In face of radical evil we must be radically good!

 I'm still thinking about Jonathan Cahn's words about how we should live for Christ in these evil times:

  "An apostate civilization will depart from the Word. The righteous must do the opposite and hold to the Word all the more strongly.

  An apostate culture bends the Word or the truth to conform to its ways. The righteous must bend their ways to conform to the Word."

In modern America there is a war against God's Word being waged now by attempting to marginalize it, re- and mis- interpreting it, belittling and denigrating it, ignoring it, ridiculing its historical and authentic accuracy, and in general denying its importance. 

The farther a culture departs from God, the more it undermines and suppresses His Word. But also the more the culture ignores God's Word, the more it needs the unadulterated Word of God for its very survival!

So, as Cahn says, we must read it, treasure it, store it in our hearts, share it, proclaim it, act upon it, live by it and make our lives conform to it! We must never dilute it or soften it.

We must treat the Word of God as the  true bread of our lives, partake of it every day. We must remember that before the world was created, the Word was already here and will be when the world is gone. The Word is more powerful than the world. It is the voice of our Almighty God and we are accountable to Him for our obedience to it!

The world tries to bend the Word to conform to the way they want to live. We must change our lives to conform to the Word.

Yes, the more radically evil the world becomes, the more radically good we must become.

US: How to Welcome the French

In June of 1778 the British troops evacuated Philadelphia, and the colonial leaders came back to their capital city. The French had brought aid -- and there were 16 ships with 4,000 troops on the coast ready to come in and join the American forces in defeating the British.

As Congress re-convened they concentrated on how to welcome the French leader, Mons. Gerard.

Samuel Adams and Richard Henry Lee were appointed to "report to Congress on the time and manner of the public reception of Mons. Gerard, minister plenipotentiary Majesty of his most Christian majesty, the King of France." (plenipotentiary means that this ambassador represented the king and had been granted his full royal power and authority--the highest rank for an ambassador.)

There were several days of debate (remember the colonies were still at war but the importance of proper protocol for the "monarch" took their full attention!)

Finally the elaborate ritual was developed.

The French diplomat would bring his credentials to the President of Congress. Then he would wait for a formal audience with Congress. Two members of Congress would come, in a coach, belonging to the United States, to escort him to Congress. And then they...

shall return with the minister plenipotentiary, one Congressman giving the minister the right hand, and placing himself on his left, with the other Congressman on the front seat.

When the minister plenipotentiary is arrived at the door of the Congress hall, he shall be introduced to his chair by the two members who will stand at his left hand. Then the member first named shall present and announce him to the President and the house; whereupon he shall bow to the house and to the Congress, and they to him.

He and the President shall then again bow unto each other, and be seated, after which the house itself will sit down. Having spoken and being answered, the minister and the President shall bow to each other, at which time the house should bow, and then he shall be conducted home in the manner in which he was brought to the house.

(This congressional audience would make a good 'pop-up book').



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I'm just thinking about how we approach God, remembering John's reaction in Revelation 1 and Isaiah's in Isaiah 6.....we should be struck with awe and a fearful awareness of His power and glory. But there is another attitude also:

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so they we may receive receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.    Hebrews 4:16

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Christ Jesus; because through Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1

The Throne of Grace......This is how we approach our God...

US - Prayers of Great Americans - George Washington's Birthday

 

O most glorious God...remember that I am but dust, and remit my transgressions, negligences and ignorances, and cover them all with the absolute obedience of thy dear Son, that those sacrifices (of sin, praise and thanksgiving) which I have offered may be accepted by thee, in and for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ offered upon the cross for me...Direct my thoughts, words and work; wash away my sin in the immaculate blood of the Lamb; and purge my heart by the Holy Spirit.

-- George Washington (1732-1799).
From a small prayer book he composed when
he was about 20 years old.

The Measure of It All

My mouth is filled with your praise,

declaring Your splendor all day long.

My mouth will tell of Your righteousness,

of Your salvation all day long,

though I know not its measure.

Psalm 71: 8, 15

I treasure these words. Did David write them?

All day long we can sing His praises - for His splendor, His righteousness and His salvation....

even though we know not its measure.

To measure means to determine the extent, dimensions, or capacity of something.

I wonder: will we ever know the measure of God's righteousness and salvation?

In the Bible there are examples of people seeing, sometimes in vision, glimpses of God's glory, or splendor.

(Splendor is a great word - comes from the Latin word meaning shining brilliance, magnificence, richness, and glory - conveys a sort of ethereal luminesce.)

Isaiah records:

     ....I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted,

     and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him

     were seraphs.. and they were calling to one another,

     'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty. The whole

     earth is filled with His glory.' At the sound of their

     voices the doorposts shook and the temple was filled with

     smoke.

Ezekiel describes:

    ...an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded

     with brilliant light...spread out above the heads of the

     living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling

     like ice and awesome....above the expanse over their heads

     was what looked like a throne of sapphire and high above on

     the throne was a figure like that of a man...and brilliant light

     surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds

     in a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.

    This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the    

       LORD. When I saw it I fell face down. (Chapter 2)

Moses relates:

     Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders

     of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel, Under His feet

     was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as  

     the sky itself. (Exodus 24)

John tells us:

     At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne

     in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat

     there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow

     encircled the throne, resembling an emerald....(Revelation 4)

Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel and John saw glimpses of the

radiance of God - His vast splendor.

But they did not see its measure.

I find these biblical images hard to envision. I try.

But I don't have the same gasp of wonder and awe

that they did. I am not seeing it with the glorified

eyes that God gave them to see His radiance.

But I do know of something I can sort of imagine

about the glory of God - John saw it, too.

It is a wooden cross on a hill called Calvary.

When I see that vision in my mind, I, too, like Moses,

Isaiah and Ezekiel, fall down on my face in awe and wonder.

And, in spite of all they did see of God's splendor, they didn't see that picture of God's righteousness and salvation.

I see the cross, wear a cross, ponder the meaning of

the cross daily, and yet I still know not its measure.

Will I ever? Even in heaven?

Paul prayed:

     I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may

     have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how

     wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

     and to know this love that surpass knowledge -- that

     you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of

     God. (Ephesians 3:16-19)

And to the Romans he wrote:

    For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither

     angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future,

     nor any power, neither height nor depth, nor anything else

     in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of

     God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

We can still praise Him all day every day for His splendor, righteousness and salvation --  even

though we know not its measure.

Maranatha, Lord Jesus, come in Your glory!

    

    

Fortunatus and his friends

I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived because they supplied what was lacking from you. For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.
1 Corinthians 16:17-18 (NIV)

.

I am so glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus have come here. They have been making up for the help you weren't here to give me. They have been a wonderful encouragement to me, as they have been to you, too. You must give proper honor to all those who serve so well. 1 Corinthians 16:17-18 (NLT)



Paul writes these words to the Christians in Corinth. He was in Ephesus, and the three men, Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus, brought him a message from the struggling Corinthian church.


Paul mentions a written letter from the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 7:1. Probably this is the message they brought with them, and they could further explain and give detail through their verbal comments when seeing Paul face-to-face.

It was not a simple "Hello, how are you? We are praying for you" message. It was apparently long and detailed about the problems and ungodliness that had infected the church at Corinth.

We can tell from 1 Corinthians some of the problems they reported. The three men must have been greatly burdened to travel all the way to Ephesus to counsel with Paul.

We know very little about these men. In verse 15 (chapter 16) Paul writes, "You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achai, and they devoted themselves to the service of the saints."

So we know Stephanas and his family (Achai is in southern Greece - its major cities are Athens and Corinth) were the first gospel followers in the area and they were diligent leaders of the small congregation.

We know from 1 Corinthians 1:16 that Paul himself baptized the Stephanas household.

But even if we don't know much, we know that Paul applauds them: such men deserve recognition. They are to be honored for their dedication and faithfulness. They are serving well.

They were Christians who stepped up and filled in the gap - who filled an empty place for ministry - they deserve honor. They would minister to Paul as representatives of the entire body of believers in Corinth. What the whole congregation could not do, because of distance, they could do.

And because of their faithfulness and love for Paul, we have today
in our New Testament the book of 1 Corinthians, the letter from Paul they delivered back to their church in Corinth.

I want to be like those early Christians -- refreshing those around us who are ministering -- encouraging them -- holding up their arms as Aaron and Hur held Moses' -- and as we do that we are serving well.....