#Calvary Assembly of God

[troybeecham]

Today the Church commemorates Good Friday, the day in which Jesus was crucified.

According to the accounts in the Gospels, the royal soldiers, guided by Jesus’ disciple Judas Iscariot, arrested Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas received money (30 pieces of silver) for betraying Jesus and told the guards that whomever he kisses is the one they are to arrest. Following his arrest, Jesus was taken to the house of Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest for that year. There he was interrogated with little result and sent bound to Caiaphas the high priest with whom the Sanhedrin had been unlawfully assembled.

Conflicting testimony against Jesus was brought forth by many witnesses, against which Jesus remained silent. Finally, the high priest adjured Jesus to respond under solemn oath, saying “I adjure you, by the Living God, to tell us, are you the Anointed One, the Son of God?” Jesus’ response is hard to translate directly into English, making it sound ambiguous. The way he said “yes” was like linguistic judo, using the force and energy of an assailant to redirect it back on themselves. “You have said it, and in time you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Almighty, coming on the clouds of Heaven.” To us, this might sound ambiguous, but to those there it was loud and clear. The high priest condemned Jesus for blasphemy, and the Sanhedrin concurred with an unlawful sentence of death. Peter, waiting in the courtyard, denied Jesus three times to bystanders while the interrogations were proceeding, just as Jesus had foretold.

In the morning, the whole assembly brought Jesus to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate under charges of subverting the nation, opposing taxes to Caesar, and making himself a king. Pilate authorized the Jewish leaders to judge Jesus according to their own law and execute sentencing, but the Jewish leaders replied that they were not allowed by the Romans to carry out a sentence of death.

Pilate questioned Jesus and told the assembly that there was no basis for a sentence of death. Upon learning that Jesus was from Galilee, Pilate referred the case to the ruler of Galilee, King Herod, who was in Jerusalem for the Passover Feast, also questioned Jesus, but Jesus remained silent. Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate, who again told the assembly that neither he nor Herod found Jesus to be guilty. Pilate resolved to have Jesus whipped and released. Under the guidance of the chief priests, the Judean crowd began to clamor for the release of Jesus Bar Abbas, who had been imprisoned for committing murder during an insurrection against the Romans, and who was also a member of the aristocratic, high priestly Abbas family. To the Judeans he was a hero. Pilate asked what they would have him do with Jesus, and they demanded, “Crucify him”. Pilate’s wife had seen Jesus in a dream earlier that day, and she forewarned Pilate to “have nothing to do with this righteous man”. Pilate had Jesus flogged and then brought him out to the crowd to release him. The chief priests informed Pilate of a new charge, demanding Jesus be sentenced to death “because he claimed to be God’s son.” This possibility filled Pilate with fear, and he brought Jesus back inside the palace and demanded to know from where he came.

Coming before the crowd one last time, Pilate declared Jesus innocent and washed his own hands in water to show he had no part in this condemnation. Nevertheless, Pilate handed Jesus over to the Roman guard be crucified in order to forestall a riot, and ultimately to keep his job. The sentence written was “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” Jesus carried his cross to the site of execution (assisted by Simon of Cyrene), called the “place of the Skull”, or “Golgotha” in Hebrew and in Latin “Calvary”. There he was crucified along with two criminals.

Jesus agonized on the cross for six hours. During his last three hours on the cross, from noon to 3 pm, darkness fell over the whole land. Jesus spoke from the cross, quoting the messianic Psalm 22: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

With a loud cry, Jesus gave up his spirit. There was an earthquake, tombs broke open and the holy dead whose bones were in them came out alive and were praising God, and the curtain in the Temple was torn from top to bottom. The centurion on guard at the site of crucifixion declared, “Truly this was God’s Son!”

Pilate asked confirmation from the centurion of whether Jesus was dead. A soldier pierced the side of Jesus with a lance causing blood and water to flow out and the centurion informed Pilate that Jesus was dead. Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin and a secret follower of Jesus, who had not consented to his condemnation, went to Pilate to request the body of Jesus. Another secret follower of Jesus and member of the Sanhedrin named Nicodemus brought about a hundred-pound weight mixture of spices and helped wrap the body of Jesus.

They rolled a large rock over the entrance of the tomb. Then they returned home and rested, because Shabbat had begun at sunset. Matt. 28:1 “After the Shabbat, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb”. i.e. “After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week,…”. “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said….”. (Matt. 28:6).

Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

[psalmonesermons]

The 7 churches of Revelation 5. Sardis

What can we learn from them

To the Church in Sardis- the almost dead church

Sardis was considered to be an impregnable city built on an inaccessible hill situated at the top of the Hermus valley and was the capital city of the area known as Lydia. Such physical security had perhaps caused the citizens to become over-confident or even arrogant. The city was beginning to decline at the time that this book was written.

3:1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

The church in Sardis was no longer living up to its reputation. Nearly the whole assembly in Sardis had some form of defilement in their lives. They had fallen asleep on duty as it were and were only give out a flickering light of the gospel. Jesus tells them to wake up and strengthen what is left of their faith. They had not finished the job as far as God was concerned. They desperately needed to rekindle their love and faith. Jesus warns them they need to repent from their sins. He further warns them that if they don’t listen to His wake-up call that He will visit them suddenly without any notice and with judgement implied.

4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 Those who are victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out their names from the book of life but will acknowledge their names before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

However not everyone in the Sardis Assembly had gone astray or defiled themselves. The repentant and victorious believers along with those who have been already faithful in the church of Sardis are promised a special walk with Jesus Christ sharing in His glory and purity. Jesus gives all such believers His personal assurance that their names are permanently inscribed in the book of life and that Jesus will personally acknowledge them as friends in the presence of the Father God and His holy angels. Therefore let those believers who are willing and able be ever obedient to the Holy Spirit as He speaks to the church.

Further commentary (adapted in part from Pilgrim Benham: A letter to a modern church -Calvary Chapel)

Commendation

Jesus gives no commendation to the church at Sardis since Jesus cannot commend dead works. The faithful minority are however promised a special walk with Jesus.

Corrections (do these apply to your church?)

1. Wake up (stay awake) unlike those Sardians who woke up to find the enemy had climbed the steep castle wall and conquered the city. This was probably due to over-confidence in their defences. To wake up is to admit your faith is asleep and not moving forward. Sardis was the church who had a problem staying awake! Wake up before you are attacked unaware.

2. Strengthen what remains most likely faith, hope and love. These three are strengthened by regular use. If we grow complacent, we forget our dependence on God. Having awakened we must fan the tiny spark or flame of our faith into life. Shake off the spiritual numbness and ask Jesus to grow your mustard seed of faith.

3. Remember what we have been taught. Both waking up and strengthening involves remembering. Do you recall the Gospel of your salvation? The Holy Spirit is our helper and will bring all the relevant things we need to our minds!

4. Hold fast to what we know to be true. Our remembrance ought to be more than a mental exercise but rather something that leads to action that bears fruit. Keep and value the wonderful life that Christ has purchased for you.

5. Repent and do a U-turn as often as required (1 John 1:9). If there are walking dead in your church, then repentance is the only remedy. Do not persist in the things that are killing your faith. How can we fall asleep in the presence of King Jesus?

Further thoughts

Concerning the Church at Sardis no mention is made of any persecution from external enemies or false teaching from within. The root problem was that they had absorbed the surrounding godless culture.

Amen

[crackspinewornpages]

War and Peace 50/198 -Leo Tolstoy

41 

At 5 AM the army was still immobilized on the right wing, the left would be the first to descend and attack, when on Austrian officer made his appearance order was set in motion but they didn’t know where they were going in the dark fog and smoke, though, wherever they went were in the same company. (this doesn’t seem smart to send the army to face the enemy in the dark and fog where they can’t even see ten feet in front of them) They could hardly see ten paces ahead but conscious of the Russian columns marching in the same direction. After an hour they halted so the calvary could cross and fill in the gaps, in that time the army grew impatient and was losing spirit. An hour later they descended into the valley blind, shots in the fog, by nine the sun was just rising above it. Napoleon and his troops were closer than expected and he could see the center of the Russian army was weak, on the anniversary of his coronation he gave the order to begin battle. 

42 

At 8 o'clock, Kutuzof greeted the men of the foremost regiment intending to lead the column in person, but he stopped in the village of Pratz while Andrei was anxious and believed this would be his bridge of Areola. There was firing in the valley, the infantry filed by Kutuzof halted, they can't open ranks in a village. (seems like you should have considered the geography of the location) He sent Andrei to the third division to give his orders and report on the skirmishes and come back to inform him the troops were ready to move. In the distance the regiments were cheering and ran along the line of Russian columns who they were greeting approached rapidly a squadron of gaily dressed horsemen escorted by the two emperors. Alexander asking why he doesn’t begin, he’s waiting for the columns to assemble, it displeased him. Kutuzof explained the reasons is they are not in parade nor on the emperor’s field, (this is a war not a parade for your entertainment) but he gives the order he turns to Division Commander Milarodovitch and orders to attack and the battalions of Novgared and Apsheran file forward. 

43 

The fog began to dissipate, a mile and a half could be seen, to the left of the valley the firing was growing more violent. As they could see the French closer than expected, the Apsheran when it was all covered in smoke, a voice called it was up to them and all started to run. (come back you cowards) It was impossible to stop the fugitives, Andrei was confused at what was happening at the front and saw Kutuzof was wounded. Kutuzof went riding after the fugitives but was torn away by another mob. Andrei forced his way to him, Kutuzof’s staff was only four left as he ordered to stop the cowards, billets buzzed over their heads, when the French saw Kutuzof they fired at him. Kutuzof fell wounded so Andrei took the flag staff and rushed forward, the battalion following into the firefight. Distracted by the other soldiers Andrei was struck on the head and fell only seeing the sky above him and noticed how calm it was. “How it is that I never before saw this lofty sky? And how glad I am that I have learned to know it at last! Yes! All is empty, all is deception, except these infinite heavens. Nothing, nothing at all besides! And even that is nothing but silence and peace! And glory to God!...”p.164 

44 

By five in the evening the battle was lost, a hundred canons captured Prschebiszewsky laid down arms, other columns halved were in retreat, the remains were crowded together in Augest. The French were trying to cut down the retreating Dokhturof and some others made a stand. Along the dike were throngs of men pushing along dying and dead. Dolokof was an officer again, his regimental commander, the sole survivors, a canon ball struck someone behind him and in front the crowd just pressed on but stopped, the ice wouldn’t hold them and wouldn’t move on Dolokhof’s orders. A feild piece tried but his leg broke through and he sank to his belt the horses forced on it broke the whole sheet and forty men trampled over each other all while canons fired overhead, 

45 

On the hill above Pratz Andrei laid still in pain wandering where he was, he heard hoof beats and French soldiers nearing, it was Napoleon and his two aides. Andrei immediately forgot the words spoken of him having an honorable death, his hero was insignificant compared to heaven. “He was merely conscious of a feeling of joy that people had come to him, of a desire for these people to give him assistance and bring him back to life, which now seemed to him so beautiful because he understood it so differently,”p.167 They notice him moving and Napoleon ordered him taken to the hospital. 

