06-30-24 | Daily Devotions

&Adversity Does Not

Faith: Thanking God in Advance
July 1, 2024

By Maria Fontaine

Audio length: 11:10

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In the last several years I have faced different dilemmas where I had no idea how they could possibly be solved. It seemed as if they didn’t have solutions. However, because my faith was solid in the truth of God’s Word and the knowledge that He never fails, and I was seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I knew that somehow there would always be a solution.

Jesus said: “I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it. However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you” (John 16:12–14).

The Holy Spirit was sent to us after Jesus’ death to help us understand the truth and to apply God’s Word to whatever situation we find ourselves in. I believe that is why, when we revisit the Scriptures, they often take on new meaning for us as the Holy Spirit shows us how to apply them in new ways or reveals more of their depth to us.

There are many examples in God’s Word of how to approach the challenges of life. One such example that I find applicable to many difficulties that I encounter is the story of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles chapter 20, where he had no hope of any kind of human rescue from the various superior forces that were against him. In fact, there were three armies joining together to try to destroy him and his people. He said, “Lord, we know not what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12).

Jehoshaphat gave the Lord the glory and prayed and thanked God for His greatness and the wonder of His love. He reminded himself and the people who had gathered together of all the times when God had come through for His people in the past and that He would be there for them, too. He wanted everyone to recognize how their great God had come to their rescue time after time after time when there seemed to be no hope in sight.

We all have times when it looks like there is no solution to the situations we may find ourselves in. I believe that there will be many more times ahead when situations will appear impossible to overcome. And they may well be impossible without God’s intervention.

Whether He says, “Stand still and see the salvation of God,” or “Go up and fight and you will be victorious,” a great expression of our love for the Lord can be manifested as we trust Him and do whatever He shows us to do, even when we can’t see where our obedience will lead.

We can’t say, “Jesus, I’ll trust You and praise You for the victory as long as You do this or that for me, or don’t allow this or that to happen.” We need to place ourselves in His hands, knowing that He will always bring us through and cause whatever we face to work together for good in the end, which is something only He can do.

Here’s a helpful explanation of faith that I’ve seen several times online from different people: When you thank God after something happens, that’s called gratitude. When you thank God for something before it happens, that’s called faith. Faith is thanking God in advance before you see the answer.

If you can already see the answer, it doesn’t take faith to accept that it’s there. That’s why it’s important when you make a request in prayer to follow it with praise, right from the start, as well as whenever you think of the situation while you’re waiting for the answer to be manifested in a way that you can see or sense.

Faith thanks God. You could say something like, “Jesus, You know that request I made the other day? I thank You that the answer is mine. I don’t have to see it to know that You have answered. You have promised to answer, and that’s all I need. I thank You that the matter is already settled, and when it’s Your perfect time for the best solution to appear, it will.”

You don’t keep saying, “Please give it, please give it, please give it, please give it.” Instead, you say, “Jesus, here’s my heart cry that I know You have answered. Thank You!” That is faith, when you thank God in advance.

The Lord gave a message on this point:

Approach your challenges with prayer and praise. Let the light in and the darkness will flee. The light of My Spirit is there for you to receive. You can immerse yourself in it, and one way you can do this is with praise.

If you’re battling with worry, come to Me with an attitude of praise and thanksgiving. Keep looking to Me and trusting Me for the situation. Thank Me for how I’m helping you and reminding you to turn your gaze toward Me and My overcoming power.

Even when you don’t know how I have answered your prayer, and you are tempted to worry and try to figure out how I’m going to manifest it, go ahead and thank Me for doing it. Thank Me for giving you peace, even if you don’t feel peaceful yet.

(Maria:) Whatever you feed, either faith or fear, that’s what gains power in your life. Focus on thanksgiving and praise, and that will feed your faith! Faith is the victory! (See 1 John 5:4.) Manifest that faith through your words, your thoughts, the intents of your heart, and you will overcome the world. Fill your mind with words of thanksgiving and praise, and you will come through victorious in the end.

* * *

Hebrews 11 states: “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city” (Hebrews 11:13,16.)

In this life, those men and women of faith in Hebrews 11 often didn’t see all that was promised to them, but they knew the author of those promises! They knew that He wouldn’t fail! I’m sure many of the saints highlighted in Hebrews 11 saw miracles and deliverances and supernatural protection, as well as the many hardships and troubles described in this chapter. For them, faith became a way of life that permeated their thoughts and decisions. It was a conviction that grew throughout their lives so that whatever they faced in the moment was secondary to what they knew by faith was to come.

Faith is supernatural. It is not bound by time or space. Those of faith in the Old Testament believed without seeing Jesus’ redemption manifested during their lifetime. We have the blessing of knowing that Jesus has already redeemed us, but we, too, can’t see all that Jesus has promised us.

He wants us to trust Him in all circumstances. If the answer to your prayer comes immediately, then rejoice. When you don’t see the answer right away, keep thanking the Lord anyway, because you trust Him. You have His assurance that He will keep you and give you strength and all that you need in order to hang on until the answer arrives.

Faith that the Lord has answered, when we have asked something of Him, could in some ways be compared to a trust fund. Trust funds can take on many forms, but they are most often used to ensure that money or other assets are distributed in a way that will provide maximum benefit to the receiver over the long term.

A friend of mine was a recipient of a trust fund. Sometimes, the trust would limit what funds were given to him even though he requested more. But then, an unanticipated medical event occurred and he was desperately in need of the funds for his care and support. Because the trust had rationed the funds, the money was there when it was needed most.

Though the potential answers to our prayers are unlimited, God knows what will bring the greatest good from them. So God could be compared to the trustee of the heavenly trust fund of answers to our prayers. He provides the answers and knows when manifesting them will bring the greatest good into our lives. The answers are there, like the assets in the trust fund, but we, as recipients of His loving promises and answers to prayer, can’t always see the bigger picture of how to best use them.

I firmly believe that God alone knows how to work all things together for good in our lives and for His good purposes. That’s why it’s so important for us to have faith in His love for us. We need to trust in His wisdom. Otherwise, we often don’t have the understanding to make the best choices in the moment.

Whether the answers to your prayers are manifested immediately, or whether they take time to be manifested, they have been settled in heaven. When we thank Him for His faithfulness, we’re declaring our trust that the God of the universe who loves us and has already sacrificed so much to save and restore us and to be with us through everything is going to continue to be who He is to us: our friend, our Father, our protector, our Savior, our healer, the source of all truth and power, the provider of all that we need, our guide, and the answer to every problem and question we will ever encounter.

Originally published May 2022. Adapted and republished July 2024. Read by Lenore Welsh.

Me!—Part 1
Level 2 Lesson Plan
My Wonder Studio staff
2017-08-11
Here is a 30-minute lesson plan that highlights the following lesson objective: “Understand that difficulties, trials, and obstacles are a part of life, and through learning to work through them, one can gain valuable understanding through these experiences; study and memorize Bible verses upon which this principle is based.” (Christian Life and Faith: Biblical and Christian Foundation: Overcoming Obstacles-2a)
Ask your child what they think an obstacle, adversity, or difficulty may be. Discuss some of the types of obstacles or adversities someone may face in their life—it could be a physical disability, difficulty remembering facts and figures at school, or it could be that they are from a poor country or background where they are often told it can’t get better for them. The conclusion of this short discussion should be that we all face obstacles or adversity, no matter what it is—life is full of them. So what do we do?
Watch “Overcoming Obstacles” (YouTube video by Steven Claunch).

Discuss how not everyone has to overcome a physical disability, but as Steven Claunch brought out, there are other obstacles that we each face in our lives that are unique to us. The goal when faced with a big or small obstacle is to not allow the obstacle to overcome us, but for us to overcome the obstacle. Often an obstacle can overcome us when we become negative and focus on what we don’t have, instead of what we do have.
Copyright © 2024 The Family International

The Story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

June 27, 2024

Treasures

Audio length: 11:11

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Throughout His life and ministry, Jesus often taught in parables. One of the shortest, yet most profound of all His parables was that of the Pharisee and the tax collector recorded in the Gospel of Luke. The Bible tells us that Jesus “told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt” (Luke 18:9).

The Pharisees were the most influential of all the Jewish religious sects of Jesus’ day. The word “Pharisee” literally means “the separated ones, separatists.” They were distinguished by their strict observance of the traditional and written law and pledged themselves to obey and observe all the rules, traditions, and ceremonial laws of orthodox Judaism. They considered themselves to be the only true followers of God’s laws, and therefore felt that they were superior and holier than others. Thus they separated themselves not only from the non-Jews—the Gentiles, whom they considered pagans—but they even set themselves above and apart from their own Jewish brethren.

The tax collectors, on the other hand, were considered by their fellow Jews to be the worst kind of characters, since they collected taxes for Rome, the foreign occupier and ruler of Palestine. As Jewish tax collectors for Caesar, they were therefore considered traitors by their brethren. The Romans would instruct them as to how much to collect from the people in taxes, and then the tax collectors could charge whatever more they wanted for their own income. They were considered extortioners, cheaters and robbers of the Jews, and were despised by their Jewish brethren.

When Jesus told this parable, comparing a Pharisee and a tax collector, He chose two opposite figures in the community. One was held in high esteem as the most righteous, religious, the most holy of all men, whereas the other was looked on as the most despicable of all men. The hearers would have assumed that the Pharisee would represent the virtuous person in the story.

Here is the parable in Jesus’ words:

Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.”

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:10–14).

It would have surprised the people listening to this parable in Jesus’ day to hear which of these two men Jesus said was justified before God.—Not the Pharisee who appeared to be so righteous and holy, and who no doubt felt that he was a very godly and good man. Rather it was the tax collector, the sinner, who was despised by others, and who apparently even despised himself, who felt so ashamed of himself that he wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but simply begged God to have mercy upon him and forgive him.

God’s way of looking at things is often different from ours. He says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways” (Isaiah 55:8–9). Although the tax collector’s sins were undoubtedly many, because of his honest and humble confession and recognition of the fact that he was a sinner who needed God’s help, Jesus said he was the one who left the temple justified that day.—Not the Pharisee who was so confident of his own goodness and righteousness that he didn’t think he needed God’s help.

But in the sight of God, self-righteous pride like this Pharisee manifested is the greater sin, as it causes people to despise and look down on others and to treat them with contempt. Instead of loving, forgiving, and understanding others, they stand in judgment of others and condemn people for their failings and sins, while not being aware of their own sins and shortcomings.

The Gospels tell us that “When the Pharisees saw Jesus sitting down and eating a meal with many tax collectors and sinners who came and sat with Him, they were enraged, and asked His disciples, ‘Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ But Jesus answered them, ‘You need to go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, and not sacrifice’” (Matthew 9:10–13).

In other words, Jesus was saying, “I would rather see you have love and mercy, and not just your dutiful keeping of the Law and making of ritual sacrifices! I’d rather you be loving to others than condemning of them.”

None of us have any goodness of our own; God is the only one who is good. His Word says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “there is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). Those who have accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for their sins on the cross receive the goodness of God and His love and righteousness, through “the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5–6).

Jesus loved and had compassion on the sinners, the marginalized and the outcasts, and He told the Pharisees who questioned Him: “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:13). At one point, Jesus told the Pharisees that they were worse than the drunks and the prostitutes, the tax collectors and the sinners whom they despised, and said, “Truly I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes will go into the kingdom of God before you do” (Matthew 21:31).

Jesus once told His disciples, “I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). The Pharisees were too confident in their own righteousness and works to confess that they were sinners like everyone else. They not only couldn’t confess their sins, they couldn’t even see their own sin or acknowledge their sinful human nature. They could not accept Jesus’ teachings and His gift of forgiveness of sin through His grace, not through our own good works or righteousness.

It has been said that while there may be thousands of different religions in the world, they all fall into two categories. The first one consists of the many different faiths premised on the belief that we must earn our own salvation or place in the afterlife by doing good deeds and by keeping different kinds of religious laws, rituals, and commandments.

The second category of religion—Christianity—consists of those who acknowledge that they are sinners and know that they are incapable of saving themselves, and place their faith in Jesus and His atonement on the cross to save them. The difference between these two religions comes down to attempting to earn salvation through works or confessing that you need a Savior to rescue you from your sins and failings.

The Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). And “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5).

God’s idea of righteousness is not sinless perfection, but the humble sinner who knows he needs God and casts himself on the mercy of God, even as the tax collector did in this parable, who cried out, “O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.” And Jesus said that “he went down to his house justified … for the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14). These are the people Jesus said He came to seek and save (Matthew 9:13).

God’s idea of goodness is godliness—a sinner who knows he needs God and depends on Him for salvation. God’s idea of saintliness is a sinner saved by grace, a sinner who is not confident in his own righteousness, but is dependent on the grace and love and mercy of God. Saved by the mercy of God and “loved by God and called to be saints” by His grace (Romans 1:7). These are the only kind of saints there are in God’s book!

Lord Jesus, please help us to walk in humility and love today, and to depend on Your grace and mercy. May we pour out Your love and grace on others through Your Holy Spirit. Help us to not be critical or condemning of others, or think ourselves better than others. You said, “I will have mercy and not sacrifice.” As we spend time with You, help us to learn what this means and to love and forgive others, just as You have forgiven us for our sins. May we show the same mercy and grace to others that You have shown us. Amen.

From an article in Treasures, published by the Family International in 1987. Adapted and republished June 2024. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.

June 26, 2024

I AM!

By Chloe Rose

Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”—Exodus 3:13–14

In late 2019, just before the pandemic, I moved continents. In making this huge move I reduced my worldly possessions to one small and one medium suitcase. The journey, while painful, was cathartic as I stripped away the comforts of everything that I knew to embrace a new continent, a new life, and hopefully new friends. There was one thing, however, that remained constant: I AM!

I had never really understood why God told Moses that His name was “I AM,” but I think I kind of get it now. “I am” is constant. God was saying to Moses, “I don’t change. I am not defined. I am not limited to nouns, verbs, or adjectives.”

It took a year from the time we decided to make the move until we stepped onto new shores! It was stressful and exciting at the same time. Fast-forward to the present day and we have a semblance of stability. Is it the house, the car, the job? No, not really. All these things are nice and needed, but the truth is that the one constant has been Jesus, and He saw us through it all.

As these major milestones were falling into place, all I could think was how amazing it is to trust the great I AM for His timing in sorting things out. I’m one to jump a few steps ahead, and I want everything now. But if the constant in my life never changes, why should I jump ahead? Why should I want to have something before it’s time? Why can’t I trust Him now like I did yesterday?

We always want the sun to shine, but like the horrific summer of bush fires in Australia showed us, heat without rain can be a devastating thing. Likewise, rain without sun can bring floods. So, we need the ever-changing variables in life—the weather being one of them—to provide balance, growth, and a way to move forward. However, if we have the variables with no anchor, we’d be tossed to and fro like a boat in a storm. So, the great I AM has provided Himself as an anchor, something unchangeable that we can lock onto no matter what storms come our way. This is the balance that we need. We need the ever-changing winds to bring sun, rain, storm, and rainbows, and yet we need consistency in the form of a rock, something unmovable to keep us secured, come what may.

When I think of God’s response to Moses I hear: “I am your anchor. I am your sure thing. I am the only one to keep focused on. If you lose focus, you can slip and fall, but when you stay focused, that’s when victory is assured.” So, to be victorious, we need to keep our eyes locked onto a solid anchor, a steady hope, and a source of strength that can help us move continents, uproot our life, and guide us through the inconsistent and changing terrain of life. “I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6).

The next time someone asks me if I’m worried about something, I can reply: “Why should I be? I AM changes not.”

I can be grateful when the sun shines,
I can be grateful when the storms blow,
When adversity hits or when sorrows show,
I am grateful because I have Him and He has me, I know!

***

Understanding the weight and power of the name in Exodus 3:14, “I AM WHO I AM,” is important for today’s Christian to understand the complexity of who God is. He is all-encompassing and self-sufficient. It is a name above names, one that reminds the believer that God is in control, and that He sees His children. … It can be easy in the struggles of everyday life to lose sight of the majesty and holiness of God, but meditating on the name He gave Himself, and all that it represents, can help put our time on earth into perspective. God is infinite, and He is sovereign over our lives, He Is Who He Is.—Bethany Verrett¹

¹ https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/why-does-god-call-himself-i-am-that-i-am.html

How You Think Makes a Difference

June 25, 2024

A compilation

Audio length: 9:39

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Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.—Proverbs 4:23

The beautiful, well-versed 83-year-old lady, fully dressed every morning at 8:00 a.m. sharp, with her hair done in fashion and perfectly applied makeup, is moving to a retirement home. Her husband recently died, which motivated her move.

After many hours of patiently waiting in the hall of the home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.

As she moved her walker toward the elevator, she was given a detailed description of her small room, including the curtains hanging from her window.

“I love it,” she said, with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old girl who was just handed a new pet.

“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room; just wait.”

“That doesn’t matter,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide over time. Whether or not I like my room doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged, it depends on how I arrange my mind.

“I’ve already decided that I like it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have the choice; I can spend the day in bed, going through the difficulty I have with my body parts that don’t work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the parts that do work.”—Author unknown

To enjoy My Presence more fully, you need to think less and less about yourself. This is not an arbitrary demand; it’s the secret to living more abundantly. Self-forgetfulness is a delightful way to live!

Try to become aware of how much time you spend thinking about yourself. Take a look at your mind’s contents. Though your thoughts are not visible to other people unless you choose to share them, I see each and every one. When you realize your thinking is unworthy of Me, make every effort to change the subject. If you’re struggling with a self-centered idea that recurs again and again, try connecting it to a favorite scripture or a brief prayer. This forms a bridge for your attention—away from yourself and toward Me. For example, praying, “I love You, Lord” can quickly direct your focus to Me.

If you have to repeat this process many times, don’t be discouraged. You are training your mind to seek My face, and this endeavor is pleasing to Me. Seek Me, beloved, and live abundantly.—Jesus¹

God is far more interested in changing your mind than changing your circumstances.

We want God to take away all of our problems, pain, sorrow, and suffering. But God wants to work on us first. Transformation won’t happen in your life until you renew your mind and your thoughts begin to change.

Your thoughts are powerful. They have tremendous ability to shape your life for good or for bad. For example, maybe you believed the lie someone told you about yourself when you were growing up: “You’re worthless. You don’t matter.” If you accepted that thought, even though it wasn’t true, it shaped your life.

The way to be careful with your thoughts is to examine them, because some thoughts are good, but others aren’t. Careless thoughts lead to a careless life.

This is one reason you get mentally fatigued: There’s a battle going on in your brain 24 hours a day. Satan is trying to neutralize your mind—your greatest asset in this battle. He wants you focused on negative and destructive thoughts that will distract you from God’s love and goodness. The struggle can be debilitating.

Your thoughts determine your feelings, and your feelings determine your actions. To change your life, change your thoughts.

How can you be careful with your thoughts today?—Rick Warren²

In a story from Native American folklore, a grandfather explains to his young grandson the inner struggle between good and evil.

“A battle goes on inside us all,” the grandfather begins. “It is a battle between two wolves. One wolf is the embodiment of everything evil, like hate, anger, jealousy, resentment, greed, arrogance, lying, and selfishness. The other wolf is the embodiment of everything good, like love, joy, peace, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, compassion, truth, and faith.”

The grandson thinks about those words and then asks, “Which wolf wins?”

The grandfather replies, “The one you feed.”

Apply that lesson to discouragement and depression and their antitheses, positiveness and praise—and you’ve got the key to a happier, more upbeat, and more successful you.

Discouragement is like a wolf pup. Feed it, and it will grow into depression—a fierce, ravenous, full-grown wolf that will turn on you every chance it gets. But feed its counterpart and you will have a strong and sure defender against such attacks.

How can you tell these two wolves apart so you’ll know which to feed? Whenever you have a thought that causes you to feel discontent, bitter, unhappy, or critical, you can be sure it’s the wrong wolf, stalking his prey. Don’t be his next meal! Feed the other one instead by filling your mind and heart with positive, encouraging, strengthening, and faith-building thoughts.

You may not be able to stop the evil wolf from coming around, but if you’re smart you won’t wait till he does to start feeding the good wolf. And remember, the more you feed the good wolf, the stronger he will grow. Feed him every chance you get, and the evil wolf will be no match for him. When it comes to a showdown, the evil wolf will turn tail and run every time.—Keith Phillips

Our thoughts can create and destroy, heal and harm, lift you up and tear you down. At any given moment in time, our thoughts are either fueling a positive momentum for our life, or keeping us stagnant, or sabotaging us.

As a result, our minds are the best tools we have for shaping and controlling how we feel about life and driving us to take the actions we want to take—or stop taking the actions that don’t serve us. Ponder the following quotes:

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, either way you are right.” Henry Ford

“Change your thoughts and you can change your world.” Norman Vincent Peale

“A positive mind finds opportunity in everything. A negative mind finds fault in everything.” Unknown

“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” Albert Einstein

“You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.” James Allen

“Thoughts have power… And you can make your world or break it by your own thinking.” Susan L. Taylor

“Folks are usually about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Abraham Lincoln

“Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.” Mahatma Gandhi

“You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” Marcus Aurelius.

—Gemma Kate³

Published on Anchor June 2024. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso.

¹ Sarah Young, Jesus Always (Thomas Nelson, 2017).

² https://pastors.com/thinking-carefully/

³ https://thegoalchaser.com/power-of-thoughts-quotes/

Finding His Joy Through Praise

June 24, 2024

Words from Jesus

Audio length: 9:33

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Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.—Psalm 63:3–4

Praise is an act of faith. A commitment to praise is a commitment that no matter what, you will still have praise on your lips. Even in extremely difficult situations, such as when you or someone in your life has a life-threatening sickness or has suffered a grave loss, or the earthly life of someone dear to you is ending, you can find strength through My joy (Nehemiah 8:10).

When you add praise to your desperate prayers, not only are you acknowledging that I am ultimately in control of the situation, but you’re also declaring that you trust that no matter what happens or however I choose to work in the situation, I will bring about My perfect will and plan. Praise is the voice of your faith in Me that even when you walk in the midst of trouble, I am with you and My steadfast love for you endures forever and in every circumstance of life (Psalm 138:7–8).

It is also a testimony of faith to yourself and others that you can still thank Me and worship even in the midst of hard times. Praise when you are in dire circumstances and bringing your burdens to Me in prayer speaks faith into the situation, that no matter what the outcome‚ I will bring you through and I will be with you. Praise is a testimony to others and yourself of My love and sovereignty in your life and in everything that concerns you.

Praise and worship are wonderful ways to bring Me more into your daily life and thoughts‚ and there are many blessings and rewards that accompany it. So anytime you’re happy, praise Me for the things that give you joy. Anytime you’re sad or are going through trying times, praise Me for My presence in the midst of hard times and in the depths of the valleys. Remind yourself and rejoice that I have promised to restore your soul, to surround you with goodness and mercy, to lead you in paths of righteousness all the days of your life, and to bring you home to dwell with Me forever (Psalm 23).

Everyday praise

Every time you praise and worship, you acknowledge My presence and the power of a Creator above all things. Throughout the history of the world‚ it has always been the Devil’s plan to take away the knowledge of a Creator in people’s minds‚ so that he could be exalted as a god himself. But always My children’s voices have been raised to proclaim the truth and turn people’s hearts to Me.

When you voice your praise, you are declaring your faith in Me and your dependence on Me to work in and through all things to My ultimate glory. You’re declaring your faith and trust in Me and your love for Me, and shining My light into the world in a tangible way. When you voice your praise amidst the turmoil of the world around you, you are a witness that shines into people’s lives like a ray of light in the darkness.

Each time you speak praise you’re declaring your allegiance to Me and My kingdom. Praise and abiding faith helped My martyrs of old to have the grace to die for Me, as they sang and praised Me even as they faced persecution and death. Their praises in the midst of such severe adversity were a powerful witness, as people couldn’t understand how My children could face tribulation by praising Me and singing of the glory of heaven. It was a witness that rang out and could not be silenced‚ and through the praises of My children, many received Me and the number of My disciples kept on growing.

In praising Me, you will find strength

When your heart is burdened with worries, problems‚ and stress, come to Me and enter into My presence with thanksgiving. Make room for My joy to fill your heart and renew your courage and strength. Praise brings joy, and My joy will be your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

When you focus on praise and counting your blessings, your problems and concerns seem less overwhelming, and My Spirit brings sweet joy to your heart. This joy will give you the strength to rise above the challenges and struggles of everyday life.

So when your heart feels downcast, lift up your eyes to the hills and remind yourself where your help comes from (Psalm 121:1–2). Make a concerted effort to take your eyes off the difficulties and challenges and bring all your cares to Me.

Praise lifts your spirit into My presence, helping you to rise above the troubles and turmoil of life. It gives you a better outlook and true perspective on issues—a perspective imbued with faith and a knowledge that all things truly do work together for good to those who love Me (Romans 8:28).

A prayer of praise

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens. I will praise You with my whole heart; I will tell others of all Your wonderful works. I will be glad and rejoice in You always and sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

You are a refuge for the oppressed, a very present help in times of trouble. Everyone who knows Your name puts their trust in You. You have never forsaken those who seek You.

I will sing praises to You, O Lord, and declare Your works among the people. I have trusted in Your mercy, and my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing to You always, because You have dealt so bountifully with me and all who put their trust in You. I will set You always before me, and because You are at my right hand, I will never be moved. You will show me the path of life, and in Your presence there is fullness of joy.

I love You, Lord. You are my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. You are my God, my strength, in whom I trust; my shield, my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon You, who alone are worthy to be praised. You light my lamp and lighten my darkness.

Your way is perfect, and Your Word is proven and true. You are a shield to all who place their trust in You. You equip me with strength, and You lead me in paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. I will praise You, Lord, among the nations, and I will sing praises to Your name forever.

Sovereign Lord God, You made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them. From You, and through You, and to You are all things. To You be the glory forever! Amen.—Adapted Bible verses¹

Originally published March 2005. Adapted and republished June 2024. Read by Jon Marc. Music by John Listen.

¹ Adapted from Psalm 8:1; Psalm 9:1–2, 9; Isaiah 12:4; Psalm 13:5–6; Psalm 16:7–8, 11; Psalm 18:1–2, 28–30; Psalm 23:3; Acts 4:24; Romans 11:36; Philippians 4:20.

The Creed (Part 02)

The Creed

Peter Amsterdam

2020-04-07

(Points for this article were taken from The Creed by Luke Timothy Johnson.¹)

One God, the Father Almighty

The Nicene-Constantinople creed, hereafter referred to as the creed, compresses major Christian doctrine into a relatively brief statement. In a mere six sentences it expresses the bedrock foundation of Christian belief regarding God. It doesn’t address all Christian doctrine, but states the fundamentals regarding God which one must believe in order to be a Christian.

It begins by focusing on God the Father, stating:

I believe in One God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

This first phrase, I believe in One God, is the foundation on which the rest of the creed—and in fact all of Christianity—stands. It states that as Christians, we declare that God exists. In doing so, we acknowledge a power beyond ourselves, outside of our control, that we can neither see nor touch. In declaring that God exists, we affirm that the physical world is not all there is.

One God

As noted in part one, by articulating belief in one God, the creed makes reference to the Shema, the Old Testament confession of Israel, which states Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.² This connection to the Shema indicates that if one wants to fully understand the belief that there is one God, they should become familiar with the story of God’s interactions with Israel in the Old Testament. It was through the actions of God on their behalf, the promises He made and kept, that the Hebrew people came to understand that their God was not just the “top god” among all of the other gods which non-Israelites in the region believed in, but rather that He was the only God of all the earth and all the peoples.

The late Old Testament Jewish understanding of monotheism, that there is only one God, carries on into the New Testament, which emphasizes the sovereignty of God over all people throughout the world, going far beyond Israel. In the book of Acts, the apostle Peter said,

Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.³

The apostle Paul made the point that God is the God of all of the earth:

Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.⁴

“The One God” is God of all the world.

In the second century, a Christian teacher named Marcion proposed the false idea that there were two Gods, and two realms of being—material and spiritual, with material being evil and spiritual being good. He considered the creator God of Israel as described in the Old Testament as being responsible for everything material, while the God of Jesus, described in the New Testament, has nothing to do with material reality, but is rather entirely spiritual. This doctrine was countered by the Christian teachers Irenaeus and Tertullian. It was in part because of this false doctrine of two Gods that the profession I believe in One God was included in the creed.

Father

The next phrase in the creed calls the One God the Father Almighty. In the Old Testament, the designation “father” was seldom used for God. This may have been because polytheistic religions often had a father god who begat other lesser gods within their family. When God is called Father in the Old Testament, the term is mostly used in reference to His being the father of the people of Israel.

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.⁵

I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.⁶

We also find God referred to as Father in the Old Testament in statements which focus on the honor and obedience that should be paid to Him.

A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name.⁷

Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?⁸

Elsewhere in the Old Testament, we find God called father in regard to His creation of humans.

O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.⁹

In the New Testament, “Father” becomes the main way of referring to God. We understand God’s fatherhood not just as His paternal relationship with humans, but more so as Father to His Son Jesus. We know God as Father, because Jesus calls Him Father, and reveals himself as God’s Son. Through the infilling of the Holy Spirit, we too can share in that father/son relationship through adoption.

You did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”¹⁰

Throughout the Gospel of Matthew, every statement involving God as Father came from the lips of Jesus, as it was His own designation for God. Eight times Jesus made the point that God is Father to the disciples by calling Him “your father in heaven,”¹¹ and another eight times He simply referred to God as “your Father.”¹²

Jesus also spoke of God as His own Father in a manner that was special and intimate, which clearly implied that God is His Father in a way that is not shared to the same degree by believers. He referred to the Father as “my Father in heaven” and “my Father,” and at one point He praised God as His father and declared His special relationship as “the Son.”

“I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”¹³

The apostle Paul also made the point that God is our Father.

Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.¹⁴

In calling God “the Father,” the creed briefly expresses what is stated throughout Scripture—that the title “Father” is rooted in the religious life of Israel, in the prayer life and teaching of Jesus, and in the experience and prayers of the first Christians. In saying God the Father, the creed states the way Jesus viewed and addressed God, and it is as Jesus’ Father that we address our God today. We can do so because the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.¹⁵

We approach God as a loving father who makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.¹⁶ He cares for even the most insignificant creatures.

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.¹⁷

He reveals His will to the little ones and the ignorant.

I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.¹⁸

He is our Father who knows what you need before you ask him,¹⁹ and who desires to bless those who love and seek Him.

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!²⁰

Almighty

Besides calling God “The Father,” the creed also states that He is Almighty, meaning all-powerful. When God revealed Himself to Abram ²¹ (Abraham) and later to Jacob,²² He said: “I am God Almighty.” Forty-eight times in the Old Testament He is referred to by others as the Almighty, and as Almighty God. The term Almighty means that God has infinite power, He can do all things, and He chooses to do certain things. Some Old Testament verses which point to God’s infinite power are:

Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?²³

I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.²⁴

He spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.²⁵

It is he who made the earth by his power.²⁶

(Of course, there are some things God cannot do. He cannot go against His nature and character, and He cannot lie, be tempted with evil, do wickedly, or pervert justice—as to do so would be inconsistent with God’s divine nature. He also can’t do things which are logically impossible, such as make a married bachelor or a square circle.²⁷)

In the New Testament, the term “Almighty” is only found once outside of the book of Revelation. Second Corinthians 6:17–18 says:

Go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.²⁸

In Revelation, “The Almighty” is used nine times, one of which is:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”²⁹

While God isn’t often called Almighty in the New Testament (outside of the book of Revelation), the idea of God being all-powerful is found throughout it. For example, in the garden of Gethsemane before His death, Jesus said,

“Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.”³⁰

The Angel Gabriel told Mary that she could conceive a child (Jesus) even though she was a virgin, because nothing will be impossible with God.³¹ When speaking about the difficulties of rich people entering the kingdom, Jesus stated

“What is impossible with men is possible with God.”³²

The apostle Paul pointed to creation as an example of the power of God.

His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.³³

He also pointed to God’s power in the work of saving the Jews and Greeks:

I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.³⁴

When writing about God’s promise to Abraham, Paul made reference to God, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.³⁵

(To be continued in Part Three.)

Note

Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

¹ The Creed—What Christians Believe and Why It Matters (New York: Doubleday, 2003).

² Deuteronomy 6:4.

³ Acts 10:34–35.

⁴ Romans 3:29–30.

⁵ Hosea 11:1.

⁶ Jeremiah 31:9.

⁷ Malachi 1:6.

⁸ Malachi 2:10.

⁹ Isaiah 64:8.

¹⁰ Romans 8:15.

¹¹ Matthew 5:16, 45, 48; 6:1, 14, 32; 7:11, 21.

¹² Matthew 6:4, 6, 8, 15, 18; 10:20, 29.

¹³ Matthew 11:25–27.

¹⁴ Galatians 4:6–7.

¹⁵ Romans 8:16.

¹⁶ Matthew 5:45.

¹⁷ Matthew 6:26.

¹⁸ Matthew 11:25.

¹⁹ Matthew 6:8.

²⁰ Matthew 7:11.

²¹ Genesis 17:1.

²² Genesis 35:10–11.

²³ Jeremiah 32:27.

²⁴ Job 42:2.

²⁵ Psalm 33:9.

²⁶ Jeremiah 10:12.

²⁷ See https://library.tfionline.com/?viewId=2524&treeId=20960

²⁸ 2 Corinthians 6:17–18.

²⁹ Revelation 1:8. See also Revelation 4:8, 11:17, 15:3, 16:7, 16:14, 19:6,15, 21:22.

³⁰ Mark 14:36.

³¹ Luke 1:37.

³² Luke 18:27.

³³ Romans 1:20.

³⁴ Romans 1:16.

³⁵ Romans 4:17.

The Creed (Part 01)

The Creed

Peter Amsterdam

2020-03-31

(Points for this article were taken from The Creed, by Luke Timothy Johnson.¹)

Throughout Christian history, various statements of belief have condensed the fundamental beliefs of the Christian faith into relatively short statements generally known as creeds. The word creed comes from the Latin word credo, which means “I believe.” Creeds, sometimes called confessions of faith or articles of faith, summarize in a formal statement the basic or essential beliefs of a particular denomination, or in some cases of Christianity overall.

The focus in this short series will be the creed commonly known as the Nicene Creed, written in AD 325 at the First Council of Nicaea. It was revised at the First Council of Constantinople in AD 381. The formal name of this creed is the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. It is an ecumenical creed, which means that it focuses on the beliefs regarding God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, that are accepted as true by all Christians. As such, it can be recited by all Christians, and is accepted by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and major Protestant churches.

The basis of the creed is found in the Old Testament proclamation by Moses known as the Shema:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”²

This was the foundational statement of faith of the Jewish people. That God is one is also clearly stated within the New Testament. When Jesus was asked which commandment was most important of all, He stated,

“The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”³

In the book of James we find,

You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!⁴

Because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, it became necessary for the first disciples, all of whom were Jewish, to alter their understanding of God. They saw Jesus’ miracles, heard His teaching, witnessed His death, and then saw Him alive once again, and this changed their understanding of who He was.

Jesus rising from the dead was a life-changing event for believers, which Scripture describes as having become a new creation.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.⁵

Neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.⁶

After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to heaven, the believers who had become new creations began to understand that Jesus was Christ, Lord, and Son of God. This understanding of Jesus’ deity caused a separation from the Jewish belief system.

