Lineage of Believers Part II

Two weeks ago we discussed the impact that Paul had, and what we can have today, when the gospel is shared. We saw that Paul was often rejected by those who he was witnessing to, but there were always those who came to know Christ simply by overhearing what Paul was saying. We recognized that when the gospel goes out, it does not return empty. “So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11. Today, I want to continue this line of discussion and recognize the importance it is to disciple other believers.

God’s word will never return empty, that is a stated fact. We leave new believers defenseless when we do not teach them after salvation the facts and doctrines that are the bed rock of Christianity. They will become open to false teachings simply because they do not know any better. If you have been a reader of Mill House Ministries for the last few years, I am sure that you are no longer a new believer, but I ask that you think back to those first few days, weeks, months, and years after you placed your faith in Jesus Christ. Did you have some ideas that did not fall in line with what the Bible teaches? And did someone come along beside you to help you understand more about your faith? That act is discipleship. And it is something that we are called to do.

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

“2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful people who will be able to teach others also”

2 Timothy 2:2

“We will not conceal them from their children,
But we will tell the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His power and His wondrous works that He has done.”

Psalm 78

These are just three verses that describe teaching the word to the next generation of believers, the act of discipleship. So we see that it is something that every believer is called to do, but why is it important? Well let us consider again the sequence of events in Acts 18:5-11; 24-28. Paul arrived in Corinth and staying with two believers, Aquila and his wife Priscilla. The Jews denied Paul’s attempts to share the gospel but he stayed in Corinth for a year and a half. During this time, Paul must have been teaching and encouraging Aquila and Priscilla. He was discipline them by training them to understand more of their faith. After Paul left Corinth, Aquila and Priscilla then came across a man named Apollos who was sharing the gospel but needed some correction. Through Paul’s discipleship of them, Aquila and Priscilla were able to come alongside Apollos and disciple him. Through their discipleship, Apollos was then able to refute the Jews in public and continue to spread the gospel.

Last week I ended with a call to not give up hope when you are sharing the gospel. This week I come to you with a challenge. I am sure we can all think back to someone in our life who has been instrumental in helping us grow in our faith, now is the time for us to pay it forward. We must continue to guide the new generation of believers so that they will be able to stand strong in their faith. This can only happen if those who have more knowledge of the scriptures come alongside them to teach them. I ask that you take a moment and pray, ask God to reveal if there is someone that you can help as a disciple and train them up. Pray that God continues to provide you with someone who can train you as well. Do not sit idly by with your knowledge of scripture, share it with those who need to learn.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Eschatology 101 Part 3

We are in our third part of our series in Eschatology. We now know two things, that we need to study eschatology with an open mind that is laser focused on Christ (part one in this series), we also need to recognize Isaiah’s Law of God Eternality (part two in this series).

Now we come to the spark that set the saga we are experiencing into motion. Ironically, people might think this event is Adam and Eve sinning. However, that is not the case. This saga actually begins AFTER the fall of man. Let’s read Genesis 3:15 “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.” This event we shall call, “Eden Initiator.” Like in physics, the initial action causing the chain of action and reaction is identified as an “initiator”. Adam and Eve had sinned. This happened in Eden, this does not cause the events, but what is said after by God to Satan does cause them.

This is important for us to know because this is the very moment that God has put Satan on notice. Before this Satan had already fallen, and yet there was no declaration of judgement announced for him. But now God is identifying that there was someone coming through the line of Adam and Eve who will bring about the fall of Satan. We are already getting a hint of the virgin birth, “her seed”. The teams are set, it is Satan against Mankind and God. This entire saga can be rooted back to the Eden Initiator and the chain reaction of forces locked in a cosmic struggle.

A key element to understanding end times prophecy is understanding Satan’s attempts to disrupt what has been declared. The devil’s ultimate goal is to undo the Eden Initiator, thus all his calculated actions are in observance of this event. This is why Satan attempts to poison the DNA sequence of mankind in Genesis 6:1-8 was devious and almost successful. “Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. 5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.”