He passed out and came to again in the hospital as Napoleon came to inspect the prisoners. He questioned the chief officer, Colonel Prince Repnin, who identified Lieutenant Sukhtelen. Napoleon asked how Andrei was feeling but Andrei had no words, his hero was sordid in comparison with what he had learned. The insignificance of majesty, life and death, no one can explain. Napoleon left without an answer with orders to take care of them, Andrei’s medal was returned. He believes it all would be good if it were as simple as it seems to Maria, he would know where to find help in his life, what to expect after. Carried away he thought of his family, the battle, Napoleon, everything that happened bleeding into a fever dream as the physicians believed he wouldn’t recover, he along with other dying were turned over to the regional natives. (so Andrei had a near death experience and currently is in an existential crisis) 

46 

1806 Austria was forced to a separate peace by the end of 1805 Briton was active only in the sea the war, in 1806 assumes an armed truce. Politically the war continues, Britain with a blockade against the enemy neutrals, Napoleon forbidding trade, Prussia broke away and joined the coalition against France and declares war. Napoleon defeats Prussia in a month, occupies Berlin and moves against Russia. 

In the beginning of 1806 Nikolai Rostof went home on furlough and had Denisof come with him to Moscow. Rostof was cheerfully greeted by Mikhail and the hall boy Prokofi, others rushed out of their rooms until all crowded in the drawing room. His mother cried in his chest while his father introduced Denisof. 

The two slept until ten as everyone cleaned their things and brought comforts, awake Sonya ran away from Rostof as his sister Natasha talked to him. He asks why Sonya ran off, a long story for another time but she’ll tell it now as Rostof fell into his old world of childhood. She had him recall what happened before he left, if he agreed to marry her, now it would be like he was bound by his word under compulsion, and it wouldn’t do. (she loves Sonya and to prove it burned her arm with a ruler) Sonya was sixteen and still in love with him but with so many occupations before him he must remain free. The subject changes, Natasha is no longer interested in Boris since Duport the dancer, she won't marry and become a dancer. When Rostof saw Sonya again he didn’t know how to react around her but understood and quietly they thanked each other for love and freedom. 

47 

That year the old count had more money so Rostof decked out, seemed to have grown into a man separated from childhood, now a lieutenant of hussars. Instead of growing closer to Sonya he drifted away, a time when a young man prizes his freedom to do other things, there were others besides Sonya, he has time to fall in love later. The old count Rostof was busy giving dinner orders to prepare for the English Club in honor of Prince Bagration. He asked his son what he thought and sent him to Moscow to Bezukof’s for fresh fruit and gypsies to dance along with gypsy girls. (...sigh) Anna Mikhailovna says not to as she is going as you can get anything from Pierre’s green houses, and she wants to see him since Boris is on his staff. When asked of his new wife Anna’s face changed, he’s unhappy she pities him. Dolokhof, Marya Ivanovna’s son, compromised Helene after Pierre introduced them and brought him into his house and now he follows her. The old count extends the invitation to the club to him for a distraction. 

48 

March 15, two hundred and fifty English Club members and fifty guests came to meet Prince Bagration, the hero of the Austrian campaign. Before dinner Count Rostof presented his son, Pierre sat opposite of them and as usual drank too much but others noticed his change absorbed in some disagreeable problem it was Dolokhof’s intimacy with his wife and anonymous letters that the affair was a secret to him alone. Pierre refuses to heed both but it was terrible for him to see Dolokhof sitting opposite and something terrible rise in him. (Count Rostof had to know there were tensions between these two why’d he invite both is he that much of a ditz) Pierre saw it may be true but he cannot believe it, but he noticed the face Dolokhof wore often was now one of deviltry from his other acts. Pierre is afraid of him, he would think nothing of killing a man, so lost in his thoughts he didn’t rise with the others to toast. 

Rostof asks what’s the matter, he didn't recognize him and Dolokhof toasts to pretty women and their lovers, (oh now he’s just rubbing it in) Pierre didn’t say anything. When Dolokhof snatched a cantata from him the ugliness rising in Pierre broke. Everyone was alarmed at his outburst and he snatched it back and felt the hatred of his wife widen irrevocably. Rostof acted against Denisof’s advice and arranged a duel the next day at Sokohiki, but Dolokhof had thoughts on it, “if you get it into your head that you are going to be killed, then you are an idiot, and deserve to fall; but if you go with firm intention to kill him as quickly and certainly as you can, then you are all right,”p.180 

The next morning Pierre, Nesvitsky, Dolokhof, Denisof and Rostof met in the woods, Pierre had the air of a man unaware of what was before him. Two considerations his wife’s guilt and the innocence of Dolokhof who had no reason to guard a stranger's honor, maybe he would have done the same then is this duel homicide, can he get out of it. It was all set and Dolokhof confessed he doesn’t think this is a sufficient reason to duel but Pierre was in the wrong, Pierre agrees he was foolish. Nevitsky says he could apologies. “You know, count, that it is far more noble to acknowledge one’s fault than to carry on after to its irrevocable consequences.”p.181 Pierre will go through with the duel and had to figure out how to work the trigger. 

After Pierre fired he stood still as Dolokhof stepped forward but didn’t shoot and he fell in the snow, arm covered in blood and begs that he isn't done yet. He takes a mouthful of snow and staggers up aiming Pierre made himself an easy target, (is he suicidal) Dolokhof missed and laid back in the snow, Pierre ran off in the woods and Nevitsky took him home. On the way to Moscow Dolokhof roused himself and said his mother won't survive this and had Rostof break the news to her. Despite being a bully Dolokhof was an affectionate son to his mother and brother to his hunchback sister. 

49 

Pierre rarely saw his wife alone, the house was full of company, the night of the duel he stayed in the room his father died in, he couldn’t sleep, how did it come to killing his wife's paramour. “Because you married her without loving her; because you deceived yourself and her.”p.183 From the beginning he felt it was wrong, he thought he was proud of it all then thought he was to blame for not understanding her, now found the answer, she is a lewd woman. She allowed her brother to kiss her bare shoulder but laughed at him and told  Pierre that he’ll never get any children by her. (she’s a bitch) She’s to blame for it all, but at the back of it he married her, lied that he loved her, he is to blame and suffer but the disgrace of his name and honor is independent of him. 

He’ll leave for Petersburg, leaving a letter that he would leave her forever, but that morning Helene came to him in a fury about the duel. She demands answers then says he believes everything he is told, that Dolokhof was her lover without proof and what has he proved by the duel, that he’s a fool, that’s what everyone calls him and now she’s a laughingstock. He drunkenly challenged a man out of jealousy, a superior man to him in everything. (I take it back she’s not a bitch she’s a cunt) He tells her not to speak to him, she yells that she has a right to and tells him any woman with him as a husband would have lovers but not her. Pierre says that he’ll kill her and comes towards her with the marble table top she runs off and his father's nature manifested in him. By the end of the week Pierre signed over half of his property to Helene and left alone to Petersburg. 

50 

Two months after the battle of Austerlitz and Andrei was reported dead but his body not recovered, Kutuzof wrote that he was a worthy hero. Unusually his father’s response wasn’t one of wrath and he stayed in his study. When Maria came to see him his face wasn’t sorrowful but wrathful and she could sense the terrible misfortune, the death of one she loved. When told Andrei was dead she felt joy and forgot her fear of her father and hugged him begging for them to weep together, but he has her go inform Lisa. Maria wondered of her brother repented his unbelief and is in bliss. It took several times for Maria to try to break the news, she kept crying and decided not to tell Lisa and persuaded her father not to while she was pregnant. (I’m torn whether or not this was the right move you’re keeping the fact her husband could be dead a secret from her but also she’s in a very delicate state right now) The two hid their grief but the old Prince didn’t hope, while searching for his son he had a gravestone made and in a short time his health deteriorated rapidly while Maria hoped and prayed for Andrei’s return. 

NEXT

[davidrmaas]

Martyrs and Overcomers

Two repeated themes in Revelation are closely related - “Witness” and “Overcome.” Beginning with Jesus of Nazareth and his martyrdom on Calvary, his followers are summoned to persevere in his “Testimony.” In this way, they will “overcome” and emerge victorious in the city of “New Jerusalem.” They must “overcome, even as I overcame.” Moreover, Jesus is presented to the “Seven Assemblies of Asia” as the “FAITHFUL WITNESS, the Firstborn of the Dead, and the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth.”

By “faithful witness” is meant the “testimony” he gave in his sacrificial death. His shed blood “freed us from our sins and made a Kingdom, Priests for his God.” Now, he is the “First and the Last” who possesses authority even over “death and Hades.” As he declared to John - “I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore” – (Revelation 1:5, 1:18).

The Greek term rendered “witness” in English is ‘martur,’ the term from which the English noun ‘martyr’ is derived. In secular Greek, it was used for a “witness,” especially one who gave testimony in a legal proceeding.

By the first century, the term may not have assumed the full sense of “martyr,” but as applied in the Book of Revelation, it certainly approaches it. The “saints” who give “testimony” for Jesus pay the consequences for doing so (Strong’s - #G3144).

Similarly, John is introduced as one who “bore WITNESS of the word of God and of the TESTIMONY of Jesus” since he found himself banished to Patmos “on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” Here, the term “word of God” is synonymous with the “testimony of Jesus.” It refers not just to any testimony, but to the “testimony” about Jesus that, in this case, placed the Apostle in personal jeopardy.

The English term “testimony” translates the Greek noun ‘martyria,’ meaning “testimony, witness.” It is closely related to the term ‘martur’ and refers to the “testimony” given by a “witness,” most often in a legal proceeding.

While John may not have given his life for his “testimony,” he certainly paid a heavy price by losing his freedom and legal rights. But he was by no means the first or the last disciple of Jesus to suffer so. Previously, in the city of Pergamos, the saint named Antipas was “killed among you, where Satan dwells.” In his letter to the congregation, Jesus calls him “my FAITHFUL WITNESS [martyr],” the same term applied to Jesus in the Book’s prologue – (Revelation 2:13).

When the fifth seal was opened, John saw the souls of saints who were “slain for the word of God, and for the TESTIMONY [martyria] which they held,” just as he was exiled because of his “witness” for the “word of God” and the “testimony of Jesus” – (Revelation 6:9-11).

In Chapter 12, having failed to destroy the “woman clothed with the sun” or her “son,” the enraged “Dragon” set out to “wage war with the rest of her seed, those that keep the commandments of God and have the TESTIMONY of Jesus.” Once again, saints were killed for the “testimony of Jesus.” Nor was Satan alone in his vendetta. Later, the “Great Harlot, Babylon” is seen “drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the WITNESSES [martyrs] of Jesus.”  – (Revelation 12:17, 17:6).