If Jesus’ followers had only considered Him to be “the Christ,”⁷ which means the anointed one, the “Messiah,” they most likely wouldn’t have faced the opposition and persecution from Judaism that they did. Rather, His followers would have been seen as a messianic movement within Judaism, albeit a failed one, because of Jesus’ crucifixion.

The conviction which separated the early Christians from their fellow Jews was that Jesus is Lord. Christians were applying the name LORD, which in Judaism was reserved exclusively for the God of Israel, to Jesus, who in the eyes of the Jewish leadership was a convicted, crucified criminal.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.⁸

God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.⁹

Elsewhere, the apostle Paul states,

Although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”—yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.¹⁰

Paul maintains the supremacy of the Father as the one God, the Creator. However, he also expresses Jesus’ status and His function in a manner which points to both an equality with and subordination to God. He assigns the name God to the Father and “Lord” to Jesus, which ascribes divinity to both.

Having pointed to Jesus as Christ and as Lord, Paul then speaks of Jesus as the Son of God in light of His resurrection.

Concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.¹¹

Paul also quotes the words of Psalm 2:7,

I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.”¹²

In the book of Galatians, the apostle Paul refers to God who sends His Son, and he then refers to the Spirit of his Son.

When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”¹³

Here, the Spirit is recognized as different from God the Father and from the Son.

Elsewhere, Paul refers to the Holy Spirit as being both the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ:

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. … For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. … The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.¹⁴

Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. A core belief of Christianity is that there is one God and that He is tri-personal. God has interaction and a personal relationship between the different Persons within the being of God.¹⁵

While the Old Testament doesn’t specifically state that God is tri-personal, there are verses which allude to it.

Draw near to Me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there. And now the Lord God has sent Me, and His Spirit.¹⁶

Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name? Surely you know!¹⁷

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”¹⁸

Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.”¹⁹

Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.²⁰

I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”²¹

In the New Testament, the understanding that there are three Persons in the being of God became clear. As I wrote elsewhere,

The understanding of the three persons in one God became clearer in the New Testament because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the believers. The followers of Jesus came to understand that He was God, but was distinct from the Father, and that the Holy Spirit was also God, but was distinct from the Father and the Son. So it was in New Testament times that the truth of the Trinity unfolded and was revealed.²²

In the second century, Ignatius, the bishop of Antioch, wrote a number of letters to the churches in Asia Minor and Rome. In one of them, he wrote:

Be deaf, therefore, whenever anyone speaks to you apart from Jesus Christ, who is of the stock of David, who is of Mary, who was truly born, ate and drank, was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate, was truly crucified and died in the sight to the beings of heaven, of earth and the underworld, who was also truly raised from the dead.²³

He provided historical details about Jesus, such as naming David, Mary, and Pontius Pilate, and put an emphasis on Jesus being truly born, eating and drinking, being persecuted, and dying, to make the point that Jesus fully shared in the human condition.

Another early Christian writing, Justin Martyr’s First Apology 61, states that believers receive baptism “In the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit.” Then as the person was led to baptismal water, “there is pronounced over him who chooses to be born again, and has repented of his sin, the name of God the Father and Lord of the universe.” As they entered the water, the other names were invoked: “And in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and in the name of the Holy Spirit, who through the prophets foretold all things about Jesus, he who is illumined is washed.” This early baptism ritual brings the understanding that God is “Father and Lord of the universe,” Jesus is “Saviour,” and the Holy Spirit is the one who “through the prophets foretold all things about.”

The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed summarizes what the Bible teaches about the Trinity—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Subsequent articles will cover the text of the Creed phrase by phrase, but here is the Creed in its entirety.²⁴ (Some versions begin with “I believe” instead of “We believe.”)

We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.

(To be continued in Part Two.)

Note

¹ The Creed—What Christians Believe and Why It Matters (New York: Doubleday, 2003).

² Deuteronomy 6:4.

³ Mark 12:29–30.

⁴ James 2:19.

⁵ 2 Corinthians 5:16–17.

⁶ Galatians 6:15.

⁷ Mark 8:29.

⁸ Romans 10:9.

⁹ Philippians 2:9–11.

¹⁰ 1 Corinthians 8:5–6.

¹¹ Romans 1:3–4.

¹² Acts 13:33 quoting Psalm 2:7.

¹³ Galatians 4:4–6.

¹⁴ Romans 8:9–16.

¹⁵ See The Heart of It All: The Trinity (Part 1).

¹⁶ Isaiah 48:16.

¹⁷ Proverbs 30:4.

¹⁸ Genesis 1:26.

¹⁹ Genesis 3:22.

²⁰ Genesis 11:7.

²¹ Isaiah 6:8.

²² See The Heart of It All: The Trinity (Part 1).

²³ Letter to the Trallians 9:1–2.

²⁴ https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/creeds/nicene-creed

The Case for Christ: Evidence for the Resurrection

June 21, 2024

By Lee Strobel

Lee Strobel provides a case of the evidence of the resurrection to teach believers how to present this to non-believers. He also relates details of his personal testimony.

Run time for this video is 56 minutes.

https://youtu.be/rDgu3jXeCTM?si=rSFNgxT_CzrJj785

Instant Witnessing

June 20, 2024

By Maria Fontaine

Audio length: 10:32

Download Audio (9.6MB)

Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season.—2 Timothy 4:2

When Peter returned from a long trip, we went away to spend some time together. Since we couldn’t discontinue our work, we made it a “workation.” Even though we worked each day, the fact that we were in a different location in a pleasant setting made it restful for us.

We would take the evenings off to go for a relaxing walk, and most importantly, we tried to use those times to witness as much as we could. So while we were there we passed out tracts and tried to be a witness in whatever way we could, even in our brief contact with those whose paths crossed ours. We shared a few words of encouragement and prayer for a waiter who told us his mother was deathly sick in the hospital (and who the Lord raised up a couple of days later in answer to prayer), a “God bless you” and a tract for the taxi driver or shopkeeper, a smile (and more tracts) for those we met in the course of our walks.

We never left our apartment without tracts in our pocket, and we were always on the lookout for those whom the Lord wanted us to give one to or witness to. Even though we couldn’t do a lot of personal witnessing because of the constraints of time, we knew that the message in the tracts, combined with our reflection of the Lord’s love in our smiles and the words we exchanged, could go a long way.

Sometimes it’s easy to wonder whether the little witness you give here and there is really making a difference or having much of an impact on people. Sometimes you don’t even have a chance to see their reaction, and you just have to take it by faith that they will read the tract and hopefully will begin to ask questions about the meaning of life and start to seek the Lord, or draw closer to the Lord and receive Him as their Savior.

One evening while we were out, we met a group of young women who worked in nightclubs, and we gave them some tracts and a brief witness. Later we asked the Lord what effect, if any, our witness had had on them, as it didn’t seem like we’d done much. He gave us the following message that illustrates how important even our smiles and words of encouragement are, along with the Word we share, in this case in the form of tracts:

They were touched by My Spirit through your words of encouragement, your smiles, and your witness. They felt your compassion, your sincere interest in them, and they were drawn to My Spirit in you. They were eager to hear more, and the Word you shared with them will give them faith and encouragement, if they will receive it.

There are so many who are dying spiritually and living in a world of hopelessness where nothing satisfies. Some will receive the truth openly and eagerly, but not all will, for many are hardened and have received strong delusion. But there is hope for many who can be saved. As you reach out to people, spreading My love with words of encouragement, giving out tracts, smiling and acknowledging people, you are shining My light into the darkness, and offering My love and truth to those who will receive them.

(Maria:) The Lord wants us all to be faithful witnesses for Him, wherever we are and whatever else we’re doing. And something we can always do, no matter what, whether we have a lot of time or not, whether we speak the language or not, whether we are able to give an in-depth witness or not, is give people a tract. We shouldn’t underestimate the importance of giving people the written message and how far-reaching its effect can be.

There are so many stories about how a tract has changed someone’s life, brought them to Christ, and given them hope and encouragement to carry on. There is no one whom the Lord cannot reach with His Word.

Of course, we also need to be open to the Lord’s leadings about anyone that He might want us to talk to personally and spend time with. We can’t just be sowing seed; we also need to be willing to tenderly water and care for and nourish the seedlings that the Lord wants us to tend. On the other hand, we can’t get so busy with a few seedlings that we neglect the rest of the field that hasn’t even been sowed yet. It takes both.

If you witness, you won’t fail

Maybe you feel like you’re not much of a witness or you don’t feel you know how to express yourself very clearly or give people the answers that they are seeking. Maybe you feel that your answers are insufficient or inadequate. Maybe you feel that you’re not eloquent enough; you don’t have enough scriptures memorized; you’re not able to formulate good, clear answers based on the Word you know.

Our job and calling are to witness, preach the gospel, and share the good news of salvation in Jesus (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19–20). What matters is our faithfulness to His calling to witness, and if you are faithful to do so, you won’t fail! All we have to do is be willing and to “go,” and even if we feel that our presentation isn’t good enough, the Lord can use it to work in that person’s heart and bring them to Him. If you’re willing to be a channel of God’s love to others, He’ll shine through you. If you don’t feel like you’re eloquent or knowledgeable enough to be a good witness, don’t worry, because sometimes you might get more mileage out of your witness by just giving someone a tract.

The primary requisite is to be willing to be instant in season and out of season. You have to be willing to set aside whatever could hinder you from being an instant witness and determine in your heart that you’re not going to miss the Lord’s setups.

You may be on your way to take care of some important business and not able to talk to someone personally right then, but you always have time to witness to them by handing them a tract! There’s always time to give a tract, and I hope you carry some with you wherever you go. There’s always room for a few tracts in your pocket, purse, or pouch.

May we always remember that in all that we do, our primary task is to be a witness of the Lord’s love. The Lord has given us His truth and His Word. He’s poured out His love in abundant measure. We are called to not be “secluded in our own blessings,” but to reach out to the world around us with the truth that can transform their lives for eternity.

Each person you meet may be spiritually thirsty and in need, even if they don’t show it, or even if they pretend that they’re okay without it. Don’t pass up the opportunity to share what you have with them. The Lord sees when we give to others because the love of Christ compels us (2 Corinthians 5:14). He has promised to bless our efforts to fulfill His commission to reach the lost and the hungry with the gospel, even if we don’t see immediate fruit from our witness.

Dear Jesus, help us to be faithful to reach out to those in need, to those who we pass by and at times don’t pay attention to because we’re so busy with our own thoughts and our own affairs. Help us to not miss those opportunities that You place in front of us, which may seem insignificant to us, but could make all the difference in the world to someone else—a chance to get to know You and be touched by Your love.

Forgive us, Jesus, for the times that we fail to value the wealth of Your truth that You’ve entrusted us with, when we don’t realize how much others need it. Help us to be aware as we go through our day that everyone desperately needs You, and to not pass up a single chance to give to others. May we be more aware of others and concerned about their eternal destiny.

Help us to see people the way You do, with such great love and compassion. Your heart is broken for each of them, and You want our hearts to break for them as well. You came down and lived amongst the lowest of the low in order to show that Your love was for everyone. Help us to do the same.

Help us never to underestimate the privilege of being called and chosen by You and commissioned to bring Your love and truth to others. Help us to not become secluded in our blessings and to always remember that we are bought with a price, that we are not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).

You’ve commissioned us to show Your love to others, to give them a witness in some form whenever possible. May we be faithful to give tracts to the people we meet throughout our day, along with a word of cheer and encouragement, or whatever You show us that will touch their hearts. Give us Your heart of love, compassion, mercy, and humility. Your love didn’t fail us, Jesus; help our love not to fail others. Amen.

Are you doing your part to reach the lost? God bless and keep you as you continue to be an instant witness for Him!

Originally published July 1997. Adapted and republished June 2024. Read by Lenore Welsh.

Virtues for Christ-Followers: Peace

By Peter Amsterdam

June 11, 2024

The next virtue in our list is peace, which is rooted in our being in right relationship with God, made possible because of Jesus’ gift of salvation. Through salvation we find peace with God, which makes peace with ourselves and others possible. As we place God at the center of our lives and we entrust our lives into His care, we experience His peace, which is a fruit of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Peace is also the outworking of our trust in God and our confidence in His love for us. Jerry Bridges wrote that “Peace should be part of our character because God has promised us His peace, because He has commanded us to let peace rule in our lives and relationships, and because peace is a fruit of the Spirit and therefore an evidence of His working in our lives.”¹

In the “More Like Jesus” series, I wrote the following about the difference between biblical peace and peace in the absence of struggle:

We tend to feel at peace when things are going well; when we’re healthy, happy, doing well financially, and not facing any major challenges. But biblical peace goes far beyond the peace we experience when everything is running smoothly. It’s a steadying anchor even in turbulent waters. True peace transcends circumstances. It has to do with God’s presence with us, with living in His kingdom, letting Him reign in our lives, and trusting that He is our Father who loves us and always has our best interests at heart. We have peace because we have Him.

While we may have peace with God through salvation, this doesn’t necessarily mean we have the peace of God in our lives. Often we are robbed of peace because we worry and fret over fairly minor events or challenges. We try to deal with them ourselves, instead of bringing them before the Lord and casting our burdens upon Him in faith and trust that He is with us and cares for us. But Jesus promised that we could have peace in Him. We are to take heart in times of difficulty and uncertainty because Jesus has overcome the world. This awareness brings us peace, as we put our trust in the Lord.

God’s Peace: Shalom

Peace (shalom) is defined as a condition of freedom from disturbance, whether external or internal. It is not freedom of disturbance—meaning everything is without conflict or disturbance—but rather free from being overcome or distraught from the disturbance because of being confident in God’s promises given and His faithfulness to us.

Peace, then, is a state of mind in which the person may be in difficult circumstances, but is content, confident with hope, and in a state of being “at rest.” Being at peace means being “at rest”—experiencing God’s rest. When we are in God’s presence, allowing Him to be with us and work in us, He provides rest.

When we realize that we cannot earn or merit God’s favor on our own because of sin, we end the turmoil and strife in our inner spirit; we are no longer conflicted with warring against God or trying to work to gain His acceptance (Hebrews 4:9–10).

As a believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, He provides comfort (John 14:15–18; 2 Corinthians 1:3–4) and strength in our weaknesses (Romans 8:26). The Spirit will also bring to remembrance all that Jesus taught (John 16:13–14)—that He has all authority in and over all things so no matter what happens in or to our lives, He is in control, performing everything for our good (Romans 8:28).

He is always with us (Matthew 28:19–20), so we never experience our trials alone. We have nothing to fear (John 6:20) because He is the “I am,” eternal and present.

And we are eternally secure in Him (Romans 8:35–39), so we can never be separated from Him or His unconditional love for us, sealed by Jesus and secured through the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13–14). God’s Word (Jesus) is faithful, and He will perform all that He has promised to carry us through to the day of our redemption (Philippians 1:6).

No matter our circumstances, we can “think on these things” (Philippians 4:8), which leads us to still waters, where He restores our souls (Psalm 23:2–3), providing comfort and rest, which gives us peace in the midst of the storm (John 14:27; Philippians 4:7; Isaiah 26:3)…

Experiencing God’s peace, loving and serving others within the family of God, and outwardly demonstrating God’s love for others so that we can live peaceably with all people (Romans 12:18), we as believers experience and demonstrate God’s peace through the growing fruit of the Spirit in our lives.—Randy DeVaul ²

Jesus promised that we could have peace in Him. We are to take heart in times of difficulty and uncertainty because Jesus has overcome the world. This awareness brings us peace, as we put our trust in the Lord, which the following articles illustrate.

The Peace Jesus Gives

When you make room for Jesus, he gives you one of the greatest gifts: “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27 TLB).

The peace that comes from the world is totally circumstantial. If you have a good job, then you’re at peace. But if you lose your job, then you’re not at peace anymore. If you’ve got money in the bank, then you’re at peace. But when that money is gone, then you’re not at peace anymore.

Jesus gives you a different kind of peace. The Bible calls it “peace … which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).

What does that mean? It means you have peace when there’s no obvious or visible reason why you should be at peace. Everything around you could be in chaos, but for some unexplainable reason, you are at peace. That is the peace that surpasses understanding—and it can only come from Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Jesus wants to give you that kind of peace so you won’t be troubled or afraid.

Whenever Jesus walks into a room, he fills that room with peace. Do you have rooms in your heart that are full of worry, upset, anxiety, or fear? Those are the rooms you haven’t invited Jesus into. Your worries reveal the areas you have not given over to God. That could include your finances, your dating life, your career, your parenting, your schedule, or your ministry. Whatever it is, you have to let it go. You have to give it over to Jesus.

Here’s the only way you’re going to have real peace: Give every part of your life to God to use for his purpose. Then you’ll have peace that will stand up to all of life’s pressures.—Rick Warren ³

Do Not Be Afraid

“Do not be afraid” is the most frequent command in the Bible. … In the face of everyday fear, Jesus points to a lily, or a sparrow, and calmly says, Trust. Seek first the kingdom of heaven.

Trust does not eliminate the bad things that may happen, whatever sparked our fear in the first place. Trust simply finds a new outlet for anxiety and a new grounding for confidence: God. Let God worry about the worrisome details of life, most of which are out of my control anyway. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God,” Paul wrote. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7 NIV).

When I question the practicality of those words in view of all the terrible things that have happened to Jesus’ followers over the years, I remind myself that Paul wrote them from a Roman prison cell. God’s peace indeed “transcends all understanding.”—Philip Yancey ⁴

The remedy for fear and worry is to bring our cares to the Lord in prayer and trust that He knows all our troubles and that He loves us. The Bible doesn’t promise us that when we bring our burdens to Jesus we will always be delivered from them, but we are promised that He will sustain us with His peace. Once we’ve made our requests known to the Lord in prayer, we can have His peace. Our part is to pray for peace and trust in God for it, even in the midst of life’s storms, as the following articles illustrate:

Peace in Christ

Bethany Hamilton, one of the top female surfers in the world despite having only one arm, proclaims … that God can change tragic events into opportunities to glorify Himself.

In an “I Am Second” video, Hamilton recalls how she climbed back on her surfboard after only a month following her near fatal collision with a shark that bit off her left arm. By her third try, the then 13-year-old was able to ride the wave all the way back to the beach.

Within a “split second” around Halloween of 2003, a shark attack left the young Hamilton without her left arm. She had lost about 60 percent of her blood after the freak accident and recalls a paramedic on the way to the hospital whispering in her ear, “God will never leave you nor forsake you.”

“I just laid there and prayed the whole way in, asking God for help.”

But with a smile on her face, she recalls that she had a “sense of peace and calmness” despite missing her left arm and losing more than half her blood because she was “able to turn to Jesus during this crazy moment in my life.”

“I think that is the one thing that just kept me alive,” Hamilton states.—Jennifer Riley⁵

Paved with Prayer

Want to worry less? Then pray more. Rather than look forward in fear, look upward in faith. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:6 NLT). This command surprises no one. Regarding prayer, the Bible never blushes. Jesus taught people that “it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit” (Luke 18:1 MSG). Rather than worry about anything, “pray about everything.” Everything? Diaper changes and dates? Business meetings, broken bathtubs, procrastinations? Yes, pray about everything. The path to peace is paved with prayer. Less consternation, more supplication. Fewer anxious thoughts, more prayer-filled thoughts. And as you pray, the peace of God will guard your heart and mind.⁶

Believing prayer ushers in God’s peace. Not a random, nebulous, earthly peace, but his peace, imported from heaven. The same tranquility that marks the throne room, God offers to you. Do you think he battles anxiety? You suppose he ever wrings his hands or asks for antacids? Of course not. A problem is no more a challenge to God than a twig is to an elephant. God enjoys perfect peace because God enjoys perfect power. And he offers his peace to you. A peace that will “guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7 NLT). The Philippians, living in a garrison town, were accustomed to the Roman sentries maintaining their watch. God oversees your world. He monitors your life. Listen carefully and you will hear him say, “Everything is secure. You can rest now.”—Max Lucado ⁷

Recently I was battling a war against worry, given my recent pain levels. I happened to read these words by Francis of Assisi written hundreds of years ago. He said, “Be at peace. Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life; rather look to them with full hope as they arise. God, whose very own you are, will deliver you out of them. He has kept you in the past, and will lead you safely through all things, and when you cannot stand it, God will bury you in his arms. As it concerns tomorrow, he will either shield you from suffering or will give you unfailing strength to bear it.” That’s good advice, and I have no doubt God inspired Francis of Assisi to write those words—after all, it was Jesus who originally said, “Peace be with you.”—Joni Eareckson Tada ⁸

If we are to grow in the virtue of peace, we need to exercise our faith. The apostle Paul wrote: “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”⁹ It’s in communion with the Lord, abiding in Him, trusting Him, following Him, that we find the path of true peace. Our possessions, relationships, finances, or circumstances are not what bring us peace. Abiding in God, living His Word, trusting Him for everything, is how we find and live in the peace of God, which transcends all understanding.

Prayer for the Day

You are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat (Isaiah 25:4 NLT). Thank You for the peace You lavish upon all who put their trust in You, even in the midst of the hustle and bustle and the ups and downs of our daily lives.

Thank You, Lord, that You are the firm foundation upon which my life is built. You are the anchor that steadies my ship. You are the strong support beam that holds up my house—my life, my body, my spirit. You give me peace, faith, and rest. I know that no matter what happens in this life, You will hold me fast.¹⁰

Food for Thought

“Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble” (Psalm 119:165).

“Jesus didn’t promise to change the circumstances around us, but He did promise great peace and pure joy to those who would learn to believe that God actually controls all things.”—Merlin Carothers

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

“When we place God at the center of our lives, we find unexplainable joy, balance and peace.”—Brittany Ann

(To be continued.)

Note
Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

¹ Jerry Bridges, The Practice of Godliness (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2010), 175.

² https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/how-is-peace-a-fruit-of-the-spirit.html

³ https://pastorrick.com/how-to-fill-your-life-with-peace/

⁴ Philip Yancey, Rumors of Another World: What on Earth Are We Missing? (Nashville: Zondervan, 2009).

⁵ “One-Armed Surfing Star Bethany Hamilton on Trusting God,” Christian Post, March 23, 2011.

⁶ https://maxlucado.com/listen/the-path-to-peace/

⁷ https://maxlucado.com/listen/from-prayer-to-peace/

⁸ https://joniandfriends.org/1-minute-radio-program/peace-be-with-you/

⁹ Philippians 4:9.

¹⁰ From “Resting in You” and “A Firm Foundation,” To Jesus with Love, adapted.

Why Meekness Matters

June 18, 2024

A compilation

Audio length: 13:36

Download Audio (12.4MB)

Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). The word meek from the original language was used to describe reining in a stallion. It is the idea of a horse being controlled by a bit and bridle. The horse is choosing to submit to authority. That is meekness. It is power under constraint.

Meekness is not weakness; it is power under control. As the writer of Proverbs says, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city” (Proverbs 16:32). In contrast, the individual who is not gentle is likened to “a city that is broken into and without walls” (Proverbs 25:28). Gentleness always uses its resources appropriately, unlike the out-of-control emotions that so often are destructive and have no place in your life as a believer.

Pride has been redefined in American culture as a virtue. The strong, the beautiful, the powerful, the intelligent, and the privileged take every opportunity to put themselves forward. Politicians manifest pride in speeches and debates; entertainers glamorize pride in their movies and lifestyles; educators teach pride by emphasizing self-esteem and making every child a winner (whether they deserve it or not), and sports icons reinforce pride as the path to greatness.

Probably the least admired character quality in America is meekness. And yet the greatest Person who ever lived was a meek and humble man—“learn from Me, for I am gentle [meek] and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29). Jesus exemplified meekness during His first advent, even as He ministered in the power of God. Those who follow Him will also demonstrate meekness, or gentleness, as the fruit of a Spirit-filled life (Galatians 5:22). …

Gentleness characterizes our Lord Jesus Christ. He always defended God’s glory and ultimately gave Himself in sacrifice for others (see 1 Peter 2:21–23). Jesus didn’t lash back when criticized, slandered, or treated unjustly, but He did respond fittingly and firmly when God’s honor was profaned or His truth was perverted or neglected. He twice cleansed the Temple by force (Matthew 21:12–17; John 2:14–15), and He repeatedly and fearlessly denounced the hypocrisy of the Jewish religious leaders (Matthew 23:13–36; Mark 12:13–40; John 8:12–59).

When His time of suffering came, however, Jesus submitted to the will of His Father and endured the abuse and murderous intentions of the hypocritical leaders. He demonstrated meekness to the very end. “While being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23).

Although Jesus said, “Blessed [happy] are the meek,” we don’t celebrate meekness in our culture. Instead, we celebrate assertiveness. We celebrate getting things from other people, sometimes even taking advantage of other people. When is the last time you saw a movie that celebrated the virtue of meekness? …

How different this is from what the Bible teaches. The Bible celebrates meekness. The biblical worldview says last is first. Giving is receiving. Dying is living. Losing is finding. The least is the greatest. Meekness is a strength. The idea that we are living by God’s truth—not by what our culture says—should make us happy.—Christianity.com¹

Blessings for the meek

The apostle Peter tells us, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (1 Peter 5:5). And in Psalm 37:11, we are told that “the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.” Being meek and humble are character traits that greatly please God because it gives glory to Him—the one to whom the glory truly belongs.

The Bible tells us that “Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). Moses knew a secret: his power and anointing came from God. It couldn’t be taken away by humans. It was God who had ordained Moses, and it would be God who would defend Moses and enable him to play the role God had called him to. This enabled Moses to be gentle, meek, and humble, because he trusted that God was in control.

Jesus manifested the greatest meekness, which is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).

Jesus knew that we would find it difficult to be gentle, meek, and humble, so He gave us examples through His actions during His life on earth. For example, at the Last Supper, leading up to when Jesus would die for our redemption, He washed each of His disciples’ feet, taking on the duties of a servant (John 13:4–17). Jesus told His disciples that “if anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35).

To “be a servant of all” means placing the needs of others above our own. Having a servant’s heart gives us a humble and meek disposition. When we have this attitude, we are also gentle—whether or not we are physically stronger, more intelligent, or have more influence or privilege than somebody else—because we remember that God is the one who gave us these gifts in the first place.

When we are more aware of God in our lives, we depend on Him for strength, we realize that we are created by Him, and that our talents and abilities are gifts from God to be used for His glory and purpose—and this realization helps us to act with meekness, gentleness, and humility.—R. A. Watterson

Who are the meek?

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus opens with a series of statements known as the Beatitudes. The third Beatitude is “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Jesus’ words echo Psalm 37:11, which says, “The meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.” …

The Greek word translated “blessed” in this verse can also be translated “happy.” The idea is that a person will have joy if he or she is meek. The blessedness is from God’s perspective, not our own. It is a spiritual prosperity, not necessarily an earthly happiness.

Also, we must understand what “meek” means. The Greek word translated “meek” is praeis and refers to mildness, gentleness of spirit, or humility. … Meekness is humility toward God and toward others. … Meekness models the humility of Jesus Christ. … Being “in the very nature God,” Jesus had the right to do whatever He wanted, but, for our sake, He submitted to “death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6–8). That is the ultimate in meekness. …

It may seem counterintuitive, but Jesus’ promise stands—a meek person will be happy or blessed.—GotQuestions.org²

Meekness in the workplace

The third beatitude puzzles many people in the workplace, in part because they don’t understand what it means to be meek. Many assume the term means weak, tame, or deficient in courage. But the biblical understanding of meekness is power under control. In the Old Testament, Moses was described as the meekest man on earth (Numbers 12:3). Jesus described himself as “meek and lowly” (Matthew 11:28–29), which was consistent with his vigorous action in cleansing the temple (Matthew 21:12–13).

Power under God’s control means two things: (1) refusal to inflate our own self-estimation, and (2) reticence to assert ourselves for ourselves. Paul captures the first aspect perfectly in Romans 12:3. “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

Meek people see themselves as servants of God, not thinking more highly of themselves than they ought to think. To be meek is to accept our strengths and limitations for what they truly are, instead of constantly trying to portray ourselves in the best possible light. But it does not mean that we should deny our strengths and abilities.

When asked if he was the Messiah, Jesus replied, “The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me” (Matthew 11:4–6). He had neither an inflated self-image nor an inferiority complex, but a servant’s heart based on what Paul would later call “sober judgment” (Romans 12:3). …

In the fallen world, it seems to be the aggressive and the self-promoting who get ahead. … In the workplace, the arrogant and powerful seem to win, but in the end they lose. They don’t win in personal relationships. No one wants an arrogant, self-seeking friend. Men and women who are hungry for power are often lonely people. Nor do they win in financial security. They think they possess the world, but the world possesses them. The more money they have, the less financially secure they feel.

In contrast, Jesus said that the meek “will inherit the earth.” As we have seen, the earth has become the location of the kingdom of heaven. We tend to think of the kingdom of heaven as heaven, a place completely different (golden streets, gates of pearl, a mansion over the hilltop) from anything we know here. But God’s promise of the kingdom is a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1). Those who submit their power to God will inherit the perfect kingdom coming to earth.—Theology of Work, Bible Commentary³

Published on Anchor June 2024. Read by Jerry Paladino. Music by Michael Dooley.

¹ https://www.christianity.com/jesus/life-of-jesus/teaching-and-messages/who-are-the-meek.html

² https://www.gotquestions.org/blessed-are-the-meek.html

³ https://www.theologyofwork.org/new-testament/matthew/the-kingdom-of-heaven-at-work-in-us-matthew-5-7/the-beatitudes-matthew-51-12/blessed-are-the-meek-for-they-will-inherit-the-earth-matthew-55/

The Friend at Midnight

June 17, 2024

By Peter Amsterdam

Audio length: 11:02

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The Gospels provide us with some foundational teachings about prayer through both the examples of Jesus praying and what He taught about prayer. Luke groups together some of those teachings in his gospel in chapter 11. The chapter begins with Jesus praying, and when He is done, His disciples ask Him to teach them to pray. It was here that Jesus taught them to pray the Lord’s Prayer, also commonly referred to as “Our Father.”

Luke continues the theme of “teach us to pray” by moving into the parable of the friend at midnight. This is a short parable, immediately followed by a saying or poem that continues to teach about prayer. Let’s take a look at the parable.

And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs” (Luke 11:5–8).

Jesus begins this parable with a long rhetorical question, a question to which virtually every first-century Jewish person would answer, “Of course not!” He’s asking, “Can you imagine being approached by a neighbor at night who is asking to borrow some bread to feed an unexpected visitor, to whom you would reply, ‘The kids are in bed and the door is locked, so I can’t help you’?”

The answer is absolutely not. Hospitality in first-century Palestine was a deeply ingrained principle. In a village, hospitality was not only an individual requirement, but a community one as well. In this case, it was the duty of the sleeping man, no matter how inconvenient, to get out of bed to help the neighbor with the three loaves requested.

None of Jesus’ listeners would refuse to get out of bed, no matter what time it was, to help a neighbor in need. They all knew the importance of hospitality to visitors. No one would make such excuses as the children being asleep or the door being locked. Jesus knew that, and everyone listening knew it as well—which, as we’ll see, is one of the major points of the parable.

When the neighbor says, “A friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him,” it doesn’t necessarily mean that he has no food in his house. At the end of the parable, Jesus says the sleeping man will rise and give the neighbor whatever he needs. So it may be that even more than bread is given.

As for the sleeper’s concern about waking his children, peasant homes in that day consisted of one room, with the whole family sleeping on mats on the floor. Arising from bed, getting the bread, and unbolting the door would most likely awaken the whole family. But for a legitimate request such as the duty to put adequate food on the table so that the neighbor’s visitor could be shown proper hospitality, it was a given that such an inconvenience would be tolerated.

The parable started with the question “Which of you,” to which the listener would think, “No one.” Jesus then verbalizes the answer. He says that even though the sleeping man won’t rise and give the neighbor the bread because he’s a friend, he will do so because of the neighbor’s impudence.

Bible scholars debate the meaning of the Greek word, anaideia, which is translated as importunity in the King James Version and as persistence in many other translations. This is the only place in the Bible the word is used, and the word and how it’s used in the parable causes some difficulty in interpreting the story. The definition of anaideia is shamelessness or impudence, neither of which exactly means persistence or importunity.

When looking up the definitions of shamelessness and impudence, we see terms such as offensively bold behavior; assurance, accompanied with a disregard of the presence or opinions of others; lack of shame; forwardness. With this in mind, instead of seeing the neighbor needing to borrow bread as being persistent, we should see him as a person willing to risk being bothersome when there is a good reason, as one who has the assurance that even though waking up his neighbor will seem rude, his request will be granted. The man is asking boldly and without shame.

When looked at in light of the disciples’ initial request of “teach us to pray,” Jesus’ story encourages us to pray with boldness, to come before God without shame when asking for our needs.

A teaching technique used by Jewish rabbis was to teach from the lesser to the greater, meaning that if a conclusion applies in an easy case, it also applies in a more important one. Jesus used this method in relaying this parable: If the sleeping man will rise and respond to the request from his neighbor in need, then how much more will God answer our prayers when we bring our requests to Him?

This story of everyday life teaches us that God will answer prayer. He will rise up, as the sleeping man did, and will generously give us what we need. Jesus had just finished teaching His disciples the Lord’s Prayer, which includes the words “give us this day our daily bread,” and He followed it up with a parable about someone needing bread. The point being made is that we should boldly make our requests known to God and have the assurance that He will answer.

Jesus further makes this point in the next two verses, in which He says: “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11:9–10).

Following these two verses is the parable of the Father’s good gifts, which gives further information regarding prayer. This parable has a presentation similar to the one of the friend at midnight. It begins with a question: “What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?” (Luke 11:11–12).

The inferred answer would be that no father would do such a thing. No father would give his son a snake instead of a fish, a scorpion instead of an egg, or, as it says in Matthew’s Gospel, a stone for a loaf of bread. That would have been obvious to the listeners.

Jesus then finishes the parable with: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13). Here again, Jesus is using the lesser-to-greater technique. If an earthly father, who is evil in comparison to the perfection of God the Father, gives his children good gifts, how much more will God give the great gift of His Holy Spirit to those who ask?

If children who ask their parents for food won’t instead be given harmful things, how much more can we trust that God our Father, who is infinitely greater than all earthly parents, will give us good things in response to our prayers?—Including His presence in us through the Holy Spirit.

In conclusion, in chapter 11 Luke shines a light on a number of important prayer principles: that we need to come confidently before God in prayer, asking with boldness for our needs, with the knowing assurance that if we ask, we will receive, and if we knock, doors will be opened. Jesus also makes the point that if we can expect those who love and care for us—our parents—to give us our daily bread—food and other vital needs—then we can count on God, our heavenly Father, to do the same, and immensely more. We can come boldly before Him in prayer, knowing He will care for us.

Originally published September 2013. Adapted and republished June 2024. Read by John Laurence.

Activated Basic Course 1: Discovering Faith (part 1b)

2024-01-01

The Search for Meaning

Finding My Purpose

By Ruth Davidson

When I was a schoolgirl, I remember hearing a melancholic song that contained the lyrics “Why was I born; why am I living?” At the time, I couldn’t imagine why anyone would ask himself that question.

But as the years went by, I started to realize that everyone is looking for an answer, a reason for living. I could see that many people ask themselves questions like Why was I born? or What is my purpose?

Some people sadly go through their entire lives seeking answers to these questions without ever finding them. But once we look to our Creator and His plan for humankind, we can begin to see what we’re here for and what we should do with our lives. It’s when we look beyond ourselves to the truth of God’s Word in the Bible that we begin to understand what life is all about.

When our time on this earth has ended and God calls us to our eternal home, what will matter is our love for God and for others, manifested through kind and caring words and deeds.

Ruth Davidson (1939–2023) was a missionary to the Middle East, India, and South America for 25 years, and an author and contributor to the website thebibleforyou.com.

The Uniqueness of Jesus

To historians, the facts regarding Jesus are as definite and evident as those of Julius Caesar. Not only do we find an accurate portrait of Him in the documents of the New Testament, but dozens of ancient non-biblical manuscripts confirm that Jesus was a genuine historical figure who lived in Palestine in the early part of the first century.

If any adjective were to describe Jesus, it would be “unique.” His message was unique. The claims He made regarding Himself were unique. His miracles were unique. And the influence He has had on the world is unsurpassed by any other.

One very outstanding and undeniably unique aspect of Jesus’ life is that literally hundreds of detailed predictions and prophecies were made many centuries before He was born—specific details regarding His birth, life, and death—that no mere mortal man could possibly have fulfilled. In the Old Testament, over 300 such predictions about the “Messiah” or “Savior” can be found, written centuries before Jesus was born.

In 750 BC, the prophet Isaiah prophesied that “The Lord Himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Seven and a half centuries later, a young virgin in Israel named Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel, who announced to her that she would bear a son who would be called Emmanuel, which means “God with us.”

The New Testament tells us that “Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, seeing I have not lain with any man?’ And the angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God’” (Luke 1:34–35).

When Jesus began His life’s work, He went about everywhere doing good, helping people, loving children, healing heartaches, strengthening tired bodies, and bringing God’s love to all whom He could. He not only preached His message, but He lived it as one of us. He not only ministered to people’s spiritual needs, but He spent a great deal of time ministering to their physical and material needs, miraculously healing them, giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, cleansing lepers, raising the dead. He fed the crowds when they were hungry and did all He could to share His life and His love.

Just before He was arrested and crucified, knowing that He would soon be reunited with His heavenly Father, Jesus prayed: “Now, Father, glorify Me along with Yourself and restore Me to such majesty and honor in Your presence as I had with You before the world was made” (John 17:5).

The Son of God willingly stripped Himself of His unlimited power and became a tiny helpless infant. He left His throne in heaven where innumerable angels worshipped Him, where all the forces of the universe were at His command, and He took the place of a servant. He was scoffed at, ridiculed, persecuted, and ultimately killed by the very ones He came to save.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is “a high priest who is touched with the feeling of our weaknesses, for He was in all points tempted the same way we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Imagine! The Son of God literally became a citizen of this world, a member of humanity in order to redeem us with His love, provide a tangible expression of His compassion and concern, and help us to understand His truth.

Deep in their hearts, most people know that something is missing in their lives. Outwardly they may seem to have everything—money, position, family, friends, all the things that are supposed to make them happy—yet they still have an emptiness, a hunger that nothing really satisfies. Jesus said that He is the bread of life who would fulfill our heart’s “hunger and thirst” (John 6:35). The loneliness, emptiness, and dissatisfaction so common to the human experience can be replaced with lasting peace and joy when we come to Him.

Jesus and His life and teachings are universal. God sent His Son to show all men and women, all nations, all people, what He Himself is like, to freely bring us His great love and truth. In Jesus, the one thing necessary for the salvation and redemption of humankind happened in such a way that it never needs to happen again. It is for this reason that we can claim with certainty that for the greatest ailment of humanity, there is only one specific remedy—Jesus.

The historical facts regarding Jesus of Nazareth cannot be denied by anyone who seriously and open-mindedly examines them. In particular, there is no reason to doubt that after His death something incredible happened that transformed His tiny band of dejected followers into a company of witnesses that all the persecution of Imperial Rome could not stop. Downhearted and discouraged, their Lord cruelly crucified by His enemies, those disciples thought their hopes had died and their dreams had been shattered. But three days after Jesus’ death, their faith was rekindled in such a dramatic manner that no force on earth was able to quench it.

The New Testament tells us that Jesus personally appeared to over 500 eyewitnesses after His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6). This was the resounding message that His first disciples boldly proclaimed throughout the world, “God raised Him from the dead!” (Acts 13:30).

And that lowly handful of His original followers went on to tell the entire world the good news that God not only sent His Son into the world to teach us His truth and show us His love, but also that Jesus suffered death for our sake, and then rose from the grave. So we who know and believe in Him never need to fear death again, for we are saved and on our way to heaven, thanks to Jesus.

Getting to Know Jesus

By Rosane Pereira

I grew up in a Christian family, but when I was a teenager, feeling overwhelmed over the world’s problems caused me to start doubting my faith. When I was 18, though, my boyfriend was a firm believer. We had some discussions on faith, and he was so sincere that I started doubting my doubts.

One day, I took his New Testament, went to a big city park, and sat by a small lake. I started at the beginning, the Gospel of Matthew. When I got to the Sermon on the Mount, I was shocked! Those were the principles I wanted to live by; I just hadn’t seen them spelled out so clearly anywhere else.

I kept reading through the afternoon, passing from Gospel to Gospel. It was like a movie scene, where someone is so focused that everyone and everything else disappears. I was transported to the dusty roads of Galilee, the fishing villages, the temple, and I was one of Jesus’ disciples, eager to hear and see what He would say and do next.

Dusk descended as I read the last chapter of the Gospel of John. I walked home transformed, and all I wanted to do was find out how I could live what Jesus taught. A few months later, He showed me my life’s mission, and I have been trying my best to fulfill it since then.

Getting to know Jesus is the most important discovery anyone can make! Someone said that reading the Bible is like reading our own story, because we’re also part of that story, as it’s being played out in each of our lives. The best bit is that with Jesus in our hearts we know our story has a very happy ending!

Rosane Pereira is an English teacher and writer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and a member of the Family International.

The Gospel of John

The four Gospels of the New Testament—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—tell the beautiful story of Jesus’ life on earth. The fourth Gospel, the Gospel of John, contains the most words of Jesus and outlines His loving plan for your life. Following are some of the key passages and verses from the book of John which deserve special attention as you read and study:

Jesus: The Word of God, the True Light of the World.
Chapter 1, verses 1–18
Key verse • John 1:12: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

What does it mean to be “born again”?
Chapter 3, verses 1–21
Key verse • John 3:3: “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”

The woman at the well: “He told me everything I did.”
Chapter 4, verses 1–30
Key verse • John 4:24: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

All you can eat!—Jesus feeds 5,000.
Chapter 6, verses 1–13, 25–40
Key verse • John 6:35: “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’”

The Good Shepherd—An all-time favorite chapter.
Chapter 10, verses 1–30
Key verses • John 10:27–28: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Lazarus is raised from the dead.—How did it happen?
Chapter 11, verses 1–46
Key verse • John 11:25: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.’”

Jesus, the True Vine.
Chapter 15 (all)
Key verses • John 15:4–5: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me… Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Jesus’ last prayer, for love and unity.
Chapter 17 (all)
Key verses • John 17:22–23: “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (to be continued)

Change the World

David Brandt Berg

2011-02-25

I was listening to BBC this morning and they had a short inspirational talk by a religious director. He told the story of a man who was taking a walking tour of Southern France back in 1913 in the province of Provence.¹

A walking tour is where you hike with a backpack, sleeping bag, and so on, through the beautiful countryside scenery, the back roads, the backwoods of an area where most people don’t go.

You hike in areas where sometimes there aren’t even roads, only trails, and you stay in campsites provided by the government, or with local farmers, or sometimes at youth hostels.

This young man was about 20 when he took his walking tour of Provence, a very rural area at the time, as the story goes, a rather barren, desolate area too, because it had been almost totally denuded of trees due to overcutting and too-intensive agriculture.

Trees help to hold the moisture and soil of the land and protect it from the sun and too much drying out. To have any kind of successful agriculture, there must be trees to protect the earth and to shade it from the sun, protect it from the wind, hold the soil in place, and to deter floods.

This area had been almost totally denuded of trees and had therefore become overcultivated, and with no trees to hold it in place, the soil had washed away. It dried out and became barren and dry because there was nothing to protect it from the sun. It was no longer being farmed very much.

Even the wildlife had fled, because wildlife must have someplace to live and places of protected undergrowth. Without trees, there’s no undergrowth. Wildlife must eat, and without trees there’s no protection for the food that they must find. They must drink, but when land has been denuded of trees and holds no water, there are very few places to drink.

The villages were old and run-down and tumbledown and in a state of disrepair, and the villagers had deserted the countryside because of its condition.

The young man stopped one night at a humble cottage of an old shepherd, a gray-haired man in his mid-fifties, living in this tiny poor little cottage, but it was clean and simply furnished. The young man spent the night there enjoying the shepherd’s kind hospitality, and eventually stayed with him several days.

He observed with some curiosity that the shepherd was spending his evening hours by lamplight sorting nuts—acorns, hazelnuts, chestnuts, etc. He would very carefully and very seriously and soberly sort these nuts and lay them down in a row and compare them, and cull out the bad ones that he didn’t think were suitable. When he would finally finish the evening’s work, he’d put them in a knapsack bag.

Then, as he led his sheep to graze the next day, he would plant these nuts along the way. He would take his staff as his sheep were pasturing in one area, and with one eye on the sheep and one eye on what he was doing, he would walk along in a straight line for great distances within the view of his sheep.

He would walk for several paces and take his rod and thrust the end of it firmly into the earth, making a hole several inches deep, and drop in one of his nuts and use his foot to cover it over with earth. Then he would walk several paces more, push his rod into the dirt and drop in another nut. It was the same with acorns, chestnuts, hazelnuts, and various other kinds of nuts from various kinds of trees.

He spent his daylight hours walking for miles over this entire area of Provence as he grazed his sheep, each day covering a different area, planting these acorns and hazelnuts and chestnuts and various kinds of nuts from various kinds of trees in an area where there were no trees.

The young man wondered what in the world was the shepherd trying to do. So he asked him, “What are you doing anyway?”

And he told him, “Well, it’s obvious what I’m doing: I’m planting trees.”

The young visitor responded, “It will be years and years and years before these trees get to where they will do you any good! You might not even live long enough to see them grow!”

The shepherd replied, “Yes, but some day they’ll do somebody some good, and they’ll help to restore this dry land. I may never see it, but perhaps my children will see it.”

The young man marveled at this man’s foresight and vision and unselfishness, that he was willing to prepare the land for future generations though he might never see the results or reap the benefits himself! He was sowing the seeds from which future trees would spring to protect the future land for the future generations.

Twenty years later when he was in his forties, the young hiker again visited this same area and was astounded at what he saw! This one great valley was totally covered with a beautiful natural forest of all kinds of trees! They were young trees, of course—only 20 feet tall—but nevertheless trees.

Life had sprung forth all over the valley! The grass had begun to grow much greener, the shrubbery, and bushes and berries, the wildlife, etc. The farmers were cultivating the land again, growing crops again. The soil was moist again, and it seemed like the whole area had suddenly sprung to life compared to the barren, desolate waste that it had been when he had visited 20 years previously.

He wondered what ever happened to the old shepherd, and to his amazement he found that he was still alive—now about 75, hale and hearty, still in his little cottage sorting his nuts.

The visitor then learned that a delegation of the chamber of deputies from Paris, from the French government, had recently come down to see this new forest of trees, which to them looked like a miraculous new natural forest. But over the years it had been planted by this one shepherd, diligently planting his nuts day by day as he was watching his sheep. And now this whole valley, this whole area of the province, was covered with beautiful young trees!

The government was so impressed that they gave the old shepherd a state pension for having reforested this entire area single-handedly! The visitor, who was now in his forties, said he was amazed with the change, not only in the valley, in the beautiful trees, but also in the revived agriculture, the renewed wildlife, the birds, small animals, the verdure, the beautiful lush grass and shrubbery.

Now there were thriving little farms, and the villagers had fixed up their houses and cottages and repainted things as though they had new hope for the future, whereas many of the villages had previously been abandoned. Things had generally been run-down and in terrible condition when he had visited there 20 years before.

Now it was all thriving just because of one man’s foresight, one man’s diligence, one man’s patience, one man’s sacrifice, one man’s faithfulness just to do what one man could do, day by day, day in and day out for a number of years. The visitor had later learned that when he first visited him, the shepherd had already been doing this patient planting for several years.

One man made a whole area come alive and be beautiful again, restoring its economy, its wildlife, its agriculture, its water, its soil, and even its population. Its population had even grown because of the restoration of these trees.

So if sometimes you’re discouraged with the world and the way it is, don’t give up! We read that usually governments and armies and wars and great powers, great empires, change history and the face of the earth. So sometimes we’re discouraged and think, “Well, who am I? What can I do? It all seems so hopeless and impossible! It looks like there’s nothing that one person can do to change things for the better, so what’s the use of trying; what’s the use of doing anything?” And we’re tempted to just give up and let the world go to hell, which it seems to deserve!

But like this story of the humble shepherd, over a period of years one man can change the world! You may not be able to change the whole world, but you can change your part of the world. One shepherd, through faithful, diligent, sacrificial hard work, day by day, week by week, year after year, totally changed an entire area and restored it to life!

We may not be able to change the whole country—maybe we’ll not even be able to change our town, and certainly not all its citizens—but I know one thing: Day after day and year after year we have been planting the seeds of truth and God’s love in the hearts of others, and some of it is bound to spring forth into new lives, new trees!

Someday maybe there’ll be a whole new forest of new lives that will change our whole city! Maybe we won’t live to see it, maybe we won’t be here to see it and benefit from it ourselves and enjoy it, but perhaps our children will, or their children will, or their city will or their country will! We may not have changed the whole city or the whole country, much less the whole world, but we’ve changed a part of it.

If you have changed one life, you have changed a part of the world, and you have proven that there is hope that it all can be changed! If one life can be changed, it shows that there’s a possibility that more lives can be changed and many lives can be changed and whole areas can be redeemed and the world can be changed, starting even with one person, just one person—maybe you!

You say we can’t change the world? It’s too late, too bad, too big, too difficult? Well, why don’t you just try changing your part of the world? Why don’t you start with you—your own heart, your own mind, your own spirit, your own life. If you even change your life, you’ve changed a whole universe, the universe of your body, and the sphere in which you live. The place and very atmosphere around you will be changed if you change yourself by the power of God’s love!

You can start individually, personally, just you, maybe your own little family, planting seeds of love and truth, one by one, heart by heart, day by day, wherever you may be. Day by day constantly, faithfully, diligently, patiently plant seed by seed, heart by heart, life by life, dropping that little seed of the truth of God’s Word into that empty hole of an empty heart, then covering it up with the loving warmth of God’s love and trusting God’s Spirit, God’s great warm sunshine of His love and the water of His Word to bring forth the miracle of new life.

It may seem only a tiny little bud at first, just a little sprig, just one insignificant little green shoot. What is that to the great and mighty land? What is that to the forest that’s needed? Well, it’s a beginning. It’s the beginning of the miracle of new life, and it will thrive and grow and grow and become great and strong into a whole new tree, a whole new life, and maybe a whole new world! So why not try it?

You say you can’t change the world? Well, why don’t you try? Why don’t you try changing your part of the world, change your world, the world of your own life—your family, your home, your neighbors, your town, and let’s just see what might happen! You say, “What’s the use? I can’t do anything; I’m just one person. Who am I?”

Let me tell you, you can begin today to change the world! Some of you already have. Some of you have already changed a great deal of the world, the world of your own life, your own family, your own home, the lives and families and homes of others around you, your community, your town, and the countries to which you have gone. Town by town, city by city, you’ve planted the seed.

You can’t change the world? Oh yes you can! And if you’re faithful like the old shepherd that the government finally rewarded for his efforts, God is going to reward you one of these days when you come finally to your reward. He’s going to say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of the Lord!”²

You may not have always been successful, but you were faithful. You may not have been a big shot or somebody important, but you were a good and faithful servant; you served Him well and did a good job faithfully. You did what you were supposed to do, day by day, heart by heart. You planted the seed and you’re bound to reap a harvest.

It may not all grow. Some will fall on hard, stony ground. Some may be shallow and wither away under persecution and trial. Some may be choked out by the cares and riches of this world. But some is bound to fall on good ground and bring a good harvest, some thirty-fold, some sixty-fold, and some a hundred-fold!³

We not only can change the world but we are changing the world and we have changed the world! I know this much: I have changed the world in which I live! Are you changing yours?

Remember how the young man told the old shepherd, “But you’ll never live to see it; you’ll never benefit from it! You’ll probably never even live to see if you accomplished anything or not!”

Well, in this story the old shepherd lived to see his forest full-grown and beautiful, and a totally changed province! He lived to see that he had changed his world, and God blessed him with seeing the reward of all his hard labors. He lived to see what God had done through him!

So who knows? You may live to see the day when the world is changed and was changed through you! “Be not weary in well doing, for in due season ye shall reap if ye faint not.”⁴ Change the world! Hallelujah!

Only last night Maria was commenting on her conversation with a local musician, who said to her, “You’ve changed my life; you’ve changed me!”

And she spoke to me wonderingly, “How could I have changed him? I’ve only talked to him a few minutes a few different times! How could I have had that great of an effect in such a short time?”

There came to my memory a visit we had to the Russian exhibit at the Montreal World’s Fair when my mother was 80 years of age. We entered and suddenly the local director of the exhibit, a tall, fine, blond-haired young Russian leaped forward and offered a wheelchair to my mother!

Then on top of it, he volunteered to push her around the exhibit and show her things and explain them to her. So they became quite interested in each other and got in deep conversation while I wandered off looking at other things that I was interested in, all the mechanical exhibitions and the laser beams and the new inventions and spaceships of Russia and so on.

Meanwhile, he and my mother spent nearly two hours in intense conversation as he pushed her about the exhibit showing her various new gadgets. But apparently they talked about a lot more than just mechanical gadgets, because he bade us a fond farewell at the end of the two hours and said, “Please come again!” and was very cordial and hospitable and lovely and seemed very fond of my mother.

A few weeks later we received a letter in which he said, “You’ve changed my life! I have received Christ as you suggested. You have changed my whole way of thinking, my way of believing; you have changed me! So now what do I do?”

Her advice to that young man in essence was to change the world! Change the world you’re living in! Start now! Be a faithful witness and a testimony to what has happened to you where you are, what God’s love and truth have done for you, and you can start changing your part of the world! “Through one man’s obedience, many were made righteous.”⁵

Change the world! Start today! Change your own life, change your home, change your town, change your country! Change the world!

Originally published January 1977. Adapted and republished February 2011.
Read by Peter Amsterdam.

¹ “The Man Who Planted Trees,” by Jean Giono, published 1953.

² Matthew 25:21.

³ Mark 4:3–8.

⁴ Galatians 6:9.

⁵ Romans 5:19.

The Christian’s Warfare

June 14, 2024

By Dwight L. Moody

“When a battle is fought, all are anxious to know who are the victors. … When I was converted, I made this mistake: I thought the battle was already mine, the victory already won, the crown already in my grasp.

“I thought that old things had passed away, that all things had become new; that my old corrupt nature, the Adam life, was gone. But I found out, after serving Christ for a few months, that conversion was only like enlisting in the army, that there was a battle on hand, and that if I was to get a crown, I had to work for it and fight for it.”

Dwight L. Moody (1837–1899), with only a fifth-grade education, preached the gospel throughout the United States and Great Britain, leading hundreds of thousands of people to faith in Jesus Christ.

(Read the article here.)

https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/sermon-the-christians-warfare

Glorifying God with Our Words

June 13, 2024

Treasures

Audio length: 10:01

Download Audio (9.1MB)

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.—Psalm 19:14

The story has been told of a woman who did not like to hear the things her pastor would share with her. One day the pastor’s words were more than she could bear. It was the truth, but it made her so angry that she began to gossip about him and tell untrue stories about him. But the more she spoke the sadder she became, and at last she began to feel sorry for all the lies she had told.

Finally, in tears, the woman went to the pastor’s house to ask him to forgive her. “I have told so many lies about you,” she said. “Please forgive me.” He did not answer her for a long time. He seemed to be deep in thought and prayer. At last he said, “Yes, I forgive you. But I want you to do something for me.”

“Come with me up to the bell tower and I will show you,” he said, “but first I need to get something from my room.” When the pastor returned from his room, he carried a big feather pillow under his arm. The flustered woman could hardly keep from asking what the pillow was for and why they were going up to the bell tower. However, she kept silent until they finally reached the church bell tower.

From the tower, they could see far out into the countryside that stretched out beyond the village. Suddenly, without saying a word, the pastor ripped open the pillow and dumped all the feathers out the window. The wind and the breezes caught the feathers and carried them out onto the rooftops, into the streets, under cars, into trees, into backyards where the children were playing, and even out to the big highway, and farther still into the distance.

The pastor and the woman watched the feathers flutter away for some time. The pastor turned to the woman and said, “Now I want you to go and pick up all of those feathers for me.”

“Pick up all those feathers?” she gasped. “But that is impossible!”

“Yes, I know,” said the pastor. “Those feathers are like the stories you have told. What you have started, you cannot stop, even if you are sorry, as the winds of gossip have carried them everywhere. You can blow out a match, but you cannot blow out the great forest fire that one match can start!”

The tongue is an amazing part of the body, only about three or four inches long and a couple of inches wide, and yet it can wreak havoc with our relationships with others with unkind or bitter words, or by saying harsh, negative, or critical things to others. The Bible makes some strong statements regarding the power of the tongue: “Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell” (James 3:5–6).

But on the other hand, it says, “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life” (Proverbs 15:4). Our words can be inspired by God to bring life to others. We can comfort, strengthen, encourage, inspire, and uplift others with our tongues by speaking words of love, wisdom, and encouragement. We can share the truth of God’s Word and His plan for eternal salvation with others, which will be a tree of life.

The book of Proverbs in the Bible says that the tongue has the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21). The words formed by our tongues can bless or curse others; they can lift up or knock down; they can help or harm; they can discourage or minister hope and grace to others.

The old saying that “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me” is not a true saying. People’s lives have been ruined and permanently damaged due to malicious gossip, in extreme cases to the point of committing suicide. Most of us can remember times when we felt low and discouraged because of someone’s cruel, unkind words. And we have also likely wounded someone else at some point with our thoughtless, unkind words, perhaps unintentionally or intended in fun, but hurtful just the same, leaving a wound in someone’s heart.

How sad that we should ever wound a heart that may already be close to breaking, that may already be carrying a heavy burden that we don’t know about! Perhaps at that very moment they were longing for some kind word of encouragement, but instead our words wounded or discouraged.

So how can we guard against thoughtless unkind words that can leap so quickly from the lips? What can we do to tame our tongues? The Bible says, “For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue” (James 3:7–8). Only God can tame it.

The way to tame the tongue is allowing God to change our hearts, “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). If your heart is overflowing with God’s love, then the words of your mouth will be filled with love and compassion, because “God is love” (1 John 4:8).

When we receive Jesus as our Savior, we are born again and His Spirit dwells within us and works to transform us through the love of God (2 Corinthians 3:18). “I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees” (Ezekiel 36:26–27).

Jesus is the true source of love, kindness, goodness and compassion, and as you place Jesus at the center of your life, His Spirit in you will inspire you and even speak through you His wonderful words of love, light, and life to others. As you take time to faithfully read and study God’s Word in the Bible, His Word will abide in you and help you to grow in spirit. Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63).

As you spend time in prayer and in God’s presence, allowing the Holy Spirit to transform your heart and life, the words you speak will be filled with His love and kindness, and genuine concern for others. When you reach out to share the hope and truth we have in Jesus, your words will be imbued with a divine spark of life and power that can only come from the inner depths of the Holy Spirit dwelling within you.

The Bible says, “A man has joy in giving an apt reply, and a word spoken in due season (just at the right time), how good it is” (Proverbs 15:23). And “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver” (Proverbs 25:11). It is a wonderful gift to be able to speak words of love, hope, and encouragement to those who need them at just the right moment and in just the right way, with lasting effect—words of faith and comfort that will bear good fruit in people’s lives.

The key to glorifying God through your words is to open your heart to Jesus, commit your life, your hopes, and your future to Him, and ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit. “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). His Spirit will enable you to speak words of life and hope to others, so that your words will edify and “impart grace to the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29).

The Bible contains the most beautiful, loving, and profound words ever written, and as we allow them to abide in us, they will be able to flow forth to others. Jesus said, “Whoever believes in Me, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). May we give glory to God through our words and our deeds, and bring God’s message of hope and eternal life through faith in Jesus to others. “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer each person” (Colossians 4:6).

From an article in Treasures, published by the Family International in 1987. Adapted and republished June 2024. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.

Cocky or Confident?

June 12, 2024

By Nina Kole

There’s a fine line between cockiness and confidence. Someone who is cocky makes you want to avoid them, lest you be subjected to their tales of greatness and feats of accomplishments. They put others down and generally have to “best” anyone talking by coming up with equal or greater stories of their own.

Confidence is something quite different. I think the people whose company I most enjoy are those who are content with who they are; they know their own weaknesses and strengths and are appreciative of others’ talents and contributions. I find that confidence also comes through experiencing rough times and seeing the Lord come through for you. You realize that the good things about you really are only the Lord.

I was reading about Joseph the other day, and the stories of his life are some of my favorite Bible stories. Not only because his seeming tragedy has a happy ending, but also because it’s a story about how God can use someone to fulfill His purposes in a big way, even if they make mistakes.

Joseph was picked out as special, starting at a young age, and obviously his brothers didn’t appreciate it, especially when he started rubbing it in their faces (Genesis 37:3–10). His brothers sold him into slavery (Genesis 37:18–28), and he went from being at the top of his game (daddy’s favorite) to the lowest rung of society (a slave in the house of Potiphar). Before he was appointed to the head of Potiphar’s household, any confidence he had in himself and his place as his father’s preferred son most likely faded as he had to obey orders and perform the most menial jobs. And that wasn’t all; even after his glorified position as a slave, his reputation was marred by Potiphar’s wife, which resulted in his landing in prison and then really becoming the scum of society (Genesis 39).

Imagine being treated by your father as his favorite and receiving a dream of how great you’ll be one day, and how many wonderful things are in store for you, and probably feeling pretty good about yourself. Then one day everything gets taken away—not just physical things, but also things that are much more important than we sometimes know how to appreciate, such as respect, love, friends, family, and a place where you feel at home. You become a stranger and you have to prove yourself in everything you do. This didn’t happen just once to Joseph; it happened twice!

Joseph couldn’t place any confidence in himself or brag about his coat, his father, much less his position at Potiphar’s house (or even the warden position he acquired after being in prison for some time). All he could truly trust in was his faith that God had not abandoned him and that He had a plan and would help him get through the difficult times. The writer of Genesis gives such direct credit to the Lord for Joseph’s successes.

“But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper” (Genesis 39:21–23).

After interpreting the dreams of the butler and baker who were thrown into prison, Joseph accurately told them that the baker would die in three days and that the butler would return and work for Pharaoh after the same timeframe (Genesis 40). Joseph asked the butler to remember him when these things came to pass. “Yet,” Genesis 40:23 says, “the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.” He didn’t just forget him, he forgot him for two years!

Still, this didn’t shake Joseph’s faith in God. I think that at this point he was so aware of God’s care and direction that God saw he was ready to take on the praise-worthy role of being Pharaoh’s right-hand man.

Later, Joseph uses great wisdom and confidence when he interprets Pharaoh’s dream. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.”

And Joseph answers Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace” (Genesis 41:15–16). Joseph responds with that calm surety—that confidence—that you get when you truly learn to depend on God.

Joseph definitely experienced the lows and highs of life serving the Lord, which is something I think helps keep all of us in touch with reality. The best low-and-high experience I had was when I was living in Uganda and we went to work with the former child soldiers in Gulu, the same kids you see in the movie, Machine Gun Preacher.¹ We brought tons of donated food and showed the movie Jesus ² with a running Acholi translator. We had to use a generator to show the movie on a projector as there was no electricity.

We stayed in one of the “nicer” huts, which was literally a big mud circle of a concrete wall and a floor with an aluminum roof. The toilet was a separate little outhouse, complete with (what I counted one day) 18 spiders of all shapes and sizes. In the evening they brought us one jerry can of boiling hot water and one of cold water, and we had to mix it in a third bucket and take our showers behind the hut, under the stars in the junkyard. We ate a lot of interesting food, including trying a paste made of blended termites that they love to eat on bread. Not my favorite.

After a few days there, my friend and I had to rush back to Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Some good friends of ours—who were the directors of the main telecom company—were leaving Uganda and we were invited to their big good-bye function at the Sheraton with the who’s who of Uganda. We had to quickly wash off all the dust from the trip, change into evening gowns, and go mingle with ridiculously wealthy people. We went from blended termite paste to enjoying a multi-course dinner and watching the two biggest celebrity singers in the country perform. It was mind-boggling but awesome; picturing ourselves all covered in dust just hours before meant we couldn’t really let the VIP treatment go to our heads.

A lot of men and women of God went through pretty low times before they were ready to fulfill God’s calling in their lives. Like King David living in caves, running for his life (1 Samuel 22:1), or Daniel being abducted before becoming the personal counselor to several kings.³.

Paul said in Philippians, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need” (Philippians 4:11–12). In the very next verse he gives the secret to doing so, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). He knew it wasn’t his own strength or willpower.

There is a quote that I really like. It says, “God only uses broken men and women; no others will do.” How often do you want to open your heart or share your troubles with somebody who makes it a point to show you how wonderful they think they are? Even if they dole out helpful hints and tips on improving your situation, it can be a little hard to swallow, and you wonder if they truly understand your problems.

An easy way to check yourself to make sure that you’re portraying the Lord’s confidence rather than your own cockiness is to keep tabs on how many of your sentences start with the words “I” or “my.” If they pop up often, it’s an indication that you may be a little self-centered. Taking time to ask yourself, some trustworthy friends, and God whether you could stand to be a little less cocky, and then making the necessary changes, are good steps toward becoming the person that God wants you to be.

Cockiness often stems from insecurity and the need to prove yourself to others. The best part is that once you let go of that insecurity and place your security in the Lord, you’ll learn to be happy for others’ accomplishments and be a listening ear to others. And because of this, you’ll find people genuinely start to enjoy your company more, which in turn gives you the confidence to go out and fulfill God’s plan and purpose for your life, like Joseph did.

Adapted from a Just1Thing podcast, a Christian character-building resource for young people.

¹ Machine Gun Preacher (2011)

² Jesus (1999)

³ See the book of Daniel.

Don’t Give Up!—Try Again!

June 11, 2024

A compilation

Audio length: 10:07

Download Audio (9.2MB)

The opposite of giving up is perseverance or endurance—two qualities encouraged for believers (2 Thessalonians 1:4; Romans 5:3; James 1:3). … Galatians 6:9 encourages us to never give up: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

We may begin an endeavor gripped with passion to see it through, but after a while, when we don’t receive the results we expected or when people don’t appreciate our efforts, we can become discouraged. … God’s solution for discouragement is that the church “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Another factor that leads to people giving up is pride. … When we crash, our pride is wounded, and we often give up altogether rather than get up and try again. … Exhaustion can also lead to giving up. … [Jesus] continually ministered to others, while still prioritizing His relationship with the Father. Jesus often slipped away “while it was still dark” to spend time in prayer (Mark 1:35; Matthew 14:23; Luke 5:16).

Scripture exhorts us that, when we are on the path God has ordained for us, we are not to give up (Philippians 4:1; Galatians 5:1; Revelation 3:10). … Jesus persevered all the way to the cross. “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:3).—GotQuestions.org¹

Father God has asked you to go on a mission through life with Him. It’s not about how many souls you save or miracles you witness—it’s about doing life together. Never allow your personal circumstances, disappointments, or lack of understanding to cause you to make up your own ideas about God.

The thief wants us to stop believing, to shrink back, to quit, to get angry at God. He wants to steal, kill, and destroy, after all. He loves to make us discouraged about the trials and suffering we endure. But all Jesus followers can say, No way! Not today, Satan! We’re supposed to take heart because Jesus has overcome this world! We may be experiencing a battle, but He already won the war. His Holy Spirit is in us, giving us the hope and boldness we need to continue to live a life that pleases God. …

Faith believes when there is no reason to hope. Faith isn’t seeing, it’s believing. It never stops hoping. It never gives up. Faith is obeying God even when there are no results and believing the results are happening somewhere (maybe even just inside me, reminding me to turn to God as the ultimate source of provision for everything I need). So don’t give up on your miracle prayer. Keep hoping, keep believing, and keep trusting God’s timing. …

Never stop believing in a God who sent His Son to give His life so you could have life, and life to the full.—Sheri Yates²

Six-year-old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor. He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in a cup of milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the floor, which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten.

Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be something very good for Mom and Dad, but it was getting very bad. He didn’t know what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove, and he didn’t know how the stove worked! Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his pajamas dirty.

And just then he saw Dad standing at the door. Big crocodile tears welled up in Brandon’s eyes. All he wanted to do was something good, but he’d made a terrible mess. He was sure a scolding was coming. But his father just watched him. Then, walking through the mess, he picked up his crying son, hugged him and loved him, getting his own pajamas dirty in the process.

That’s how God deals with us.

We try to do something good in life, but it turns into a mess. Sometimes we just stand there in tears because we can’t think of anything else to do. That’s when God picks us up and loves us and forgives us, even though some of our mess gets all over Him.

But just because we might mess up, we can’t stop trying to “make pancakes” for God or for others. Sooner or later we’ll get it right, and then they’ll be glad we tried.—Author unknown³

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it’s the quiet voice at the end of the day whispering, “I will try again tomorrow.”—Mary Anne Radmacher

Progressing at a snail’s pace is still progress, and slow progress is better than no progress. Never be stagnant, and never give up.—Richelle E. Goodrich

It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.—Teddy Roosevelt

Many of us have gone through dry, desertlike experiences, wandering about in the spiritual wastelands of this world, feeling lost and seemingly separated from God. If you find yourself in such a state, instead of lamenting that you have somehow missed His will, keep on believing and praising the Lord. Encourage your faith with His Word. Repent of any wrongdoing and ask God to forgive you, so you can have another chance at His highest will for you. Then, like a bird whose pinion once was broken but now is healed, you may fly even higher than before.

Don’t ever quit! Don’t ever give up! Don’t be discouraged! Maybe you missed the first opportunity, but maybe you haven’t missed the last one.

Keep on believing, Jesus is near,
Keep on believing, there is nothing to fear,
Keep on believing, this is the way
Faith in the night as well as the day.⁴

Ask God for another chance, and He will send along another golden opportunity to encourage you and carry you along in the power of His Spirit to the glorious victory of your heavenly destination. Keep on holding on to His promises, and whatever you do, keep on going for Jesus!—David Brandt Berg

Published on Anchor June 2024. Read by Jerry Paladino. Music by Michael Fogarty.

¹ https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-giving-up.html

² https://finds.life.church/what-happens-when-youre-praying-for-a-miracle-and-you-dont-get-it

³ https://www.frtommylane.com/stories/God/forgiveness/pancakes.htm

⁴ “Keep On Believing,” Lucy M. Booth (1868–1953).

A Witness in Season and Out of Season

June 10, 2024

Words from Jesus

Audio length: 10:19

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My Words are spirit and life (John 6:63), and they have the power to reach the heart of a person to accomplish My will. They give courage to the laboring man who is struggling to make ends meet with the knowledge that I care and will answer prayer. They comfort the broken hearts of the widow and the grieving with the balm of My love. They give the lonely a touch of My love. They help the confused to see more clearly. They give the afflicted hope.

There is no one who is searching for Me that I will not reach in some way. I know My sheep and I will make Myself known to them if they are seeking Me.

