baptism does not save you, but it is an outward expression and recognition of what He has done with us. This is why we do this, this is why we need to be of an age to recognize what is being done, for you must be already saved for this action to happen.

The final celebration instituted by the Lord is worship on Sunday with our brothers and sisters. Now some might say that this is not ordered by the Lord, but I would disagree. In fact, I believe that Christ’s first orders after His resurrection are for us to corporately come together. Let’s look and see!

Matthew 28:1-10 “1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. 2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.” 8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

Here we see the angel say, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen.” Mary Magdalene is being told to be comforted for the obvious reason that Christ has risen and that the orders given to her were about to have her with other rescued people. “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him.” In short, she is being told “Be comforted, you are going to be with other rescued people and you will get to see the very person who rescued you.”

When you examine the resurrection accounts, you find that there is a theme. Rescued people are told to come together to see Jesus and it is happening on a Sunday. They are being told scripture and being taught. They are worshiping together and they are comforting one another. This practice is solidifying our Lord and Savior’s desire for us to meet. Now some might say that we can meet on any day, which I would agree. But when we come together on Sunday we recognize Jesus Christ’s rescue of us from our sin.

All three celebrations are foundations for the symbolism of what He has done for us. This is why we are told to come together as the body of Christ. This is why Sunday corporate worship is designed for those who are saved. It was designed for the rescued to remember their rescuer’s actions. Finally, it should remind us of the great symbolism we have each year with Resurrection Sunday. Let this not be the only Sunday we come together and praise Jesus Christ for saving us, but rather a moment to share the gospel with others so that they too might be saved. Let us take Resurrection Sunday and the reflection of His actions, as well as corporately each and every Sunday.

Praise the Lord that He gives us the liberty to worship everyday, praise Him even more for helping us set a tradition to corporately come together and praise the day He rescued you and I from ourselves in our sin.

What an awesome God we have in Jesus Christ. Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

How do we maintain a spirit of thankfulness? Find out HERE!

A New Look On Life

When winters grasp is finally broken by the newness of Spring, it is not uncommon for people to view their surroundings with vibrancy. Newness, for wildlife and vegetation is at its peak bringing about a refreshed joy. However, spring time for a Christian is not the most transformative of new life there is, for the Christian their life is a living spectacle of newness of life.

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 Far from it! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.”

Romans 6:1-4

  A quick note for those who have been followers of Jesus Christ for any amount of time, while this is a very common topic please stick with me. As Christians we should always be growing, but part of that growth is reflecting upon what we already know. While Romans 6:1-4 is a very common topic to discuss, I feel that when we go back to well worn topics we have the chance to ensure that we understand what is being discussed and can also take a moment to reflect if we are living out what the scriptures states.

  Romans 6:1-4 is a great verse to reflect upon at any time of year. However, I feel that we can get a better understanding of what it means to have a newness in life during this time of year. When a person understands that they are a sinner and places their faith in Jesus Christ, they become a new creation. This renewal process was discussed in our post last week. However, does our faith in Jesus Christ give us the leniency to continue on in our old way of life? As Paul states, “Far from it!” As new creations we are to live a new way of life and as we seek after Jesus, we begin to see how vibrant this new life is! We begin to see that walking with the Lord is an adventure and the things of the past are just that, the past.

  So today I ask you to examine your walk with God. Is it one out of obligation where you feel as if God is getting in the way of other things? Is it one where you feel as if you are going through the motions? If so, then you need to examine what is in place that is preventing you from stepping into the newness of life and seeing how vibrant and exciting the adventure that God has for you.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

 Alex

Mill House Ministries is 3!

Dear readers,

This next month makes Mill House Ministries three years old! What started as a deep urgency to help encourage believers not to lose hope during the pandemic, has turned into a global audience of believers hearing about the fantastic news of God! While in these past three years, Mill House Ministries has changed and morphed; we can confidently say that we are forever grateful for Jesus Christ. Each week’s posts have been eager to help direct people back to Jesus and help those who have not known Him to come and see who this savior is.

As we continue into the following year, I want to personally say thank you to all the people who have been following us. We have reached ears in almost every nation, with thousands of people coming in weekly to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. We want to bring all the honor and glory once again back to Him, for it is all due to Him that we are here today.

Again, we ask that you keep your hearts, eyes, and mind focused on the Lord. Thank you for the three years. As always, we encourage you to take everything we say back to the Word of God and fact check it for yourself. Contact us if you have questions or concerns; and as always, please keep us in your prayers.

Thank you for being a part of this fantastic adventure with us. Now, let us open our Bibles and get back to work. See you in the next blog post!