At the commencement of the “thousand years,” judgment was made on behalf of the saints who were “beheaded for the TESTIMONY of Jesus and the word of God, and have not worshipped the Beast.” Once more, the “word of God” and the “testimony of Jesus” are paired. That the “witnesses” were killed is beyond doubt, as is the reason for it. But now, added to the list is their refusal to render homage to the “Beast from the sea” - (Revelation 20:4).

[Read the complete post on the End-Time Insights website at the link below]

[childofchrist1983]

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. - Hebrews 10:24-25 KJV

Encouraging one another is essential as we complete good works for the LORD Jesus Christ! We enjoy coming together to praise God, fellowship with our spiritual friends, and continue our Christian education. Our relationships are essential as we make our way out into the community. Spreading the Gospel is hard work, and we must encourage each other every step of the way for strength and reassurance. We must seek God and His guidance daily in our walk with Him and in speaking inspirational words to encourage one another as we work to spread the Gospel to our community and throughout the world.

Thank God for His strength and guidance when we are faced with sin. Thank Him for His mercy and grace. Through Bible study and prayer, God reveals His wisdom and guides us to see opportunities to grow closer to Him and grow spiritually. He gives us direction to live our lives according to His Holy Word and will. We must make God top priority everyday! May we be motivated to spread God's Holy Word and Gospel Truth to all the Earth, knowing that it is the only hope of all those lost in their sins. Let us not hold out a false hope for men to be saved without the Gospel, but instead, strive to do our part to get the Gospel out to a lost and dying world.

Leaning on Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ through prayer and His Holy Word and Spirit strengthens us and our knowledge and wisdom about God and His Gospel Truth, exposing these imposters. May God help us to seek and lean on Him daily to gain the strength, wisdom and spiritual discernment needed to expose Satan and his imposters who seek to destroy us and God's ultimate Truth. Everyday, we must remember to share Jesus Christ's Gospel Truth with the world and to thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for the grace that He poured out for us on the cross at Calvary. He has freed us from the burdens of sin and from the eternal damnation of Hell. In all we say and do, may all praise, honor and glory always be given to Him and His Kingdom of Heaven.

With renewed minds, hearts and wills, let us serve Him humbly and faithfully out of pure love and grateful rejoicing. May He remind us of His presence and to remain at peace, fully knowing that all will be well because He is always with us. Let us seek Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ today and everyday with all our heart and being, looking for His love, light and will for our lives with each step we take. Let us seek to please Him with our thoughts, words, and deeds and seek to advance His Kingdom of Heaven and His glory with our lives. Let us seek Him from a pure and humble heart, and when we so seek, we believe Him and His promise that we will find. May He help us all to be more sensitive to the teaching ministry of His Holy Word and Spirit, relying on Him and allowing Him to speak to us and guide us every step of our Christian journey.

God gave us the Holy Bible - His living and Holy Word - to let us know of Him and His abiding love and care as well as guide and prepare us for all our lives. May He help us encourage one another as we continue our walk with Him and our duty to Him daily. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for being present for all our new beginnings and all our lives. May He redirect any anxiety we feel as He provides countless opportunities for growth and change. May we humble ourselves before God always, asking Him to forgive our sins and make our hearts and lives anew through His Holy Word and Spirit. May He help us make Him and His Holy Word top priority, so we can grow spiritually and grow in our relationship with Him as we apply it to our daily lives. Thank God that we can focus on Him and everything about Him, for that is what keeps us sane and at peace. May our words and actions always be a reflection of Him and His Holy Word and Spirit and will.

May He help us to always walk in His grace and Holy Spirit, not by our own measure. May He give us the humble humility to know that our freedom and eternal salvation is found only in Him, so that His grace may sustain us, and we may never lose sight of His love and light and mercy. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for calling us to Him and to serve Him. May He equip us to do all that He has called us to do so that as He works through us, He may use us to produce fruit, to reach others, and to encourage all brothers and sisters in Christ. May He work all of these things in us and through us for His Kingdom and His glory. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all His creation, for His miraculous ways and for everything He does and has done for us! Keep the faith and keep moving forward in your walk with Jesus! He loves us and He knows what is best for us. Seek, follow and trust in Him - Always!

Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Word and for sending His Holy Spirit so that we might have His grace, not only to awaken us and transform our hearts in our spiritual rebirth and guarantee our eternity with Him, but to also call upon Him whenever we are in need. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all the reminders of His love and mercy and faithfulness within His Holy Word. He is bigger than any challenge or circumstance in our lives. Knowing this within our minds and our hearts, nothing can deter our faith in Him and His Truth. May we all accept Him and His eternal gift of salvation and ask that He would transform our hearts and lives according to His will and ways. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Spirit who saves, seals and leads us. May we always thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His almighty power and saving grace. For He is our strength, and He alone is able to save us, forgive our sins and gift us eternal salvation and entry into His Kingdom of Heaven.

May we make sure that we give our hearts and lives to God and take time to seek and praise Him and share His Truth with the world daily. May the LORD our God and Father in Heaven help us to stay diligent and obedient and help us to guard our hearts in Him and His Holy Word daily. May He help us to remain faithful and full of excitement to do our duty to Him and for His glorious return and our reunion in Heaven as well as all that awaits us there. May we never forget to thank the LORD our God and our Creator and Father in Heaven for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a mighty God we serve! What a Savior this is! What a wonderful LORD, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!

[yhwhrulz]

Worthy Brief - September 8, 2023

Do you want to see the glory of God?

2 Chronicles 5:6,13,14 Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. 13 indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: "For He is good, For His mercy endures forever," that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

Three thousand years ago, when Solomon dedicated the Temple to God, the priests offered up thousands of sacrifices. After the sacrifices were offered up -- then the glory of God fell! The glory of God was so thick and heavy that the priests could no longer minister! Do you see the connection? First the offerings -- THEN the glory fell!

But this reality is not found only in the Old Covenant; it's also in the New Covenant. After Messiah was sacrificed as the offering for the sins of the world at Calvary -- came the resurrection, the Son of God, risen and glorified! So clearly, there’s an integral relationship between sacrifice and glory!

Can we see this relationship still operating even today? I believe we can. When we offer our bodies as living sacrifices; our future, our plans, our possessions, and our lives, to the Lord--His glory begins to be revealed as His Spirit works in and through us. Called by Him to be more and more like Yeshua (Jesus), the people of God should be a people of sacrifice. Do you want to see the glory of God filling every aspect of your life? Then lay your life upon the altar in surrender to His perfect will--you will watch in amazement as He takes your offering and turns it to a beautiful testimony of His glory!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Dallas, TX) (Mansfield, Texas)

Editor's Note: We are planning our Winter Tour so if you would like us to minister at your congregation, home fellowship, or Israel focused event, be sure to let us know ASAP. You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information.

[yellingintothedarkness]

Without leaving the campus sparks from the Asbury Revival are spreading like wildfire across the nation. The Holy Spirit is crossing state borders and national boundaries as He crosses denominational lines. A growing list of schools, churches, ministries and nations impacted by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit includes but is not limited to: GROUND ZERO — Asbury University (Wilmore, Kentucky); ✓Man of War Church (Lexington, Kentucky); ✓Arise Assembly of God Church (Brandon, Florida); ✓University of Cumberland (Williamsburg, Kentucky); ✓Samford University (Homewood, Alabama); ✓Pulse Evangelistic Ministry (Minneapolis, Minnesota); ✓Lee University (Cleveland, Tennessee); ✓Bethel Church (Redding, California); ✓Cedarville University (Cedarville, Ohio); ✓Fruitland Baptist College (Hendersonville, North Carolina); ✓Ohio Christian University (Circleville, Ohio); ✓King’s Way Church (Irondale, Alabama); ✓Campbellsville University (Campbellsville, Kentucky); ✓the River Church at Tampa Bay (Mango, Florida); ✓New Day Church (Paso Robles, California); ✓Colorado Christian University (Lakewood, Colorado); ✓Eastern Kentucky University (Richmond, Kentucky); ✓Eastern Nazarene University (Quincy, Massachusetts); ✓Georgetown University (Washington, DC); ✓God’s Bible College (Cincinnati, Ohio); ✓Indiana Wesleyan University (Marion, Indiana); ✓Hope College (Holland, Michigan); ✓Kentucky Mountain Bible College (Jackson, Kentucky); ✓Calvary Christian Center (Ormond Beach, Florida); ✓Heritage Fellowship Church (Florence, Kentucky); ✓Rock of Ages Church (Vine Grove, Kentucky); ✓Belmont University (Nashville, Tennessee); ✓Midway University (Midway, Kentucky); ✓Mount Vernon University (Mount Vernon, Ohio); ✓Olivet Nazarene University (Bourbonnais, Illinois); ✓Oral Roberts University (Tulsa, Oklahoma); ✓Greater Life Apostolic Church (Lake Charles, Louisiana); ✓The Ramp School of Ministry (Hamilton, Alabama); ✓Life Church (Little Rock, Arkansas); ✓New Beginnings Baptist Church (Longview, Texas); ✓Jackson High School (Jackson, Georgia); ✓Bethel Church (Austin, Texas); ✓Park Hill Church (Kansas City, Missouri); ✓Kingdom Life Church (Oakville, Maine); ✓Christ for the Nations Institute (Dallas, Texas); ✓Cornerstone University (Grand Rapids, Michigan); ✓Spring Arbor University (Spring Arbor, Michigan); ✓The Gate Church (Charlotte, North Carolina); ✓Phoenix Community Ministry (Athens, Georgia); and ✓Ottawa University (Surprise, Arizona).

There are also reports that revival is spreading

https://beforeitsnews.com/christian-news/2023/02/asbury-revival-update-4-the-campus-churches-and-community-are-overwhelmed-by-the-swelling-crowds-2613932.html

[woman-of-destiny]

Word for Today

Numbers 25:10-13

And the Lord said to Moses, “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy.

Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, 13 and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.

Israel is in the land of Shittim. They’ve just been protected by God from Balak’s attempts to convince Balaam to curse Israel. Rather than curse Israel, the prophet is forced to speak only what the Lord says, and the Lord blesses His people repeatedly.

After God protected the Israelites, he found them committing sexual immorality with Moabite women and sacrificing to their gods. For their sin, the Lord’s anger burns and He commands Moses to have the leaders of this idolatry killed and exposed in broad daylight.

While Moses is instructing the judges of Israel to carry out God’s judgment, an Israelite brings a Midianite woman into his tent, “right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand and followed the Israelite into the tent.

He drove the spear through both of them through the Israelite and into the woman’s body” ( Num 25:7-8). Following Phinehas’ action, the plague that killed 24,000 was stopped.

The Lord said to Moses, ‘Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them. Phinehas was zealous for the honor of God as God himself is.

In our lives, is this our standard? How zealous was God for His honor? Enough to pierce His own Son to satisfy His wrath against the sins of His people. It’s in the broken body and shed blood of the Perfectly Righteous Christ that we get an estimation of the honor due to God.

