Author: SPARKS FROM THE ANVIL OF LIFE

Paul’s Letter to the Church in Ephesus…

The church in Ephesus had a special place in Paul’s heart.

Here’s the backstory…

Scripture tells us more about the Ephesian church community than any other group of believers, giving us our best glimpse of a first-century congregation.

Paul spent three years in Ephesus during his third missionary journey, and on his way back to Jerusalem he met with the elders of the Ephesian church to encourage them.

He sent Timothy, his beloved partner in ministry, to serve the church in Ephesus.

Overview of Ephesians

Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia and was a major thoroughfare in the Roman Empire.

Its location made it a multicultural, cosmopolitan city, bustling with activity and influence.

Paul visited Ephesus on his second missionary journey and witnessed the birth of the church in that region.

He then returned on his third missionary journey and spent three years working to establish the church (Ac 18:18–21; 19:1–41).

God used the inhabitants’ spiritual fervor and the strategic location of the city to make the church a center for evangelism and mission to the surrounding region (Ac 19:18–20).

Upon leaving, Paul warned the church that fierce wolves would attack the church from inside and outside (Ac 20:17–38).

Years later, Paul wrote from a Roman prison to his beloved friends in Ephesus.

He wanted to remind them of the gospel he proclaimed, spur them on to perseverance in the face of suffering and encourage them with the blessed hope the gospel brings.

There is evidence to suggest that Ephesians may also have been a circular letter that was used to instruct and encourage believers in the broader world.

The first three chapters explore many of the central doctrines of the Christian faith to show that Jesus’ work brings peace with God and peace with others.

What’s in It for Us?

Eph 1:11 “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.”

Obedience to Jesus can be costly. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).

But at some point it is fair to ask how we benefit from following Christ.

The Lord’s first followers raised this question.

“We have left all and followed You,” Peter told Jesus. “Therefore what shall we have?” (Matt. 19:27).

Paul partially answers this question in Ephesians 1:3–14.

Much of what God promises to His followers will be given in the future, in another mode of existence.

Specifically, Paul mentions our “inheritance” (Eph. 1:11), which means that all that God has prepared for Christ in “the fullness of the times” (1:10) is going to be ours as well (Rom. 8:15–17).

This includes salvation from sin (Heb. 1:14), everlasting life (Matt. 19:29), and the kingdom of God (25:34).

As hard as it might be to grasp, we will inherit God Himself.

But much more will happen now!

We find love, joy, peace, kindness and more.

We experience a depth of human relationships as God created them to be.

We find a bit of heaven on earth when we work according to “Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

In these ways and more God lets us glimpse that inconceivable future.

The Holy Spirit lives inside us as a guarantee of things to come (Eph. 1:14).

He “seals” us, assuring that we remain in God’s family and do not lose our inheritance.

And as we move toward our day of inheritance, He works in every part of our lives to make us like Christ.

Paul describes those real-world changes in Ephesians 4–6.

Stand Together in Grace

Eph 2:1-3 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”

The few Gentiles in the church during the earliest days of Christianity were often scorned by Jewish believers who found it hard to accept that God had offered salvation to non-Jews.

But Gentiles composed the majority of the church in Ephesus (see Acts 19:8–41).

The Book of Ephesians details the new life that Christ gave to Gentiles:

Gentiles were . . .

dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1, 5).
children of wrath (2:3).
without Christ (Eph. 2:12).
aliens from the commonwealth of Israel (2:12).
strangers from the covenants of promise (2:12).
without hope and without God in the world (2:12).
far from God (Eph. 2:17).
strangers and foreigners (Eph. 2:19).

God has . . .

made them alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:1, 5).
loved them (2:4).
raised them up (2:6).
seated them with Christ (2:6).
made them right with God by grace through faith (2:8, 9).
appointed them to do good works (2:10).
brought them near by the blood of Christ (Eph. 2:13).
provided access to Himself (Eph. 2:18).
made them fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God (Eph. 2:19).
built them into a holy temple, or dwelling place, of God (2:21, 22).

God did not give these privileges to Gentiles separately from Jews but along with them (Eph. 2:5, 6, 21, 22; 4:16).

God has torn down the “wall of separation” that divided these groups in order to create a unified body (2:14–16).

These principles were immediately relevant to Jews and Gentiles, but they matter wherever Christians encounter cultural diversity.

Ephesians challenges us to see past our differences and stand together in grace.

We are to “[bear] with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (4:2, 3).

God’s Power Manifest in the Salvation of Gentiles and Jews (2:1–10)

2:1 The chapter break should not obscure the vital connection between the latter part of chapter 1 and the verses that follow.

In chapter 1 we watched the mighty power of God as it raised Christ from the grave and crowned Him with glory and honor.

Now we see how that same power has worked in our own lives, raising us from spiritual death and seating us in Christ in the heavenlies.

This passage resembles the first chapter of Genesis.

In each we have:

(1) a scene of desolation, chaos, and ruin (Gen. 1:2a; Eph. 2:1–3);

(2) the introduction of divine power (Gen. 1:2b; Eph. 2:4);

(3) the creation of new life (Gen. 1:3–31; Eph. 2:5–22).

When Ephesians 2 opens, we are spiritual corpses in death valley.

When it closes, we are not only seated in Christ in the heavenlies; we form a habitation of God through the Spirit.

In between we have the mighty miracle that brought about this remarkable transformation.

The first ten verses of chapter 2 describe God’s power in the salvation of Gentiles and Jews.

No Cinderella ever advanced from such rags to such riches!

In verses 1 and 2 Paul reminds his Gentile readers that before their conversion they were dead, depraved, diabolical, and disobedient.

They were spiritually dead as a result of their trespasses and sins.

This means they were lifeless toward God.

They had no vital contact with Him.

They lived as if He did not exist.

The cause of death was trespasses and sins.

Sins are any form of wrongdoing, whether consciously committed or not, and thoughts, words, or deeds which fall short of God’s perfection.

Trespasses are sins which are committed in open violation of a known law.

In a wider sense they may also include any form of false steps or blunders.

2:2 The Ephesians had been depraved as well as dead.

They walked according to the course of this world.

They conformed to the spirit of this age.

They indulged in the sins of the times.

The world has a mold into which it pours its devotees.

It is a mold of deceit, immorality, ungodliness, selfishness, violence, and rebellion.

In a word, it is a mold of depravity.

That is what the Ephesians had been like.

Not only so, their behavior was diabolical.

They followed the example of the devil, the prince of the power of the air.

They were led around by the chief ruler of evil spirits, whose realm is the atmosphere.

They were willingly obedient to the god of this age.

This explains why the unconverted often stoop to vile forms of behavior lower than that of animals.

Finally, they were disobedient, walking according to the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.

All unsaved people are sons of disobedience in the sense that they are characterized by disobedience to God.

They are energized by Satan and are therefore disposed to defy, dishonor, and disobey the Lord.

2:3 Paul’s switch of the personal pronoun from you to we indicates he is now speaking primarily of Jewish believers (although what he says is also true of everyone before conversion).

Three words describe their status: carnal, corrupt, and condemned.

Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh.

It was among the sons of disobedience that Paul and his fellow Christians also walked prior to their new birth.

Their life was carnal, concerned only with the gratification of fleshly desires and appetites.

Paul himself had lived an outwardly moral life on the whole, but now he realized how self-centered it was.

And what he was in himself was a lot worse than anything he had ever done.

The unconverted Jews were also corrupt, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.

This indicates an abandonment to every natural desire.

Desires of the flesh and of the mind may range all the way from legitimate appetites to various forms of immorality and perversion; here the emphasis is probably on the grosser sins.

And notice, Paul refers to sins of thought as well as to sinful acts.

This is Paul’s final description of the unsaved Jews: they were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

This means they had a natural predisposition to anger, malice, bitterness, and hot temper.

They shared this with the rest of mankind.

Of course, it is also true that they are under the wrath of God.

They are appointed to death and judgment.

Notice that man’s three enemies are mentioned in verses 2 and 3:

the world (v. 2), the devil (v. 2), and the flesh (v. 3).

2:4 The words “But God” form one of the most significant, eloquent, and inspiring transitions in all literature.

They indicate that a stupendous change has taken place.