Just a simple tract or piece of literature can change someone’s life for eternity. When you hand a tract to that person who passes you on the street, you could literally be saving their life. Maybe you don’t have time to talk to them or you don’t speak their language. But if you’re faithful to hand them a tract, you have played a part in giving them a chance to know Me and find eternal salvation. You have no idea what problems that man or woman might be facing, but with each tract you give out, the seeds of My Word can be planted to give them comfort and hope.

Never underestimate the power of My Word in printed form. You don’t always have to have an in-depth conversation with people to be an effective witness, because My words will speak to them. A tract that you give to a receptive soul is never wasted. You’re giving water to a parched soul and turning the light on in the darkness of someone’s life.

You can’t gauge the effectiveness of your witness by their immediate reaction or their outward appearance. There are many reasons why someone might not look like they are too interested or paying much attention at the time. But there are many people who can testify that the reason they are saved is because one of My children gave them a tract. You can have a great part in My salvation plan by planting the seeds.

An ambassador of the Lord’s love

I have called each of you to be a witness of My love and truth to the people that you meet. Each person whose path you cross could be someone who is seeking for answers and longing for My love and truth. You are My ambassadors through whom I wish to offer My love and truth, whether it’s through a smile, a word of encouragement, a kind action, a tract, or a witness.

You often cannot see what effect your witness has on a person, as some people do not show this outwardly, but it will have an effect. It gives them an opportunity to make a choice to seek after Me and learn more, or to reject My way. As you go forth sowing the seeds of My Word, these will take root in receptive hearts and bear eternal fruit.

Every person is precious to Me. Some people may appear to have little worth in the eyes of the world; they may be despised or sick or have no one who cares for them. But I care for them, and My heart is broken for them. I wish to show them My love, and you are My hands, My feet, and My voice to speak words of comfort and encouragement. I work through you as My ambassadors of hope to a lost world.

I would that My children everywhere be ready, instant in season and out of season, to share My love and My Word with those they meet.

Reaching everyone everywhere

I am the God of the universe, the Creator of all things, both great and small, and yet I came to this earth to minister to all people—even to the lowliest of people who had no value or worth in the eyes of the world. Even so have I sent you (John 20:21).

When you walk through the world as My messengers, I walk with you and My Spirit works through you to reach the lost, the broken, the forsaken, and the marginalized. When you stop to help an elderly man or woman across the street and give them a tract, I am with you. When you take a moment to encourage people who are begging and give them a coin and a tract, you have done it as unto Me (Matthew 25:40).

When you smile at the bus driver and show him appreciation for his faithful labors as a servant of the city, My Spirit works through you. When you express your appreciation to the cashiers for the job they do day after day and you give them a tract, you do so for Me.

When you take a few minutes to encourage your neighbors and empathize with their problems and pray for them, you water the seeds of My Word planted in their hearts. When you reach out to that person sitting beside you in the waiting room at the doctor’s office and strike up a conversation and help to calm their fears and reassure them, and give them a tract, they receive a touch of My love.

There are many times throughout the day when you have the opportunity to be a vessel of My love and a carrier of My words to those in need. If you are attentive to the needs of those around you and the opportunities to be My messenger, I will work through your witness to touch the hearts of those who will receive Me. I will bless your faithfulness to be My messenger and to seek and to save those who are lost and broken, and to care for the needy.

As you reach out to people and feel the heartbreak and the pain of those without hope, I will be with you. As you give of your time, strength, and resources to those in need, no matter who they are, and are moved with My compassion for them, you have done it as unto Me (Matthew 25:40). And when your time on earth is finished, you will hear My “well done, good and faithful servant,” and you will enter into My joy forever (Matthew 25:21).

If you witness, you won’t fail

Your witness is never lost. The words of encouragement and truth that you share with people are not wasted. You might think that your explanation wasn’t good enough, powerful enough, or clear enough, but your witness will accomplish My purpose. The words that you say, the answers you give, your encouragement and smile go a long way to water the ground of people’s hearts.

Don’t worry if you don’t feel you have a good enough answer to someone’s question. Do your best and trust that My Spirit will work through your witness, and the Word that you have stored in your heart will come to the fore. It takes time to prepare to answer people’s questions and challenges. But once you know the questions people are asking, you can research My Word and other sources for answers and be better prepared for the next time. The more you witness to people personally, the more you will learn how to answer their questions directly and personally.

Witnessing never fails, and even if later you feel you could have given a better answer, you are a voice of faith whenever you speak about Me and My Word, and your witness rings loud and clear in people’s minds. Your desire to give good, clear answers motivates you to seek Me and study to be a tried-and-true worker able to teach the word of truth correctly (2 Timothy 2:15).

No one who is faithful to witness and share My Word with others is a failure. You don’t have to have all the answers to be a faithful witness. And as you are faithful to do your part to reach people with the truth, you will grow in wisdom and love.

Originally published July 1997. Adapted and republished June 2024. Read by Jon Marc. Music by Michael Dooley.

Activated Basic Course 1: Discovering Faith (part 1)

2024-01-01

The Search for Meaning

Editor’s Introduction

What is life all about? What am I here for? Is there a purpose, a plan for me? And if so, what is it? Questions such as these have stirred the soul and imagination of humankind throughout the ages. Regardless of our nationality, social status, ethnicity, or creed, people the world over seek the same things—truth, meaning, love, happiness, and peace of mind.

In today’s ever-changing and increasingly complex and fast-paced interconnected world, more and more people find themselves caught up in the frenzied rush to become successful or make ends meet financially. They often have little time to ponder seemingly abstract matters such as the meaning of life or the eternal destiny of their own souls.

But as the years pass, people often find that the pressures of life and trying to meet all their commitments have filled them with stress and anxiety, not peace or satisfaction. This world and all its material goods and fleeting pleasures can never answer the big questions of life. Material things may satisfy temporarily, but they can never satisfy the eternal longing of the soul for truth, purpose, and meaning.

When a personal crisis or tragedy strikes—an unexpected accident or critical illness, a death in the family, a great personal loss of any kind—all the achievements and goods of this world can do little to bring or restore hope. It is during such times that people frequently realize that the true values of life—love, purpose, and eternal destiny—are what ultimately matter.

The Bible tells us that God is a loving Father who loves each human being uniquely and created this beautiful world. As the divine Creator, God is the only one who can give meaning to the universe, purpose to the planets, love to our hearts, peace to our minds, rest to our spirits, and joy to our souls. Through belief in Jesus Christ, we become God’s children. He communes with us, abides in us, and loves us.

We encourage you to learn more about God, His love for humanity, and His plan for your life in this series of Activated magazines. This series will cover core topics foundational to growing your faith, forging a relationship with God, studying His Word in the Bible, and sharing your faith with others. We pray that this Activated Basic Course will be a blessing to you in your faith journey!

A Personal God

Some of the world’s major religions do not believe in or worship a personal God. Instead, He is viewed as a sort of supreme reality or ultimate principle underlying the universe. In this concept of God, He is usually perceived as a being who remains rather distant and aloof from human needs and circumstances. However, the Bible tells us that God is very personally concerned about each one of us, and that as a father shows compassion on his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who love Him (Psalm 103:13).

Other religions, recognizing the marvelous wonder and balance of nature, have concluded that the physical creation itself must be God, and that everything we see is a manifestation or part of God. Because He is the great power who has created all things, in a sense God is a part of all things and all things are a part of Him, from the vast galaxies of the heavens to the cohesive power of the tiniest atom. But the Bible tells us that we can worship and personally know the Creator and have a living relationship with God Himself.

God is not some faraway uninterested being. He is a God who is personal, who desires to have a relationship with each of us, His creation. He has made Himself known to us through His Word in the Bible. He is our heavenly Father, who loves us and is interested in us as individuals.

God doesn’t want us to suffer separation from Him. Our hearts can never be truly satisfied without knowing God and His love, for God is love (1 John 4:8). To help us to know Him and to bring us His everlasting life and salvation, He sent His own Son, Jesus, to earth over 2,000 years ago. Jesus was miraculously conceived by the Spirit of God and became a living representation of God, so that we could see what the great invisible Creator is like. And that picture is of a God of love, for Jesus went everywhere doing good, helping others, and teaching about God’s great love for us all.

Once Jesus had completed His task of proclaiming the good news of salvation to the world, He gave His life on the cross for the sins of all humankind. Three days after His lifeless body was laid to rest in the grave, Jesus arose from the dead, conquering death and hell forever. “For God so loved the world (you and me) that He gave His only Son (Jesus), that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Who Is Jesus?

Jesus came to earth as a helpless baby, born to a humble young woman who miraculously conceived the child, having never been with any man! In fact, the news of her pregnancy was so shocking that when the man to whom she was engaged to be married learned about it, he promptly decided to break the engagement.—Until a powerful angel intervened and instructed him to stay with her and protect and care for this special child that she was carrying.

Although ordained and predestined to be the King of kings, Jesus was not born in a palace with the honor and praise of the establishment. Instead, He was born on the dirty floor of a barn amidst the cattle and the donkeys, wrapped in rags, and laid to rest in the animals’ feed-trough.

Though His birth brought no great fanfare or recognition from the institutions of men, that night on a nearby hillside, some poor shepherds were awestruck as a brilliant light shone in the starry sky and a host of heavenly angels filled the night with their joyful declaration: “Glory to God in the highest! Peace on earth to men of good will! For unto you this day is born a Savior, Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11–14 KJV).

His earthly father was a carpenter, a humble hewer of wood. Jesus conformed to our human ways of life, customs, and language so that He might understand and communicate with us within our limited human understanding. He saw people’s suffering and had great compassion for them.

When He began His life’s work, He went about everywhere doing good. He not only preached His message of love and truth, but He lived it. He not only ministered to people’s spiritual needs, but He cared for their physical and material needs, miraculously healing people when they were sick, feeding them when they were hungry, and sharing His life and His love with them. Throughout His ministry He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, cleansed lepers, and raised the dead.

He made Himself of no reputation (Philippians 2:7 NKJV), and was accused of being a companion of drunks, prostitutes, and sinners, the outcasts and downtrodden of society. He even said that those people would enter the kingdom of heaven before the religious leaders who rejected Him and His message of truth and love.

As His message of love spread and His followers multiplied, the leaders of the established religion realized what a threat Jesus had become to them. They finally had Him arrested and brought to trial on false charges of sedition and subversion. Although the Roman governor found Jesus to be innocent, he was pressured and persuaded by these religionists to execute Him.

Just prior to His arrest, Jesus had said, “They couldn’t even touch Me without My Father’s permission. If I would but raise My little finger, He would send legions of angels to rescue Me!” (Matthew 26:53). Instead, He chose to die, to save you and me. Nobody took His life from Him. He laid it down; He gave His life of His own free will and accord.

But even His death did not satisfy His enemies. To ensure that His followers couldn’t steal His body and claim He had come back to life, they placed a huge stone over the door of His tomb and posted a detachment of Roman soldiers there to guard it.—A scheme that proved futile, as these same guards became eyewitnesses to the greatest miracle of all, as three days after His lifeless body was laid to rest in that cold tomb, Jesus rose from the dead, the victor over death and hell forever!

Since that miraculous day over 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ has done more to change history and the course of civilization and the condition of humankind than any other leader, group, government, or empire. He has saved billions from the fear and uncertainty of a hopeless death and has given eternal life and the love of God to all who call upon His name.

Jesus Christ is not a mere philosopher, teacher, rabbi or guru, or even a prophet. He is the Son of God. God, the great Creator, is all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere and in everything—far beyond our limited human comprehension. The Bible tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8), and because He so loved the world, He sent His Son Jesus, in the form of a man, to show us what He Himself is like and to bring us to Himself.

Jesus is the only one who died for the sins of the world and rose from the dead. He’s the only Savior. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

How can you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ really is the Son of God, the way to salvation? Sincerely ask Him to reveal Himself to you. He’s real and He loves you—so much so that He died for you and suffered for your sins, so that you would not have to, if you’ll receive Him and His free gift of eternal life.

One Solitary Life That Changed the World

By James A. Francis (1864–1928)

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty, and then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.

He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never owned a home. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put his foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He never did one of the things that contemporary society would consider a sign of greatness. He had no credentials but Himself. He had nothing of this world, only the power of His divine manhood. While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him.

His friends ran away. One of them denied Him; another betrayed Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth—His coat. When He was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today He is the centerpiece of the human race, the greatest source of guidance and divine inspiration. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as that one solitary life—Jesus!

Why Did Jesus Die?

Why would the Lord of the universe, God in the flesh, allow Himself to be captured, falsely accused, tried and condemned, whipped, stripped, and nailed to a cross like a common criminal? The answer is simple: Because He loved you and me!

All of us at times have done wrong and been unloving and unkind to others. The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The worst thing about our sins is that they separate us from God, who is absolutely sinless and perfect. In order to bring us to God, Jesus, the sinless Son of God, took the sins of all mankind upon Himself. He took the punishment for our sins and suffered the horrible pain of death by crucifixion. He died the death of a sinner that through His sacrifice, we might find forgiveness and freedom from our sins.

Meet the Man

If you haven’t yet met Jesus or received His forgiveness and gift of eternal life, you can personally receive Jesus into your heart and life by sincerely praying this prayer:

Dear Jesus, please forgive me for all my sins. I believe You are the Son of God and that You died for me, and I ask You to come into my life. I open the door and I invite You into my heart. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit, and help me to tell others about You so that they may come to know You too. Amen. (To be continued)

Out of This World (part 4)

David Brandt Berg

For the unsaved

What about the unsaved, those who haven’t received Jesus’ forgiveness and free gift of eternal life? Is all of mankind divided into just two classes like most religious leaders and church theologians teach? Are all the rest of the people going to go to an eternal burning, torturing, unending hellfire, where there’s no difference in punishment or reward?

If that were true, then God would be a monster. Someone once told me, “I couldn’t believe in a God that’s going to send everybody to hell forever, people that never even had a chance to hear about Jesus, little babies and ignorant natives and the millions of people of different religions who are fairly righteous and are trying to do the best they know how, living up to whatever light they’ve got. I just can’t believe in such a God.”

I replied, “I agree with you. I don’t believe in such a God either.” For I am personally convinced, from my own study of the Scriptures and people and the nature of God, that God has made some other provision for the ignorant unsaved, those who never heard, the unevangelized unsaved.

In the 21st and 22nd chapters of Revelation, you will discover that not only are the saved living inside of the eternal city of the blessed, but there are also people living outside. Only the saved can go into the Heavenly City, although the “kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it” (Revelation 21:24). Who are these “kings of the earth”?

We’re also told that in the city is “the tree of life … And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2). What nations? If there’s not going to be any more pain or death or sickness, sorrow or crying, then what in the world are the leaves of the trees and why do they have to be used for the healing of the nations? Why is healing needed for anybody when there’s not supposed to be any more pain, death, sickness or sorrow and so on?

To me, the answer is apparent. These kings and nations outside the city that need healing are a class of people who are not in hell, not in the Lake of Fire, which the Bible says is in the center of the earth, nor are they the born again, the Bride, those who enter and enjoy the Heavenly City. I believe that this is the provision God has made for those who perhaps never had a chance, never had a choice, never heard of Jesus, never rejected Him because they never really heard about Him. If we’re going to rule and reign with the Lord forever, as Revelation 22:5 says, who are we going to rule over?

I’m not saying that there is no hell, or that no one is going to go there, because the 21st chapter of Revelation makes it quite clear that the most wicked “shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). But in the next chapter, Revelation 22, it even says that some people, who sound just like the type who were cast into the Lake of Fire, will also be living outside the city (Revelation 22:15). So apparently the Lake of Fire is where the wicked go to get purged from their sins, or at least purged out enough to let them eventually come and live outside the city.

It will be a better world then, with better people who have learned their lessons of the law of the love of God. And they will be happier than ever before, because at last they will be purged and purified of their sins of rebellion against Him, and healed by the leaves of the trees of life, which we shall minister to them from where they grow by the River of Life within the city.

—Spirits in prison

If there was no hope for the unsaved, and they were all eternally doomed to a fiery torment, then why did Jesus Himself, while spending three days and nights in the heart of the earth between His crucifixion and resurrection, waste his time “preaching unto the spirits in prison” if there was no hope of their salvation, as described in 1 Peter 3:19–22? And why does Peter go on to say in 4:6 that “for this cause was the Gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit”?

Jesus went down to hell, and He preached to the spirits that were in prison there. He gave them the Gospel of deliverance. What for? Just as a matter of information so they could be all the more miserable for the rest of eternity in an eternal hell?

If there was no hope for them, why then did He preach to them? Why should He tell them how to get saved if they couldn’t get saved? How do we know but what maybe they had never heard and He was giving them their first chance?

In an Old Testament Scripture that confirms this and apparently refers to these same spirits, God says to His Son, “by the blood of thy covenant (Jesus’ sacrifice) I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit where is no water” (Zechariah 9:11). Jesus saves!

I’m looking forward to the day when everybody, or at least almost everybody, will be saved—at least there won’t be many left in hell, if any, and I think that’s when God will be satisfied too. But that’s a long way off. We’ve still got a lot to do. We haven’t just a few years of our time on this earth—we’ve got thousands to go!

The afterlife

After Jesus’ Second Coming, we will have been resurrected, translated, and changed, and we will have supernatural bodies, thank God. We’ll have spiritual bodies like the Lord had when He was resurrected. He could materialize or dematerialize, and we will have the same power. Think of that! He could pass from one dimension to the other through locked doors and solid walls. This will be a great advantage in being officers of the law and law enforcers, governors and so on, ruling in love over the villagers of this world who live outside of the Heavenly City. (See Luke 24:31–43,51; John 20:19–29; 1 John 3:2; 1 Corinthians 15:50–53.)

So heaven is not the end: it’s only the beginning! God only knows how much more we’ll have to conquer after we’ve conquered the earth and all the souls who have ever lived on it and all the problems. Who knows what other worlds we may have to conquer, what other universes we may yet have to learn to rule.

My idea of heaven is not floating around on a cloud strumming a harp all day long. And it doesn’t seem to be God’s idea of heaven either. His universe is full of movement, and He’ll never stop. We’ll go right on through the coming of Christ and the Millennium and the Heavenly City and right on out to outer space, and God only knows how far we all have to go. We’ll enjoy every minute of it if we’re faithful servants.

We’re a long way from the end. Eternity has no end!

Conclusion

Most people seem to think that God’s spiritual kingdom is some fancy place somewhere in outer space called heaven, only to be reached when you die, if you’ve been good enough while on earth. But Jesus Himself proved this to be a misconception when He said, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20–21).

We don’t have to wait till we die to enter it. In fact, it has already entered you if you have Jesus and are filled with His Holy Spirit—and right now you can experience all of its exciting sights, sounds, visions, voices, and even resultant physical thrills—and many other ecstatic joys of the spirit world, the world of His Spirit, where God Himself dwells.

To enter his spiritual kingdom is so simple to do that Jesus Himself said that you must first become as a little child. “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). He even said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

What Jesus meant by this, plain and simple, was that we cannot save ourselves by our own works, our own goodness, our own attempts to keep His laws and to love Him, or even our own endeavors to find and follow His truth. He was saying that salvation is a gift of God performed by a miraculous transformation of our lives when we accept His truth in the love of His Son Jesus by the work of God’s Spirit. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saves us” (Titus 3:5). All we have to do is receive Him. “As many as received Him (into their hearts), to them gave He power to become the sons (or children) of God” (John 1:12).

“For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9). So you cannot save yourself, no matter how good you try to be. You can’t be good enough, you can’t be perfect enough to earn merit or deserve His holy salvation by His grace, love, and mercy.

For “all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; but God hath laid on Him (Jesus, His own Son) the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). God loved us so much, He gave Jesus to die in our place, to take our punishment for us. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Many people are too proud to accept a gift—they want to work for everything they receive. Jesus, God’s gift of love to us, is just that—a gift—and we just have to receive Him humbly, knowing that we can’t possibly pay enough to buy our way into His heavenly kingdom, or do enough to earn eternal life or to deserve the happiness that He alone can bring.

Jesus stands at your heart’s door and begs to come in. He promised: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: If any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). You can have Him and all He has to give, which is everything, right this minute, if you’ll just sincerely pray and ask Him to come into your heart, forgive you your sins, and give you His free gift of eternal life.

You can be born again into the wonderful world of His Spirit where everything is much more beautiful and more lasting than the one which you can now see with your natural eyes at this very moment. For “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:9–10). You can personally experience their thrilling and ecstatic joys right now, and even take a trip into that world with Jesus’ Holy Spirit as your guide, like the prophets of old and today. Experience it! “Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).

What Will Heaven Be Like?

June 7, 2024

TWR-UK interview with Joni Eareckson Tada

Have you ever received an invitation to a party, or a football game or a wedding? The best invitations are to unforgettable events with amazing people—and THIS is the greatest invitation of all…

This is the opening to a brand-new children’s book by the Christian author Joni Eareckson Tada. It’s called The Awesome Super Fantastic Forever Party: A True Story about Heaven, Jesus, and the Best Invitation of All.

Joni is the founder of the charity Joni and Friends, which aims to glorify God as they communicate the gospel and mobilize the church to evangelize, disciple, and serve people living with disability. Joni has the most remarkable story, and I’m looking forward to letting you hear it today.

Run time for this video is 25 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_thpUjvWhrs

Cleansing

June 6, 2024

By Virginia Brandt Berg

Audio length: 7:02

Download Audio (6.4MB)

If you’ll earnestly climb the ladder of faith, you can reach the great and mighty things God’s Word tells us about in Jeremiah 33:3. The firm foundation upon which the ladder of faith must rest is the Word of God. For God’s Word says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my word shall never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). It’s useless to start up the ladder unless you are going to take God at His Word.

It really takes effort and wisdom to climb the ladder of faith and receive answers to prayer. Many people are satisfied with a very mediocre, common existence, although the Lord has said, “I have come that ye might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Some are not willing to climb up to that, because it does take such effort sometimes, and it takes a clean heart and perseverance.

The first rung in the ladder of faith is a definite cleansing of the heart. When you come to God seeking the fulfillment of His promises, you must have a clean heart. He can’t pour His blessing into an unclean vessel. His Word says, “If our hearts condemn us not, then we have boldness to come to the throne of mercy and receive help in the time of need” (1 John 3:21; Hebrews 4:16). It’s impossible to have boldness if there’s condemnation upon your heart. Hidden sin robs the heart of that confidence. God sees the things that are hidden behind the door of the heart. He can’t bless you as long as there’s unrepented sin in your heart.

So quick, so eager is God to forgive the repentant heart that He says, “The broken and contrite heart He’ll not despise” (Psalm 51:17). But there’s one thing God can’t do—that is, He cannot forgive sins which are not repented of.

The story is told of two men who were attending a communion service, and the one saw his companion on his knees at the altar partaking of the sacrament. And he whispered to him, “Sam, what y’all down on your knees for, taking the sacrament, when I saw you last night stealin’ a pig?” To his surprise his friend replied, “Y’all don’t think I’s going to let a little thing like a pig keep me out of the kingdom, does ya?”

He went right on praying and taking the sacrament. And that’s about the attitude of many a person, that God will overlook a few things here and there and just ignore them, if they’re hidden and out of sight. Some feel you can leave sins buried in the past and God will forget them, like a debt that is forever forgiven because of lapse of time. But sin is only forgiven when it is confessed and repented of.

All that God asks is obedience to 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Sin needs to be brought out into the light in humility. Confess to the Lord; He quickly forgives and cleanses the moment He sees genuine repentance.

That’s the way to start climbing your ladder of faith, because prayer is hindered when there’s condemnation upon your heart—that awful pressure that’s in your soul when you go to pray and you feel, “God doesn’t hear me, and God doesn’t answer my prayers like other people. I’m not as good as other people. I’m so unworthy.” Such condemnation will definitely hinder your faith and your boldness in prayer.

Therefore, by a definite act of confession and repentance, you clear away all such hindrances and rid yourself once and for all of such condemnation. To the one who has by a definite act of faith put his past with every sin beneath the blood of Calvary, there is no condemnation. True, the enemy of God will try to put condemnation in your heart, but if you obey 1 John 1:9, he can’t do so.

God’s Word says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). That’s the reason a clean heart is so necessary, so that you can come boldly to the throne of mercy. A heart that’s truly right with God cannot easily be accused by the Devil.

Martha Snell Nicholson wrote:

I sinned. And straightway, posthaste, Satan flew
Before the presence of the most high God,
And made a railing accusation there.
He said, “This soul, this thing of clay and sod,
Has sinned. ’Tis true that he has named Thy name,
But I demand his death, for Thou hast said,
‘The soul that sinneth, it shall die.’
Shall not Thy sentence be fulfilled?
Is justice dead?
Send now this wretched sinner to his doom.
What other thing can a righteous ruler do?”
And thus he did accuse me day and night
And every word he spoke, O God, was true!

Then quickly one rose up from God’s right hand,
Before whose glory angels veiled their eyes.
He spoke, “Each jot and tittle of the law
Must be fulfilled; the guilty sinner dies!
But wait!—Suppose his guilt were all transferred
To Me, and that I paid his penalty!
Behold, My hands, My side, My feet! One day
I was made sin for him, and died that he
Might be presented faultless at Thy throne!”
And Satan flew away. Full well he knew
That he could not prevail against such love,
For every word my dear Lord spoke was true!

Oh, my friend, there’s room at the cross for you. God’s Word makes it so plain.

The cross upon which Jesus died
is a shelter in which we can hide,
and its grace so free is sufficient for me
and deep is its fountain as wide as the sea.

There’s room at the cross for you.
There’s room at the cross for you.
Though millions have come, there’s still room for one,
yes, there’s room at the cross for you.

Though millions have found Him a Friend
and have turned from the sins they have sinned,
the Savior still waits to open the gates
and welcome a sinner before it’s too late.

The hand of my Savior is strong
and the love of my Savior is long,
through sunshine or rain, through loss or in gain,
the blood flows from Calvary to cleanse every stain.
—Ira Stanphill, 1946

God will answer prayer for you. He’s still on the throne, and prayer changes things.

From a transcript of a Meditation Moments broadcast, adapted. Published on Anchor June 2024. Read by Carol Andrews.

God Is a Refuge for Us

June 5, 2024

By Dennis Edwards

Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah (Psalm 62:8).

In times of uncertainty, we can get anxious. The psalmist is calling us to come before the Lord in prayer and pour out our hearts before Him. The Lord is our refuge, our secret place, our hiding place from the storms of life. As a result of what we see happening in the world around us, or perhaps because of our personal experience and situation, we may be feeling anxious and worried about the future. We long for a refuge from the problems that seem to be looming like dark clouds on the horizon. The psalmist is reminding us that God is our true refuge in times of trouble. He is also reminding us to pour out our hearts before the Lord, to seek Him with all our heart, mind, and soul.

In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul gives a similar solution to finding that perfect refuge in the Lord: pour out your heart to the Lord.

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

Ultimately, the refuge that we seek is peace of mind that God is with us and will keep us and protect us from evil. Let us review some of the promises from God’s Word that assure us He is indeed with those that come to Him with all their heart, soul, body, mind, and spirit.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging (Psalm 46:1–3).

No matter if we are in the midst of an earthquake or tidal wave, God promises to be present and a refuge and strength to His children. Many times in the Psalms, the psalmist calls the Lord his refuge and/or his hiding place.

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32:7).

How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings (Psalm 36:7).

But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble (Psalm 59:16).

Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress (Psalm 71:3).

You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word (Psalm 119:114).

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely, he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent (Psalm 91:1–10).

Psalm 91 has beautiful promises of protection. At the end of the psalm, the voice of the Lord explains why He protects His children.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation” (Psalm 91:14–16).

We have to practice coming unto the Lord in prayer and supplication. We have to follow His voice closely. If we do so, we can have total confidence that God will be with us in times of trouble.

My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. … My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (Proverbs 3:1–2, 21–26).

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee (Isaiah 26:3).

Ultimately, the peace and safety we seek is an inner peace. The Lord promises to be that inner peace to those who keep their minds and hearts on Him and walk close by His side.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe (Proverbs 18:10).

We have gone over a few of the promises in God’s Word showing that the Lord will be our refuge in the day of trouble. In the book of Revelation, God promises the church of Philadelphia, which in Greek means the church of brotherly love, a special blessing:

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown (Revelation 3:10–11).

God promises to keep His children, even if they have little strength, because they have kept His Word and not denied His name. Jesus said,

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

These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer [or in other words, be encouraged]; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).

Jesus has promised to be with us even to the end of the world. The apostle Paul has reminded us that nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God which we find in Jesus (Romans 8:38–39). So let us not fear or be dismayed, for God has promised to strengthen us and uphold us with the right hand of His goodness (Isaiah 41:10). We are not to fear, for He will help us. He is that refuge that we seek, and He promises His peace will be upon us. Pour out your heart before Him and you will find Him.

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

God’s Love for the Human Race

June 4, 2024

A compilation

Audio length: 13:59

Download Audio (12.8MB)

And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.”—Revelation 5:9

God never mentions a group’s skin color in the Bible. … People groups are identified by where they were from geographically, their language, or their family line, but never by the color of their skin. God never makes mistakes, so I can only assume this is intentional and strategic. He never wanted us to classify groups of people by the amount of pigmentation in their skin. …

A person’s complexion is only mentioned a few times, and even then these are cosmetic characteristics and do not indicate God’s favoritism or cursing on them. An example is the term “ruddy,” which is used to describe Esau, David, and Solomon. Ruddy is reddish in tone, meaning healthy, fresh, or clear in appearance, but it is also used to indicate the tanning of skin. …

There are between 25,000 and 35,000 genes in every human cell and up to forty trillion cells in the human body! Somewhere between 100 to 378 genes are involved in the production of melanin—the pigment responsible for skin color. Even when we use the highest number, it is tiny compared to the amount of genes in every cell. And this same melanin also determines our hair and eye color.

God, in His perfectness, put together a formula, so small it can only be realized under high-efficiency microscopes, just to create variety in His prized creation. It was no accident He orchestrated us in such a way that every human is unique. He programmed the genes from which all our variations come within Adam and Eve, the first humans. This was what He wanted. …

Every ethnicity is the beautiful handiwork of God’s creative mind. His abundance of creativity pushes beyond our human understanding. His very character is creative, so He cannot go against it. Diversity is God being His creative self, showing off to the world. A variety of skin colors gives Him glory for the vastness of His imagination! And we don’t have to look solely at humans to see evidence of this. Diversity is found in all of His creation. Trees. Flowers. Birds. Horses. Dogs. All glorify God. So variety, in skin color and all throughout the earth, should be celebrated. …

Colossians 3:11 states, “Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” And Romans 10:12 says, “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”

And notice what He leaves out. He does not categorize any of these groups by their skin color. Why? Because He loves every one the same. He made each beautiful and unique according to His infinite creative mind. As Christ-followers, we are called to be like Jesus, so we must work diligently to fight against labeling people by the color of their skin.—Kristen Terrette¹

What does the Bible say about racism?

The first thing to understand in this discussion is that there is only one race—the human race. Caucasians, Africans, Asians, Indians, Arabs, and Jews are not different races. Rather, they are different ethnicities of the human race. All human beings have the same physical characteristics (with minor variations, of course). More importantly, all human beings are equally created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26–27). God loved the world so much that He sent Jesus to lay down His life for us (John 3:16). The “world” obviously includes all ethnic groups.

God does not show partiality or favoritism (Deuteronomy 10:17; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11), and neither should we. … All forms of racism, prejudice, and discrimination are affronts to the work of Christ on the cross. Jesus commands us to love one another as He loves us (John 13:34). If God is impartial and loves us with impartiality, then we need to love others with that same high standard. …

May Galatians 3:28 be completely realized [in our lives], “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”—GotQuestions.org²

God’s diverse creation

There is no specific scripture that explains why God created people with different skin color. No more than why the creation of different heights, or facial features. No more than why the creation of thousands of species of animals, birds, fish, insects, flowers, etc.

But there is an implied understanding of God’s personality through His design of this world: diversity. God loves diversity. Imagine when God first created this universe. Why create one color when you can create many? Why create one animal when you can create many?

There is uniqueness. Every single one of us, here on earth, from the past, the present, to the future, is unique. God is the greatest of all artists, sculptors, composers, and creators. He is the creator of all of creation. Notice how all the colors in this world combine in infinite forms, to create art and beauty. And sounds of infinite combinations in tone, create art and music.

Our skin tone is just one of many building blocks He uses to create beauty in diversity and uniqueness.—Colin Wong³

God so loved

I believe that one of the most destructive things to unity and our relations with others is the temptation to fall prey to labeling. We do it when we impose a uniform, usually negative quality on a whole group of people. We label people according to a few attributes, or lack of them, and in the process, we ignore many other elements of the unique person that they are. That can hinder our discovering many valuable qualities about them.

If we label people, whether we think a person or group is uniformly left or right, liberal or conservative, religious or secular, or belongs to one religion or another, Black or White or every color in between, young or old, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, we create in our minds an image that colors the way we see them in everything. How we label people by their beliefs, opinions, characteristics, or affiliations is often based on whether or not we agree with them on some issue.

Labeling others is wrong because each person is a unique individual. People may have some things in common with others, but they also have many differences in how they feel or think or believe, as well as different motives for their actions. Labels are most destructive when we are reacting emotionally because we are far less likely to think things through, pray things through, and set aside our own preconceived ideas.

Labeling can ultimately result in prejudice, hatred, reactionary responses and oppression, poverty, brutality, mob violence, war, and devastation. As Christians who believe that each person was created in God’s image, we must make a conscious effort to look at each person we come in contact with as a unique person with strengths, qualities, and the potential to become all that God created them to be. When we choose to recognize God’s imprint in someone and the respect that they deserve as an individual creation of God, we are living the principles Jesus sacrificed so much to exemplify.

As someone recently expressed, “The measure of your love for God is how much you love others, your neighbor, the man on the street, even your enemy.” As Christians, we love Jesus and we want to help others, and we all want to follow Jesus the best we can. We want the truth, and we want to “overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). We want to learn all we can in the process. We need one another and God most of all in order to learn the most we can. We need to respect the fact that we each have something to contribute that can enhance our overall understanding.

Jesus said, “If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto Me” (John 12:32). Others have to see Jesus in our lives, in our words and actions, and in our love for one another. We don’t have to be the same, but we need to see our commonality through God’s Spirit that is in each of us.—Maria Fontaine

Published on Anchor June 2024. Read by John Laurence. Music by Michael Fogarty.

¹ https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/racism/reasons-skin-color-doesnt-matter-god.html

² https://www.gotquestions.org/racism-Bible.html

³ https://ebible.com/questions/171-what-scripture-s-speak-on-why-god-made-people-with-different-skin-color

Out of This World (part 3)

David Brandt Berg

A strong tower

The Christian is the Lord’s property and possessed by the Lord and His Spirit; he belongs to the Lord and is controlled by the Lord. He’s the Lord’s possession now. Of course, if he has some besetting sin, something that’s not yielded to the Lord, the Devil can use that thing to weaken him or to cause defeat in that particular area of his life.

As long as there’s one little dark unyielded corner of your life that you’re not willing to yield to the Lord, the Enemy can get at you there, and he can bother you in that one little thing, plague you with that one little thing. Like the guy who told the rich man who’d bought the whole village except his little cottage: “Remember, Huddersfield belongs to thee and to me!” In other words, the Devil can say. “Aha, see. He’s yielded everything except this one little thing. So even though he belongs mostly to Thee, a little bit still belongs to me.” Don’t let the Devil be able to say that of you to God! Don’t let him claim any area of your life.

Don’t give him an inch or he’ll take a mile—or more. He plays for keeps! So don’t let it happen to you. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). “Neither give place to the Devil” (Ephesians 4:27).

The power of the Lord, of course, is so much greater. His Word tells His children: “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). In other words, God is saying, “My power in you is much greater than the Devil’s power in the world’s children—much greater!” Their power is so puny compared to ours and is so weak and ridiculous compared to the power of God that they’re like little kids playing with matches while we’ve got lightning bolts.

God’s power is like light which penetrates and destroys the Enemy’s darkness. It’s impossible for the darkness to penetrate the light, no matter how hard it tries. It can’t put out the light, because it’s afraid of the light. It can’t even get close to it, because the light destroys it. For “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).

So we don’t have to worry about or fear Satan’s puny power because we are protected by the power of the Holy Spirit, which is far greater than the power of the Enemy. If we have the power of the Lord, if we have Christ and the Holy Spirit, we are overshadowed, we are enveloped. The Lord’s protection is just like a force field around us, and the Enemy cannot penetrate it. It’s impossible for him to penetrate it unless the Lord allows him to do so as a chastening, as a reaping of something you have done that you haven’t confessed or you’re not sorry for. Then the Lord allows you to reap the results.

But the Devil can’t do a damn thing without God’s permission, without authorization from the Lord. He can’t touch you. He can’t let one of his demons touch you, he can’t do a thing, nothing, as long as you have the Lord’s power and are in His will.

Almost the Devil’s total power is in fear. But the moment the Lord’s children are tempted to fear, we immediately think of God and the fears vanish! Anything that is not of the Lord just vanishes. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10). “God shall keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him, because he trusteth in Him” (Isaiah 26:3). God is bigger than any devil.

So “fear thou not,” He tells us. “I am with thee. Be not afraid; for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10). We don’t need to fear the Devil or any and all of his angels—Jesus is with us. “Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Thank God, one little word shall fell him—Jesus, the Master of all. You have but to utter the name of Jesus to fell all the demons of hell, including Satan himself. “Behold, I give unto you power,” Jesus promised, “over all the power of the Enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19).

Death

There comes a time for everyone to pass from the flesh to the spirit world—death. Leaving this life is just like going from one room into another and closing the door. Everybody does it when they die.

Death is the penalty of physical sin, and we all have to suffer the penalty physically of death. According to God’s laws, because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve on down, we all have to die because of disobedience and sin. “By one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin: and so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).

The minute God’s children die, we’re instantly freed spiritually, liberated from the flesh into the world of the spirit. So this is why Paul said in the face of death, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). In other words, we have to die to pay the penalty, but Jesus took the sting out of it.

This is why Jesus said, “Thou shalt not taste of death” (Matthew 16:28). He’s talking about spiritual death there, because we all die. “It is appointed unto men once to die” (Hebrews 9:27). But we’ll never really die in that sense of spiritual death, or taste the agony of death and separation from God, thanks to Jesus’ sacrifice and atonement.

The Bible says that this is why Jesus came into the world: “That He by the grace of God should taste death for every man … that through (His) death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:9,14,15).

“I am the resurrection and the life,” Jesus said. “He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die” (John 11:25,26). He’s the only one who can deliver us out of the jaws of death so we pass through it without sting—through the grave with victory for us, not the grave! Hallelujah!

For the saved, those that know the Lord, dying is the easiest thing in the world. It’s so easy to die when you’re a Christian, because you know where you’re going. It’s an abandoning of this world and a desire for the other. It’s similar, I presume, to what the astronauts feel in their weightlessness. Right now we’re burdened by this vile body, but in the spirit you don’t have this weight. You’re no longer weighed down with the flesh and burdened with the problems of this physical life. You’ve graduated from this grade of this earthly life.

Life “in the world to come” (Mark 10:30)

—For the saved

Perhaps you’ve heard the old proverbial question, written on many a traditional, fundamental Gospel tract: “Where will you spend eternity? Heaven? Or hell?” My answer, which may shock some people, is, “I’m not going to spend it in either place, and I hope you aren’t either.”

The place God’s children, the born-again, are going to dwell with the Lord for eternity is not some fanciful dreamland way off in outer space, but an even more amazing dream city that’s going to come down from God, out of heaven to a New Earth, and God’s going to come down and live with us, and us with Him, in that beautiful dream town, described in Revelation chapters 21 and 22.

“I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:2–4).

We’re not going to go away to some far-off place called heaven where God is supposed to live; but we have a real down-to-earth God, who’s going to come live with us, and make heaven on earth.

Nobody’s going to go to heaven except those who die before Jesus comes back, who go to be “with the Lord,” and when we go with the Lord to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb during the Wrath of God, just before we return to earth for the Millennium, when we will rule and reign with Him. So we’re not going to heaven; heaven is coming to us! This is provable, scriptural fact.

It will be the ultimate of heaven on earth, the right kind of society with the right kind of city. In Revelation, we’re told that it is “the bride, the Lamb’s wife,” and looks like “a great and high mountain.” It has its own “light … like unto a … jasper stone, clear as crystal,” with “a wall great and high and … twelve gates” (Revelation 21:9–12).

“The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles. … And the city lieth foursquare” and measures “twelve thousand furlongs (1,500 miles). The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal” (Revelation 21:14,16).

“The wall of it was of jasper: And the city was pure gold like unto clear glass. … And I saw no temple therein: For the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: For the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the … saved shall walk in the light of it. … And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth … but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:18,22–24,27).

This is where we’re headed for. “For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come.” “Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city.” This beautiful, physical/spiritual city of God, the perfection of the entire universe, shaped like a mountain or pyramid, 1,500 miles high—“which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God”—it’s forever (Hebrews 13:14; 11:16,10) (To be continued)

Out of This World (part 2)

—Holy Ghosts

Besides God the Father, the Creator and Lord of the universe, His Son Jesus, the King of kings, and the Holy Spirit, who together are known as the Trinity, there are many other good spirits, including the seven Spirits of God of Revelation 4:5, the seven stars or angels or spirits of the seven churches of Revelation 1:20, the four spirits of the heavens of Zechariah 6:5, and the multitudes of other celestial messengers, angels, or spirits of God mentioned in the Bible, which are obviously all good spirits.

To deny that they are good spirits is to deny all the angels and spirits of God, as well as all the spirits of the dear departed saints of God, including those who appeared or spoke to men of God throughout the Bible, like the souls under the altar in heaven in Revelation 6:9–11, and even your own personal spirit, saved by the grace of God, which shall join a heavenful of millions of the saved spirits of all the saints of God when you die or go to be with Jesus when He comes!

These are they of whom Paul speaks in Hebrews 12:1 as a great cloud of witnesses which compass us about—here and now. “Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses.” Paul saw them. He knew they were there. Thank God for His Spirit. Thanks be unto God for all the good spirits of God and His saints.

Thank the Lord for the many counselors and the multitudes he has given. Ask God to open your eyes as He did the young man to see the multitudes of His hosts. “And Elisha prayed and said, Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: And, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17).

Thank God for these who work with us within the veil of the fifth dimension. Thank God for His angels, who are watching over us continually, even your personal angel, whose job is you. The Lord told us one time to thank Him for His angels that guarded and protected us.

“The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.” “For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” “The Lord … who maketh His angels spirits; His ministers a flaming fire … ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Psalm 34:7; 91:11,12; 104:4; Hebrews 1:14).

God has sent different “ministering spirits” to reveal His mysteries to us in the spirit, by the spirit, through the Spirit, of the Spirit and for the Spirit. They came this way in the Bible in many cases where angelic messengers were sent to convey a message to some prophet of God, or a man or woman of God. Time and again when the prophets revealed something, they said the angel of the Lord said it or was there showing them. Search the Scriptures and see if these things be so.

In the book of Revelation, for example, when the apostle John was so astonished by the great glad tidings and mysteries of God that were being shown to him, he wrote, “And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God” (Revelation 22:8–9).

A couple of departed saints even appeared and ministered to Jesus, God’s own Son. We’re told that, shortly before His crucifixion, “Jesus went up into a mountain to pray. And as He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered, and behold, there talked with Him two men which were Moses and Elijah: Who appeared in glory, and spake of His decease” (Luke 9:28–31). These two former prophets, Moses and Elijah, had departed from this life many centuries previous to the day Jesus was praying on the mount, yet God sent them to counsel and confer with His Son.

So God can use His servants who have already passed on from this life. These spirits, then, are on assignment. They don’t just drift around in space with no place to go, nothing to do, and not knowing what their specific duties are. They’re all busy. There’re a lot of places where they’re working, not only in this world but in the world of the spirit. The Holy Spirit uses these spirits, His angels and these spirit beings, these departed saintly spirits, to guide God’s children.

So God Himself and all these others dwell and operate in the glorious universe of good spirits to which His Word welcomes and introduces His born-again children: “Ye are come unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant” (Hebrews 12:22–24).

—Satan, the fallen archangel

So far, we have dealt primarily with the wonderful realm of God and His heavenly forces, but there is also a dark side of the picture, sad to say, which I don’t care to talk too much about, because I think it tends to glorify the Enemy too much, giving him too much credit. However, God’s Word does tell us not to be ignorant of the Devil’s devices (2 Corinthians 2:11).

It doesn’t pay to try to say that there’s no Devil or no demons or no such thing as evil, and just try to ignore the facts. Especially when God’s book, the Bible, warns us explicitly of such spiritual forces and tells us exactly how to overcome them.

These wicked spiritual powers are led by a fallen archangel, Satan, whom the Bible calls “the prince of the devils” (Matthew 12:24) and “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Speaking of him, Jesus said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:18). And the book of Jude speaks of his forces as “the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation” (Jude 6).

Before becoming the Devil, Satan had been the light-bearer (translated in the King James Version of the Bible as Lucifer), a mighty archangel. But he wasn’t satisfied with that; he wanted to be God. He did not have to fall—he chose to, because of his lust for power. In the account of his downfall, God’s Word says, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. … I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit” (Isaiah 14:12–15).

He was the first would-be dictator, who didn’t want to listen to either God or the other angelic forces. Obviously the majority of them were opposed to his rebellion, for when he totally leaves heaven at the start of the Great Tribulation he’ll only take one-third of them with him. So he and his demons are in the minority, thank God. (See Revelation 12:4.)

The Devil, having refused to listen to either God or the majority of the angels, rebels and becomes the Devil, Satan, the wager of wars upon the world and all peoples and all governments and even God. He is the rebel of all rebels, the terrorist of all terrorists, the delinquent of all delinquents, and the criminal of all criminals and the worst monster of all ages!

He declares his independence from all righteous rule and people and goes about doing his dirty work among the whole universe as a dandy bad example of what not to be and what not to do. So we have hell on earth and even some hell at present in the spirit world, until God throws him out completely, and all his devils, in the coming Great Tribulation. (See Revelation 12:7–10.)

In the meantime, however, he’s still busy trying to be God and trying to establish his counterfeit kingdom on earth. You see, he’s not really a creator at all; he’s only an imitator and destroyer, a fake god. In fact, the Devil can’t do anything; he doesn’t know what to do, except to imitate God. He knows that what God does works, and so in everything he does he is trying to imitate the Lord.

Unlike God or Christ or the Holy Spirit, the Devil is not omnipresent; he’s limited. He’s limited in his scope of operation, because he is only one of God’s creations and limited to one personality in one place at any one given time. Therefore, he has to carry on most of his business through his demons, other evil angels—and through these, the various satanic princes of this world. Through these devils he manages to rule a good deal. This is why the Bible calls him “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). (See also Luke 4:5–7.)

War in the spirit

The powers and conflicts of the spirit world—the eternal world where world destinies are being decided by the struggles of the spirits and archangels—is important. The world’s future is being influenced by the battles in the spirit world between the Lord and His angels on the one hand, and the Devil and his angels on the other.

If you could see what was going on behind the veil of the fifth dimension, you would witness an all-out war of the worlds.—A war between good and evil, God and the Devil, goodness and wickedness, flesh and spirit, angels and devils, love and hate, life and death, joy and misery, a war of the universe between the good spirits of heaven and the evil spirits of hell, contending for our souls as well as our bodies.

We are told in the Bible that the archangel Michael wrestled against a demon “prince of Persia” for 21 days before he finally broke through to answer the prophet Daniel’s prayer with an important prophetic message. (See Daniel 10:11–13,20.)

This is where the most important battles and cataclysmic changes occur, behind the scenes in the spirit world. As the apostle Paul said, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Heavenly councils and court sessions

It is far beyond our comprehension to fully understand how God runs the spiritual government of the universe by means of the Holy Ghost and His angels—“ministering spirits,” as His Word calls them. We do know that he conducts some kind of councils in heaven, report sessions, according to Job 1:6 and other related passages—court sessions in which Satan is “the Accuser of the Saints” (Revelation 12:10).

God and His Son Jesus Christ, the King of kings, conduct court sessions, in which He judges the living, now, like He did Job and others, like the kings and judges of this world, types and shadows of the true.

In these sessions, God is the judge, Jesus is the defense lawyer, and the Devil is the prosecuting attorney who constantly reminds the judge of the law. In fact, the Devil is the most legalistic creature in the universe. Anybody that breaks the law, he wants God to crack down on them and punish them on the spot. The Devil is all for justice and the law. (See Revelation 12:10; Zechariah 3:1; Job 1:9–12.)

But it’s God, who made the laws and the rules, who wants you to have mercy and forgiveness and salvation. This is why He sent Jesus, so that Jesus could be a man and know how men feel. He could be human and know how it is to be human, and therefore could understand us better and have more mercy on us and therefore could be our intercessor and mediator with God Himself (1 Timothy 2:5).

So if Jesus is in our heart, He’s on our side, He’s our intercessor, He’s our high priest (Hebrews 2:17). He is our advocate, our intercessor, our mediator.

So “who is he that condemneth? (The Devil is a liar; there is no truth in him. John 8:44) It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:34). “For Christ is entered … into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:24). “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).

He took on the form of our own human flesh, that He might know and understand us and our problems better, having suffered with us as one of us. “As a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust” (Psalm 103:13–14), having worn that frame Himself, suffering in it, dying in it.

Spiritual power

A lot of people today, especially the young, are awakening to the fact that the spiritual world is real, God is real, and the Devil is real. Many people, especially the young, in their pursuit of genuine spirituality and real religion and the actual supernatural and the miraculous, have gone into drugs, ancient mysticism, and the spirit world.

What they don’t perhaps realize is that it’s not just a so-called natural realm of natural physical forces, but there are literally spiritual forces behind the scenes with which they’re dealing, and that in so doing they’re playing with fire. They’re really taking chances because they’re not necessarily protected by the Lord.

Quite a few popular films, such as “The Exorcist,” “The Omen,” “Rosemary’s Baby,” and “The Three Faces of Eve” rekindled people’s interest in spirits and the spirit world—even though most of these have dealt with the dark side of the picture, the horror of the Devil and his dirty work. But it shows the world is awakening to these things, and recognizing and acknowledging that they’re true, although some are trying to explain them away scientifically.

Demons are very common today, as in all ages, and many people are plagued by them, if not actually possessed. Whether possessed, obsessed, or merely oppressed by them, they need complete deliverance, and they can have it, because demons are totally subject unto us, and must do whatever we say in the name of Jesus. (See Luke 10:19.)

You will run into the situation more and more where it’s not a problem of disease, or sin, but more and more it will be demon possession (Revelation 12:12). Another spirit has come in and is living alongside of the human spirit in the same body, and that is what has split the personality. The demon enters in, and then it’s beyond the person’s own control. To a certain point they can control it, but when they submit to the Enemy at some point, then the Devil takes over, unless, of course, you have the Lord. If you have the Lord and ask for His help, you can control it. But of course, if you just let it take over and you don’t ask the Lord for His help, it can get out of control.

What about the cases of so-called witchcraft, wizardry, black magic, etc., where individuals fiddle around with spiritual powers, trying to influence or cast spells on other people? Just as God has His means of communication in the spirit world, so does the imitator, the Devil. Just as God has His children, the Devil has his captives.

Just as God’s Spirit can possess God’s children, the Devil’s spirit can possess his children. And therefore, so-called witchcraft, demonology, etc., are realities in the world of the evil spirits of the Enemy.

In the case of witchcraft and wizardry, the Enemy acts as a relay station. Satan’s child communicates with the Devil, and if it’s in accordance with the Devil’s will, and not beyond the powers God has given him, then he can operate to influence other children of the Devil, one way or the other.

God’s power is creative and loving, but the Devil’s power is destructive and hateful. What is the Devil usually doing with his wizardry and his black magic and voodoo? What is most of it used for? Curses for people who hate other people and who want to curse them.

But we don’t have to fear, because we have a greater power that protects us. Even if they get a dolly of you and go to this devil-man for the pins and he sticks the pins into your dolly, nothing’s going to hurt you at all, because God is protecting you and the Devil can’t touch you.

If you’re a child of God, none of these things can touch you! You don’t have to worry. “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love and of a sound mind,” for “perfect love casteth out fear” (2 Timothy 1:7 and 1 John 4:18). (to be continued)

Out of This World ( part 1 )

David Brandt Berg

1977-11-01

An extensive and revelatory look into the spirit world, that mysterious dimension of eternal realities, the living world of forever rather than the dying world of now—the everlasting realm of eternity rather than the temporary space of time, that fascinating dimension which is largely unseen by us in mortal flesh rather than this mundane plane which is so temporary. “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth … for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (Colossians 3:2; 2 Corinthians 4:18).

In search of the fifth dimension

The things and powers and conflicts of the spirit world—the eternal world where world destinies are being decided by the struggles of the spirits and archangels—this is what is really important. Our daily lives and the world’s future are being influenced by the battles in the spirit world between the Lord and His angels on the one hand and the Devil and his angels on the other.

In years gone by I found that many Christians, pastors, and Bible teachers were afraid of the subject of the spirit world because they felt that it bordered on spiritualism or spiritism, and that talking about the personal appearances of angels or of saints long dead sounded to them too much like having to do with familiar spirits, dealing with evil spirits and devils, which God’s Word condemns, along with witchcraft and wizardry. But may God forgive us for condemning the entire spirit world and being afraid of knowledge of it just because the Devil uses it, along with his demons. That would be like some narrow-minded churches that refuse to use music just because the Devil uses it. If we stopped using everything the Devil uses, there wouldn’t be much left—not even for God!

Witchcraft, wizardry, and dealing with evil familiar spirits, demons, and devils are all condemned by God, but this does not mean that we are supposed to blind ourselves, ignore, and shut ourselves off completely in ignorance to God’s own marvelous spiritual world in which He dwells with His Son Jesus, His Holy Spirit, all His ministering spirits, the angels—two-thirds of the spirit world (Revelation 12:4)—and all the millions of the spirits of the departed saints.

Why should we be left in darkness regarding the wonderful world of His Spirit—the eternal, everlasting world, the spirit realm, the heavenly plane, the fifth dimension—that thrilling and exciting and marvelous and glorious and great unseen world of the spirit? Usually unseen, that is, by the natural eyes of man, particularly those of the unbelieving.

The inhabitants of the spirit world

—Almighty God

The Bible tells us that “God is a spirit: And they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). It also speaks of Him as “the Father of spirits” in Hebrews 12:9, and “the God of the spirits” in Numbers 16:22 and 27:16. So He is a spiritual God who dwells and operates in the spiritual realm, and from there conducts His behind-the-scene labors which are almost totally invisible: the work of creation that produced the universe and keeps it running, His design and plan for man, and His constant care for His creations.

He’s the genuine basic power and guiding light of the universe that has brought men into being, and, as man’s benevolent fatherly Creator, has a kind and benign purpose in store for him, a final fulfillment of his undeniably human aspirations for love, life, liberty, and happiness.

His visible creation is an illustration of the things in the spirit, of that which is invisible. “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead” (Romans 1:20). Everything God created, everything God ever made, all the visible creation, is in some way an illustration of something spiritual. And what did God create to illustrate what He Himself is like? What creation gives us the best picture of what God is like?

In the first chapter of the first book of the Bible we are told that “God created man in His own image; in the image of God created He him” (Genesis 1:27). In other words, God made us very much like Him in many ways, in His image and His likeness. We are like God. We have the majesty of choice, we can do good or evil, and we are similar to God in our ability to think and our emotions and personalities.

Man was created with similarities to God Himself, yet in a body of flesh bound with the earth and earthen things, “and of the earth, earthy” (1 Corinthians 15:47). But man is confined to this world and to a certain environment and to certain limitations, physical weaknesses and restrictions, so that he is on probation and being put to the test of choice.

“But, if this is all true,” we often hear, “and there is an all-powerful God behind the scenes, why does He allow war and pain and suffering and the atrocities of man’s inhumanity to man? Why doesn’t He put a stop to such evils?” Although He hates war and its perpetrators, and deplores the poverty of the poor and their suffering, and is soon going to step in and set things right, He hasn’t yet because He would have had to put a stop to man’s choice, which is the main idea of the whole great design.

Man was created and put here to make a choice between good and evil, to do right or wrong, to serve God or himself, and to learn the benefits of serving God—reaping the joy and happiness and pleasures of keeping God’s loving rules for his own good and worshipping and thanking God for it all in return, as grateful children of their heavenly Father, to believe in Him and have faith in Him and trust Him and His Word and obey it for their own good and His glory.

Those who rebel against God, disobey Him, and refuse to believe His Word, go their own way and suffer the consequences of violating His law of love, which results in misery, pain, suffering, man’s inhumanity to man, cruelty, atrocities, wars, economic ills, unhappiness, mental anguish, and finally death and hell hereafter.

God is interested in our decisions. He’s concerned to see whether we will make the right choices if we are given the majesty of choice. Of course, He is saddened when we make the wrong choices. This is why He put us here and this is what we’re here to learn: how to make the right decisions. So He has had to give us the opportunity to have our own way to see what we will do.

Even if we don’t fully understand why God created us the way He did, I’m sure He did it for whatever reasons He felt best, for His sake and our sake and the sake of a lesson to the universe. Perhaps it’s a great lesson to all the spirit world and the good spirits and evil spirits, including the Devil, to give them all a good sample of what is right and wrong, and how that right pays off, and wrong does, too.

—The Son King

The Bible not only tells us that “God is a spirit” but also that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). God is the Spirit of love, the Great Spirit, the Creator. What is God like? He’s love. And what did God do to prove that He is love, that He loves us? “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God gave “His only begotten Son,” Jesus. He was separated from Him and let Him suffer a cruel, horrible death for us, for our sakes. “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9). Jesus is the manifestation of the love of God.

“Why can’t you just leave Jesus out of it?” some people ask. “Why do you have to use that name? Why does He always have to be the symbol? Why can’t you just say God and speak of God only? We could accept it much easier if you wouldn’t insist on using the name of Jesus.”

If He really was God’s Son, and God had chosen Jesus to reveal Himself to the world and to show His love, then God Himself has insisted on it. “Love Me, love My Son.” These are God’s conditions, not ours. “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: But he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also” (1 John 2:23). God has insisted that we recognize and love His Son, and Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

Jesus made the way. He is the way! “Neither is there salvation in any other: For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). There is only “one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). And, “no man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him” (John 1:18).

No man can approach God directly. We have to go through Jesus, who said, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). Prior to His incarnation here on earth, He and the Father were together in personal heavenly fellowship, which He had to forsake while He was down here with us. Shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed, “And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was” (John 17:5). We’re also told that “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1,14).

Jesus actually renounced the rights of His citizenship in heaven, and “though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). He adapted Himself to our bodily form and conformed to our human ways of life, so that He might understand and love us better, and communicate with us on the lowly level of our own human understanding. In a sense He became a citizen of this world, a member of humanity, a man of flesh, in all points like as we are, in order that He might reach us with His love, prove to us His compassion and concern, and help us understand His message in simple terms that we could understand.

“Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth” (Philippians 2:5–10).

He came down here to our level to take us with Him back up to His. He didn’t leave the halls of heaven to come and stay down here forever. Nor is He still asleep in the grave. He is risen! And He is now “set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens” (Hebrews 8:1)—the throne of the Father—God’s broadcasting center, His central studio and principal communication center.

So now you can intimately and personally know and enjoy Him, and we can all enjoy Him together anywhere, everywhere, any time, all the time, in all His power and fullness—just as much for you as for me, and just as precious and intimate as for any—by His Spirit and through His words. “For the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63).

—The Holy Spirit

Right after His resurrection, the Lord told His apostles, “Tarry ye at Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). He further explained, “Ye shall receive power, after the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). This baptism of power will make you want to be a witness and go to the darkest corners of the earth to tell and show others that Jesus loves them.

Some people experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the same time they ask Jesus into their hearts, like the household of Cornelius in the book of Acts. When Peter preached the Word, “the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard (spiritually received) the word” (Acts 10:44). However, with most people the baptism of the Spirit is a subsequent experience to salvation.

Everyone receives a measure of the Spirit upon believing on and receiving Jesus, because Paul said, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Romans 8:9). The baptism of the Spirit is when Jesus in you baptizes (or fills) you with the Holy Ghost, just as John the Baptist promised He would. “He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire” (Matthew 3:11).

In order to emphasize the importance of the spiritual over the physical, Jesus said to His disciples, “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you” (John 16:7).

Jesus had to leave the few that he might send His Spirit to the many. He had to remove the pleasure of His bodily presence from the handful, in order that He might be with them in the power of the presence of the Holy Spirit—with all of them—with multitudes—with millions—yea, hundreds of millions through the ages—something He never could have done in personal physical presence had He remained here after His resurrection. “For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

As long as they had His bodily presence, they couldn’t really get into the spirit of it all. They didn’t need His Spirit. They had Him! He had to take His body away so they could feel His Spirit—get their minds off the flesh—get their hearts in His Spirit.

Their flesh, even His flesh, had actually gotten in their way and prevented them from sensing the genuine spirit of real truth, of which His body was a mere physical representation. But now that He has removed Himself to headquarters, the throne of the Father, the central broadcasting station, we can all be reached equally, fairly, and simultaneously by His power, the communication of His Holy Spirit. He had to go away so that it would be possible to “pour out My Spirit upon all flesh.” For He “ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things” (Ephesians 4:10).(to be continued)

The Repair Shop of the Gospel

May 31, 2024

By Charles Price

Charles Price speaks to the intent of the Gospel to repair and restore us, and how the love of God expressed within the Gospel can transform the broken things in our lives and in our world. He points out that the Gospel is not “plan B” after the Fall, but is “designed to restore humanity to its original purpose, to make human beings as they were originally intended to be.”

Run time for this video is 30 minutes.

https://youtu.be/K1OMxYX2xqg?si=yohqFy9113TetDjr

Copyright © 2024 The Family International

Heaven: Our Eternal Hope

May 30, 2024

Treasures

Audio length: 9:46

Download Audio (8.9MB)

Sometimes the sorrows, discouragements and disappointments of this life can weigh especially heavy on our hearts. When things just don’t work out, or when we suffer personal challenges or losses, or we see the human suffering in the world around us, the strain of it all can lead us to wonder if what we do makes a difference. Is it possible to bring about change in a world where there is war, poverty, injustice, evil, greed, and corruption?

When we consider the problems of the world, at times the outlook doesn’t seem very bright. But at such times, we can find comfort in God’s Word and His promises of a better world to come. “Weeping may endure for a night,” the Bible says, “but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). The glorious morning of heaven will come after the shadows and the night of this life.

All the disappointments, broken dreams, and dark experiences of this life will soon be forgotten and overcome when that glorious dawn of heaven comes. The Bible promises that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). In the book of Revelation, we read that God “will wipe away every tear from our eyes,” and “neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). There will be no more tears, no more suffering, no more death, no more sorrow.

As Jesus prepared His disciples for His imminent death and departure, He said, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2–3). According to the description in Revelation chapters 21 and 22, heaven, the home of Christians of all ages, is breathtakingly beautiful, majestic, and stupendous. The streets of heaven are described as made of gold, and within its shimmering gates of pearl there is no need of a lamp or a sun, because God Himself is the light (Revelation 22: 5).

Can you visualize a world with no more death, pain, fear, sorrow, or sickness—a society where everybody works together in harmony, cooperation, and love? Such a marvelous place is almost beyond our capacity to imagine. The Bible says, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of men the wonders that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

According to the Bible, one of the biggest differences between the earth life and heaven is that heaven is a perfect realm, a place filled with God’s presence, where we can enjoy all the beauty and wonders that we have here on earth, but without the sorrow, pain, emptiness, loneliness, and fear that so often grip us, and without the selfishness, greed, hate, and destruction that we see in the world around us.

God’s kingdom will be filled with love, beauty, peace, comfort, understanding, joy, compassion, and most of all, will be enveloped in the love of the one who loves us more than anyone—God Himself. The Bible tells us that God is a God of love. In fact, He is love (1 John 4:8). Therefore His home, the kingdom of heaven, is a home of love, where there will be no more sorrow, rejection, grief, loss, or loneliness (Revelation 21:4).

Contemplating the hope that we have in heaven and visualizing what we have to look forward to helps to remind us that the trials and tribulations of this present life are not worth comparing to the glory that has been promised to us in Christ Jesus in the near future.

This is one reason why Moses could endure all that he did, because “he was looking ahead to the reward. He endured as seeing Him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:26–27). He looked past all the troubles he had in Egypt, as if seeing the Lord and seeing His reward in the future. He could endure the present difficulties he faced by keeping his eyes fixed on the glorious future promised by God.

All the great men and women of faith of the Old Testament named in God’s hall of fame in Hebrews 11 counted themselves as pilgrims and strangers in this world because they were looking for a city whose builder and maker is God, which has foundations, and a country that belongs to them. They were able to endure all kinds of tribulation on this earth and suffering and hard work and even persecution and death because they looked forward to that City (Hebrews 11:13–16).

Many people seem to believe that God’s kingdom will only be reached when they die, but Jesus proved this to be a misconception when He said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation. For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20–21). We don’t have to wait till we die to enter the kingdom of God. In fact, if you have received Jesus as your Savior and are indwelt with His Holy Spirit, His kingdom is within you.

We who know and love the Lord and have His Spirit dwelling in us are already experiencing the kingdom of heaven and working to bring His kingdom to others. But this is only a foretaste of our inheritance in heaven. God’s Word tells us, “When you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13–14).

To enter His spiritual kingdom, Jesus said that you must be born again. Jesus said, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). We cannot save ourselves by our own works, our own goodness, our own attempts to keep His laws and to love Him, or even our own endeavors to find and follow His truth. Salvation is a gift of God performed by a miraculous transformation of our lives when we accept His truth in the love of His Son Jesus by the work of God’s Spirit. All we have to do is believe in Him and receive Him as our Lord and Savior. “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the children of God” (John 1:12).

Jesus opened the door to eternal life in His kingdom for each of us through His death on the cross. You can’t earn it, neither can you be too bad for it, because salvation is a gift of God. Jesus loves you just the way you are. He knows you. He knows your thoughts and everything you’ve ever done, even your deepest secrets. He knows it all, but He loves you anyway, because His love is infinite.

Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). You can invite Jesus to come into your life today by sincerely praying and asking Him to come into your heart and to forgive you your sins, and grant you His promised gift of eternal life (John 10:28).

His love is so far beyond anything that we can understand or see with our eyes here on earth. His love can fill any emptiness and heal any pain or hurt. His love can bring joy where there was sorrow, laughter where there was pain, and fulfillment where there was a lack of purpose or meaning.

Although salvation is a free gift, once you have received Jesus in your heart, He commissions you to love others and tell them the good news about God’s heavenly kingdom. Share with others the truth about Jesus and the love He has given you so that they can also experience His joy in their lives—both in this life and in the next one!

From an article in Treasures, published by the Family International in 1987. Adapted and republished May 2024. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.

The Solitary Stand

May 29, 2024

By Jewel Roque

Every evening my son, who is practicing his reading, would pull out The Beginner’s Bible and read a couple of stories to me—like parents often do with their children, only for us it’s the other way around. One evening he read me the story of Elijah. As he read the part about the prophet on Mount Carmel, it hit me: This is an incredible story! And Elijah was one amazing character. (See 1 Kings 17 and 18.)

Of course, there are a lot of amazing characters and stories in the Bible that are awesome, but certain stories do stand out as exceptional, and Elijah’s stand on Carmel was one of those. Here’s the background.

This story occurs during the time when Ahab was king of Israel. The Bible tells us that “Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16:30–31).

There had been a severe drought in the land for three years, which started at Elijah’s prophetic word to the king. He said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1).

That is exactly what happened, and Ahab was enraged by this. His wife, Jezebel, was too. In fact, she began systematically killing every prophet of God that she could find (1 Kings 18:13).

Then God told Elijah, “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land” (1 Kings 18:1). Being the prophet of God that he was, Elijah obeyed. Elijah’s actions represented a stance of faith, given that Ahab and Jezebel were determined to kill him, but God met him where he took his stand of faith, literally.

Here are four things I love about this story:

Elijah stood alone, yet he stood.

Elijah met Ahab and told him, “Summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table” (1 Kings 18:19).

Perhaps Ahab showed a smidgen of wisdom here as he complied with Elijah’s request, because he knew that he was at Elijah’s mercy, and ultimately the mercy of God. His nation was facing a drought and a famine brought by the hand of God, and only at Elijah’s word would this dire situation be over. So instead of killing Elijah straight off, he did what he asked.

There, on the top of Mount Carmel, Elijah stood, and he stood alone. On the other side, 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah stood against him. The people who were watching remained undecided, wavering.

“How long will you waver between two opinions?” Elijah asked. “If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21).

The people remained silent, and Elijah knew that he was alone. But one with God is a majority, so he did not give up or give in. He knew he stood on the right side, even if he was the only one.

Elijah stood his ground.

Elijah challenged the 450 prophets of Baal to a competition, “My God against yours,” so to speak. Each side had an altar, with a bull on top, ready to be sacrificed to their respective god. The challenge? Let the gods be the one to ignite the flames, and the god that did would be the true God.

The 450 prophets danced and cried out to Baal all morning until they were exhausted. At about noon, Elijah must have been getting tired, and decided to issue a challenge. He began to taunt the false prophets, saying, “Shout louder! Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened” (1 Kings 18:27).

Elijah didn’t huddle over at his altar, waiting quietly and meekly for his turn. He knew who the true God was, and he wasn’t afraid to proclaim it, or to call out the false prophets who had led the people astray through their false worship.

Elijah went all out.

Finally, it was time for the evening sacrifice, and Baal still hadn’t answered. It was Elijah’s turn. He didn’t dance. He didn’t cut himself like the prophets of Baal had. But he did do something pretty outrageous.

He poured water over the sacrifice—not just a ceremonial sprinkling; it was totally drenched. He had 12 huge jugs of water poured on the sacrifice until it ran down into the trench that he had dug around the altar. He had made a completely “impossible” situation even more impossible, if that could be, well, possible.

Elijah had complete confidence in God.

Elijah put all his faith in God, knowing that He would do what He had promised, and God didn’t let him down! At the time of the sacrifice, Elijah prayed before all the people and the false prophets, making a resounding declaration of faith.

“Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again” (1 Kings 18:36–37).

And I just love the way God answered his prayer. God didn’t send just a little fire, a pleasant campfire-kindling where you could warm your hands and roast marshmallows. The Bible says that not only was the sacrifice burned, the wood beneath the sacrifice was also burned (1 Kings 18:38). And it didn’t stop there. The stones were consumed with the fire. The soil beneath the stones was consumed. The water was vaporized in an instant. A temperature of 536°F (280°C) is the auto-ignition temperature of gasoline; imagine the temperature that is needed to burn stones!