When it says in verse 8, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” He is talking about the spiritual and physical. Noah is a believer! But he is also physically 100% human. The flood is a response to Satan’s attempt to killing off mankind so there could be no future Champion of God. As God focuses more and more of His attention on the specific bloodline for whom the Champion will come from, it is Satan’s prerogative to focus his attention as well. This is why you do not hear of Satan wiping out whole groups of people like he has attempted over the years to with the Jews, and specifically the line of Judah. As the Old Testament continues, we see more declarations of what this Champion would do. As the Hebrew culture would grow, this Champion would be identified with a new name, Messiah or in Greek we would say, the Christ. History tells us that Satan failed at stoping the Messiah’s first coming, however he can attempt to stop the second. The first coming was for the salvation of mankind, fortunately for Satan his demise was not at this coming. The devil’s demise would be scheduled for after the 1,000 years of Christ’s reign on planet earth. This event is called Post-Millennium-Culmination or PMC for short. The Eden Initiator, does foreshadow PMC but does not identify specifics. PMC did not happen at Messiah’s first coming but is declared to happen after the 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ on the Throne of David in Jerusalem. We will in a future post discuss the Millennium reign. However, to study eschatology, we need to understand the motives and label the terms needed to easily be able to identify and move on with our study.

So let us wrap up our study so far. We now know that due to Isaiah’s Law of God Eternality, God will not change. So with the Eden Initiator, Satan is concerned with PMC, thus his actions mirror God’s with ever focusing attempts to thwart God’s actions. Satan failed at stoping the salvation of  mankind, but he is now attempting to thwart the second coming and PMC. How does the second coming come about? Before we can answer this, we need to understand what is happening right now.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

Peter teaches us an important lesson. Read it HERE

Reassurance

For many of our readers, tomorrow is a day that is meant to reflect on what we are thankful for. I am sure the blessings in this last year have been many; some big and some small and we often overlook how many blessings we have. However, I am just as sure that the challenges have also been innumerable as well. And as we are faced with these challenges, what is it that allows us to hold fast to our faith? When we are faced with those who wish to deny us the joy and comfort found in following Jesus, how do we remain assured in Him? The answer is that we can remain steadfast in our faith because we know that nothing can separate us from God, and it is not by our own doing but by the unchanging nature of God Himself!

“16 For people swear an oath by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath serving as confirmation is an end of every dispute. 17 In the same way God, desiring even more to demonstrate to the heirs of the promise the fact that His purpose is unchangeable, confirmed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to hold firmly to the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and reliable and one which enters within the veil,”

Hebrews 6:16-19 

It is here that we can find assurance in our salvation. There is nothing greater than God, and so He can only make an oath on Himself. God has promised that nothing can take us away from Him, a promise we know by Jesus Christ’s own words. “27 My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” John 10:27-29 We can rest assured that God did not make this promise without the capability to fulfill it. God is unchanging, He cannot go against Himself, nor can He lie. We can hold fast to our assurance in salvation based on God’s merit. And that is a comforting thought! If our salvation was based on ourselves, we would be continually wondering if we are “good enough” but God’s answer to us is that while we are not “good enough” His Son, Jesus Christ, is and it is through His sacrifice that we have been reconciled to God! Our hope and strength comes from an infallible God. A God who we can rely on to keep His promises, not because of anything that we have done but because that is who He is!

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Eschatology 101 Part 2

As discussed last week, we are starting a series on eschatology which is latin for the study of the end times. Like any study, there are laws, theories, and hypothesis. This does not mean that God’s Word contains error, but rather we humans at this time might not fully understand the implications of what God is talking about. Last week we went over the right mind when studying God’s Word; today I want to digest more of this theme, but also progress into the study itself.

There are two basic principles that govern the Bible that we need to understand.

1. God is perfect.  Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Or Psalms 18:30 “This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.” This means that His interpretation is perfect, His Word is perfect, and His revealed future is perfect.

2. God does not change. Malachi 3:6 “For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” Or Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” His words will happen according to what He has said.

Together these two rules develop our foundational truth; as reliable to us as the Newton’s law of universal gravitation, Byerlee’ s law, Curie’s law, Darcy’s law, and so many more. This law can be summed up in what I call, Isaiah’s Law of God Eternality. The law is stated as such:

“YAHWEH is and will be eternal and thus unchanging through subtraction of His principles, of which He is.”

Below is a list of Bible verses that help us identify Isaiah’s printed work on the subject.

Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

Isaiah 40:28 “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.”

Isaiah 26:4 “Trust in the LORD forever, For in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.