Seek the truth and encourage one another Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming

Alex JL

Re-Post Friday

Where do you keep your focus when times are tough? Read it HERE!

Renewal

If you had asked me when I was younger what my favorite season was, the answer would have easily been summer. I loved the warm weather and the longer days. Oddly enough, this doesn’t quite hold true today. Maybe it is because where I grew up the transition of seasons was well, lacking. The only stark change came from fall to winter where the outside world went from brown to white. After having moved, I came to a place where I was able to see the slow burst of color from winter melting away. I now live in an area where there is a sweet scent in the air, and I have found that I love the renewal that is seen in the spring time.

  Maybe it is because I have now seen the beauty that is found in spring, that I have noticed more of the renewal aspect that is mentioned in Colossians 3.

 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”

Colossians 3:1-11

You see, renewal means to replace something that was worn-out; broken; it is an act of restoration. Just as the plant life restores their color in the spring; we become restored when we accept Jesus Christ. We have been raised up with Christ as Colossians 3:1 states. Therefore, we do not need to look back on the dull and dreary aspects of what we were before our restoration. That part has died and we are alive in Christ.

  By accepting Christ, we are freed from our sins and are a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17. Colossians 3 emphasizes this by stating that we are freed from our old practices and place on a new self that is being renewed by the knowledge of God. What better time to consider this process then in springtime as the earth becomes a flood of color? We are created in the image of God, and once we accept Him we are no longer as we once were.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A Proverbs 31 Man? II

We finally get a chance to come back to our second part regarding the Proverbs 31 Man. A few weeks ago we did verses 1-7, we realized that men are in need of studying proverbs 31 more than they think. Today, I want to continue with our study and review verses 8-9.

Proverbs 31:8-9 “8 Open your mouth for the mute, For the rights of all the unfortunate. 9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.”

A righteous man does not stop in verses 1-7, but also is focused on helping those in the community. “Open your mouth for the mute, open your mouth and judge righteously.” He must be willing to help those who cannot help themselves. This verse is very diverse in application from those who literally cannot speak for themselves to those who might not be listened to by others or who needs to be represented. This can be children, the mentally disabled, and/or those in a position who have been put under your authority. We are called to know what they need and to be their voice. In this world, there are many voices and so called advocates. However, they are advocating for the world’s ideas and not what Christ designed. As Proverbs 31 men, we need to be advocating and helping; we need to be picking up the call to be more than just men in our homes but men in the community.

“And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.” Very similar to our other verse but different. The NASB translation reads “and plead the cause of the poor and needy.” This does not just mean financial but more; for those who are in need of help or are in need of a chance to work. As Proverbs 31 men, our job is to help provide the opportunity for others to work. We cannot do this unless we are financially stable, understand economics, and are voicing this understanding with policy makers. This means we are in the community helping build policy and the environment needed for those to help themselves. Being financially tight does not mean you are in sin. Many today believe that if you do not have a lot of money you are in some type of sin. However there is no Bible verse directing this belief, but rather man made ideas. There are many policies and practices that make financial smarts found in the Bible and it is our job as Proverbs 31 men to cultivate these principles of God into the community.

As you can see we have not even gotten to the part about women in Proverbs 31 and we have already seen the definition of the Proverbs 31 man coming about. Some readers might see this and be troubled thinking that this chapter was supposed to be a way for them to locate and find a woman to marry. This chapter is still designed to help define what a Godly woman is, but still carries this idea for the opposite sex to locate a help-mate in this world. If you are a single guy out there and you are sexually pure, not addicted to alcohol or other drugs, working in the community, helping those who are in need, financially stable, and keeping your eyes on the Lord, these are qualities that will attract the right sort of wife. As was once described to me, when you are focused on what God calls men to be, as we are beginning to see in Proverbs 31, and run the race for Him; you will see that God will place a woman of the Proverbs 31 caliber in your life.

Come next week as we will see how the Proverbs 31 man needs to help provide the environment that will help their help-mate become the Proverbs 31 woman.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

The importance of a good shepherd. Read it HERE!

No Turning Back

Last week we discussed one aspect that connects us to past believers. We saw that believers in the Old Testament had faith that the Messiah would one day come. New Testament and believers today know that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, has come. What connects us is that we have faith that God would complete His promises to us. We also saw that we are connected through the promise that God will make us no longer strangers in this land. One of the future promises that He has for us is that He has a place for us. Today, I want to continue to look at Hebrews 11 with something of a warning.

