Making Things New

Making Things New

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

When God makes new, he does nt take old stuff and reburbish it.  He makes it new from nothin'!  That what he did when he created the universe and all that we see.  He Spoke...and it was.  All from nothing.  The power of His words still echo today in where we live and move.

When a New Year dawns, it a a time for remembering the past, but also a time of anticipation of what the Lord will bring into our lives during the coming months.  Good and Bad, He will always be there.  One thing is certain.  This year He has created out of nothing!  It did not exist before we experience it.  God makes our lives happen moment by moment.  He creates  from nothing our very existence.

So this year, remember the power of God in your lives. He is creating it each second we live and if we live it for HIM, then that would be right and good.  It is truly a wonderful gift. Do not take it for granted.

Blessings all for a wonderous New Year!

Thanking God

Romans 1:8  First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.

Many of us pray to God and are thankful for His blessings in our life. Paul takes it up a notch with this simple statement of how he prays for the Roman church.

He says, "First, I thank my God... "

First and foremost Paul thanks God...and not just any god...but "my God" Paul has a personal relationship with the All Mighty.  This is not just some generic prayer he is praying. It is a personal and very moving prayer to his God whom he knows and makes known in Spirit and in Truth. many times we hear prayers that are general and they seem as if they are intended for believers and non-believers alike.  When Paul prays to his God...it is a prayer that is intended for the believers ears alone.

He says, "...through Jesus Christ for you all"

Paul does not approach God the Father alone, but "through Jesus Christ". We have  a tendency to approach the throne of the All Mighty much tot flippantly. We need to have more respect. Jesus said, Luke 12:5 "But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!" He was talking about the Father here. No other being has that authority but Him. And yes...fear Him and respect Him.

He says, "...for you all" 

Paul also does not single out people when he is praying about the Romans. "..for you all" There is an interesting story in 1 Samuel 30:21-25 where David confronts some men in his army who do not want to divide the spoils of war with some of the support people who stayed behind the lines to care for the camp. These were called wicked and evil men. When David hears of their plans, he tells them this. ” 23 Then David said, “You must not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us, who has kept us and delivered into our hand the band that came against us. 24 And who will listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike.”   You see, David understood that winning the battle takes everyone doing different tasks.  Some seem to be more important that others, but in reality, it takes everyone exercising what gifts God has given them and what He has called them to do to be successful.  In any church this is true as well.  The Romans were made up of many different types of people, but it was everyone who shared in the battle and they share in Paul's praise for what they have done.  May it also be so with us today.  It takes everyone of us working with Jesus as the head to make a church work

Finally Paul states, ..."because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world."

This is what it's all about, isn't it?  It's not about fame or power or money. It's because of Jesus and His love and sacrifice for us that we can proclaim faith. Oh that our FAITH would be proclaimed throughout the whole world! Not out Denomination or Church or pastor...or even what we do...only that our Faith be proclaimed as being true and honest and uplifting.  If that be true, then surely at the end of our journey we will hear God himself say, Matthew 25:23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Amen.

Blessings All!

Can a Christian be persecuted by other Christians?

Can a Christian be persecuted by other Christians?

Matthew 5:11-12
"Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

I  have sometimes felt persecuted by what happens to me beyond my control. I think may of us have had this feeling.  Sometimes we throw a pity-party and invite everyone we know to attend...I've done that before and have been less than satisfied with the result. :-)  But if you think about it, there are differences in being persecuted and in being criticized by jealous or insecure people.  Here are my reasons.


1) Persecution needs to come from outside of  the Church.  Hurtful and petty people, often with the best intentions, however misguided and wrong, are within the Church. Jesus has said so...we know this is true.  Paul often had critics from within the body of believers and I don't think he viewed it as being persecuted.  He viewed the people as being disobedient.  Disobedience needs to be dealt with...sometimes from within the congregation and sometimes directly from the Lord.  However, this is not my place, nor my task.  My task is to lift up Christ and His sacrificial death on the cross for everyone to see and to build up the Body of Christ in Love,

2) Persecution cannot come from Christians.  As I mentioned before, it is the nature of human beings to want to be comforted and assured.  It is no different with Christians as it is with non-believers.  In this respect we are just being human. So when we think we are being persecuted, what we really find is that we are just the subject of human beings being human and not letting the word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit free reign in their lives.  We need to be grace-full to these people, not judgmental toward them.