The blood of bulls and goats will not do. Though Phinehas is said to have made atonement for the Israelites (v. 13), neither will the blood of offending people do. Only the blood of Christ sinless, powerful, cleansing will honor God the way He deserves. And in the shedding of the blood of Christ, we have answers to our questions.

How zealous are we for the honor of our God? We should be so zealous as to proclaim and live by the fact that the sinless Son of God came into the world to take the “spear” of nails on Calvary’s cross.

We should be so zealous as to make the proclamation of the death and resurrection of Christ our constant and passionate vocation. We must mortify the deeds of the flesh not by javelin but by turning again and again to those nails and those boards and that Savior who died on them.

When was the last time we gathered as God’s people and wept before God over the sins of His people as Moses and Israel did here? Should we not daily even cry over the sins of our brethren in our midst, and intercede for each other more often than we do?

Our hearing of the gospel should bring to mind those deceived by sin, who have tasted the glories of heaven but are not entangled with the world and the enemy.

We should be zealous enough for the honor of God to weep for the lost and the apostate and those held by sin’s grip.

Have a breakthrough Monday

Z

[allaboutjoseph]

Timeline of Jesus’s Passion

Text from Aleteia.org.

Photos from Javi Mayas. 

An hour-by-hour narration of Jesus' way of the cross.

The final days of Holy Week are a special time in the Church year. We follow closely the Gospel narrative and accompany Jesus during the last 24 hours before his death.

One pious tradition is to assign specific hours to the various events the occur during Jesus’ Passion, starting on Holy Thursday and ending on Good Friday. In this way a person can unite themselves in a unique way to the suffering and death of Jesus.

Below is an hour-by-hour narration of Jesus’ final moments so as to facilitate your prayer during the next few days.

*Note: All hours are approximate and based on scripture and tradition.

Holy Thursday

Mid-Day – Jesus’ disciples prepare for the passover

And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the passover. (Matthew 26:19)

6:00 p.m. – Jesus begins the “Last Supper”

And when the hour came, he sat at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you I shall not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 22:14-16)

8:00 p.m. – Jesus leads his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane

And he came out, and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:39-40)

9:00 p.m. – 3:00 a.m. – Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested by soldiers. He is taken first to Annas, former High Priest, and then to Caiaphas, current High Priest, where he spends the night in a dungeon.

Good Friday

6:00 a.m. – Jesus is taken in front of the Sanhedrin and sent to Pilate

When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes; and they led him away to their council … Then the whole company of them arose, and brought him before Pilate. (Luke 22:66; 23:1)

7:00 a.m. – Jesus stands trial in front of Pilate and sent to Herod Antipas

[Pilate] asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. (Luke 23:6-7)

8:00 a.m. – Jesus stands before Herod Antipas and is mocked

Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then, arraying him in gorgeous apparel, he sent him back to Pilate. (Luke 23:11)

8:30 a.m. – Jesus is brought back to Pilate and tries to release him

“You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him.” (Luke 23:14)

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – Jesus is scourged and then starts the ascent to Mount Calvary

“I will therefore chastise him and release him” … And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. (Luke 23:16, 26)

12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Jesus is nailed to the cross and hangs there for three hours

And when they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left.  And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:33-34)

3:00 p.m. – Jesus dies on the cross

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. (Luke 23:44-46)

[lawrenceop]

HOMILY for 11th Sunday after Pentecost (Dominican rite)

1 Cor 15:1-10; Mark 7:31-37

What is the essence, the kernel of the Gospel of salvation? What is it that we must believe and act upon if we’re to be saved? The earliest record of this is found in the passage we heard today in the epistle, and it was written around 56 AD, less than thirty years (or one generation) after Christ’s ascension, about a decade before the first Gospel was written. In his letter to the Christians in Corinth, St Paul affirms the astonishing truth that is the core of the Good News of Jesus Christ, namely that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried, and that he was raised from the dead, and that this same Risen Lord Jesus was seen by hundred of people, many of whom are still alive and who can thus testify to this earth-shattering truth.

St Paul’s main concern, therefore, is to affirm the truth of the bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. So, for us to be counted as Christians, we have to believe, first of all, that Jesus really died, that is to say that his human body and soul were separated in death. This might seem obvious, but nevertheless, in the 2nd century AD, a heresy arose that supposed that Jesus, being divine, only appeared to have a human body, and so he only appeared to suffer and die on the Cross. The Docetists, therefore, denied that the God-Man Jesus Christ died on the Cross. One version of Docetism thought that Jesus was a real man who was possessed by a spiritual being called Christ, and that this Christ gave Jesus power to perform miracles, but eventually abandoned Jesus to die on the Cross. Lest we think that Docetism is a long-gone heresy, we should recall that the British author Philip Pullman revived this idea in a novel published in 2010 called ‘The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ’, and, more pertinently, the Quran asserts that “they killed him not, nor crucified him, but the semblance of Isa (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that man).” Muslims, therefore, if they follow the Quran, do not believe that Jesus truly died on the Cross.

But St Paul affirms this essential Christian truth: Jesus Christ “died for our sins”. For if Christ has not truly died, then humanity remain in a state of unforgiven sin, and we have no remedy for death itself. So, as St Paul put it: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” (1 Cor 15:17)

Hence, at the core of our central Christian act of worship, namely, the Holy Mass, is the making present of Christ’s saving death. Hence St Paul says to the Corinthians: “As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” (1 Cor 11:26) So, it is in the sacrifice of the Mass, and particularly through the separate two-fold consecrations of bread and wine that the death of Christ is signified and made present for our salvation. As St Thomas Aquinas says: “in this sacrament, which is the memorial of our Lord's Passion, the bread is received apart as the sacrament of the body, and the wine as the sacrament of the blood.” Following this teaching of the Angelic Doctor, Pope Pius XII thus said: “by the "transubstantiation" of bread into the body of Christ and of wine into His blood, His body and blood are both really present: now the eucharistic species under which He is present symbolize the actual separation of His body and blood. Thus the commemorative representation of His death, which actually took place on Calvary, is repeated in every sacrifice of the altar, seeing that Jesus Christ is symbolically shown by separate symbols to be in a state of victimhood.” (Mediator Dei, 70)

The second aspect we Christians have to believe, then, is that Christ truly rose bodily from the dead. The Gospel accounts of the risen Lord stress that he is not a ghost, nor an apparition, nor even, as certain heresies claim, a mass hallucination or wish-fulfilling delusion of the apostles. The whole of the Christian Faith, all our hopes of eternal life, all that we stand for as Christians depends on this central truth of Christ’s actual bodily Resurrection. As St Paul says: “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (1 Cor 15:14). The Catechism of the Catholic Church therefore states: “The Resurrection above all constitutes the confirmation of all Christ's works and teachings. All truths, even those most inaccessible to human reason, find their justification if Christ by his Resurrection has given the definitive proof of his divine authority, which he had promised.” (CCC 651) Hence St Paul insists that various peoples, both individuals and groups, at different times and places, have truly seen Jesus risen from the dead. And then he says that many of these eye-witnesses are still alive, as a challenge to anyone in the 1st century who might want to interrogate them personally.

But the Scriptures also tell us how we, who live in subsequent centuries and outside of the Holy Land, might encounter the Risen Christ. In St Luke’s Gospel, the two disciples who meet the Risen Lord on Easter Sunday at first do not recognise the Lord, but then, “when he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him”. (Luke 24:30-31) This clearly liturgical action tells us down the ages that the reason we gather for the Holy Mass, and the reason it is the “source and summit” of the Christian life is because it is here that we stand at the foot of Calvary, and more importantly, it is here that we recognise the Risen Christ, alive and active and present among us, in his Mystical Body, the Church. For as St Thomas says, Christ’s resurrection completes the work of our salvation, and so it is in the Mass that the Paschal Mystery of Christ, his passion, death, and resurrection, is re-presented. Hence, from the earliest centuries, the first Christians gathered for worship not on the Sabbath day but on Sunday because, as Pope Innocent I said: “We celebrate Sunday because of the venerable Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we do so not only at Easter but also at each turning of the week.” From the beginning, therefore, whenever the Church gathered for divine worship, they did so on a Sunday in order to stress that in the Mass they were commemorating the Lord’s Resurrection from the dead. The Sunday Mass, therefore, is our communal and Ecclesial act of faith in the Resurrection, and hence, gathered into the unity of the Church’s living Faith, we shall indeed recognise the Risen Lord present and active in the Holy Mass. Thus, every Sunday and holy day, we profess our belief in the words of the Creed, dating to the 4th century, and that contains at its core that which St Paul proclaims to the Corinthians: “Passus et sepúltus est, et resurréxit tértia die, secúndum Scriptúras”; ‘he suffered death and was buried and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.’ Concerning these articles of faith, St Paul says in today’s epistle that through this good news which have we received and in which we stand, we shall be saved if we remain steadfast (cf 1 Cor 15:1-2).

The final point that St Paul makes and that we have to believe, therefore, is that Christ’s death and resurrection is promised to us through the prophets: they happen “in accordance with the scriptures”, that is to say, in accordance with the Jewish sacred writings. Why is this important?

Firstly, it grounds our faith in a community and in public revelation that has been discerned as authentic by the people of God. For throughout the history of the Church, there has been a temptation to seek private revelations and arcane wisdom. The Gnostic heresy, which emphasises personal spiritual knowledge over and above the authority and publicly recognised teachings of the Church, is a heresy against which we must always be vigilant. In the 1st century, Jewish and Christian communities battled Gnostic ideas, and it was resurgent in a new form the 13th-century when the Dominicans were founded by St Dominic to combat Albigensianism, and it is very much present again in our times when people assemble their own spiritualities and religious ideas based on their feelings and fears. Hence St Irenaeus stressed the Ecclesial nature of our Faith, centred once more on the Sacred Liturgy and the Sacraments which are the actions of the totus Christus the whole Church. Thus he said: “It is not necessary to seek truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church.” As such, the Church must clearly and boldly and plainly teach the Truth of the Gospel, just as St Paul did in these few words to the Corinthians.

Finally, St Paul stresses that Christ’s actual bodily death and resurrection are a fulfilment of prophecies because it is vital that we believe that God’s word is dependable, that his truth endures for ever, and that his providence guides human history and provides for our needs, but always according to God’s wisdom and his good time. St Paul thus reminds us that, even for one so sinful as himself, God’s grace provided for his conversion and his mission: “his grace toward me was not in vain.” (1 Cor 15:10) Or as we hear in the Gospel today: “He has done all things well” (Mk 7:37). Indeed, God does all things well, in the fullness of time, and the Death and Resurrection of Christ demonstrates this perfectly. So as we profess our faith in the Gospel, we’re called to believe and act as people who have truly received this good news, truths that change how we view our human living and even our dying.