Isaiah 43:13 “Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”

Isaiah’s Law is confirmed through other published work by Jeremiah, Malachi, John the Apostle, and others.

What does this mean for us? It means that as we continue to progress in eschatology, we have the Law of God Eternality to support our study and research. This will help later on as we dig in deep. So to study the end, we needed to first understand the beginning which is the undeniable truth that God is present. He is eternal and unchanging through subtraction. You might be wondering what does this mean regarding “subtraction” and we will discuss this further when we talk about the virgin birth. Neverthless, we can recognize that He is unwavering in His will and what has been declared will unfold. It is up to us to understand what has been declared so that we can be ready to share the good news of Christ at a moments notice. 1 Peter 3:15  “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” So next time someone says, “We don’t know what will happen in the world” tell them God does, and if they listen explain to them “Isaiah’s Law of God Eternality.” Explain to them that in Christ Jesus, we have a God who is eternal and unchanging, thus His declarations of love and rescuing us will come to pass.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

A warning regarding a prominent church. Read it HERE!

Lineage of Believers

Have you ever shared the gospel with someone only to have them turn around shake their fist at you and completely shut down your attempts to share the gospel with them? It can certainly be frustrating and when faced with someone who you thought would come to know Christ but doesn’t, it can almost be disheartening to share the gospel with others. However, today I want to take a moment to encourage us all to continue to share the gospel, when we do there is a bigger impact then we may ever be aware of.

Paul faced this situation a number of times. He would preach the gospel, call the people to repent and turn to God, only for the majority of the time to have this met with imprisonment, stoning, and beating. So how did Paul find the strength to continue? And how can we have the same courage? The answer can be found in Acts 18:5-11.

“5 But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 6 But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood is on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 Then he left the synagogue and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord together with his entire household; and many of the Corinthians, as they listened to Paul, were believing and being baptized. 9 And the Lord said to Paul by a vision at night, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” 11 And he settled there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.”

Here we see Paul has come to Corinth and was staying with a born-again Jewish believer named Aquila and his wife, Priscilla. Paul would go into the synagogue to preach the gospel and was met with accusations in front of a court with the intention to have him imprisoned or killed. Now based on Paul’s response in verse six, you would almost think that he had given up sharing the gospel with his Jewish brethren. But that was far from the case, Paul simply changed tactics and instead of large groups, he built more of a one one one relationship by going to those nearby the synagogue. If you are involved in a life group or similar type Christian fellowship, I am sure that you can imagine the conversations that Paul and Titius Justus were having, conveniently within earshot of a leader of the synagogue; Crispus who then shared with his family resulting in all of them becoming born again.

Are you beginning to see how when we talk about the gospel it spreads? In verse eight we see that Crispus listened to Paul and believed, but Paul’s influence does not end with just face to face conversations. Remember Aquila and Priscilla I mentioned earlier? Paul stayed with them and worked with them, he undoubtedly had conversations regarding the gospel with them that helped to grow their understanding as well. To the point that even when Paul was no longer at Corinth, his influence on Aquila and Priscilla was still evident.

“24 Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was proficient in the Scriptures. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was accurately speaking and teaching things about Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; 26 and he began speaking boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God more accurately to him. 27 And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace,28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.”

Acts 18:24-28

Here we have Apollos, a man who had not met Paul and yet he was knowledgeable of the Scriptures and was teaching others about them. However, there must have been some areas of refinement for Apollos, because the husband and wife that Paul stayed with took Apollos aside to more accurately explain the scriptures to him. Apollos then went to Achaia where he encouraged other believers and was able to explain to others that Jesus is the Christ. It was due to Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla having that time together that Aquila and Priscilla were able to help guide Apollos. So the next time that you feel downhearted when someone that you are sharing the gospel with turns away from it, remember that we must continue to share the gospel. While the person we were trying to witness to may deny it, there may be others who are listening who will accept Jesus. When they then go and share the gospel, we will be unaware of the impact they had as well.

“11 So will My word be which goes out of My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.”

Isaiah 55:11

Two weeks from now we will go over the second part that can challenge people when the offer is turned down, discipleship is a meaningful and important practice that Christians sometimes forget about when sharing the gospel.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Eschatology 101

I must admit to you the reader, that my plans for this fall have changed with the current events that have been happening. I thought it important for us to pivot from planned posts and bring to light what many are discussing. It is time we tackle what a third of the Bible is about. Prophecy!