3) Persecution is aimed at destruction.  Criticism from within sometimes can seem like it is destructive, especially if you take it personally, but seriously, Criticism actually says more about the people criticizing than it does about the object of their criticism. So instead of being destructive, criticism often is a catalyst for building up rather than tearing down.  Give it over to the Lord and you will see what He can do with it.  In fact, you will rejoice in what He does with it!

So rejoice if you have had critics!  It is by these that the Lord works and strengths us.  Amen and Amen!

Blessings All!

Romans 1:8-17

Romans 1

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. 9 For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, 10 always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

Perhaps Romans 1:16 is what one normally thinks about from Chapter 1 of this book, but there is much to discuss before we get to that part.

Paul encourages.  He does this a lot. One can imagine why.  Here is a group of Christians in the middle of hostile territory.  Some of them were going through some tough times...well why don't we say that all of them were going through some tough times, because it was true. Just as it is in the Middle East and parts of Africa and other parts of the world where Christians are in the minority we know from what we read in the papers and online that many of them are being persecuted and tortured and even killed.  In Paul's time it was no different.  These people were being pounded day after day.  Paul encourages them.  However he does not encourage them with platitudes but with TRUTH.

Vs 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.

Paul says he thanks God for them through Jesus Christ.  Not because they were in Rome, but because of their faith!  It was a strong faith and a faith that was not shy.  It was a faith that was being talked about and proclaimed,something that was lifted up as an example of faith.  A faith that Paul says is being proclaimed, not only in Rome,but a faith that is being proclaimed throughout the whole known world!  In due time, this faith would reach the whole world that we even know today.

Vs 9 For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, 10 always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established;

Paul is so impressed with their faith that he uses the Roman Christians as examples of how faith  should be.  He encourages them by saying is praying for them constantly and finally, he may even be able to visit them in person.  He is stoked!  He wishes that he could see them in person to impart some spiritual gift.  What this gift was or would have been, he fails to mention.  Maybe because it was not up to him which gift the Spirit would give them.  That is best left to the Spirit, who decides what gift is needed to build up the body of Christ.  At any rate, this gift would be used to "establish" them... To make them firm; to bolster their faith and to build them up even further.

13 I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Paul was eager to come to visit the church at Rome.  Interestingly, he states that he has been prevented from doing so.   I reckon this perhaps in two different ways.  1) That the Spirit Himself prevented Paul from fulfilling his desire to visit.  This is not unheard of even in Paul's ministry.  Paul was very sensitive to the Spirit and His leading and he would not have wanted to go against what the Spirit said.  If the door was not open, then he would have to be satisfied to wait.  This even happens to us today.  Many times I have been asked to travel to someplace to minister and my answer has always been, "If the Lord opens the door I will be there."  One caveat in that...make sure you are willing to go if the door does open...don;t let it be an excuse for you NOT to go just because you are being stubborn.  I too, speak with experience on this as there have been times, I have resisted the Spirit's leading just because I felt it would be a bad move.  We all need practice what we preach and trust God more...me included!

2) The other way this could be looked at is that Satan was delaying his visiting the Romans. This too is echoed in Scripture for if you read Daniel 10:10-14 we see that when Daniel had prayed that an Angel of God was dispatched but he was stopped from seeing Daniel for 21 days until  Michael came and interceded with the "prince of the kingdom of  Persia" who was preventing the messenger in reaching Daniel.   Scholars have conclude that this so-called prince was actually a demon who had dominion over Persia.  Is it any wonder that there are problems in the Middle-East today?  These demons still exist...and they still battle the Lord and His people.

Paul also makes it clear that he is ministering to ALL PEOPLE. Not just the Jews, but also the Gentiles...which is basically everyone else. In our own lives, we must be open and willing to minister and to tell our testimony to anyone and everyone.  We do not have the right to with hold the keys of the kingdom, which is what we are doing when we refuse to give the good news to people we do not like or to people we don't think deserve to hear the Gospel.  Open yourself up to the possibilities. God will do the rest.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

Here is these 2 verses is the crux of all of Romans. Verses 16 and 17 Lay the foundation of Paul's belief and practice of the Gospel message.

Paul is not ashamed of the Gospel! Why? Because it is the power of God!
For what purpose? For salvation to everyone who believes!
To whom does this apply? To the Jew first and also to everyone else!
What is the message? The righteousness of God is revealed in the Gospel message!
How shall we grasp such a message of Salvation? By Faith! as it is written," But the righteous man shall live by faith."!

This stuff preaches itself!  You do not need to add to it at all.  Just ask the right questions and the answers are self-evident!

Blessings to you as you read through Romans!

God is Light

1 John 1:5

[ God Is Light ] This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

John is very precise to tell us that God is light.  In fact he also tells us that in HIM there is no darkness at all. And why should there be? Darkness has no substance; it occupies no space; it has not energy. Darkness is simply the absence of light.

But God is LIGHT! He has substance. He occupies space and time He has energy...and He is also beyond those limitations as well. God is the exact opposite of darkness God is LIGHT.  He aggressively banishes darkness.   Darkness cannot aggressively banish light, can it? Darkness relies on the LIGHT to even survive.

I am sure you have heard it said that a single candle cannot be extinguished by all the darkness in the Universe. This is true. Darkness only exists because light has not arrived.  Once it arrives, darkness is destroyed.

That is the analogy that John wants us to grasp. Because there is no power beyond that which God is able to wield. God is light.

God also lives in YOU. Once you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, God sent his Holy Spirit to live in you as John has also stated: 1 John 4:4

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

So be encouraged! You have a light within yourself, given to you by God which is able to stand.  You cannot do this on your own or in your own strength, but with God's help, you can banish the darkness that threatens to overtake us every day.  Go and Shine. You have God. God is light.

Blessings All!

Where are you?

Genesis 3:8-9
"Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?'"

This question can rightly be asked of everyone of us.  This is not a question of location. Surely GOD KNEW where Adam was located.  What he wanted to impress on Adam was that now that he had sinned, he was separated from God spiritually.  So then the question is a spiritual question more than a locative one.

In each one our lives, there are times when we feel far away from God. That He is not there with us nor is he interested in what we are going through.  That feeling is a lie brought on by sin.  Sin is such a pervasive thing because of the fall of Adam.  It permeates every breath we take, every photon we see, everything we can taste feel and smell.  We live in it, we breathe it and we die in it as well.

But God has not left us alone.  He has provided for us a clear pathway to find Him. That only way is through faith in what Jesus has done on the Cross for us all. That is Good News for all of us who accept Jesus as our Lord.

Do not be fooled. The Lord has made it very clear.

John 14:6
Jesus*said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

So when you feel that God is not there...when you feel alone and unsupported...know this: God loves you so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross for you.  He has not changed, nor has He moved and He has NOT left you.  He is still there for you...if you only accept Him. Believe!

Blessings All!

Consequences

When I was young...probably in 1st grade, we had 2 dogs.  They were mutts and outside dogs, but they were my best friends at the time.  During summer vacation, I found that if I threw rocks (small rocks...nothing that would really hurt them) that they would get angry and would bark and growl at me.  I thought it was great fun...to see them get angry and bark.  I did this long enough so that even when I didn't throw rocks at them...if I was just near them and would make a sudden movement, they would get up and bark and growl and even snap at me.  They never hurt me, but my actions were certainly making them hostile toward me.

Once day I was outside with my Dad and he witnessed what the dogs would do while I was running by them and he was very alarmed.  He said to me, "I can't have dogs that I can't trust...you are more important to me than those dogs and I can't have dogs around who I think might even bite you."  I tried to tell him that it was my fault...not theirs..I was the one who teased them and got them mean.  He would have none of it.  He went into the house and got his gun and shot those two dogs right in front of my very eyes.  I cried for days. But it taught me a valuable lesson I probably could have learned in no other way.

1) My actions can hurt, even if I didn't intend for them to do so.

2) Treat others how you want to be treated, but be especially kind to your friends..this was far before I even knew what our Lord had said...

3) I also realized that if you hit a dog long enough...even if it was just for fun, that they would snap at you even if you weren't teasing them any more.

Be careful with what you do to others. Your actions have consequences.

Luke 6:31
Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

What do you believe?

I think it's time for me to lay down some thoughts on what I believe about Abortion.  Some people seem to be confused about my stand. :-)

1) Abortion is wrong.  Not only do I believe this because I value life. I also believe this because God's word has a lot to say about murder and taking of another human life.  This is sin. Period.

2) Will Jesus forgive anyone who has had an abortion?  Yes, provided that they repent.  There is no blanket forgiveness of sins in Scripture.  It is by individual choice to stop what they are doing and trun away from it, giving their faith to Jesus.

3) How do we stop Abortion?  This is a a harder question to answer...because I have no answer to this. For the Christian, we can simply say, "Stop doing this."  Not so much for the non-believer.

A person rightly said that this is sin and then challenged me to find a way to stop sin. Clever, but not so helpful.  Instead of criticizing me I wish that he would have upheld my convictions and offered some solutions.  As  believers,  we should always build up and not tear down.

Ultimately, this sin will not stop until Jesus returns.  Until that time, we Christians must advocate for the unborn. There is no other group of people more vulnerable to the sin of others than these. Taking the life of another is wrong. I do not see any other way to look at it from a Christian point.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Proverbs 31:8

Blessings All!

Momentary Troubles

2 Corinthians 4:17

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

There are troubles in life.  But all trouble is momentary. Our LORD is eternal. Our lives with Him will transcend time. Trust in Him, for He cares for you!

Amen?

Blessings All!

The Task

The Task

the task is too great for me oh god

my hand too weak and small

my arms feel as if they are wood

my legs shake and i may fall

my mind not strong or sharp or good

my voice trembles each time i call

my gut feels as if it’s too full of  food

i am not up to this at all

Fear not what you lack for I am here

Haven’t I told you so

I have not left you I am near

I said I would be where you go

you will be the head and not the tail

you will stand strong and tall

you will trump both snow and hail

you will answer when I call

So go you now and preach each word

I place into your mind

now go forth and let it be heard

How I saved all mankind

© 2013 Elbert LaGrew

Spring Tonic

Spring Tonic

You know what these are right?  These are Dandelion greens. Every spring my Dad would pick the first ones that came up before they had a chance to flower and he would make a salad of these. He claimed he ate them when he was a boy and that my Grandfather would tell him that they were a "Spring Tonic". I don't know if they are or not, but I pick them every year and have a couple of meals of them. My favorite way is just with a simple vinegar and oil dressing.

I introduced these to my boys when they were young, but it never caught on with them.  So I still have the salad all by myself...but seriously...these are good.  And I think that you can find them anywhere...they grow right on your lawn. :-)  Be warned however, they are not easy to clean...it takes me at least 4 washings with running water. They have a lot of "Dark Matter"...yes...this is the same substance that scientists are searching the cosmos.  All they really have to do is look at the roots of the lowly Dandelion and they could find all the "Dark Matter" of the Universe.  God has wonders all around us, doesn't He?

Give it a try.  Delicious!

Hallelujah

Hallelujah!

The picture above is actually the Fortune I got from my favorite Chinese restaurant where I went to have lunch today. Amazing, isn't it?

Hallelujah is actually a transliteration the Hebrew word which is a combination of You (plural) all Praise Yah [weh]. It is used primarily in the Old testament, especially the Psalms but it is also used 4 times in Revelations.

Psalm 117

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

A Psalm of Praise.

117 Praise the Lord, all nations;
Laud Him, all peoples!
2 For His lovingkindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the Lord is everlasting.
Praise the Lord!

Today I want to remind you to Praise the LORD. We get too involved with just living and sometimes we forget what is really important...seriously the MOST important thing that we can do. Give thanks.  And not just focused on just anything...but One Thing. The LORD.

Take a moment...right now...where ever you are and just think of how many things the LORD has done for you.  I am not even talking about what He has done for you in the past week or year...how about just thanking Him for today!

Don't worry about thanking Him for tomorrow.  We may never even be there.  Just thank Him for now, always now. If we arrive at tomorrow...well it won't be that any more will it?  And neither will we.

Blessings All!

How Long O Lord

How Long O Lord

I lift my heart to you oh Lord
my hands also do I lift up
my soul rises within me
my lips praise your name only

I fly to the center of your love
with the beating of my heart each day
with you in my mind and spirit
leading me in each and every way

How long oh Lord must we stay
away from you our lives are lost
come and sweep us as the dust
come and bring us to your breast

How long must we endure
this world forever filthy
How long O Lord until you come
and bring your children to safety

Until you come will will do your will
and bind each heart that you call
to your command we all must bow
and find salvation from your love

©2012 El LaGrew

Follow Me!