It is a change from the doom and despair of the valley of death to the unspeakable delights of the kingdom of the Son of God’s love.

The Author of the change is God Himself.

No one else could have done it, and no one else would have done it.

One characteristic of this blessed One is that He is rich in mercy.

He shows mercy to us by not treating us the way we deserve to be treated (Ps. 103:10).

“Though it has been expended by Him for six millennia, and myriads and myriads have been partakers of it, it is still an unexhausted mine of wealth,” as Eadie remarks.

The reason for His intervention is given in the words because of His great love with which He loved us.

His love is great because He is its source.

Just as the greatness of a giver casts an aura of greatness on his gift, so the surpassing excellence of God adds superlative luster to His love.

It is greater to be loved by the mighty Sovereign of the universe, for instance, than by a fellow human being.

God’s love is great because of the price He paid.

Love sent the Lord Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, to die for us in agony at Calvary.

God’s love is great because of the unsearchable riches it showers on its objects.

2:5 And God’s love is great because of the extreme unworthiness and unloveliness of the persons loved.

We were dead in trespasses. We were enemies of God. We were destitute and degraded.

He loved us in spite of it all.

As a result of God’s love for us, and as a result of the redeeming work of Christ, we have been:

(1) made alive together with Christ;

(2) raised up with Him;

(3) seated in Him.

These expressions describe our spiritual position as a result of our union with Him.

He acted as our Representative—not only for us, but as us.

Therefore when He died, we died.

When He was buried, we were buried.

When He was made alive, raised, and seated in the heavenlies, so were we.

All the benefits of His sacrificial work are enjoyed by us because of our link with Him.

To be made alive together with Him means that converted Jews and converted Gentiles are now associated with Him in newness of life.

The same power that gave Jesus resurrection life has given it to us also.

The marvel of this causes Paul to interrupt his train of thought and exclaim,

By grace you have been saved.

He is overwhelmed by the fathomless favor which God has shown to those who deserved the very opposite.

That is grace!

Mercy means we do not get the punishment we deserve.

Grace means we do get the salvation we do not deserve.

We get it as a gift, not as something we earn.

The grace of God lies at the heart of Paul’s letter (Eph 2:8–9).

This grace saves God’s people apart from their works so that, through salvation, God gets all the glory.

Selah (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
____

Wednesday, August 03
Anchor Devotional

COMPLETELY DEAD

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved.”
— Ephesians 2:4-5

In a scene from the 1987 movie, The Princess Bride, Inigo and Fezzig bring their friend Wesley to Miracle Max. They believe Wesley is dead, and they hope Max can bring him back to life.

Max informs them that Wesley is only “mostly dead.” So there is hope that he can be cured!

Isn’t that similar to how we see our relationship with God?

We don’t think we are that bad off; we might be “mostly dead,” but all we need is a simple cure so we can go about the work of pleasing God.

Scripture tells us differently: spiritually we are dead, as dead as the son of the widow from Nain.

In our own strength, we are helpless.

Death is the ultimate disability, isn’t it?

In asking the question, how does God view disability? We are asking something of utmost importance because we are all disabled before a holy God.

Luke answers our question. He says that God looks with compassion on those who are spiritually dead.

He brings them to life! We can’t do this on our own.

We experience new life when we trust Jesus as our Savior. Will you trust Him today?
____

Come join the Adventure!

Skip 🕊️

The Faith of the Thessalonian Believer’s…

Overview:

Nearly all new believers have questions about their faith. As a seasoned missionary, Paul knew this.

For this reason, he sent Timothy back to Thessalonica shortly after establishing the church there.

Timothy’s job was to find out how the young church was doing.

When he returned, he was loaded down with their questions.

First Thessalonians is Paul’s patient reply.

He reinforces the basic gospel message, instructs them further in the faith, and provides practical applications for spiritual truths.

Read 1 Thessalonians 5

5:1–11 Paul informs believers about the day of the Lord.

This phrase refers both to the moment of the rapture as well as the seven-year tribulation period that follows the rapture.

The day of the Lord will commence unexpectedly, like the arrival of a thief at night. It is described as a time of darkness with dreadful consequences.

Unbelievers, identified as those who belong to the night, will be overtaken by destruction. But believers are, symbolically, of the day not the night.

They are not the objects of God’s wrath, but are destined to receive a full rescue from the day of God’s wrath.

In view of their exemption from the day of the Lord, believers ought to encourage and edify one another.

And in verses 12-22, Paul gives us Strong, Specific Commands for Life…

There are some specific ways to display the changes Christ brings into our lives.

5:12-13 “Those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work” probably refers to elders and deacons in the church.

Perhaps the elders of the church in Thessalonica had rebuked those who had quit working and were “mooching off” others.

And no doubt the drones didn’t take the rebuke too well!

That may account for this exhortation to the leaders and to those led.

When Paul urges the saints to recognize those who labor among them, he means to respect and obey their spiritual guides.

How can you honor your pastor and other church leaders?

Express your appreciation for them, tell them how you have been helped by their leadership and teaching, and thank them for their ministry in your life.

If you say nothing, how will they know?

Remember, they need and will cherish your support and love.

5:14 Lovingly warn those who are lazy, remembering to model a good work ethic yourself.

Many people dismiss or overlook people who are timid and weak, but Paul urges us to encourage and care for them.

At times, distinguishing between idleness and timidity can be difficult.

Two people may be doing nothing—one out of laziness and the other out of shyness or fear of doing something wrong.

Ministry involves sensitivity: sensing the condition of each person and offering the appropriate remedy for each situation.

Paul reminds believers to be patient with everyone. You can’t effectively help until you know the problem; you can’t apply the medicine until you know where the wound is.

5:16 “Rejoice always” Joy can be the constant experience of the Christian, even in the most adverse circumstances, because Christ is the source and subject of his joy, and Christ is in control of the circumstances.

To RE-JOICE means to return to JOY; in other words, it means to return to all that Christ brings to the table in order to help us navigate through our problems.

5:17 “pray without ceasing” Prayer is two-way conversation between us and God; and to pray without ceasing means that we are to maintain that vertical connection with Him 24/7 365.

Just as we see Jesus did, during His Earthly ministry, when He said that He only did what He saw the Father doing, and He only even spoke what He heard the Father speaking; and He said “as a Father is calling me, I’m calling you.”

Prayer should be the constant attitude of the Christian—not that he abandons his regular duties and gives himself wholly to prayer.

Sure he prays at certain regular times; but he also prays extemporaneously as need arises; and therefore he enjoys continual communion with the Lord by prayer.

In Galatians 3:17, we are told that “whatever we do in word and deed, to do it as unto the lord,” so why not let’s make our life itself a prayer unto God?

Let’s plug in each morning, through our morning prayers and devotions, and then maintain that connection throughout our day – “acknowledging God in all of our ways,” and then knowing that He is directing our steps (Prov 3:5-6).

5:18 Giving thanks to God should be the Christian’s native emotion.

If Romans 8:28 is true, then we should be able to praise the Lord at all times, in all circumstances, and for everything, just as long as in doing so we do not excuse sin.

These three good habits have been called the standing orders of the church.

They represent the will of God in Christ Jesus for us.

The words in Christ Jesus remind us that He taught us these things during His earthly ministry and He was the living embodiment of what He taught.

By teaching and example, He revealed to us God’s will, for each of us, concerning joy, prayer, and thanksgiving.

5:19-22 “Do not quench the Spirit, Do not despise prophecies, Test all things, Hold fast what is good, and Abstain from every form of evil” In these next four verses God seems to be dealing with behavior in the assembly.

To quench the Spirit means to stifle His work in our midst, to limit and hinder Him.

Sin quenches the Spirit.

Traditions quench Him.

Man-made rules and regulations in public worship quench Him.

Disunity quenches Him.

And also our despising and not allowing the gift of Prophecy in our services quenches Him.

By warning us not to “quench the Holy Spirit,” Paul means that we should not ignore or toss aside the gifts the Holy Spirit gives.

Here, he mentions prophecy (5:20); in 1 Corinthians 14:39, he mentions speaking in tongues.

Sometimes spiritual gifts are controversial, and they may cause division in a church.

Rather than trying to talk about the issues, some Christians prefer to smother the gifts.