This act of God was more than a picturesque Bible narrative—it was an awe-inspiring manifestation of God’s power. Elijah stood, alone, with God, and God responded in a supernatural way that no one could deny.

Finally, the people found their voice. They fell on their faces and they cried out, “The LORD—he is God!” (1 Kings 18:39).

Yes, He is. He is a God who honors our faith and gives us the strength to take a stand of faith for Jesus and the gospel truth that has been entrusted to us, even when it is unpopular or is the opposite of what the world is proclaiming and promoting.

Not every act of faith will be miraculous or outstanding. But if we take that stand, even if it seems like we’re alone, we have an omnipotent God on our side. He might not perform an altar-consuming miracle like He did with Elijah, but He will never fail to come through for us.

And as a fitting conclusion to this story, after the people worshipped God as the one true God, God sent the rain, just as He had promised Elijah (1 Kings 18:45).

Adapted from a Just1Thing podcast, a Christian character-building resource for young people.

Don’t Look Back! Keep Your Eyes on the Finish Line!

May 28, 2024

A compilation

Audio length: 11:51

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The apostle Paul challenged himself and all Christians to keep moving forward in the Christian walk of faith (Philippians 3:13–14). When Paul said he was “forgetting those things which are behind,” he referred to not looking back at past relationships, memories, failures, temptations, or anything that might distract from a single-minded focus on “the upward call of God in Christ.” To inspire his audience, Paul drew on the image of an athlete running a race with uncompromising determination to reach the finish line and win the prize. …

“Forgetting what is behind” is Paul’s way of saying, “Don’t look back! Stop dwelling on the past. Don’t let anything behind you interfere with your present progress or future efforts.” … In 1 Corinthians 9:25, Paul compared an athlete’s crown to the believer’s eternal prize: “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” …

When it comes to forward motion, our bodies tend to move automatically toward the place where our eyes are directed. A runner who keeps turning back to see what is behind him will lose his race. Understanding this phenomenon, Paul urged believers to stop looking back at the past and stay focused on the future goal.—GotQuestions.org¹

The Apostle Paul made it a habit to forget about the past and instead focus on what’s ahead. Forget means to cease or fail to remember, be unable to recall, or omit or neglect unintentionally.

Paul wrote about the finish line of our faith, eternity with Christ. The English Standard Version reads: “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” The ESV Global Study Bible explains: “The Greek word for a goal can mean either the finish line in a race or an archery target. The prize for Christians is the blessings and rewards in the age to come.”

God blessed me with incredible distance [running] coaches. They taught me to focus on the finish line, helped me learn how to pace myself and break the bad habit of looking back. It takes a lot of faith to put your head down and exhaust every ounce of energy in your body, trusting someone to pick your wobbly, passed-out self off the ground at the finish line. Coach’s voice still rings in my ears today, layered with more belief in me than I ever had.

Jesus is calling us. Listen and look for Him in the present and the future. Look back briefly enough to remember how important it is to keep running forward. We’d look ridiculous if we ran backward at full speed. Let’s pray for the focus to keep moving forward.

Father, thank You for faithful servants like Paul! Through his divinely inspired words and life story, we can learn what it means to keep running forward into the future You have planned for us. … We tend to cling to things that have already happened, wishing they would have gone another way. …

Father, we pray for Your divine strength today to help us focus on the present. What do You have for us to do today, God? Help us to focus. This is the day You have made, Lord! Let us rejoice and be glad in it and in what’s to come—Jesus’ return and eternity with You in heaven. For all who claim Jesus as their Savior, this is what we have to look forward to.

Father, we pray Your voice echoes in our minds like my coach’s voice still rings in mine! Sometimes we need someone to believe in us more than we believe in ourselves! Jesus, You are always that person for us. You are our Savior, Messiah, Living Water, and Friend. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.—Meg Bucher²

“Be not weary nor faint in your mind” (Hebrews 12:3). It can be a struggle to keep going when things get tough. It takes faith and courage and a lot of fight! The trouble with some of us is that we stop trying in trying times. Some people faint in their minds. They give up mentally, they give up spiritually.

But the Bible says, “Men ought always to pray and not to faint” (Luke 18:1), and “Be not weary in well doing, for in due season ye shall reap if you faint not” (Galatians 6:9).

The will is powerful! “The spirit of a man will sustain him … but who can bear a broken spirit?” (Proverbs 18:14). Strong faith and a strong will have many times overcome seemingly insurmountable handicaps and obstacles!

When you’re weak and incapable and insufficient, then God has a chance to be strong and capable and sufficient in you. So don’t give up too soon; don’t get rescued prematurely; don’t quit just before the finish line. Anything wonderful can happen in that little margin of time when you don’t look back, you don’t give up, you don’t quit, but you keep on believing and keep on fighting! You’ll never be sorry you trusted Him. You’ll be glad throughout all eternity that you held on and kept on keeping on for Jesus!—David Brandt Berg

The Race

Whenever I start to hang my head in front of failure’s face,
my downward fall is broken by the memory of a race.
A children’s race, young boys, young men; how I remember well,
excitement sure, but also fear, it wasn’t hard to tell.
They all lined up so full of hope, each thought to win that race
or tie for first, or if not that, at least take second place.
Their parents watched from off the side, each cheering for their son,
and each boy hoped to show his folks that he would be the one.

The whistle blew and off they flew, like chariots of fire,
to win, to be the hero there, was each young boy’s desire.
One boy in particular, whose dad was in the crowd,
was running in the lead and thought “My dad will be so proud.”
But as he speeded down the field and crossed a shallow dip,
the little boy who thought he’d win, lost his step and slipped.
Trying hard to catch himself, his arms flew everyplace,
and midst the laughter of the crowd he fell flat on his face.
As he fell, his hope fell too; he couldn’t win it now.
Humiliated, he just wished to disappear somehow.

But as he fell, his dad stood up and showed his anxious face,
which to the boy so clearly said, “Get up and win that race!”
He quickly rose, no damage done, behind a bit that’s all,
and ran with all his mind and might to make up for his fall.
So anxious to restore himself, to catch up and to win,
his mind went faster than his legs. He slipped and fell again.
He wished that he had quit before with only one disgrace.
“I’m hopeless as a runner now, I shouldn’t try to race.”

But through the laughing crowd he searched and found his father’s face
with a steady look that said again, “Get up and win that race!”
So he jumped up to try again, ten yards behind the last.
“If I’m to gain those yards,” he thought, “I’ve got to run real fast!”
Exceeding everything he had, he regained eight, then ten…
but trying hard to catch the lead, he slipped and fell again.
Defeat! He lay there silently. A tear dropped from his eye.
“There’s no sense running anymore! Three strikes I’m out! Why try?
I’ve lost, so what’s the use?” he thought. “I’ll live with my disgrace.”
But then he thought about his dad, who soon he’d have to face.

“Get up,” an echo sounded low, “you haven’t lost at all,
for all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
“Get up!” the echo urged him on, “Get up and take your place!
You were not meant for failure here! Get up and win that race!”
So, up he rose to run once more, refusing to forfeit,
and he resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn’t quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he’d ever been,
still he gave it all he had and ran like he could win.
Three times he’d fallen stumbling, three times he rose again.
Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.

They cheered another boy who crossed the line and won first place,
head high and proud and happy—no falling, no disgrace.
But, when the fallen youngster crossed the line, in last place,
the crowd gave him a greater cheer for finishing the race.
And even though he came in last with head bowed low, unproud,
you would have thought he’d won the race, to listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, “I didn’t do so well.”
“To me, you won,” his father said. “You rose each time you fell.”

And now when things seem dark and bleak and difficult to face,
the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race.
For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
And when depression and despair shout loudly in my face,
another voice within me says, “Get up and win that race!”

—Attributed to Dr. D. H. “Dee” Groberg³

Published on Anchor May 2024. Read by Jon Marc.

¹ https://www.gotquestions.org/forgetting-those-things-which-are-behind.html

² https://www.ibelieve.com/devotionals/your-daily-prayer/a-prayer-to-stop-looking-back.html

³ http://holyjoe.org/poetry/anon3.htm

The Waiting Servants

May 27, 2024

By Peter Amsterdam

Audio length: 11:58

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Within the Gospels of Mark and Luke, Jesus spoke of His return in two different parables. While they’re somewhat different from each other, they both make the same point.

The first parable, found in the Gospel of Mark, is told by Jesus, followed by explanations for His disciples regarding the parable’s application. Prior to telling this parable, Jesus was speaking about events which would precede the parousia (His return at the end of time). He said that only the Father knows when that time will come, but in the meantime, His disciples were to “Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come” (Mark 13:32–33).

He then proceeded to tell them the parable:

It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake (Mark 13:34–37).

The master of the house set things in order by making sure each of his servants knew what they were to do during his absence. He made a point of telling the doorkeeper to stay awake, to be ready for his return, and to open the door upon his arrival. Generally the duty of a doorkeeper was to keep out possible intruders, but in this case he was instructed to be prepared to open the door on the master’s return. However, he wasn’t given any indication as to when that would be.

Jesus then went on to tell His disciples that they too are to stay awake and alert, because they don’t know when their Master will return. Jesus made reference to the four watches of the night that the Roman soldiers used—the evening, midnight, cockcrow, and morning. His inference that the master could come suddenly didn’t mean soon, but unexpectedly—that he could come at any time and no one would know exactly when he would arrive. If the servant was found sleeping when the master arrived, he would have failed in his duty.

Similar calls to stay awake and to be alert are found throughout the Gospels: “Stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36). “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42). “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13).

To be discovered sleeping when one is supposed to be on duty would be considered a shameful failure to fulfill one’s obligations. We read of this very thing happening on the eve of Jesus’ crucifixion when Jesus told Peter, James, and John to “remain here and watch” as He prayed. Later we read that “He came and found them sleeping,”and said to Peter, “Could you not watch one hour?” (Mark 14:34–37).

Jesus stressed that His disciples must be alert, awake, aware, and vigilant, for no one knows the time of His coming. What Jesus said to His disciples, He says to all Christians in all times, including us today. Jesus calls us to vigilantly live our faith in a manner that ensures we will be ready to meet the Lord. In Matthew 24, Jesus says, “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes” (Matthew 24:45–46).

It’s easy to let our spiritual lives drift to the neglect of our faith and relationship with God. The cares of our everyday lives require us to focus on our daily duties, work, family, friends, and the never-ending affairs of everyday life. It takes intentionality, as well as time and effort to actively live our faith, to feed our souls, to keep our spiritual lives vibrant and relevant, to fulfill Jesus’ call to us: Stay awake!

The second parable, which has a similar message, is found in Luke 12:

Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! (Luke 12:35–38).

Jesus opens this parable with a call to “be dressed for action.” This expresses the idea of being in a constant state of readiness to act, as 1 Peter 1:13 reiterates: “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Jesus follows this call to be ready for action with another phrase which makes the same point: “Keep your lamps burning.” This reflects being prepared to take action at night. Both point to an attitude of preparedness that Jesus is calling His disciples to have as they wait for His return.

The third word picture completes the idea of being prepared: “Be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.” Wedding feasts during that time period could last for days, and even up to a week, so the servants had no way of knowing when their master would come home. They had to be constantly ready and alert as they waited.

Jesus used three examples of readiness—being dressed for action, keeping the lamps burning, and being prepared at all times for the master’s return—to express the need for His followers to live in a manner which reflects His teachings. We are to live a life guided by His Word, with one eye heavenward looking expectantly for His return.

He then focuses on the reward of those who are ready. “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.” Those who are awake at the master’s return will receive God’s favor. They have been spiritually vigilant, living their faith.

Jesus then spoke of the behavior of the master who has returned home and found his servants awaiting him. “Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.” The master will reverse roles with the servants, which in essence means that the servants no longer have the same status as before. The actions of the master in this parable reflect the actions of Jesus at the Last Supper when He washed His disciples’ feet (John 13:4–5).

After doing so, He said to them: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you” (John 13:14–15).

This concept of Jesus as the one who serves is found throughout the Gospels, such as when Jesus said that He “came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45), and “I am among you as the one who serves” (Luke 22:27).

Jesus went on to say: “If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants!” Unlike the four Roman watches of the night used in Mark’s parable above, in this case Jesus refers to the three watches of the night used by the Jews. He tells those who follow Him that the time of His return is uncertain, and that those who are awake and ready no matter what time the master comes will be blessed.

Twice Jesus called those servants who are ready and awake when He comes blessed. Scripture teaches that Jesus will return, but that no one knows when His second coming will happen. Like the servants in the parable, none of us know the day or the hour of our Master’s return, but we are exhorted to always be vigilant in spirit in anticipation of that time. At some point the Lord will return, and we want to be ready when He does.

We can also take the same principles to heart regarding the time of our death. No Christian in history has experienced Christ’s return, but all Christians who have passed on from this life have come into His presence. None of us know exactly when we will die, we only know that we will. From what Jesus taught in these parables, we should recognize that we don’t know when the Master will call us home, and therefore we should strive to be spiritually awake and ready at all times.

Originally published July 2018. Adapted and republished May 2024. Read by John Laurence.

Is Life So Dear? –When Being wrong is Right! (part 3)

Brother Andrew

2005-04-28

ACTION TRIGGERS MIRACLES

One Sunday, just before I was leaving on a trip to East Germany, I spoke at a large church in Holland and asked for prayer for my journey. After the meeting, a slightly agitated lady approached me.

“Andrew, I know you are going to Germany,” she said. “Now I have a matter that has been weighing on my conscience. I wish you could help me.”

I was puzzled. “Tell me about it,” I said.

Obviously under deep conviction of sin, she told me her story.

During, and just after World War II, she lived in the eastern part of Holland near the German border, and used to entertain American officers there in her home. They would often bring textiles to her home. Such cloth was very valuable and especially hard to get in Holland at that time. Because she suspected the officers had stolen it, and also because it was such expensive material, the kind used to make men’s suits and linings, she kept it stored away.

The supply increased until she had quite a big box full, but she never used it. Then, for more than twenty years following the war, she worried about it, wondering what to do with it. On that Sunday morning when I spoke in her church, the Lord got through to her and she decided to resolve her problem once and for all.

“Andrew,” she asked, “can you please take this to Germany and just give it to someone? It will relieve my conscience to know that to the best of my knowledge it has gone back to where it came from.”

I told her I would do that. The next weekend, I loaded my station wagon with all the things I wanted to take across the border. Then, without thinking it over further, I simply put in the big box of cloth she had delivered to me.

When I came to the West German border, an officer asked, “Do you have anything to declare, sir?”

That cloth had great value, but since I was in Germany, I replied, “No, sir,” because the cloth had originally come from there and should not need to be declared.

The next morning I arrived at the East German border. Again, that same question from the guard: “Do you have anything to declare?”

“Yes” I answered. “A lot!”

I opened the rear of my station wagon. “Here,” I said, “is a box full of cloth that I want to take into the country.”

“What are you going to do with it?” he asked.

“I will give it away.”

“To whom?”

“I don’t know.”

Well, that really brought the question marks to his face! So I added, “I can explain it to you, sir.”

I gave him the story of what had happened the previous Sunday morning, but I extended it a little so that it became a full-fledged sermon on salvation and the need for a clean heart. I also put in something about God’s forgiveness being available to all men. Of course, I used the story of the lady, but I made it just a little longer to get the Gospel across to the officer at the border.

All this time, he had a deeply puzzled look on his face. He turned to me. “Sir,” he said, “I’ll have to talk it over with my bosses inside the office. I have never had a case like this before.”

He went inside and twenty minutes passed before he came out again. He had talked to all his superiors in the office and had still come up with no answer.

“Tell me again,” he inquired, “to whom are you going to give it?”

“Honestly,” I said, “I don’t care.” Then I asked, “Do you want it?”

“Oh, no, I can’t take it.”

“Well, all right, I just want to give it to somebody.”

“Where?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I want to give it back to somebody in Germany. I am going to be traveling all over the country. Listen, if you don’t know what to do and I can’t pass with all of this, you may seal it; and I’ll just take it into West Berlin and give it away to someone there. But this lady did receive it from Germany, and she wants me to give it to someone in Germany. That’s all.”

Again, he had that deeply perplexed look. He went back into the office and phoned, probably all the way to East Berlin. He didn’t know what to do. After a long, long time, he came out to me again and just shrugged his shoulders. “Sir, just take it, go, and give it to anybody you want.”

He never asked me if I had anything else to declare, but I had told him the truth when he asked if there was any thing to declare. So I did not have to declare my books and Gospels. I had truthfully shown him one box of cloth that had to be declared. He became puzzled by my lengthy explanation, but maybe something I said may have been used by God to work in his heart anyway.

So he let me pass. They had never had such a case before. Usually, if you have so much as a dollar’s worth of goods you have to declare it. I had hundreds of dollars’ worth and no written declaration, and he let me take it in to give it away to whomever I chose.

I call that a miracle!

Later in the afternoon, I drove into the city where I would spend the night and went to the home of a tailor with whom I usually stayed. There I found a young Hungarian lady named Anna. She was the daughter of a Baptist pastor who had served as my interpreter in Hungary. I had put the two families, one in East Germany and the other in Hungary, in touch with each other.

“What are you doing here, Anna?” I asked in surprise.

“As you know,” Anna explained, “my parents are very poor. So my mother has sent me to East Germany to find some cloth to make a suit for Daddy.”

Well, I thought I was in heaven! Such clear guidance! I had worked a great deal with her father, who ministered among Gypsies in Hungary. He was a real man of God, thrown out of the ministry because he distributed Bibles to the troops of the Russian army. His lack of a regular occupation brought great poverty to the family.

Because I was in the house of a tailor, I could cut off just enough of the cloth for this man’s suit, and the rest I could still give away to other people who needed it.

Now every little detail was in place, truth prevailing and God’s power so evident. Guidance given to everyone involved–the woman in Holland, the border guards in East Germany, the tailor, and the fine Baptist pastor in Hungary! And to think this girl arrived at this very time on the opposite side of the very same errand that had brought me to this home. It was marvellous!

I want to emphasise yet another principle of spiritual warfare that the Lord has called us to wage in His name. Because He holds all authority in Heaven and on Earth, and because His hosts surround us with their power in the invisible world, we who are obedient to Him can expect that our Almighty God will bring His purposes to pass through nothing less than miracles.

On one occasion early in my ministry, I was headed back home from Berlin through the one hundred mile Russian-occupied zone of East Germany. I had been working in the refugee camps with a fellow Dutchman named Anton, giving out Scriptures to people from different countries. We had some Bibles left over which I was taking back with me to Holland where I could repack them and send them with other teams to the specific Eastern European countries that could use them.

I had not hidden the Bibles; I just had them in cardboard boxes. So far I had never encountered any problems going through the East German border into West Germany. This time though, as I stopped at Helmstadt, on the East German side of the border, an officer came up to my car and pointed to one of the cardboard boxes. “What’s in there?” he asked.

With a very big smile, I said, “Sir, there are Bibles in that box.”

He frowned. “Take the box into my office,” he ordered. So Anton and I carried the heavy box into his office and filled three tables with New Testaments, Gospels, and complete Bibles, mostly in Eastern European languages.

He checked every book to see where it had been printed. I was lucky none had been printed in New York, since anything printed in America would have been more suspect. But they were all from Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, and Holland.

“Do you have anything else?” he asked.

Again I smiled, and said, “Yes, sir, I have a lot more.”

He marched us back to our vehicle, right to the back of my Volkswagen and pointed to a box. “What’s in there?”

“Flannelgraph stories.”

“What’s that?”

I have developed a habit of making very long sentences, so I can present the Gospel at every opportunity. I launched in.

“Well, sir,” I responded, “they are illustrated stories that teachers use to tell children about the Lord Jesus Christ, because even children can believe on Him; because when a child is old enough to love his parents, he can love Jesus Who came into the World to save sinners so that children as well as grown-up people, by simple faith in Him, can have eternal life and go to Heaven when they die.”

That was my sermonette in a sentence!

He left the box right there, but then he pulled out one of the folders and opened it. I was embarrassed because it was a map of the Mediterranean with the travels of the apostle Paul marked with dots and lines, all the countries, seas, and islands identified. It looked like a proper spy map!

Looking at me very closely, he said, “Aha! You said it was for little children.”

“Yes, sir,” I interrupted, “it’s just a map of the travels of the apostle Paul, the first to come to Europe to tell about the Lord Jesus Christ so that we in Europe should hear about the great message of Jesus Christ; and if Paul had not come here, we would still be barbarians living without God–practically as atheists.”

That was my second sermonette!

He really got cross with me then. “Take that box into my office!”

We saw that the office was full of soldiers, picking up those beautiful books we had laid out on the tables, trying to read the Word of God in these different languages. When I put the box down, more people flowed into the hall, Red Army soldiers and officers.

The officer pulled another folder from my box and, again, it was the worst possible one he could have chosen. It was the story of Ephesians 6, the chapter on the whole armor of God! When he opened it, out fell the sword and the helmet and all the rest. The situation looked dangerous to me.

Again an angry look appeared on his face as he mumbled something more about “children.”

“Really, it is!” I insisted. “Let me demonstrate it for you.”

I asked my friend Anton, who is six-and-a-half-feet tall, to hold up the cloth background. I took a figure of an undressed boy and stuck it to the flannel background, and began to tell the story.

“Here is a man in the World, unprotected from sin and demons, and sickness, and darkness, and disease. He needs protection. Man cannot live without God…”

I put on him the helmet of salvation.

“You’ve got to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved and know that you have eternal life.”

Then I quickly put on the breastplate of righteousness.

“…because you have to live a righteous life, and all these godless people in this World make a mess of it and murder people…” I gave the story of Hitler’s Germany. “…and now we can’t allow that to happen because people living without God bring the whole World into bondage.”

Then I put the shield of faith in the little figure’s hand and said that with faith we are protected. “No matter what happens in the World, if we have personal faith which results in a new heart, we can live a holy life and have the shield of faith, so that all the onslaughts of the enemy, all his attacks, can be thwarted right here with the shield of faith.”

I was just going to grab the sword and put it on the flannel board and go on to speak about the Word of God, when it dawned on the officer that I was preaching to them! I surely had a captive audience; the office was filled with soldiers and officers!

“Now, stop this! Put it all back in your boxes and take it to your car and go!”

“Yes, sir,” I said. “But I would first like to give each of you a souvenir. I’ve enjoyed my time with you.”

I got out a pile of John’s Gospels and tried to hand them out, but the soldiers couldn’t possibly accept them. They put their hands behind their backs and marched away, leaving Anton and me to take the Bibles and flannelgraph stories back to the car.

This incident illustrates the point that with God working miracles, we don’t have to outsmart the guards at border crossings. But we do have to go prepared in prayer, assured that we are in God’s Will. If I have my car loaded with Bibles as I arrive at the Russian border, I just beam at the guards. I have already prayed hard before I left that they won’t ask, “Do you have any Bibles?” Sometimes I pray something will distract their thoughts and attention. It is remarkable how the Lord just arranges for “little” things to happen at the border.

For example, one of our teams went to Bulgaria with a load of Bibles in a huge pick-up van. Since it was summer and we travel just like other tourists–which we are in a way because we enjoy the sunshine and scenery, the swimming and all the rest–the two fellows had an inflatable canoe with them for recreation. They had been lazy that day and after canoeing somewhere in Yugoslavia, they didn’t bother to let the air out of the canoe. They just squeezed the whole thing into the back end of the van and drove off to the Bulgarian border with their seven hundred Bibles.

At the border they gave their papers to one of the officers while another officer, blissfully innocent, went to the rear of the van and opened the door.

Bang! The canoe shot out the door right onto his head! He stood there for a moment, completely befuddled. Our boys were helpful; they ran to him, lifted the canoe off his head, and together they pushed it back into the car, locked the door, and that was the end of the inspection. You could never arrange for that to happen a second time.

Another team went to Czechoslovakia with Bibles. Just before they reached the border, they stopped for a last prayer meeting before crossing. Being Dutch boys, they made themselves a cup of coffee and opened a tin of milk. But, also because they were boys, they forgot to put it away properly, leaving the open tin on a box partly filled with Bibles, partly with tools.

While they were in the office at the border-crossing having their papers checked, one of the officers opened the van to check the luggage. Somehow he knocked over that tin of milk and spilled some on the floor. He jumped out of the vehicle and ran to his office, got a cloth and ran back and began to wipe up the spilled milk. He apologised profusely and was ever so sorry–and there was no more checking whatsoever! A tin of milk did that. It’s often something small like that that God uses in a big way. (to be continued)

Is Life So Dear? –When Being wrong is Right! (part 2)

Brother Andrew

2005-04-28

THE TARGETS OF SATAN’S ATTACKS

I believe it is important for Christians undergoing persecution to realize the attack they are under is actually directed not at them, but at the life of Jesus in them, a life which they have the power to transmit to others.

Satan will make every effort to discredit you, to frighten you, and to silence your witness in order that the new life in you stops with you. Sometimes Satan overreaches himself, just as he did at the cross, and sends a believer to a martyr’s grave, but that life lives on in other believers who continue to bear witness more gloriously and triumphantly than ever! That the church not only survives, but grows under such persecution has been demonstrated beautifully by the church in China. After missionaries were expelled in 1950, and all ties were cut with the rest of the body of Christ, believers were put through the horrible experience of Mao’s cultural revolution. Christians were killed or imprisoned, Bibles burned, and the remaining believers scattered all over China. The attack was clearly on the life and name of Jesus as manifested in believers’ lives.

As these sufferers scattered, they took the life of Jesus with them, and just as was the case with the early believers in Jerusalem, “Those who were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word” (Acts 8:4). Only now are we beginning to see the harvest in China, as millions of Christians are identified, meeting together for fellowship and worship in remote provinces.

It’s time we use Holy Spirit boldness to see the nations as God sees them. If we are true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we will go into all the World because He sends us. We need no welcome, we need no invitation, we need no permission from the government, although we are, as Christians, naturally prepared to respect normal procedures whenever that means we can be granted official permission to carry Bibles in and witness in a country. We need no red-carpet treatment, we need no VIP reception–unless it means Very Important Prisoner for Christ’s sake!

We must have the courage, the Holy Spirit boldness, to live a life that is more revolutionary than that of any non-Christian faith. The Lord will give us the courage to work like commandos if we want Him to, but we must go and carry out His commission.

WE SHOULD EXPECT SUFFERING

The possibility of suffering is not a happy prospect for many Christians. As a matter of fact, however, it should be regarded as an integral component of the Christian life.

One of my favorite books, an all-time best-seller, is Pilgrim’s Progress, written by John Bunyan. Bunyan was a tinker, a mender of pots in the village of Bedford, England. He was a very humble man, but once he came to know the Lord he was an earnest preacher of the Gospel.

During his time, England was not favorably disposed to such independent evangelists, and Bunyan was imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. With the exception of a few days, he spent nearly twelve years in the Bedford jail, until he was finally freed by the Declaration of Indulgence. “As the law stood, he had indisputably broken it, and he expressed his determination, respectfully but firmly, to take the first opportunity of breaking it again. `I told them that if I was out of prison today I would preach the Gospel again tomorrow by the help of God.'”–From The Life of John Bunyan, by Edward Venables.

Bunyan recognised the truth that the apostle Paul also preached: There is a price to pay for being a Christian. And many non-believers respect true Christians for those beliefs and convictions.

Once while traveling in Eastern Europe, I was arrested and taken to the secret police headquarters for interrogation. Whenever I am arrested, I preach as powerfully as I can to those who interrogate me. I reason that they’ll be afraid I might convert them all, so they will kick me out. This time I said, “Sir, listen to me. You know that I am doing a good work in your country. And you know that the Christians in your country are the best citizens. They are the best workers in your country. They are the most honest people in your country. It’s all because they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

That secret police officer actually helped me to get out of the country! He knew that what I said was true. In every country I know of, Christians are the most productive, honest citizens there. Today’s authorities show a deep inner conflict, just as the authorities did in Paul’s day. While they often dislike the message you’re preaching, they like the results in your life and the lives of those who hear and receive the truth!

OUR UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD

When Paul and his evangelistic group proclaimed Jesus as Lord in Thessalonica, the city council was told: “These men who have turned the World upside down have come here also” (Acts 17:6).

That statement was not really true. The Devil had turned the World upside down, and these men had come to put it straight again! People willing to live that radically for Christ are, of course, resented by those responsible for governing this World. The whole World is in the grip of the evil one, so it’s not unusual for its rulers to be in his grip also (1 John 5:19).

For the student of God’s Word, hostility toward the church of Jesus Christ should come as no surprise. The Bible makes it clear that the nations of this World simply are not for Christ. In Luke 21:12, in speaking of the Endtime with its earthquakes, famines, pestilences, and other signs from Heaven, Jesus says: “But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for My name’s sake.”

Jesus warns us that religious persecution will be carried out in the name of authority. We see again how upside-down this World can become! Surely it’s time we carried out our commission and put it right.

Two signs of the Endtime are persecution and World evangelism.

Persecution will come from political and religious opposition (Mark 13:9). Real opposition will always be against the person of Jesus Christ and all that He stands for. When Jesus speaks of wars and revolution, He says: “Do not be alarmed … the end is not yet” (Mark 13:7). Then He mentions natural disasters but warns that they, too, are only the beginning of birth pains (Mark 13:8). The prelude to the fiercest possible persecution will come when the love of many (not few, but many) will grow cold (Mat.24:12).

This will happen simply because all nations will hate those who follow Jesus. I think that will include nations that up until now have seemed tolerant of Christians (Mat.24:9). Wickedness will increase so terribly that many will not be able to stand the pressure. A sense of personal failure born of not being able to impart morality and spirituality to one’s children will be followed by putting the blame on God: “If He is a God of love, how can He let this happen to us?”

Consequently many will turn away from the faith and instead of obeying the command to love each other, they will betray and hate each other (Mat.24:10). No, not the atheists, but fellow Christians will do this. “And brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child” (Mark 13:12).

But in both accounts of this most terrible persecution recorded in Matthew 24 and Mark 13, the middle section of both Chapters states the Gospel will be preached, and the Gospel must be preached before the End comes (Mat.24:14 and Mark 13:10). The Great Commission is still the watch-word for Christians; not a word of it has been withdrawn. It may well be in prisons and concentration camps that the common man will hear about Jesus. It may be that during trial proceedings those who never bothered to go to church will hear the Gospel. “You will stand before governors and kings for My sake, to bear testimony before them” (Mark 13:9).

The New Testament shows that interrogation rooms and the courts, not to mention prison cells, have been eminent platforms for the proclamation of the Gospel. Some of the most effective sermons recorded in Scripture were given in such surroundings.

Look at these examples:

* Peter and John before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:8-20; Acts 5:29-32).

* Stephen’s speech to the Sanhedrin (Acts 7:2-53).

* Paul’s defense speech in Jerusalem (Acts 22:1-21).

* Paul’s testimony to the Sanhedrin (Acts 23:1-6).

* Paul’s reply to Felix (Acts 24:1-21).

* Paul again before Felix, now joined by his wife Drusilla (Acts 24:25).

* Paul to King Agrippa (Acts 26:2-29).

Last, but not least, Paul could say he fully proclaimed the message to all the Gentiles, including his most cruel persecutor, Nero (2Tim.4:17).

In his running battle with the government, Paul must have had always in front of him the specific promise of Jesus found in Luke 21:17-19: “You will be hated by all men for My name’s sake …. But there shall not an hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls.” Today we do see many of these signs coming to pass, but be of good courage. If we stand up for Jesus and boldly proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom, soon the End will come!
(to be continued)

Finding Peace of Mind in Christ

May 24, 2024

By Phil Robertson (Focus on the Family broadcast)

Long before he was the patriarch of A&E’s Duck Dynasty, Phil Robertson was a self-described “scumbag” who chased worldly pleasures at the expense of his young family. Hear how a relationship with Jesus Christ changed this former “beer joint” owner into one of America’s most loved patriarchs.

Run time for this video is 28 minutes.

https://youtu.be/Y9DUqYZ-QUU?si=N5q7hcdeq_a8WKr-

Building Communication and Problem-Solving Skills

May 23, 2024

By Maria Fontaine

Audio length: 11:55

Download Audio (10.9MB)

As we know so well, love is the most important thing in our communications. You can have all the skills for good communication and problem-solving down pat, but if you don’t have love, your efforts will likely fall flat. As one version of 1 Corinthians 13:1 puts it: “I may be able to speak the languages of human beings and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell.”

It takes love to communicate effectively, and the Lord’s love is the antidote to misunderstandings, misperceptions, and rifts. A well-measured helping of this antidote gives us wisdom and understanding. It fosters good communications one with another. Good communication is ultimately about having love enough to hear someone else out and to take the humble seat in our interactions, and to be honest and open with others.

Some people have misconceptions about honesty and feel that they’re not being completely honest and open unless they spill out everything that’s on their heart—even if it’s unloving or hurtful. But this kind of honesty can hurt people, and instead of building relationships, it can work to tear them down.

It’s important to cultivate the right spirit of honesty, “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15), allowing the Lord’s loving Spirit to envelop us. We can ask the Holy Spirit to give us the love we need to see beyond the faults of others and to have faith and hope. We can strive to present what we say to others without personal irritations spearheading our honesty. Carelessly “spilling the beans” when trying to be honest isn’t the solution.

Our words should be “helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). True and loving honesty builds up. Rash, harsh, angry, and unprayerful words can tear down and hurt. Instead, the Bible tells us to “be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).

Developing good communication skills can be challenging. Our lives are busy, with a lot happening each day, and sometimes it’s difficult to find the time to slow down and take the time to communicate with others. You may also find that you personally dislike or are afraid of confrontation. Maybe you have experienced some unpleasant confrontations in the past, and you feel that one way to keep the peace is to just keep your thoughts and feelings to yourself.

Or maybe you’re shy, and you have a hard time expressing yourself. Maybe you feel like you’re not a “communicator” or a “people person” by nature, so you’ll leave the communicating to others. Perhaps by nature you’re a very private person and find it hard to talk about anything personal to others.

Good communication is enhanced by humility, which helps us to be considerate of others in our actions and words. Here are some practical ideas of ways humility and other virtues can aid in our communications with others.

* Commit the situation to the Lord in prayer for His guidance.

* Present your side, but be willing to concede the other person’s views. Don’t be dogmatic about your opinion; people will resent that approach.

* Present your viewpoint in an objective, non-emotional manner.

* Be kind and respectful in your communications. You can be honest without being hurtful, and without lashing out at the other person.

* Be approachable. Make an intentional effort to adopt a responsive attitude when others communicate with you, regardless of the subject matter.

* Be careful not to enter a discussion with your own agenda that you intend to bulldoze through.

* Be a good listener. Be open to hearing out others, and in the process, be prayerful about not interrupting to give your side of the matter.

* Give others the benefit of the doubt. Be willing to hear the other sides of the story. There are many sides to every story, and chances are you only know one side or a few sides.

* Listen attentively. Listening while at the same time formulating your response is only partially listening. When you don’t listen attentively, you can miss or misinterpret key points the person is trying to bring up.

* Avoid jumping to conclusions. If you don’t understand something, or the point being made is not clear, ask for further explanations.

* Be open to saying nothing if you don’t have anything significant to contribute to the discussion.

* Don’t be afraid to show yourself vulnerable. Be humble enough to show that you don’t know something, and that you’re sincerely open to the opinions of the one you’re communicating with.