Now you might be wanting to stop reading right here, and for those who do it is ok; however, I am wanting to talk to the person who wants to know God in all of His word and what only He can declare. What I want to do is start a series going over the basics of Bible prophecy to equip you to study for yourself. It has become apparent that pastors and teachers of the Bible today have dropped the ball, and yet the body of Christ has dropped their own responsibility with studying God’s entire Word. Ignorance is not a reason to stay ignorant.

Nevertheless, before we can get into any part of prophecy, we need to understand that it starts with the correct mindset.

Romans 12:1-2 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

We need to come to God’s Word with the right attitude and perspective. No preconceived ideas, but a blank slate as a scientist coming to a new field and observing new elements at work right in front of their eyes. We too need to present our bodies to study knowing that we will not have all the answers on our own, but God does! We will wipe off the dust of the old ideas and venture where many dare not go. We will challenge current theories, we will identify laws, and if possible examine personal hypothesis. You might wonder, if this sounds more like a science lecture and the answer would be YES! Others might reason we are diving deep into ancient scripts that have been lost in libraries and the answer would be God’s Word is foundational like that of any other study of the Universe, and as such it should be treated as something we can observe. This means we can go to old texts and use the same methods of study God has given us for such a task!

So if you have questions about any of this please reach out and ask! If we challenge what you believe, take a moment and reflect on God’s Word and see what He says. Not pastors, not theologians, nor any other person but God’s 66 books of the Bible can bring to you the right answer, all others can only point you to the truth.This series will also be providing resources and other individuals who we believe are eagerly studying God’s Word, keeping a sound mind in the prophetic study, and pointing the world to that truth! I am excited to start this series and cannot wait to get into it.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

What can we learn from the trials we face? Find out HERE!

The Unforgivable Sin

Have you ever sat and read through the book of 1 John and found yourself being greatly encouraged? There is no doubt that 1 John offers some wonderful reminders for the believer, such as knowing that we do not need to be ashamed of our pasts because Jesus has forgiven us (1 John 2:28) or that we are over-comers because Jesus overcame the world (1 John 5:4-5). However, after being encouraged and reminded that we lean not on our strength, but on the strength of God; John closes this book with a remark that has confused many.

“16 If anyone sees his brother or sister committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will, for him, give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death; I am not saying that he should ask about that.”

1 John 5:16

When you read this passage, John clearly states that there is sin that does not lead to death and sin that does lead to death. On the surface level we can take this passage to mean a physical death, but I believe that this verse leans more to describing a spiritual death. If that is the case then it leaves the reader with the big question, what is the sin that can lead to a spiritual death? This then leads the wanderer to question if they have committed that sin that leads to death, and for someone who is not mature in their faith this may cause them to question if they are actually saved or if they have crossed that invisible line.

Thankfully, scripture answers scripture and I believe that Jesus answers this very question for us. The answer can be found in Matthew 12:31-32.

“31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”

Here we see Jesus distinguishing between two sins, those against he Son of Man and those against the Holy Spirit. We have all been in the situation of speaking against Jesus Christ, the Son of Man. Any sinful action that we did, spoke against who God was. This is why Romans 6:23 states, “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Every person falls under the category of this type of sin, the only thing that can correct this course is acceptance of Jesus Christ that we pass from death to life. This is why in Matthew 12:31 Jesus states that any sin against Him will be forgiven, when we accept Jesus’s free gift of salvation all of our past, present, and future sins have been forgiven.

So then it would almost appear that 1 John 5:16 and Matthew 12:31 are almost contradictory. Jesus is stating that all sin against Him will be forgiven while John is stating that there is an unforgivable sin. And this is where Matthew 32 comes in. In this verse Jesus very matter of factory answers what this unforgivable sin is, to speak against the Holy Spirit. But what exactly does this mean? It means that when confronted with our sins, instead of turning to God for forgiveness, an individual deny’s God’s gift of salvation. They wrongly assume that they do not need God and deny any role He has over them. Those who deny God commit the greatest sin there is, they do not reconcile themselves to Him and so they never receive life. They continue in their sin and they die both physically and spiritually.

With this understanding, we see that 1 John 5:16 is not directed towards fellow believers, but for those who are still actively practicing sin and have not received God’s free gift of salvation. For these individuals we need to pray for them and ask that God intercede and do what He needs to in order to bring these individuals to Him.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Scheduling Conflict

Fall is in full swing! This means the schedule is full, and there is something pulling at the very seconds of the day. The temptation to take time away from God’s Word to fill it with the demands of life is dangerous. However, I want to take a moment and encourage you to stay the course and dedicate time with the Lord each and everyday.

In fact, if we spend time with the Lord, this will reverberate back into the rest of our day. Proverbs 2:11 “Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you,” Don’t you want to have discretion guarding you? And understanding watching over your actions? I sure do! So if that is what we are doing, we need to recognize how we come to this. Examine Proverbs 2:1-10 “My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; 3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; 4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. 9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.”

When we take time to understand God’s Word, we are in fact preparing the best way for the rest of the day. This means God’s Word is designed for us to be utilized daily! No where in the Bible will you see someone write, “Go look at God’s Word tomorrow” it will always be directing us to now. For salvation is for today. When we listening to His word, we will find that God is answering us throughout the day. This is why God says in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” To further this point, just look at Jesus’ own words to Satan, Matthew 4:4 “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.’” So as you are thinking of the busy schedule and the idea creeps into your mind that the Bible study can wait until later, take a moment and smother the thought, drown it in God’s Word and see how much He cares to be in our schedule, because only He can make our time matter.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

Join us for our third discussion on the threat within the churches today! Read it HERE!

Beyond the Imagery

Have you ever been doing your Bible study and come across a section of verses that seem to belong more in a poetry book? While the writers of the 66 books in the Bible would often use poetry to describe a meaning, simply open to the book of Psalms or Song of Solomon to see, these verses are often hard to understand and as such it is easy to want to skip over them. However, when you come across these verses I would ask that you take a moment to pause and think about what the imagery is trying to describe, allow me to show you what I mean.

4 The words of a man's mouth are deep waters;
    the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

Proverbs 18:4

In this verse we have two descriptions of bodies of water, the deep water and the bubbling brook. When you think of deep water it often conjures up images of dark depths where it is difficult or impossible to see the bottom. Often deep waters bring to the forefront of the imagination of what could be lurking in the depths. Deep waters are often seen as untrusting. With this understanding, it is interesting that the words of a man’s mouth is described as deep waters. It brings to mind that the words of man are often untrusting or there is more than what is being said. This is corroborated in scripture.

2 Your tongue devises destruction,
Like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.
3 You love evil more than good,
Lies more than speaking what is right. Selah
4 You love all words that devour,
You deceitful tongue.

Psalm 52:2-4

9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.

10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

James 3:9-10

We can see how mistrustful the mouth of man can be and so it is like the deep waters where we can not see what is beneath the surface.

On the opposite side of this, there is the bubbling brook. This imagery often makes the reader think of a calm stream, it is often peaceful and gentle. And so is wisdom. Wisdom is described as shouting in the street, in the square, the noisy streets, and the entrance of the city gates (Proverbs 1:20-21) wisdom is there for everyone but few take the time to seek it. So the next time you come across a section of scripture that is based more on imagery, I ask that you take a moment to think of what it is describing. Then see if you can apply that image to what is being said in the verse.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Godly Planning

If you are ever in need of good advice, allow me to introduce you to the book of Proverbs. This book is not only applicable with every circumstance we find, but is designed to help us on an individual bases. This characteristic is something that only the Bible has because it is God’s Word and designed for us, 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” Yet the book of Proverbs was designed to take this daily applicability to a whole other level. Today, I want to review only one verse in Proverbs, but I think it is vital for the majority of us today.

Proverbs 27:12 “A prudent man sees evil and hides himself, The naive proceed and pay the penalty.”

Who is a prudent man? The Hebrew word is “aw-room” which usually means “cunning” but in a bad sense; almost like crafty. However in the case of verse 12, we find the word on the rare occasion can be used to identify a good person. How do we know this? Based on the person hiding themself from evil.