This impoverishes the church.

We should not stifle the Holy Spirit’s work in anyone’s life but encourage the full expression of His gifts to benefit the whole body of Christ.

The Holy Spirit speaks to us by convicting us to do what God wants, warning us to flee temptation, and helping us to discern the truth.

Ignoring these inner promptings stifles, or quenches, the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.

Not acting on these spiritual gifts in your life or keeping someone else from exercising their gifts can hinder God’s work at a particular place and time.

Trust the Lord, discern your spiritual gifts, and use them to build up the body of believers around you.

5:21 “Test all things; hold fast what is good” We must evaluate what we hear and hold fast what is good, genuine, and true.

We shouldn’t make fun of those who don’t agree with what we believe (“scoff at prophecies”), but we should always “test everything that is said,” checking people’s words against the Bible.

We are on dangerous ground if we laugh at a person who speaks the truth.

God has often spoken through prophets, inspiring them with specific messages for particular times and places.

The gift of prophecy is less about predicting future events than about bringing messages from God under the direction of the Holy Spirit to the body of believers.

This gift provides insight, warning, correction, and encouragement to God’s people (Acts 15:32), edifying the believers (1 Corinthians 14:5, 10-12).

More Christians should seek this gift today.

On one hand, prophecies spoken should not be ignored or treated with contempt because the words are from God; on the other hand, Paul advocates comparing what people say with what the Bible says.

A true prophecy will never contradict what the Bible says.

The standard by which we test all preaching and teaching is the Word of God.

There will be abuses from time to time wherever the Spirit has liberty to speak through different brethren.

But quenching the Spirit is not the way to remedy these abuses.

An open meeting, a liberty of prophesying, a gathering in which any one could speak as the Spirit gives him utterance is one of the crying needs of the modern Church.

5:22 “Abstain from every form of evil”.Christians cannot completely avoid every kind of evil, because we live in a sinful world.

We can, however, make sure that we don’t give evil a foothold by avoiding tempting situations and concentrating on obeying God.

Paul concludes this letter with a prayer for the Thessalonian Christians, asking that God would continue to work in every part of their being–spirit, soul and body.

He prayed that God would mature them by developing, purifying and preparing them for His purposes.

Their whole being was to be preserved for God and “kept blameless” until Jesus returns.

Notice that they would not accomplish this in their own ability, but the “one who calls you is faithful and he [God] will do it” (v. 24).

Selah (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
____

Come join the Adventure!

Skip 🕊️

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ-Messiah (Mat 16:13-20)…

We have arrived at a major turn in the road. This passage serves as the climax and the culmination of Jesus’ ministry to this point.

At 16:12 Jesus took His disciples further north, away from the crowds into a retreat setting.

His purpose was to review His ministry and to clarify His own identity and His expectations of them.

The question of Jesus’ identity had been there all along:

“What kind of man is this?” (8:27).

“Are you the one who was to come?” (11:2).

“Could this be the Son of David?” (12:23).

Now all of those questions came to a climax in this focused, intense retreat with the disciples.

This passage serves as a transitional section in Matthew’s Gospel.

Peter’s confession summarized Jesus’ ministry up to this point. And Jesus’ announcement of the church began Jesus’ preparation of the disciples for their leadership roles in His absence.

Jesus’ intention to build His church marks a major transition in God’s pursuit of His great plan of the ages.

The old wineskin of Israel had been set on the shelf temporarily, while the new wineskin of the church was introduced.

The disciples’ breakthrough in understanding also opened the door for Jesus to initiate them into the next level.

Read Matthew 16:13-20

16:13, 14 Caesarea Philippi was about twenty-five miles north of the Sea of Galilee and five miles east of the Jordan.

When Jesus came to the surrounding villages (Mark 8:27), an incident generally recognized as the apex of His teaching ministry occurred.

Up to this time He had been leading His disciples to a true apprehension of His Person.

Having succeeded in this, He now turns His face resolutely to go to the cross.

He began by asking His disciples what men were saying as to His identity.

The replies ran the gamut from John the Baptist, to Elijah, to Jeremiah, to one of the other prophets.

To the average person He was one among many.

Good but not the Best. Great but not the Greatest.

A prophet but not the Prophet.

This view would never do.

It condemned Him with faint praise. If He were only another man He was a fraud because He claimed to be equal with God the Father.

16:15, 16 So He asked the disciples who they believed He was.

This brought from Simon Peter the historic confession,

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

In other words, He was Israel’s Messiah and God the Son.

16:17, 18 Our Lord pronounced a blessing on Simon, son of Jonah.

The fisherman had not arrived at this concept of the Lord Jesus through intellect or native wisdom; it had been supernaturally revealed to him by God the Father.

But the Son had something important to say to Peter also.

So Jesus added, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

We all know that more controversy has swirled around this verse than almost any other verse in the Gospel.

The question is, “Who or what is the rock?”

Part of the problem arises from the fact that the Greek words for Peter and for rock are similar, but the meanings are different.

The first, petros, means a stone or loose rock; the second, petra, means rock, such as a rocky ledge.

So what Jesus really said was “ … you are Peter (stone), and on this rock I will build My church.”

He did not say He would build His church on a stone but on a rock.

If Peter is not the rock, then what is?

If we stick to the context, the obvious answer is that the rock is Peter’s confession that Christ is the Son of the living God, the truth on which the church is founded.

Ephesians 2:20 teaches that the church is built on Jesus Christ, the chief cornerstone.

Its statement that we are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets refers not to them, but to the foundation laid in their teachings concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.

All believers are joined into this church by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.

Jesus praised Peter for his confession of faith. It is faith like Peter’s that is the foundation of Christ’s Kingdom.

16:19 The meaning of this verse has been a subject of debate for centuries. Some say the “keys” represent the authority to carry out church discipline, legislation, and administration (18:15-18), while others say the keys give the authority to announce the forgiveness of sins (John 20:23).

Still others say the keys may be the opportunity to bring people to the Kingdom of Heaven by presenting them with the message of salvation found in God’s Word (Acts 15:7-9).

The religious leaders thought they held the keys of the Kingdom, and they tried to shut some people out.

We cannot decide to open or close the Kingdom of Heaven for others, but God uses us to help others find the way inside.

To all who believe in Jesus and obey his words, the Kingdom doors are swung wide open.

16:20 Jesus warned the disciples not to publicize Peter’s confession because they did not yet fully understand the kind of Messiah He had come to be—not a military commander, but a suffering Servant.

They needed to come to a full understanding of Jesus and their mission as disciples before they could proclaim it to others in a way that would not cause a rebellion.

They would have a difficult time understanding what Jesus came to do until His earthly mission was complete.

This incident, which took place six months before the Crucifixion, was pivotal in Jesus’ ministry, marking the climax of His teaching concerning His own Person.

In verse 21, Jesus begins to reveal a series of detailed predictions concerning His suffering, death, burial, and resurrection.
____

Monday, August 1, 2022
Worthy Brief

THE GATES OF HADES SHALL NOT PREVAIL!

Matthew 16:17-19

“And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Caesarea Phillipi, where Yeshua (Jesus) revealed Himself as Messiah to His disciples, was home to the Temple of Pan, a place so demonic that many of the rituals performed there are too horrible to mention in a daily devotion.

The city sits at the foot of Mount Hermon, which was known as the ‘Rock of the Gods’, referring to the many shrines built against it.

At the foot of Mount Hermon sat the temple of Pan, the ruins of which can still be seen there.

In the rear of the temple was a cave with a deep pool (which also remains there) from which spring water flowed.

Ancient Pagans believed that the water symbolized the abyss, and that the cave was a door to the underworld.

The cave at the rear of the temple was considered the ‘Gate of Hades’ because it was believed that Baal would enter and leave the underworld through it.

God only knows what kind of spiritual activity passed through this realm of darkness.

It was here, in the most demonic place in Israel, that Yeshua chose to reveal, through Peter’s spirit inspired proclamation, that He was Messiah, the Son of God.

And it was in this place of repugnant darkness and spiritual degeneracy that the Lord announced His intention to build His “Church” (or “congregation”).

And it was in this ” Hell hole” that He gave us the assurance, “The Gates of Hell will NOT prevail against it.”