“And indeed if they had been thinking of that country which they left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

Hebrews 11:15-16 

When we keep our focus on God’s promises, it is easy to remain hopeful about the promises that He has given us. But what happens when we lose this focus? What happens when we start to look around us with what the world offers?

Hebrews 11:15 offers this warning, when we look back at what we came from it becomes easier to return to it. We are all sinners, this is a fact that we all must face. However, a believer who is actively seeking after the Lord will avoid the things that causes them to sin. They keep their focus on God and His promise of a better land. This is why we are told to keep our eyes straight ahead and not look to the left or the right. “25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. 27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.” Proverbs 4:25-27. Hebrews 11:15 shows what happens when we avert our eyes from what God wants for us. The believer who takes their eyes off of Christ finds themselves with the opportunity to return to their sinful ways before they accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Proverbs 26:11 offers this wisdom, “11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.” One quick note, salvation is secure for the truly saved but this does not mean we are fully sanctified this side of the grave or rapture.

Hebrews 11:15-16 is in the middle of the list of those who were great in the faith. In the case of many, they had left a country for the promise of a better land. Look at it this way. After the Israelites left Egypt, they were on their way to the promised land. However, not long after seeing the miracles that God did in Egypt, as well as those on the way to the promise land, they chose to complain. “And all the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the entire congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or even if we had died in this wilderness! 3 So why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder! Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, “Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt!” Numbers 14:2-4. Even knowing that they were heading to a much better place, the Israelites wanted to return to a place where they were enslaved. They took their focus off of God and His promise for them. We are all a slave to sin. When we take our eyes off of God, we become like the Israelites or like the dog returning to its vomit. We return to our filthy habits and enslaved to what does us no good.

However, Hebrews 11:16 offers us hope. Since we are strangers in this land, as we discussed last week, we have a better country to look forward too. God prepared a better place for the Israelites; and He is preparing a better place for us as well. I want to encourage you all to keep your focus on Him. Do not let what this world offers distract you, for even the best that the world offers is nothing more than vomit. Only God can provide true and everlasting freedom from sin, our faith in His promises will give us the encouragement to keep our focus on Him.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

What Does a Believer Bring to the Table?

The Bible is full of unique and beautiful actions designed for after salvation. For instance, Proverbs chapter 13 reveals three actions that, if practiced by a believer, God describes what will be the fruit of their actions.

Proverbs 13:15-17 "Good understanding produces favor, But the way of the treacherous is hard. 16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool displays folly. 17 A wicked messenger falls into adversity, But a faithful envoy brings healing."

These three actions are seen in these three verses.

"Good understanding produces favor" Many might jump to the idea this is talking about understanding the world or something outside of the Bible, and to a certain degree, it very much can. However, this points to Proverbs 9:10, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." What does this mean? Proper understanding, be it in the Bible or the world, only comes after we know who the Holy One is. This Holy One is Jesus Christ. The Bible is useless to the unsaved, and knowledge found in creation is genuinely not applicable or appreciatable until we know the Creator. So with understanding, we are not only in favor with the Lord because we are saved, but also gain favor from those who seek our help. We can help them reach the knowledge that we understand, causing favor.

Our second one to look at today is, "every prudent man acts with knowledge." The word prudent comes from the Hebrew word H6191 which means "cunning" or "crafty." At times, English can bring about a negative feeling to the word; however, that wouldn't be accurate to the context in this passage. Here the word prudent should be seen more as "a person being knowledgable of the situation and the facts and acts with sound judgment and tactfulness at the opportune moment." This verse means that others can trust them. The Bible is full of people who have worked in the secular world, aided leadership, and led organizations through challenging times. Look at Jospeph in Genesis and Daniel in the book of Daniel for two wonderful descriptions.

The final action is verse 17, "but a faithful ambassador brings health." This verse has a dual meaning. First, all believers are called to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with anyone. Thus, as ambassadors of Jesus, we bring health to those who need it. 2 Corinthians 5:20-20 "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." The second meaning is an accumulation of the other two actions being fulfilled. If we understand and act with prudence, then we will bring healing to those who require our aid. Believers should aid recipients. This does not mean the recipient will accept, agree, or like the aid; but people sometimes do not like hearing the truth, even for their own benefit. God recognizes this unfortunate action that a recipient might take, and that is why we are never promised to always have rewards on earth, but our Heavenly reward is sure.

I hope this helps you understand that the Bible has application throughout the entire book and that God wants to guide you in the present life and be a part of your life even after salvation. This sanctification process is time-consuming and wrought with work, but rewarding and filled with joy.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL