4th Sunday in Advent
SEASON YOUR GLORIFYING
DECEMBER 22, 2024
The Twenty-fifth Sunday in Jubilee
“And he said, ‘Please, show me Your glory.’ Then He said, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you’… But He said, ‘You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.’”
Exodus 33:18, 19a, 20
The glory of God is a very interesting subject found in the Holy Scriptures. Moses was told to go before the Lord’s people and lead them into new territory, but he was a little hesitant and needed to know that God would go with Him. God told Moses that He absolutely would go with them. Then Moses asked to see God’s glory. It seems Moses wanted to be sure that God was equal to the task that was ahead of them. I think Moses was wondering if God was actually “big enough.” God again agreed to show Moses at least some of His glory, but not all of it! The “full weight” of God’s glory is so heavy, so powerful that no man can look directly at, or into it and live! God was declaring to Moses that He was actually more than was needed to deliver Moses and the nation! I don’t think that any man has ever seen the full and complete glory of God because God Himself said it is too much for man to live before it. I think it is a little like looking at the sun in the sky. It can be glimpsed at or viewed through some dark filter to lesson its power, or else the one looking would be blinded by the full power of the sun.
That should cause us to ask at least one question about John’s declaration concerning Jesus. He wrote, “And the Word became 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.” (John1:14) Was the glory of God on full display in the person of Jesus of Nazareth? I think that the full glory was resident within Him, but I think that He “shielded” all of us from its fullness least people fall over dead in His Presence! Think of the description of The Transfiguration of Jesus on the high mountain. Peter, James, and John were there and witnessed when “His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.” (Matthew 17:2) “While He was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’” (Matthew 17:5) It should be clear that these three disciples were privileged to have a little bit more of the revelation of God’s glory in the person of Jesus than the average, normal person.
It is obvious to me that Jesus is the Son of God and deserves all our worship and praise!
3rd Sunday in Advent
SEASON YOUR GATHERINGS
DECEMBER 15, 2024
The Twenty-fourth Sunday in Jubilee
“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Matthew 18:19-20
The great promise of God in these verses is not so much answered prayer as the Presence of Jesus. In fact Jesus was stating that prayer would be answered because Jesus would be in the midst of the praying fellowship. It is the Presence of Jesus that makes all the difference in the world. We need the Presence of Jesus!
Dr, Dennis Kinlaw wrote a devotional in This Day With the Master entitled “The Missing Presence.”
“The devil was a participant in the first conversation ever held about God. It was Eve’s conversation with the serpent. Biblically, up to that point the conversations had been directly with God. Throughout Scripture we find passages in which people who have lost God talk about Him.
“In the Old Testament, the Philistines were giving Israel difficulty, so the sons of Eli decided that the Israelites should carry the ark of the covenant into battle. They reasoned that the ark was where God dwelt, so if His throne accompanied them, He would too. Unfortunately, when they carried the ark into battle, they were soundly defeated. They had failed to realize that when they carried His throne it did not mean that they carried Him. They had broken God’s Law and had been heedless of His ways, and His Spirit had long since departed from them, even though they continued to talk about Him. The reality of His Presence was gone.
“It is always dangerous to think of God as an abstraction. I am convinced that Joseph and Mary were talking about Jesus that day when all of a sudden they looked around and discovered that He was not with them. They had left Him in the temple and had traveled a whole day without His Presence among them, and they had to retrace their steps in order to find Him. (Luke 2:41-52)
We must have a personal relationship with God in which we know He is a vital, living person to whom we can relate every moment of every day. Are you like the Israelites who carried the relics of His Presence without the reality of His Person? Are you like Mary and Joseph, who traveled awhile without Jesus before they missed Him? During the Christmas season, as we celebrate the Lord of lords, let us not be without His immediate Presence. The symbols and celebrations can never replace Jesus Christ Himself!”
2nd Sunday in Advent
SEASON YOUR GIVING
DECEMBER 8, 2024
The Twenty-third Sunday in Jubilee
“God . . . will produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched so that you can give even more generously. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will break out in thanksgiving to God.”
(II Corinthians 9:10-11, NLT)
We pray that you all are participating in the Advent Calendar through daily devotions and by doing some of the suggested activities based on each week’s theme. We are “seasoning the season” by practicing normal traditions of the Christmas season. We greet others, we give, we gather, and we glorify our great God and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ! It is our intention to seek His Presence in each and all of our Holiday activities. This will be a wonderful blessing to each of us and to those around us.
The theme for the Second Sunday in Advent is Seasoning Your Giving. It is certain that very few of the people in the world who have heard of Christmas don’t realize that giving and Christmas go together “like a horse and carriage.” It seems that even “grinches” tend to get involved with the tradition of giving. Most importantly, we want people to realize that all of this giving is based on God’s giving; it is based on God’s generosity. We want people to know and remember the priceless gift of love God gave to the world, His Son, Jesus! Truly, He gave a gift of extravagant generosity, for He gave Himself! Let’s consider how the gifts you and I give this season reflect the meaning of God’s Great Gift.
Many of you know about the announcement by President Joe Biden that he has given his son, Hunter Biden, a “full pardon” of all crimes, charges, and sentences against him over the past 10 years. Many are shocked, but most thinking people know that it was the only hope for Hunter and his father was going to do whatever he could to “save” his son. Most of us would have done the same thing! It is certainly a “great gift” for Hunter. I have been reminded that all the negative thoughts people might have about Biden’s actions are the same thoughts about the “scandalous” pardon that our Heavenly Father has provided for us, unworthy, undeserving, rebellious, and sinful individuals! We don’t deserve to be pardoned any more than Hunter Biden deserves to be pardoned! Yet, we are pardoned from a life full of sin and a sentence of eternity in hell! I pray that you will “get the picture” and understand the greatest gift that God has ever offered you and me!
1st Sunday in Advent
SEASON YOUR GREETINGS
DECEMBER 1, 2024
The Twenty-second Sunday in Jubilee
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden… Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-14, 16
We pray and hope that every family will pick up their copy of the Advent Calendar available to them. It is entitled Seasoning the Season, and subtitled “Bringing out the flavor of Christ in Christmas traditions.” We want to be encouraged to express our witness for Jesus Christ during this time of the year rather than simply complaining about how “commercialized” everybody has made the holiday. You and I are called by our Lord to make a difference in this world, so let’s learn how we can be a positive influence in the things we do during Christmastime. The four weeks’ themes are (1) Season Your Greetings, (2) Season Your Giving, (3) Season Your Gatherings, and (4) Season Your Glorifying. There are daily devotions and activities in the Advent Calendar which are designed to be very helpful for your entire family to become proactive in being “salt and light” in your home, church, and community.
You might think that this message of Season Your Greetings doesn’t apply to you, but it does! You and I will practice many greetings throughout this season. We will do it in our homes; we will do it at our jobs; we will do it in our church; we will do it in stores and other community gatherings. Many of us will send and receive Christmas cards that express Christmas greetings and blessings. What we say and how we say it will have a big impact on people’s lives! God wants to use us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in all of our greetings just like we have read in the Bible.
The Christmas story in the Gospels is filled with greetings. It happened when the angel Gabriel spoke to the young Virgin Mary. Later it was Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin, who said to her, “Blessed are you among women!” Angels appeared to the Shepherds and declared, “Do not be afraid!” All of these greetings are aimed at blessing lost and broken people.
You and I can say the same thing to people who need to hear “Don’t be afraid!” We can tell them that God loves them, and He is near to those with broken hearts. We can express joy and true hope in the midst of a crazy and dark world. We can tell the world about the greatest Savior Who lives, loves and cares about them in every trying circumstance. We can sing, “Joy to the World, The Lord has come!”
NOVEMBER 24, 2024
THANKSGIVING SUNDAY
The Twenty-first Sunday in Jubilee
“…that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” I Corinthians 12:25-27
It is certainly true that God has blessed us with many, many “things” in this life for which we should be thankful, but what we should be most thankful for is the people that He has put in our life. You and I do not want to even think of eternity in hell because it is a place of complete and utter aloneness. There is contact with absolutely NO ONE! We are not made to exist totally alone! Five words that we must learn and express often are I thank God for you!
For several days I have been reading devotions from Dr. Dennis Kinlaw’s This Day With the Master (from November 17 through November 20) that speak about the interconnectedness, interdependence of mankind. The first must be our dependence on God and then others. I will share a few paragraphs from those pages.
“Because we are made in the image of God, we never come alone. We always are a part of a web of relationships. Therefore, our decisions affect other people. We are not self-originating. We begin our life in another person, ideally the fruit of a married couple’s love. Neither are we self-sustaining… So our whole life is built upon the lives of other people.”
“When we find our joy and fulfillment in our relationship with God, then we gain a new freedom to make choices that will open doors of grace for other people. As we make consistent choices based on self-giving love, then evil diminishes and begins to lose its iron grip on those in our circle.”
“None of us, not even Jesus, is self-explanatory. We are all interrelated, and the key to every person is somebody else. Your physical life started in somebody else’s womb. Your salvation began in somebody else’s heart. Every one of us is the result of somebody else’s caring. God became a human person for us, taking all of our sins into Himself.
“We find ourselves drawing our life out of each other, and we come to the realization that I couldn’t make it without you, and you couldn’t make it without me. We are bound together in that bond of love. I believe that’s what eternal life is going to be like.”
NOVEMBER 17, 2024
The Twentieth Sunday in Jubilee
“Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18:4-6
Over the past few years, there have been two books which I have read that have reminded me how deplorable the conditions are for the world’s multitude of orphans. The first book is entitled Miracle on Voodoo Mountain and is specifically about the plight of orphans in the country of Haiti. It is impossible for me to express in this short message all the “corruption” that exists in the “orphanage system” of Haiti in addition to the blatant mistreatment of the unfortunate children in that system. The second book is The Grace Effect which is the story of an American family’s experience of adopting a young girl from a state orphanage in Ukraine called #17. Again, it is impossible to explain how awful the conditions and treatment of “unwanted” and neglected children are in most of the world. That some children even survive is hard to imagine.
The following comes from The Grace Effect on page 109. These words are written to remind the readers that only places where God is recognized and honored treat “the least of these” with the true compassion that they should be treated with.
“A light rain began to fall, darkening the dust-covered sidewalks and dirty pre-Revolution architecture that lined the road between the orphanage and the adoption inspector’s office. The effect was that of a city in mourning. It was as if the buildings themselves had heard and absorbed the cries of Ukraine’s forgotten children and, after decades of silence, now grieved for them. As I stared out the window at nothing in particular, Exodus 22:22-24 came to mind: ‘Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to Me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you.’ (NIV)
“I concluded that the people in this diabolical bureaucracy did not fear God. They should! God is a God of grace, to be sure, but He is also a God of justice. And a society that has no regard for its children is a society that has no regard for its future – in this world or the next.”
During our 6th grade CIA this past Wednesday, Sue Northcraft and I were discussing the misbehavior and bad attitude of a particular student. We quickly noted that the student was not from an intact home. Sue stated that seeing the brokenness in the children’s lives has been a great burden over the past several years. She began to weep. We should all weep and PRAY! We MUST RESCUE the children!
NOVEMBER 10, 2024
The Nineteenth Sunday in Jubilee
“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord.’ For 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
The prophet Isaiah revealed much about the sinful nature of mankind which included the notion that you and I do not naturally know where we are going. In Chapter 53 and verse 6, he wrote that “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way.” Without a fixed point of reference we can very easily become lost. Take away the heavenly guides of stars and moons; being in the middle of the ocean without sight of land will cause every single one of us to be lost. The prophet, Jeremiah wrote, “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” (10:23) These statements are true not just because they are in the Bible, but also because we can observe this reality in nature.