When the prudent man or women sees evil this implies they are examining and thinking to the future; and wanting to contemplate proper steps. This is the fruit of wisdom, Proverbs 24:3-5 “By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; 4 And by knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. 5 A wise man is strong, And a man of knowledge increases power.” We need to be proactive, thinking to the future. This means meditating on God’s Word and applying it to our daily actions before those actions are in front of us. This is a lot to handle and think about, especially because each of us are in different areas of our walk with Christ. This proves once again that God’s Word must be approachable for all of us at any time, which God makes perfectly clear. Proverbs 3:1-3 “My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.” Christians are always saying Jesus needs to be number one in our life, but is He number one in our thoughts in preparation for the day? Is He a partner in our planning or just an emergency line when we realize it is out of our hands? Think about this, allow God to be your focus on the day to day, and see what God does.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY

What can we learn from trials? Join us HERE!

Comforting Words

When I was a new believer, it was difficult for me to do my Bible study. Not because I didn’t want to know more about God and how He saved me; but because I simply did not know how to begin. The Bible can sometimes appear as such an intimidating book, after all it is the Word of God. It took me awhile to understand that God wrote this book with me in mind, He wrote it to guide me to Him, to teach me how to overcome the world, and sometimes the most important thing is that He wrote it to comfort me.

This world and all that is in it brings trouble and strife. It can become easy to become bogged down with everything that is going on, not just in our day to day life but also in the lives of our friends and family. I am sure that you, just as I have, have experienced times where it seems as if everyone we know is struggling with something. It begins to feel as if everyone you know is being attacked. It is times like these, that I hope you run to Him and His word; after all there are so many comforting verses found in the Bible but today allow me to share one of my favorites.

“3 On the day I called, You answered me;
You made me bold with strength in my soul.”

Psalm 138:3

This is a trait of God that has always amazed me. On the very day that we called to Him, the day we asked Him to take control of our lives and to save us from our sins; He answered us. There was no waiting, we immediately became children of the one most high God, the Creator of the world, the author of our salvation! It is because of Him who overcame that we are able to be over-comers of this world as well! We have not our strength to lean on, but God’s! And His strength never fails! How amazing it is to know that we have been sealed and nothing can take us from Him! And so, because of His strength we are able to walk boldly through all of the troubles that life brings us because we have Him on our side!

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Our Thoughts, His Presence

Did you know that Jesus can read your thoughts? For the believer this is an amazing comfort; for the non-believer this should be terrifying. This is important for us to know, because it reveals the assurance we have as believers that when we are saved, there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God.

Mark 2:1-12 “When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. 4 Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. 5 And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? 9 “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? 10 “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”--He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” 12 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

Here we find Jesus has returned to Capernaum. It is here that Christ reveals a truth of His power even while on earth. That power is, “There is no thought outside of His observance.” For good or bad for the originator, God knows their thoughts.

Psalms 94:11 “The LORD knows the thoughts of man, That they are a mere breath.” In Mark’s account of the paralytic man, Jesus is preaching in a home that is so full no one can get to the door. Have you ever been in a crowd where not even a body can wiggle its way forward? When a group of people are that determined it is a formidable obstacle. It is why the paralytic man and his friends are already revealing their faith by doing whatever it takes to get in front of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

“When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. 4 Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.”

A critic of Jesus’ authority might say that the actions of the men is revealing their faith, this would even be backed up by a principle that Jesus’ own brother would write later, James 2:18 “But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” But it is here that Jesus prepares the stage for His revelation of authority to know the thoughts of all. Jesus answers the paralytic’s question which he had in his own heart! You see Jesus answers a question without ever audibly hearing the question, Jesus states, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” Jesus declares that the paralytic man is in a relationship with God the Father by stating “son”, Jesus is also declaring that because of this relationship, the sins that separated them before were now removed. This is an incredible but quickly missed point many, including myself, do not recognize. Jesus knew the paralytic’s question! That question wasn’t even asked audibly.

Yet, Christ continues this trend by recognizing the apparent elephant in the room with the scribes. These were the religious professionals who doubted the authenticity of Jesus Christ, because of their own jealousy.

6 But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? 9 “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? 10 “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”--He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” 12 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

Jesus recognizes their thoughts and calls them out; He provides the answer that was needed not for the scribes sake, but for those who the scribes would undoubtedly attempt to sow doubt into their belief of Christ. Jesus raises the bar in the exact issue the scribes were known for doubting in God’s Word, the physical miracles.

