Dear
Present Truth Magazine Subscriber:
We
are glad to have you as a subscriber to our Present Truth Magazine. Below
you will find articles from individual authors who have written for our
magazine. Our prayer for all who
receive read these articles is that the Lord "...may give to you the
Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may
know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of
His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:17-18).
THE REWARDS OF KINGDOM LIVING
By A. Wilson Phillips
The most significant
characteristic of Judaism and Christianity is the supernatural works of
our God. We call these episodes “miracles.”
When God’s Word says that He
worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, this indicates that
there are miracles that believers should be accustomed to in their daily
lives (Acts 19:11).
Paul had a history with God’s
discipline and character development. He learned obedience through heart
suffering in the will of God (Acts 9:15-16).
God also worked unusual
miracles through His prophet Moses. However, it took forty years of God’s
dealings in his personal life before God could do the unusual miracles
through him. God took the natural Egyptian ways of learning out of Moses
and made him the most humble man on earth (Acts 7:22-33).
When God had sufficiently
prepared His prophet Moses to be totally submissive to His word and will,
He told Moses to “cast his rod to the ground.” Moses obeyed God’s voice,
and the rod became a serpent. A further test of obedience came when God
said, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (Ex. 4:2-4).
God had a two-fold purpose in
working unusual miracles through Moses. Firstly, God wanted to convince
Moses that He was with him. Secondly, the Lord wanted the Egyptians and
Hebrew brethren to believe that He was with Moses.
The record shows that Moses’
Hebrew brethren believed for awhile but then disbelieved and suffered a
great loss by not entering into their inheritance in the promised land of
Canaan.
The very same problem happened
to the Apostle Paul.
Now God worked
unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or
aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them
and the evil spirits went out of them (Acts 19:11-12).
Paul’s passion for Christ and
his calling led him to be one of Jesus’ premier voices and literary
apostles. The record says:
From Miletus he
sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. And when they had
come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day that I came to
Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all
humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting
of the Jews; how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it
to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to
Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord
Jesus Christ. And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not
knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy
Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await
me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to
myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which
I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of
God” (Acts 20:17-24).
We see a bittersweet ending in
Paul’s life when many ceased to believe in this great man of God.
For I am
already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my
departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished
the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to
me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His
appearing. Be diligent to come to me quickly; for Demas has forsaken
me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica…
Alexander the
coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his
works. You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our
words. At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me.
May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and
strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through
me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of
the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil
work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and
ever. Amen! (2 Tim. 4:6-10a, 14-18).
It takes a quality decision
and quality commitment to enter into the experience and rewards of
the kingdom of God today. Our culture testifies to the watered-down
gospel. We hear many confessions about Christ as being Lord; however,
there are not many true disciples.
The
American cultural democratic Christianity that is being offered is very
alluring to the flesh. Paul would say it’s
“a different gospel, which is not another” (Gal. 1:6-7).
Those who “sell out” to God and
listen to the voice of His Holy Spirit will have a testimony of a life of
good health, wealth, and prosperity in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). Truly
God’s Word and Spirit declare, “The best is yet to come.”
A. Wilson Phillips is the co-founding and senior
pastor of Abundant Life Covenant
Church.
BRANCHING
OUT
By Richard K. Clark
My wife and I were young and
moving into our first new home. Though it was modest, we loved that it was
ours (and, of course, the bank’s). One of the first things I did—I planted
a small weeping willow tree in the front yard. Not being a horticulturist,
I did not know what I had or what to expect from this sapling. I was
pleasantly surprised when it grew rapidly and beautifully. The branches
seemed to grow inches each day, and before long my little tree was quite
large and full.
This image in my mind reminds
me of Jesus’ marvelous word-picture that He painted for His disciples in
one of those intimate, heart-revealing times.
I am the
vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him,
bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5).
Christ was the last of Adam’s
race (1 Cor. 15:45) and was soon to be the firstborn of a whole new
people. After His death, burial, and resurrection, the heavenly Man became
our life-giving Spirit. The beauty of our union with Christ is that our
old sin-dead nature was crucified with Him, and we were born again in His
resurrection. We actually become a different person, old things have
passed away and all things have become new (2 Cor. 5:17).
You did not
choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and
bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever
you ask the Father in My name He may give you (John 15:16).
