Christian Fellowship
“That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving...” Psalm 26:7
Vol. 21, No. 12 December 2012
The entire world is now watching to see what will take place in America. The greatest change our generation has ever known is now before us. What will the Christians do? Will they pray or just keep going as if nothing is going to happen. God has proven Himself and that judgment is upon us. How can we continue to ignore the signs and wonders that have been performed across our land?
Many do not believe this is in God’s hands because of the free will of mankind. But we must believe the word of God: Dan 2:21 (NIV) “He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.”
Our economy will no longer be what it once was. We will live differently than we have thought. We must surrender all to the Lord so that He will take care of us. We must turn all our thoughts and desires over to His direction and Lordship. We have not known Jesus as King before. A king gets what He wants, and our Lord and Savior will be King over this earth. It is now before us. Let us each stand and be counted as one of the King’s servants.
Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. He knows what is best for each of us. He will work everything for the good of those who truly surrender and do His will. Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound.
Psa 112:7 (NIV) “He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.”
In Christ,
Pr. Steve
Are You Forgotten?
Gen 8:1 (KJV) “And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;”
In the middle of a flood, God remembered Noah! Do you feel like you have been forgotten in the midst of your storms?
Looking a moment at the history of Noah, we are told that the earth was so corrupt that only two souls found God’s grace: Noah & Enoch. After Enoch was translated, the church was cut in half. So in reality it was a godless world. Even though Noah was alone, when God spoke, he still obeyed. Noah was the only one preaching “righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5). He was the only prophet, the only one who had the truth about the future. And it was Noah who was given the revelation of how to survive. The church of today would never have made it in Noah’s society. But God invested everything in Noah’s life – even the survival of God’s creation and all forms of life. A chosen generation of people eventually would come from Noah’s descendants that would include billions of people who would continue to reject righteous living and get caught in an ongoing flood of filth and judgment.
So was Noah really forgotten? The statement “And God remembered Noah.”
zaòkar zaw-kar' “means to think upon” implies that he was.
For 5 months God had been both silent and inactive; so with no communication from God’s voice, Noah felt as if God had forgotten him. But this sense was all from Noah’s point of view. Feeling as if you are forgotten by God is your way of thinking, especially when you have had relationship in hearing and receiving from God. Noah heard nothing, felt nothing, and had no comforter to reassure him. Noah had no sign from heaven to encourage him. It was doom and gloom, night and day – storm after storm, isolation, darkness – no joy, no deliverance. God did nothing to intervene or help Noah escape his trouble, or so it seemed. As a human being undergoing such circumstances, Noah thought God had abandoned him.
Can you imagine night after night while the flood waters rose higher and higher, what went through Noah’s mind and heart? All of these circumstances were not to destroy Noah, but to test him. While the flood was absolutely a judgment on the world, it was also a test of Noah’s character. God had told Noah what was going to happen: Gen 6:17 (KJV) “And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.”
Would Noah remain faithful to God? God had also promised the outcome of life and a new beginning. Would Noah trust in God? For the five months following the flood, Noah had no hint that God was still there. Noah’s very soul was tried to the limit. Remember what God said about Joseph: (Psm.105:19) “Until the time that his word was fulfilled, the word of the Lord tested him.”
Although Noah’s thoughts made him feel as if God had forsaken him, God remembered Noah and things began to change. In other words, after a long period of inactivity and silence, God began to act again on behalf of Noah, speaking and giving signs of favor,.
The first thing God did was send a wind to blow across the face of the flood to hasten deliverance. Gen 8:1-2 (KJV) “And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged; (2) The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;”
Suddenly the earth closed up and the fountains of the deep were stopped. God withdrew the rains and the sun shown again. For the next 40 days while Noah had to remain in the Ark, his concern about the rain turned to concern about the heat. [Remember, spiritual tempering -- constant changes in our environment-- make us strong and stable.]
Gen 8:4 (KJV) “And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.”
God guided Noah’s circumstances the way He wanted and where He wanted. All of this was a sign to Noah that God was once again intervening. God’s presence over his life was remembered and Noah could once again begin to walk in what He knew to be true, even though he had lost the feeling of experiencing God in his life. God remembered Noah, and Noah began to think again of God’s faithfulness. (1 Corinthians 10:13) “There is no temptation but is common to man, but God is faithful to make a way of escape that you can bear it.”
Noah’s faith began to increase: Gen 8:5 (KJV) “And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.”
Noah saw “the tops of the mountains.” And finally the day came when Noah could send a dove out to search for fresh food. Then after another month, Noah could remove the covering of the ark and behold the glory and majesty of God’s creation (vrs.13). Do you think Noah had a new view of life after all he experienced? Do you think Noah felt as if he had been reborn? Do you think all that he experienced was worth what he now was beholding? His hope soared, His strength returned. And his faith in God multiplied.
Finally, the days of the flood came to an end and God spoke to Noah once again: Gen 8:14-15 (KJV) “And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. (15) And God spake unto Noah, saying,…”
Noah was commanded to come forth, he and his entire household. One year of enduring suffering and testing was now over. Noah’s test ended with a Word from God. God fully remembered His servant, the man who had been faithful through the most trying time of his life.
There are many of you today who feel forgotten because your trials have gone on and on. You don’t seem to have a fresh word from the Lord or a sign that He is with you. But think a moment – was God with you before this time of testing? Is He trustworthy? Even when everything seems to indicate He has abandoned you? Believe there is a time of intervention when this thing ends. Suddenly, everything that has been against you will miraculously turn in your favor.