We are planted where evil dwells, to proclaim and represent the Lord of Light. And we seem to be witnessing an advance of evil in this world that is unprecedented, and is becoming a “flood” reminiscent of the “Days of Noah”.

How precious and vital are the Lord’s words, “The Gates of Hell will NOT prevail…”

Believing those words, we will stand, every day, and we will overcome the power of Satan, by faith, especially as we continue to pray as He taught us, “Deliver us from evil.”

Not in our own strength or power – but in the power of God given to all His children through His Son!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Knoxville, Tennessee
____

Come join the Adventure!

Skip 🕊️

Come to Jesus…

Jesus gives mankind the deal of a lifetime, when He says…

“Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and LEARN OF ME; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Mat 11:28-30).

David admonishes us in Psalm 100::3,

“Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us (we did not make ourselves), and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.”

Then Isaiah goes on to say, in Isaiah 55:1-7

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.

Yes, come, buy wine and milk

Without money and without price.

Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

And let your soul delight itself in abundance.

Incline your ear, and come to Me.
Hear, and your soul shall live;

And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—

The sure mercies of David.

Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people,

A leader and commander for the people.

Surely you shall call a nation you do not know,

And nations who do not know you shall run to you,

Because of the Lord your God,
And the Holy One of Israel;

For He has glorified you.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found,

Call upon Him while He is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him; And to our God,

For He will abundantly pardon.
____

Not too many folks will tell you, “I’m an atheist.” At least not with their words; but their lifestyles and the way they conduct their lives say otherwise.

I know a lot of people (and you do, too) who are living their lives as if there were no God.

They do not take God into consideration at all, with regard to what plans and destiny He might have for their lives.

In fact when you stop to consider it, that attitude is the very nature of what sin is all about.

Sin is anything that contradicts, or goes crosswise or against God’s original plan and purpose.

This attitude, which is common to all mankind, is the very nature which we all have inherited from our father Adam; and it is the reason why we ALL must be born-again, through the propitious work and shed blood of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross, in order to have our sins forgiven and be reconciled back into God’s family.

It’s also the reason why Jesus had to be born of a virgin, because otherwise He would have carried that same sin nature as we do, that has been passed down to us through the blood of Adam.

The fact is most people leave God out of all their lives completely, their reckonings, their speech, their plans and their deeds.

They completely disregard God’s commands and precepts found in the Bible, and instead relying on their own wisdom, and are thereby refusing to hope in the goodness of God the Father.

This attitude is prevalent and can be seen all around us today, in our present day society; and this is the reason why Jesus (in Mat 7:13) tells us to,

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.”

In the Jewish culture this is what characterizes the “evil” and “wicked” people (as mentioned in the Bible); they are all those who are not actively pursuing GOD, who are not abiding by, nor following His Word, and are not seeking the Rhema mysteries that can only be found in His Word.

The character of the Wicked Person(s) In the Bible…

WICKED: (Heb. rasha) is the unrighteous who are evil, being guilty of willfully and purposely violating the standards of God.

In the Old Testament it refers to the one who refuses to acknowledge or obey God.

In the book of Proverbs explicitly, it refers to the foolish one who ignores or refuses to follow the divine teachings of God.

It is a state or condition of evil that focuses on the violating of God’s laws or standards. – Prov. 3:33; 18:3.

The Characteristics of Evil Men in the Bible…

2 Timothy 3:1-17
Separate from the ungodly

3:1 But know this, that in the last days, grievous times will come.

3:2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful,
arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3:3 without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers,
without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good,

3:4 traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;

3:5 holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof.

Turn away from these, also.

3:6 For of these are those who creep into houses, and take captive gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,

3:7 always learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

3:8 Even as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so do these also oppose the truth;
men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith.

3:9 But they will proceed no further.
For their folly will be evident to all men, as theirs also came to be.

Identify with the godly

3:10 But you did follow
my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness,

3:11 persecutions, and sufferings: those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. Out of them all the Lord delivered me.

3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

3:13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

3:14 But you remain in the things which you have learned and have been assured of,
knowing from whom you have learned them.

3:15 From infancy, you have known the sacred writings
which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus.

3:16 Every writing inspired by God (literally, God-breathed) is profitable

for teaching,
for reproof,
for correction, and
for instruction which is in righteousness,

3:17 that the man of God may be complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work.
____

The way you live your life speaks louder than words, and so don’t let your life deny your belief in God; and also don’t be foolish enough to think that you can ignore or reject the gospel and Jesus Christ, and that you will somehow get into heaven on your good works.

Jesus said, I AM the WAY, the truth and the life and NO ONE can come unto God except through Me. (John 14:6)

And to Nicodemus Jesus said (in John 3:3-21),

3 “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old?

Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You MUST BE BORN AGAIN.’

8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?

11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.

12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

16 FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
____

Yes it’s true, Jesus is the ONLY WAY to heaven...

Such an exclusive statement may confuse, surprise, or even offend, but it is true nonetheless.

The Bible teaches that there is no other way to salvation than through Jesus Christ.

He is not a way, as in one of many; He is THE ONLY way, as in the one and only.

No one, regardless of reputation, achievement, special knowledge, or personal holiness, can come to God the Father except through Jesus.

We MUST be born-again!

Selah (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
____

Come join the Adventure!

Skip 🕊️

It’s all about our learning to Surrender…

Romans chapter 12 starts out by answering the question: How should those who have been justified by grace respond in their everyday lives?

In Paul’s epistles we hear him talking about a broad range of subjects: our duties towards God, other believers, toward the community, toward our enemies, toward the government, and toward our weaker brothers.

However what Paul teaches in the first two verses of Romans chapter 12 is key to how God expects each one of us to walk out our faith in our everyday life.

(12:1-2) Sacrificing oneself to God is accomplished by applying a RENEWED MIND (a repentant mind) to the pursuit and achieving of the will of God.

12:1. This verse is one of the most important in all the Bible, and contains more key theological terms and truths for its size than perhaps any other verse of Scripture.

Having completed his explanation of sin, salvation, sanctification, and sovereignty, Paul now does to the Roman believers, in a manner of speaking, what the Holy Spirit does in our lives—he urges the Rome believers to act on the truth they have received.

I urge you is the translation of parakaleo (to urge, call, exhort, encourage), from which is derived the noun parakletos, or paraclete.

This is the term Jesus used to refer to the promised Holy Spirit who would come to the disciples after His ascension into heaven (John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7).

Paraclete is translated as “Helper” in the NASB and NKJV, “Comforter” in the KJV, and “Counselor” in the NIV.

As is widely understood, the paraclete’s ministry is pictured from the formation of the word para (along, beside, together) and kaleo (to call).

Therefore, the paraclete is one called alongside to do that which the verb, parakaleo, suggests— exhort, urge, comfort, counsel.

It is striking how closely Paul fulfills the ministry of the Holy Spirit predicted by Jesus:

“But the Holy Spirit. . . will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).

Paul has certainly taught the Roman Christians “all things,” and is now about to remind them of the consequences and application of what he has taught them.

Paul is going to urge them to act on the truth they have received, letting that truth be the foundation of their Christian practice.

The key action verb in Paul’s urging is to offer. But before getting to that key action step, Paul justifies his exhortation.

He does not simply command them to offer themselves; he appeals to their reason (logikos).

In view of God’s mercy, Paul says, it is only reasonable that you offer yourselves to God.

The only thing that saves a human race lost in sin is the mercy of God.

In view of God’s mercy, Paul urges his readers (and us) to offer [their] bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.

What would be a reasonable (logikos) response to the cancellation of judgment?

Offering oneself in gratitude for the grace that has been shown would not be unreasonable.

It is not by accident that in Greek one and the same noun (charis) does duty for both ‘grace’ and ‘gratitude.’” .

The reason that offering oneself to God is both reasonable and spiritual is based partly on the meaning of logikos and partly on Paul’s context.

Logikos derives from logos, the Greek term for word or reason.

But Paul is also drawing a contrast here between the physical sacrifices of the Old Testament and the spiritual sacrifice of the New Testament.

The spiritual act of worship which Paul is encouraging is one that springs from the inner man, the realm of the mind (see v. 2).

It is therefore a reasonable as well as spiritual form of worship.

Worship has always been accompanied by sacrifice, but the form of sacrifice has changed under the new covenant:

In the Old Testament, there were sacrifices for sin as well as sacrifices of gratitude and praise.

Christ has obviously fulfilled the sacrifice for sin once for all (Heb. 9:26; 10:10,12,14), and there is nothing that the believer can add to that sacrifice.

But living sacrifices of gratitude and praise are the appropriate (reasonable, spiritual) sacrifices to be made by those who live only by the mercy of God.

These sacrifices are as much the act of worship of the believer today as the sacrifices of dead animals were the act of worship of Old Testament Israelites.

Latreia is the word Paul used for the worship practices of Israel in Romans 9:4, so he obviously has the same concept in mind for New Testament believers.

The root of worship is latreuo, to serve.

God was served in the Old Testament by sacrifices of property owned by the believer, but He is served in the New Testament by the sacrifice of the believer himself or herself.

Paul does not tell believers to “make” a sacrifice, but to “be” a sacrifice.

The sacrifice we are to offer is our bodies, which recalls Paul’s earlier words in Romans 6:13:

“Do not offer the parts of your body to sin. . . but rather offer yourselves to God… as instruments of righteousness.”

God’s mercy resulted in our being bought out of the slave market of sin and adopted into the household of righteousness.

Therefore, our bodies are to become living sacrifices as we worship the One who redeemed us by His mercy.

It takes many times of hearing this truth for the contemporary believer to get it right.

God is not asking the believer to dedicate his gifts, abilities, money, time, ideas, creativity, or any such thing.

He is asking the believer to sacrifice himself or herself.

Oswald Chambers says,

“We have the idea that we can dedicate our gifts to God.

However, you cannot dedicate what is not yours.

There is actually only one thing you can dedicate to God, and that is your right to yourself.

If you will give God your right to yourself, He will make a holy experiment out of you— and His experiments always succeed.

The one true mark of a saint of God is the inner creativity that flows from being totally surrendered to Jesus Christ”
(My Utmost, June 13).

On a continual, daily basis, our attitude should be that of Theodore of Heraclea, a Christian martyr from Pontus who died around A.D. 306:

“I know not your gods. Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, is my God. Beat, tear or burn me, and if my words offend you, cut out my tongue; every part of my body is ready when God calls for it as a sacrifice” (Ward, p. 26).

God, through the apostle Paul, is calling for the body of every believer to be offered daily as a sacrifice in worship)—and if necessary, in death. 12:2a.

The person who has truly sacrificed himself or herself to God will be distinguished by one overriding characteristic that informs the rest of life.

That characteristic is the unwillingness to be conformed to the pattern of this world.

Or, as J. B. Phillips put it in his widely-known translation of this verse, “Don’t let the world. . . squeeze you into its mold.”

Paul gives the offensive key to this defensive posture— but first a closer look at that which the believer is committed to avoiding.

The NIV rendering of aion by world is not quite as telling as its primary translation, “age.”

The NIV’s pattern is not in the Greek text. It is an expansion of the verb suschematizo, to conform to.

Literally, the verse says: “Do not be conformed to this age.”

“Age” carries with it a sense of the beliefs, the philosophies, the methodologies, and the strategies of the fallen world in which we live.

It is not just the world and its people in their fallen state.

It is the worldviews and practices that derive from the fallen state that define the age in which humans live at any time in history.

RENEWING OF YOUR MIND

As we immerse ourselves in the Spirit, through our study of scripture and in prayer, we are allowing the Holy Spirit to rewrite the corrupt programming we all have received from the world.

We then develop a spiritual sensitivity and perception—as we learn to look at life on the basis of God’s view of reality.

Paul emphasizes the need to develop understanding of God’s ways.

Christians are called to a responsible freedom of choice and action based on the inner renewing work of the Holy Spirit.

Once we offer ourselves to God, our relationship to the world is altered.

Paul urges us not to be conformed to this age, meaning the world system that leaves God out, but to be transformed by the renewing of [our] mind.

Notice that both commands are passive.

We aren’t conforming or transforming our minds.

Someone else is.

When God has all of us, and when the world has none of us, God does the work of renewing our confused minds.

He brings our thoughts in line with His own so that we think God’s thoughts after Him (see 1 Cor 2:16).

God has a goal in renewing our minds.

This renewal allows Him to merge His thoughts with our thoughts so that He can bring His plans into our lives.

He calls it the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

God has a purpose and a plan for each of our lives—one that finds us when we are fully surrendered.

Selah (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
____

Come join the Adventure!

Skip 🕊️

God is always working behind the scenes, in hidden and mysterious ways we know not…

Psalm 143
The Message

1-2 Listen to this prayer of mine, God;
pay attention to what I’m asking.

Answer me—you’re famous for your answers!

Do what’s right for me.

But don’t, please don’t, haul me into court;
not a person alive would be acquitted there.

3-6 The enemy hunted me down;
he kicked me and stomped me within an inch of my life.

He put me in a black hole,
buried me like a corpse in that dungeon.

I sat there in despair, my spirit draining away,
my heart heavy, like lead.

I remembered the old days,
went over all you’ve done, pondered the ways you’ve worked,

Stretched out my hands to you,
as thirsty for you as a desert thirsty for rain.

7-10 Hurry with your answer, God!
I’m nearly at the end of my rope.

Don’t turn away; don’t ignore me!

That would be certain death.

If you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice,
I’ll go to sleep each night trusting in you.

Point out the road I must travel;
I’m all ears, all eyes before you.

Save me from my enemies, God—
you’re my only hope!

Teach me how to live to please you,
because you’re my God.

Lead me by your blessed Spirit
into cleared and level pastureland.

11-12 Keep up your reputation, God—give me life!

In your justice, get me out of this trouble!

In your great love, vanquish my enemies;
make a clean sweep of those who harass me.

And why? Because I’m your servant.
____

It is amazing how many different subjects and moods can be touched in a Psalm of twelve verses.

143:1-12 HEAR MY PRAYER

Like the preceding psalm, this one describes a person who is facing overwhelming troubles and feels he has reached his limit (vv. 3-4, 7; cf. 104:29).

All he has left is a prayer that God will restore his hope and rescue him from his desperate situation (vv. 10-11).

This psalm of David was most likely written when he was running for his life from jealous King Saul.

Although the psalm writer is experiencing isolation and loneliness without any human support, companionship or sympathy, he still realizes that the Lord is his refuge, friend and helper.

When we are suffering or in trouble, rather than remaining silent and depressed, we should cry out to God.

He has promised to be our comforter and helper in time of need (see Jn 14:16-26; 2Co 1:4-5).

In our minds, the way God weaves remarkable events in and through our lives may seem illogical and beyond our understanding.

However, we walk by faith, not by sight. Christians know that God’s thoughts are above our thoughts and God’s ways are higher than ours.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

God’s ways are not only higher than ours, but they are also better than ours.

The big struggle we have is whether or not we will embrace them.

There is a blessing and a hope that comes from embracing God’s ways.

The good news is that the blessing comes even when you don’t understand what God is doing.

God will always make a way, even when there doesn’t seem to be one.

Selah (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
____

Friday, July 29, 2022
Worthy Brief

TAKE SHELTER IN HIM!

“Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You. Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies; In You I take shelter.”
— Psalm 143:8-9

During World War II, a US marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific Island. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his comrades. Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves.

Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed. As he waited, he prayed, “Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen.”

After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, “Well, I guess the Lord isn’t going to help me out of this one..”

Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave. As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave. “Ha,” he thought. “What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a sense of humor.”

As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on.

Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while. “Lord, forgive me,” prayed the young man. “I had forgotten that in you a spider’s web is stronger than a brick wall.”

God’s resources to protect you are vast. When you pray for protection, believe that He hears you and is able to manage it with great skill, and even perhaps a stroke of humor.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Knoxville, Tennessee

The Danger of Living Without God…

“First and foremost, I give all the glory to God. He is the rock on which I stand, and I would publicly like to ask Him to forgive me for my sins, of which there are many.”