[craigtowens]

Right Remembering

The system of sacrifices centered in the tabernacle or the temple had been trying to show us something. But they were only shadows. Jesus showed us the Reality that would help us remember correctly what He did for us.

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.  https://craigtowens.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/right-remembering.mp3 Jesus hung on the Cross for about 6 hours. He was mostly silent during this time—His seven statements from the Cross would have taken less than a minute to say them all back-to-back.  He hung…

[coffeeman777]

My parents were agnostic and never went to church, but they believed that there is some kind of "Supreme Being of the Universe". I also believed in that until recently. I have discovered Jesus Christ and I want to become a Christian, but I don't know what denomination to follow. It's so confusing, there are so many. I've been to some Protestant, Catholic, and Seven Day Adventist churches. Which denomination is the right one to follow?

Yo! First, allow me to say welcome home!

I am a Protestant, a member of the Assemblies of God. I recommend my own denomination. But almost any Protestant denomination will work out just fine, as long as what they teach is Bible-based. And that's the key. The Bible is the infallible, inerrant Word of God; it's the source of all true doctrine and the rule of faith for anyone who claims the name of Jesus. When deciding on a church to join, find out whether they're strictly Bible-based, or if they give equal footing to other supposed authorities. Some churches depart from this simple standard and include extra-biblical doctrines and teachings that alter or even dispense with some things the Bible teaches, and that's dangerous error.

I recommend you research some of the popular Protestant denominations (varieties of Baptist churches are usually safe, Calvary Chapels and Assemblies of God are generally good as well, Pentecostal Church of God, New Frontier, and some Reformed churches are good as well), read up on what they believe (almost all church websites have a "what we believe" or "statement of faith" section that will give a summary of their doctrine), and compare it with Scripture.

Avoid Mormons (also called "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), the Jehovah's Witnesses, and Christian Science groups; they're heretical off-shoots.

And above all, pray. Ask the Lord to guide you and show you where to go. He'll lead you to the right place.

Be blessed!

[pamphletstoinspire]

Wednesday in Holy Week - March 31, 2021

Today Is Wednesday in Holy Week, or Spy Wednesday.

Today and during the Sacred Triduum, the Matins and Lauds of the Divine Office are often sung in a haunting service known as the Tenebrae service (“tenebrae” meaning “shadows”), which is basically a funeral service for Jesus. During the Matins on Good Friday, one by one, the candles are extinguished in the Church, leaving the congregation in total darkness, and in a silence that is punctuated by the strepitus meant to evoke the convulsion of nature at the death of Christ. It has also been described as the sound of the tomb door closing. During the Triduum, the Matins and Lauds readings come from the following day’s readings each night because the hours of Matins and Lauds were pushed back so that the public might better participate during these special three days (i.e., the Matins and Lauds readings heard at Spy Wednesday’s tenebrae service are those for Maundy Thursday, the readings for Maundy Thursday’s tenebrae service are from Good Friday, and Good Friday’s readings are from Holy Saturday’s Divine Office).

by Dom Prosper Gueranger 1870

The Chief Priests and the Ancients of the people, are met today, in one of the rooms adjoining the Temple, for the purpose of deliberating on the best means of putting Jesus to death. Several plans are discussed. Would it be prudent to lay hands upon Him at this season of the Feast of the Pasch, when the City is filled with strangers, who have received a favourable impression of Jesus from the solemn ovation given to him three days back? Then, too, are there not a great number of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who took part in that triumph, and whose enthusiastic admiration of Jesus might excite them to rise up in His defence? These considerations persuade them not to have recourse to any violent measure, at least for the present, as a sedition among the people might be the consequence, and its promoters, even were they to escape being ill-treated by the people, would be brought before the tribunal of the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate. They, therefore, come to the resolution of letting the Feast pass quietly over, before apprehending Jesus.

But these blood-thirsty men are making all these calculations as though they were the masters. They are, if they will, shrewd assassins, who put off their murder to a more convenient day: but the Divine decrees,–which, from all eternity, have prepared a Sacrifice for the world’s salvation,–have fixed this very year’s Pasch as the day of the Sacrifice, and, tomorrow evening, the holy City will re-echo with the trumpets, which proclaim the opening of the Feast. The figurative Lamb is now to make way for the true one; the Pasch of this year will substitute the reality for the type; and Jesus’ Blood, shed by the hands of wicked priests, is soon to flow simultaneously with that of victims, which have only been hitherto acceptable to God, because they prefigured the Sacrifice of Calvary. The Jewish priesthood is about to be its own executioner, by immolating Him, whose Blood is to abrogate the Ancient Alliance, and perpetuate the New one.

But how are Jesus’ enemies to get possession of their divine Victim, so as to avoid a disturbance in the City? There is only one plan that could succeed, and they have not thought of it: it is treachery. Just at the close of their deliberations, they are told that one of Jesus’ Disciples seeks admission. They admit him, and he says to them: What will you give me, and I will deliver Him unto you (St. Matth. xxvi. 15.)? They are delighted at this proposition: and yet, how is it, that they, doctors of the law, forget that this infamous bargain between themselves and Judas has all been foretold by David, in the 108th Psalm? They know the Scriptures from beginning to end;–how comes it, that they forget the words of the Prophet, who even mentions the sum of thirty pieces of silver (Idem, xxvii. 9. Zach. xi. 12.). Judas asks them what they will give him; and they give him thirty pieces of silver! All is arranged: tomorrow, Jesus will be in Jerusalem, eating the Pasch with his Disciples. In the evening, He will go, as usual, to the Garden on Mount Olivet. But how shall they, who are sent to seize Him, be able to distinguish Him from his Disciples? Judas will lead the way; he will show them which is Jesus, by going up to him and kissing him!

Such is the impious scheme devised on this day, within the precincts of the Temple of Jerusalem. To testify her detestation at it, and to make atonement to the Son of God for the outrage thus offered him, the Holy Church, from the earliest ages, consecrated the Wednesday of every week to penance. In our own times, the Fast of Lent begins on a Wednesday; and when the Church ordained that we should commence each of the four Seasons of the year with Fasting, Wednesday was chosen to be one of the three days thus consecrated to bodily mortification.

On this day, in the Roman Church, was held the sixth Scrutiny, for the admission of Catechumens to Baptism. Those, upon whom there had been previous doubts, were now added to the number of the chosen ones, if they were found worthy. There were two Lessons read in the Mass, as on the day of the great Scrutiny, the Wednesday of the fourth Week of Lent. As usual, the Catechumens left the Church, after the Gospel; but, as soon as the Holy Sacrifice was over, they were brought back by the Door-Keeper, and one of the Priests addressed them in these words: “On Saturday next, the Eve of Easter, at such an hour, you will assemble in the Lateran Basilica, for the seventh Scrutiny; you will then recite the Symbol, which you must have learned; and lastly, you will receive, by God’s help, the sacred laver of regeneration. Prepare yourselves, zealously and humbly, by persevering fasts and prayers, in order that, having been buried, by this holy Baptism, together with Jesus Christ, you may rise again with Him, unto life everlasting. Amen.”

At Rome, the Station for today is in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. Let us compassionate with our Holy Mother, whose Heart is filled with poignant grief at the foresight of the Sacrifice, which is preparing.

How terrible is this our Defender, Who tramples His enemies beneath His feet, as they that tread in the wine-press; so that their blood is sprinkled upon his garments! But is not this the fittest time for us to proclaim His power, now that He is being treated with ignominy, and sold to His enemies by one of His Disciples? These humiliations will soon pass away; He will rise in glory, and His might will be shown by the chastisements, wherewith He will crush them that now persecute Him. Jerusalem will stone them that shall preach in His name; she will be a cruel step-mother to those true Israelites, who, docile to the teaching of the Prophets, have recognized Jesus as the promised Messias. The Synagogue will seek to stifle the Church in her infancy; but no sooner shall the Church, shaking the dust from her feet, turn from Jerusalem to the Gentiles, than the vengeance of Christ will fall on the City, which bought, betrayed, and crucified Him. Her citizens will have to pay dearly for these crimes. We learn from the Jewish historian, Josephus, (who was an eye-witness to the siege,) that the fire which was raging in one of the streets, was quenched by the torrents of their blood. Thus were fulfilled the threats pronounced by our Lord against this faithless City, as He sat on Mount Olivet, the day after His triumphant Entry.

And yet, the destruction of Jerusalem was but a faint image of the terrible destruction which is to befal the world at the last day. Jesus, Who is now despised and insulted by sinners, will then appear on the clouds of heaven, and reparation will be made for all these outrages. Now He suffers Himself to be betrayed, scoffed at, and spit upon; but, when the day of vengeance is come, happy they that have served Him, and have compassionated with Him in His humiliations and sufferings! Wo to them, that have treated Him with contempt! Wo to them, who not content with their own refusing to bear His yoke, have led others to rebel against Him! For He is King; He came into this world that He might reign over it; and they that despise His Mercy, shall not escape his Justice.

[araitsume]

The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 291-297: Chapter (28) Days of Toil and Trial

This chapter is based on Acts 19:21-41; 20:1.

For over three years Ephesus was the center of Paul's work. A flourishing church was raised up here, and from this city the gospel spread throughout the province of Asia, among both Jews and Gentiles.

The apostle had now for some time been contemplating another missionary journey. He “purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” In harmony with this plan “he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus;” but feeling that the cause in Ephesus still demanded his presence, he decided to remain until after Pentecost. An event soon occurred, however, which hastened his departure.

Once a year, special ceremonies were held at Ephesus in honor of the goddess Diana. These attracted great numbers of people from all parts of the province. Throughout this period, festivities were conducted with the utmost pomp and splendor.

This gala season was a trying time for those who had newly come to the faith. The company of believers who met in the school of Tyrannus were an inharmonious note in the festive chorus, and ridicule, reproach, and insult were freely heaped upon them. Paul's labors had given the heathen worship a telling blow, in consequence of which there was a perceptible falling off in the attendance at the national festival and in the enthusiasm of the worshipers. The influence of his teachings extended far beyond the actual converts to the faith. Many who had not openly accepted the new doctrines became so far enlightened as to lose all confidence in their heathen gods.

There existed also another cause of dissatisfaction. An extensive and profitable business had grown up at Ephesus from the manufacture and sale of small shrines and images, modeled after the temple and the image of Diana. Those interested in this industry found their gains diminishing, and all united in attributing the unwelcome change to Paul's labors.

Demetrius, a manufacturer of silver shrines, calling together the workmen of his craft, said: “Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands: so that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshipeth.” These words roused the excitable passions of the people. “They were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.”

A report of this speech was rapidly circulated. “The whole city was filled with confusion.” Search was made for Paul, but the apostle was not to be found. His brethren, receiving an intimation of the danger, had hurried him from the place. Angels of God had been sent to guard the apostle; his time to die a martyr's death had not yet come.

Failing to find the object of their wrath, the mob seized “Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel,” and with these “they rushed with one accord into the theater.”

Paul's place of concealment was not far distant, and he soon learned of the peril of his beloved brethren. Forgetful of his own safety, he desired to go at once to the theater to address the rioters. But “the disciples suffered him not.” Gaius and Aristarchus were not the prey the people sought; no serious harm to them was apprehended. But should the apostle's pale, care-worn face be seen, it would arouse at once the worst passions of the mob and there would not be the least human possibility of saving his life.

Paul was still eager to defend the truth before the multitude, but he was at last deterred by a message of warning from the theater. “Certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theater.”

The tumult in the theater was continually increasing. “Some ... cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together.” The fact that Paul and some of his companions were of Hebrew extraction made the Jews anxious to show plainly that they were not sympathizers with him and his work. They therefore brought forward one of their own number to set the matter before the people. The speaker chosen was Alexander, one of the craftsmen, a coppersmith, to whom Paul afterward referred as having done him much evil. 2 Timothy 4:14. Alexander was a man of considerable ability, and he bent all his energies to direct the wrath of the people exclusively against Paul and his companions. But the crowd, seeing that Alexander was a Jew, thrust him aside, and “all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.”

At last, from sheer exhaustion, they ceased, and there was a momentary silence. Then the recorder of the city arrested the attention of the crowd, and by virtue of his office obtained a hearing. He met the people on their own ground and showed that there was no cause for the present tumult. He appealed to their reason. “Ye men of Ephesus,” he said, “what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshiper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly. For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess. Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies: let them implead one another. But if ye inquire anything concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly. For we are in danger to be called in question for this day's uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse. And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.”

In his speech Demetrius had said, “This our craft is in danger.” These words reveal the real cause of the tumult at Ephesus, and also the cause of much of the persecution which followed the apostles in their work. Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen saw that by the teaching and spread of the gospel the business of image making was endangered. The income of pagan priests and artisans was at stake, and for this reason they aroused against Paul the most bitter opposition.

The decision of the recorder and of others holding honorable offices in the city had set Paul before the people as one innocent of any unlawful act. This was another triumph of Christianity over error and superstition. God had raised up a great magistrate to vindicate His apostle and hold the tumultuous mob in check. Paul's heart was filled with gratitude to God that his life had been preserved and that Christianity had not been brought into disrepute by the tumult at Ephesus.

“After the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia.” On this journey he was accompanied by two faithful Ephesian brethren, Tychicus and Trophimus.

Paul's labors in Ephesus were concluded. His ministry there had been a season of incessant labor, of many trials, and of deep anguish. He had taught the people in public and from house to house, with many tears instructing and warning them. Continually he had been opposed by the Jews, who lost no opportunity to stir up the popular feeling against him.

And while thus battling against opposition, pushing forward with untiring zeal the gospel work, and guarding the interests of a church yet young in the faith, Paul was bearing upon his soul a heavy burden for all the churches.

News of apostasy in some of the churches of his planting caused him deep sorrow. He feared that his efforts in their behalf might prove to be in vain. Many a sleepless night was spent in prayer and earnest thought as he learned of the methods employed to counteract his work. As he had opportunity and as their condition demanded, he wrote to the churches, giving reproof, counsel, admonition, and encouragement. In these letters the apostle does not dwell on his own trials, yet there are occasional glimpses of his labors and sufferings in the cause of Christ. Stripes and imprisonment, cold and hunger and thirst, perils by land and by sea, in the city and in the wilderness, from his own countrymen, from the heathen, and from false brethren—all this he endured for the sake of the gospel. He was “defamed,” “reviled,” made “the offscouring of all things,“ “perplexed,” “persecuted,” “troubled on every side,” “in jeopardy every hour,” “alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake.”

Amidst the constant storm of opposition, the clamor of enemies, and the desertion of friends the intrepid apostle almost lost heart. But he looked back to Calvary and with new ardor pressed on to spread the knowledge of the Crucified. He was but treading the blood-stained path that Christ had trodden before him. He sought no discharge from the warfare till he should lay off his armor at the feet of his Redeemer.

[claudinei-de-jesus]

The Second Coming of Christ

1. The fact of your coming.

The fact of Christ's second coming is mentioned more than 300 times in the New Testament. Paul refers to the event about fifty times.

Someone has already said that the second coming is mentioned eight times more than the first. Entire epistles (Cl and 2Tess.) And entire chapters (Mat. 24, Mat. 13) are dedicated to the subject. Without a doubt, it is one of the most important doctrines of the New Testament.

2. The way of your coming.

It will be personal (John 14: 3; Acts 1: 10,11; 1 Thess. 4:16; Rev. 1: 7; 22: 7), literal (Acts 1:10; 1 Thess. 4:16, 17; Apo . 1: 7; Zec. 14: 4), visible (Heb. 9:28; Fps. 3:20; Zac. 12:10) and glorious (Matt. 16:27; 25:31; 2Th. 1: 7 -9; Gal. 3: 4). There are interpretations that try to avoid the opinion that the coming of Christ is literal and personal. Some teach that death is the second coming of Christ. But the Bible shows that the second coming is the opposite of death, for the dead in Christ will rise at that time.

With death we will go to Christ, but when he comes he will come to fetch us. Certain passages (Matt. 16:28; Phil. 3:20) lose their meaning if we replace death with a second coming. Finally, death is an enemy, while the coming of Christ is the glorious hope. Some maintain that the second coming was the descent of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Others teach that Christ came at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, but in each of these cases there was no resurrection of the dead, nor the rapture of the living, nor other predicted events that will accompany the second advent.

3. The time of his coming.

Attempts were made to determine the date of Christ's coming, but in none of them did the Lord come at the appointed time for men! He declared that the exact time of his coming is hidden in the divine councils. (Matt. 24: 36-42; Mar. 13:21, 22.) It is a good thing.

Who would like to know in advance his exact time of death? Such knowledge would have the effect of disturbing and rendering the person useless. It is enough for us to know that death can come at any moment; therefore, we must work "while it is daytime because the night comes when no one can work". The same reasoning applies to the end of the present dispensation. That day has not been revealed to us either, but we know that it will be sudden (1Cor. 15:52; Matt. 24:27) and unexpected (2Ped. 3: 4; Mat. 24: 48-51; Rev. 16:15). The Lord warns his servants: "Negotiate until I come"

We give below an overview of Christ's teaching on the time of his coming: after the destruction of Jerusalem the Jews will be banished from all nations, driven out of his land, which will be subjugated by the Gentiles until the end of time, when God will judge the Gentile nations (Luke 21:24). During this time, the servants of Christ will carry on their work (Luke 19: 11-27), preaching the Gospel to all nations (Matt. 24:14).

It will be a time of delay during which the church will often be tempted to doubt the return of its Lord (Luke 18: 1-8), when some will prepare and others will become negligent, while the Bridegroom will delay (Matt. 25: 1-11). Unfaithful ministers will stray, saying to themselves, "My Lord is slow to come" (Luke 12:45).

"Long afterwards" (Matt. 25:19), "... midnight (Matt. 25: 6),‹ the hour and day that none of his disciples know of (Matt. 24:36, 42.50) , the Lord will suddenly appear to gather his servants and judge them according to their works (Matt. 25:19; and 2 Cor. 5:10). Later, after the Gospel had been universally preached and after the world had it rejected, when the people are living completely ignorant of the impending catastrophe, as in the days of Noah (Matt. 24: 37-39) and in the days of the destruction of Sodom (Luke 17:28, 29) the Son of man will come in glory and power to judge the nations of the world and to reign over them (Matt. 25: 31-46).

4. Signs of your coming.

Scripture teaches that the appearance of Christ ushering in the Millennial Age will be preceded by an eventful time of transition, in which there will be physical upheavals, wars, economic crises, moral decline, religious apostasy, infidelity, general panic and bewilderment. The last part of that transitional period is called "The Great Tribulation", during which the whole world will be under the rule of a government against God and anti-Christian. Believers in God will be brutally persecuted, and the Jewish nation, in particular, will pass through the furnace of affliction.

5. The purpose of your coming.

(a) In relation to the church. Thus writes Dr. Pardington: Just as the first coming of the Lord extended over a period of 30 years, so the second coming will influence various events. At the first coming he was revealed as the Child of Bethlehem; later as the Lamb of God, when he was baptized, and as the Redeemer on Calvary. At the second coming he will appear to his secretly and suddenly to transfer them to the Wedding of the Lamb. This apparition is called the rapture or "Parousia" (which means "apparition" or "presence" or "arrival" in the Greek language). At that time believers will be judged to determine their rewards for services rendered (Matt. 25: 14-30). After the rapture, a period of terrible tribulation follows, which will end in revelation, or open manifestation of

Christ from heaven, when he will establish his messianic kingdom on earth.

(b) In relation to Israel. He who is the Head and Savior of the church, of the people of heaven, is also the promised Messiah of Israel, of the earthly people. As Messiah, he will free these people from tribulation, bring them together from the four corners of the earth, restore them to their former land and reign over them as their long-promised King over the House of David.

(c) In relation to the antichrist. The spirit of the Antichrist is already in the world (1 John 4: 3; 2:18; 2:22), but yet another final Antichrist will come (2 Thess. 2: 3). In the last days he will rise from the old world (Rev. 13: 1) and will become the sovereign over a resurrected Roman Empire that will dominate the whole world. He will assume great political (Dan. 7: 8, 25), commercial (Dan. 8:25; Rev. 13:16, 17) and religious (Rev. 17: 1-15) power. He will be anti-God and anti-Christ, and will persecute Christians in an attempt to extinguish Christianity. (Dan. 7:25; 8:24; Rev. 13: 7, 15). Knowing that men desire to have some religion, he will establish a cult based on the divinity of man and the supremacy of the state.

As an embodiment of that state, he will demand the worship of the people, and form a priesthood to enforce and promulgate that worship. (2Th. 2: 9,10; Rev. 13: 12-15.) The antichrist will take the doctrine of the supremacy of the state to the extreme, which teaches that government is the supreme power, around which everything, including itself man's conscience, has to be subordinate to him. Since there is no higher power or law than the State, according to them, God and his law must be abolished in order to worship the State. The first attempt to establish the cult of the State is recorded in Daniel ch. 3. Nebuchadnezzar was proud of the powerful empire he had built. "Is not this the great Babylon that I have built? ..." (Dan. 4:30).

So dazzled was he in the face of human power and government, that the state for him became like a god. What better way to impress men with your glory than to order them to have the symbol of that government worshiped! Therefore, he built a great golden image and ordered all peoples to prostrate themselves before it, under pain of death. The image was not that of a local deity, but it represented the state itself. Refusing to worship the image was considered atheism or betrayal. When instituting this new religion, Nebuchadnezzar as if saying to the people: "Who gave you the beautiful cities, the good roads, and beautiful gardens? The State! Who provides you with food and service, who founds schools and sponsors temples?

The state! Who defends you from enemy attacks? The state! then is the State, this power, not a god? So, what greater god do you want than your exalted government? Prostrate yourselves before the symbol of great Babylon! "And if God had not humbled him from his blasphemous pride (Dan. 4: 28-37), Nebuchadnezzar perhaps would have demanded the worship of his own person as head of state. Like the three Hebrew children (Dan. 3) were persecuted for refusing to bow to Nebuchadnezzar's image, so first-century Christians suffered because they refused to pay divine homage to Caesar's image.

There was tolerance for all religions in the Roman Empire, but on condition that the image of Caesar as a symbol of the state was venerated. Christians were persecuted, not so much for their loyalty to Christ, but because they refused to worship Caesar and say, "Caesar is Lord." They refused to worship the state as a god. The French Revolution offers another example of this policy. God and Christ were thrown out and a god, or goddess, made himself the "Fatherland" (the State). So said one of the leaders: "The state is supreme in all things. When the state speaks, the church has nothing to say." Loyalty to the state has risen to the position of religion.

The assembly decreed that altars should be erected in every village with the following inscription: "The citizen is born, lives and dies for La Patrie." A ritual was prepared for baptisms, weddings and civil burials. The state religion had its hymns and prayers, its fasts and feasts. The New Testament recognizes human government as divinely ordained for the maintenance of order and justice. The Christian, therefore, owes loyalty to his homeland.

Both the church and the state have their share in the divine program, and each must be limited to its own sphere. God must receive what belongs to him, and Caesar must receive what belongs to him. But it turns out that many times Caesar demands things that are from God, with the result that the church, very against his will, clashes with the government. Scripture predicts that these conflicts will peak in the future. The last civilization will be anti-God, and the antichrist, its leader, the world dictator, will make the laws of this superstate supreme over all other laws ", and will demand the worship of his person as the personification of the state. The same Scriptures predict the victory of God and that on the ruins of the anti-Christian world empire, he will raise up his kingdom in which God is supreme - the Kingdom of God. (Dan. 2:34, 35, 44; Rev. 11:15; 19: 11-21.)

(d) In relation to nations. The nations will be judged, the kingdoms of the world will be destroyed, and all peoples will be subject to the King of kings. (Dan. 2:44; Mic. 4: 1; Isa. 49:22, 23; Jer. 23: 5; Luc. 1:32; Zec. 14: 9; Isa. 24:23; Rev. 11:15 .) Christ will rule the nations with an iron rod; he will remove all oppression and injustice from the land and inaugurate the golden age of a thousand years. (Ps. 2: 7-9; 72; Isa. 11: 1-9; Rev. 20: 6.) "Then the end will come, when he has given the kingdom over to God the Father and when he has annihilated the entire empire , and all power and strength "(1Cor. 15:24).

There are three stages in the work of Christ as Mediator: His work as a Prophet, accomplished during his earthly ministry; his work as a Priest, begun on the cross and continued during the current dispensation; and his work as King, beginning with his coming and continuing during the Millennium. After the Millennium has accomplished its work of uniting humanity to God, so that the inhabitants of heaven and earth form one big family where God will be everything and will be in everyone. (Eph. 1:10; 3:14, 15.)

However, Christ will continue to reign as the God-man, and to share in the divine government, for "his kingdom will have no end" (Luke 1:33). .. A segunda vinda de Cristo

1. O fato de sua vinda.

O fato da segunda vinda de Cristo é mais de 300 vezes no Novo Testamento. Paulo refere-se ao evento umas cinqüenta vezes.

Alguém já disse que a segunda vinda é mencionada oito vezes mais do que a primeira. Epístolas inteiras (Cl e 2Tess.) E capítulos inteiros (Mat. 24, Mat. 13) são dedicados ao assunto. Sem dúvida, é uma das doutrinas mais importantes do Novo Testamento.

2. Uma maneira de sua vinda.

Será de maneira pessoal (João 14: 3; Atos 1: 10,11; 1Tess. 4:16; Apo. 1: 7; 22: 7), literal (Atos 1:10; 1Tess. 4:16, 17; Apo. . 1: 7; Zac. 14: 4), visível (Heb. 9:28; Fps. 3:20; Zac. 12:10) e gloriosa (Mat. 16:27; 25:31; 2Tess. 1: 7 -9; Gál. 3: 4). Há interpretações que procuram evitar a opinião de que a vinda de Cristo seja literal e pessoal. Alguns ensinam que a morte é uma segunda vinda de Cristo. Mas a Bíblia mostra que uma segunda vinda é o contrário da morte, pois os mortos em Cristo ressuscitarão nessa ocasião.

Com a morte iremos para Cristo, mas na sua vinda ele virá para nos buscar. Certas passagens (Mat. 16:28; Fil. 3:20) perdem seu significado se substituíssemos morte por segunda vinda. Finalmente, a morte é um inimigo, enquanto a vinda de Cristo é a gloriosa esperança. Alguns sustentam que a segunda vinda foi a descida do Espírito no dia de Pentecoste. Outros ensinam que Cristo veio no tempo da destruição de Jerusalém no ano 70 d.C., mas em cada um desses casos não houve ressurreição dos mortos, nem o arrebatamento dos vivos, nem outros eventos preditos que acompanham o segundo advento.

3. O Tempo da sua vinda.

Tentativas houve para determinar os dados da vinda de Cristo, mas em nenhuma delas o Senhor veio na hora marcada pelos homens! Ele requer que o tempo exato de sua vinda está oculto nos conselhos divinos. (Mat. 24: 36-42; Mar. 13:21, 22.) é bom que seja assim.

Quem gostaria de saber com antecedência a hora exata de sua morte? Tal conhecimento teria o efeito de perturbar e inutilizar uma pessoa. Basta que saibamos que a morte pode vir a qualquer instante; portanto, dever trabalhar "enquanto é dia pois a noite vem quando ninguém pode trabalhar". O mesmo raciocínio serve quanto ao fim da presente dispensação. Esse dia também não nos foi revelado, mas sabemos será repentino (1Cor. 15:52; Mat. 24:27) e inesperado (2Ped. 3: 4; Mat. 24: 48-51; Apo. 16:15). O Senhor avisa seus servos: "Negociai até que eu venha"

Damos em seguida uma visão geral do ensino de Cristo sobre o tempo da sua vinda: após a destruição de Jerusalém os serão desterrados entre todas as nações, expulsos de sua terra, a qual passará a ser subjugada pelos gentios até o fim dos tempos, quando Deus julgará as nações gentias (Luc. 21:24). Durante esse período os servos de Cristo levarão sua obra avante (Luc. 19: 11-27) pregando o Evangelho a todas as nações (Mat. 24:14).

Será um tempo de demora durante o qual muitas vezes a igreja será tentada a duvidar do retomo do seu Senhor (Luc. 18: 1-8), quando alguns se prepararão e outros se tornarão negligentes, enquanto o Noivo demorar (Mat. 25: 1-11). Ministros infiéis desviar-se-ão, dizendo consigo mesmos: "O meu Senhor tarda a vir" (Luc. 12:45).

"Muito tempo depois" (Mat. 25:19), "… meia-noite (Mat. 25: 6),‹ a hora e no dia dos quais nenhum dos seus discípulos sabe (Mat. 24:36, 42,50) , o Senhor repentinamente vencido para ajuntar seus servos e julgá-los segundo como suas obras (Mat. 25:19; e 2Cor. 5:10). Mais tarde, depois de ter sido pregado universalmente o Evangelho e após o mundo havê-lo rejeitado, quando o povo estiver vivendo completamente ignorante quanto à catástrofe iminente, como nos dias de Noé (Mat. 24: 37-39) e nos dias da destruição de Sodoma (Luc. 17:28, 29) virá o Filho do homem em glória e poder para julgar as nações do mundo e sobre elas reinar (Mat. 25: 31-46).

4. Sinais de sua vinda.

As Escrituras ensinam que a aparição de Cristo inaugurando a Idade Milenial será precedida por um tempo agitado de transição, no qual haverá distúrbios físicos, guerras, crises preventivas, declínio moral, apostasia religiosa, infidelidade, pânico geral e perplexidade. A última parte desse período transitório chama-se "A Grande Tribulação", durante a qual o mundo inteiro estará sob o domínio governo contra Deus e anticristão. Crentes em Deus serão brutalmente perseguidos, e uma nação judaica, em particular, passará pela fornalha da aflição.

5. O propósito de sua vinda.

(a) Em relação à igreja. Assim chamado ao Dr. Pardington: Assim como a primeira vinda do Senhor se estendeu sobre um período de 30 anos, assim como a segunda vinda influirá em vários eventos. Na primeira vinda ele foi revelado como o Menino de Belém; mais tarde como o Cordeiro de Deus, ao ser batizado, e como o Redentor no Calvário. Na segunda vinda anunciada aos seus secreta e repentinamente para trasladá-los às Bodas do Cordeiro. Essa aparição chama-se o arrebatamento ou "Parousia" (que significa "aparição" ou "presença" ou "chegada" na língua grega). Nessa ocasião os crentes serão julgados para determinar as suas recompensas por serviços prestados (Mat. 25: 14-30). Após o arrebatamento, segue-se um período de terrível tribulação, que terminará na revelação, ou manifestação aberta de

Cristo proveniente do céu, quando ele estabelecer seu reino messiânico sobre a terra.

(b) Em relação a Israel. Aquele que é a Cabeça e Salvador da igreja, do povo do céu, é também o prometido Messias de Israel, do povo terrestre. Como Messias, ele libertará esse povo da tribulação, congregá-lo-á dos quatro cantos da terra, restaurá-lo-á na sua antiga terra e sobre ele reinará como seu, há muito prometido, Rei sobre a Casa de Davi.

(c) Em relação ao anticristo. O espírito do anticristo já está no mundo (1João 4: 3; 2:18; 2:22), mas ainda virá outro anticristo final (2Ts. 2: 3). Nos últimos dias ele se levantará o velho mundo (Apo. 13: 1) e tornar-se-á o sóbrio sobre um Império Romano ressuscitado que dominará todo o mundo. Assumirá grande poder político (Dn 7: 8, 25), comercial (Dn 8:25; Apo. 13:16, 17) e religioso (Apo. 17: 1-15). Ele será anti-Deus e anti-Cristo, e perseguirá os cristãos numa tentativa de extinção do Cristianismo. (Dan. 7:25; 8:24; Apo. 13: 7, 15). Sabendo que os homens que desejam ter alguma religião, ele estabelecerá um culto baseado na divindade do homem e na supremacia do Estado.