Every airplane must have two essential instruments in order to fly safely. They are a compass and an horizon. A pilot explained to Dr. Dennis Kinlaw the following about the horizon instrument.
“He pointed to a dial with a black line across it. The tips of that line were orange and larger than the rest of the line. He said, ‘That instrument tells me which way is up and which way is down.’ When I asked if he was so dumb that he needed an instrument to tell him which way was up and which was down, he informed me that he was not the dumb one.
“Then he explained to me that when a plane is in heavy cloud cover and the pilot can see nothing but the clouds around him, there is nothing inside his body to tell him which way is up and which is down. To know where the plane is, the pilot needs a point of reference outside of himself or herself, so a compass indicates the lateral direction, and the horizon shows the vertical direction. Without the two there is no survival.” (Taken from This Day With the Master, October 30th reading.)
The reality of human existence is very similar to the pilot’s experience. Because of our sinful nature, we have no interior instrument to tell us which way to go. When we just follow our instincts, we will inevitably end up lost. Jeremiah cried out, “O Lord, correct me, but with justice.” (10:24) Isaiah declared, “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’” (30:21) God will lead us in the “paths of righteousness” if we listen and obey His directions. One of His guiding stars is His Word, the Bible. When we walk in obedience to His Voice and His Word, we will never be lost!
NOVEMBER 3, 2024
The Eighteenth Sunday in Jubilee
“The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance.” Psalm 33:11, 12
The Congress of the United States of America has chosen the words “In God We Trust” as our national motto. It certainly is a good one and reflects a mindset of our national leaders in a past time. Many of them who had lived during times of national crises, especially times of war like the Revolutionary, Civil, WWI and WWII, had heard many tales that indicated God’s intervention and deliverance from the threats of our enemies. This reminds me of Psalm 44: “We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, the deeds You did in their days, in days of old: You drove out the nations with Your hand, but them You planted; You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out. Nor did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because You favored them.”
Many might respond with charges of Christian nationalism and go on to recite all the dangers of such an ideology. One can very easily write off my use of Psalm 44 by simply stating that those words only applied to the nation of Israel. I can only respond that the early literature of our nation’s history is replete with stories of God’s deliverance and His sovereign establishment of these United States of America. The conclusion to the first three verses is found in verse four through verse eight: “You are my King, O God… In God we boast all day long, and praise Your name forever!” There really are only two choices you can make. The first is that WE did all this by our own ingenuity and strength. Please remember that it was a “rag-tag” untrained (and ill-equipped) group of people that you are talking about. Certainly they were no match to the great British empire. Personally I believe that the second choice is the only logical and sane choice. GOD did all this! I choose to TRUST IN GOD!
Here are two verses from the Book of Proverbs that will help you to make a wise choice when casting your vote this coming Tuesday. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (14:34) Please note that this is a truth that applies to any nation or any people group. “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan.” (29:2)
The promise of Psalm 33 applies to any nation. The nation that chooses to submit to the reign of King Jesus will be blessed! Let’s make Him the King of our lives!
OCTOBER 27, 2024
The Seventeenth Sunday in Jubilee
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor; how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden… Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:13, 14, 16
There is an obvious idea prevalent in our culture that “religion,” and Christianity in particular, is detrimental to society. “Christianity, they say, is not only an outdated cultural accessory, it is also an insidious evil that we would be well-advised to discard… Unfortunately, many others, mostly the young and naïve, have taken them seriously. Were it only a passing fashion like, say, rebellion against the establishment, I would be less inclined to worry about what all of this might portend for our society. But secularism is the establishment in Western society, and with the accumulated momentum of its century-long advance, we dare not take that chance.”
The above quotations are from the book, The Grace Effect by Larry Alex Taunton which presents an argument that the greatest corruption in society is unbelief. Mr. Taunton states that the purpose of his book is “…to make a case for society’s need of Christianity’s gentling, inspiring, and culturally transforming power.” He states in his book that when people understand the corruption that non-religious, and specifically non-Christian, points of view cause great damage to the fabric of society they will “…have a greater appreciation for what Christianity has given, is giving, and may give us still if we will mine the vast richness of it.”
Mr. Taunton presents a quote from T. S. Eliot: “I do not believe the culture of Europe could survive the complete disappearance of the Christian faith. And I am convinced of that, not merely because I am a Christian myself, but as a student of social biology. If Christianity goes, the whole culture goes!”
Let me state in this short message, there are dedicated authors, teachers, professors, and political leaders who are doing everything in their power to eliminate what they call “religion,” but particularly they want to eradicate all influence of Christianity from the United States of America. Although they have established a strong foothold and, in many places, have taken the high-ground, I am personally taking up “the weapons of our warfare” and waging war against the enemy! I will fight to reestablish our society as a “Christian nation!” The United States needs the prevailing presence of Christianity! Men and people of God, will you fight with me!
OCTOBER 20, 2024
The Sixteenth Sunday in Jubilee
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting…
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” Acts 2:1, 2, 4a
In the fourth chapter of The Pursuit of God entitled “Apprehending God,” Mr. Tozer teaches about the reality of God and His spiritual kingdom that surrounds us. He wrote, “A spiritual kingdom lies all around us, enclosing us, embracing us…” which Tozer explained “this eternal world will come alive to us the moment we begin to reckon upon its reality.” (Page 41) Dr. Dennis Kinlaw expressed the same concept in the This Day With The Master devotional in the October 14th reading.
“The Day of Pentecost made clear that there is a Reality beyond human reality who is personal and is anxious to be in relationship with human beings. On that day the sound of a mighty rushing wind suddenly descended on those who were gathered together… The unbelievable event occurred when the Spirit came from beyond time and space and filled their hearts with His empowering presence. They went out of that room transformed and transforming. It was here that the church began.
“The church is the body of people who know Someone who exists beyond themselves, who know that Person to be the Holy Spirit. It is a wonderful thing to understand that a world exists beyond my grasp even though I cannot see, touch, measure, or control it. In fact, I was made for it to control me. The marvelous reality is that the Ruler of that other world cares more about you and about me than He does about Himself, and if we open ourselves to His presence, He can transform our routine daily existence so that it becomes a window looking into heaven.”
Just imagine the church filled with the eternal Spirit, bringing the reality of heaven into this real world. I believe that church should become a window through which any person can see the reality of the Kingdom of God!
OCTOBER 13, 2024
The Fifteenth Sunday in Jubilee
“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” Psalm 100:1-3
All that we do as Christians should focus on our God. He must be at the center of our attitudes and actions throughout all our lives. Especially when we gather to worship God, we must put Him in the proper place among our thoughts. We must elevate our thoughts in order to think in a heavenly manner. We want to prepare our hearts to be able to exalt God to His rightful position. Let’s not think about all the events that have happened as we were “coming to church.” Let’s not think about the teacher, or the greeter, or the music, or the preacher, or the clothing that some other person may be wearing. Let’s think fully about our God!
I was caused to think about “proper worship” as I read the following material from the 8th chapter of Tozer’s The Pursuit of God. It is found on pages 76 and 77.
“Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and to bring Him nearer to our own image. The flesh whimpers against the rigor of God’s inexorable sentence (against our sinful pride and selfish ways). We can get a right start only by accepting God as He is and learning to love Him for what He is. As we go on to know Him better, we shall find it a source of unspeakable joy that God is just what He is. Some of the most rapturous moments we know will be those we spend in reverent admiration of the Godhead. In those holy moments the very thought of change in Him will be too painful to endure.
“So let us begin with God. Back of all, above all, before all is God; first in sequential order, above in rank and station, exalted in dignity and honor. As the self-existent One He gave being to all things, and all things exist out of Him and for Him. ‘Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.’
“Every soul belongs to God and exists by His pleasure. God being Who and What He is, and we being who and what we are, the only thinkable relation between us is one of full lordship on His part and complete submission on ours. We owe Him every honor that it is in our power to give Him. Our everlasting grief lies in giving Him anything less.”
“The pursuit of God will embrace the labor of bringing our total personality into conformity to His… I speak of a voluntary exalting of God to His proper station over us and a willing surrender of our whole being to the place of worshipful submission which the Creator-creature circumstance makes proper.”
OCTOBER 6, 2024
The Fourteenth Sunday in Jubilee
And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25
I know that some of you have heard that “repetition is one of the main keys to remembering.” I know that this is true not just because I’ve heard it and have repeated it over a hundred times, but because in my experience I have learned something simply because I heard it again, and again, and again. God knows that repetition is a very sure way of teaching us important truths. He has frequently tried to teach us something, and He did that by repeating the same lesson to us over and over again. A statement that some of us have shared with each other is that God is relentless. When He starts a lesson, He continues it over and over again. We might read a Bible verse and put the Bible down. Then we call a friend and in the conversation our friend quotes the same verse to us without ever knowing that we had just read it ourselves. Then we turn on the radio, and we hear it again. We pick up the Sunday school book to prepare for the coming Sunday, and the verse is at the top of the page. It finally dawns on us that God is relentless in His effort to teach us something we need to learn.
Last Sunday I preached a sermon about attending church regularly. The following is something that I actually carried into the pulpit and was going to read it, but did not. I’m joining God’s relentless method, and I am writing it for you this week. From E. M. Bounds, in The Power of Prayer on September 26, entitled A Church-Supporting Spirit.
“Just as prayer generates a love for the Scriptures and causes people to begin to read the Bible, so does prayer also cause men and women to visit the house of God to hear the Scriptures explained.
“Churchgoing is closely connected with the Bible, primarily because the Bible cautions us against not giving up meeting together. Churchgoing also results because God’s chosen minister explains and enforces the Scriptures upon his hearers. Prayer develops a resolve in those who practice it to not forsake the church.
“Prayer generates a churchgoing conscience, a church-loving heart, and a church-supporting spirit. Praying people take delight in the preaching of the Word and the support of the church.”
Oh, I know that I should not “keep beating a dead horse.” I have also heard many times that “a word to the wise is sufficient.” All that I can do is join the hymn writer and say, “Rise up, O sons of God! The Church for you doth wait, Her strength unequal to her task; Rise up, and make her great!”
SEPTEMBER 29, 2024
The Thirteenth Sunday in Jubilee
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but she should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25-27
Have you ever “been in love?” The majority of folks have experienced that emotional state, that inexplicable attraction to another human being that can be a perplexing situation. There are so many “dynamics” at work within the mind and “heart” of those who have “fallen in love.” It really is difficult to explain in simple language, even to ourselves. Sometimes when “the love bug” has bitten an individual it causes that person to act irrationally. Of course, there are multitudes of “cooler heads” that have “made it through” such juvenile behavior and are filled with “words of wisdom” and “warnings” to the neophytes of love. Yet it remains that there is such a state of affairs for people that it can only be called “being in love.”
All of us are very aware that the biblical teaching about “loving” others always involves positive, wise, intentional and rational actions on the behalf of another’s welfare. Jesus certainly gave us the perfect example by loving all the people that He encountered while walking in this world in His physical body. We know that He did not act irrationally or silly. Jesus was a calm, “level-headed” lover of the people He met. Yet the Bible seems to indicate that Jesus had and has a real “in love” attitude towards His people, the church. The Bible indicates that His love for the church is the perfect example for husbands to follow while loving their wives. Marriage is the most intimate relationship that truly should be an experience of “being in love.” (An entire book in the Old Testament, The Song of Solomon, is a detailed look at husbands and wives “being in love” with one another!)
Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus is “in love” with the Church?! He is so much “in love” with the church that He laid down His life on the Cross to purchase the church. While exhorting the Ephesian elders to be very serious about “shepherding the church of God,” Paul concluded by saying that Jesus “purchased it with His own blood.” (See Acts 20:28) Jesus has great plans for the object of His endearing love, and He has done everything necessary to prove His great love for the Church!