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 NIV

Are you lost
have you forgotten the way
are you paralyzed
without out a thing to say

Do you feel right
do you feel fine
do feel angry
without being kind

here is the Hope
here is the way
He is right there
there he will stay

His arms are open wide
His face all aglow
He is eager to help
He is eager to show

so just follow Him
he surely will lead
where you need to go
He has planted the seed

©El LaGrew 2012

Walking in Silence

walking in silence

I walk with you always even when I am not walking
you are there with me ever present silently encouaraging
and watching
like a father who watches their child trying to complete a task
too difficult for them you are there comforting
Yes even though I cannot see the future, you let me use your eyes
when I cannot you do
when you do I rest
when I rest I am satisfied
when I am satisfied I am like you

©El LaGrew 2012

Revealing Revelation: I am the Alpha and the Omega

Revelation 1:4-8



4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father— to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.

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


Background:

Many commentaries place these 4 verses under the moniker of 'Greetings'. While there is indeed that element, we cannot discount the fact that there is much more going on here than just a simple greeting.

John explicitly tells us that this letter is aimed at the "seven churches of Asia" v4. Grace and peace are given, not from John, but from God the Father and the Holy Spirit and the Son and also from the seven Spirits. John does not elaborate much on these except to tell us that the seven Spirits are before the throne of God, which tells us they are in direct contact and communication with Him, like generals who meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to plan the strategy of the battle.

John's exultation of Jesus is a thing to behold. This is not merely a mention in passing, it's a royal announcement! "Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father— to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." v5-6 You just need to close your eyes and imagine you are at a formal gathering when the official announcer takes the invitation from the guest, turns to the gathered ones and belts out this litany. Just thinking of it wants you to kneel in His presence! And kneel we shall, along with everyone on earth, when He returns. 'Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess'

John makes it very clear that this is no ordinary vision; this is no ordinary letter he is sending. It is of utmost importance because it comes from the King himself. The one and only who has redeemed us with His blood, who has sacrificed Himself for our sins and who has become our pattern, our Lord. By doing so, he has made us priests to His Father...the Great King. The master of the universe. He eagerly waits for His return and here we see Him coming back in the clouds! What a glorious vision! What privileged communication and he is sharing ti with us.

Verse 8 are the first words which we hear from His lips...a proclamation of who He is. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “ who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last. So in essence He is saying, I am the beginning and the end. He was not only the present during the creation of the world...the literal beginning for us...He is also the end of all things. He encompasses everything..eternal..never ending..never beginning since He existed before there was anything but Him. This is perhaps the simplest He can even express Himself in which we may even have a chance to comprehend part of Him.

Meat:

John wants us to realize that what he is saying and communicating to us is of the utmost importance because it is coming directly from a source that is of utmost holiness and power...from God Himself. What will be following then is pure grace...simple and unadulterated...pure and powerful. It's like when Jesus was talking and says, "Those who have ears, let them hear." So let's pick this apart.

1) He brings this special news to the 7 churches in Asia

The number seven is important in Biblical theology. God made the earth and everything associated with it in six days, and he stopped on the seventh. Most translations tell us he 'rested' although hat is an incomplete translation. It is more like He stopped because he was done and everything was perfect. The seventh day he sanctified...He set it aside as a special day for us. To rest...to remember..to give thanks and worship Him for what He did. The seventh day gives us time to rest in His peace...His grace and to meet together for worship. In this world at this time, this is something that is becoming harder and harder to do. But we as Christians, have more of a responsibility that everyone else to understand and to communicate the importance of doing this simple act.

[Do you think this message is for us today as well as the seven churches in Asia? Why? Are we doing our part? What does the Sabbath mean to you? What should it mean?]

2) The message is coming from a very special source.

The source is spiritual. The message is coming from the triumphant Godhead. And triumphant He is! This was an important message to bring. Remember, John is an old man at this time, eagerly waiting for the Lord's return. This message could not have come at a better time for him or for the world. Christians all over the Middle East were being persecuted and tortured to death. John had witnessed his own fellow Apostles martyred and killed. He alone was to bring this message of hope...and warnings...to the Church...from one Faithful Witness to another.

