Notes of Faith August 22, 2024

Notes of Faith August 22, 2024

You've likely heard the idiom, "Hindsight is 20/20." The phrase stems from the concept of perfect vision, referring to the visual acuity measured at 20 feet.

Concerning the context of this idiom, it doesn't relate to physical sight, but rather to the clarity, perception, or understanding of past events. It's easier to analyze and evaluate situations when looking back at them with the benefit of knowing what has happened, as opposed to predicting or understanding things in the present moment. As you know, we often understand situations better and more clearly after they've happened, rather than before or while they are happening.

We dedicated an entire episode of Christ in Prophecy to see if when it comes to the interpretation of Bible prophecy, hindsight is indeed 20/20. The following Bible prophecy teachers were warning us to look out for these particular end times signs.

The World Against the Jews

Olivier Melnick, Shalom in Messiah Ministries

There's been a dramatic rise in Antisemitism since Hamas' invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023. Not only was Israel hit severely by Hamas, but the whole world turned a corner as a result. You see a lot more Antisemitism being expressed in America and around the world, and the boldness in which these people are expressing their Antisemitism has been quite shocking. People are out marching in the streets. They are actually proud of their Antisemitism!

In Jeremiah 31:35-37, God gave a recipe to anybody who wants to completely get rid of the Jews. He says that if you can measure the sky, sun, and moon, and count all the stars, then He will forsake Israel. It's God's tongue-in-cheek way of saying it's not going to happen. Unfortunately, there are always going to be some casualties in war, but God is never going to forsake Israel. People need to watch what's happening in the Middle East—in Israel—because the prophetic time clock is ticking.

Bear in mind, I don't think we've entered the Tribulation just yet. But, I think that people are starting to see prophetic events falling into place. I'm hoping this convergence is going to attract them to the Bible, and the Bible might lead them to the Lord. That's my prayer.

Apostasy in the Church

Don Perkins, According to Prophecy Ministries

A lot of pastors have neither a burden nor a desire to study prophecy. But guess what? Prophecy is coming to them regardless because they have sheep who want answers to their questions. It seems like the world is falling apart, and they want to know why.

People need God's peace. The book of Isaiah says that wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of our times. In other words, having God's wisdom and knowledge about the times we are living in will give you stability. When people don't understand where we are on God's prophetic timeline, they go into panic mode. They are fearful because they don't understand what's going on.

Churches are being tempted to fall into apostasy like never before. People are turning away from the faith. We are suffering from scriptural illiteracy in our churches. I'm praying that more pastors would get back into the Word of God. Apostasy and scriptural illiteracy—my heart's really concerned about these two things.

Rise of the One-World Government

J.B. Hixson, Not By Works Ministries

I've studied for 20 years in-depth the rise of the one-world system—Satan's attempt to take over this world. Satan's earthly accomplices call themselves the Luciferian Conspiracy. I believe we're seeing a coalescence of several Antichrist system events taking shape all at once. Right now we're in an election year. The U.S. economy is worse than ever. The war in Israel has been heating up in the north. So much is going on right now. I've talked to a lot of Bible prophecy experts, and none of them think life's going to simmer down. What's going on will continue to move right into the end times wars.

The biggest sign related to the rise of the one-world government that's changing daily is artificial intelligence and the role of technology in Satan's attempt to take over the world. We're rapidly approaching artificial general intelligence or even artificial superintelligence. When that happens, the genie's out of the bottle, so to speak. It won't be long before governments are going to be able to see everybody, control everybody, track our movements, as well as regulate our buying and selling. So, technology is going to become a big factor in prophetic events.

This means, more than ever before, believers need to be ready, to stay in the Word of God, and to look at everything that's happening through the lens of Scripture, and so be prepared.

Growing Fearfulness

Mondo Gonzales, Prophecy Watchers

I have a lot of family and friends who are not saved, and with the war in Israel and growing Antisemitism, even they are asking, "Is this Armageddon? Is this the end?" We know from Scripture that there's going to be continuing trouble all the way to the end. I don't expect there to be peace on earth until the Prince of Peace returns.

People over the past few years have not forgotten what happened with COVID-19 and all the tyranny and our liberties being taken. So what we're seeing now with the Chinese pneumonia and other disease scares, we know we're being spoon-fed fear.

Christians need to make sure that we continue to teach biblical discernment. Jesus warned us, "Let no one deceive you." Deception will rise significantly with AI and quantum computing. We will soon be able to fake anything. You can have anybody say anything soon. With this technology, discernment's going to be out the window. So, we're going to have to stay close to the Word of God.

I was a pastor during COVID-19 and saw the people in our churches become fearful based on external circumstances. I was like, "Hey, guys, this is where the rubber meets the road as it relates to our faith!" Jesus said in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Do we really believe that? I think we believe it, but we are living in the days when we have to implement it. Rest in the Lord and in the truth of Scripture.

The Gog-Magog War of Ezekiel 38-39

Lee Brainard, Soothkeep

We are seeing the world growing darker and darker all around us. Threatening clouds are gathering which will result in an awful storm. But, for the believer with the eye of faith, every dark cloud has a silver lining. The silver lining here is the prophetic mileposts that tell us the coming of our Lord Jesus is getting nearer.

But first, we're going to have to live through some ugliness. A hegemony is growing among Russia, Turkey, and Iran. These nations are trying not only to dominate the Middle East and Europe, but they're trying to bully China into joining them. They want to force America out of their way. This is going to come to a head when they try to invade Israel. Ezekiel 38-39 tells us that God is going to demonstrate to the entire world that He is the one calling the shots—not Russia, not China, and not America.

Review

Wars and rumors of wars, social upheavals, false teachers and teachings, the church in apostasy, signs of Israel, signs of nature, signs of technology, a convergence of all the end time signs—clearly, hindsight is indeed 20/20. These signs are all increasing in frequency and intensity, just as Jesus foretold.

Knowing this, are you ready for the Lord's return? You can only become ready by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and so be saved. May today be the day of your salvation!

The signs of the times are abundantly clear. How much time do we have left to follow Christ in faith and to bring others to Christ to receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life? Let us live/work for Christ more fervently than ever as the day of His return draws near.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 21, 2024

Notes of Faith August 21, 2024

The Worthy Walk

I…beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.

Ephesians 4:1

Did you grow up among Christians who said, “Don’t drink, smoke, chew, or go with folks who do”? Lots of churches had “lists” of what to avoid and definitions of worldliness that might include things like playing cards, dancing, and shopping on Sundays. Many churches are more relaxed with their “lists” nowadays, but we mustn’t let the pendulum swing too far in the other direction.

As Christians, we are to walk worthy of the calling we have received. That means we should remember we are followers of Jesus and there are some things we are to avoid, some thoughts we should reject, and some habits we ought to change. They aren’t healthy for us in body, soul, or testimony. We don’t want to violate our calling or misrepresent our Savior. Instead, we should have our Christlike character on full display. It’s not a matter of legalism but of true spirituality.

Ask the Lord for wisdom in evaluating your habits and knowing how to walk worthy of the calling you have received.

It appears that too many Christians want to enjoy the thrill of feeling right but are not willing to endure the inconvenience of being right.

A.W. Tozer

Walking with God as described in the Old Testament appears to mean a heart that is devoted to God, not one who does not sin, but rather one who hates his sin, repents of his sin, confesses his sin, and pursues the holiness of God. I would like to think that this is me, loving God, hating the sin within me, and striving to live a life pleasing to God. How are you doing?

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 20, 2024

Notes of Faith August 20, 2024

My morning devotion for Sunday was a day late, so I thought giving you one a day early would be in good order. May God bless you richly today!

The prophet Daniel was a young man who was taken out of Jerusalem into the Babylonian captivity to become one of the people in the courts of King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. Daniel, in chapter 9, received an amazing revelation from the angel Gabriel. He talks about the history or the future of Israel, basically, and he speaks of 70 weeks that are going to come upon the nation of Israel, and look what he says. He was basically speaking about the fact that there’s going to be a latter week, a seven-year period, in the very end when there’s going to be a world leader that shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering in the middle of that week. He will first confirm a covenant with many for one week, but then in the middle of the week, he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering, and on the wing of abomination, he shall be one who makes desolate even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.

And it’s very interesting because it’s the same thing we see in Revelation chapter 6 when we hear about the seals that are opened. “I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, ‘Come and see.’ And I looked and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he went out to conquering and to conquer.” This is the beginning of the rule of a world leader that supposedly will bring peace, but it will be a very deceitful one.

The Bible says in the Book of Zechariah that the worst is yet to come.

The Deceptive Peace

Among the multitude of indicators we are nearing at the end of the church age is the necessity many feel for believing things that are not true in preparation for the man of sin who deceives the world.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Look at all the things in these verses that are present today. Unrighteous deception is rampant, the truth is largely rejected, believing lies is not only promoted but also legally protected, and unrighteous pleasures are the order of the day.

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Amos, Zechariah, and a host of New Testament authors have told us what is coming and what to look for when it is near. All of it is happening right now, including the reality that people all over the world are unhappy with their governments and are hungry for change.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-3

But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

This is the cry of the world today; peace and the safety that comes with it. People are more than ready to accept anyone who can bring it to pass. There is one who is coming who is going to offer the world a pseudo-peace that will only be temporary. He will break the covenant he made with many and declare to the world that he is not just a leader, but God.

Thankfully Paul had more to say in 1 Thessalonians after the comments about the day of the Lord;

1 Thessalonians 5:4

But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.

It is true that we don’t know the day or hour of the Lord’s coming for the church, but it is equally true that the season during which it will happen is not surprising to any who know the Lord and His word. In these last days we need to to be thankful that God has revealed things to us that can only be known through knowing Him. We also can rejoice in the fact that we will not be deceived by all that is happening around us, but will be able to see the lies for what they are, a reminder the Lord is coming for us soon!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

Amir Tsafarti

Notes of Faith August 19, 2024

Notes of Faith August 19, 2024

Why Foster Care Is Worth the Costs

Article by Jamie C. Finn

Guest Contributor

I looked in the rearview mirror at my kids, their cheeks wet and blotchy, their expressions contorted by grief. But I didn’t need to look to know how they were feeling; I could hear how they were feeling, as loud sobs echoed through the minivan. Two and a half years is a long time for anyone, but when you’re six or seven, it’s most of what you remember of your short life. We were driving their (foster) sister home, for the final time, to be reunified with her (biological) mother. They were saying goodbye to their sister forever, and they were feeling their loss deeply.

They weren’t the only ones. My husband cried — wept — in a way I hadn’t seen in our nearly twenty years together. And me? I wasn’t just sad. I was “done.” That’s it. We are done with foster care. I will not do this to myself or to them again. The heartbreak is too much to bear. The uncertainty is too much to carry. The brokenness is too much to wade through. This is not worth it.

“Worth it.” With those two words, I had backed myself into a corner where my emotions and beliefs would be forced to battle it out. Is foster care worth it? I was overwhelmed by what I was feeling: sad, weary, angry, fearful. But what did I believe? What had called me into foster parenting and kept me through the most painful and broken parts before? Simply put, the belief in those simple words — that foster care is worth it.

Children Are Worth It

I love the places in Scripture where we get to see the heart of God walking around with skin on in Jesus Christ. We all know the story. Jesus was with the people, teaching and healing, when they began “bringing children to him that he might touch them” (Mark 10:13), “even infants” as Luke recounts (Luke 18:15). Children? With their lack of status and rights, their snotty noses and silly questions? They don’t deserve to be in the presence of the Rabbi. “The disciples saw it [and] they rebuked them” (Luke 18:15).

But Jesus was “indignant” and turned upside down the view of the children that the disciples — and the society surrounding them — held. “Let the children come to me,” he said (Mark 10:14). “And he took them in his arms and blessed them” (Mark 10:16).

The foundation of foster care begins with this Christlike belief: children are created by God, deeply loved by him, and inherently precious. “God created [children] in his own image” (Genesis 1:27). They are a blessing, heritage, and reward (Psalm 127:3–5). They are the ones of whom Jesus said, “To such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). Every child on this earth — every child in foster care — was “made in the likeness of God” (James 3:9), pointing to his beauty and worth.

It’s not just that my kids are precious; it’s that all kids — even “those” kids — are precious. The infant screaming and quaking from withdrawal is precious. The toddler finger-painting with poop is precious. The little girl hiding rotting food under her bed is precious. The little boy flipping his desk after being triggered is precious. The teenager withdrawing in fear from the presence of a man is precious.

The effects of abuse and neglect on children are destructive and pervasive. But there is no past abuse, current struggle, or future prognosis — no medical diagnosis, mental illness, physical handicap, behavioral issue, or learning disability — that can steal the divine image from a child.

“Any day — or life — spent loving and serving precious children is one well spent.”

In fact, Scripture reveals God’s especially tender heart toward the vulnerable (Deuteronomy 10:18), the oppressed (Psalm 9:9), the one “who [has] no one to help” (Psalm 72:12 NIV), the orphan (Hosea 14:3), the fatherless (Psalm 68:5) — the foster kid. Seeing children as God sees them informs the worth it-ness of foster care. Any day — or life — spent loving and serving precious children is one well spent.

Families Are Worth It

I became a foster parent for the wrong reasons. No, not any of the wrong reasons seen in the made-for-TV-movie portrayals of foster parents. But still, the wrong reasons. I became a foster parent to “save” kids from their “bad” parents. I became a foster parent believing reunification to be the unfortunate by-product of the system. I became a foster parent forgetting that, as precious to the heart of God as children may be, families are just as precious.

The family is precious for the same reason children are precious — it was created by God to display his glory. The family is a rich theological image, created to reflect the perfect love of God for his bride (Ephesians 5:25–27; Isaiah 54:5) and the relationship between the Father and the Son (Matthew 12:18; John 3:35). In the story of human history, the family is introduced at the very beginning. After God creates all things, he immediately acknowledges that aloneness is not good. So, he creates woman, forms the very first family, and commands husband and wife to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). This is the first of many commands God gives to parents and family members throughout his word, all of which demonstrate his good design for the family.

In his perfect plan for the perfect world he created, families would live together in love and unity, with parents tenderly caring for their children and children growing up safe and cherished. But just a few chapters into human history, before the first child is born, sin enters the world, and from that day forward, the curse touches every family ever to be formed. Sin has marred God’s good plan for the family.

But the gospel is great news for broken families. Jesus came to forgive the sinner (1 John 1:9), make new what is old (Revelation 21:5), heal the sick (Matthew 9:35), give life to the dead (Isaiah 25:8). He came so lost people — stuck in the bondage of sin, trauma, addiction, mental illness — could come to know him as Savior. He came so families may be healed and brought back together in wholeness.

Through the gospel, God is restoring all things that sin has corrupted. God created the family unit, and it is sacred to him. Playing a part in foster care — in families being healed and reunited — means getting to be on the front lines of God’s work of restoring families.

Living for Jesus Is Worth It

The life of a foster parent is complicated, full of contradictory emotions and experiences — beauty and brokenness, trauma and healing, gratitude and grief. But if I had to boil it all down to a single defining word, the most articulate one I can come up with is this: hard. Foster care is just plain hard.

I felt it that day in the car, driving my (foster) daughter home, as I’ve felt it many times before and since. Foster care is hard. It’s the hard of peeling a child’s arms from your neck as you send him on a visit with a parent he’s afraid of. The hard of watching a mom you’ve supported relapse and return to an abusive relationship. The hard of daily calls from the principal after a triggering incident.

So, what ultimately makes a life marked by the hard of foster care worth it? The question demands an answer of me, an answer that is steady and sturdy enough to sustain me through every trial, transcend every trouble. And my conclusion falls short if it culminates with the people I’m serving. Ultimately, it’s not the kids or the parents, but someone else completely.

In the end, I’m not a foster parent because I know children need homes or because I believe families should be reunited. I’m a foster parent because I love Jesus. I want to live in surrender to him; I want my days to be spent in the worship of him. I was “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that [I] should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Part of being his means joining him in his mission.

As I take up my cross and follow my Jesus (Matthew 16:24), he leads me to the people he came for, the people he loves. And loving them is one of the ways I love him. It is the miracle of doing for the least of these, and actually having done for him (Matthew 25:40).

Sometimes foster care feels like the warm embrace of a child, and sometimes it feels like offering my body as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). It is hard, but it is worth it. The kids are worth it. The families are worth it. But before and beyond the people, the reason foster care is worth it? Because living for Jesus is always, always worth it.

Jamie C. Finn is the author of Foster the Family and the founder and president of Foster the Family. Jamie is wife to Alan and mother to seven children, including her two biological children, three adopted children, and two children welcomed through foster care.

I am so proud of my son Michael and his wife Casey and their family, one biological child, two adopted children, and a medically complex child they welcomed through foster care. They have had many foster children over the years that were returned to their parents.

Living a life for God is always worth it. The many blessings are unexpected and the “hard” things are still blessings as God uses them to make us more like Jesus! Thank You, God, for the blessings and the hard things. They make this life sweeter and the joy of looking into the eternal future even more blessed!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 18, 2024

Notes of Faith August 18, 2024

Go for the Gold: Wisdom

August 17, 2024

How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

Proverbs 16:16

Recommended Reading: Proverbs 1:1-7

Aristotle said, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” Socrates said, “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” Tolstoy said, “We can know only that we know nothing, and that is the highest degree of human wisdom.”

The world around us isn’t wise and cannot even define the term. Wisdom is a biblical concept that represents the viewpoint of God on every aspect of creation. In other words, wisdom is seeing the world as God does, evaluating every situation as God would, and responding to our circumstances just as if Christ Himself were responding. Wisdom is looking at life from God’s point of view.

Since the thoughts of God are assembled in His Book, it’s vital to get into your Bible so seriously that it gets into you. The more we study the thoughts of God, the more we’ll internalize them and relate them to life. We are transformed by the renewing of our minds—and that kind of wisdom is worth all the gold on earth!

Wisdom tells us how to live out the truth that we receive and impart it to others for both their eternal benefit and earthly blessing.

Charles Stanley

God is wisdom…since God knows everything, He is all wise. We must seek Him and learn from Him if we want true wisdom. He will lead us into all truth. Truth will set us free. Let us pursue a life filled with love and joy because of our relationship with the Creator and Sustainer of the universe!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 17, 2024

Notes of Faith August 17, 2024

Lion of the Tribe of Judah

YAHWEH ROPHE

The Hebrew word rophe means “heal,” “cure,” “restore,” or “make whole.” Shortly after His people left Egypt for the Promised Land, God revealed Himself as Yahweh Rophe, “the Lord who heals.” The Hebrew Scriptures indicate that God is the source of all healing. As you pray to Yahweh Rophe, ask Him to search your heart. Take time to let Him show you what it contains. If He uncovers any sin, ask for His forgiveness and then pray for healing. The New Testament reveals Jesus as the Great Physician, the healer of body and soul, whose miracles point to the Kingdom of God.

KEY SCRIPTURE

He said, “If you will listen carefully to Yahweh your Elohim and do what He considers right, if you pay attention to His commands and obey all His laws, I will never make you suffer any of the diseases I made the Egyptians suffer, because I am Yahweh Ropheka.” — Exodus 15:26

GOD REVEALS HIS NAME IN SCRIPTURE

Ex. 15:20-27

20 Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand. All the women, dancing with tambourines, followed her. 21 Miriam sang to them:

“Sing to Yahweh.

He has won a glorious victory.

He has thrown horses and their riders into the sea.”

22 Moses led Israel away from the Red Sea into the desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they couldn’t drink the water because it tasted bitter. That’s why the place was called Marah [Bitter Place]. 24 The people complained about Moses by asking, “What are we supposed to drink?”

25 Moses cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh showed[a] him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

There Yahweh set down laws and rules for them to live by, and there he tested them. 26 He said, “If you will listen carefully to Yahweh your Elohim and do what He considers right, if you pay attention to His commands and obey all His laws, I will never make you suffer any of the diseases I made the Egyptians suffer, because I am Yahweh Ropheka.”

27 Next, they went to Elim, where there were 12 springs and 70 palm trees. They camped there by the water.

Understanding the Name

The verb from which Rophe is derived occurs sixty-seven times in the Old Testament. Though it often refers to physical healing, it usually has a larger meaning as well, involving the entire person. Rather than merely healing the body, Yahweh Rophe (yah-WEH ro-FEH) heals the mind and soul as well. This Hebrew verb is also used in other ways — for example, God “heals” water, land, and nations, and he “repairs” an altar. Significantly, God also heals sin and apostasy. The Hebrew Scriptures, in fact, link sickness and sin by presenting sin as the cause of illness just as it is the cause of death. In the New Testament, the corresponding Greek word is iaomai, which can refer to deliverance from death, demons, sickness, and sin.

Jesus, the great healer, clearly indicated that sickness is not necessarily caused by sin on the part of the person who is ill. Rather, it can result from living in a sinful, fallen world.

As you pray to Yahweh Rophe, ask Him to search your heart.

Connecting to the Name

1. How did circumstances influence the people’s attitude toward God? Describe times in your own life when your circumstances have caused your attitude toward God to fluctuate.

2. How did Moses react to the circumstances? What does his example teach about how we should respond to difficult circumstances?

3. The waters of Marah were bitter and God made them sweet. What areas of bitterness in your life have been healed or might still need healing?

4. On what condition does God base His promise to keep the Israelites from disease?

5. Describe a time in your life when breaking Yahweh Rophe’s commands caused you suffering or even sickness.

6. God tested the Israelites with adverse circumstances, thus uncovering what was in their hearts. Describe ways in which you have experienced God testing you. How did you respond?

7. What does this passage say about God’s control over sickness and health?

8. How have you experienced God answering your own prayers for healing?

Praying a Passage with God’s Name

Praise God for the surprising way in which He has healed our sin, healing us through the wounds of His son. Spend a few moments reflecting on the name Yahweh Rophe, The LORD Who Heals, as you read Isaiah 53:4–5.

He certainly has taken upon Himself our suffering and carried our sorrows,

but we thought that Elohim had wounded Him, beat Him, and punished Him.

He was wounded for our rebellious acts. He was crushed for our sins.

He was punished so that we could have peace, and we received healing from His wounds.

PRAYING THE NAME YAHWEH ROPHE FOR MYSELF

Look up and read:

Do you feel the pressure to live by a list of rules? This is not what God wants for you. He wants you to be drawn by His grace and by the great care He put into His Word. The law found in the Bible was written by Yahweh Rophe, the only One who can truly heal your heart. Ask God to show you where the pressure you feel is truly coming from.

Promises from YAHWEH ROPHE

This is what Yahweh Elohim of your ancestor David says: I’ve heard your prayer. I’ve seen your tears. Now I’m going to heal you. — 2 Kings 20:5

When Yeshua heard this, he told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid! Just believe, and she will get well.” — Luke 8:50

FOR DEEPER STUDY

Read the following passages, considering the name YAHWEH ROPHE and how its meaning relates to the context of the passage.

Psalms 38,

Psalm 103:1–5, Psalm 147:1–6

Isaiah 53; Isaiah 57:18–20

Jeremiah 17:14

Matthew 8:16–17

Luke 4:14–19; Luke 8:50

John 9:1–7

James 5:14–16

Excerpted with permission from Praying the Names of God for 52 Weeks by Ann Spangler, copyright Ann Spangler.

Reading the Word of God reveals who God is and His character as He describes Himself with names. This is one of those. A very important one as I am sure everyone needs healing at one time or another. We all need spiritual healing from our sickness unto death because of sin. God will heal us perfectly of this affliction if we will endure to the end in the faith that He gives us to believe and trust in His Son for the work of forgiveness and salvation that He did for every person. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be healed for all eternity!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 16, 2024

Notes of Faith August 16, 2024

The Supply of the Spirit

For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit.

Philippians 1:19

One of the world’s longest pipelines is the Druzhba Pipeline, which stretches 2,500 miles from Eastern Russia to points throughout Europe. But there are problems. Because of the war in Ukraine, some of the pipeline has been closed, and oil deliveries have been disrupted.

The biggest pipeline in the entire universe is the one that transports the oil of the Holy Spirit into the hearts of believers. For Christians who are walking in the light of Jesus, there are no disruptions in the flow. Yes, sin can quench the Spirit and grieve the Spirit. But if we’re close to the Lord, we have access to the fullness of the Holy Spirit every moment, and that empowers us for both living and serving.

You might not think you’re worthy to serve the Lord. None of us are! Yet we are worthy in Christ. When we yield ourselves to Him, He does His work, speaks His words, and lives His life through us by the Spirit.

Today, pray for God to fill you with His Spirit.

I am convinced that to be filled with the Spirit is not an option, but a necessity. It is indispensable for the abundant life and for fruitful service.

Billy Graham

If and when you sin, you know that you do, and you do not feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit, you do not belong to God. You are not a Christian and calling yourself one is only an attempt to fool yourself. The Holy Spirit will always convict a person of his sin, actions, thoughts, words, deeds. By His presence in your life you know that you belong to God. Submitting, yielding to the will of the Holy Spirit brings blessing and an abundant life, greater than you could ever dream. Examine yourself to see if you are in the faith. Are you a true believer and follower of Christ? If not, repent of your sin today, turn from it, and come to Jesus in true belief and faith. Know that you will have eternal life with Jesus because of the Holy Spirit who is within you.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 15, 2024

Notes of Faith August 15, 2024

Mystery Revealed

[The mystery is] that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel.

Ephesians 3:6

God promised to bless “all the families of the earth” through Abraham (Genesis 12:3). Gentiles would be blessed along with Jews; the Messiah would be “a light to the Gentiles” (Isaiah 49:6). And when the Jewish elder Simeon saw the baby Jesus, he recognized Him as “a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles” (Luke 2:32). So when Jesus described Himself as “the light of the world” (John 8:12), it should have been immediately understood by Jewish leaders. But it was not. The Jews did not see the Gentiles as fellow heirs of God’s blessings promised to Abraham.

Isa 49:5-6

5 And now says the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,

To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him

(For I am honored in the sight of the Lord,

And My God is My strength),

6 He says, "It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant

To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;

I will also make You a light of the nations

So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth."

NASU

But by the grace given to Paul, he made this mystery known: Gentiles are fellow heirs and partakers of God’s blessing through Christ (Ephesians 3:2-6). There were clues to this revelation in the Old Testament, but Jewish leaders did not have eyes to see what God purposed to do through Christ and His Gospel. Thanks be to God; this truth is no longer a mystery—the Gospel is for everyone!

Through faith in Christ, all men and women are united in one Body. Let nothing obstruct that unity and shared blessings!

[The Gospel is] the clear manifestation of the mystery of Christ.

John Calvin

There are only two peoples of the world…true believers in and followers of Jesus and those who are not. Those who do not know the one true God will live forever in a place of torment and pain, judged and condemned for their unbelief. Those who do know God are ONE body…yes, we have issues, distinctions, wrong interpretations of what God tells us in His Word, but, true believers will be brought together because of the faith God gives them and we will know the truth when we see Him face to face! Love all brothers and sisters in Christ, for we are one!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 14, 2024

Notes of Faith August 14, 2024

God’s New Temple

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

Ephesians 2:19

Only Jews were allowed on the grounds of the temple itself (Acts 21:26-28), but Herod’s Temple (the Jerusalem temple in Jesus’ and the apostles’ day) had an outer courtyard where Gentiles could gather (where the money changers and merchants set up shop—John 2:14-17).

1 Peter 2:4-10

4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:

"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,

a cornerstone chosen and precious,

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."

7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

"The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone,"

8 and

"A stone of stumbling,

and a rock of offense."

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

The apostles Paul and Peter both wrote of a new temple—a spiritual edifice made up of Jews and Gentiles alike who were united into one Body through faith in Christ. God’s purpose in Christ was to abolish the law which was the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile “so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace” (Ephesians 2:15). “Peace” was preached to those who were far off (Gentiles) and those who were near (Jews), granting both “access by one Spirit to the Father” (verses 17-18). The whole building is growing into a “holy temple in the Lord” (verses 21-22).

By the grace of God, there is no longer a “distinction between Jew and Greek [Gentile]”—there is one Lord over all (Romans 10:12; Galatians 3:28). If you are in Christ, you are a living stone in His new temple.

We are one in Christ; let us be friends with one another.

Charles Spurgeon

This truth is only for those that are believers in Christ Jesus. Those that are not believers in Jesus are not part of this that God is building. We must reach out to those who do not know Christ, the way, the truth, and the life, while we still have opportunity. There will come a time when we will no longer be able to share with family, neighbors, friends, employers, those we meet every day, even those who cause us harm…they all need Jesus to receive eternal life. Otherwise, they will be eternally condemned and punished. We must pray and work to lead people to the throne of Jesus to be saved!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 13, 2024

Notes of Faith August 13, 2024

Undefeated

Living in this broken world, people know defeat all too well.

Everyone has experienced a relationship where someone let them down, or a situation that didn’t work out the way they hoped. These moments of disappointment or frustration reveal the tragic fact that this world is deeply flawed. Even though believers live in the hope of the resurrection and the victorious life that Jesus promises through His Spirit, he still calls us to live in this world, where we experience death, brokenness, mourning, and pain (in contrast to the coming Kingdom: Revelation 21:4).

Jesus’ resurrection reveals to believers the true way to life.

Those who think that the abundant life consists of finding one’s way around suffering and hardship have a misguided perception of what Jesus promised. Jesus’ life and example teach that the way to a full life consists of service, hardship, opposition, pain, and suffering. Believers look at Jesus’ life and see that God’s best plan for His Son was to stay close to Him through the most unimaginable of circumstances. The New Testament shows many times over that God was with His Son until the end, when Jesus took our sin upon Himself and suffered on the Cross.

But the good news is God didn’t leave His Son in the grave!

Because Jesus submitted to the point of death, and then defeated death, He paved the way for all people to find eternal life. By submitting Himself to death, Jesus found life.

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me and for the gospel will save it. — Mark 8:35

It’s only in surrendering to His will and His way that believers actually find the fullness of life as God intended it. Giving is the key to gaining.

In all of this, Jesus is victorious. He was, is, and will always be undefeated by sin, by death, and by the grave. His victory is found in the fact that He was, and is, a selfless servant. In graciously giving His life, He also created a pathway to the life that is truly life eternal.

Excerpted from The Jesus Bible, copyright Zondervan.

Life is hard. It is not fair. We will experience trials and tribulations. But… Since Jesus rose from the dead, defeating sin and death on our behalf, we win! If you read the end of the book, your Bible, we win. We cannot be defeated, if we belong to Jesus. Eternal life in the presence of God is only possible through faith in Jesus, who He is, the work He has done, is doing and is going to do… Come to Jesus, learn from Jesus, truly know Jesus, and you will find the God who wins because He is in control of all things.

Pastor Dale