The sad attitude that I see so prevalent among Christians is that it seems like they can’t bring themselves to love the church. Of course, the worse fact is that the majority of present-day Christians don’t even like the church!
SEPTEMBER 22, 2024
The Twelfth Sunday in Jubilee
“Therefore I also…do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.”
Ephesians 1:15-19a
There has been an expression used throughout the last century or so by the evangelical church to explain that God has provided grace so that the life of faith should be more than just “a ticket to heaven.” Those words are “full salvation.” God desires to bless us from the moment we get saved with the abundance of life that Jesus declared He came to give. (See John 10:10) There is a measure of God’s grace that can do more than just forgive an individual momentary sin that we feel guilty about. Certainly He will do that, but the promise of I John 1:9 is that He will “forgive us of our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God wants to “completely” transform us from the inside out by starting with giving us a “new heart.” He has no desire for His children to live below the standard of life, love, peace, joy and holiness which has been demonstrated by Jesus Christ. God’s plan is that each of us might “grow up into Him” and end up being “conformed to the image” of His Son, Jesus Christ.
The following is from The Power of Prayer by E. M. Bounds on September 17: “Praying people want all that God has instore for them. They are not satisfied with a low religious life; superficial, vague, and indefinite.
“Praying people constantly strive for more. They are not seeking after being saved from some sin, but saved from all sin, both inward and outward.
“They are not only after deliverance from sinning, but from sin itself, from its being, its power, and its pollution. They are after holiness of heart and life.”
All that God has provided for us through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son is available to each one of us! Today! Right now! It is full salvation, indeed!
Many of us are praying that during this Jubilee year, all of us will experience full salvation, and our hearts will burn within us!
SEPTEMBER 15, 2024
The Eleventh Sunday in Jubilee
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psalm 133:1
“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25
Certainly most of us understand that “going to church” is an activity that Christians should want to do because it is an opportunity to publicly honor and worship God. Perhaps you have heard a comment similar to this, “Going to church is all about God!” While those statements are foundational in our understanding of our weekly gathering with other believers, there should be at least one other reason we “go to church.” IT IS GOOD FOR BELIEVERS TO GO TO CHURCH! The practice (which hopefully has become habitual for you) actually is beneficial to those who attend.
While reading Hillbilly Elegy, J. D. Vance’s bestselling book about his growing up in the Rust Belt of southern Ohio and under the influence of Appalachian Kentucky, I was reminded of the very positive impact that “going to church” has had on millions of people throughout the years. As Mr. Vance relates the story of a transformation in his biological father’s life, he shares the following.
“Dad denies ever physically abusing anyone, including Mom. I suspect that they were physically abusive to each other in the way that Mom and most of her men were: a bit of pushing, some plate throwing, but nothing more. What I do know is that between the end of his marriage with Mom and the beginning of his marriage with Cheryl – which occurred when I was four – Dad had changed for the better. He credits a more serious involvement with his faith. In this, Dad embodied a phenomenon social scientists have observed for decades: Religious folks are much happier. Regular church attendees commit fewer crimes, are in better health, live longer, make more money, drop out of high school less frequently, and finish college more frequently than those who don’t attend church at all. MIT economist Jonathan Gruber even found that the relationship was causal: It’s not just that people who happen to live successful lives also go to church, it’s that church seems to promote good habits.”
Believe it or not, “going to church” has actually been proven to be good for you! This should not surprise any of us who are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do your friends a favor and encourage them to attend church for their sakes and for the sake of their family.
SEPTEMBER 8, 2024
The Tenth Sunday in Jubilee
“The glory of this mystery: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” Colossians 1:27, 28
The Bible does reveal the “end game” for our efforts in ministry, and it is based on discipling people for Jesus Christ. We are not to be satisfied with “new converts” or “babes in Christ.” Our goal is to train individuals to follow Jesus Christ until they become mature. The word found in the New Testament that appears is “perfect” in English means to be mature or complete. We might say “fully grown.” In Ephesians 4:13 and 14, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect (mature, complete) man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children.” It is certain that we who are called to make disciples for Jesus Christ from all of the world must love, pray, teach and train so that the “goal” will be reached. It is also true that each believer must develop the desire to grow and become like Jesus.
There was a lady that lived in England during the 12th century hundreds of years before the Reformation and before many of Christendom’s spiritual leaders like the Wesley brothers, Charles Spurgeon, Moody, Simpson, and many others. Her name was simply Lady Julian. She wrote that if you love God with all your heart and believe in His Son, you will be all right, regardless of how many of the various religious trinkets you might have had in your life. She believed that we ought to love the Lord until it becomes like the fire in the bush – a flaming thing, consuming and swallowing everything else up. She pursued God! The following was written by A. W. Tozer about her in Fellowship of the Burning Heart.
“I want to talk to you about the three prayers Lady Julian made. She conceived a strong desire in her heart for the Lord to give her three wounds. She prayed to God that He would do her the favor. Now imagine this, brethren; imagine this, in this time of weak-kneed, spongy, soft Christians, who complain of the heat and of the cold and of the rain and of dry spells, and of everything else. Can you conceive of a woman praying this prayer? But she did it. She named them before the Lord. She said, ‘I want Thee to wound me with the wound of contrition, and then I want Thee to wound me with the wound of compassion, and then I want Thee to wound me with the wound of longing after God.’”
Can you understand what would happen to individuals who prayed that prayer in faith? That God would cause them to grow closer and closer to the Lord Jesus Christ! That those individuals would become like Jesus! It is very doubtful that anyone can approximate the likeness of Christ without being wounded by God’s gracious hand. The Bible declares that “faithful are the wounds of a friend,” and we have no greater friend than Jesus!
SEPTEMBER 1, 2024
The Ninth Sunday in Jubilee
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19
There is a theme in the Bible about the goodness of God that reveals how God “gives” good things to even those who reject Him. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught about this theme when He exhorted His disciples to “do good to those who hate you…that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:44-45) In Romans, Paul asks the believers, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4) Dr. Dennis Kinlaw wrote about this same theme by reminding his readers of the miracle of Jesus restoring the ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest, Caiaphas, in the garden when they came to arrest Jesus.
“In His gracious mercy Jesus restored Malchus’ ear, and Malchus’ witness to Caiaphas of that event was the high priest’s last chance for repentance. It was God’s final witness to him: He put someone right in Caiaphas’ court who had been touched by the loving hand of Jesus. Oh, the unending mercy of God! If a person is lost, it will be in spite of himself and in spite of the evidence that God stacks up in his life.
“When we choose not to obey and do not act on the witness God gives to us, sooner or later we will banish that witness from our lives, because we cannot tolerate its suggestive presence. The love of God continues to point to Him in all areas of life, even in the lives of the most hardened unbelievers, but some of us refuse to see or hear it.”
Then Mr. Kinlaw asks: “Are you missing the witness to Christ that He has purposely placed all throughout your life? He witnesses not just to His own reality, but also to His love, His beauty, His truth, His goodness, His justice, and His magnificence. Are you listening and watching for the witness?” (from the August 28th devotion found in This Day With the Master)
I know that God is GOOD! I have received that witness gladly in my life, and I’m trusting that NOTHING can remove it from my life! I surrender and yield to His GOODNESS and LOVE!
AUGUST 25, 2024
The Eighth Sunday in Jubilee
RALLY DAY
“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” I Peter 2:4, 5
Today is the 50th Rally Day for our Sunday School. Of course that would be true if we knew for certain that we have had a Rally Day every year since we began together as Needmore Bible Church. Either way it is certain that God has worked through our fellowship to build an effective ministry, and Sunday School has always been a very important part of NBC’s ministry. The truth is that the original building (“the old white church”) was deeded to The Needmore Union Sunday School around 1917. It became a “preaching point” for the Methodist circuit riders who traveled through the area and later became a Methodist church until about 1968 when it was “partially” closed. In July of 1975, Needmore Bible Church, Inc. purchased the old Needmore Union Sunday School property from the United Methodist Conference. Ever since July of 1975 we have had an active Sunday School ministry, and we desire to “build it up” for effective discipleship and training of God’s people!
The following was written by the founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, A. B. Simpson, in 1917. It expresses his desire for the Alliance to be a “real” work of God just as we desire the same for NBC!
“The Holy Spirit originated the Alliance in order to produce in modern times an attested copy of the Church of apostolic times. The modern Church is far away from the original pattern. The popular Church is not the Church of Pentecost… At whatever cost we must hold to the original type of this movement as revealed by the Spirit through the Word… Only He who gave us the pattern, the blessed Holy Spirit, can keep us true to that pattern. I have written frankly out of my heart, for I greatly desire to see the Alliance preserved in an increasing and sustained vitality of spiritual life, an efficiency of ministry and scripturalness of statement until Jesus comes.”
Later in time, A. W. Tozer stated that if he did not believe that the Alliance was part of the “river” from Pentecost and a genuine church, he would have no desire to be affiliated with it. I think and believe exactly the same idea about Needmore Bible Church!
AUGUST 18, 2024
The Seventh Sunday in Jubilee
“…Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom,
that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor,
striving according to His working which works in me mightily.” Colossians 1:27c-29
A constant prayer of mine for many, many years has been, “Lord, I just want to be real!” I have never had the desire to impress anyone with my “religion” or spirituality. When Jesus Christ came “into my life” and I started my serious walk with Him, I never have been interested in “playing games” or “pretending” about God or my faith. My simple desire expressed by that prayer has been “Lord, I just want to be real!”
Jesus had a conversation with Nicodemus, a Jewish rabbi, and answered his inquiry about the Kingdom of God by saying that a person “must be born again” in order to enter it, or even see it. (John 3:3-7) Historically the church has referred to the “born-again” experience as rebirth, regeneration, and conversion. The following comes from A.W. Tozer’s message entitled “Presence Everywhere” found in Fellowship of the Burning Heart, pages 133-134.
“We can teach doctrine, and we can teach ethics, but you can’t teach salvation… You cannot create life by teaching.
“I wonder how many Christians are Christians only by instruction. They are Christian only by religious education, only by having somebody manipulate them by putting them in water or sprinkling water on them. This is tragic, that you can come into the Church and take part in the Church and not be known for being Christians, because we are acting like Christians. We don’t do this, and we don’t do the other, and we are in church, and we give. We are somewhat refined. So we act like Christians, but the terrible thing is we are Christians by manipulation, Christians by instruction, rather than Christians by regeneration.
“Salvation can’t be taught. Salvation, among other things, brings an implantation of an unknown fact within the soul that impels us to holiness, and the true Christian cries out, ‘Abba Father,’ by an impulse of the spirit. He doesn’t have to be taught; nobody says to the new Christian, now say, ‘Abba Father.’ He says it because the Spirit of the Son is in his heart compelling him to say it.
“The biggest question before us this morning is, has this happened to you? Have you received Him, believed on Him? Has He wrought in you that miracle, which impels you to want to do right, and that makes you grieve if you don’t?”
AUGUST 11, 2024
The Sixth Sunday in Jubilee
“…Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom,
that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor,
striving according to His working which works in me mightily.” Colossians 1:27c-29
Several of us have been reading a short devotional on the subject of prayer by E. M. Bounds entitled The Power of Prayer. At the end of last week and the beginning of this past week, Mr. Bounds was writing about the relationship of prayer to genuine Christian character.
He wrote: “There may be a certain degree of moral character and conduct independent of prayer, but there cannot be any distinctive religious character and Christian conduct without it. Prayer helps where all other aids fail. We become better people, and we live purer lives through constant prayer.
“The very end and purpose of the atoning work of Christ is to create religious character and practice Christian conduct.”