— Danny Wuerffel (upon accepting the 1996 Heisman Trophy)

People who live without God face five dangers:

1. It stifles the prayer life.

2. It makes them a friend of the world and an enemy of God.

3. They neglect God’s will in their lives.

4. It produces insult and slander of fellow believers.

5. It produces people who plan their lives without seeking God.

Read James 4

God wants His people to live with a conscious commitment to follow His divine will.

People who make their own desires the chief goal of their lives need not expect answers to prayer.

4:1. Two rhetorical questions try to locate the source of struggles and fights among Christians.

Such fights and quarrels come from desires that battle within you.

The fights and quarrels involved conflicts among Christians.

The plural form of both words indicates the conflicts were chronic rather than a one time incident.

The disputes could have taken the form of arguments and controversies between teachers and factions in the churches.

It could also have involved struggles about worldly affairs such as personal influence and financial gain.

The Greek word translated “desires” is related etymologically to the English word, hedonism, the philosophy that the chief purpose of living is to satisfy self.

Jesus used the same word to describe people “choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and… do not mature” (Luke 8:14).

Their “pleasures” described any personal goal such as money, reputation, or success, which contributes to personal accomplishment rather than God’s will.

These sinful desires lay within each Christian.

Even believers find in themselves an alien army which seeks self rather than God.

These desires express our pre-Christian nature still seeking to control our lives (see Rom. 7:14-25).

Christians will never be freed from the evil influence of these subtle desires, but by God’s grace we can escape their domination.

4:2. Verse 2 is difficult to interpret because punctuation was not an original part of Scripture.

“You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.”

We must use our best interpretive skills to decide how to punctuate this verse.

Compare the punctuation in NIV and NASB.

The NIV lists three sentences before it concludes that You do not have, because you do not ask God.

“You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.”

Like the NKJV, the NASB uses two sentences before it makes the same conclusion.

“You lust and do not have, so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.”

The NASB suggests that murder is the result of desiring something and not getting it.

It points out that fighting and quarreling are the results of having envy and being unable to obtain what you want.

“Lust” is frequently used in the New Testament in a bad sense to describe the act of coveting something belonging to someone else (see Matt. 5:28).

“Envious” in this context refers to a quest for position, rank, or fame—an evil expression of personal ambition.

What type of “killing” did James have in mind?

James was probably not thinking of physical murder.

The Roman government would have executed murderers as criminals.

Jesus linked an attitude of hatred and contempt with murder (Matt. 5:21-22).

Hatred and jealousy produced by greed and worldliness are potential acts of murder because they can lead to actual murder.

The inner attitude is wrong just as is the outward act of murder.

Thus, James was not likely accusing his Christian readers of actual murder, but was showing them that their fights and disagreements were as offensive to God as killing.

At the conclusion of verse 2 James outlined the startling truth that his readers lacked what they sought because they failed to ask God.

They hankered after satisfaction, but they looked in the wrong places.

They did not ask God as Jesus had taught (Matt. 7:7).

They allowed their lives to be governed by pleasure, selfishness, and greed.

“There is, to be sure, no prayer that we all need to pray so much as the prayer that we may love what God commands and desire what He promises” (R. V G. Tasker).

James mentions the most common problems in prayer: not asking, asking for the wrong things, and asking for the wrong reasons.

Do you talk to God at all?

When you do, what do you talk about?

Do you ask only to satisfy your desires?

Do you seek God’s approval for what you already plan to do?

Your prayers will become powerful when you allow God to change your desires so that they perfectly correspond to His will for you (1 John 3:21-22).

4:3-4 There is nothing wrong with wanting a pleasurable life. God gives us good gifts that He wants us to enjoy (1:17; also see Ephesians 4:7; 1 Timothy 4:4-5).

But having friendship with the world often involves seeking pleasure at others’ expense or at the expense of obeying God.

Pleasure that keeps us from pleasing God is sinful; pleasure from God’s rich bounty is good.

4:3-4 Why does James say that it is impossible to be a friend of the world and a friend of God at the same time?

These two paths lead in opposite directions and to very different destinations.

Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

[NOTE: Mammon (Greek: mammōnasis –
mammon, treasure, riches, where it is personified and opposed to God); it is the things of this world that can divert our attention and love from God to the pleasures and comforts of earthly desires.

Although mammon can provide fleeting happiness, ultimately it is a deadly distraction from the salvation of our souls.]

God, the one who was the both Author and Creator of our life, gives us Free Will in how we spend our life – either on Him or on self.

The Bible teaches that friendship with the world leads to quarrels and fights (4:1-3), materialism (1 John 2:15-17), self-centered living (James 4:3), and death (Proverbs 14:12), all of which centers around are personal choice to live our life in order to satisfy our own greed, avarice and appetites.

Whereas the God chosen path leads to faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13), the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and eternal life (John 3:16).

4:5 This verse may mean that because of our fallen nature we have a tendency toward envy and must keep it in check, or it may mean that God, who puts His Spirit in believers, wants intimate friendship with us.

James is not quoting a specific verse or passage—he is summing up a general teaching of Scripture.

4:6-7, 10 What can help us combat our selfish tendencies?

Learning humility (also see Proverbs 16:18-19; 1 Peter 5:5-6).

Pride makes us self-centered and leads us to conclude that we deserve all we can see, touch, or imagine.

It creates greedy appetites for far more than we need.

We can be released from our self-centered desires by humbling ourselves before God, realizing that all we really need is His approval.

God not only gives us good gifts but also gives us good desires (see Philippians 2:13).

When the Holy Spirit fills us, we see this world’s seductive attractions for what they are—only cheap substitutes for what God has to offer.

4:7-10 How can you come close to God?

James gives five ways:

(1) “Humble yourselves before God” (4:7). Yield to His authority and will, commit your life to Him and His control, and be willing to follow Him.

(2) “Resist the devil” (4:7). Don’t allow Satan to entice and tempt you.

(3) “Wash your hands [and] purify your hearts” (that is, lead a pure life) (4:8). Be cleansed from sin, replacing the desire to sin with the desire to experience God’s purity.

(4) “Let there be tears for what you have done” (4:9). Don’t be afraid to express deep, heartfelt sorrow for what you have done.

(5) “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor” (4:10; also see 1 Peter 5:6). Recognize that your worth comes from God alone.

To be humble involves leaning on His power and guidance and not going your own independent way.

Although we do not deserve God’s favor, He wants to lift us up and give us worth and dignity, despite our human shortcomings.

4:7 Although God and the devil are at war, we don’t have to wait until the end to see who will win.

God has already defeated Satan (Revelation 12:10-12), and when Christ returns, the devil and all he stands for will be eliminated forever (Revelation 20:10-15).

Satan freely influences our wills now, however, and he strives to win us over to his evil cause or, when he can’t, destroy us.

But he cannot defeat the Holy Spirit. We have a choice to either follow our natural tendencies or ask the Holy Spirit to fill us.

With the Holy Spirit’s power, we can resist the devil, and he will flee from us.

4:11-12 Jesus summarized the law as loving God and neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40), and Paul said that love demonstrated toward a neighbor would fully satisfy God’s law (Romans 13:6-10).

When we fail to love others and instead constantly judge them, we are actually breaking God’s law.

Examine your attitudes and actions toward others.

Do you build people up or tear them down?

When you’re ready to criticize someone, remember God’s law of love and say something positive or encouraging instead; even if you have to speak a difficult truth, you can do so in a constructive, respectful manner.

Saying something beneficial to others will cure you of finding fault and increase your ability to obey God’s law of love.

4:13-16 It is good to have goals, but goals can disappoint us if we leave God out of them.

Why make plans as though God does not exist when He holds the future in His hands?

Seizing opportunities or being assertive without considering what God wants will lead to frustration.

Good planning starts by asking these questions:

What would I like to be doing ten years from now? One year from now? Tomorrow?

How will I react if God steps in and rearranges my plans? We should plan ahead, but we must hold on to our plans loosely.

Proverbs 16:9 says, “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.”

If we put God’s desires at the center of our planning, he will not disappoint us.

4:14 Life is short no matter how long we live, and no one knows the length of his or her life.

So don’t be deceived into thinking that you have lots of remaining time to live for Christ, to enjoy your loved ones, or to do what you know you should.