Nevertheless, this brings an important thought that we have touched on before, but needed its own attention today, “God knows your thoughts”. My question for you is, does this comfort you or scare you? The answer will shed light on your relationship with Christ.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

The second in our Threat Within posts! Read it HERE!

Put Into Practice

There is a belief among Christians that often leads to frustrating results. It is the idea that since we are Christian’s we should not struggle with sin any longer, which when we do sin, it leads to many to doubt their salvation or just become frustrated with themselves. There is another belief about Christian’s that leads to the same frustrating results, and this is the idea that we should immediately know how to imitate Christ and put aside the sin we struggle with. Then when we are placed beside someone who has the same issues as us but does not react sinfully, we become frustrated that we are not at the same level.

Let us look first at the belief that we should not struggle with sin once we become a born again believer. One answer to this belief can be found in 1 John 3:7-8.

Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

This may seem like a strange place to go when battling this mistaken belief, outwardly it does appears to say that if you still struggle with sin then you are a follower of unrighteousness. However, this could not be farther from the truth. The key word in this passage is the word “practice”. To practice something means to willingly, put thought and intent into something. If you have ever practiced for a sport or instrument you understand that in order to get better you willingly have to put the time into whatever it is that you practice. This is the same when it comes to sin. If you are willingly going out with the intent to do something sinful, then you would be a follower of unrighteousness. However, those who are born again, while they do still sin, do not make it a practice. They desire to be more like Christ and avoid sin. The difference is that being a follower of Christ means that we are quicker to repent for our sin and slower to repeat it because we do not wish to grieve the Holy Spirit. Those who are followers of Christ practice righteousness.

This then leads into the second misplaced belief. Since someone who desires to be like Christ would clearly wish to behave like Him in all circumstances, it becomes frustrating when we are placed in a situation that causes us to sin. Now a born again believer should know that Christ died for all of our sins, and there is nothing that will separate Him from us, it does become frustrating when we know we should have responded better to a situation. Proverbs 4:18 gives us the answer to this belief.

18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
    which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

Again, this may seem like a strange place to start. This passage in Proverbs almost seems vague, however, if you take another look you will see that it answers this belief perfectly. The path of the righteous is like the dawn. Has there ever been a time when mankind has been able to stop the sun from rising? The rising of the dawn is an unstoppable force that brings light to the world. This is the same for the Christian who wishes to be like Jesus Christ. When we desire and put into practice the willful intent to follow Him, there is nothing that can stop us from growing. We become an unstoppable force. And just like there are days when it seems like the sun is slowly rising or days where it rises in the blink of an eye, each Christian’s walk is different. We each grow at our own pace, but regardless, it is still unstoppable. The more we study God’s word and put into practice what the Bible teaches us, the more we become like Christ!

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Ambassadors

Followers of Christ need to recognize that while we are in this world, we are ambassadors. 2 Corinthians 5:20 “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.” Like ambassadors today, Christians need to be identified as followers of God in our actions, those actions at times might be declaring the gospel to the fallen world. This also might mean we are taking things to Christ so we can request God’s intercession. Today, we have events that require us to intercede to our Heavenly Father and ask for His divine action. We need to be praying for the peace of Israel and Jerusalem. We are commanded to Psalms 122:6 “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.” We need to be praying and standing for truth, justice, and peace. Zechariah 8:16 “These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace.” When God called those who are saved to be ambassadors, this comes with a purpose that is now founded in our daily actions. We are to be focused on what God wants. Zechariah 7:9 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another.” We need to be praying for Israel and the war that has engulfed the nation. We need to pray for a swift and quick victory, and that peace will come.

Now for those who are “End Times Scholars” they might say “Peace will not come until Jesus sits on the throne”. This is true but we are to nevertheless pray! One of the oldest diplomatic policies established by God that still holds true today is His promise to Israel. Genesis 12:2-3 “And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” He established this nation to be the tool for the birth of the savior of the world! He still has a plan for the Jewish people and as Church we need to be praying to our Father for peace in Israel. So take time out of your day and let us intercede to our Heavenly Father for peace for Israel, Jerusalem, and the Jewish people.

We can also pray for those who also live in the promise land and pray they, as well as the Jewish people, come to know Jesus Christ as the true and living Lord and Savior. If you have more questions regarding the actions and future actions of God with His people, feel free to send us an email and request posts/study on the topics!

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL