“My Life, My Course”

Jack Davis

“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto my self, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24.

Paul seems to speak here of the life with which the Lord had entrusted him, and the course on which the Lord had set him. Many have said either by word or deed; “It is my life, I’ll live it the way I want!” Will you?

My life, how does it count? How do I count it? What use shall be made of my living? We are warned from many directions, “If you value your life, or health, you will do such and such, or will not do thus and such.” How can you preserve or save your life?

Read these words of Jesus in Mt. 16:24-26, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” 

It is amazing that, of all that is done to preserve youth and life today, the greater part is wasted. Staying in the top physical condition possible, does not enable one to avoid illness or death. Thank God for the privilege of presenting our body a living sacrifice. Rom. 12:1-2, “ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” 

You may try living selfishly…not putting yourself out for anyone, not going out of your way for anyone, but live (?) to your own satisfaction, pleasure, comfort and glory. Such will not be eternally beneficial for you. Rom. 14:7-9, “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.” 

Also II Cor. 5:14-15, “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” Living unto oneself makes for an empty shallow unsatisfactory existence here and now, without reckoning on the scale of the eternal.

What is your life? Is it not a vapor? James 4:13-15, “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” 

Praise God, our lives may contain valuable eternal substance, being fruitful, productive unto  glory, or pass as a shadow or a mist.

Paul’s life counted, was worth while. His living was not in vain, because he lived unto the Lord. Such living benefits others. Fear of death seems to overwhelm those who live selfishly. Those trying to preserve their life unto themselves, lose it or lose the enjoyment of (living) it.

Paul enjoyed living (and we may do the same) by pouring out his life unto the Lord. Phil. 2:17, “Yea, and if I be offered (poured forth) upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.” II Cor. 12:15, “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.” 

II Tim. 4:6-8, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

Paul did indeed finish his course with joy. Jesus is coming soon, how shall we then live?

 Not of This World

Gordon Crook, Pastor

Grace Assembly, Wichita, Kansas

Jesus left His glory to come to this world so that we might participate in His glory. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:” Philippians 2:5-7. 

An important lesson we learn from John is found here: “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.” John 1:10, and here: “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.” John 18:36. It becomes quite clear that Jesus didn’t come here to become a part of the world system, or to establish His kingdom here. He came to offer Himself a sacrifice for our sins. “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28.

We also learn from those verses that we, His servants, are also not of this world. If we were, we would be fighting to establish His kingdom here. Many of God’s precious children seem to be unaware of this fact as they spend much time working to create a kingdom here.

The ruler of this world today is Satan. This does not mean that God is not in control over all, but Satan is ruling over this world system today, and it shows. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12. “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:4.

As God’s people, we must be careful not to get drawn into this world and its drama. Satan would like to pull us into that to distract us from where our focus should be. If Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world, why would we want our to be? We have been called to a heavenly kingdom. “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Colossians 3:1-2. “And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve [me] unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom [be] glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 2 Timothy 4:18.

We are already spiritually separated from the world. Jesus made provision for this at the cross. “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Galatians 6:14. If we are dead to this world as Paul says, why then would we be trying to become part of this world? What is it that we want here? 

God has given to us His wisdom which enables us to understand the value of leaving behind this world. “Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:” 1 Corinthians 2:6-7. Notice that the wisdom of this world comes to nothing. It has no lasting value. “Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” 1 Corinthians 1:20. If you have paid attention to the wisdom of this world, it is clear that it leads away from God, and towards things that do not last.

It follows then that when we decide to follow God’s leading and wisdom, the world will think poorly of us. We will seem foolish to them, because they cannot understand what we understand. “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” John 17:14. If the world is too accepting of us, we might consider if we really are “not of this world.”

So, as God’s precious people, we need to live our lives here as though we are not of this world. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2.  This is exactly how we can have our attitude and behavior show that we are not of this world. We need to be transformed every day in our minds by taking in God’s Word just as Jesus mentions about His disciples.

Our enemy (Satan) will continually try to drag our attention and desire back to the world, but we can overcome that as we spend time in God’s Word and yield to the working of the Holy Spirit who reminds us of the following: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” 1 John 2:15-17.

There is no time to let down our guard against the attack of Satan. Every single day we need to heed God’s encouragement to us. There is a prize that awaits those that are not of this world. Let us run swiftly and constantly to obtain that prize; Jesus Christ our bridegroom.

 DOING THE FATHER’S WILL

Anita Clark – Pastor

Grace Chapel, Carbondale, Kansas

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant [slave] and was made in the likeness of men.  And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”  Philippians 2:5-8.

Because this was the will of God the Father, Jesus subjected Himself to obey exactly what His Father had designed for His life on earth. It meant He would give up His glory and equality with God for all time.  He will always be a glorified human being.  In the plan of God He was “...the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” Revelation 13:8.  In Hebrews 2:9-18 we learn that He willingly was made lower than the angels (V. 9).  Through this humbling, becoming a human, He brought many sons to glory (Vs. 10). Through this process He destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil (V. 14).  He did all this that he might become our “merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation (for the sins of the people) (V. 17).

In Luke 22:41-42 & 46, We see Jesus choosing to follow the will of His Father God.  While praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, He cried out, “Saying Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but Thine be done.” He willingly chose to follow His Father’s plan to become the sacrifice for our sin, and not for ours only, but for all the world’s also.  In Hebrews 10:5,7,  the Lord speaks, “Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not, but a body  hast Thou prepared for me.” He willingly came to do His Father’s will.  How precious this is!  

Galatians 1:3-4 Apostle Paul says, “Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.” In John 4:34, Jesus said “My meat (my nourishment) is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work.” Also, in John 5:30, Jesus said, “...I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.”  In John 6:38-67, He repeatedly speaks of doing His Father’s will, “For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me.”

One of the phrases in what is called “The Lord’s Prayer,” which we prefer to call “The Pattern Prayer,” reads, “Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.”  Do we ask the Lord for His will to be done in our lives?  The word “will” in the Greek means “determination, choice, purpose, decree, desire, or pleasure.”  This is exactly what the Lord wants in our lives - a person who seeks His will, not their own.

Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 5:14-17. “Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light.  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,  Redeeming the time because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”  The word “circumspectly” in the Greek means “ exactly, diligently, or accurately.”  We need to be doing the will of God!  We need to be careful to follow His leading every day.  The word “redeeming” means buying up the opportunity or making the most of our time.”  Not wasting our time.  Why? “Because the days are evil.”  This world is growing more evil every day.  Can you see it and feel it?

Paul says “Be ye not unwise...”.  The word “unwise” means “stupid, ignorant or unbelieving.”  He continues, “...understanding what the will of the Lord is.”  God wants us to seek His will in our lives.  We can understand what it is that God wants for us.  The Scripture is plain as to what His will is for us as a believer.

The will of God for all Christians is very clear - complete yieldedness, obedience, and watchfulness for the Lord’s soon coming again.  As far as the individual plan of God for our life, He is faithful to reveal that to us as we seek Him.  Ephesians 6:6 says,”...but as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.”  Apostle Paul said in  Colossians 4:12 of Epaphras that he was  “...labouring fervently for you (the other believers). in prayer that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” We in turn need to pray for others to walk in the will of God.  Hebrews 10:35 says, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.  For you have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God ye might receive the promise.”

 Prophecy

Earlene Davis

Christ’s message to Sardis

Revelation 3:1, “And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.” Sardis name has several meanings, “prince of joy” or “that which remains” or “escaping.” The Sardis church was ready to die, not much life remined there. Some escaped this condition, thus their name would mean “escaping” and “prince of joy.” 

The Lord comes to them as “he that hath the 7 Spirits if God (the 7-fold Holy Spirit), and the 7 stars.” To Ephesus He “holdeth the 7 stars” – (2:1) speaking of the messengers or pastors of the churches. Here He “has” them. He does not have the control as He should, because they do not walk in the Spirit. “I know thy works,” you have a name that you live. This church had a name that they were Christians, that they believed in Christ. But they really didn’t have much. There is a great difference between professing to be Christian and actually possessing Christ.

Vs. 2-3, “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.  Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” This assembly had left the teaching they had received (no doubt the fundamentals of the gospel). 

The Lord reproves them and admonishes them – “to repent,” for I have not found they works perfect before God. If you don’t watch, I will come on thee as a thief and you will not know the hour I will come.  I Thess. 5:1-11 – brethren you are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. You are all children of light…so let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.

Vs. 4, “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.”

V. 5, “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” Praise the Lord for the few that have not defiled their garments. They shall walk with me in white raiment. This mean they are saved, possessors, clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Many join a church and profess to be Christians and are not. But if our names are written in the Lambs book of life, they will never be blotted out. He knoweth them that are His (II Tim. 2:19).

V. 6, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” 

Next issue: Philadelphia

 JONAH

Debra Isenbletter, Pastor

Christian Assembly

Springfield, Missouri

Jonah 3:2 “Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.” 

When that word came unto him, we see his responsibility as a prophet has been reaffirmed. It is his responsibility to preach that message. There is one command in this verse but it has two parts. If he fails the first part, he cannot fulfill the second part.

First Command: “Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city.” Jonah must “rise up,” he must “get up,” he must “stand up.” It means that he is willing not only to “go” but to take a stand, and to not weaken or waver in that stand. It means he is willing to take a stand by faith. He is about to enter into the unknown, he is about to face his past fear of that unknown, of not knowing how they will react with renewed faith. “Arise” can also mean “to be established” and “fixed.” The first step forward in faith may be a little unsure, but once that step is taken the Lord enters in and establishes the prophet and once the prophet is established his purpose becomes fixed. Jonah’s heart is committed to the journey and to the course set before him.  

“Arise” can also mean “to endure” or “to be proven.” In that meaning you can see that there yet may be hardship ahead, that the journey and the task may not be easy. This shows that once he was tested and passed that test, once he is committed to the course and begins the journey that he will be tested again. In that “enduring” there is a “proving” of his commitment. “Arise” can also mean “to accomplish reward for taking this first step of faith, and continuing forward by faith. Jonah will be able to accomplish the task the Lord has given him and will find fulfillment in that obedience and his life is more powerful. Jonah receives added power by simply doing the Will of God and believing the Word of God. The Lord helps us in the same way, He helps us to do whatever He asks us to do. He fills us up and He fulfills us. He empowers us and He does this the moment we “rise up.” That is all He needs for us to do, to take the first step and once we do that, He takes over and He does the rest.

There is a wonderful progression of power in Jonah’s life that comes from his obedience. As he rises up, he stands and he takes a stand. As he stands, he becomes established. As he is established, his purpose of heart is fixed.  As his purpose is fixed, he is willing to endure. As he endures, he is proven. As he is proven, he is fulfilled. As he is fulfilled, he is more powerful. This is the provision and the promise for all that are willing to surrender to the Will of God in their lives. This is the power of an obedient testimony, where the Word of God is seen in our lives. The Word is not only verbal, it is visible.

After Jonah “arises” he is to “go.” He goes forward in faith. The word “go” means “to depart,” and he does it without delay. To “go” means “to carry,” Jonah is carrying a message that is a burden and not a blessing, it is a message of judgment. To “go” means to “walk” and it is a walk of faith. To “go” means to “run” and it is to run with patience. We sit in heavenly places (Eph.2:6) then we stand fast (1Co.16:13), we walk by faith (2Co.5:7) and we run with patience (Heb.12:1).

Where was Jonah to go? He was to go “unto Nineveh that great city.” The capital of the Assyrian Empire, called “the bloody city” (Nah.3:1) and it was. It is called a “great city” four times in Jonah (1:2; 3:2,3; 4:11). It was great in that it was old in age. It was large in its magnificence, in its beauty, in its buildings. It was large in its population. Its rulers and armies had done great things, fought great battles, had great victories. The city was great but Jonah’s God was greater and God’s Word was greater and Jonah’s commission was greater. Jonah could see the greatness of the city but he also saw the greatness of their sin and how great was God’s judgment. What he had yet to see was how great was God’s grace.

Second Command: “and preach,” to “proclaim,” to “cry out,” to “call by name.” He did not cry unto specific individuals, he cried out “unto it, to the entire city. All were guilty. Did he name their sins one by one? Did he hold up the holiness of God in contrast to their unholiness? Did he declare God’s righteousness in contrast to their unrighteousness? He may have done all these things. Jonah was to preach “the preaching that I bid thee,” literally “proclaim the proclamation.” He is to preach all of the Word. This is the Lord’s command to every prophet. It is to preach because I command you and it is to preach what I command you. Every true preacher must do this by faith and do this faithfully.

The Lord commanded every one He called to speak only what He tells them. It does not matter if they stand before Pharaoh (Exo.7:2). It does not matter if they stand before kings, princes and priests (Jer.1:7). The obedient servant says: Speak and I will hear, he says, speak and I will speak for you. Samuel when he was little was taught this for he said, “Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth.” (1Sa.3:9-10). When the Lord spoke, Samuel did not hold back the fullness of God’s message, though he was afraid. When Eli said, “hide it not from me” (1Sa.3:17), Samuel “told him everything and hid nothing from him.” (1Sa.3:18).  

This is the lesson Jonah learned, to preach the message God gave him. It was a message about their wickedness (Jonah 1:2) and about judgment (Jonah 3:4). Other than these two things, we do not know the exact details of the message. For some reason they repented (3:6-9). Why? I believe it was because they feared God and they believed that the judgment would happen. But why did they feel they could repent and stop judgment? Jonah’s message did not seem to include repentance, but somehow, they knew they could repent. Jonah knew that God would show kindness (Jonah 4:2). How did they know?  One translation is: “and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you” (NAS).  The message may have been more than: “You are wicked” and “You will be judged.” There may have been further details concerning their sins. There may have been further details concerning their judgment. There may have been a hint that they could repent. We do not know. 

Jonah was faithful and he preached what God wanted him to preach. Like Jeremiah, he did not fear rejection or persecution. (Jer.1:17-18).  Like Ezekiel, he would speak even if he knew they would not hear. (Ezek.2:7). Despite the greatness of the city, despite not knowing his reception or their reaction, despite everything Jonah was faithful.  Charles Spurgeon: “There is no preaching like that which God bids us. The preaching that comes out of our own heads will never go into other men’s hearts. If we will keep to the preaching that the Lord bids us, we shall not fail in our ministry.” Jonah did not fail and because he was faithful to preach the message he was given, something wonderful happened as a result.

Continued in next issue.

 God’s Timing and Purposes – Ecc. 3:1-8

Part 3

Vicky Moots, Pastor

Kingman, Kansas

Ecc. 3:2b: “…a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.”  Farmers know when it is the best time to plant their different crops, and they also know when it is time to harvest them, for there is a specific amount of growing time required for them to mature and fully ripen.  They cannot be harvested too early or too late; it must be done at the right time even if it’s the weekend or a holiday.

New life comes from a seed only after it is buried, or planted.  Then the outer covering deteriorates and is destroyed, allowing the “germ of life” to be freed to produce life out of death.  All of this has a spiritual meaning as it refers to Jesus, and also to us as individuals, for it speaks of death and resurrection.

Jesus told His disciples in John 12:23-24, “…The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily [truly, truly], I say unto you, Except a corn [kernel] of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”  Jesus was using the natural example of a grain of wheat being planted to illustrate the spiritual truth of the new creation.  A single grain of wheat that is planted dies and brings forth new life, a stalk of wheat, which produces many more grains identical to itself when it is fully ripened.

Spiritually speaking, it was necessary for Jesus, the only Son of God, to die, to give His life, in order to give us new life.  When He arose from the dead, it made it possible for us to also become sons of God by being born again and becoming a new creation, created in His image.  This is the fruit that was produced by His death and resurrection.  As a result, God now has many more spiritual sons in His family.  After we are born again, we must also grow and mature spiritually.  We are changed into His image by feeding upon the Word of God and letting the Holy Spirit make it real and practical in our lives.

The time of plucking up has both a natural and a spiritual meaning.  It of course refers to the time when the planted seed is fully ripened and must be harvested.  The spiritual meaning refers to the resurrection of Jesus when God plucked Him up out of the grave three days later at the specific time that was foretold.  That three-day time period was also typified by the prophet Jonah, as Jesus stated in Matt. 12:40: “For as Jonas [Jonah] was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”  But Paul tells us in Rom. 6:5 that Christ’s death also applies to us spiritually when we accept Him as our Savior: “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.”

When we are baptized as a profession of our faith, then we are actually acting out this spiritual truth physically by being immersed, or buried, in the water, and then raised up out of it, identifying ourselves with His death.  Paul further explains this to us in Rom. 6:3-4: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

That means that the physical act of baptism is an outward visible picture of an inward event which happened to us spiritually.  It symbolizes the fact that our old life, our “old man,” as Paul calls it in Rom. 6:6, was crucified with Christ and therefore planted together with Him: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him.”

There is a definite time in everyone’s life when this planting must take place, for there is “a time to plant.”  When is that time? Paul answers that question in II Cor. 6:2: “…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”  If you have not accepted Christ as Savior that time is now, today! Tomorrow may be too late.

We are all dead spiritually until we find new life in Christ, and that which is dead needs to be buried, or planted.  The good news is that after the planting comes the plucking up of that which was planted, the plucking up of a new life in Christ, resurrected with Him, as Paul declares in II Cor. 5:17: “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature [creation]: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  Paul further describes this spiritual death and resurrection in Gal. 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…”

Lastly, just as there was a specific time for Jesus’ physical body to die and then to be resurrected, or plucked up, so it will be true for our physical bodies.  We read in Heb. 9:27, “…it is appointed unto man once to die…”  An appointment is a specific time for a specific event, and that time has been appointed by God for each one of us.  Our death and planting are certain, but so is our hope in Christ beyond the grave, our plucking up in resurrection, which is confirmed by Paul in I Cor. 15:19-20, 23: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.  But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept [died]…Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”  The term “first fruits” implies “after fruits,” or the resurrection of Christians who have died since His resurrection.  God who was faithful to pluck up Christ from the grave will also pluck us up out of death, as Paul emphatically declares in I Thess. 4:16-17: “For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [plucked up] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

 THE ENCOURAGING WORD

“I am the Lord. I have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will hold you by your hand.”

    Isaiah 42:6

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a Light to my path.”     Psalm 119:105

“Jesus said to him (Thomas), I am the way and the truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.”

John 14:6

“And the Lord shall guide you continually, and satisfy you in drought and in dry places, and make strong your bones. And shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.”

Isaiah 58:11

“So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently the boldly say, the Lord is my Helper, I will not be seized with alarm – I will not fear or dread or be terrified. What can man do to me?”

Hebrews 13:6 Amp.

 Martha Wainright

 OPEN LETTER

Saints, I am sure you are hearing the news. It is very clear and makes us aware of the times in which we are living, that we are in the last days of this Grace dispensation, the Church Age.

We are hearing on the news the language we read in the book of Revelation. The meeting of the seven and the meeting of the 8 nations, etc. We know by the Word of God, that is leading up to the days of judgment coming upon the world, tribulation.

The nations are meeting, the Security Council of the UN seeking peace in the world, trying to avoid world war 3. Which when they accomplish that, will declare, peace and safety (I Thess. 5:3). The peace will be short lived then “tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” – Mt. 24:21.

Don’t we read of this in Psalm 2? “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together…He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: The Lord shall have them in derision….he shall speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.”

We hope to be gone before tribulation begins; to be called up with the full overcomers of this Church Age. The dead in Christ will rise first, resurrected. Then the living overcomers will be (translated) caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air and shall forever be with Him – I Thess. 4:16-17. Look up saints, keep the faith, it will happen quickly, Heb. 10:37.