* In all our communicating, it’s important that we don’t neglect to communicate with the Lord most of all. He’s the most skilled communicator, and He sees inside the heart of each man, woman, and child, and understands their innermost thoughts and needs. Ask Him to help your efforts to communicate to bear good fruit and to lead to solving whatever problems are being addressed.

*Some problems are more complex than others, and communication doesn’t always come in verbal form. Sometimes we can best communicate through acts of kindness. Sometimes it’s verbal; sometimes it’s a hug and a smile.

Following are some helpful points on problem-solving through communication:

* Make a point of not ignoring problems or pretending they don’t exist. Avoid running away from problems, unless the Lord shows you to move away from a problem situation. Running away from a problem doesn’t guarantee that it will not catch up with you, so it helps to confront whatever issues you are facing and determine a course of action for dealing with them.

* When you are facing a problem, be positive and praiseful, even if others around you aren’t. Don’t let other people’s negative attitudes and feelings and the way they’re weathering life affect you. You can rise above. The way other people are acting should not dictate your state of mind. Let Jesus be your strength and joy and guide.

* Approach problem situations with an open mind, and avoid thinking you’ve got it all figured out, because chances are you don’t. There’s always some factor you’re not seeing in the best-case scenario, and in the worst-case scenario you may be completely wrong.

* Remind yourself that there’s always some lesson—no matter how small—that you can learn in any situation. Determine not to overreact or get sensitive when someone tells you about a problem that they’re having with you. Remind yourself that you’re human‚ you make mistakes, and there is always room to learn and grow.

Becoming a good communicator and learning how to resolve problems and conflicts takes love, humility, honesty‚ and the willingness to seek solutions, as explained in the following prophecy:

Always temper your honesty with love. Love is the cornerstone to communicating honestly. Your honesty and openness should always be tempered by understanding, mercy, and humility. Honest communication should be a means of aiding someone. It should be kind and helpful.

Effective communication is not a volley of harsh words, strong opinions, or assumptions. Out of concern for others and for your Christian example, before you communicate something that will be difficult, commit it to Me in prayer. Develop good communication skills that will be part of the solution to the problems you encounter.

When you are faced with problems that need solutions, determine that you are going to be a problem solver. Decide that you are not going to just coexist with problems or run away from them. Confront the problems, and do all you can to work them out in love, humility, and a large measure of prayer. Seek Me, commit the situation to Me, and take action as needed.—Jesus

Prayer boost

We thank You, dear Jesus‚ that You’re the greatest problem solver. You came to Earth to solve humankind’s biggest problem—our need for salvation and forgiveness for our sins. And during that time, You solved so many more problems. When there was no wine at the wedding, You solved the problem by creating more wine. When people came to You with their health problems, even afflictions they’d had for many years, You healed them and delivered them.

When there was no food for the multitudes You were teaching and people were hungry, You solved that problem and multiplied the loaves and fishes. When the religious leaders of Your day wanted to stone the adulterous woman, with great wisdom and love You convicted everyone present of the truth of their own sin, and every accuser dropped their stones.

And every day of our lives You are with us to help us solve the problems we face. We thank You, Jesus! We know that we’re a mess without You. We’re all human. We make mistakes. We say and do the wrong things at times. Sometimes we hurt others‚ but we don’t want to, Jesus. That’s why we need You so much. That’s why we need Your Spirit to work in our hearts and lives, so that we can let everything we do be done in love (1 Corinthians 16:14).

Please help us to see problems as challenges, not as dead ends or disasters. Help us to turn every problem and difficulty into a steppingstone to greater progress. Help us, Jesus, to be good communicators and problem solvers, who face the challenges and seek solutions and trust in You for the outcome.

Originally published June 2005. Adapted and republished May 2024. Read by Debra Lee.

Setting My Face Like a Flint

May 22, 2024

By Steve Hearts

Are you facing an uncertain future because of numerous things that are up in the air? Maybe there’s flux and change going on in your job or ministry, in your family, or in other aspects of your life. Perhaps people around you are making or about to make decisions with consequences that will affect you directly, and you’re unsure how to handle those consequences.

I’ve dealt with uncertainty like this, and when facing such situations, I’ve found it can be challenging to discipline my thoughts, so they don’t go running to and fro like wild horses, imagining all the maybes, what-ifs, etc. One scripture that has really helped me tame my thoughts in times like these is Isaiah 50:7: “Therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.”

As I meditated on this verse, the Holy Spirit showed me that setting my face like a flint means to keep my eyes fixed on Him and His wonderful promises, instead of the uncertainty around me and all the tumultuous thoughts that accompany it. A definition found on a Bible commentary site explains, “Flint is a hard rock. To ‘set one’s face like flint’ is a figure of speech implying resolute determination.”¹

A few days ago, I went for a walk with my brother on a trail near our house. It had been quite some time since we’d gone there to walk, and I was glad for this opportunity to be outdoors since most of my time is spent indoors, including exercise time. During this walk, the Lord made this lesson of setting my face like a flint extremely clear. As a bit of background, here’s a little description of what these walks are like for me since I’m blind.

Throughout this trail that we walk on, there are various landmarks I can guide myself with using the cane. In some spots there is grass on either side of the road, which I touch with the cane while staying on the sidewalk in the middle. In others there are poles, driveways, etc. What is most important is that my brother walks several yards ahead of me, and I have to really listen to the sound of his footsteps, which aren’t very loud but can be heard well enough if I concentrate. He verbally directs me when necessary, but I mostly guide myself by hearing his footsteps.

A lot of times during those walks, I’ll come upon other folks with loud voices or barking dogs. There are also spots close to the street, where the loud sounds of varying types of vehicles can be heard. The first few times I walked this trail, these noises would totally confuse me and throw me off, making me unsure about my sense of direction. But the more we walked here, the more I got used to simply concentrating on the landmarks I was following with my cane, and also listening to the sound of my brother’s footsteps ahead of me. I came to find that even when things would get noisy, if I listened closely enough, choosing to ignore the sounds around me, I always heard the sound of my brother’s footsteps.

The Lord showed me that this is the way I should deal with the situations going on around me and the thoughts they trigger. While I do what can and should be done on a practical basis to deal with the things I’m facing, my primary point of concentration has to be the Lord and His Word.

I have to set my face or my mind on it like a flint, refusing to entertain anything contrary. This can also mean continuing in the direction He is leading me, without being swayed or deterred by what others choose to do. I remember Jesus’ words to Peter: “What is that to you? You follow Me” (John 21:22).

Flint, a very hard, dark rock, is used figuratively in the Bible to express hardness, as in the firmness of horses’ hoofs (Isaiah 5:28), the toughness of an impossible task (Deuteronomy 8:15; Psalm 114:8), and the inflexibility of unwavering determination (Ezekiel 3:8–9). Set your face like flint is the figure of speech the prophet uses to describe the Messiah’s unwavering determination to persevere in the excruciating task set before Him. …

Staying on track in the Christian life requires setting our faces like flint. The apostle Paul teaches us to run the race with our eyes on the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24–27). Paul set his face like flint to finish his course: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12–14).—GotQuestions.org²

No matter how much we know or don’t know about what lies ahead, we do have Jesus’ promise from John 10:4: “And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”

While each of us, as members of Christ’s body, may be on our own individual journeys of spiritual growth, we are all being led by the same good shepherd, Jesus. If we set our faces like a flint, beholding His face and hearing His voice, we will never be lost or ashamed.

¹ https://www.compellingtruth.org/face-like-flint.html

² https://www.gotquestions.org/face-like-flint.html

Jesus Satisfies Completely

May 21, 2024

A compilation

Audio length: 12:28

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My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.—Psalm 63:5–7

When we live in such a dry place and we go for a long time without His Word, praise, thanksgiving, and His presence—we forget that He satisfies “with marrow and fatness.” Nothing fills us up like Jesus and fills our hearts with joy so much that it … causes us to still be thinking about Him when we lie down.

After I get done ministering or God has really moved through me in other people’s lives, whether it is in front of a group speaking or sharing one on one—I feel so full and completely satisfied. I can’t sleep. … I keep thinking over and over again about His love for me, His grace toward me, and the power of His Word.

It is the greatest satisfaction to give of yourself for the glory of God.

The same thing happens when God gives us clear revelation in His Word where we never saw something before—but now we understand it. It is hard to go to sleep when you feel you have just been given secrets from God.

In the “night watches” we realize that He has been our help and that we are in the “shadow” of His wings.

After we have experienced walking with God in the morning early and meditating on Him in the night watches, why would we want to live any other way?—Bunni Pounds¹

There is someone greater than people or possessions who can truly satisfy. God offers us himself in the person of Christ. Jesus exceeds our expectations, provides for our needs, and fulfills our desires. Christ alone can provide the satisfaction and joy we so desperately seek.

The Bible is full of glorious promises of satisfaction for the discontent:

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).
For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things (Psalm 107:9).
The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever (Psalm 22:26).
In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).—Phillip Holmes

In John chapter six, the Jews ask Jesus for a sign that He was sent from God. They tell Jesus that God gave them manna during the desert wandering. Jesus responds by telling them that they need to ask for the true bread from heaven that gives life. When they ask Jesus for this bread, Jesus startles them by saying, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

This is a phenomenal statement! First, by equating Himself with bread, Jesus is saying He is essential for life. Second, the life Jesus is referring to is not physical life, but eternal life… Third, and very important, Jesus is making another claim to deity. This statement is the first of the “I AM“ statements in John’s Gospel. The phrase “I AM” is the covenant name of God (Yahweh, or YHWH), revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). …

Fourth, notice the words “come” and “believe.” This is an invitation for those listening to place their faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God… Fifth, there are the words “hunger and thirst.”… When Christ died on the cross, He took the sins of mankind upon Himself and made atonement for them. When we place our faith in Him, our sins are imputed to Jesus, and His righteousness is imputed to us. Jesus satisfies our hunger and thirst for righteousness. He is our Bread of Life.—GotQuestions.org²

We turn to one of the most precious passages in the Word of God: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare” (Isaiah 55:1–2).

This wonderful passage tells of the promises of Christ Jesus, calling to faith and repentance, and He tells you here of the blessings that will accrue to those that would accept the invitation.

The greatest of all supernatural things to me is that Christ, the incarnate Savior, should plead with us in all of our emptiness to come and partake of His riches and glory. He says if you’re thirsty in soul, come. If you’re hungry of heart, come. And he that hath no money, come without money and without price. So marvelous!

He’s saying also in this passage that nothing has satisfied you; you still have that emptiness, that aching void. You spent your money for that which is not bread and your labor for that which did not satisfy, now come and eat that which is good. Let your soul delight itself.

God’s Word declares Jesus Christ is a satisfying portion, and you know that millions have testified that it is so, that He has satisfied every desire of their needy souls, and that when they knew nothing but the world’s wages, spending money for that which satisfied not, Christ came into their life. Then there dawned upon their dark souls a light. As God’s Word puts it, “the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Maybe you have never known Him. Maybe you don’t even care about Him. Yet He humbles Himself and stoops down to your level and He pleads with you to come. He said, “Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live” (Isaiah 55:3). Isn’t it wonderful that God is giving you a chance? That you’re still in the place of hope, you still have the opportunity to meet the Savior?

Revelation 3:20 says: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Another wonderful invitation to “come.” He says “come,” “come,” “come,” all the time! If you could only realize what a satisfying portion Christ is, you would leap to accept this invitation of His.

God grant that you’ll not wait. For as sure as you are hearing this invitation from God’s Word, just as sure the Judgment Day is coming. In that hour you’ll know too late that He was that bread of life that could have utterly satisfied your hunger, but instead you spent your all for that which satisfied not. And you will know then that He was a fountain of living water, but you refused to come to Him and drink. Oh, that’s a tragedy! In that hour you’ll remember how He pled, saying, “Incline your ear and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live.”

His Word also says, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). So many times He says “come”! This is the loving call of the Father God to your heart to come to Him and partake of the riches of glory, salvation, eternal life.

Do you ask how to obtain this bread that satisfies and the springs of life that never dry up? It’s yours for the asking. Humble yourself before the Lord and accept His gracious invitation. He says, “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37).

Isaiah 55:6 says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” And then verse 7 says “Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”

Won’t you accept His invitation? He loves you and calls for you to come. God reigns, and oh, how He can change your life!—Virginia Brandt Berg

Published on Anchor May 2024. Read by Lenore Welsh. Music by John Listen.

¹ https://christiansengaged.org/blog/psalm-63-my-soul-shall-be-satisfied

² https://www.gotquestions.org/bread-of-life.html

Encouragement for Times of Affliction

May 20, 2024

Words from Jesus

Audio length: 12:50

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I know it is difficult to endure affliction, but you can rest assured that I am with you, to comfort you and carry you through. My Spirit will speak words of comfort to your heart—encouraging words that will give you strength.

While I am able to raise you up instantly and deliver you from affliction, I often allow nature to run its course, because this works My purpose in your spirit and often even in your body, once you have fully recovered. Just as your spirit is renewed by time with Me, your body is often renewed and regenerated by times of rest and recuperation.

As you feed and nourish your body with the good food that I supply, this builds your bodily strength. And as you slow your pace and take time in My Word and My presence, free from the distractions and business and many matters that surround you each day, this provides an opportunity to nurture and strengthen your spirit. Know that I am near to strengthen you and to prepare you for the busy days ahead.

Take time to rest, spend time reading My Word and receiving My words of love, comfort, and guidance for you personally, from My heart to yours, that will sustain you now and in the future. Trust that as you use this time to seek My face, you will go from strength to strength (Psalm 84:7). I am with you to comfort you, to speak to your heart, and to raise you up.

Eternal weight of glory

Though times of affliction may not seem good at the moment, one day you will rejoice for the fruit it has borne and be glad that I brought you through it. Remember that your light afflictions are preparing you for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison (2 Corinthians 4:17).

I see into eternity, far beyond what you can imagine or think. I know your earthly limitations, but I ask you to look beyond the things that are seen to the things that are unseen, knowing that the things that are seen are transient, while the things that are unseen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). I am working in your life to prepare your spirit for your eternal future.

The things of this world are temporal. Times of affliction and testing work to refine your spirit and to build and enhance your character. When you arrive in heaven, you will rejoice and be thankful that I prepared you for your eternal life. You will be so thankful that you trusted Me in the dark times and held on.

But know that I will never suffer you to be tempted beyond what you are able (1 Corinthians 10:13). I will be with you each step of the way. You need only to look into My face and remember how much I love you and that I will bring you forth as fine gold (Job 23:10). Your earthly afflictions will be but for a short time, so continue to look to Me and the joy that is set before you.

Turn to Me in your time of trouble and call on Me. I will always answer you. When you suffer and feel pain, when you feel alone, know that I am with you. You will never suffer alone, for I am always by your side. Remind yourself of the depth of My love for you, and as you do, you will be filled with My peace and joy. I will care for you and help you all the days of your life until I bring you Home.

Joy will come

Though the struggle may endure for a time, joy will always come again. Though weeping may endure for a night, joy will come in the morning (Psalm 30:5). Though the battles with affliction may rage, I will always bring deliverance and the strength and grace you need.

You may feel weak and unable to overcome the challenges you are facing, but it is at these times that I call you to look to Me to find the strength, grace, and determination you need. Trust that I can bring perfect peace and rest to your troubled mind, and joy and light to your aching heart.

I delight in using your weakness to demonstrate My strength and power, and My grace will always be sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9–10). These times of testing work to bring about greater strength and depth in your life, and closeness to Me, as My strength is made perfect in your weakness.

In times when this battle with your health lingers long and hard, I will be with you. Seek Me and call upon Me, that I may show you all that you have gained through your brokenness and your desperation and how you have grown spiritually.

I promise to use every single thing you face in life—including your afflictions—for your good (Romans 8:28). That is My solemn and unbreakable promise.

The cross of affliction

You have truly borne your cross bravely, with praise on your lips and in your heart. I have heard your prayers, and I have poured forth grace and strength for this time of affliction.

Be comforted to know that I was also greatly afflicted, which was the fulfillment of prophecy that foretold of My suffering. “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4). I had so many afflictions that many thought surely God must be displeased with Me, otherwise why would I be so afflicted? But that was not the case, and My suffering was for an eternal purpose.

Each person who chooses to follow Me is called to take up their cross. Each person has a unique cross that they are given to bear. The cross is your preparation for the unfading crown of glory you will receive (1 Peter 5:4). There is no cross without a crown; and though you may have to bear your cross longer than you would have chosen, remember that I walked this path before you.

Hold fast to the promise that you will be blessed for remaining steadfast during times of testing, and you will receive the crown of life promised to those who love Me (James 1:12). Your crown of life will serve as a testimony of the cross you carried throughout your life on earth and your faithfulness to follow Me.

Sufficient grace

I see your heart. I know the depths of your love for Me and your commitment and the sacrifices that you’ve made because of this love. You have been a vessel of My love to others; My Spirit has been poured out through you to others in great measure. You have been an example to many of dedication, perseverance, and faith—faith that trusts in spite of circumstances and proclaims in word and deed, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).

I am the Great Physician and the God of all flesh, and there is nothing too hard for Me—including your healing (Jeremiah 32;27). Yet I also wish for you to trust that even in this suffering and pain I am working for your good. I have worked in your life through the trials and afflictions you have faced, and you have become a priceless vessel.

Through your pain, you have drawn closer to Me and gained understanding and compassion. Through your sorrows and loneliness, you have received of My Spirit and grown in your faith and dependence on Me. Know that this suffering and these times of affliction, though they have been heavy burdens, are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in you.

I have called you in your sorrow and pain, and you have heeded My call, following Me by faith, because of your love for Me. I have given you the grace to stand strong. Know that My grace will always be sufficient for you, and My arms will always be around you to uphold you when you’re weak and to lift you up when you fall. My care and protection will surround you every day of your life.

Our intercessor

My precious one, I come before My Father’s throne as your Intercessor (Hebrews 7:25). You are My dear child, and I watch over you with tender care. Though I am King of all, I intercede on your behalf for the strength, faith, and trust you need to keep going. I take upon My shoulders a great portion of your suffering and pain. I stand beside you, with My arms underneath you, carrying you each step of the way. Cling to My presence, dear one. Do not give way to fear or worry, for I intercede on your behalf for the healing, pardon, and mercy you seek (Romans 8:34).

The moments of your afflictions are numbered; they’re not endless, neither do they pass by uncounted. They are all measured, and each one that passes is one less that you will ever have to endure again. These moments—though precious due to the wisdom, compassion, humility, grace, and strength in weakness gained—are hard to endure, but they will come to pass.

Rest in Me, and trust that this time of affliction will also pass. I love you, and I will uphold you and sustain you.

Originally published March 2001. Adapted and republished May 2024. Read by Jon Marc. Music by Michael Dooley.

Is Life So Dear? – When Being Wrong Is Right!

(part 1)

Brother Andrew

2005-04-28

Excerpts from the book (New York: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985)

(Brother Andrew is an evangelist in lands where being a Christian is dangerous. He is the founder and president of Open Doors, a ministry to those who live in countries that do not allow freedom of worship or witness. His book “God’s Smuggler” was an international bestseller, with over 10 million copies in print. Open Doors with Brother Andrew has branches in Australia, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Canada, and the United States.)

PREFACE

I dedicate this book to those Christians who throughout history have wound up on the wrong side of the law. Literally untold thousands of Christians have been arrested, imprisoned, tortured, deprived of possessions, or executed for their witness. The vast majority of them were not being punished for having done something against God–for having broken His law. Most had only broken the law of some human government.

The fact is, Christians can in all righteousness break certain laws. Otherwise, how did so many of our heroes of the faith wind up in prison? The list of martyrs beginning with Hebrews 11 has an appendix to it that extends through all the apostles; many of the church fathers; great men like William Tyndale, who made the Bible available to us; and John Bunyan, who gave us the powerful and deeply spiritual work, Pilgrim’s Progress. It extends through missionary pioneers like Adoniram Judson, and modern leaders today who dare to put God first.

Why were there believers in prison at the time the New Testament was being written? And why have Christians been imprisoned throughout the history of the church until this very day? Because these believers decided to obey God rather than Man. They decided they would obey the laws of their countries only up to the point at which those laws transgressed the Will of God.

Most Christians suffering today really are keeping God’s law! And the church itself is now living in a time in which we may all have to break the law in order to continue to worship and obey God. In fact, we may have to break the law of Man and of governments in order to keep the law of God.

I was deeply moved when I first read the words of Patrick Henry, the American Revolutionary War hero, who said, “Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?”

He was calling for political revolution. We call for a revolution of love. We need to know that spirit of uncompromising obedience that will say, “We hold not our lives dear unto death!”

OUR ORDERS ARE CLEAR

Imagine that you are a soldier. Your commanding officer has ordered you to invade enemy-held territory, and you plan your attack to catch the opposition off guard by striking when and where he least expects it. But as you move forward, you discover that his fortifications are well-constructed. What’s worse, he has somehow learned of your plan, because, suddenly, guns open fire and you are blasted into retreat.

When you report back to headquarters your commanding officer asks: “Well, did you capture that position?” “No, sir,” you reply. “The enemy won’t let me.”

Do you think you could get away with that answer? That isn’t what warfare is all about. When a soldier receives an order, he is bound by his oath of allegiance to fight to the death to fulfil it. He won’t let himself be stopped simply because the enemy is entrenched and armed to resist! He knows that before he starts on his mission. His commander knows it too. That obstruction must be overcome if the battle is to be won!

Exactly the same principle of allegiance and obedience applies to spiritual warfare where we may have to disobey civil authorities in order to obey the Lord’s command. Yet a lot of Christian soldiers seem to be saying to their Commander, “We can’t advance because the enemy disapproves of our objectives and is not willing to let us succeed.”

Isn’t that ridiculous! Of course the Devil disapproves; that’s what makes him an enemy. Of course he fights against the Lord’s army; that’s what an enemy does! Why then are so many Christians amazed, even immobilised, by the least sign of resistance to the Gospel?

The most basic principle for any Christian work is this: The Lord Jesus Christ, Who crushed Satan and conquered death, commands us to invade this enemy-occupied World and reclaim it for God. We march under His exclusive authority. We make no deals with the foe. No compromises with evil authority. No concessions to godless governments. And no excuses to anybody.

What’s more, the Lord has given His assurance that Hell’s own gates will not hold up against the ultimate advance of Christ’s church. The Devil’s maneuvers and power-plays are just his last-ditch resistance to the overwhelming forces of the Lord.

Just days after He had died on the cross, Jesus faced the disciples. It was the day of His ascension, the day on which He was going to take His rightful place on the throne of God. He had something astounding to say to them, the most important statement ever made in this World. He was going to send them into enemy territory!

He knew, as no one else could, that the Devil, the prince of this World, would do everything he could to stop believers from spreading the Gospel of Christ–because that message would reclaim men from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Light.

Thus, Jesus sounded a battle cry. He made the breathtaking statement: “All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Me” (Mat.28:18).

By this assertion of authority, Jesus defined the battlefield for us and set the goals of spiritual conflict. He has sent His followers into enemy territory to claim people who are held in sin by Satan, behind whatever barrier–whether it be cultural, linguistic, or even governmental.

We must act! And if we are arrested, we must remember that interrogation is an excellent way of communicating new ideas! A Christian can clearly present the message of Christ in his responses. But we have to face the fact that the governments of this World simply are not for Christ.

The apostle Peter found this out very quickly, as we see in Acts 5. Right there in the beginning of the church’s life and public ministry, the Jewish authorities disagreed with its message and its methods–and with its leaders. So the legal government, the one to which the Bible says you must submit, arrested the apostles.

In Acts 5:28, the high priest said, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

Look closely at the reply Peter gave for himself and the apostles: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

That’s it. Here again is the main issue: Jesus said we must take the Gospel into every country. If any of those countries resist–whether through the police, the government, the army, the culture, or even the religion–we still have the commission to go, regardless!

WE HAVE DUAL CITIZENSHIP

As citizens of some nation here on Earth, as well as citizens of the eternal Kingdom of God, we have dual citizenship. This description of our position in this World echoes the phrase contained in the honor roll of heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11: “These all died in faith … having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the Earth” (v. 13). This was the basis for their suffering, as an example for us.

The apostles were also confronted with the question of whether or not they should submit to the earthly authorities–or whether they should accept the obligations of their Heavenly calling. Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin (the duly established religious authority for the Jewish nation), arrested for ministering in the name of Jesus, and forbidden to “speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:18). To this, the apostles replied: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20).

The apostles persisted in their activities. Once again they were brought before the Sanhedrin and given strict orders to cease teaching in Jesus’ name. Their response: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

How can we account for this defiance of authority? The key lies in the priority of allegiance. God was first, the government second. When commands of an established earthly authority conflict with divine commands, the Christian is obligated to follow the commands of God.

Scripture abounds in examples of times when loyalty to God was primary. Hebrew midwives spared the lives of the male children in violation of the edict of Egypt’s Pharaoh (Exo.1:15-20). The mother of Moses hid her child contrary to Pharaoh’s order (Exo.2:2-3). Daniel disobeyed the royal decree by courageously continuing to kneel in prayer–before an open window–three times daily (Dan.6). The question was not, is it legal? But rather, who has the right to declare that obeying God is illegal?

In Acts 5:28 the authorities tell Peter that he cannot preach and teach anymore in the name of Jesus. Do you think Peter replied, “Yes, I happen to be a citizen of this country, so I submit myself to you and your rules”? If he had done so, how many of us would be Christians today?

Peter said, “No, I have a higher allegiance; I must obey God rather than men.”

12:1 makes it clear what God wants from us: “I appeal to you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

Then Paul adds, “Do not be conformed to this World.” Don’t bother about it. Don’t get involved in it. Work for the Kingdom of God. Be a radical, or even a fanatic for it! Someone once said it’s easier to cool down a fanatic than to warm up a corpse any day! Jesus said, “So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth” (Rev.3:16).

As William Penn said in 1681: “If we are not governed by God, then we will be ruled by tyrants.”

AUTHORITIES: CREATED BY GOD, RESPONSIBLE TO GOD

When a government–local, national, or international–limits the church in its activity and curbs the witness of Christians, or perhaps persecutes them, it has gone beyond the purposes of the God Who ordained it. Thus, we are no longer under obligation to observe its regulations with respect to witness and worship.

In Acts 9:23, Saul was in Damascus when the Jews plotted to kill him. This plan was not the action of an individual; it was from the government. The Jews had an official warrant of arrest probably similar to the one Saul had been given for his mission to persecute the church in Damascus. Saul was in trouble because, instead of persecuting the church, he was now witnessing for Jesus Christ after his wonderful encounter with the Lord.

We read, “But their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night” (Acts 9:24). Who was watching? The government; police and soldiers (2 Cor. 11:32-33)! But his companions helped him get away at night by lowering him in a basket down over the wall.

Saul committed an illegal act by avoiding border controls and fleeing arrest. Shouldn’t he have submitted to the government? Didn’t it have the power of God?

No! Saul believed that to fully observe the commandments of Christ, he must not let the authorities control his activities. Inasmuch as he had already received the commandment to evangelise, he could not be bogged down by government decrees.

In fact, he didn’t even accept punishment if it came his way unjustly. For Paul did not consider that the word he used for our relationship to government, subjection, required him to accept an immoral judgment from the state. If the command of a government was unlawful, then the penal sanction attached to it was also unlawful. If one could resist the former, then he was equally justified in resisting the latter.

The apostle Paul frequently did not accept the established procedures and punishments prescribed by magistrates as is shown by Scripture (see Acts 17:6-10; 19:38 20:1). He simply disregarded some of the rules that people who are not in his business of preaching the Gospel should observe. That is why Paul was so often in prison. It was not for doing legal things, but always for doing illegal things.

Another time, in Thessalonica, Paul had to hide because local citizens had attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring him out so they could take him before the local government. The rioters couldn’t find him because he had concealed his mission–he had gone “underground” (Acts 17:5-6). He was not going to allow his work and witness to be destroyed by the enemy. He was not going to submit to what people would call the legal government.

Let’s consider Peter too. All we need to do is look at Peter’s life to see that he did not believe governments always need to be obeyed. One confrontation Peter had with the authorities is recorded in Acts 5:17. Here, the apostles were under pressure from a government they were to honor and obey–a government that was supposed to punish the bad and praise the good–but one that had put them in prison.

The Scripture says an Angel from the Lord opened the prison doors. Highly illegal! You can’t just open prison doors like that; they were closed and guarded by order of a government put there by God! Yet God identified with the men who defied the government. God Himself takes the apostles out of prison; and what’s more, God doesn’t say to them: “Now, disappear, go underground.” No! He says, “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life” (Acts 5:20).

Doesn’t that strike you as humorous, really? God is not afraid of a confrontation with the powers of evil; we are the ones who are afraid because we don’t know the real issues.

In Peter’s case, when the authorities catch up with the apostles again and warn them: “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name [an official government decree], yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us” (Acts 5:28), he replies: “We must obey God rather than men.” (To be continued)

Virtues for Christ-Followers: Joy

By Peter Amsterdam

May 14, 2024

As Christians, our joy emanates from our faith in what the Bible has taught us: that God is our Creator; that though humanity is alienated from Him due to our sins, He has made a way for us to be reconciled with Him through the sacrificial death of Jesus and the forgiveness of our sins; that through this reconciliation, we enter a relationship with Him, His Spirit dwells within us, and our relationship will last for eternity.

Our faith in God and deep trust in His promises of salvation, reconciliation, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the ultimate fruit of salvation—spending eternity with God—help us have peace of mind and a confident outlook. Our beliefs generate hope, an expectation of good things to come, and cause us to live in joy.

Christian joy is connected to and is a result of our faith. We believe in God—not just as our Creator, but as our Father. We believe in His Word, which tells us about Him and His character, and His deep abiding love for us. We have an ongoing two-way relationship with Him, which will continue for eternity. His Holy Spirit dwells within us, and joy is a fruit of that indwelling.

Author Michael Zigarelli wrote about what it means to have this joy: “From a biblical point of view, we can define joy as ‘having a daily spirit of rejoicing through all circumstances.’ It’s more than inner contentment, more than gladness, more than overall satisfaction with life.^”¹

It is helpful to examine ourselves in this area of joy to see if we are living in the richness of the joy of the Lord that the Bible tells us is our strength, as the following article highlights.

Living in the Joy

Joy is something we all long for but that often seems difficult to grab hold of. Experiencing joy should be a part of every Christian’s life. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, produced by God’s work in us, and it is part of God’s will for us…

The first thing is to realize that joy is a gift from God. The root word for joy in the Greek is chara, which is closely related with the Greek charis for “grace.” Joy is both a gift of God as well as a response to the gifts of God. Joy comes when we are aware of God’s grace and relish His favor.

With this in mind, it’s evident that one way to experience joy is to focus on God. Rather than dwelling on our difficulties or those things robbing our contentment, we can dwell on God … remembering that He is near, praying about our worries, and keeping our minds focused on the good things of God. We can experience joy when we intentionally praise. David wrote that the study of God’s Word can bring us joy (Psalm 19:8). We can experience joy by communing with God through prayer.—Gotquestions.org ²

When we’re grateful for what God has done for us; when we’re focused on His goodness, love, and care, and are content with His blessings, then we have reason for joy—even in the midst of life’s storms and in times of trouble, grief, and sorrow. Being thankful for God’s blessings helps us live in joy and hope.

Joy is a work of the Holy Spirit. The theme of joy is prominent in Philippians, where believers are called to trust that God is working all things together for their good. Joy is a response to God in our lives—to His blessings, presence, promises; the relationship we have with Him; our being His children. It’s a response to who He is and His involvement in our lives, to His love, as the following quote highlights:

It is the consciousness of the threefold joy of the Lord, His joy in ransoming us, His joy in dwelling within us as our Saviour and Power for fruitbearing, and His joy in possessing us as His Bride and His delight; it is the consciousness of this joy which is our real strength. Our joy in Him may be a fluctuating thing: His joy in us knows no change.—James Hudson Taylor

The following article highlights the example Paul and Nehemiah in the Bible set for us of joy even during trying times.

Unfaltering Joy

We all face challenges and struggles, as did people in the Bible… Anxiety and unexpected problems seem to push joy away easily… But God wants us to have an inner joy that remains despite outward forces. We discover sources of such joy in Bible people who also faced difficulties…

Nehemiah Shares a Secret about Joy (read Nehemiah 8:9–10). After supervising the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem after the exile, he had the people listen to God’s Word. They wept because they realized they had disobeyed God. But Nehemiah turned their hearts to rejoicing. He explained that the day of reading God’s Word is holy, and the joy of the Lord is their strength. He urged them to celebrate and give gifts of food to those who have nothing. The word for strength is ma’ōz, and it’s a word picture for a fortress. This led to a great feast. Feasts and sharing our blessings should be times to celebrate and rejoice. When you need more joy, open the Bible!

Paul, in Prison, Knows Great Joy. Paul faced many hardships, including prison, beatings, being shipwrecked in a storm, and lashes. But he always spoke of joy. His joy came from many sources, especially from how he focused his thoughts:

Gratitude for support and gifts sent to him (Philippians 4:10–23), for the faith of others, and for Christian love (Colossians 1:3–4).
Life with no regrets as he focused on loving people and trusting God (2 Timothy 4:7).
His contentment in any circumstance (Philippians 4:12).
He allowed God to work in him. The [Greek] word in Philippians 2:13 to work in us is energes or energeia and can also be translated as revitalize. It’s God’s power to breathe new life into us.
Positive outlook. For example, Paul observed that his imprisonment encouraged others to speak out (Philippians 1:14) and helped grow the kingdom.
Hope in the eternal future (Philippians 1:20).

Adopting these principles will help us let go of anxieties and live with more joy… Thank God for each day and what it brings in joys and hopes, as well as giving thanks in troubled times for new insights and growth.—Karen Whiting³

We hear a lot in popular culture about “happiness” and the pursuit of it, but is that the same as the joy of the Lord? The following provides helpful insights into the gift of the joy of the Lord:

The Key to Christian Joy

The word joy appears over and over again in the Scriptures. For instance, the Psalms are filled with references to joy. The psalmists write, “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5b), and “Shout for joy to God, all the earth” (Psalm 66:1). Likewise, in the New Testament, we read that joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), which means that it is a Christian virtue. Given this biblical emphasis, we need to understand what joy is and pursue it…

The heart of the New Testament concept is this: a person can have biblical joy even when he is mourning, suffering, or undergoing difficult circumstances. This is because the person’s mourning is directed toward one concern, but in that same moment, he possesses a measure of joy.

In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul speaks about joy and about the Christian’s duty to rejoice over and over again. For example, he writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4). Paul says Christians are to rejoice always—not sometimes, periodically, or occasionally. He then adds, “Again I will say, Rejoice” (v. 4b). Paul wrote this epistle from prison, and in it he addresses very somber matters, such as the possibility that he will be martyred, poured out as a sacrifice (2:17). Yet he tells the Philippian believers that they should rejoice despite his circumstances…

The key to the Christian’s joy is its source, which is the Lord. If Christ is in me and I am in Him, that relationship is not a sometimes experience. The Christian is always in the Lord and the Lord is always in the Christian, and that is always a reason for joy. Even if the Christian cannot rejoice in his circumstances, if he finds himself passing through pain, sorrow, or grief, he still can rejoice in Christ. We rejoice in the Lord, and since He never leaves us or forsakes us, we can rejoice always.—R. C. Sproul⁴

The excerpts from the following two articles remind us of the importance of rejoicing and praiseful joy in our lives as we work to fulfill our mission of reaching the world with the gospel message:

The Joy-Driven Life

“It is astonishing,” wrote Karl Barth, “how many references there are in the Old and New Testaments to delight, joy, bliss, exultation, merry-making, and rejoicing, and how emphatically these are demanded from the Book of Psalms to the Epistle to the Philippians.”

