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Tuesday Gathering: 28th September 2021
Our opening praise was “Come bless The Lord, All ye servants of The Lord”, which led into a time of prayer and intercession, although there is a sense that we are still searching for ‘our voice’ with Him, if you understand what we mean. After our first gathering we have not been ‘all together’, which is accepted and usual, but somehow any one of us is also much missed if not in the company — particularly after our enforced pandemic estrangement.
There is assuredly no insistence on attendance — ever! It has always been come if you can, and we send our blessings if you cannot, whatever the reason — and as we are not getting any younger there are plenty of reasons … but a sadness remains when we are apart. Happily, love remains also.
We were led initially to Matthew 26:40-46, which says:
Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?
Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."
And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.
So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.
Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand."
There is an everlasting supply in these words, but we held onto those words “Rise, let us be going.” We cannot be swanning about, letting things happen around us! “See, My betrayer is at hand.” It is always so. Satan and the demonic are always snapping at our heels, and the imprecation to ‘watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation’, has never been more prescient. ‘Watch’ became the word for our gathering at that point, with Carter Conlon’s word from “It’s Time To Pray” for 27th September — ‘God is raising up an end time army’ — being an important ‘call to arms’ - again! (The audio file for this is available below).
Psalm 131:3 says; “O Israel, hope in the LORD, from this time forth and forever”, led us to consider ‘watching and waiting’, just like the father awaiting the return of the prodigal, which is about - among other things — being spiritual alert, and the expectation — if not knowing — that He is going to do something. It is our understanding.
[Ephesians 1:18] the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. What wonderful reassurance!
Hebrews 2:1-13 came next; Deuteronomy 10:20-21, followed by Proverbs 8:10-21, leading to Galatians 5:22-26 on the fruits of the Holy Spirit and resting in 1 Corinthians 13, “but hath not love…”.
The Holy Spirit was not finished with us yet and we looked at darkness and light, with scripture quotes including Isaiah 60:2 darkness shall cover the earth.
Gill heard The Lord asking her to read from the Book of Jude, which concludes with the stirring lines…
There is assuredly no insistence on attendance — ever! It has always been come if you can, and we send our blessings if you cannot, whatever the reason — and as we are not getting any younger there are plenty of reasons … but a sadness remains when we are apart. Happily, love remains also.
We were led initially to Matthew 26:40-46, which says:
Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?
Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."
And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.
So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.
Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand."
There is an everlasting supply in these words, but we held onto those words “Rise, let us be going.” We cannot be swanning about, letting things happen around us! “See, My betrayer is at hand.” It is always so. Satan and the demonic are always snapping at our heels, and the imprecation to ‘watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation’, has never been more prescient. ‘Watch’ became the word for our gathering at that point, with Carter Conlon’s word from “It’s Time To Pray” for 27th September — ‘God is raising up an end time army’ — being an important ‘call to arms’ - again! (The audio file for this is available below).
Psalm 131:3 says; “O Israel, hope in the LORD, from this time forth and forever”, led us to consider ‘watching and waiting’, just like the father awaiting the return of the prodigal, which is about - among other things — being spiritual alert, and the expectation — if not knowing — that He is going to do something. It is our understanding.
[Ephesians 1:18] the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. What wonderful reassurance!
Hebrews 2:1-13 came next; Deuteronomy 10:20-21, followed by Proverbs 8:10-21, leading to Galatians 5:22-26 on the fruits of the Holy Spirit and resting in 1 Corinthians 13, “but hath not love…”.
The Holy Spirit was not finished with us yet and we looked at darkness and light, with scripture quotes including Isaiah 60:2 darkness shall cover the earth.
Gill heard The Lord asking her to read from the Book of Jude, which concludes with the stirring lines…
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Saviour,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Saviour,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.
Our meeting finished there, except it didn’t, with much discussion thereafter, with a thought or two about ‘binding the strong man’, and a discursion onto the subject of the ‘Ammonites … of which more another time.
Our songs were:
- Come bless The Lord, all ye servants of The Lord
- Here I am to bow down
- Majesty
- I exalt Thee
- Our God is an Awesome God
- We have come into His House
- Praise Is The Power of Heaven
- He is the King of Kings
- Hallelujah
A HOLY COMMAND: Oswald Chambers on Love
What a rest comes when the love of God has been shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit! I realise that God is love, not loving, consequently He has to be very stern. There is no such thing as God overlooking sin. That is where people make a great mistake with regard to love; they say, “God is love and of course He will forgive sin”: God is holy love and He cannot forgive sin. Jesus Christ did not come to forgive sin; He came to save us from our sins. The salvation of Jesus Christ removes the ‘sinner’ out of my heart and plants in the ‘saint’. That is the marvellous work of God’s grace.
[from ‘Biblical Psychology’]
[from ‘Biblical Psychology’]
Listen to these Gathering notes by clicking
on the download file below
Listen to Carter Conlon at Times Square Church
- “It’s Time To Pray” - ‘God Is Raising Up An End Time Army’
‘I Exalt Thee’ — Kim Walker-Smith and Jesus Culture
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Tuesday Gathering: 21st September 2021 (Part 2)
When we blame God for things going wrong in our lives, we are building a wall which prevents God’s healing/salvation process operating; but as soon as we turn again to Him, He will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; and My people shall never be put to shame. [Joel 2:25-26 NKJV]
We can see this in the story of Jonah, who determined to follow his own path and was swallowed by a great fish, which spat him out once he had changed his mind and elected to follow God’s will for his life. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple. "Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own Mercy. But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD." So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. [Jonah 2:7-10 NKJV] It is empowering when the soul agrees with The Holy Spirit, for that way we receive what is best for us according to His plan and purpose.
The Lord is opening prison doors and leading His people out, but we must have the patience to “Wait for The Lord” so that we may “taste of things not heard or seen.” Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD! [Psalm 27:14 NKJV] It is all “ln His Time.”
We read Psalm 28:4-9, but noted particularly verse 6 which says, Blessed be the LORD, because He has heard the voice of my supplications!
Romans 8:38-39 says, For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And Psalm 91:2; I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust."
We sang “Hide Me In Your Holiness” at this point and Psalm 27:5 tells us, For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
It takes time for effective healing in The Lord and the key to it is forgiveness. A story or two from Ellel Ministries illustrated the need for forgiveness before healing — and at times demonstrably amazing healing can take place (See the book from Sovereign World publishers “Lynda: From Accident and Trauma to Healing and Wholeness”)
There was a time of sharing of stories and experiences, followed by prayer and we closed with singing “He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands”, which has been chosen for our song today — see the You Tube link below.
We can see this in the story of Jonah, who determined to follow his own path and was swallowed by a great fish, which spat him out once he had changed his mind and elected to follow God’s will for his life. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple. "Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own Mercy. But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD." So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. [Jonah 2:7-10 NKJV] It is empowering when the soul agrees with The Holy Spirit, for that way we receive what is best for us according to His plan and purpose.
The Lord is opening prison doors and leading His people out, but we must have the patience to “Wait for The Lord” so that we may “taste of things not heard or seen.” Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD! [Psalm 27:14 NKJV] It is all “ln His Time.”
We read Psalm 28:4-9, but noted particularly verse 6 which says, Blessed be the LORD, because He has heard the voice of my supplications!
Romans 8:38-39 says, For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And Psalm 91:2; I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust."
We sang “Hide Me In Your Holiness” at this point and Psalm 27:5 tells us, For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
It takes time for effective healing in The Lord and the key to it is forgiveness. A story or two from Ellel Ministries illustrated the need for forgiveness before healing — and at times demonstrably amazing healing can take place (See the book from Sovereign World publishers “Lynda: From Accident and Trauma to Healing and Wholeness”)
There was a time of sharing of stories and experiences, followed by prayer and we closed with singing “He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands”, which has been chosen for our song today — see the You Tube link below.
May the God of peace sanctify you wholly so that we are no longer sickly souls retarding His purposes, but perfected through suffering.
‘He’s Got The Whole World in His Hands’ — Virtual Choir
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Tuesday Gathering: 21st September 2021 (Part 1)
As usual when one looks at the notes written during a gathering, superficially we seem to have danced all over the place without clear direction. In many ways that is the point of the gathering — that we have the freedom to move as The Lord directs according to what each heart is singing from Him at that moment, and that was something raised in our spirit discourse — The Lord Knows The Heart.
We considered why there is so much suffering in this world. Why does The Lord allow it? The answer lies in His granting us a free will choice to make an almighty mess of things if we choose our own way if it does not conform with His. Certainly if we follow our own way, the reality is that we cannot know where our choices will lead us; and even when The Lord gives us clear direction, we so often ignore it or do not listen for Him.
A case in point was for myself. I had asked The Lord to give me direction — 12 years ago now — and I was led to 2 Chronicles, chapter 17. A bit odd I thought at the time. I read and thought and considered, but gave up. I did not ask for His guidance to understanding. However, I found my place marker on the morning of the meeting in an old Bible I had used at the time…
Then Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and strengthened himself against Israel.
And he placed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had taken.
Now the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals,
but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel.
Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave presents to Jehoshaphat, and he had riches and honour in abundance.
And his heart took delight in the ways of the LORD; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah.
[2 Chronicles 17:1-6 NKJV]
I did not understand back then but it suddenly became clear — and so much clearer to me in the meeting as I read, and this was a mere 12 years after The Lord had answered my prayer. I now realise (in part at least) what I believe He was saying to me, but that is likely to be a different message if it had been given to you. What might your understanding of 2 Chronicles 17 be?
It is always ‘In His Time’ as we sang last time. Sometimes He gives us something that takes a long time to unfold and become clear. We have all come on; progressed in many ways, and there is more to come, we can be sure. He gives us complete freedom to make a hash of things. We have to wait for The Lord.
There is a lot of healing that needs done because of our own mistakes. We often can blame God, but that merely diverts attention from our own culpability.
…to be continued in Part 2.
We considered why there is so much suffering in this world. Why does The Lord allow it? The answer lies in His granting us a free will choice to make an almighty mess of things if we choose our own way if it does not conform with His. Certainly if we follow our own way, the reality is that we cannot know where our choices will lead us; and even when The Lord gives us clear direction, we so often ignore it or do not listen for Him.
A case in point was for myself. I had asked The Lord to give me direction — 12 years ago now — and I was led to 2 Chronicles, chapter 17. A bit odd I thought at the time. I read and thought and considered, but gave up. I did not ask for His guidance to understanding. However, I found my place marker on the morning of the meeting in an old Bible I had used at the time…
Then Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and strengthened himself against Israel.
And he placed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had taken.
Now the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals,
but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel.
Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave presents to Jehoshaphat, and he had riches and honour in abundance.
And his heart took delight in the ways of the LORD; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah.
[2 Chronicles 17:1-6 NKJV]
I did not understand back then but it suddenly became clear — and so much clearer to me in the meeting as I read, and this was a mere 12 years after The Lord had answered my prayer. I now realise (in part at least) what I believe He was saying to me, but that is likely to be a different message if it had been given to you. What might your understanding of 2 Chronicles 17 be?
It is always ‘In His Time’ as we sang last time. Sometimes He gives us something that takes a long time to unfold and become clear. We have all come on; progressed in many ways, and there is more to come, we can be sure. He gives us complete freedom to make a hash of things. We have to wait for The Lord.
There is a lot of healing that needs done because of our own mistakes. We often can blame God, but that merely diverts attention from our own culpability.
…to be continued in Part 2.
SONGS:
- Reach Out and Touch The Lord
- Wait For The Lord (All Ye Who Are Righteous)
- Trust In The Lord With All Your Heart
- Emmanuel
- Bless The Lord Oh, My Soul!
- This Is The Day That The Lord Has Made
- Hide Me In Your Holiness
- Thy Lovingkindness Is Better Than Life
- He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands
When God begins His work in us He does not make a mighty difference in our external lives, but He shifts the centre of our confidence. Instead of relying on ourselves or other people, we rely on God, and are kept in perfect peace.
We all know the difference it makes if we have someone who believes in us and in whom we believe. There is no possibility of being crushed. The Great Life is not that we believe for something, but that when we are up against things in circumstances or in our own disposition, we stake our all on Jesus Christ’s honour.
[from ‘Approved Unto God’ by Oswald Chambers]
We all know the difference it makes if we have someone who believes in us and in whom we believe. There is no possibility of being crushed. The Great Life is not that we believe for something, but that when we are up against things in circumstances or in our own disposition, we stake our all on Jesus Christ’s honour.
[from ‘Approved Unto God’ by Oswald Chambers]
‘The Blessing Aotearoa’ — New Zealand Churches join together to sing ‘The Blessing’
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My morning reading included this piece from Oswald Chambers’ ‘Devotions For A Deeper Life’. It really spoke to me, although I cannot say exactly why that should be so: it contains no amazing new revelation, yet it is revelatory; it does not put the quoted scripture verses in a new light, and yet it does — for me at least. I hope it blesses you today also …
Matthew 5:17-20
Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
[Matthew 5:17-20 NKJV]
For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
[Matthew 5:17-20 NKJV]
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (Matthew 5:18 KJV).
The Bible is a universe of revelation facts, not known to unregenerated common sense, and the only exegete of these words is the Holy Spirit. Understanding comes only to the degree of the individual’s reception, recognition, and reliance on the Holy Spirit. Just as facts in the natural world have to be accepted, so facts in the biblical world of God’s will have to be accepted. Our explanation of the facts may be more or less open to dispute. But we can never alter the facts. The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself in the interest of grace. Only as we are the recipients of the grace of God will the Bible be opened for us. This Bible is not a book containing communications about God; it is God’s giving of himself, in the limitation of words, in the interests of grace. The Bible is not a fairy tale to beguile us for a few moments from the sordid realities of life in the natural world. It is the divine complement of the laws of nature, conscience, and humanity.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Lord Jesus, Your Word is “a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
[from ‘Devotions For A Deeper Life’ by Oswald Chambers]
To be a believer in Jesus Christ means realising that what Jesus said to Thomas is true: “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Jesus is not the road we leave behind as we travel, but the Way itself. By believing, we enter into that rest of peace, holiness, and eternal life because we are abiding in Him.
[from ‘Approved Unto God’ by Oswald Chambers]
[from ‘Approved Unto God’ by Oswald Chambers]
‘Seek Ye First The Kingdom Of God’ — Stands Youth Choir
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John 12:42-50
Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.
And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.
And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”
[John 12:42-50 NKJV]
Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.
And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.
And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”
[John 12:42-50 NKJV]
Jesus quoted Isaiah in asking “Who has believed our report?” — who believes this message. This passage acknowledges that many did believe, even among the rulers. We know that Nicodemus (see John 3) was most likely one of them, but their fear of man (and specifically the Pharisees) led them to keep such beliefs to themselves. They were too attached to their position in society and their reputations to acknowledge Jesus openly.
Also, Jesus claiming that He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me, and His out-working explanation of that statement, will have undoubtedly angered many. Jesus speaks truth — He will not and cannot do otherwise — and tells those present that God tells Him what to say. All this polarises opinion (and thus belief) — either Jesus speaks truth or He is deluded. His boldness in declaring that He comes as a light into the world, suggests that He has ‘a big hit for Himself’ to the natural man — who will not or cannot open his mind to the reality or super-reality of Jesus.
What Jesus brings from God can be understood on many levels, but all boil down to the same report/message — God is in control and Jesus is our only link to Him. Jesus was sent to bring salvation/healing if only we will enter The Kingdom; this super-reality of The Spirit, which is unseen but available to all right now and for ever.
Hallelujah!
How anxious we are to serve God and our fellow men!
Jesus our Lord says we must pay attention to the Source — believe in Him, and He will look after the outflow. He has promised that there shall be rivers of living water, but we must not look at the outflow, nor rejoice in successful service.
“Rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20 KJV).
Belief in Jesus is the thing to heed; and through that commission, believers in Jesus are to make disciples.
[from ‘Approved Unto God”]
Jesus our Lord says we must pay attention to the Source — believe in Him, and He will look after the outflow. He has promised that there shall be rivers of living water, but we must not look at the outflow, nor rejoice in successful service.
“Rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20 KJV).
Belief in Jesus is the thing to heed; and through that commission, believers in Jesus are to make disciples.
[from ‘Approved Unto God”]
‘A Wonderful Saviour Is Jesus My Lord’ — Free Presbyterian Church, Magherafelt, Northern Ireland
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Isaiah 53:1
Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
[Isaiah 53:1-3 NKJV]
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
[Isaiah 53:1-3 NKJV]
We considered it worthwhile to look at the original scripture quoted in John 12:37-41. Isaiah 53 is perhaps one of the best known chapters in the Book of Isaiah, and here is what Matthew Henry had to say about these verses in his Commentary:
No where in all the Old Testament is it so plainly and fully prophesied, that Christ ought to suffer, and then to enter into his glory, as in this chapter. But to this day few discern, or will acknowledge, that Divine power which goes with the word. The authentic and most important report of salvation for sinners, through the Son of God, is disregarded. The low condition he submitted to, and his appearance in the world, were not agreeable to the ideas the Jews had formed of the Messiah. It was expected that he should come in pomp; instead of that, he grew up as a plant, silently, and insensibly. He had nothing of the glory which one might have thought to meet with him. His whole life was not only humble as to outward condition, but also sorrowful. Being made sin for us, he underwent the sentence sin had exposed us to. Carnal hearts see nothing in the Lord Jesus to desire an interest in him. Alas! by how many is he still despised in his people, and rejected as to his doctrine and authority!
Reading further in Isaiah 53 fleshes out even more of the picture:
Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
He shall see the labour of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
[Isaiah 53:10-12 NKJV]
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
He shall see the labour of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
[Isaiah 53:10-12 NKJV]
These last verses make plain what Jesus endured for our redemption — we have been bought at that price…
In this, Jesus is our intercessor — a bridge between realms, and like a bridge He carries our weight; He makes a way for us — and that is His reward.
Praise The Lord!
- His dying to bear the sin of many is to undo the fall of mankind as represented by the story of Adam and Eve; it is a corporate work, which ‘wipes the slate clean’
- but each of us can sin and this is where we have to work out our own salvation in fear and trembling
In this, Jesus is our intercessor — a bridge between realms, and like a bridge He carries our weight; He makes a way for us — and that is His reward.
Praise The Lord!
A HOLY CONDITION: Oswald Chambers on Joy and Peace
Peace: Life In The Spirit
After being born again a man experiences peace, but it is a peace maintained at the point of war. The wrong disposition is no longer in the ascendant, but it is there, and the man knows it is. He is conscious of an alternating experience, sometimes he is in ecstasy, sometimes in the dumps; there is no real stability, no real spiritual triumph. To take this as the experience of full salvation is to prove God not justified in the Atonement.
[from ‘Biblical Ethics’]
[from ‘Biblical Ethics’]
You can listen to this meditation by clicking on the download file below:
‘Who Has Believed Our Report?’ — Brian Dunne
- Published on
John 12:37-41
But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him,
that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”
Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.”
These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.
[John 12:37-41 NKJV]
that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”
Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.”
These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.
[John 12:37-41 NKJV]
Do we believe everything we read in the newspapers or hear on the radio, or see on television (and don’t even mention the internet) because there is a lot of twaddle out there? Some undoubtedly factually accurate, but much is supposition and guesswork. We need to approach it all with caution, just as we do with every spirit that comes our way. John gives us this in his first epistle…
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. [1 John 4:1-3 NKJV]
We can trust the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah — and I speak for myself here — seems to have an edge over the other three ‘major prophets’; Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, largely because he used the natural world a lot in his portrayal of spiritual truths. I do not in any way disparage what is said in the other books; merely that I find Isaiah more accessible.
Jesus appears to quote him more also — although I have done no study to confirm this and am prepared to be shot down if anyone can show otherwise. In this passage, John refers to the prophet and mentions him by name — it means ‘Jehovah has saved, rescued, preserved, delivered’ — three times.
Isaiah — who accurately prophesied or foretold so much of Jesus’ life — knew that a lot of the Messiah’s life-changing message would not be believed. Who has believed our report? Basically, who will hear and understand this message?
The answer, of course is, very few indeed; and yet from such inauspicious beginnings has grown the greatest expression of faith the world has ever seen — by far. And yet, it seems that the vast majority still do not understand so much of what Jesus taught — but I’m sure of two things…
The arm of The Lord — His strength and power — was not revealed in that hour. Jesus had to be forsaken for God’s plan to be completed.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. [1 John 4:1-3 NKJV]
We can trust the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah — and I speak for myself here — seems to have an edge over the other three ‘major prophets’; Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, largely because he used the natural world a lot in his portrayal of spiritual truths. I do not in any way disparage what is said in the other books; merely that I find Isaiah more accessible.
Jesus appears to quote him more also — although I have done no study to confirm this and am prepared to be shot down if anyone can show otherwise. In this passage, John refers to the prophet and mentions him by name — it means ‘Jehovah has saved, rescued, preserved, delivered’ — three times.
Isaiah — who accurately prophesied or foretold so much of Jesus’ life — knew that a lot of the Messiah’s life-changing message would not be believed. Who has believed our report? Basically, who will hear and understand this message?
The answer, of course is, very few indeed; and yet from such inauspicious beginnings has grown the greatest expression of faith the world has ever seen — by far. And yet, it seems that the vast majority still do not understand so much of what Jesus taught — but I’m sure of two things…
- I can do nothing but be a faithful witness to Him, and follow where The Holy Spirit leads, and…
- He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts for His own eternal purposes for on earth 2000 years ago, Jesus knew that they did not believe in Him.
The arm of The Lord — His strength and power — was not revealed in that hour. Jesus had to be forsaken for God’s plan to be completed.
Job gives expression to a new conception of God; his hope is that an umpire will arise who will not only justify God, but also justify him.
It was grief that brought Job to this place, and grief is the only thing that will; joy does not, neither does prosperity, but grief does.
[from ‘Baffled To Fight Better’ by Oswald Chambers]
It was grief that brought Job to this place, and grief is the only thing that will; joy does not, neither does prosperity, but grief does.
[from ‘Baffled To Fight Better’ by Oswald Chambers]
“Who Has Believed Our Report” — Esther Upham — Israel Chamber Orchestra
- Published on
Tuesday Gatherings — 14th September 2021
I was glad when they said to me,
"Let us go into the house of the LORD."
[Psalm 122:1 NKJV]
"Let us go into the house of the LORD."
[Psalm 122:1 NKJV]
There was a leading from the Spirit in this week’s Gathering to ‘come into the House of the Lord’ either by Psalm 122 verse 1 or by our opening praise “We have come into this house”. Indeed, this was very much a praising meeting as you will see from our song list below. Here are our notes of what was shared, expanded slightly and with scripture quotes (bold and in italics). We pray that we have caught the spirit of the gathering:
- See the Christ in a people — a corporate work
- Compassion to neighbours — to all — “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:” [John 17:22 NKJV] It starts in the house (“we have come into this house”) — love your brother/sister as yourself because he/she is you in The Lord’s eyes (a work in progress) — “pick up your bed and walk” (actually, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” in Mark 2:11)— a word about our walk with Him and our healing (salvation). Note it is ‘go to your house’.
- Power to heal, but He requires that we reach out to Him — “And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.” [Matthew 12:10a+13b NKJV] — In ‘Acts’, the disciples acted in compassion — Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." [Acts 3:6 NKJV] — His healing is a spiritual work.
- If you are going to come ‘into His house’, then come with a full heart — a heart to take part.
- Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. [Romans 13:8-10 NKJV]
- There is an urgency in this hour (without anxiety) to press on. Are we really serious? Jesus’ flesh was tried at all points. We must proclaim and declare — there is much ‘unseen’, and what is unseen in the spirit realms (profoundly) affect the natural — every day is a battlefield, but approach things ‘in the Spirit’ (putting on the armour of God) and it is a whole different story.
- We read a ‘Seeds of the Kingdom’ devotional by Peter Horrobin, entitled ‘Living Water and Crack-free Cisterns’ taken a message from Jeremiah 2:13 "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.” — the people were finding their own supply; we are called to be perfect vessels without cracks or flaws. The full cistern of Heaven will replace the empty one of the world. — AUDIO AVAILABLE BELOW.
- The future of worship would seem to be with small (maybe interconnected) body groups and prayer fellowships and rather than the larger denominational churches of the past.
- A vision of a cell or molecule multiplying at an increasing rate, but holding together to form a whole.
- We are all (who believe in Him), strangers in a strange land — Then [The Lord God] said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. [Genesis 15:13-14 NKJV]
- We heard ‘Word For Today’, ‘Spiritual Growth is A Group Project’, which quoted The Message from Ephesians 2:18-20. He treated us as equals, and so made us equals. Through him we both share the same Spirit and have equal access to the Father. That's plain enough, isn't it? You're no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You're no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He's using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he's using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone. — AUDIO AVAILABLE BELOW.
- God puts the lonely into families — God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a dry land. [Psalm 68:6 NKJV]
- Time of Prayer
SONGS:
- We Have Come Into This House
- King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Glory, Hallelujah!
- King of Kings, Majesty
- Majesty
- In His Time
- Hallelujah, Praise The Lord
- Let Holiness Rise Up In Power
- By The Anointing Jesus Breaks The Yoke
- Be Still And Know That I Am God
- Emmanuel
- It Is Well With My Soul
- Blessèd Assurance
A HOLY CONDITION
Oswald Chambers on Joy and Peace
Joy: Strength in The Lord
When a man or woman realises what God does work in them through Jesus Christ, they become almost lunatic with joy in the eyes of the world. It is this truth we are trying to state — the realisation of the wonderful salvation of God.
[from ‘If Thou Wilt Be Perfect’]
[from ‘If Thou Wilt Be Perfect’]
You can listen to these
Cornerstone Gathering Notes
by clicking on the download file below:
“Worship Medley: We Have Come Into This House / He Is Lord / Oh The Glory Of His Presence” — West Los Angeles Cogic Choir and Congregation
Living Water and Crack-free Cisterns!
Jeremiah 2:13, NIV “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”
There were many different things that God’s people did when they turned their back on the living God – the list of sins that would be needed to describe all their ungodly activities would have been very long! But when, through the prophet Jeremiah, God began to speak words of rebuke, he reduced all their sinful behaviour into just two categories.
Firstly, they had deserted the only source of living water and secondly, they had tried to generate their own ‘water supply’ as a substitute for the living water that flows from the heart of God.
In Israel, underground cisterns were vital for the storage of water for use during the dry season. Without a good cistern people would die through lack of water. A cracked cistern was useless, water would flow into it alright. But the water would all leak away through the cracks so that when the water was most needed, there would be no water there.
God uses this picture to speak to His people about what they had been doing. He uses the need for physical water as a parable of the need for the living spiritual water, which sustains God’s people through all the ups and downs of life. The first sin of God’s people was to decide that they wanted an alternative source of supply, so instead of constantly coming back to the only source of living water, they did what mankind has tried to do throughout history – they built their own cistern, which embraced everything from idolatry to sexual immorality. They finished up believing that good was bad and bad was good and going in the opposite direction to the ways of God.
God had provided for them everything that was needful for living in covenant relationship with the God who had created the world and everything in it. But pride in the heart of man will always want to build an alternative way, and say it’s better than what God provided in the first place. Ultimately this is the foundation for every alternative belief system, false religion or moral order that has ever risen up in the heart of man and practised on the face of the earth.
It’s easy to look at the people of Jeremiah’s day and ask, “How could they?” But all we need to do is look at our own generation and see that 21st century man is no different. Part of the reason why I believe God put the vision for Ellel 365 into my heart was to ensure that within Ellel Ministries there’s a constant flow of living water from God’s Word and that people are able to know how to build a cistern in their own lives that is sound and without cracks.
Prayer: Help me, Lord, to only ever want the living water which flows from your heart to the heart of man. And give me the determination to rebuild sound and crack-free cisterns in my own life, so that the Water of Life will always be available to me throughout my days – even in seasons of drought. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
There were many different things that God’s people did when they turned their back on the living God – the list of sins that would be needed to describe all their ungodly activities would have been very long! But when, through the prophet Jeremiah, God began to speak words of rebuke, he reduced all their sinful behaviour into just two categories.
Firstly, they had deserted the only source of living water and secondly, they had tried to generate their own ‘water supply’ as a substitute for the living water that flows from the heart of God.
In Israel, underground cisterns were vital for the storage of water for use during the dry season. Without a good cistern people would die through lack of water. A cracked cistern was useless, water would flow into it alright. But the water would all leak away through the cracks so that when the water was most needed, there would be no water there.
God uses this picture to speak to His people about what they had been doing. He uses the need for physical water as a parable of the need for the living spiritual water, which sustains God’s people through all the ups and downs of life. The first sin of God’s people was to decide that they wanted an alternative source of supply, so instead of constantly coming back to the only source of living water, they did what mankind has tried to do throughout history – they built their own cistern, which embraced everything from idolatry to sexual immorality. They finished up believing that good was bad and bad was good and going in the opposite direction to the ways of God.
God had provided for them everything that was needful for living in covenant relationship with the God who had created the world and everything in it. But pride in the heart of man will always want to build an alternative way, and say it’s better than what God provided in the first place. Ultimately this is the foundation for every alternative belief system, false religion or moral order that has ever risen up in the heart of man and practised on the face of the earth.
It’s easy to look at the people of Jeremiah’s day and ask, “How could they?” But all we need to do is look at our own generation and see that 21st century man is no different. Part of the reason why I believe God put the vision for Ellel 365 into my heart was to ensure that within Ellel Ministries there’s a constant flow of living water from God’s Word and that people are able to know how to build a cistern in their own lives that is sound and without cracks.
Prayer: Help me, Lord, to only ever want the living water which flows from your heart to the heart of man. And give me the determination to rebuild sound and crack-free cisterns in my own life, so that the Water of Life will always be available to me throughout my days – even in seasons of drought. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
You can listen to this devotional from
Peter Horrobin of Ellel Ministries
by clicking on the download file below:
Spiritual Growth Is A Group Project
‘Let us go into the house of the LORD.’ Psalm 122:1 NKJV
The psalmist said, ‘I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”’ Do you feel that way about God’s house too? And if not, why not? Paul writes: ‘God is building a home. He’s using us all – irrespective of how we got here – in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day – a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home’ (Ephesians 2:19-22 MSG).
There are times when you need to be alone with God in prayer; there are times you’ll only find the answer you seek when you’re with God’s people. When those who are indwelt by God’s Spirit meet for worship, teaching, encouragement and service, God shows up in a powerful way. You grow spiritually as you experience His presence, hear His Word, and fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Every time you gather with other members of Christ’s body, it reminds you again that you’re on the winning side.
It’s hard to celebrate by yourself. When you’ve something worth celebrating you generally call people together so you can share the joy, right? Jesus is so excited about His victory at the cross, that He calls us together every week to celebrate what He accomplished for us. And celebration, like spiritual growth, is a group project.
The psalmist said, ‘I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”’ Do you feel that way about God’s house too? And if not, why not? Paul writes: ‘God is building a home. He’s using us all – irrespective of how we got here – in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day – a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home’ (Ephesians 2:19-22 MSG).
There are times when you need to be alone with God in prayer; there are times you’ll only find the answer you seek when you’re with God’s people. When those who are indwelt by God’s Spirit meet for worship, teaching, encouragement and service, God shows up in a powerful way. You grow spiritually as you experience His presence, hear His Word, and fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Every time you gather with other members of Christ’s body, it reminds you again that you’re on the winning side.
It’s hard to celebrate by yourself. When you’ve something worth celebrating you generally call people together so you can share the joy, right? Jesus is so excited about His victory at the cross, that He calls us together every week to celebrate what He accomplished for us. And celebration, like spiritual growth, is a group project.
You can listen to this devotional from
UCB Word for Today
by clicking on the download file below:
- Published on
John 12:27-36
Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.
Father, glorify Your name.”
Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”
Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”
Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.
Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
This He said, signifying by what death He would die.
The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”
Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.
While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.
[John 12:27-36 NKJV]
Father, glorify Your name.”
Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”
Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”
Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.
Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
This He said, signifying by what death He would die.
The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”
Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.
While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.
[John 12:27-36 NKJV]
It often feels that Jesus talks in riddles, tries to be obscure with us, when really He is drawing us to come closer, to come up higher, to know Him fully — to take us out of our natural thinking (about ourselves) and guide us into reaching heavenly thinking … which is what, exactly?
All through His earthly life the Gospels tell us that people were astonished by Jesus’ wisdom and how He could explain complex ideas in parables. He was persuasive in a way that only prophets had shown before and yet He was different even in that. This passage begins with Jesus in communication with The Father, even asking if He could be saved from the time ahead, despite immediately acknowledging the answer which He already knew.
That it is reported in this fashion suggests that Jesus was speaking His thoughts aloud — “this is how you do it!” This is how your mind must be — not your thoughts, but the Father’s.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. [Isaiah 55:8 NKJV] The Father desires that our thinking be as His, but at first it is not. There is a process of adjustment — a turning and re-turning our thoughts to His Way of thinking.
And then a thundering voice came from Heaven — a roar — interpreted by some as an Angel speaking to Jesus; but Jesus said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.” Again, Jesus turns things around, deflecting explanation and channelling what they thought they had heard back to the assembly. He says “this is for your benefit,” for he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.
This piece ends with these things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them. What are we to take from that? Logically, if He has left, the people will not see Him — He will be hidden. However, it may be that John is actually telling us of their lack of understanding of what Jesus was saying; that their minds were not adjusted to Jesus’ ‘Holy Spirit’ message. The veil over their minds had yet to be lifted and Jesus was thus ‘hidden’ from them.
Believe in the Light!
All through His earthly life the Gospels tell us that people were astonished by Jesus’ wisdom and how He could explain complex ideas in parables. He was persuasive in a way that only prophets had shown before and yet He was different even in that. This passage begins with Jesus in communication with The Father, even asking if He could be saved from the time ahead, despite immediately acknowledging the answer which He already knew.
That it is reported in this fashion suggests that Jesus was speaking His thoughts aloud — “this is how you do it!” This is how your mind must be — not your thoughts, but the Father’s.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. [Isaiah 55:8 NKJV] The Father desires that our thinking be as His, but at first it is not. There is a process of adjustment — a turning and re-turning our thoughts to His Way of thinking.
And then a thundering voice came from Heaven — a roar — interpreted by some as an Angel speaking to Jesus; but Jesus said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.” Again, Jesus turns things around, deflecting explanation and channelling what they thought they had heard back to the assembly. He says “this is for your benefit,” for he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.
This piece ends with these things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them. What are we to take from that? Logically, if He has left, the people will not see Him — He will be hidden. However, it may be that John is actually telling us of their lack of understanding of what Jesus was saying; that their minds were not adjusted to Jesus’ ‘Holy Spirit’ message. The veil over their minds had yet to be lifted and Jesus was thus ‘hidden’ from them.
Believe in the Light!
What was the joy of The Lord Jesus Christ? His joy was in having completely finished the work His Father gave Him to do; and the same type of joy will be granted to every man and woman who is born of God and sanctified, when they fulfil the work God has given them to do.
What is that work? To be a saint, a walking, talking, living, practical epistle of what God Almighty can do through the Atonement of The Lord Jesus Christ — one in identity with the faith of Jesus, one in identity with the love of Jesus, one in identity with the Spirit of Jesus until we are so one in Him that the high-priestly prayer not only begins to be answered, but is clearly manifest in its answering — “that they may be one, even as We are.”
[from ‘Approved Unto God’]
What is that work? To be a saint, a walking, talking, living, practical epistle of what God Almighty can do through the Atonement of The Lord Jesus Christ — one in identity with the faith of Jesus, one in identity with the love of Jesus, one in identity with the Spirit of Jesus until we are so one in Him that the high-priestly prayer not only begins to be answered, but is clearly manifest in its answering — “that they may be one, even as We are.”
[from ‘Approved Unto God’]
‘Father Of Lights’ — Brandon Oaks
- Published on
John 12:20-26
Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.
Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.
But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.
Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour.
[John 12:20-26]
certain Greeks among those who came up to worship…
… and for ‘Greeks’ we read ‘Gentiles’, which tells us that Jesus is Lord over all peoples, not merely Jews, and Philip and Andrew passing on the message that these Greeks wished to see Jesus seemed to act as the catalyst for Him. He announces that the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.
unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies …
… is a beautiful and complete encapsulation of the outworking of the Plan of God — and also a lesson and reminder to we who follow and have followed Him (His Church) of the pattern that we must embrace.
This is one of those ‘hard sayings’, but said with such encouraging and life-affirming clarity. It is only through death to our earthly desires and looking to our heavenly life-giver that we can ever truly be alive … now and for eternity.
We are reminded of those words oft-repeated in Genesis about bearing fruit after their kind. If we are of Jesus — so like Him that we bear fruit after His kind and not our natural kind, then we have an assurance of eternal life.
where I am, there My servant will be also …
Only a few hours before this meditation was written I read an uplifting message by John Sainsbury at Ellel Ministries, without any idea that it would be relevant now. Here is an extract …
Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.
But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.
Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour.
[John 12:20-26]
certain Greeks among those who came up to worship…
… and for ‘Greeks’ we read ‘Gentiles’, which tells us that Jesus is Lord over all peoples, not merely Jews, and Philip and Andrew passing on the message that these Greeks wished to see Jesus seemed to act as the catalyst for Him. He announces that the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.
unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies …
… is a beautiful and complete encapsulation of the outworking of the Plan of God — and also a lesson and reminder to we who follow and have followed Him (His Church) of the pattern that we must embrace.
This is one of those ‘hard sayings’, but said with such encouraging and life-affirming clarity. It is only through death to our earthly desires and looking to our heavenly life-giver that we can ever truly be alive … now and for eternity.
We are reminded of those words oft-repeated in Genesis about bearing fruit after their kind. If we are of Jesus — so like Him that we bear fruit after His kind and not our natural kind, then we have an assurance of eternal life.
where I am, there My servant will be also …
Only a few hours before this meditation was written I read an uplifting message by John Sainsbury at Ellel Ministries, without any idea that it would be relevant now. Here is an extract …
When we read about the death of Moses in Deuteronomy 34:5 it says, ‘And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab’. Similarly, in the account of the death of Joshua we read, ‘After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died’. When these giants of the faith died, they shared a similar honour, but one that we might not have used to summarise them. Instead of their courage, or their humility, or their wisdom being honoured, the greater tribute paid to them is that they had been ‘the servant of the LORD’.
Jesus Himself said that He had not come to be served but to serve (Matthew 20:28). It seems that, in God’s way of assessing things, the greatest honour goes not to those who were served but to those who gladly and willingly gave their lives in service of the LORD.
If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour...
… a life of service to Him is all it takes to give ‘my utmost for His highest’.
… a life of service to Him is all it takes to give ‘my utmost for His highest’.
It is easier to rely on God in big things than in little things. There is an enormous power in little things to distract our attention from God; that is why our Lord said that ‘the cares of this world,’ ‘the lusts of other things,’ would choke the word and make it unfruitful.
[from ‘The Highest Good’ by Oswald Chambers]
[from ‘The Highest Good’ by Oswald Chambers]
‘Unless A Grain Of Wheat Shall Fall’ — Bernadette Farrell