“In Christ’s teaching, it is not simply works of charity and deeds of mercy that He insists upon, but inward spiritual character. This much is demanded, and nothing short of it will be enough.”
The next day, more was written on the purpose and goal of Christ’s work in our lives. “The purpose of prayer is to change the character and conduct of people. In countless instances, change has been brought about by prayer. The church is presumed to be righteous and should be engaged in turning people to righteousness!
“The church is God’s factory on earth. Its primary duty is to create and foster righteous character. This is its very highest aim. Primarily, its work is not to acquire members or accumulate numbers. Its aim is not to get money or engage in deeds of charity and works of mercy.
“Its work is to produce righteousness of character and purity of the outward life.”
Finally, Bounds defines this righteousness of character as holiness! “Consecration is the human side of holiness. In this sense, it is self-sanctification. But sanctification, or holiness in its truest and highest sense, is divine, the act of the Holy Spirit working in the heart, making it clean, and putting therein a higher degree of the fruit of the Spirit.”
AUGUST 4, 2024
The Fifth Sunday in Jubilee
“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,
to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” Acts 20:28
The church of God is a marvelous, miraculous, and mysterious “thing” on this earth. Only God can describe it adequately and completely. It is an “organization” for certain, but at the same time it is an “organism.” It is composed of human beings, yet it must be “filled” with the Presence of God, or it is not a real viable church. The church is a “God-thing” and yet composed of material, physical, and flesh-&-blood things at the same time. Oh, that our Lord will open our eyes to behold the beauty of the church!
In Mr. A. W. Tozer’s book, Fellowship of the Burning Heart, on pages 113 through 124, he compares the church to the design and ministry of the Tabernacle. I pray the following might “make us all hungry” for the church.
“…Isn’t that a beautiful picture? This is what this church ought to be, lighted by the Light of the World, shed forth by the Holy Spirit… and where we gather at intervals to eat of the Bread of Life. Not only on Communion Sunday. That points it up, but all the time, every Sunday, when the altar of incense sends up its sweet spirals of fragrant perfume – sweet to God and pleasant in His nostrils, and the sound of prayer pleasant in His ear, and the sight of an enlightened people gathered together pleasant to His eyes. This is a church, brothers and sisters, and that’s the only kind of church I’m interested in.
“We’ve grieved the Holy Spirit and dimmed the lights. The bread has gotten stale, and the altar of incense has lost its fragrance, but it’s all for us. It’s for you and me; it’s for us here as a church. It’s for this church, and it’s for everyone. The Light of the World, and the Bread of Life, and the right to ask what I will and have it done for me.
“The Christians have very little light, but they have the Light of God. Travelers find the light, and the child finds food, and the priest is able to pray, and that’s the Church, and for that Church I will give everything I have. If I knew that kind of Church could be in the world now again, that the churches could become that kind of Church, I wouldn’t hesitate to give the blood out of my veins. I don’t boast about it, but I think I could say that. That I would gladly do it, and I know I have many other thousands of friends who would too, if we could have the Church again. Purified and cleansed so when we walk in, we know we are walking in where Light shines, where there is bread to eat, and there is prayer made, prayer which goes to the ear of God with acceptance.
“That is the Church. ‘I love thy Kingdom, Lord. The house of thine abode.’ The Church our dear Redeemer saved with His own precious blood. I love the Church for this is what the Church is. It’s a company of people who are committed to this faith, to this kind of belief.”
JULY 28, 2024
The Fourth Sunday in Jubilee
“I will praise You with my whole heart; before the gods I will sing praises to You. I will worship toward Your holy temple,
and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your name.”
Psalm 138:1-2
It is a wonderful blessing to know and speak the Name of Jesus! Being filled with the Holy Spirit and standing in Jerusalem, the Apostle Peter declared, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Of course, that is the name of Jesus! God’s name has always been so sacred that God even revealed to Moses that we are to never “take the name of the Lord our God in vain.” (The Ten Commandments, Exodus 20) God goes on to say that there is such authority in God’s name that no one can escape the consequences of showing disrespect and a lack of honor of God’s name. It should be obvious to us that God’s person and character are directly connected with His name.
Another “connection” that we must recognize is between God’s Word and His Person and character. If God’s Word, what He has spoken, is not true and dependable then His name would lose its authority. The absolute authority of God is demonstrated through His Word! As you can read in Psalm 138, God knows how important His Word is, so He has exalted it above His name. We must have as much respect and reverence for God’s Word that we have for His name! If we say that we love God, but we do not “keep” His Word in the highest position of regard, then we don’t really reverence nor love God. The Apostle John wrote, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” (I John 5:2-3) Because we love God and reverence Him, we love His Word!
The very first Psalm portrays a contrast between the people who follow the ways of the world (sinful men) and the people who follow God’s ways. The first verse warns us to not participate in the “counsel of the ungodly, the path of sinners, and the position of those who mock God.” The second verse declares, “His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law, he meditates day and night.” The person who delights in the law of God will “bear fruit” and show the evidence of life, as well as prosper in whatever he or she does. All of Psalm 119 declares the absolute beauty of God’s Word! The Psalmist wrote, “I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your Word.” (Psalm 119:16)
JULY 21, 2024
The Third Sunday in Jubilee
“Therefore ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.’ ‘I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
II Corinthians 6:17- 7:1
I have met some wonderful people in my life that have really encouraged me to follow Jesus. Their witness and testimony have supported my decision to live for Jesus, but I do not follow Jesus because of those individuals. I follow Jesus because of Who He is! I follow Jesus because He has become real in my own life! I have been moved toward Jesus by the word of those people, but now I believe because of His own Word! (John 4:41) During this special time of Jubilee, we are praying that many people will decide to follow Jesus because they will have heard the Word from Jesus, and their hearts “burned within” them. In fact, you will pursue to know the Lord, or to know Him better, only after you have been “touched” and “moved” by the Word of the Lord.
At the end of last week, the devotions by E. M. Bounds found in The Power of Prayer contained words that have caused me to pursue God more zealously. Below I share some of them from the July 11th through July 14th entries.
“What, then, is God’s work in this world? God’s work is to make the hearts and lives of His children holy. Man is a fallen creature, born with an evil nature. God’s entire plan is to take hold of fallen man and to seek to change him and make him holy.”
“God’s work is to make holy soldiers out of unholy people. This is the very reason Christ came into the world.”
“Not that we are to do holy, but rather to be holy. Being must precede doing. First be, then do. First obtain a holy heart, then live a holy life. And for this high and gracious end, God has made the most ample provisions in the atoning work of our Lord and through the agency of the Holy Spirit.”
“The work of God in the world is the perfection of holiness in His people. Keep this in mind. But we might ask: Is this work advancing in the church?”
“The present-day church owns the latest technological equipment. The church must, however, not lose sight of its most important purpose, namely, to lead people to live holy lives through prayer. Ministers, like laymen, must be holy in life, in conversation, and in temper.”
“Again let me ask: Are our leading laymen examples of holiness? Does business integrity and honesty run parallel with religious activity and Christian observance?”
The following prayer closes this section on holiness. “Dear God, You chose me to be holy and blameless in Your sight, even before Creation. Please help me, Lord, to live a life pleasing to You. Amen!”
JULY 14, 2024
The Second Sunday in Jubilee
“Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound…you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land…
and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants.” Leviticus 25:9-10
Last Sunday, we made an introduction to the fact that we, as a congregation, have completed seven sets of seven years or forty-nine years. According to the biblical pattern, we are now able to observe our fiftieth year of existence as our Year of Jubilee. God seems to have had many principles that He wanted to instill into the cultural and social life of His people. Last week in the bulletin, I listed the following words: RELEASE, RETURN, REDEMPTION, RESTORATION, and REST. We can summarize this list with the thought of true freedom, which is something it seems many, many people live without.
Large numbers of people seem to be carrying heavy loads in their lives, and they are weighed down by those burdens. The freedom and liberty that God is offering to us all is a release from those burdens. I want to encourage our whole fellowship to know that God wants to set us free! I also want to urge you to make this truth a part of your confident belief and to pray consistently through this entire Year of Jubilee that we all will experience a “new birth of freedom” through the ministry of NBC.
I believe that there are many discouraged individuals that surround us. Individuals have been defeated by the enemy of their soul. Many have fallen into bad behavior and now live with quiet inward shame. Others have been reminded of past failures and live in fear of exposure. Men and women experience bitterness, anger, and resentment. All these cause us to live in bondage, and they create “debts” that seem to be unsurmountable! How can we ever get out of this debt?
I proclaim liberty and freedom to each of you in the name of Jesus Christ! The old hymn declares, “Jesus paid it all!” I believe He did indeed and wants the burdens of your life to be taken away! That is what the Year of Jubilee is all about. Let’s believe and pray that God will move throughout this year to set us free! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, free at last!
SUNDAY – JULY 7, 2024
The Beginning of Jubilee
“And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound…” Leviticus 25:8-9a
Needmore Bible Church held its first worship service on the first Sunday in July 1975. Last Sunday was the final time of worship in the forty-ninth year of NBC’s existence. Today is the first Sunday in the 50th year of our existence; this is the beginning of our Year of Jubilee.
The 25th chapter of Leviticus contains God’s instructions for celebrating the Year of Jubilee. The following comes from Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, page 600.
“The 50th year was a special year in which to ‘proclaim liberty throughout all the land’ (Lev. 25:10). Specifically, individuals who had incurred debts and had sold themselves as slaves or servants to others were released from their debts and were set at liberty. Since all land belonged to God (Lev. 25:23), land could not be sold, but land could be lost to another for reasons of debt. In the Year of Jubilee such land was returned to the families to whom it was originally given.
“Part of the reason why God established the Jubilee Year was to prevent the Israelites from oppressing one another (Lev. 25:17). One effect of the Jubilee Year was to prevent a permanent system of classes. The Jubilee Year had a leveling effect on Israel’s culture; it gave everyone a chance to start over, economically and socially. The Jubilee Year reminds one of God’s desire for justice on earth and calls into question any social practices that lead to permanent bondage and loss of economic opportunity.”
There appears to be a list of words that can be associated with the Year of Jubilee. RELEASE, RETURN, REDEMPTION, RESTORATION and REST are all a part of God’s plan for celebrating JUBILEE! I have been praying and believing that God is going to move in very special, supernatural, and spiritually renewing ways this next 12-month span that fits the biblical pattern of the Year of Jubilee for us at NBC. I am trusting God to save, deliver, and make whole many people this year at NBC! Come and be a part of JUBILEE at Needmore Bible Church as this becomes our “crowning year” of God’s faithfulness! It is going to be fantastic!
SUNDAY – JUNE 30, 2024
“And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts.” Psalm 119:45
“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” II Cor. 3:17
There should be no or very little doubt that this nation in which we reside has been blessed by the God of heaven. Since its beginning, this land has enjoyed the favor of Almighty God, and as a result we have been blessed with liberty. There have been two very foundational principles that our founders have relied on, the Word of God and the Spirit of the Lord. God’s laws have provided the moral basis for our society’s behavior, and that has produced a “good” and “dependable” fabric that has brought cohesiveness to our civilization. God’s Spirit has affected the hearts of His people living in this country, and that has provided compassionate concern and actual service to help our fellow citizens. It is certain that as we restore these foundational principles our nation will experience renewal and revitalization of all that has been “good” in the United States of America.
For those who may have been influenced by the “liberal” jargon that expresses doubt about any goodness that has ever existed in this country, and especially the “Christian roots” of our nation, let me share just three small excerpts from The Declaration of Independence.
“…and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them,”
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
These three statements are sufficient to answer all those who cast aspersions against this blessed nation and its Christian foundation. I do unapologetically and unashamedly declare that the United States of America was intended to be a “Christian” nation! I do admit that we have strayed from this certain and basic truth about this country. My prayer is that God will forgive us and turn us back to our heritage of faith! I pledge to do all in my power as an influencer of young minds to train our children to become good and godly citizens of the greatest nation on the earth!
SUNDAY – JUNE 23, 2024
“O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.” Psalm 71:17-18
God spoke through the prophet, Ezekiel, to the children of Israel about telling and warning people about the judgement of sin and evil that people will face one day. “When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no waning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.” (Ez. 3:18) God goes on to say that if we do indeed give warning, then we are “free” of every drop of blood of the wicked. Now if God expects us to warn “the wicked” whom we might not know personally, it is certain that God very much expects us to “warn” those in our circle of familiar people, especially those of our own household! We are required by God to “warn” our families to “flee from the day of wrath to come!” At NBC, we are committed to sharing the Gospel with the following generations. That is the reason that we have Sunday School classes, VBS programs, AWANA programs, Kids’ church, involvement in the “released-time” programs during the school year, and support NBC Adventure Boys. There have been many other special efforts to reach boys and girls with the truth of salvation and have encouraged them to surrender to Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord! By God’s grace, we intend to continue ministering to the young and to do all that we can to encourage them to become lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ.
I repeat the same poem that I presented in last Sunday’s bulletin on Father’s Day. It is taken from The Best of Vance Havner on pages 70 and 71. I trust that its importance and pertinence will become apparent to all by the end of today’s sermon.
“An old man going on a lone highway… Came in the evening cold and grey
To a chasm yawning both deep and wide. The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
That swollen stream was naught to him. But he stopped when safe on the other side
And built a bridge to span the tide. ‘Old man,’ said a fellow traveler near,
‘You are wasting your time in labor here; your journey will end with the closing day,
You never again will pass this way. You’ve crossed the chasm deep and wide.
Why build you this bridge at eventide?’ The laborer lifted his old grey head:
‘Good friend, in the way I have come,’ he said, ‘there followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way. This chasm which has been naught to me
To that fair youth may a pitfall be. He too must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building this bridge for him.’”
Father’s Day
JUNE 16, 2024
“The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him.” Proverbs 20:7
“Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.” Psalm 127:4-5
Many of us are familiar or have at least heard Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Throughout the Holy Scriptures, parents are instructed to teach their children the truth and ways of God. Parents are responsible to shape the minds and character of their children into reflections of the faithful people of God. Parents have been given the greatest, most important job in the position of mothers and fathers. God entrusts children to men and women as “treasures” to be guarded for Him. Vance Havner wrote the following and is included as a selection in The Best of Vance Havner on page 70 and 71.
“What a challenge to every parent who has a child in the home! He may be God’s man growing on. Give him every needed counsel and correction, teach him to listen when God speaks. No man or woman ever had a nobler challenge or a higher privilege than to bring up a child for God, and whenever we slight that privilege or neglect that ministry for anything else, we live to mourn it in heartache and grief. There were many things that my father did not have, but one thing he did have: he had a consuming ambition that in his home a boy should grow up to live for God.
“An old man going on a lone highway… Came in the evening cold and grey
To a chasm yawning both deep and wide. The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
That swollen stream was naught to him. But he stopped when safe on the other side
And built a bridge to span the tide. ‘Old man,’ said a fellow traveler near,
‘You are wasting your time in labor here; your journey will end with the closing day,
You never again will pass this way. You’ve crossed the chasm deep and wide.
Why build you this bridge at eventide?’ The laborer lifted his old grey head:
‘Good friend, in the way I have come,’ he said, ‘there followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way. This chasm which has been naught to me
To that fair youth may a pitfall be. He too must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building this bridge for him.’”
SUNDAY – JUNE 9, 2024
“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’”
Matthew 22:37
How valuable is God and Jesus, His Son, to you? Not only did Jesus tell us that God should have “first place” in our hearts, He also told us that we should “seek the Kingdom of God first,” and “lay our treasures in heaven.” It appears from Scripture that nothing should be more valuable to us than God! The following was written by Dr. Dennis Kinlaw and is found in This Day With the Master, the June 5th reading. The foundation for this devotion is Mark 10:17-23 which records the encounter of Jesus with the “rich young ruler.” Dr. Kinlaw also used a portion of Charles Wesley’s hymn, “Jesus, Lover of My Soul.” Kinlaw shared the line from the hymn: Thou, O Christ, art all I want; More than all in Thee I find.
“…He seems to be saying that the answer to any human need is in Christ. Whatever I need to have done for me or to me, He can do.
“The opening lines seem, though, to speak of something else. They speak of neither God’s gifts nor His acts. They speak of Christ Himself, that He Himself is better than anything He can do for us or give to us. Wesley seems to be saying that Christ Himself is enough. To have Him is enough. We need no more.
“It is fair to ask whether a person who has everything plus God is really any richer than a person who has only God. A person, if we could find one, who has only God is certainly not in poverty; he is as rich as the person who has everything plus God. God is enough.
“Perhaps this is some of what Paul is saying when from prison he tells his Philippian friends that for him to live is Christ, and that therefore he has learned to be content in any state (Phil. 1:21; 4:11). It is certainly what Jesus is saying when He tells the rich young ruler to sell all that he has and follow Him. Jesus is not calling the young man to less! He is calling him to more, to Himself, and He is enough. Have you found Him so?”
In this world, there is a multitude of “things” that vie for our attention and affections. While much that allures us is evil, they are not all bad things. God has blessed us with a wonderful place to live and many “good things which have come down from heaven to be enjoyed.” The only concern that God has, and that He wants us to find out about ourselves, is what is most valuable to us? Remember that if you have Jesus, you have it all!
SUNDAY – JUNE 2, 2024
Graduate Recognition Sunday
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
These two verses have been memorized by millions of believers throughout the years, including me and some famous people as well. Kirk Cousins who has been playing as a quarterback in the National Football League for several years has claimed these two verses as his “life verse.” Some of the men of NBC heard him share his testimony about how these words helped and guided him during a crisis in his young life. I hope that many of you have learned these verses and have discovered how to apply them in your personal lives as well.
The first principle of the passage is putting all of our trust in God. Many people have been in situations when they were without strength or hope and turned to God in prayer and decided to trust in God to deliver them. This principle of trust is a part of what is being expressed here, but it is more specific than just depending on God’s strength. The next part of verse 5 seems to give us a hint about the specific “trust” that we must practice. The statement is a negative one that encourages us to not trust in our “own understanding.” God wants us to trust His understanding. Throughout the Scriptures, we are told that we do not “naturally” think “right thoughts.” In Isaiah 55:8 God said, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways.” The wisdom in Proverbs 14:12 gives us a warning: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” God has the perfect knowledge of every situation, and He knows how to navigate through any challenge. We do NOT! I heard a nationally famous Christian speaker once say: “If you want to know what you ought to do in any given situation, ask yourself what you would naturally think to do, then do the opposite.” So the first principle is to reject human intellect and advice and seek God’s advice! Your way is naturally wrong, but God’s way is always right!
The second principle in these verses comes from verse 6. We must always acknowledge, admit that God’s way is the best by asking Him what that way is. Of course, God has already revealed His truth, knowledge and wisdom in His Holy Word, the Bible. We must pray in trust and seek an answer in His Word. God promises that “He will direct our path.” I certainly pray and hope that you know the way He will lead you will always be the best way! His way will lead to life abundant! No one needs to go through this world stumbling and falling because of being on the wrong path. God will direct you and me in His chosen path! Hallelujah!
SUNDAY – MAY 26, 2024
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan.” Proverbs 29:2
A time for remembering that is known as a “memorial day” is a very ancient practice. When the children of Israel were delivered from slavery in Egypt, God instituted a yearly event called “Passover” to be honored for all time throughout their existence. God said, “So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations…an everlasting ordinance.” (Exodus 12:14) Down through the ages, many nations have set a day to remember some “victory” that happened to them. In the United States, Memorial Day became a regular practice for its citizens following the Civil War. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., who had been wounded three times in the Civil War, said at a Memorial Day Address in 1884: “It is not the moment when by common consent we pause to become conscious of our national life and rejoice in it, to recall what our country has done for each of us, and to ask ourselves what we can do for our country in return.” Something we should do every time we remember the blessings we enjoy in our great nation!
I want to share another paragraph spoken by the first black man to speak in the Capitol of the United States. He was invited to speak there at the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment which was the fulfillment of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. On February 12, 1865, Reverend Henry Highland Garnet said: “Honorable Senators and Representatives! Illustrious rulers of this great nation! I cannot refrain this day from invoking upon you, in God’s name, the blessings of millions who were ready to perish but to whom a new and better life has been opened by your humanity, justice, and patriotism. You have said, ‘Let the Constitution of the country be so amended that slavery and involuntary servitude shall no longer exist in the United States, except in punishment for a crime.’ Surely, an act so sublime could not escape Divine notice; and doubtless, the deed has been recorded in the archives of Heaven… Favored men – and honored of God as His instruments – speedily finish the work which He has given you to do. Emancipate! Enfranchise! Educate! And give the blessings of the Gospel to every American citizen!”
Let us all cry out to our Heavenly Father and seek a revival of Bible and Christian influence on the leaders and people of our great nation! Righteousness will exalt our nation! (Proverbs 14:34)
SUNDAY – MAY 19, 2024
“Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God… For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.” Ephesians 5:19-21, 30
Of course, most of us have either asked or heard it asked, “Can I be a Christian and not go to church?” The complete and correct answer to that question will take much more space than this bulletin has, but the following information should encourage us in the proper direction. Based on the Scriptures, and particularly discussed in I Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4, Dr. Dennis Kinlaw wrote the following in This Day With The Master for May 14. Please read it carefully and prayerfully.
“The gifts of the Spirit are not related to our personal holiness. They are given to us for the sake of others. God’s gifts to us, except for the gift of Himself, are always other-oriented. They are intended to deal with the questions of how Christians are to live together and how they are to function in a non-Christian world. Ephesians 4 tells us that Christ gives gifts for the perfecting of the saints, to equip them for service to others. Our gifts are intended to help other people know the Lord Jesus more intimately.
“We will never know our own faults and our own failings if we live alone. It is in the friction that comes through our contact with others that we find out who we really are. The Spirit’s perfecting power is at work the most when I am in close association with other people. Because of God’s gift of others and His gifts to others, I find perspective, balance, and grace. If I would be whole, I must be a functioning part of the body of Christ.
“So the gifts of the Spirit are given to others for our benefit, and to us for theirs. They are not given for personal privilege or pleasure, but for the sake of others. Are you letting God use the gifts He has given you for your brothers and sisters in Christ, and for the world?”
The simplest answer to the question about being part of the church is that believers have no choice in the matter. Jesus Christ makes every one of His followers a member of His Body, the Church!
Mother’s Day
SUNDAY – MAY 12, 2024
“You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and give thanks
at the remembrance of His holy name.” Psalm 97:10-12
I believe that families are the primary and most important building blocks of culture. The most important things are taught in the home as children are being raised. To be clear, it is not that every home is teaching the “right things,” but the fact is that children’s characters are being formed by the basic lessons of life they are learning in their homes. Parents should desire above all, that truth is what they are teaching and communicating to their children in their home. Parents should want to echo what Solomon wrote to his son in Proverbs: “Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many. I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths.” (4:10, 11)
In Psalm 119, David extols the virtue and impact of the Word of God on the lives of those who receive it. In verses 101-104 he wrote, “I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word. I have not departed from Your judgements, for You Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore, I hate every false way.” The truth is that there are two ways. One way is true and right, and the other way is false. It is just as important to reject the false as it is to accept the true! Think about what David wrote in Psalm 101 about his choices for his house. “I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.” (Psalm 101:2b – 4)
A recent article in The Epoch Times newspaper was entitled “The State of Our Unions.” In the article, Mr. Brad Wilcox, a professor at the University of Virginia and director of The National Marriage Project was quoted talking about the negative attitudes about marriage in our culture. “There are accepted prejudices about marriage, that it comes with ‘unpleasant side effects,’ such as boredom, lost job opportunities, and the restrictions of parenthood. He knows that these ideas have consequences. Too many young men and women are closing their hearts to marriage and family life, or are unable to find a partner with whom to forge a family in the first place.” We must counter these false ideas with the truth found in God’s Word about the blessings of marriage and home!
Thank you, parents, for protecting your children from the false ways that you hate. You are not required to “expose” your children to anything that is not good and godly!
SUNDAY – MAY 5, 2024
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” I Peter 2:9
Last Sunday, the message here was based on the above verse and declared that you and I are called to be priests, mediators between God and people. This has been God’s plan for His “special and peculiar” people to represent Him to the people, and the people to Him. We are to “stand in the middle” with one hand in God’s hand and one hand in the hand of lost people. We are called to “bring them together” so that people might be redeemed, and God might be glorified. It is His call and our privilege to be this kind of mediator.
In the two paragraphs that I shared from Dr. Dennis Kinlaw, the following words were found. “When Christians have been washed by the blood of Jesus, they begin to look like Jesus. His character is to be the defining quality of their lives.” It’s actually this likeness to Jesus Christ that makes God’s people special and peculiar. We are to appear different from the world, and that difference is Jesus.
Kinlaw wrote: “One important thing about the priests in the Old Testament is the garments they wore. A priest could not serve unless he wore the priestly garments. To serve as mediators between a world without God and God Himself, we must be dressed in the righteousness of God so the world can see His presence in us. We cannot just have a cloak of righteousness that covers our sins; we must allow the Spirit to change us from the inside out so that we actually begin to be like Jesus.
“Jesus is our High Priest. He placed Himself between God and us and caused God’s grace to meet our need, and therefore we were redeemed. As Christians we stand between Christ and His Cross on the one hand, and the world in its lostness on the other. Our business is to cause that grace of Christ and the need of the world about us to meet. As the Father sent Jesus to us, Jesus sends us to His world and ours.”
The third verse and chorus of an old hymn many of us have sung: “All the way from earth to glory, I would be like Jesus; Telling o’er and o’er the story, I would be like Jesus. Be like Jesus – this my song, in the home and in the throng; Be like Jesus all day long; I would be like Jesus.”
SUNDAY – APRIL 28, 2024
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” I Peter 2:9
I have often thought about this verse throughout the years but never applied it to the idea of “missions,” yet it is exactly what the church is doing as her primary responsibility in this world. The idea has been applied to His people by God from the beginning of the nation of Israel. When Moses led His people out of Egypt and prepared them to move into the Promised Land, God gave him the 10 Commandments as the foundation for the nation’s life. At the same time God said to them, “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:6) It was God’s intention for His people to be peculiar and special as they were to represent God to the whole world. God’s plan was for them to “show forth” to the world what righteousness is and how to attain it. The amazing truth is that God repeated this responsibility of His people in the New Testament. (I Peter 2:9) The following was written by Dr. Dennis Kinlaw for April 20 in This Day With The Master.
“What does it mean for Christians to be a kingdom of priests? Priests do not live for themselves; they live for the ones they serve. The nation of Israel was to be a whole nation that lived not for itself, but for others. This self-giving existence is the plan God conceived for Israel and the plan He conceived for the Church. This is the reason a church without a missionary passion and a missionary budget is not the church that Christ envisioned.
“Priests are mediators. They stand between other people and God. Their significance comes from the ones between whom they stand. God has left Christians here so the world can know about our Father in heaven. Believers are to stand between the world and God, mediating between them. Followers of Christ must have God’s signature on them so the world knows to whom they belong. When Christians have been washed by the blood of Jesus, they begin to look like Jesus. His character is to be the defining quality of their lives.”
For this congregation to be a mediator between the lost and dying world and God should be clear to each of us who are a participant in the fellowship of NBC. We are thankful that the Lord has enabled us to grow in this important ministry throughout the years of our existence. Yet, we are looking forward by faith to even greater fulfillment of “our priesthood” in this world!
SUNDAY – APRIL 21, 2024
“’Sing, O barren, you who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not labored with child!
For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman,’ says the Lord.” Isaiah 54:1
A few weeks ago during one of his sermons, Pastor Brandon asked a question about the resurrection of Jesus. He asked, “Was that the greatest miracle of God?” That’s a very important question to consider, but light filled my mind when he asked the question. It was light about the very nature of God and all of the miracles that He has done and will do. There is a categorical type of miracle that was first expressed when He created the world. The theologians describe creation as being accomplished “ex nihilo,” meaning from or out of nothing. God is the only one who can produce something from nothing. All other beings, including you and I, must begin with raw materials; we must have some substance in order to create or produce something “new.” Only God can take nothing and make something! That is the greatest miracle or act of God! The following was written by Dr. Dennis Kinlaw for April 13 in his daily devotional This Day With The Master.
“Scripture insists that God is capable of bringing life out of barrenness. When God came to Abraham, He told him that all of human history would be different because of Abraham’s life, that out of Abraham’s descendants would come a lineage that would lead to the redemption of the world. I can image Abraham and God’s conversation after God told him that. I can hear Abraham saying, ‘You obviously aren’t from around here.’
“’Oh, really, what do you mean?’ God asks.
“’If you were from around here, then you would know that when a man is seventy-five and his wife is sixty-five, there is no chance for them to produce a child.’
“’That’s right; I am not from around here. In the place from which I come, there is One who makes the impossible possible.’
“I am sure God has a sense of humor. He made Abraham wait twenty-four years before He started the fulfillment of that promise. How could one get a better illustration of the fact that God is the kind of God who can bring life out of barrenness. God is saying that He is the One who can bring water from a rock, fruit from sterility, life from death. . .. Samson, Samuel, John the Baptist, and Jesus are all witnesses to what God can do.
“God can bring something out of your barren and sterile heart too. If you open your life to Him, you will find the unexpected. Out of you will flow living water that will reach a world for His glory. What could be a higher privilege?” (or greater miracle?)
The old hymn writer declared, “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling.” You and I bring nothing, and God produces life from our nothingness! Hallelujah!
SUNDAY – APRIL 14, 2024
“Restore us, O God, of our salvation, and cause Your anger toward us to cease. Will You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger to all generations? Will you not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?
Show us Your mercy, Lord, and grant us Your salvation.” Psalm 85:4-7
Are we interested in a genuine “move of God’s Spirit” in our world and our fellowship that could be described in no other way than revival? Do we long for a sovereign work of God that would disrupt our “normal” spiritual practices to the extent that our only hope of “straightening things out” will be a display of God’s power and glory? Are we willing to begin praying for that kind of renewing in the church? Mr. A. W. Tozer preached a sermon entitled “How To Pray For Revival” that the following has been taken from.
“What this country needs, what the Church needs, is the restoration of the vision of the Most High God. Now, hear me. I’m not just making up a sermon here to preach to you. This is sound theology and can be checked and tested. What we need more than we need anything else is a restoration of the vision of the Most High God. The honor of God has been lost to men. And the God of today’s Christianity is a weakling. He is a little, cheap, palsied “god” that you can run and pal around with. He’s the “Man upstairs.” He’s the fellow that will help you when you’re in difficulty and not bother you too much when you’re not.
“We have a stuffed “god,” now, in evangelical circles – a “god” that can be appealed to by anybody at any time for any reason.
“The clown on the radio will break into his fun and say, ‘Now, we’ll have a minute of prayer.’
“The half-converted cowboy, dressed like an idiot, will say after he has twanged some sexy number, ‘Now, I’ll do you a holy number.’ And he sings a ‘holy number.’
“God is approached by everybody, because that kind of God can be approached by anybody.”
Then Mr. Tozer continued later: “There are a good many of us who are on the “rocks” because the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ isn’t here. Our God is a cheap, handmade God – a composite of various theological ideas and choruses and stories we heard evangelists tell. But we need the glory of God again. And the returning of the glory of God to the Church is the primary imperative; it is absolutely necessary. It is even more important than the salvation of souls.
“But God, in His great love, has so ordered that when His glory returns, more souls will be converted as a result. So, you don’t have to take your choice. It isn’t an either-or; it’s a both-and. And the trying to get souls saved at the expense of the glory of God is to cheat God out of His glory and not get souls saved anyhow. We just make proselytes who aren’t Christians, but are something else.”
Remember that when Jesus taught His disciples how to pray corporately, He said that the “hallowing of the name of God” is the first and most important request!
SUNDAY – APRIL 7, 2024
“But from there you will seek the Lord your God,
and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29
Some folks have the attitude that “whatever will be, will be.” They seem to believe that the events of life are disconnected from anything that we do or say as individuals. They have a fatalistic outlook on life and think that there is nothing we can do to “improve” our experience of this existence of ours. Even in certain Christian theologies, there is the thought of “unconditional” salvation and eternal destiny. It seems that our behavior has no impact on even the outcome of our faith. It doesn’t require a “deep” study of the Bible to discover that there are conditions that God expects in our lives that will produce certain results. The Holy Scriptures do not teach a “fatalistic” view but rather state many “if-clauses” which encourage us to choose certain thought patterns and behaviors. All those “if-clauses” teach that outcomes in this life and the next are very conditional!
This past week, E. M. Bounds in The Power of Prayer gave some good encouragement about meeting some conditions in our hearts that will affect outcomes in our lives. Prayer and the condition of “desire” are expressed in his following words.
“Desire precedes and accompanies prayer. Prayer is the verbal expression of desire. Prayer comes out into the open. Desire is silent. Prayer is heard. The deeper the desire, the stronger the prayer.
“Without desire, prayer is a meaningless mumble of words. Such uninterested, formal praying, with no heart, feeling, or real desire, is to be avoided like a plague. Its exercise is a waste of precious time; no real blessing results from it.”
The next day, Mr. Bounds wrote about the condition of our hearts in worship and song.
“When God is in a person’s heart, heaven is present and melody is found there. This is as true in the private life of the believer as it is in the congregations of saints. The decay of singing means the decline of grace in the heart and the absence of God’s presence from the people.
“The main purpose of singing is for God’s ear; to attract His attention and to please Him. Certainly it is not for the glorification of the paid choir, nor to draw people to the church, but it is for the glory of God and the good of the souls of the congregation!”
We certainly do not want the words of Isaiah to be true of us! “And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts and minds far from Me, and their fear and reverence for Me are a commandment of men that is learned by repetition (without any thought of the meaning).” Isaiah 29:13, Amp
THE RESURRECTION DAY
Easter Sunday MARCH 31, 2024
“And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him.” Matthew 28:7b “…After He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” Acts 1:2b, 3.
What we declare and believe is that Jesus Christ was crucified, He was buried in a tomb because He indeed was dead, and just as He predicted, He was raised from death and the tomb to be alive forever. We know that not all people share our belief and confidence in the reports of the resurrection. Paul wrote that even in the 1st century there were those who said that “there is no resurrection of the dead.” (See I Corinthians 15:12) Those who don’t believe lived at the very same time as those who did believe and testified that they saw, touched, and talked with the resurrected Savior. It is no different in our day. There are those who say that resurrection is impossible, and there are those who say that resurrection is the promise of God.
What Paul says in I Corinthians 15:12-19 is that the resurrection is essential to what we as Christians preach and believe. He lists several items that would be worthless if Christ had not been raised from the dead. He uses words such as “our preaching is empty,” “your faith is empty,” and we (i.e. the 1st century followers of Jesus Christ) “are found false witnesses of God.” Then Paul wrote, “But (my favorite word in the Bible!) now Christ is risen from the dead!” (See I Corinthians 15:20)
He believed just as many thousands believed in the 1st century that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, and by that fact He established the guarantee of the promises of God. There are two such promises that are found in I Corinthians 15:12-19 that really excite me. Paul wrote that without the resurrection of Christ we all would still be in our sins. He also said that all who died would have perished forever. What a terrible plight for those who do not believe (or know) that Christ is indeed risen. Think about those two extremely significant promises: the forgiveness of our sins, and everlasting life with God! Hallelujah! Because of the literal physical resurrection of Jesus Christ we can have assurance that those promises are certain for us who believe. “I know, I know my sins are forgiven, and I’m on my way to a place that’s called heaven!” Those are the words of an old gospel song which I embrace with my whole life. I hope that you do too!
6th Sunday in Lent
PALM SUNDAY MARCH 24, 2024
“Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the king of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.” Psalm 24:9-10
“Save now (Hosanna), I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” Psalm 118:25-26
There is an old song in our hymnal which starts with a line that has been repeating itself in my mind. The hymn is entitled “Lead Me to Calvary.” (See #310 in The Celebration Hymnal) It is filled with phrases about the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus, but it begins with the first verse: “King of my life, I crown Thee now; Thine shall the glory be; Lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow, Lead me to Calvary.” On the first Palm Sunday, the crowd was shouting that Jesus was their King! They were saying in essence the first line of the old hymn, “King of my life, I crown Thee now!” Most of them did not really understand what they were shouting. There was probably only a small amount of individuals that were making a genuinely personal commitment to the kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Beyond that, the only person who understood that Calvary was coming with the Cross of suffering and shame for the redemption of all humanity was King Jesus Himself. It is easier for us to know the “rest of the story” because we are living on the “other side” of Calvary and the Cross. We know Jesus has been, is now, and always will be the King of Glory! We also know that He suffered, bled, and died for our salvation! Hallelujah! What a King and Savior that we have! We are blessed, blessed, blessed!
I indicated that the phrase “King of my life” keeps repeating itself in my mind. I have asked myself if I can honestly sing or say those words? Is Jesus my personal King? Is He King of my life? For several days when I make a decision or do a particular thing, I think about that statement. I ask in the choosing or doing, is Jesus “King of my life?” Do my life’s activities reflect the kingship of Jesus? Am I honoring Jesus as my King?
As the children of God, we want to “crown” Jesus as King and give glory to Him. Certainly we can only celebrate this Sunday, Palm Sunday, by honoring and glorifying Jesus as the King of glory! We know that He is going to return, and then every knee will bow and honor Him as the King that He truly is! We say, “Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly!” In the meantime, we should live everyday in a manner that “crowns” Jesus as our King!
5th Sunday in Lent
MARCH 17, 2024
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!
Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” I John 3:1
Do you really believe that God cares about you? Do you believe that He will take care of you throughout all your life? Peter wrote that we are to be “casting all our care (everything that is a concern in our life) upon Him, for He cares for you.” (I Peter 5:7) One of my favorite childhood hymns is “God Will Take Care of You.” “Be not dismayed whate’er betide; God will take care of you… All you may need, He will provide; God will take care of you. Nothing you ask will be denied; God will take care of you.” So the theme of the hymn is obviously that God cares for and about us! If you sing all four verses with the refrain, you will state 20 times that He (God) will take care of you! It should be a strong encouragement to trust Him!
Sunday through Wednesday of this past week, many of us have been encouraged to actually trust in God’s concern about our lives. E. M. Bounds wrote something each of those days about trusting God for “earthly needs.” Here are some passages from those four days in The Power of Prayer devotional.
“The possibilities of prayer are to be seen in its accomplishments in earthly matters. Prayer reaches to everything that concerns people, whether it be the body, the mind, or the soul.
“Prayer takes in the needs of the body, such as food and clothes, and concerns itself with business and finances – in fact, everything that belongs to this life, as well as those things that have to do with the eternal interests of the soul.”
“Earthly matters are of a lower order than the spiritual, but they concern us greatly. They are the main source of our cares and worries. We have bodies with needs, pains, disabilities, and limitations. That which concerns our bodies necessarily engages our minds. These are subjects of prayer.”
“If we do not pray about worldly matters, we exclude God from a large area of our lives.”
“To leave business and time out of prayer is to leave religion and eternity out of it. He who does not pray about worldly matters cannot pray with confidence about spiritual matters… He who does not put God in his struggling toil for daily bread will never put Him in his struggle for heaven.”
“Both body and soul are dependent on God, and prayer is but the crying expression of that dependence!”
“Disbelief that God is concerned about even the smallest affairs that affect our happiness and comfort limits the Holy One of Israel and makes our lives altogether devoid of real happiness.”
Another hymn asks, “Does Jesus Care?” The refrain answers, “O yes, He cares; I know He cares. His heart is touched by my grief!”
4th Sunday in Lent
MARCH 10, 2024
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!
Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” I John 3:1
On Tuesday, we were reminded by the devotion material in Torn that God is the Father of those who believe in Jesus. He is not the Father of everyone physically born in this world, but He sent His Son to make it possible for everyone to become a child of God. When an individual calls on the name of Jesus for salvation, that person will be born again, and the Holy Spirit will impart new spiritual life to him or her. Paul declared, “You have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:15-16) So as children of God, we have the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life! Hallelujah! God wants you to know the reality of His Presence in your life.
The sad fact is that many believers never come into the realization of the Lord’s Presence with them. They cannot see this wonderful truth, and they miss the tremendous blessing of His Presence. Dennis Kinlaw wrote about the two men walking on the road to Emmaus without being able to “see” the Lord’s Presence with them.
“It was the Sunday after the crucifixion. There were two men, not preachers or apostles, but laymen who were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They were lovers of Jesus, and now the Christ they had known and in whom they had trusted was dead. They were mourning, and they wept as they walked. Suddenly a stranger joined them on the road. When He learned the cause of their grief, He opened up the Old Testament to them and explained the meaning of the Cross. He stopped to eat with the two men, and when He broke the bread, their eyes were opened, and they knew it was Jesus Himself.
The living Christ is really present, as literally present in your life as He was with Cleopas and his friend that night. They never knew He was there until He opened their eyes. Whatever your circumstances are today, they are not as hopeless as Cleopas and his friend believed theirs to be. Jesus is present in those situations that seem the most destitute and horrifying. It is His presence that will make sense of your situation. It is His presence that will bring hope and joy into your circumstances. Christ is with you. Have you forgotten that? Let Him open your eyes so you can see Him.” (March 6th entry in This Day with the Master)
It is our prayer that you will realize in your life the Presence of the living Lord Jesus Christ!
3rd Sunday in Lent
MARCH 3, 2024
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!
Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” I John 3:1
We are in the season of Lent during which we are all encouraged to participate by reading, thinking, praying, and writing about the theme TORN. This theme is based on the event that took place in the Temple at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. The huge veil that hung in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. It proved the accomplishment of reconciliation through the Savior’s sacrifice, and “opened” a “new and living” way for us to approach the very Presence of God! Hallelujah! God wants us to “enter” into His divine Presence with confident hope for experiencing the “abundant life” that Jesus said He came to give to us.
One of the great promises of God is that you and I are known and identified as children of God because we believe in the finished work of salvation that happened at the Cross. We are definitely loved, accepted, and added to The Family of God. I have shared several times about the Gaither’s song with that title, The Family of God. There has been mention of it in the bulletin, and we have talked about it at Bible study on Wednesday evenings. The chorus of the song can be found at #419 in our hymnal, but there are two verses that are not printed in our present hymnal. The last hymnal that we used had the complete song in it, and we sang the song frequently. Many of us remember the words, and I want to give you the second verse that I think is filled with a faith-building, hope-establishing, and promise-encouraging message.
“From the door of an orphanage to the house of the King,
No longer an outcast, a new song I sing;
From rags unto riches, from the weak to the strong,
I’m not worthy to be here, but praise God I belong!”
An old hymn contained the repeated phrase, “I’m a child of the King, child of the King, with Jesus my Savior, I’m a child of the King.” This is more than rhetoric, empty words! This is a reality that God wants everyone of us to experience as an actuality in our personal lives.
2nd Sunday in Lent
FEBRUARY 25, 2024
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!
Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” I John 3:1
The Bible is filled with statements that express the fact that God loves us. Probably the most well-known verse is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” This expression seems to have a corporate or group application. Matthew recorded a time in the ministry of Jesus when He “went about all the cities and villages” performing acts of ministry amongst the crowds. “But when He (i.e. Jesus) saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36) This is another example of our Lord’s concern and love for the group that He encountered. It is certainly true that Jesus has love that extends to the entire world, but what about me? What about you? How does Jesus look on each of us as individuals?
In the Gospel of John, the miracle of the dead man, Lazarus, being raised to life on this earth by Jesus is presented as one of the signs that proves Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. There is no doubt that the miracle of present resurrection declares the intervention of divine power. No ordinary human strength could do such a thing. When Jesus called Lazarus from his grave and he came forth in his grave clothes, the identification of Jesus was clearly established. But there is another line in the story. Jesus had asked where Lazarus’ tomb was, and they said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Then the shortest verse in the Bible is recorded, “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) Next John recorded, “Then the Jews said, ‘See how He loved him!’” (John 11:36) To the Jews, the tears of Jesus were an expression of His personal love for an individual, Lazarus. In fact, the Jews probably didn’t see the clear expression of His identity, but they did recognize a clear declaration of Jesus’ love for His friend Lazarus. Jesus was not loving a multitude at the grave; He was loving Lazarus! He loved an individual!
Jesus had an encounter with a “rich young ruler.” The young man came to Jesus seeking guidance about his personal spiritual emptiness. He asked Jesus, “What shall I do?” Jesus talked to him about the 10 Commandments, which the young man said he had kept since the days of his childhood. Here is the next line of scripture, “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him…” (Mark 10:21) What a statement about the personal love Jesus had for an individual!
You and I are surely included in the “multitudes” and the “world” that God loves, but the exciting news is that He loves us individually! He loves us personally! Do you know how much He loves YOU?
1st Sunday in Lent
FEBRUARY 18, 2024
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!
Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” I John 3:1
The season of Lent has been observed traditionally by Christians for many centuries as a time of preparing for new life. Indeed the entire season will culminate with the celebration of our Lord’s resurrection and the promise of eternal life that is offered to us because of His victory over sin and the grave. Jesus has defeated death! Yet Lent is a reminder that Jesus had to die because of our sins and failures. Lent is to be a time of self-examination, meditation, and reflection on our sorrow for our sin. It is a time to strip away the false and to expose truth. Things need to be torn apart and turned inside out. It is the time of “Spring housecleaning” preparing for the fresh cleansing spring showers, sun and warmth which create that special time of new life! While we will be celebrating Lent by using our devotional, Torn, we want to remind you of the special family relationship that God desires with each one of us. I just had to share Dr. Kinlaw’s third part on Fatherhood of God from the February 8th entry in This Day With The Master.
“We as Christians often forget how privileged we are. We enjoy many benefits of the gospel that people in other religions never understand. Several years ago I had the honor of hearing a woman from Pakistan tell about her conversion. For many years her husband had been a major figure in the Pakistani government. She told about reading the New Testament and how impossible it was for her to believe that people could begin a prayer with the words ‘Our Father.’ One thing she knew about Allah was that he was not like humans. He was greater than human beings and infinitely different; human categories could never be used to describe him, certainly not one as personal and direct as ‘father.’