Live for God today! Then, no matter when your life ends, you will have fulfilled God’s plan for you.

4:17 We tend to think of sin as doing what is wrong.

But James tells us that sin is also failing to do what is right.

(These two kinds of sin are sometimes called sins of commission and sins of omission.)

It is a sin to lie; it can also be a sin to know the truth and not tell it.

It is a sin to speak evil of someone; it is also a sin to avoid that person when you know he or she needs your friendship.

You should be willing to help as the Holy Spirit guides you.

If God has prompted you to do a kind act, to render a service, or to restore a relationship, do it.

You will experience a renewed and refreshed vitality in your Christian faith.
____

Max Lucado’s Life Lessons…

James 4:1–17

God planned for His people to be distinct by their peaceful and humble attitudes.

Both words and actions mark these qualities.

People who are self-sufficient must recognize that their plans and their lives are not their own but could change in a moment.

There are certain mountains only God can climb.

The names of these mountains?

You’ll see them as you look from the window of the chapel in the Great House of God.

“Thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever.”

A trio of peaks mantled by the clouds.

Admire them, applaud them, but don’t climb them.

It’s not that you aren’t welcome to try, it’s just that you aren’t able.

The pronoun is “thine,” not “mine”; “thine” is the kingdom, not “mine” is the kingdom.

If the word “Savior” is in your job description, it’s because you put it there.

Your role is to help the world, not save it.

Mount Messiah is one mountain you weren’t made to climb.

Nor is Mount Self-Sufficient.

You aren’t able to run the world, nor are you able to sustain it.

Some of you think you can.

You are self-made.

You don’t bow your knees, you just roll up your sleeves and put in another twelve-hour day . . . which may be enough when it comes to making a living or building a business.

But when you face your own grave or your own guilt, your power will not do the trick.

You were not made to run a kingdom, nor are you expected to be all-powerful.

And you certainly can’t handle all the glory.

Mount Applause is the most seductive of the three peaks.

The higher you climb the more people applaud, but the thinner the air becomes.

More than one person has stood at the top and shouted, “Mine is the glory!” only to lose their balance and fall.

“Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.”

What protection this final phrase affords.

As you confess that God is in charge, you admit that you aren’t.

As you proclaim that God has power, you admit that you don’t.

And as you give God all the applause, there is none left to dizzy your brain.

(From The Great House of God by Max Lucado)

List five experiences that make you proud.

Pray that real service would begin as God humbles you.

Ask God to help you realize that you can’t make life work on your own.

Selah (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
____

Wednesday, July 27
The Berean
Daily Verse and Comment

James 4:13-16

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow.

For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”
____

Is God leading things, or are we?

Perhaps better put, do we recognize—and desire and seek—God’s leadership, or do we prefer to take matters into our own hands, make our own plans, and look to God for a blessing only after we have decided what needs to be done?

If we actively seek God’s leadership, and submit to it as He provides it, our belief will be evident in the fruits produced and the faithful witness made.

If, on the other hand, we—individually or corporately—are self-directed, the results will be confusion, division, contention, and all the other fruits of following the wrong sovereign.

James rebukes those who make too much of their own plans and leave God out of the picture.

He calls such self-directed plans “boasting” and its source “arrogance,” reinforcing the fact that in his natural state, man is in continual contention with God.

In this case, carnality’s symptom is confidence in one’s own ability to bring something to pass without taking God into account.

Psalm 10:4 (KJV) describes a wicked man as one who “will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.”

The same man may inquire of God—He could be in some of his thoughts—but he will not wholeheartedly seek Him.

The man is self-directed, purpose-driven, and intent on bringing his own plans—”strategic visions,” we call them today—to pass.

By inference, the righteous man does seek after God, rather than merely inquiring occasionally, and God is in all his thoughts.

God will look on such a man: one of a poor and contrite spirit, and who trembles at His word (Isaiah 66:2).

At various times the leaders of ancient Israel, good and bad, inquired of God.

Sometimes, because of idolatry—including setting up idols in their hearts—Sabbath-breaking, rebellion, and general disobedience, Israel was so far from God that He would not even allow them to inquire of Him (Ezekiel 14:1-11; 20:1-4)!

Of those who inquired of God, not very many are shown actually seeking Him.

The Bible records bad rulers inquiring of God like an adolescent might play with a Magic 8-Ball: desiring an answer, but not truly recognizing God’s sovereignty.

King Saul, for example, inquired of God at one point, but God did not answer him.

It seems that he never bothered to consider why God would not answer him.

Rather than trying to restore the breach with God by repenting, he just decided to try a different way to make his decision: by consulting a spiritist.

He was determined to have his own way.

Even when he sought guidance, he demanded it on his own terms—even if it meant seeking “wisdom” from an unclean source.

The Bible does not say of many men that God specifically killed them, but Saul made it onto this list for his unfaithfulness (I Chronicles 10:13-14).

In contrast, King David frequently inquired of the Lord, but he is also known for being a man after God’s heart—he had a tremendous track record of seeking God.

Those who truly seek God will be answered—positively—when they inquire of Him, for they will be a breathing incarnation of the phrase “if the Lord wills.”

This is a major part of the witness that God desires us to make of Him: that He is God, and there is no other sovereign—least of all a puny man.
____

Come join the Adventure!

Skip 🕊️

Our times are in God’s hands…

“The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.”
— C. S. Lewis

Even when we cannot understand the “why,” we can trust that God is in control of when each life begins and ends, and also of our times of suffering.

The Bible tells us to be anxious for nothing (Phil 4:6), because anxious thoughts do nothing to change our circumstances; they only change us, by robbing us of our peace and our trust in God.

Psalm 31:14-16
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

14 But I trusted in, relied on, and was confident in You, O Lord; I said, You are my God.

15 My times are in Your hands; deliver me from the hands of my foes and those who pursue me and persecute me.

16 Let Your face shine on Your servant; save me for Your mercy’s sake and in Your loving-kindness.
____

Adversity does not make us frail; it only shows us how frail we are.

David prayed, my times are in Your hands, recognizing that ALL the events and circumstances of his life were under God’s sovereign control, which is always tempered by His unfailing love.

Every human weakness is an opportunity to trust in God’s strength and gain experiential knowledge of Him in our life, as we learn to cast the whole of our trust upon the reliability and trustworthiness of His Word, which tells us I AM with you always (Mat 28:20) and I will NEVER leave you nor will I ever forsake you (Heb 13:5b).

The awareness of our personal impotence should always lead the believer to cast himself on divine omnipotence.

This was David’s experience as recorded in Psalm 31.

He found himself in yet another painful experience of life, and this ordeal drove him to trust God and His power more fully.

In this sense, when he was weak, then he was strong.

On this particular occasion David was confronted with a conspiracy so powerful that even his closest friends and most ardent supporters had abandoned him.

Alone and forsaken, he found himself emotionally distressed and physically drained, with no one to turn to but God.

Filled with deep anxiety, David had to trust in the Lord.

His anguish was transformed into assurance.

This psalm conveys an unwavering trust in God as the psalmist rejoiced in the all-sufficient resources of God.

Selah (let us pause and calmly think about these things)

Come join the Adventure!

Skip 🕊️

In Exodus 33, Moses sees the Glory of God…

The backstory:

The golden-calf incident that we read about in Exodus 32, created a deep rift between God and His people.

For their safety, God now refuses to travel with them to the land of promise; instead, He sends His messenger to guide them.

The people’s response to God’s threatened absence is to mourn and refuse to wear their jewelry and fine clothes.

The meeting tent and the congregation tent reflect this rift too.

The congregation tent is to be God’s unique dwelling with His people, so it is located right in the middle of the camp.

But now there is another tent, the meeting tent set up a long way from camp, far from the contagion of evil spreading there.

From time to time, God and Moses meet there to talk; and Joshua stands watch over this intimate encounter, for only Joshua and Moses are not imperiled when the rest of Israel violates God’s directive and worships the golden calf.

Moses speaks with God and does his best to get God back on good terms with His covenant people.

Read Exodus 33

The Glory of the Lord (33:1-23)…

The presence of God is not to be taken for granted but humbly and eagerly sought.

33:1-6. What follows here may be hard to understand, but it becomes quite plain when we see the whole picture.