The adversary will be stopped just in time, and the Son of Righteousness will break through and shine once again in your favor. Your seemingly endless difficulties will turn to rivers of joy. And you will know the Lord like you never did before all this came about. You will see visible signs of God’s glory all about you. You will go forth into a new season, one characterized by FAITH, not by feeling. You will have a greater conviction for truth, not turning aside to the temptations of life. You will know without a doubt that He has been faithful through it all and that He did not forget you. He can’t – He is the Lord and He changes not! His Word says, “I will be with you.” He will never, never leave you nor forsake you. God is not a man that He should lie. He is not a man that He should forget.
Isaiah 49:14 through Isaiah 49:15 (KJV) 14 “But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. 15Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.”
-Pr. Steve
I am going to be sharing with you thoughts from my journal over the past few years. This is to show you how the Lord has brought about His Word in my life to minister to you and to show you how real this walk can be. Please read and understand by the Spirit about ...
. . . My calling as a pastor
Pastor’s Journal 2011
Dec. 3: My inheritance is shared with you! Remain faithful and obedient and more will be yours. What you give up, I will restore.
Dec. 8: Thank You for being love. I know love because of You. I can love because You first loved me. May all that I do and become be wrapped in love. Jesus is the love of my life. Amen.
Dec. 12: Where Jesus Christ is the one object of our desire and our confidence, He will manifest Himself in divine power. I will restore. I have seen your faithfulness and your work will be rewarded, declares the Lord. Be comforted and know, I the Lord am in charge of this work and I will bless you. They will return from all sides and dancing will be restored. I will give comfort and joy instead of sorrow. I will be the satisfaction to your heart.
Dec. 16: Total and complete dependence on God is required in this hour to see our prayers answered. Faith requires we utterly give up our all, that He may be our everything.
Dec. 20: Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Neh 8:10)
Dec. 22: My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul. (Psm 131) Put your hope in God!
Dec. 23: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. (1Pet 5:5-6)
Dec. 26: It is well with my soul. The pain is real, but Jesus is my source, and all is well in Him.
Dec. 27: I am with you always, even to the ends of the earth. Draw near to Me and I will draw near to you. My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.
Dec. 28: In Me you have everything you need. You are following in My instruction – stay in My word. Your decisions for the church are of Me, not the enemy. I will pour out My Spirit again upon My church and My faithful ones will experience My favor and blessing. Love is patient! (1Cor 13:14)
Dec. 30: For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. (Phil 2:13)
Dec. 31: Love is stronger than death. His love will endure. His love is perfect. His love is everlasting. And His love will fill our being.
The Gift of God
Christmas should always be a blessed time of year as we reflect upon the greatest gifts of all: God the Father giving Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, for the Salvation of mankind, and that same Jesus Christ giving His own life so that we all would have the opportunity to receive His Salvation. Most people, including many Christians, don’t really celebrate Christ as much as they celebrate traditions such as exchanging gifts, partaking of holiday culinary dishes, or decorating trees, homes, and yards. Although most of these activities are fun and accepted, they can become our substitute reason for the season if we allow Christ to go out of focus.
Traditions that steal the limelight away from the real reason for the season are not the greatest tragedy, but rather the greatest tragedy is the fact that most Christians don’t take time to reach out and witness to the people who don’t know or don’t live for Jesus Christ. These same people still partake in the festivities but have not been born again. If there are family members, friends, or neighbors around us this Christmas who don’t know Christ, we have the greatest opportunity of the year to witness to them. People usually discuss the highlights of their lives when they are celebrating together, so we as Christians have the perfect occasion to share our testimonies of how great God is to us all year around. We don’t need to waste time trying to make people think or act the way that we think and act; nor should we use scare tactics to try and persuade others to try to escape the fires of hell. Instead, we should share with them the real life experiences that we have encountered while finding, serving, loving, and knowing the God of all.
If we have never tried to witness to anyone during the Christmas holiday, then we probably have never led anyone to Jesus Christ at Christmas time. And if we continue to do the things the same way, we can only expect the same results. So why don’t we just give it a try? After all, Christmas is all about giving. At Christmas time we all give so much time, money, and effort to insure that people have a good time, so why don’t we just determine to use some of those resources for the sake of others’ quality of living and the eternal condition of their souls?
The Gift of knowing God is the gift that will last forever and will always be remembered. "Dying men have said, 'I am sorry I have been an atheist, an infidel, an agnostic, a skeptic, or a sinner'; but no man ever said with his last breath, 'I am sorry I have lived a Christian life." --Dr. Bob Jones Sr.
Rom 6:23 (KJV) “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
-Kurt Thurston
Quotes:
"The only fear I have is to fear to get out of the will of God.
Outside of the will of God, there's nothing I want, and in the will of God there's nothing I fear, for God has sworn to keep me in His will. If I'm out of His will that's another matter. But if I'm in His will, He's sworn to keep me." - A. W. Tozer
"God has always sought a humble people. He can use no other...
There is always much need of heart preparation, in humility and separation, before God can consistently come. The depth of any revival will be determined exactly by the spirit of repentance that is obtained. In fact this is key to every true revival born of God."
-Frank Bartleman
('Azusa Street').
"The weakness of so many modern Christians is that they feel too much at home in the world."
- A.W.Tozer
Kidz Korner
A little boy was attending his first wedding.
After the service, his cousin asked him,
"How many women can a man marry?"
"Sixteen," the boy responded.
His cousin was amazed that he had an answer so quickly.
"How do you know that?"
"Easy," the little boy said.
"All you have to do is add it up, like the pastor said,
4 better, 4 worse, 4 richer, 4 poorer."
Next course from Christian Life Educators Network - Richmond Center:
No Longer a Victim by Rev. Lynn Lucas
This course seeks to equip the Christian to minister to people suffering from abuse,
Addictions, compulsions and rejection. The emphasis will be upon basic counseling skills,
the principle of iniquity and the specific needs of people suffering in these areas.
January 10-12, 2013
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