“She said that when she came to faith in Jesus Christ, her first response was to lift her heart and say, ‘Father,’ and the moment she uttered the word, she fell on the floor in absolute terror of being killed for her impertinence. But instead, the heavenly Father came to her in all His love and compassion, and she heard one word: ‘Daughter.’ She recalled, ‘I wept uncontrollably at the reality that God in His sovereignty and greatness could belong to me in that kind of relationship.’
“He is our Father. Do we need a reminder of the depth of the love and compassion He has for us?”
Remember that family is the most foundational image of God and His plan for mankind you can find in the Scriptures. Are you part of the Family of God?
SUNDAY – FEBRUARY 11, 2024
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” I John 3:1a
Gloria and Bill Gaither wrote a “little” song in 1970 which became a very popular chorus among evangelical Christians over the next several decades. The song was entitled The Family of God. The chorus is “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God; I’ve been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood! Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod, for I’m part of the family, the family of God.” As the congregation at NBC, we sang the song very regularly until many of the “old-timers” can sing it from memory. (Just the chorus is found in our present hymnal at number 419.)
It is important to understand the biblical truth about the “family of God” because it is based on the very character and nature of God. The following excerpts come from Dennis Kinlaw’s devotional This Day With the Master, the February 6th reading entitled Fatherhood of God.
“In the bosom of eternity, before there was time or space or humanity, the second person of the triune Godhead called the first person of the Trinity not Lord, but Father. So the family is a more ultimate social reality than the kingdom. The origin of the family is not in time, but in God.
“The parent-child relationship – the family – is an eternal concept, not merely a temporal or historical one. Everyone you will ever meet has a family. People come in families. Is that because God does too? The early Christians understood that He does when they began their affirmation of faith with the words “I believe in God the Father.” (The Apostles’ Creed)
“Do you need to allow the Holy Spirit to change your response when you hear the word Father or the word family? Some of us come from such broken families that we assume that God the Father is not good and that a heavenly family would be a nightmare of our earthly reality. It’s not true. Don’t let your brokenness keep you from finding healing in the perfect family.”
Remember the words of Apostle Paul in Romans 8:15-17. “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…!”
SUNDAY – FEBRUARY 4, 2024
“I will sing of mercy and justice; to You, O Lord, I will sing praises. I will behave wisely in a perfect way.
Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” Psalm 101:1-2
We believe that God has called us to work for the “salvation” of many individuals. This includes children, adults, married people, and single people, and even the institutions that serve those individuals. We want to do all we can to minister to “save” the church and the home. We believe that God has given us a very specific responsibility to preserve the biblically defined image of the family. We believe in a life-long relationship between one biologically born man and one biologically born woman. The addition of children as God blesses that relationship forms “the family.” This is the design that is clearly revealed throughout the Bible, and we believe that this model is the surest way to restore and maintain righteousness in our land.
The following is entitled “Setting An Example” and was written by Ruth Bell Graham, the wife of the late evangelist Billy Graham and the daughter of a missionary family in China. It can be found on the back cover of the January issue of the Decision magazine.
“I was blessed by being reared in a missionary’s home in China. My father was head of the surgical department of a mission hospital. Mother helped in the women’s clinic. I grew up watching their concern for other people. Daddy was a doctor, yet he felt that mission hospital existed primarily to tell people about Jesus Christ.
“And I saw their concern for our family. I never got up in the morning, for instance, without seeing Daddy reading his Bible. I never went to tell him goodnight without finding him on his knees, praying. Mother might not have had time to read her Bible in the mornings – she was getting breakfast – but she always read her Bible in bed at night.
“They didn’t know that these and other things made a deep impression on me.
“As you read this and consider the example you are setting for your family, are you so weighed down by your sins that you feel it is quite hopeless to try? You are the sort of person God loves. A mother of 13 children was asked which one she loved most. She replied, ‘The one that is sick until he is well, and the one that is lost until he’s found.’ God has been missing you, loving you, searching for you. I don’t know the burdens you are carrying, but He does. This business of raising a family, with all its problems, is a difficult job. Give your burdens to Him; He’ll take care of them. All He asks is that you love Him and live for Him.”
SUNDAY – JANUARY 28, 2024
“Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.” Psalm 107:8-9
In Psalm 107, that exact phrase about the Lord’s goodness is stated four times. The Lord’s goodness is the obvious theme of the psalm, and it starts, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!” (verse 1) We often declare that fact about our God in our public, corporate worship times. One says, “God is good!” Then the rest of the group says, “All the time!” Then the same person says, “All the time!” The group responds, “God is good!” Finally everyone says, “Glory!” It is very important that we repeat this truth about the character of our God. Our faith and our resultant prayers are based on God’s character. The strength of our prayers of faith seems to be in direct proportion with our understanding and confidence in our God’s character. We must be convinced that “God is good!”
Dr. Dennis Kinlaw explains that we human beings live “on a razor’s edge called the present” which is “gone before it can be named.” He believes that having a past “we cannot shake” and a “future we cannot control” is a constant source of possible anxiety. He then explains that a believer has resources to help him that nonbelievers do not have. He writes in This Day With the Master, on January 24: “The Christian has equipment and resources not available to any other. First, the believer knows the One, the only One, not caught in our transience, the sovereign God who created this finite existence, who rules His creation with a sovereignty greater than that with which a Beethoven arbitrarily corrects a score. The Christian knows the Maker of the future.
“The Christian also knows that God is kindly disposed to human beings. God has demonstrated that in nature, in grace, in life’s bounty, and in Christ’s Cross. He has revealed it in the character of the person of Jesus Christ, His Son. His will toward us is good. It cannot be otherwise, because that is His nature. He is love. Love for you.
“But His love is conditioned by truth. Jesus never spoke much about His love; rather, He demonstrated it. He spoke about truth and the right way to live. God, in His sovereign goodness, has a way for you into the future, and it is good. Find that way, and you will witness His goodness and love. Make your own way, and futility, emptiness, and discontent will force you to call Him Judge. Find His way, and you will call Him Friend and Father.”
SUNDAY – JANUARY 21, 2024
“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served…
or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15
We know that many people simply want to live their lives as they do until death, and then they don’t really care what follows. Perhaps you have heard individuals even say, “I won’t be here, so why should I care what anybody does then.” As believers we should realize that every generation must consider “passing the torch” to those who are in the following generations. The Bible gives unmistakable instructions for teaching succeeding generations the “faith” and truth of God. It is our responsibility to “put things in order” so that the foundational truths we have learned will be preserved and last far beyond our mortal lives.
Dennis Kinlaw wrote about the “covenant renewal at Shechem” as Joshua’s attempt to pass the torch to those who would live beyond his own years. It can be found at the January 17th entry in This Day with the Master.
“The closing chapters of the book of Joshua are Joshua’s final words to the people of Israel. Israel is in the promised land, and Joshua wishes to renew the covenant between Israel and Yahweh before he dies. He reviews the history of the covenant and speaks about God’s faithfulness to His people. He calls them to choose whether or not they will serve Yahweh. Joshua is very aware that after his death temptation for compromise with the Canaanites will be strong, and a compromise would mean death for Israel’s culture and faith. Joshua is anxious for the people of God to reaffirm their loyalty to the God of Abraham, Moses, Sinai, and the conquest, so he calls them to do so. The people acknowledge God’s actions for them, and they pledge their allegiance to Yahweh.
“Joshua’s appeal to the people is based on God’s actions for Israel and not on Israel’s actions for God. God has chosen and blessed Israel, and their motive for serving Him must be His great mercy and grace to them. The same is true today. The important thing is not what we have done for God, but what God has done for us. . .
“The effectiveness of Joshua’s plea is indicated in the closing verses of his book. ‘Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel’ (Joshua 24:31). It is necessary for every individual in every successive generation to see the work of God personally. Each of us must come to a meeting with God in which we enter into a covenant relationship with Yahweh. Therefore the word to us is still: ‘Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.’”
God has been so faithful in His blessing the ministry of NBC! We certainly want this ministry and work of God to continue until Jesus comes!
SUNDAY – JANUARY 14, 2024
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:13-14
The Church of Jesus Christ has been placed in a position of great responsibility. In essence, the Church is the Body of Christ on the earth. We, believers are literally His hands and feet, and we have been called and appointed to do His work in the world. We are to “preach the gospel,” “heal the brokenhearted,” “provide liberty to oppressed captives,” and “proclaim the day of salvation” to a lost and dying world. It should appear pretty clearly to us that the heart of the matter is sharing the love of God as it has been demonstrated in the life and ministry of Jesus. There is another, perhaps more difficult task that we must do. It is the mission given to the prophet Jeremiah recorded in Chapter 1, verse 10: “To root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.”
If we are going to stand-up for Jesus, it will mean that we will be in opposition to much that the world and our culture propagates. The following is excerpted from Dennis Kinlaw’s This Day with the Master, the January 10th entry.
“The prophet Jeremiah was a timid man living in a time that called for courage. When God called him to be His voice, Jeremiah tried to excuse himself because of his youth. At times during Jeremiah’s ministry he wished to flee the pressures of God’s call. Once he decided to keep quiet and speak no more about the voice of God within him, yet the message burned inside his heart. He could not keep silent; he had to proclaim the word of truth. Sometimes Jeremiah wished that he had never been born, for his mission was not an easy one, and he seemed poorly suited for it. In a wonderful way God chooses weak instruments to do His bidding. Jeremiah was a man with human frailties, but he was a chosen instrument of God. …To this tender, sensitive, shrinking soul was given the task of proclaiming the judgment of God upon the existing order in Israel and preparing the way for a new kingdom. He was to stand alone; he was opposed, suspected, and scorned throughout his entire ministry. Jeremiah had to deliver his message in the most public places and on the most public occasions. He was mistreated, imprisoned, and finally (according to tradition) martyred for proclaiming that message, but when Jesus came, some people thought he was Jeremiah come back to life (Matthew 16:14).”
We, the Church are not called to be popular and “the favorite place to be” in the minds of the world’s people. We are called to stand for truth and to oppose all ungodliness and unrighteousness. We are commissioned to proclaim the judgments of the Lord! Let us all pursue holiness so that we might see God!
SUNDAY – JANUARY 7, 2024
“For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:32-33
“These things” as Jesus referred to them are “things” that we eat, drink, or wear. It is a reference to the basic necessities for life. The Apostle Paul also discussed “these things” in his letter to his “spiritual son” about “stuff” that money buys. He wrote, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” (See I Timothy 6:6-10) Jesus taught that “these things” which provide contentment will be “given” or provided to everyone who “seeks the kingdom of God first.” God wants us to trust Him and to know that when He is the first, primary object of our affection and desire, we will have “all these things” that we need!
I like how Dr. Dennis Kinlaw explained this idea in his devotional, This Day With the Master. “God is God alone and is to have no rival or competitor in our lives. He is offended and grieved when we let anything invade that central place intended for Him. He is saddened because we inevitably suffer when we let anything encroach on His rights and place. The psalmist understood this. In Psalm 16:4 he notes that sorrows increase for those who ‘run after other gods,’ so he will not participate in offerings or praises given by those with divided hearts. He confesses that Yahweh is Lord and that even the good ceases to be good when God is not in control. That is why Jesus was firm in His insistence that we should seek His rule first (Matthew 6:33).”
The best decision for any of us to make is to put Jesus first in our lives! He is certainly worthy of that place in each of our hearts, but it is also the most practical choice we can make for our own benefit. We have nothing to fear when we choose to live completely for Jesus! There is no loss in any life of those who have made seeking God’s kingdom their priority. I am praying for each of us that we will be blessed to overflowing because Jesus is the greatest love in our lives!