Indeed, from “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth!” (Psalm 100:1) to “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)—and dozens of places before and after and in between—we are urged to lead joy-filled lives…

[But with the world situation the way it is,] who in their right mind can talk about joy? There will be time for rejoicing once we make some headway on the human catastrophe.

But is it not truer to say that we will not make progress on the human catastrophe until we first rediscover joy? The gospel remains a scandal, indeed, because it announces joy right when everything is falling apart, just when today’s experts offer “sober assessments of the current situation,” and in their euphoric moments can only say they remain “cautiously optimistic.”

The gospel’s tone is utterly foreign to all this. “Do not be afraid,” the angel tells the quaking shepherds. “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” The church’s angelic mission to the world is no different. “Do not be afraid,” we announce to a world shivering in the dark. “We bring good news of a great joy—for everyone!”

No matter how earnest we become, we cannot fix the world. It has already been fixed, and that fixing will become manifest when Christ comes again. In the meantime, we really are given crucial work to do: to heal the socially sick, to raise the spiritually dead—among other jobs! But practicing deadly serious discipleship is not one of them.

We do well to recall how Jesus began his ministry among us… “It’s Cana of Galilee, the first miracle,” says Father Paissy in The Brothers Karamazov. “Ah, that miracle! Ah, that sweet miracle! It was not men’s grief, but their joy Christ visited. He worked his first miracle to help men’s gladness.”

There is a time to ponder the sobering reality of evil, to write the occasional dirge. But G. K. Chesterton knew well the greater truth—which is why the Bible harped on it so. A person is fully human, he says, “when joy is the fundamental thing in him, and grief the superficial. Melancholy should be an innocent interlude, a tender and fugitive frame of mind; praise should be the permanent pulsation of the soul. Pessimism is at best an emotional half-holiday; joy is the uproarious labor by which all things live.”

Earnest purpose, to be sure. But let it pulsate with praise.—Christianity Today⁵

Long Faces Cannot Proclaim Jesus

The Holy Spirit is the “author” of Christian joy and to proclaim the Gospel we need to have joy in our hearts gifted us by the Spirit of God. There is a certain understanding of Christian life that is marked by sadness, but long faces cannot proclaim Jesus. Joy alone and praise of God are the only way to advance the Gospel.

The Pope noted, “We Christians are not so accustomed to speak of joy, of happiness. I think often we prefer to complain.” Instead, it is “the Holy Spirit that gives us joy.”

“It’s the Spirit that guides us: He is the author of joy, the Creator of joy. And this joy in the Holy Spirit gives us true Christian freedom. Without joy, we Christians cannot become free, we become slaves to our sorrows. Paul VI said that you cannot advance the Gospel with sad, hopeless, discouraged Christians…”

And how do we praise God? We praise Him by coming out of ourselves, we praise Him “freely, like the grace that He gives us is free,” said Pope Francis. “Do you give praise to God or do you only petition God…? Do you praise God? This is something new, new in our new spiritual life. Giving praise to God, coming out of ourselves to give praise; spending a little bit of time giving praise.”—Vatican Radio⁶

A Praise for the Day

Lord, I lift my heart, mind, and spirit to You in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. You are the giver of all good things, and You are all good things to me.

You are my Creator, my Father, the source of life and strength. You cause the sun to rise, the light to shine, the night to come. You hold me in Your arms. You console me in my sadness. You warm me with Your love. You shield me and protect me and provide for me.

All peace, contentment, and blessings come from Your hand. I praise and honor and thank You. Amen.⁷

Food for Thought

“You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence” (Acts 2:28 NKJV).

“God can’t give us happiness and peace apart from Himself because there is no such thing.”—C. S. Lewis

“When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight” (Jeremiah 15:16 NLT).

“We may not be able to give much, but we can always give the joy that springs in a heart that is in love with God.”—Mother Teresa

(For more on this topic, see “More Like Jesus: Joy,” part 1 and part 2. To be continued.)

¹ Michael A. Zigarelli, Cultivating Christian Character (Colorado Springs: Purposeful Design Publications, 2005), 49.

² https://www.gotquestions.org/joy-Christian.html

³ https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/bible-characters-who-teach-us-about-joy.html

⁴ https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/key-christians-joy

⁵ Christianity Today editorial, December 7, 2009.

⁶ Vatican Radio quoting Pope Francis, May 31, 2013.

⁷ Activated, November 2012.

“I Never Made a Sacrifice”

May 17, 2024

By John Piper

David Livingstone was born March 19, 1813. He gave his life to serve Christ in the exploration of Africa for the sake of creating access to the gospel. He was the first European to cross the width of Africa, and the first to set his eyes on Victoria Falls, which he named after his queen. He also laid his eyes on the horrors of the East African slave trade, and devoted himself with passion as an abolitionist.

Many doubted Livingstone’s sincerity as a missionary, since he spent so much of his time exploring. But his own perspective was clear: “As for me, I am determined to open up Africa or perish.” He said, “The end of the exploration is the beginning of the enterprise.”

A year before he died in 1873, he wrote in his journal on his 59th birthday, “My birthday! My Jesus, my King, my Life, my All. I again dedicate my whole self to Thee.”

(Read the article here.)

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/i-never-made-a-sacrifice

Expectant Faith

May 16, 2024

Treasures

Audio length: 9:32

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Faith has lost much of its meaning today. Today the word faith tends to refer to a kind of a hazy, vague belief of some kind in something or other. But in God’s Word, it means much more than that! It is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen; it is the title deed (Hebrews 11:1).

Nearly 400 years ago, when the Greek New Testament was being translated into English, the translators ran into a puzzling problem: How should they translate the word “hupostasis” in the 11th chapter of Hebrews? They knew from the way this word was used in other Greek literature that it apparently meant something fairly substantial.

In modern times, archaeologists uncovered the burned ruins of an old inn in northern Israel. There they found a small iron chest, containing apparently the papers of a Roman noblewoman who had been traveling in Israel at that time for the purpose of checking up on her various land holdings. They found that most of the papers in this chest were labeled with the title “Hupostasis”—and were the title deeds to her properties.

The word “substance” used in Hebrews 11:1 conveys the message equally well, and if you want to make it even clearer and more explicit, you can write “title deed” above the word “substance”: “Now faith is the title deed of things hoped for.”

It’s possible that this Roman woman had never seen these properties that she had purchased in Israel, but she knew she owned them and could prove her ownership with the title deeds. Likewise, if you have faith, even though you haven’t seen the fulfilment of God’s Word yet, you have the title deed of faith and you will see it eventually!

So how do you acquire such faith? The Bible tells us that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). Take the time to read and study the Bible and ask the Lord to increase your faith (Luke 17:5). Jesus said, “Whatever things you ask for when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:24).

Prayer is our means of personal communication with God. Prayer is a connecting link between human needs and divine resources, the cry of the child to his Father with the expectation that the Father loves His children and hears their cries and answers them. “For if an earthly father knows how to give good gifts to his children, how much more will the heavenly Father give good things to those that ask Him” (Matthew 7:11)?

A pastor once commented, rather humorously, that his whole congregation had the “gimmes”—they were continually asking the Lord, and yet never believing that He heard their prayers and would answer. They were continually saying, “Give me, give me, give me,” and their prayer life was focused on asking for things.

The story is told of an old janitor in a country church in the foothills of Virginia who was found standing on top of a ladder, working in the belfry, which opened into the prayer-meeting room. As he sat on top of the ladder, he spoke to a group of prayer-meeting folks that had gathered a little early for the service.

He said to them, “You know what’s the matter with that bell that it won’t ring? That old belfry is so full of prayers that never went any higher than the roof of this church that the bell hasn’t got room to move! Don’t you know that prayer has to be accompanied by faith, and you have to expect that God will answer?”

Prayer is not simply a ritual, but our means of communication with God, as real and as genuine as using the telephone, only even more so. The party at the other end of the line—God—is always there, and He has promised in His Word that “before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24).

Our heavenly Father’s eyes are upon His children and His ears are open to their prayers (1 Peter 3:12). God is not asleep, nor has He gone on a long journey.

In the Bible account in 1 Kings 18, Elijah challenged the heathen to see whose God would answer prayer by consuming a sacrifice by fire. Elijah mocked them when they cried to their pagan god and received no answer:

“‘Oh, Baal, hear us!’ But there was no voice nor any that answered. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, ‘Cry aloud; for he is a god, either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awaked.’ But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention” (1 Kings 18:26–29).

However, when Elijah offered his sacrifice to God, “the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, ‘The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!’” (1 Kings 18:38–39).

Some years ago, a father asked for prayer for his son, who was not a believer. Every time there were requests for prayer in the church, he asked again for the salvation of this boy, and at last one night, the boy came down to the front in response to the invitation and gave his heart to God.

After the prayer, this father who had prayed so long for his son, upon hearing the news that he had received Christ, replied, “You must be mistaken. It must be some boy by the same name.” It took about five minutes to persuade that man that it was his son and that he had really been saved!

That night, the father testified that he had been praying for his son for 20 years and had never been so surprised as when he found out that he had become a Christian. Think of 20 years of praying and never expecting God to work in his son’s life! While he had deep confidence in the Bible as the Word of God, he had no expectancy or hope that God would hear his prayers and answer.

How it must grieve the heart of the Infinite for His child to pray over and over without the least expectancy, faith, or hope. Too often we want God, without the least effort on our part, to lay everything we need in our laps. God has promised to hear our prayers and supply all our needs, but He has conditions, and those conditions are “Believe that you will receive them and you will have them” (Mark 11:24).

He has a right to set down His own conditions, and what less could He ask than that we honor Him by believing His Word. His Word never said that without perfection it is impossible to please God—it is without faith that it is impossible to please Him. “For he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

If there is in your heart today a desire to please God, honor His Word by believing in Him and trusting in Him to fulfill His promises in your life in accordance with His will. He may not always answer your prayer in the way you expect Him to, but you can be confident that He will never fail to answer you in the way that He knows is best and will fulfill His plan for your life. So bring every care and every need to Him with expectant faith, trusting that He will hear your petitions and answer your prayers.

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14–15).

From an article in Treasures, published by the Family International in 1987. Adapted and republished May 2024. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.

Remembering God’s Gifts

May 15, 2024

By Marianne Paladino

It has struck me recently how often the idea of “remembering” is used in the Bible—between 240 and 352 times, depending on the source and the version. It is one of the central themes of God’s Word: to remember actively, to recall and reflect on God’s actions and promises and how they were fulfilled in the past, to remember His instruction and how it applies to the present and encourages us for the future. How many times did the Old Testament forefathers make altars as a remembrance of God’s mighty acts or apparitions? In Jesus’ last meal with His disciples—a Passover meal to remember how God delivered His people long ago—He instituted the only official ceremony He taught us to celebrate, communion, and He said, “Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24).

David Horner explains that remembering is a way of preserving our identity and purpose as God’s people. It is also a way of acknowledging God’s sovereignty and faithfulness and of giving thanks and praise to Him for all that He has done and continues to do for us. In the Bible, remembering is not just a mental exercise but a call to action. It is a way of living out our faith and fulfilling God’s purposes for our lives. In summary, biblical remembering is a way of keeping God’s Word and works alive in our hearts and minds and living out our faith practically. To forget our story is to forget who we are and why we’re here. No wonder remembering is such a central theme in Scripture. God knows the gravitational pull of human awareness, which draws us inexorably toward forgetting. God’s people are always in danger of forgetting who and whose they are.¹

The book of Deuteronomy records Moses’ final address to the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land. He emphasizes the importance of actively remembering what they had learned and what the Lord did to keep them through the many years in the wilderness: “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them” (Deuteronomy 4:9). “Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today” (Deuteronomy 8:2, 18).

In recent years, I have started to keep a form of Advent before Christmas as a time to remember the incredible gift of love that God extended to humanity by sending His own Son into the world to live amongst us; and also during Lent, to remember Jesus’ sacrifice for each of us on the cross where He died so we could live. These are special times to think more deeply about what His love means to me and to reflect on what I can do to show my gratitude.

One thing He impressed upon me during one of these times is the importance of daily recording His blessings and mercies, of keeping track of how He manifests His love in so many ways on a daily basis. It may be simple manifestations of His presence or an answer to my prayers; it may be something awesome that happened that day or a simple joy I tend to take for granted. Recording these at the end of each day has been one of the most powerful tools to help me navigate the ups and downs of life in a faith-filled and praiseful way. It is coming into His presence with thanksgiving (Psalm 100:4), which helps me see His many underserved gifts, which may have passed without me noticing them. I naturally tend to focus on the many problems and needs which surround me so that I fail to see the multitudes of His mercies renewed day by day (Lamentations 3:22–23), the many touches of His love, like the smell of good food on the stove, the sunrise through the trees, an uplifting song that someone took the time to send me, or the smile on my grandson’s face when he knocks on our door.

A book I read during the pandemic that inspired me along these lines is One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. In the book, she wondered, “How do I find joy amid deadlines, debt, drama, and daily duties? What does a life of gratitude look like when your days are gritty, long, and sometimes dark? What is God providing here and now?” Her book is an inspiring and practical guide to living a life of joy even through hardships, as it invites you to wake up to God’s everyday blessings, and to write these down as gifts that we receive from our caring Father. We often miss them if we do not take the time to look for them, savor them, and take note of them at the end of the day—to marvel at His goodness and faithfulness, which helps us see we are always accompanied even through the toughest times!

I have been keeping a prayer journal for many years, writing down my prayer requests, and noting when they are answered, and also jotting down messages that I get during my time with the Lord. These journal entries are always encouraging to look back on, as I see how present He has been in our lives, even through the many changes and new twists we have faced in the last decade. When confronted with a new challenge, reviewing my notes of His constant care, the many manifestations of His presence, the promises fulfilled, and the faithful supply and guidance through unknown territory and impossible situations is a tremendous comfort. It reminds me how He indeed has never left us nor forsaken us, and “though my sins are many, His mercies are more,” as John Newton said so well.

After reading One Thousand Gifts, I began the daily discipline of jotting down ten gifts I received that day. Of course, there are the big gifts and outstanding miracles of supply, protection, healing, or answered prayer for loved ones and friends, but these don’t happen every day. However, this new habit helps me pay attention to the multitude of less noticeable gifts that brighten my days. We know He is the God who sees, but I am often the person who doesn’t see how present and caring He is even amidst the worst circumstances. “In everything give thanks”(1 Thessalonians 5:18)—not for everything but in everything. He does not need my praise to make Him feel better about Himself, but looking more intentionally for His goodness helps me feel better and see that He truly is present, ever faithful, ever loving, ever caring!

Often, as I start to count His “gifts” of the day, I can barely think of one or two things (the “gifts” noted are meant to be unique each day), and it shows me clearly how easy it is for me to forget the good and focus on the lack! But as I begin to list them one by one, more and more come to my mind that I had forgotten, even though they had just happened that day. By the time I have listed ten, I can think of more that I can add. This is a beneficial and uplifting exercise that helps my mind be more aligned with His Word. It helps me deal with my natural inclination to worry about so many things. And I find it easier to not be conformed to this world, which tends to focus on the negative, but be transformed by renewing my mind (Romans 12:2).

Jesus started the miracle of feeding the multitude by simply giving thanks for the two loaves and five fishes—someone had counted them and recorded it! By noticing and actively recording my many little (and big) blessings—His daily gifts to me—it helps me walk in a spirit of peace and joy, and I see more of His power at work all around me.

¹ Paraphrased and quoted from https://www.biblica.com/articles/remembering-to-remember-the-stories-of-gods-people/

Kindness Is Never Wasted

May 14, 2024

A compilation

Audio length: 14:17

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Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.—Ephesians 4:32

Christians have long celebrated kindness as one of the heavenly virtues. Yet we live in a day that often makes very little of kindness. We assume it’s free. We celebrate “random acts of kindness.” We think of kindness without context. Of course, in our mean world, it is pleasant to be surprised by a stranger’s kindness, free and random as it may seem. But the Christian vision of kindness is far deeper, more significant, and contextualized.

Christian kindness is no common courtesy or virtue in a vacuum, but a surprising response to mistreatment and hurt. It is not random or free, but a costly, counterintuitive response to meanness, to outrage, rather than responding in kind. …

Among other graces, kindness often appears hand in hand with patience and compassion. … As for compassion, Ephesians 4:32 memorably explains the command to “be kind to one another” with the word “tenderhearted” (or “compassionate,” Greek eusplanchnos). Kindness is an expression of a tender, compassionate heart. Colossians 3:12 puts all three together, with humility and meekness: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.”…

Kindness, Paul says, is the produce of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23; 2 Corinthians 6:6), not of the natural human heart. Real kindness requires intervention from the outside, both from God’s Spirit and also his divine Son stepping into our world, showing us a different way, and doing it, climactically, to our eternal salvation and joy. …

Ultimately, it is the kindness of God that melts an unforgiving spirit, softens a hard heart, and transforms unkind actions. In Christ, we become the kind of people who see others, and have compassion for them, and exercise patience toward them, and show kindness to them, knowing not only that we ourselves have been shown kindness but that “in the coming ages [God himself will] show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). We have only begun to taste the kindness of our God.—David Mathis¹

Believers are to put on kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness. These three virtues also deal with interpersonal relationships. In the original Greek, the phrase rendered “be kind to one another” literally means “keep on becoming kind toward one another.” The graciousness of God, which is also found in Jesus Christ, shows us what it means to be kind to one another. Because God acts kindly toward us, we are to behave the same way toward others. …

Compassion and kindness are closely linked. Compassion can be defined as “heartfelt sympathy or empathy toward those who are suffering or in need.” Kindness is the helpful spirit that sees someone else in need and is motivated to respond through good deeds. Kindness is the tangible action that results from compassion. Kindness goes beyond mere words; it translates into helping and serving one another (Acts 28:2).—GotQuestions.org²

Everyone has influence. Moment by moment your attitude and level of happiness are reflected in the little things you say and do, and those are bound to affect others. What kind of impact do you usually have?

Think of the things people have done that made your day, and make a point of doing those same things for others. Not only will you brighten someone else’s day, but you will also find that you are happier and see life more positively.

Little things count. Small acts of kindness can create an atmosphere of love and tenderness. Ask Me for ideas of ways to show love to your loved ones. Also, don’t underestimate the value of random acts of kindness. Start a chain reaction of kind deeds, and watch the love in your life blossom. You won’t regret it.—Jesus

As I walked through the parking lot, all I could think about was the dire diagnosis I had handed my patient Jimmy: pancreatic cancer. Just then, I noticed an elderly gentleman handing tools to someone working under his stalled car. That someone was Jimmy.

“Jimmy, what are you doing?” I yelled out.

Jimmy dusted off his pants. “My cancer didn’t tell me not to help others, Doc,” he said, before waving at the old man to start the car. The engine roared to life. The old man thanked Jimmy and drove off. Then Jimmy got into his car and took off as well.

Take-home message: Kindness has no limits and no restrictions.—Mohammed Basha

I forgot about the rule preventing liquids in carry-on luggage, so when I hit security at the airport, I had to give up all my painting supplies. When I returned a week later, an attendant was at the baggage area with my paints. Not only had he kept them for me, but he’d looked up my return date and time in order to meet me.—Marilyn Kinsella

My neighbors, Jay and Treva, have been the best since we moved in. When my husband Jim got brain cancer, they helped with yard work and snow removal. When Jim passed away, they were always helping me with anything they could. Meals, yard work, snow removal, putting my trash can away when I would forget. They still continue to care for me, and if they don’t see me outside for a while, they text to make sure I am alright, and not down or anything. I know I can always count on them to be there for me no matter what happens!—Shelly Golay³

Ruth went to her mailbox and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. She read the letter:

Dear Ruth,
I’m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon, and I’d like to stop by for a visit.
Love always,
Jesus

Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. “Why would the Lord want to visit me? I’m nobody special. I don’t have anything to offer.” With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets. “Oh my goodness, I really don’t have anything to offer. I’ll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner.” She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents. “Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least.” She threw on her coat and hurried out the door.

A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk … leaving Ruth with a grand total of twelve cents to last her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.

“Hey, lady, can you help us, lady?” Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn’t even noticed two figures huddled in the alleyway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags. “Look, lady, I ain’t got no job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it’s getting cold and we’re getting hungry and, well, if you could help us, lady, we’d really appreciate it.”

Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled bad, and she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to. “Sir, I’d like to help you, but I’m a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I’m having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him.” “Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway.” The man put his arm around the woman’s shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley.

As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart. “Sir, wait!” The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them. “Look, why don’t you take this food. I’ll figure out something else to serve my guest.” She handed the man her grocery bag. “Thank you, lady. Thank you very much!” “Yes, thank you!”

Ruth could see now that the man’s wife was shivering. “You know, I’ve got another coat at home. Here, why don’t you take this one.” Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman’s shoulders.

Then, smiling, she turned and walked back to the car … without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest. “Thank you, lady! Thank you very much!” Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit, and she didn’t have anything to offer Him.

She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox. She thought, “That’s odd. The mailman doesn’t usually come twice in one day.” She took the envelope out of the box and opened it.

Dear Ruth,
It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal. And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.
Love always,
Jesus

The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer noticed.—Author unknown⁴

Published on Anchor May 2024. Read by Debra Lee. Music by John Listen.

¹ https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/kindness-in-a-world-gone-mad

² https://www.gotquestions.org/be-kind-to-one-another.html

³ https://www.rd.com/article/kindness-strangers/

⁴ https://www.frtommylane.com/stories/God/presence/letter_from_Jesus.htm

Getting Through Tough Times—Part 6

May 13, 2024

Putting things in perspective

By Peter Amsterdam

Audio length: 11:24

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We have covered several topics in this series, including overcoming isolation and loneliness, dealing with financial stress, caring for our mental and emotional well-being, and rediscovering joy. As I close this series, let’s try to put things in perspective.

We can start by recognizing what we can and cannot change. Many things are not within our control, and we have to commit those into God’s hands and trust in Him to work as He knows best. But we can change our perspective, which will help us enter into the peace that the Lord has for us. The starting point for adjusting our perspectives is managing our thoughts and what we allow to occupy them.

David used to say, “You are what you read.” This principle is even more relevant today, as our access to information of every type is nearly limitless. Our perspectives and peace of mind and spirits are not only affected by what we read but also by what we watch, the podcasts we listen to, who we follow online, and who we spend time with.

The importance of managing our thoughts and the information we allow to enter our minds and spirits brought to mind that familiar Cherokee legend of two wolves.

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil—he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

He continued, “The other is good—he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

That is a good question to ask ourselves periodically: “Which wolf am I feeding?”

We need to guard our thoughts, as one version of Proverbs 4:23 says: “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.” This is a well-known biblical principle that we have been practicing for decades. But it is helpful to periodically examine your thoughts for a couple of days to assess your “thought habits” and see if there are areas that you need to shore up. This is even more important during times when you are preoccupied with overwhelming situations such as uncertainty, illness, financial needs, political unrest, fatigue, heartache, loss, and stress that have continued over an extended period of time.

At such times, it is critical that we adjust our perspective and make a deliberate effort to reflect on the Lord’s goodness, His faithfulness, and the fact that He has never failed us. In spite of trials and tests, we can give thanks for the many times we have seen the Lord fulfill His promises. He doesn’t always act according to our expectations or preferred timeframe, but we can look back and see His hand in our lives and give thanks.

While we cannot control all circumstances or events in our lives, we can control our emotions and our reactions.

If you have been battling fears and worries, if you are feeling stressed and anxious, take it to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to give you His perfect peace. Rebuke the enemy and start praising the Lord and quoting Scripture and singing songs of praise. Ask the Lord to establish your thoughts and to help you set your mind on the things that matter and will last, the “things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2). Choose to use your time and energy in positive ways that promote health and peace and build your faith. Take some time to think of ways that you can nourish the “good wolf” of joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith!

It is helpful to remind ourselves that God is good. God is love. God has never failed. God works in our lives to perfect that which concerns us, and it usually takes time. Anticipating God’s goodness leads us to and is the foundation of hope. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the LORD. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’” (Jeremiah 29:11).

God has your best interests at heart. He’s not in a hurry, and He will cause all things to work together for good for you, because you love Him and you are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

If you are struggling to adjust your mindset, take time with the Lord. He wants to share His perspective with you, and He will do so through the Bible and through His still small voice speaking to your heart. Time spent with Jesus helps to shift our perspective as He gives us insight into how He views things. The more time we spend with the Lord and in His Word, the more we will adopt His perspective and thoughts.

Let’s reflect on Psalm 23,¹ one of the most beloved and quoted psalms. Most of us memorized this psalm decades ago!

¹The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

Jesus is our Good Shepherd. He has always cared for us, He has always supplied all of our needs, even in difficult and trying circumstances.

²He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, …

We have been in many situations that were troubling or dangerous or unsettling over the years, but the Lord has led us and protected us, and He will continue to do so. He can give us peace in spite of the circumstances, as we keep our minds stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3).

³he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.

When we are weary, we can rest in the Lord and find renewed strength and resilience. We can know that He watches over us. As portrayed in the very well-known poem, when it seems we are alone and we don’t see His “footprints in the sand” by our side, that is when He is carrying us.

We can trust that the Lord will establish our thoughts and guide our steps and lead us in a path that will glorify Him and advance His kingdom.

⁴Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

We may feel like we’re going through the darkest valley, but we don’t need to be afraid because we can be confident that Jesus is with us, and His staff wards off the enemy’s attacks and comforts us.

⁵You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

We have a glorious heritage of trusting the Lord to supply our needs. He prepares a table before us in spite of difficulties and attacks of the enemy. If He is with us, no one can overpower us. It’s truly amazing how in troubling situations the Holy Spirit can comfort us, causing us to overflow with the peace that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:6–7).

⁶Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

We can rest in this promise that God’s goodness and love are unchanging and will be with us all the days of our lives, and we can look forward to the day when we will be together with the Lord in heaven forever. He is preparing a glorious place for us. He will wipe away all tears from our eyes, and there will be no more death, crying, mourning, or pain (Revelation 21:4). Praise the Lord!

Originally published September 2021. Adapted and republished May 2024. Read by John Laurence.

¹ NIV quoted.

Hell’s End (part 2)

David Brandt Berg

Verses on everlasting punishment

Here are the places in the Greek New Testament of which it speaks, according to the English translation, of “everlasting punishment,” “punishment forever,” “evermore,” “ever and ever,” etc. Here, according to the Greek, is what it actually says regarding such punishment.

2 Peter 2:17: “To whom the mist of darkness is reserved for an age.” Jude 13: “To whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for an age.” Revelation 14:11: “The smoke of their torment ascendeth up to the age of ages.” This is interpreted by Charles Pridgeon, the author of “Is Hell Eternal?” as meaning “to the final golden age”—until that age.

The age of all ages, the final golden age, is the new heaven and the new earth “wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13), in which the Holy City comes down to earth, the time called by most people eternity or the final everlasting life, the golden age of all ages (Psalm 145:13; Revelation 11:15).

Even the Millennium is an age. But the final reconciliation will come at the age of ages, the golden age, when “time shall be no more” (Revelation 10:6). There won’t be any more thousand-year Millennium. Time shall continue throughout the Millennium—there will be no time for the saved, in a sense; we’ll be in our new bodies—but time will continue for a thousand years for the humans left.

The new heaven—the age of all ages of the new heaven and the new earth—is genuinely forever, everlasting, eternal. The final new heaven, new earth, has no end; it is “world without end” (Isaiah 45:17).

“The smoke of her torment rose up for ever and ever.” That’s Babylon (Revelation 19:3). In other words, it may smoke throughout the Millennium. And the Devil and the False Prophet and the Antichrist are “tormented day and night,” it says, “for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). Literally it says, “until the age of the ages.” So even that won’t necessarily be everlasting.

Here are verses that use the word “everlasting”: “Shall be cast into everlasting fire” (Matthew 18:8). The literal translation from the Greek is “age-lasting” fire, or fire lasting only for an age. “Depart, ye cursed, into age-lasting fire” (Matthew 25:41). “These shall go away into age-lasting punishment” (Matthew 25:46). “To be punished with age-lasting destruction” (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

These are the only references in the New Testament Greek to what is translated in our Bible in English as everlasting punishment, punishment forever and ever, or forever. These references either literally mean “age-lasting,” meaning “for an age,” or “unto the age of the ages,” until the age of all ages, the final age, which is the new heaven and the new earth as far as we now know.

Even though the final stage is unending, it’s considered the final age. Now you can say, “If that age doesn’t have any end, maybe the for-an-age punishment may come during that age and not have any end either.” Regarding punishment or hell or hellfire, the Greek does not say either “forever” or “forever and ever” or “everlasting.” That is not a correct translation, because in our language, that means there’s no end. But in the Greek it speaks of it as an age, only age-lasting, or unto the age of all ages. In other words, the end of all ages, the age which ends all ages. So this is clear in my opinion, that all punishment will eventually come to an end.

Then when the final age of all ages comes, that’s an age that is endless. That’s where our everlasting life and living for evermore will really mean everlasting and forever. That’s where the confusion comes; it’s the difference in the literal meaning of “forever” in our language.

Thank God hell will not last forever, despite the English translation. Fire and brimstone and all the rest will not be eternal, but will be “for an age” and “age-lasting” or until the age of ages,” when it says that then He shall have “reconciled all things to Himself” (Colossians 1:20). It would have to be an admitted failure of God that He wasn’t able to save all of His creation and all of His creatures.

Universal Reconciliation

The only people raised before the Millennium are the Christians, the righteous, the saved; they’re the only ones who are taken up in the Rapture. The unsaved are not raised until the end of the Millennium, a thousand years later, for the Great Judgment (Revelation 20:5,11–12).

Only the unsaved who manage to survive the Wrath of God at the end of this present age will survive into the Millennium and live during the Millennium. The people who are living after the Wrath of God, which occurs between the Rapture and our return in victory to rule the earth, those who live through that, whom God in His mercy spares and allows to live into the Millennium, will be the only ones living then besides the saved. All the righteous of all ages will be alive then.

Then there’s the final Great White Throne Judgment at the end of the Millennium in which everyone is given their final judgment and assigned their final place (Revelation 20:11–12). A lot of those who have been in hell or in limbo or in their place of punishment, whether light or heavy, during the Millennium, will then be judged regarding how they have reacted and how they have responded to this chastisement and this punishment and this correctional time, as to whether they have completely repented and really been sorry and received God’s laws.

Then at the Great While Throne Judgment at the end of the Millennium, they will be judged according to all their deeds, both in this life and in the afterlife, and how they reacted. They will then be assigned their final places in that age of all ages, which is a world without end, and the state they will be in for the age of all ages. That’s the general outline of the belief or theory of those of us who believe in eventual universal reconciliation of all men.

The Bible definitely teaches that nations that obey will be blessed, and nations that disobey will be cursed! If they’re blessed, it’s some kind of a salvation, some kind of a blessing. It may not be our kind of salvation, which allows us a free ticket to the Eternal City, admission to the Eternal City; they may still not be allowed to enter there, but they will go through another stage.

Then at the end of the Millennium, all the unsaved who ever lived will be raised, millions of them, and then they will be judged at the Great White Judgment Throne of God, at which time each will be assigned to his particular place in the hereafter. Then they will be released and assigned their particular position and condition on the new earth, outside the Heavenly City where we dwell.

It’s really quite a plan, a tremendous drama, and it’s thrilling that we are going to be a part of it as the inner circle who live within the City, living charmed lives as eternal beings, with supernatural bodies designed for that purpose.

These people who are raised from the dead at the end of the Millennium in the Great White Throne Judgment will be in a new immortal body of some kind. It may not be similar to ours, but it will at least be immortal, and they will live forever, but outside the City. So that all men everywhere, all the billions that have ever lived, will finally be restored and reconciled and in a sense saved and live.—Either the elect, within the City, the saved in this life, or outside the City in varying stages and conditions and levels of either forgiveness or shame and contempt.

God’s people will apparently still be ministering to them and rehabilitating them, and that’s probably going to take quite a while, getting everybody situated and everybody straightened out and everybody living happily ever after. It sounds like an almost monumental, unimaginably gigantic task, that God is finally going to in a sense save everybody, or at least reconcile everybody and restore everybody to some form of bearable existence on the earth, at which time we’ll continue to minister to them the leaves of healing, whatever they may be.

All men everywhere will worship Him. All men everywhere will know Him. All the nations shall worship Him, fall down before Him and serve the Lord, everywhere, and the whole earth will be restored. There will be no more sea; it’ll all be land, so there’ll be plenty of room for everybody (Revelation 21:1). Things will be as God originally intended them to be: completely restored paradise.

Even outside the Heavenly City it’s going to be like the Garden of Eden, like man in his original state before he fell! Not in a saved state, but like the original state, like the Garden of Eden, which is paradise enough. In a sense, compared to the punishment some of these people have been going through, this will be heaven on earth, paradise found, and they’ll be very glad to be there at all.

Everybody will know he got just what he deserved as his punishment. And his final end, his position, place, condition on earth will be just exactly what he deserved or earned or merited according to his works and his words (Matthew 16:27; Galatians 6:7,8; Revelation 22:12). That will all have to be earned by their own punishment and their own death, and in a sense, their own degree of repentance and obedience, but they will live strictly outside the City on the surface of the earth. Only their kings will bring their glory and honor into the City. God’s people will rule over them all, we who live in the City.

The Bible doesn’t make it clear whether there will still be any suffering outside. But whatever it is, it will be paradise by comparison with hell and its prisons and its Lake of Fire and its torments, so that they will come in a sense to their final reward, depending on the degree of their sin, the degree of their punishment, repentance, reformation, or regeneration, reconciliation—but not within the Holy City, only outside.

The City is reserved for God’s people, who will in love and compassion, healing and ministration, help them all get rehabilitated for as long as necessary, until there’s universal reconciliation. And when that’s all done, who knows what God has in store for us? Maybe then there are other worlds we are going to have to salvage and save and restore and regenerate, reconcile and teach and heal. Maybe God didn’t tells us that far ahead because we didn’t have to know. He went far enough even to tell us that we’re going to live for a thousand years after Jesus comes, here on the earth ruling the survivors, and then we’re going to live forever in the Heavenly City—or as far as we know, forever.

Even those who are living outside the City are going to be thankful to be there, thankful that they’re even in that world at all and restored, finally forgiven, and eventually universally reconciled, finally completely rehabilitated, reformed, regenerated in some way, and in a sense new creatures! They may not be in Christ as we are; they will not be in the Heavenly City the way we are, but they will be there outside for us to supervise, administer, and minister reconciliation to.

He’s the Savior of all men, especially those that believe (1 Timothy 4:10). We have a very special kind of salvation. We accepted the grace of Jesus Christ and His death on the cross as the payment for our sins and our punishment, and we are completely relieved of all punishment, either here or hereafter. And what we suffer now on this earth, we suffer not as much for our sins—although we still suffer some for our sins too right now if we disobey or have disobeyed—but we suffer for Jesus and for others.

We are partakers of His sufferings for others that we may lead them to Christ and get them saved, so that they will be a part of the saved in the Holy City, ruling over the rest of the world who were lost and were punished, but are now fully restored to whatever condition and position God shall choose for them according to their works and according to their rewards—universal reconciliation.