Como personificação desse Estado, ele exigirá o culto do povo, e formará um sacerdócio para fazer cumprir e promulgar esse culto. (2Tess. 2: 9,10; Apo. 13: 12-15.) O anticristo levará ao extremo a doutrina da supremacia do Estado, a qual ensina que o governo é o supremo poder, em torno do qual tudo, incluindo a própria consciente do homem, tem que estar subordinado. Visto que não existe poder ou lei mais elevados do que o Estado, segundo eles, Deus e sua lei precisam ser abolidos para prestar culto ao Estado. A primeira tentativa para estabelecer o culto ao Estado está registrado em Daniel cap. 3. Nabucodonosor orgulhou-se do poderoso império que edificara. "não é esta a grande Babilônia que eu edifiquei? ..." (Dan. 4:30).

Tão deslumbrado ficou ele diante do poderio e governos humanos, que o Estado para ele se tomou como um deus. Que melhor maneira de impressionar os homens com sua glória, do que ordenar-lhes que o símbolo desse governo fosse venerado! Portanto, ele edificou uma grande imagem dourada e mandou que todos os povos se prostrassem diante dela, sob pena de morte. A imagem não foi a de uma divindade local, mas representava o próprio Estado. Recusar cultuar a imagem era considerado ateísmo ou traição. Ao instituir essa nova religião, Nabucodonosor como que dizia ao povo: "Quem vos deu as belas cidades, as boas estradas, e belos jardins? O Estado! Quem vos provê de alimentos e serviço, quem funda escolas e patrocina templos?

O Estado! Quem vos defende dos inimigos? O Estado! não será então o Estado, esse poderio, um deus? Portanto, que maior deus quereis do que vosso exaltado governo? Prostrai-vos perante o símbolo da grande Babilônia! "E se Deus não o tivesse humilhado do seu orgulho blasfemo (Dan. 4: 28-37), Nabucodonosor talvez tivesse exigido o culto de sua própria pessoa como chefe do Estado. Como os três os filhos hebreus (Dan. 3) foram perseguidos por se recusarem a curvar-se perante a imagem de Nabucodonosor, assim os cristãos do primeiro século sofreram porque se recusaram a render homenagens divinas à imagem de César.

Havia de tolerância todas as religiões no Império Romano, mas sob a condição de que fosse venerada a imagem de César como símbolo do Estado. Os cristãos foram perseguidos, não tanto por sua lealdade a Cristo, mas porque se recusaram a adorar a César e dizer: "César é Senhor." Recusaram-se a cultuar o Estado como deus. A Revolução francesa oferece outro exemplo dessa política. Deus e Cristo foram lançados fora e um deus, ou deusa, se fez do "Pátria". Assim disse um dos lideres: "O Estado é supremo em todas as coisas. Quando o Estado se pronuncia, a igreja não tem nada a dizer." A lealdade ao Estado elevou-se à posição de religião.

A assembléia decretou que em todas as vilas feitas levantados altares com a seguinte inscrição: "O cidadão nasce, vive e morre por La Patrie." Preparou-se um ritual para batismos, casamentos e enterros civis. A religião do Estado possuía seus hinos e orações, seus jejuns e festas. O Novo Testamento reconhecido o governo humano como divinamente ordenado para a manutenção da ordem e da justiça. O cristão, por conseguinte, deve lealdade à sua pátria.

Tanto a igreja como o estado têm sua parte no programa divino, e cada qual deve limitar-se a sua esfera. Deus deve receber o que pertence, e César deve receber o que pertence. Mas acontece que muitas vezes César exige as coisas que são de Deus, atualizando a igreja, muito contra sua vontade, entra em choque com o governo. As Escrituras prevêem que esses conflitos futuramente chegarão ao seu ponto máximo. A última civilização será anti-Deus, e o anticristo, seu chefe, o ditador mundial, tornará as leis desse superestado supremas sobre todas as demais leis ", e exigirá o culto à sua pessoa como a personificação do Estado. As primeiras Escrituras predizem uma vitória de Deus e que sobre as ruínas do império mundial "anticristão, ele levantará seu reino no qual Deus é supremo - o Reino de Deus. (Dan. 2:34, 35, 44; Apo. 11:15; 19: 11-21.)

(d) Em relação às nações. As nações serão julgadas, os reinos do mundo destruídos, e todos os povos estão sujeitos ao Rei dos reis. (Dan. 2:44; Miq. 4: 1; Isa. 49:22, 23; Jer. 23: 5; Luc. 1:32; Zac. 14: 9; Isa. 24:23; Apo. 11:15 .) Cristo regerá as nações com vara de ferro; tirará toda a opressão e injustiça da terra e inaugurará a Idade áurea de mil anos. (Sal. 2: 7-9; 72; Isa. 11: 1-9; Apo. 20: 6.) "Depois virá o fim, quando houver entregado o reino a Deus, o Pai, e quando houver aniquilado todo o império , e toda potestade e força "(1 Cor. 15:24).

Há três estágios na obra de Cristo como Mediador: Sua obra como Profeta, cumprida durante seu ministério terrestre; sua obra como Sacerdote, começada na cruz e continuada durante a dispensação atual; e sua obra como Rei, começando com sua vinda e continuando durante o Milênio. Depois do milênio ter cumprido sua obra de unir a humanidade a Deus, de forma que os habitantes do céu e da terra formem uma só grande família onde Deus será tudo e estará em todos. (Efés. 1:10; 3:14, 15.)

Contudo, Cristo continuará a reinar como o Deus-homem, e compartilhar do governo divino, pois "o seu reino não terá fim" (Luc. 1:33).

[childofchrist1983]

For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? what shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. - 1 Corinthians 11:19-22 KJV

In the beginning days of Christianity, the people would still gather in the synagogues on Saturday Sabbath, to listen to the reading of the Torah and the prophets. On Sunday, the first day of the week, they would assemble at the homes of the leaders for a celebration of the LORD's Supper and to share the Gospel and parable stories as well as any letter of instruction or other news. Paul is telling the Corinthians that their behavior at the Sunday gathering is inappropriate. They were not supposed to be coming for a free meal, but to break the bread and drink the cup in remembrance of Jesus Christ's command at the Last Supper.

Many denominations have a Eucharistic service either every Sunday or once a month to remember the Last Supper, and to break the bread and drink the wine. This service is very similar to the bread and wine that are blessed at the Friday night Shabbat services in Jewish homes and is also part of the Passover service at the Seder. The Corinthians were abusing this practice and Paul was calling them out. He warned those who were to blame that God would not be happy with their behavior and that if they were eating and drinking in an unworthy manner they were bringing judgment upon themselves. God is offended - and all true Christians should be as well - if someone makes a mockery of a sacred religious rite in our Christian faith. If we are offended, imagine God's affront at those who were making a mockery of Him, of His Holy Word - the Holy Bible, and of the LORD's Supper. We are offended when He is mocked and when we who worship and serve Him are mocked. May we never mock God or anyone who leans on, serves and worships Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ in Truth and love!

Thank God for His strength and guidance when we are faced with sin. Thank Him for His mercy and grace. Through Bible study and prayer, God reveals His wisdom and guides us to see opportunities to grow closer to Him and grow spiritually. He gives us direction to live our lives according to His Holy Word and will. We must make God top priority everyday! May we be motivated to spread God's Holy Word and Gospel Truth to all the Earth, knowing that it is the only hope of all those lost in their sins. Let us not hold out a false hope for men to be saved without the Gospel, but instead, strive to do our part to get the Gospel out to a lost and dying world.

Leaning on Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ through prayer and His Holy Word and Spirit strengthens us and our knowledge and wisdom about God and His Gospel Truth, exposing these imposters. May God help us to seek and lean on Him daily to gain the strength, wisdom and spiritual discernment needed to expose Satan and his imposters who seek to destroy us and God's ultimate Truth. Everyday, we must remember to share Jesus Christ's Gospel Truth with the world and to thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for the grace that He poured out for us on the cross at Calvary. He has freed us from the burdens of sin and from the eternal damnation of Hell. In all we say and do, may all praise, honor and glory always be given to Him and His Kingdom of Heaven.

With renewed minds, hearts and wills, let us serve Him humbly and faithfully out of pure love and grateful rejoicing. May He remind us of His presence and to remain at peace, fully knowing that all will be well because He is always with us. Let us seek Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ today and everyday with all our heart and being, looking for His love, light and will for our lives with each step we take. Let us seek to please Him with our thoughts, words, and deeds and seek to advance His Kingdom of Heaven and His glory with our lives. Let us seek Him from a pure and humble heart, and when we so seek, we believe Him and His promise that we will find. May He help us all to be more sensitive to the teaching ministry of His Holy Word and Spirit, relying on Him and allowing Him to speak to us and guide us every step of our Christian journey.

God gave us the Holy Bible - His living and Holy Word - to let us know of Him and His abiding love and care as well as guide and prepare us for all our lives. May He help us encourage one another as we continue our walk with Him and our duty to Him daily. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for being present for all our new beginnings and all our lives. May He redirect any anxiety we feel as He provides countless opportunities for growth and change. May we humble ourselves before God always, asking Him to forgive our sins and make our hearts and lives anew through His Holy Word and Spirit. May He help us make Him and His Holy Word top priority, so we can grow spiritually and grow in our relationship with Him as we apply it to our daily lives. Thank God that we can focus on Him and everything about Him, for that is what keeps us sane and at peace. May our words and actions always be a reflection of Him and His Holy Word and Spirit and will.

May He help us to always walk in His grace and Holy Spirit, not by our own measure. May He give us the humble humility to know that our freedom and eternal salvation is found only in Him, so that His grace may sustain us, and we may never lose sight of His love and light and mercy. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for calling us to Him and to serve Him. May He equip us to do all that He has called us to do so that as He works through us, He may use us to produce fruit, to reach others, and to encourage all brothers and sisters in Christ. May He work all of these things in us and through us for His Kingdom and His glory. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all His creation, for His miraculous ways and for everything He does and has done for us! Keep the faith and keep moving forward in your walk with Jesus! He loves us and He knows what is best for us. Seek, follow and trust in Him - Always!

Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Word and for sending His Holy Spirit so that we might have His grace, not only to awaken us and transform our hearts in our spiritual rebirth and guarantee our eternity with Him, but to also call upon Him whenever we are in need. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all the reminders of His love and mercy and faithfulness within His Holy Word. He is bigger than any challenge or circumstance in our lives. Knowing this within our minds and our hearts, nothing can deter our faith in Him and His Truth. May we all accept Him and His eternal gift of salvation and ask that He would transform our hearts and lives according to His will and ways. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Spirit who saves, seals and leads us. May we always thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His almighty power and saving grace. For He is our strength, and He alone is able to save us, forgive our sins and gift us eternal salvation and entry into His Kingdom of Heaven.

May we make sure that we give our hearts and lives to God and take time to seek and praise Him and share His Truth with the world daily. May the LORD our God and Father in Heaven help us to stay diligent and obedient and help us to guard our hearts in Him and His Holy Word daily. May He help us to remain faithful and full of excitement to do our duty to Him and for His glorious return and our reunion in Heaven as well as all that awaits us there. May we never forget to thank the LORD our God and our Creator and Father in Heaven for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a mighty God we serve! What a Savior this is! What a wonderful LORD, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!