What Looks Good

I loved the email you sent out about the beauty of holiness.  The boys and I looked up Scriptures about the bride.  They are wonderful!  Here are two that stood out to us:

(Donna)

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” Isaiah 61:10

“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.  And let him that heareth say, Come.  And let him that is athirst come.  And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Rev. 22:12-17

Donna

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That last verse says much, but one thing it does not make clear is that those words are a matter of the heart.  If we are in a condition to be saved, our hearts are praying that prayer and saying those words.  But merely uttering the words, “Come, Lord Jesus” does not mean we are a part of the bride of Christ.  Just the opposite is the case.  Being in the spiritual condition that makes us his bride causes us to pray, from the heart, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

As the author of Hebrews said, Jesus is coming back only for those sincerely looking for his appearing.  These are the persecuted folk, those who really are “strangers and pilgrims” here and want to go home.

jdc

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Accepting the Prophets

Hey Pastor John,

I have a quick question for you…

How come Old Testament children of Israel accepted the old prophets of God and Godly
kings and all them, But did not accept Jesus who also was sent by God?

Steven

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Hi Steven:

In their time, those prophets were persecuted by most of the Jews, just as Jesus was.  It was only later, when God’s servants were safely in their graves, that the majority of God’s OT people began to honor them as holy men of God.  As for Israel’s righteous kings, they could demand submission, so the people would seem to honor them.  In David’s case, as great a man of God as he was, and as powerful a king as he was, it is clear that most Israelites did not agree with his doctrine in his time.  There were at least two great rebellions of the nation against him, one of them led by his own son Absalom.  And in king Josiah’s story, we see that, no matter how it appeared while he lived, after a righteous king died, the people in general ran back to the kind of life they really loved.

Good question.

Pastor John

 

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Free Indeed

John,

I wanted to share part of my testimony from last week that went with the “Free Indeed” blog.

After work last Tuesday night, I was thinking of that blog message.  I was feeling like I really needed some time with the Lord, to be filled up and refreshed and renewed.  I was telling the Lord about it and remembered one time how you had asked James and me to do you a favor and please “stay prayed up” while you were gone out of town to deal with something.  I was in the car on my way to pick up James from work, and I asked the Lord if he would help me get prayed up that night (Tuesday night).  It went with the blog because I know that it is only the holy ghost and being filled with it that will keep us from preferring our former ways.

After we got home, and I had my work done for the night, I went to our spare bedroom, intending to do some homework, but wanting at some point to practice some songs.  (Amy had sent that email out about bringing songs for Wednesday night.)

Jesus answered my prayer and met me there.  Instead of doing my homework, I started practicing songs.  The spirit fell on me and just continued, I’m guessing a couple of hours.  (MMMMMMM:)!  Praise Jesus!)  The songs that I sang Wednesday were the result of that time that the Lord blessed me like that.  I could feel the spirit in them when I was singing them and thought they might be for Wednesday night.  (Got to the meeting Wednesday night and Donna’s testimony and song led right into the “all things”, so I knew.)And I am thankful.

Anyway, I wanted to share this with folks because we all need each others’ testimonies…and to keep it stirred up in us too.

Love,

Lyn

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Wonderful, Lyn.  And thanks for helping!

jdc

(For a complete list of Pastor John’s Blogs, please click link blow)

http://pastorjohnshouse.blogspot.com/

 

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Gal 4:6

Pastor John

I was reading something where the author was saying that being born of the Spirit is a distinct experience from receiving the Spirit and he cited Gal 4:6 as support.  “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”

His point being that this verse says that it was because they are sons that God sent the Spirit.  Now when you read the similar things in Romans 8 Paul lays it out in the order we believe, and I believe verses such as Galatian 3:26-7: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ,” and 4:7: “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”  [These verses] make it difficult to hold the author’s point but nevertheless v6 is a bit odd.

I have been considering the context of Gal 4.  It seems Paul is speaking of the Jews in verses 1-7 and then makes a comparison to the Gentile situation from v8 onwards.  Verse 5 seems clear in this regard, “To redeem them that were under the law,” but then you might expect in verse 6 something like “and because they are( or were) sons” rather than “and because you are sons”.  The grammar seems awkward.  “You are sons” would appear to be directed to the Gentile Galatians.

If Paul is speaking of the Jews that would help explain his wording in v6.  Faithful Jews were sons of Abraham and for that reason were fit to receive the spiritual adoption which is to receive the Spirit.

Am I missing something here?

Damien
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Hi Damien:

That verse is a reference to the foreknowledge of God.  Because God knew He had chosen them before the foundation of the world to be His sons, He sent the Spirit of His Son to them, to bring it to pass.  That view of Galatians 4:6 brings that verse into line with everything else Paul ever wrote.

Pastor John

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