Emancipation Day and Easter

Today I find it fitting that it is both Emancipation Day and Easter Day. Both holidays are significant for their freedom.

Emancipation Day is in honor of President Abraham Lincoln signing the Compensation Emancipation Act on April 16, 1862, freeing slaves in the District of Columbia from their physical bonds of slavery and paving the way toward the Emancipation Proclamation which would end slavery once and for all in the U.S.

Easter (or Resurrection Day, as is more fitting) is in honor of our Savior Jesus Christ, who guaranteed our spiritual freedom, both of the bonds of sin in this world and of eternal damnation in the next.

John 8:34-36 says "Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

Romans 6:20-23 also declares "For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Once we were enemies of God because of our sin. But through this freedom in Christ, once accepted, we can not only obtain (1) forgiveness and purification, as we are no longer slaves to sin, and (2) adoption into the family of God as sons of God (John 1:12; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:7) and heirs and joint heirs with Christ in His glory forevermore (Romans 8:17)

Of Palms and Paradise

Today is the day where we remember Christ's entry into Jerusalem, which we call Palm Sunday. Many times in Scripture, there are instances of foreshadowing. Jesus was honored as King of Israel in Jerusalem just days before he offered himself on the cross and ultimately rose again. When we see Jesus in heaven, we will ultimately honor Him as King of Kings, and there will also be a "Palm Sunday" every day with the praises of his people, specifically those who will be martyred during the Tribulation.

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with PALM BRANCHES in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”"

Revelation 7:9-17

What Is Faith

Faith = Knowing (head) + Being (heart) + Doing (hands)

Hallelujah to the Lamb

This song has been running through my head all day.  I hope you enjoy!

Hallelujah to the Lamb

Written by Conrad Cook

(Verse 1)

It was told that He would come
And the race He would run 
It would end on an old rugged cross
But when they laid Him in the tomb
The power of the Lord went in the room
Now He reigns forever and ever more

(Chorus)

Hallelujah to the Lamb
Hallelujah to the Lamb
That was slain upon a tree
By his stripes we are healed
By his blood we are sealed
Hallelujah to the Lamb of God

(Verse 2)

Church He's coming back someday
He'll take us home with Him to stay
Where His Glory forever we will share
And when that first trumpet sounds
We will all be glory bound
Up there we'll live forever and ever more

Listen to the track on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egmD5itgDh8

Strength by Faith - "What Faith Can Do"

"What Faith Can Do"

Kutlass

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur6Zznc407U

For friends who have lost loved ones this week, those who have lost their life's work by fire yet received love and outreach from the community, those of us who have faced challenges this past week, those who look forward to new challenges, and those who have brought encouragement this past week to another. Whatever our current situation in life, our Lord can bring encouragement if we let him.

I myself have faced discouragement at work and exhaustion at home this past week. I thank those who encouraged me and I thank the Lord He carried me through. Whereas I know this is not the last time it will happen, as we all have our ups and downs in life, I am thankful to have friends in the faith to whom I can turn and a Savior who is ready to listen. Some of our problems are creations of our own. Other problems are the trials of this world. How we react to them is the true test of our faith. And, I confess, I had a lot of repenting to do this week to the Lord, just as Job in Job Chapter 42:

Then Job answered the Lord and said:

“I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
‘Hear, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.’
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes.”

I have a CD, which I compiled of songs which have had meaning to myself and my family when we face trials. The first song that is on the CD is "What Faith Can Do" by Kutless, which is the song Nikki was given when we lost our first child. The one lyric declares, "Don't you give up now, the sun will soon be shining. You gotta face the clouds to find the silver lining."

The next song on the CD is "Praise You in the Storm" by Casting Crowns. This was Dennis Albertson's song (Nikki's dad), when his home was destroyed by fire for a second time in 2007 as he searched for God's reasoning.

The rest of the CD is filled with songs with similar "Songs of Assurance" as I have named it. From Steven Curtis Chapman's "Glorious Unfolding", "Long Way Home", and "Together", to Chris Tomlin's "I Lift My Hands" and "Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)", the title of the one song by Third Day, "I Need a Miracle" sums it all up. We all need God's miracles in our life to survive. His salvation through Jesus is a miracle, our strength in our own weakness through faith in Him is a miracle, His grace and mercy and forgiveness are miracles.

As we begin a new week tomorrow, let us arise from our valleys just as our Savior rose from the dead.

Today's scripture readings:

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."
Matthew 24:35 (NIV)

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever."
Isaiah 40:8 (ESV)

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)

"The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all."
Psalm 34:15-19

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:8

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
I John 1:9

"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Joel 2:32a, Romans 10:13

Compassion in India

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Ephesians 6:12

To ignore the fact that there is a spiritual warfare going on in this world is to ignore reality. I hear and read many posts and articles about secular thinking individuals who refuse to acknowledge that Christianity as a whole is under attack. Christians as a whole may not be physically under attack in many senses, although persecuted Christians in the Muslim nations in the Middle East are very much following their faith at their very life's expense, but always spiritually under attack as the secular world tries to remove any and all recognition of Jesus Christ or even God the Father in our world today.

I challenge those individuals to show why the restricting and eventual ending of Compassion International's outreach in India on March 15 is a good thing, even by the world's standard. Compassion's main goal is to "release children from poverty in Jesus' name", as we are commanded to care for the poor countless times in Scripture, including Proverbs 19:17. And yet because the organization is a Christian organization in a India, a country that is 94% Hindu and Muslim, they are being refused the opportunity to minister in the country to the 147,706 children who count on the program for life itself. This is a country that has over 18% of the entire world population. This is a country that has almost a quarter of its population that lives in dire poverty. This is a country that refuses to acknowledge humanitarian relief solely on the reason that it is done by a non-governmental faith organization who testifies faith in Christ. Furthermore, this does not only affect Compassion International itself; it affects over 20,000 non-governmental organizations operating within the Indian borders, many of whom have been placed on a "watch list" comprised of organizations with a faith-based mission.

Read about it for yourself. Do a Google search with "Compassion and India." You don't trust Christian news? Read about it in The Hindu, The Guardian, WNG, and The Times of India. Where won't you hear about it? The local or mainstream U.S. news media. Why? Because it's a "Christian issue", not a entertainment issue, a political issue or a financial issue. Simply put, the world doesn't care because it won't help sell the news or make them money. We care about the murder down the street. We care about local school taxes. We care about the latest celebrity marriage downfall. We care about the stock market. We criticize and debate the current political divide in this country. We care about "our rights" and "our freedoms." We care (and rightfully so) about the few lives that we lost recently to the terrible storms in the Mid-West U.S. But we don't care about the lives of over 147,000 children and their families. It doesn't affect us. It doesn't affect our bank accounts. And it doesn't affect our souls. And all because we are selfish.

But it should. It should tear our hearts out. It should cause us to ask the tough questions. It should cause us to ask whose side are we on, the world's or the Lord's. And it should bring us to our knees in petition to the God of this universe.

Please pray for Compassion today.

https://www.compassion.com/india-update.htm?referer=547683&utm_source=xmpie&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feb_2017_non_sponsor#faq

Needs or Desires?

As Christians, we still confuse our needs and desires. In God and God alone, we have all we need. Everything else, the stuff we surround ourselves with, matters very little and has no eternal benefit.

Pastor Jeff, Sunday, January 29, 2017