At first God seemed simply to renew His covenant with the Israelites and promised to take them successfully into the land.

He would even send an angel to go before them to ensure their safe arrival.

The covenant, the same one He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, would be renewed with them and their descendants.

But one key element would be missing: God’s presence.

The angel would indeed go before them, but God’s own presence would not.

What Israel lost in their sin was the near presence of God.

The greatest priority for any child of God is to walk with God at all times so that he or she does not grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30).

God’s words shook the Israelites, and they began to mourn and strip themselves of their customary ornaments.

Their sorrow was heightened when Moses told them precisely what God had said.

If God went with them, He might destroy them on account of their presumptuous ways.

God then enforced what they already had begun to do—take off their ornaments (probably permanently) as a sign of true repentance.

They divested themselves of these things at Mount Horeb.

33:7-11. Before the actual construction of the tabernacle, Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away.

The tent was used to seek God’s presence. But when Moses himself went into the tent, the people watched carefully because they knew he enjoyed a unique relationship with God.

In fact, God spoke to Moses face-to-face in the most intimate fashion.

Subsequent men and women of God would not enjoy this kind of relationship with God.

When Moses entered, the pillar of cloud stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

During this time God spoke with Moses, and as the people beheld this, they worshiped God at a distance.

When Moses departed from the camp, he left behind his faithful aide, Joshua, to stand guard over the tent.

33:12-17. Moses asked God to clarify His relationship with him and the people.

Would He go up with them personally or not?

Moses wanted to know more about God, and this tells us something about Moses’ dynamic faith.

Through all his adverse circumstances he grew in his faith and spiritual hunger.

He wanted to know more of God’s ways so the favor of God would rest not only upon him but on his people as well.

God reassured Moses that His presence would go with them.

33:18-23. When Moses asked to see God’s glory, God agreed but with certain restrictions.

He would pass by Moses and proclaim His personal name Yahweh (YHWH) to him.

But Moses would not see the essence of God’s presence.

To see God in the sense Moses wanted involved knowing something of His person and character.

God was not a man that He should lie nor the son of man that He should change His mind (Num. 23:19).

God is sovereign and answers to no one, offering mercy and compassion only to chosen vessels.

God chose to display His glory before Moses, who would stand upon a rock to behold the sight.

As God passed by, He would put Moses in a cave or small enclosure in the rock and cover Moses.

So Moses did not see God’s face but his back.

Moses wanted assurance of God’s presence with him, Aaron, and Joshua, and he desired to know that presence experientially.

Because we are finite and morally imperfect, we cannot see God as he really is and live—apart from Jesus Christ (John 14:9).

The good news is that Jesus has promised to show Himself to all those who love Him (John 14:21).
____

Max Lucado’s Life Lessons…

Exodus 33:1–23

God wrote the Ten Commandments, gave them to Moses, and revealed His glory to Moses.

Because Moses took so long to come down from the mountain, the people grew weary and built a new god for themselves made of gold.

We will never be able to see all of God’s glory on this earth.

Read carefully, very carefully, the following verses.

Read to answer this question—what did Moses do in order to see God? . . . Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory.”

“And the LORD said, ‘Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.

So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.

Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen’” (Exodus 33:21–23).

Did you see what Moses was to do?

Neither did I.

Did you note who did the work?

So did I. God did!

God is active. God gave Moses a place to stand.

God placed Moses in the crevice.

God covered Moses with His hand.

God passed by. And God revealed Himself. . . . All Moses did was ask.

But, oh, how he asked.

All we can do is ask. But, oh, we must ask.

For only in asking do we receive. And only in seeking do we find.

And (need I make the application?) God is the one who will equip us for our eternal moment in the Son.

Hasn’t He given us a rock, the Lord Jesus?

Hasn’t He given us a cleft, His grace?

And hasn’t He covered us with His hand, His pierced hand?

(From When God Whispers Your Name by Max Lucado)

Do you know someone who rebels against God? Classmates? Colleagues? Neighbors?

Intercede on behalf of these people today. Ask God to reveal Himself to them and bring them into a relationship with Him.

Selah (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
____

Sunday, July 24
God Calling
by Two Listeners

KEEP CLOSE

“And He said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.”
— Exodus 33:14

Our Lord, guide us. Show us Thy Will and Way in everything.

Keep close to Me and you shall know The Way because, as I said to My disciples, I am The Way.

That is the solution to ALL earth’s problems.

Keep close, very close to Me. Think, act, and live in My Presence.

How dare any foe touch you, protected by Me!

That is the secret of all Power, all Peace, all Purity, all influence, the keeping very near to Me.

Abide in Me. Live in My Presence.

Rejoice in My Love.

Thank and Praise all the time.

Wonders are unfolding.

Now unto Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
— Jude 1:24-25
____

Come join the Adventure!

Skip 🕊️

Jesus and the Father are one…

John 17:20-21
New Living Translation

Jesus speaking: “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.

I pray that they will ALL be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you.

And may they be in Us so that the world will believe You sent Me.
____

“Oneness” in this case simply means in complete agreement in terms of purposes and goals.

Similarly, Jesus prays that the disciples are one in the same way that Jesus and God the Father are one.

In the Bible we are called, as born-again Believers, Ambassadors for Christ, meaning we represent Him and come in His name.

Jesus said also that when we pray, we are to pray in His name (John 14:13-14).

What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name?

In John 5:43 Jesus said,

“For I have come to you in my Father’s name, and you have rejected me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them.”

Obviously the disciples are not one in any literal, physical sense of the word, but we are one in the spirit.

Jesus is praying in John 17:21 that the disciples be united in purpose and fellowship, just as Jesus and God the Father are united in purpose and fellowship.

This is the life we were created to have, to have 24/7 fellowship and communion with God, just as we see Jesus had.

Jesus is called the last Adam:

So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being” the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.

The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.

The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.

As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.” (1 Corinthians 15:45-48)

Jesus, as the last Adam, demonstrated in His Earthly Ministry the relationship that God has always intended to have with His Covenant children.

While Jesus was God incarnate, He did not move in His Earthly ministry as God, but only as a mere man, totally dependent upon the Holy Spirit, just as we are.

Jesus demonstrated in His Earthly Ministry what this unity with the Father and absolute dependance on the Holy Spirit looked like.

John 5:19-23
New Living Translation

Jesus Heals a Lame Man
19 So Jesus explained,

“I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does ONLY what he sees the Father doing.

Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.

20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing.

In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man.
Then you will truly be astonished.

21 For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants.

22 In addition, the Father judges no one.

Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge,

23 so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.

Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him.
____

5:19-23 Because of His unity with God, Jesus lived as God wanted Him to live.

Because of our identification with Jesus, we must honor Him and live as He wants us to live.

The question “What would Jesus do?” may help us make the right choices.

Eternal life—living forever with God—begins the moment you accept Jesus Christ as Savior.

New life begins in you (2 Corinthians 5:17).

God completes the transaction.

The rest of your life on earth will go better for you, even though you may face many hardships, because you are living in fellowship with the almighty Creator, who loves you.

And though you will still face physical death one day, when Jesus returns again, your body will be resurrected to live forever (1 Corinthians 15).

In saying that the dead will hear his voice, Jesus was talking about the spiritually dead who hear, understand, and accept Him .

Those who accept Jesus, the Word, will have eternal life.

Jesus was also talking about the physically dead.

He raised several dead people while He was on earth, and at His second coming, the believers who have died will rise to meet him (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

God is the Source and Creator of life, for there is no life apart from Him, here or hereafter.

The life in us is a gift from Him (see Deuteronomy 30:20; Psalm 36:9).

Because Jesus is eternally existent with God, the Creator, He, too, is “the life” (John 14:6) through whom we may live eternally (see 1 John 5:11).

When you consider all that Jesus has done for us on the cross to make all of this possible, and having our sins forgiven and being reconciled back into God’s family, I suggest that you don’t take any of it for granted; because if you do, you do so at your own destruction.

All of those who depart this life without their Savior, having either rejected Him or ignored Him, will have to spend eternity outside of God’s family, totally estranged and separated from God.

Consider rather…

John 3:16-21
New King James Version

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Selah (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
____

Come join the Adventure!

Skip 🕊️