The significance of the "seven Spirits who are before His throne" might be understood in the theology of Biblical text and how the ancients understood great struggles. Paul said:

Ephesians 6:12
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

This is common Biblical theme carried over from Old Testament times. The idea here is that the battles and struggles which we witness here on earth are really a reflection of the battles that are going on in the Heavenly realms. So we can associate these 7 Spirits which are before the throne of the All Mighty with the seven churches mentioned in Revelation.

Another example of this is found quite plainly in the book of Daniel. I might also add that Daniel and Revelation are often studied in unison. This is because many of the events found in the book Daniel are also repeated in the book of Revelation. There are numerous commentaries which are written about this but one of my favorites is from one of my former Seminary professors, "Daniel and Revelation: Riddles or realities?" by A. Berkeley Mickelsen. I highly recommend you read it if you get the chance.

Daniel 10:12-14
12 Then he said to me, “ Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future.”

Here we have a classic confrontation between good and evil. The angel tells Daniel that as soon as he started praying for understanding, the angel left and was coming to Daniel, but he was by the " prince of the kingdom of Persia". This evil spirit is associated with the country of Persia, but importantly with the King over that territory. This evil spirit was so powerful, that if it were not for Michael, one of the chief angels we here about in the text, that he would likely not have even gotten there, having been stood up for 21 days prior. This is an amazing story! It illustrates exactly what the Biblical text and the writers have told us. Our conflict on the earthly realm is a reflection of goes on in the Heavenly (spiritual) world!

[Do we believe in angels? How about demons? Many popular movies and books of the day have a good vs. evil theme. Is that the same thing? How should a Christian respond to the events of today? Study of the end times is called 'Eschatology' in theological terms. Do you think we are in the 'End Times'? Why/whynot?]

3) This message is all about Jesus

Lastly and most importantly, this message is by and for Jesus and for the people of Jesus. This message is a gift of holy revelation. It explains why Jesus should be considered Lord and it proclaims that Jesus is coming back. It is He who is THE Faithful witness. It is He who loves us. It is He who was pierced for our transgressions. It was He who elevated us to be a kingdom of priest's for His name sake.

This same Jesus who was condemned by his own people, crucified by his own people and buried by his own, will come again and show the whole world just what power He has. This sets the stage by which we read the rest of the message. We cannot help but be intrigued. We cannot help but want to hear more. In literary terms, this is the 'hook'. We know about Jesus, but now John is setting the stage to hear another part of the story...one which we have only heard bits and pieces of up till now. This is one part we cannot miss. I for one am looking forward to what is coming, when everyone shall see Him...and acknowledge Him as the one true God!

What's that He says? “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “ who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” v8.

Amen and Amen!


[ Has your idea of who Jesus is and what he has done changed in any way from reading this passage? How? Are looking forward to seeing Jesus face-to-face? Why/Why not. What is the picture you get in your head when you read these passages about Jesus' return? What feeling does it evoke?]


Blessings all!

Independence day

Psalm 33:12
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.

I find myself during this 4th of July thinking about my Dad. He was in World War II and was wounded during duty, earning a Silver Medal and a Purple Heart. I am very proud of what he did. I am sure that if were here today he would be pretty disappointed in the direction America is taking today.

He was never one who drew attention to himself, but he was not shy about his viewpoints. He was strongly patriotic and at the same time very narrow minded. He was one of the people who would agree with, "America, Love it or leave it!". I was just a tad bit less than that and we continually disagreed with what needed to be done in America. We probably still do now as well.

But one thing we could agree on: We both loved this country and its people, even though we would disagree about God and His relationship to it. Dad would never agree that God had anything to do with the status of a nation, especially the United States of America. For him, what made this nation great was its fighting men and women. Particularly the Marine Corps.

There are many people today who would agree with him on that point, but I maintained and still do, that without God and His principles and blessings, we would not be the nation we are today. Whether or not you believe that, does not make it any less true.

So tonight before you go to bed, make sure to thank the men and women who have sacrificed so much so that we can live in a free country like the United States, but also thank the Lord for His blessings and pray that we who believe, will maintain faith and never take that for granted.

Blessings All!

--Edl