As branches of the true vine,
we are the unending recipients of our Lord’s life-flow and cleansing along
with our Father’s masterful pruning. It would be impossible to know where
the True Vine ends and the branches begin because the life of our Lord is
infinite—we are the essence of the “Divine Vine.” We were chosen and
anointed by Christ to bear His lasting fruit, since the “good” tree cannot
produce “bad” fruit.
Then speak to
him, saying, “Thus says the Lord
of hosts, saying:
‘Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH!
From His place He shall branch out,
And He shall build the temple of the Lord’”
(Zech. 6:12).
Christ the Branch came to build
His church, and this is an everlasting assignment. Today He is still
“branching out” through His people.
Now to Him who
is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church
by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.
Amen (Eph. 3:20-21).
As we abide in Christ, we have
no limitations because “abiding in Christ” is the key. My little weeping
willow tree surpassed my expectations simply by functioning as God had
programmed. The everlasting kingdom of God is the
same. In each generation, we abide in Jesus, His
Word abides in us, He lifts our thoughts and words to His level, His power
is at work in and through us, the fruit
that
comes forth is the life of Christ, and all the glory returns to our
Father.
Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I
compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his
garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air
nested in its branches” (Luke
13:18-19).
Richard K. Clark is an associate pastor of Abundant Life Covenant Church.
The Best Valentine Secret
By Benjamin Davis
February is famously known in
America as the month for Valentine’s Day. The card stores clear out half
their area for Valentine cards, the children make cards and buy candy to
give to their friends, and all of us would-be Valentine wooers buy
heart-shaped candy, heart-shaped roses, and heart-shaped cards for that
special person.
Valentine’s Day appeals to our
culture because we are driven by our longing for intimate relationships.
Intimate relationships between people are God’s idea and have His blessing
when we operate under His moral guidelines in marriage, in church, and in
the home. However, when an intimate relationship develops that is outside
God’s blessing, it is usually developed in secret. That’s because sin
prospers in the dark, but it cannot live in the light.
One secret relationship that
God wants us to develop is a secret relationship with the
person of the Holy Spirit. Jesus described this secret relationship when
explaining how the Holy Spirit would relate to us:
And I will pray
the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with
you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because
it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He
dwells with you and will be in you (John 14:16-17).
From the Greek word
parakletos, “Holy Spirit” is known as the secret Helper and can also
be known as the secret Counselor, Attorney, and/or Assistant. Having a
secret relationship with Him is like having a good lawyer and therapeutic
counselor as your shadow. Anytime you need wisdom, counsel, assistance, or
even a little more confidence, He is there to meet the need.
People who develop this secret
relationship with Holy Spirit become instruments of God’s power working in
the earth. Ordinary person-to-person encounters become extraordinary as
people are touched by His power working through submitted believers.
Signs, wonders, and miracles occur in everyday needs and circumstances.
Often, believers do not gain
the full benefit of their secret relationship with Holy Spirit because
their other secret relationships are grieving Him. Paul encouraged
believers to be careful with their relationship with Holy Spirit so as
not to grieve Him:
And do not
grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be
put away from you, with all malice (Eph. 4:30-31).
Believers often develop
unhealthy and sometimes immoral secret relationships that grieve Holy
Spirit. These secret relationships can be with other people, with their
own bitterness, with food or drugs (both prescription and illegal), with
internet pornography, with gossip and “evil speaking,” or even with work
or hobbies that have become an obsession. All of these grieve our greatest
ally, Holy Spirit, who was given to us to free us from all these
relationships.
Believers who develop an
intimate, secret relationship with Holy Spirit and stay free from the
kinds of secret relationships that grieve Him can experience a quality of
life in our present day. God will use them to advance His kingdom in the
21st century. Having an ongoing, intimate secret relationship
with Holy Spirit
will
also help us become a better valentine.
Here is a good prayer/song to
keep in our heart:
Holy Spirit,
All Divine,
Dwell within
this heart of mine;
Cast down every
idle throne,
Reign supreme, reign alone
Benjamin Davis is an associate pastor of Abundant Life Covenant Church
NEVER TRAPPED
By Jonathan Clark, M.D.
“I can’t get another job. The
benefits I have now are too good, and besides, my husband would never
think of letting me switch jobs.”
I had just recommended to my
friend that she consider looking for a different line of work. Her manual
labor job had taken its toll on her body over the years. I was concerned
that her physical problems would just continue to multiply over time if
she didn’t make a change.
My friend’s dilemma is
something that I see on a regular basis—people feeling trapped in a bad
situation with seemingly no way out. Circumstances revolving around bad
relationships, financial woes, health fears, and work-related stress are
often at the core of their worries, making them feel as if they are
“between a rock and a hard place.” Whether or not a person is actually
without options is irrelevant as pertains to the person’s reality; one who
is trapped in their own mind is still experiencing psychological jail.
Hopelessness and depression are usually not far behind.
I remember another friend who
had come to see me about unrelenting and ongoing pain from arthritis. She
was very distraught about her constant suffering that was not being
adequately relieved by the highest dose of the very best medicine
available. I suggested six or seven different options, all of which were
immediately discarded by my friend with such responses as “Won’t work” or
“Didn’t help” or “I can’t do that.” Her specialist had not given her any
options except trying another surgery, and he told her that having surgery
would probably not even help much.
“Why don’t we consider getting
a second opinion from a different specialist?” I suggested.
“No,” she replied. “I like my
specialist. He shoots straight with me.”
I was a casual acquaintance of
her specialist and had found him to be a likable and friendly person but
somewhat of a negative thinker. For him, the glass was usually
half-empty.
“Your specialist is shooting
straight with you—he is giving you his understanding of medical realities.
These are his realities. But, I’m hopeful that the ‘straight
reality’ of another specialist might be different and better for you.”
I have learned through the
years that a professional is only as good as the professions of his/her
mouth. If a medical doctor’s professions are usually negative, that
doctor’s professional opinions for helping patients will usually be very
limited. In reality, God (and science) are not limited by my thoughts and
words, but I am: “For as he thinks in his
heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7). 
The answer to
both of my friends’ dilemmas was faith—finding the path that God was
leading in each situation and embracing God’s solution wholeheartedly.
“Faith comes by hearing...the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). When one
feels trapped (in his/her mind), that is usually when God is leading that
person to open his/her mind to better possibilities in better situations.
God is always leading His people in a path of success!
Jonathan Clark is an elder of Abundant Life Covenant Church and a physician in
Springfield, Missouri.
OTHERS MAY, YOU CANNOT
By Christa Clark
I grew up hearing stories about
farmers in the Missouri hills using mule- or horse-drawn plows and farm
equipment to make a living from the land. Old photographs showed the work
animals with their gear on, including the blinders on each side of their
head to keep them focused on the job. God used this picture of the
workhorse with blinders on to teach me a lesson several years ago.
I was at a place in my life
where I looked around at some of my acquaintances and envied their
apparent freedom to “live their American dream.” The Lord knew my thoughts
and very firmly spoke to my spirit to stay focused on Him. “Keep the
blinders on and let Me lead you.”
At around the same time,
someone gave me a sheet of paper that had two short articles on it. The
first article was titled “Dying to Self” and the second one was “Others
May, You Cannot.” Both articles touched my heart, but the second one the
Holy Spirit has brought back to my mind several times over the years. I’ve
printed it below; the author is unknown.
“If God has called you to be
really like Jesus, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and
humility, and put upon you such demands of obedience, that you will not be
able to measure yourself by other Christians, and in many ways He will
seem to let other people do things which He will not let you do.
“Other Christians and
ministers, who seem very religious and useful, may push themselves, pull
wires, and work schemes to carry out their plans, but you cannot do it,
and if you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the
Lord as to make you sorely penitent.
“Others may boast of
themselves, or their work, or their successes, or their writings, but the
Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, and if you begin it,
He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise
yourself and all your good works.
“Others may be allowed to
succeed in making money, or may have a legacy left to them, but He wants
you to have something far better than gold, namely, a helpless dependence
upon Him, that He may have the privilege of supplying your needs day by
day out of an unseen treasury.
“The Lord may let others be
honored and put forward and keep you hidden in obscurity, because He wants
to produce some choice, fragrant fruit, which can only be produced in the
shade. He may let others be great but keep you small. He may let others do
a work for Him and get the credit for it, but He will make you work and
toil on without others knowing how much you are doing; and then to make
your work still more precious, He may let others get credit for work that
you have done.
“The Holy Spirit will put a
strict watch over you, with a jealous love, and will rebuke you for little
words and feelings or for wasting your time, which other Christians never
feel distressed over. So make up your mind that God is an infinite
Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own. He may not
explain to you a thousand things that puzzle your reason in His dealings
with you, but if you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave, He will
wrap you up in a jealous love and bestow upon you many blessings which
come only to those who are in the inner circle.
“Settle it forever, then,
that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, and that He must have
the right to tie your tongue, or chain your hand, or close your eyes, in
ways that He does not seem to use with others. Now, when you are so
possessed with the living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased
and
delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and
management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the
vestibule of heaven.”
When I find myself getting into
any jealousy or self-pity, the Holy Spirit reminds me that the Lord’s plan
for my life is perfect. I can truly say that my life is so much better
with His hand to the plow than if I would have tried to steer.
Christa Clark is an elder of Abundant Life
Covenant Church.
Correction and Direction from God
By Clayton Davis
This past year the Lord
has done a lot of things in my life. He has His ways of correcting His
children. It seems to me that His correction often comes through my
parents.
In June when the youth
group got back from camp, everyone who went shared how they had had some
type of experience with the Lord. For me, the experience I had happened to
be correction. The Lord convicted me about how I was living my life and
about my attitude. He showed me
that my attitude
had been wrong towards my parents and brother and sister, and towards how
I lived my life.
There was a certain
amount of change in my life after camp but not enough. My parents noticed
this quickly. My dad gave me the assignment of reading the book of
Proverbs. Even though the Lord had convicted me at camp, I was still going
against most of the Proverbs written. I read the book of Proverbs and
tried to be sensitive to the Lord and what He was speaking to me. One of
the most important verses that stuck out to me was Proverbs 12:1—
Whoever loves instruction loves
knowledge,
But he who hates correction is
stupid.
That stuck out to
me in a lot of ways. I realized that whenever my mom or dad corrected me,
I didn’t listen. I thought that I was above correction, which no one will
ever be. Through the book of Proverbs, the Lord has shown me that if I
accept Him into my life and let Him have an intimate relationship with
me, He will work through me in my school, home, and work life. If the Lord
can’t have an intimate relationship with me, then I can’t have an intimate
relationship with others.
This change that
came into my life lasted for a long time—then school started. I allowed
sin to enter into my life again, and it clouded my knowledge of correction
and smart judgment. I began to put other things ahead of God in my life.
It started when I sent out an e-mail that was
not edifying to God at all and not very nice. One of my friend’s parents
told my mom about it. My mom decided to go and check my e-mails and see
what else I might have said or sent out. She found some e-mails that
shouldn’t have been sent or said at all. She printed them out and showed
my dad. Then the talk came.
There was more than one issue
to deal with. I was also hanging with some bad people and not doing
anything to help them.
Through this entire situation,
God has been showing me that if I am putting anything ahead of Him, He’ll
set up situations to cause me to fail in hiding any sin. I repented, and
now that is all in the past.
As I continue to be sensitive
to God’s Word, I can receive correction from Him about my actions and have
fewer consequences. Having daily devotions with the Lord helps me to be
more aware of what God is doing in my life and in other situations.
Reading and studying our pastor’s message outlines in my devotions helps
me be more sensitive to God’s loving correction. As long as I stay open to
the Lord and keep a clean heart, He will do great things in me and in
those I am evangelizing.
Clayton Davis is an eighth grader at Carver
Middle School in Springfield, Missouri.
Eight-Fold Ministry of
Today’s Church
By Gavin Walker
It was He who
gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and
some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of
service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach
unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become
mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph.
4:11-13, NIV).
In Ephesians, I have studied
many times about the five-fold ministry of the church. There are apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers within the church. I know
that I am supposed to evangelize and teach people whenever the Lord gives
me an opportunity, but aside from being a teacher at times, I have never
actually held one of these posts within our church.
Paul lists eight “ministries”
in his letter to the Corinthians.
Now you are the
body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God
has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then
workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to
help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in
different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all
teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak
in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And
now I will show you the most excellent way (1 Cor. 12:27-31, NIV).
I have known for some time that
my ministry doesn’t stop at the church door. It happens seven days a week
as I work in the business community as a computer programmer, technician,
and as a business owner/operator. As I was pondering the First Corinthians
passage, I saw it there in black and white. I think that when Paul
mentions “those having gifts of healing,” he means anyone who works
in the medical community as well as those who lay hands on people and
bring miraculous healing. When Paul mentions “those able to help
others,” he is including nearly everybody that draws a paycheck or
does volunteer work. “Those with gifts of administration” can refer
to all bosses, parents, and government officials. I think this covers
nearly the whole gamut of the workforce.
Therefore, it is important
to remember that pastors are equipping each of us in the body of Christ to
take God’s kingdom to the workplace, regardless of whether we are a
butcher, baker, candlestick maker, computer programmer, or chief executive
officer.
When I read further in the
First Corinthians passage, I find that Paul goes to great lengths to
describe just how important every member of the body is. The church’s
apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers would not be able
to function as the full body of Christ without the rest of the workforce
to back them up.
A book that helped me think
along these lines is Doing Business God’s Way by Dennis Peacocke. I
propose it is not just a five-fold ministry but rather an eight-fold
ministry—because my work in God’s kingdom doesn’t stop at the church
doors; it begins when I leave the front door of my house.
Gavin Walker and his wife Cassandra own and
operate MedTech Medical Management Systems in Springfield, Missouri.
THE BEST TEST AID—HOLY SPIRIT
By Aaron Frater
The Holy Spirit is our present
help right now (Ps. 46:1). He has been bringing this truth back to me
again and again, and recently He made me realize the vital importance of
this.
Anyone who really knows me knows that I really don’t like tests. I get all
antsy and panicky on them and have trouble keeping my focus. I had been
having a grand old time taking advantage of test loopholes (you know, the
“eliminate-two-answers” method, etc.) without taking advantage of the best
test aid ever—the Holy Spirit.
I made a couple of low scores
on tests in Physics and Algebra 2, and I knew this wasn’t good. I have
made it a practice to have devotions in the morning, and during one of
these times, the Holy Spirit prompted me that I wasn’t taking advantage of
Him. What? How wasn’t I doing that? He showed me that if I had used Him
on those tests, I would have done a heck-of-a-lot better on them. Guess
what. I had my SAT the next morning! Now isn’t it “coincidental” that He
gave me that revelation the morning before the biggest test in my life?
More like a predestined plan if you ask me.
As I was in the test room
tackling this beast of a test, the words that the Holy Spirit had spoken
to me came to my mind: “You will do better if you use Me like you’re
supposed to.” Okay. I started asking Him about stuff on the test that I
didn’t know, like the square root of -4 (which is 2i, by the way; we
learned about that in Algebra 2 the Monday after the test, ironic). Did I
get all the answers right? No. But did I do my best? Oh, yes!
When I got stuck on a problem,
I would ask the Holy Spirit and then write down what I thought He was
showing me. Whether the answers are right or wrong, I know obedience is
the key.
I’m grateful for the Holy
Spirit’s always-present help.
Aaron Frater is a junior at Glendale High
School in Springfield, Missouri.
THE
RETURN
By Michael Lawrence
The second coming of Jesus
Christ sparks more interest and discussion than any other topic within
Christendom. The overwhelmingly prevalent view is that His return has been
on hold for centuries. While most Christians believe Jesus will set up a
kingdom of God on the earth when He returns, a growing number understand
that the church has been the embodiment of God’s kingdom on earth for
almost two millennia. “Kingdom Now” advocate Bishop Earl Paulk of Atlanta
stated a few years ago that God had shown him the second advent would
contain as many surprises as did Christ’s initial incarnation. I believe
that Bishop Paulk spoke prophetically, far beyond his own understanding at
the time or at present.
When Christ came to live
thirty-three years as God’s anointed Messiah and pass from the scene, few
noticed His coming. They were expecting a different manifestation
altogether. Today, the vast majority of believers expect Jesus’ return
some time in the future to be a visible, physical “coming in a cloud
with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27). Such an ingrained mindset of
preconceived expectation leaves little room for a clearer understanding of
the second coming.
Most modern-day theologians try
to explain away the time statements that Jesus made to His contemporaries
about His return, because they have not yet grasped the true nature of His
promised return in power and judgment. They have confused a cataclysmic
end to our world with the fall of Jerusalem/destruction of the temple/end
of sacrificial Judaism historical phenomenon.
The truth is, Jesus returned
when He said He would to accomplish what He had prophesied in just the way
that those who had heard and understood expected Him to. New Testament
authors were not mistaken when they declared:
In just a very
little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay (Heb.
10:37).
...the end of
all things is at hand... (1 Pet. 4:7).
...the coming
of the Lord is at hand (James 5:8).
They knew that when Jesus said,
“...this generation will by no means pass away until all these things
take place” (Matt. 24:34), He meant their generation—not some future
generation or age to come.
Although they would be forever
changed and taken to heaven in another promised parousia event just prior
to the final judgment to come—a rapture, if we must—these new covenant
writers knew of what they wrote.
The Apostles knew that Christ’s
“coming on the clouds” metaphor (Matt. 24:30, 26:64) was analogous
to all Old Testament language depicting God’s calamitous actions to bring
judgments to nations. Throughout their history, God had acted invisibly
through the armies of man or via natural phenomenon to achieve His will
quite dramatically.
Like Father like Son—an unseen
Jesus employed Roman armies and came “on the clouds” to effect a “great
tribulation” final siege, the fall of Jerusalem, and the subsequent
destruction of the temple as promised. Paul had predicted that “the
form of this world is passing away” (1 Cor. 7:31). The only “world”
that most first-century disciples had known was gone. The “new creation”
world that they had only begun to experience had fully come.
Michael Lawrence owns and operates Lawrence
Electric Company and is a freelance writer.
FREEDOM FROM FEAR
By A. Wilson Phillips
Dr. Marc Siegel’s recently published book False
Alarm describes how the American culture is suffering from an epidemic
of fear.
Siegel contends our government,
media, and pharmaceutical companies have created a culture of fear. He
makes some very good points from his research and experience as a medical
doctor who resides in New York City.
Siegel began to collect the
information for his book following the terrorists’ bombings of the Twin
Towers on September 11, 2001. Understandably, fear became a huge issue at
that point in our history.
In one chapter of his book,
Siegel addresses the fear factor from the spiritual perspective. His
experience in treating people devastated by fear following the terrorists’
attack led him to believe that the rabbis, priests, and protestant clergy
most often were ineffective in treating people who were mentally and
emotionally bound up with fear. Rather than using spiritual truth and
power, Siegel used science and medicine to treat people with fear.
My thoughts, as a pastor (by
divine call and not just by profession), are that “these things ought
not to be so.” Both the Jewish and Christian Scriptures are very clear
about deliverance for God’s covenant people from fear.
King David, one divinely called
and anointed by God, wrote: “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and
delivered me from all my fears” (Ps. 34:4). No doubt, David was
talking about unhealthy fears that cause distrust in relationships, health
problems, etc.
I say this because in the same
Psalm, David wrote, “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you
the fear of the Lord” (Ps. 34:11). It is obvious that King
David had experienced both unhealthy fears that hurt and destroy people as
well as the “healthy reverential fear of the Lord” that brings God’s
covenant people a life of health, wealth, and prosperity.
The old covenant by which King
David received deliverance from his unhealthy fears is no longer in force.
However, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Son of God/Man, established a new and
better covenant with God (Matt. 26:28) that has better promises (Heb. 8:6,
13). New covenant believers are in spiritual union with God (John 14:20,
23). Joint heirs with Jesus Christ, they have a divine nature that gives
them an equal standing before Father God as Jesus has (Rom. 8:16-17; 2
Pet. 1:4).
Like King David, all new
creation covenant believers can ask Father God to deliver them from
unhealthy fears because all the promises of God are ours “in Christ” (2
Cor. 1:20). We can learn obedience through heart suffering and develop a
healthy, reverential fear of Father God. A healthy, reverential fear of
the Lord leads us to complete submission to Father God’s will (Acts 13:22)
and is the beginning of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding (Prov.
9:10).
Even if we have failed, like
King David did, we can experience Father God’s forgiveness and grace
through true godly sorrow that leads to repentance. By God’s inward
cleansing, life, power, and knowledge, we can live totally free from
fear.
Like King David, we can testify
that there is no want to them that fear Him (Ps. 34:9).
Reaching Out To Echo Boomers
The largest generation of young
people since the ’60s is beginning to come of age. They’re called “echo
boomers” because they’re the genetic offspring and demographic echo of
their parents, the baby boomers. Born between 1982 and 1995, they number
nearly 80 million, making up nearly a third of the U.S. population.
Scripture declares:
The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations
(Ps. 33:11).
At Abundant Life Covenant
Church, we believe that God has a plan for this current generation of echo
boomers. While many are still preaching the soon-coming rapture of the
church and world-ending events, we believe it is better to train this
generation to think generationally about their long-term future in God’s
kingdom.
The following is a partial list
of characteristics that describe echo-boomer youth today:
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