Let’s Remember to Pray
The Bible on prayer
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 C H Spurgeon
on this verse “True prayer is an approach of the soul by the Spirit of God to the throne of God. It is not the utterance of words, it is not alone the feeling of desires, but it is the advance of the disires to God, the spiritual approach of our nature towards the Lord our God.”
” I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.” 1stCorinthians 14:15 Inwardly we groan with unutterable words, cries and pleas, with words also we talk to Our Father, our requests are made known , He does hear! In His word it is commanded “pray without ceasing”. Yes that is what is written. God knowing all things we need and desire, says, pray. O. Hallesby has written “Prayer is something deeper than words. It is present in the soul before it has been formulated into words. And it abides in the soul after the last words of prayer have passed over our lips”
“And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
John 16:23-24 This is His promise. Let us keep asking.
Harvest time is coming Fall is upon us. Jesus is soon coming. The Lord’s words. “Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.” Luke 10:2 The Fall Services are just around the corner. I ask all of you to be in prayer for the services. With fullness of joy, that God for the sake of His dear son would, Open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing upon us. That the wonder working blood of the Lamb and mighty name of Jesus would purge us of our besetting sins, and the secret sins of our heart. That cleansed and made Holy we would ” Living in Thee Lord, and Thou in me; constant abiding this is my plea; grant me thy power, boundless and free: Power with men and power with Thee.” “mercy drops round us are falling but for the showers we plead.”
Mark
Reflections, Looking Ahead, Questions
For the Church whatever name it goes by, or you or I
whatever our individual name is. What has been our
priorities? 2010 is fast ending, 2011 is soon arriving.
What has it been in 2010? What will it be in 2011?
Have we sought the kingdom of God and his
righteousness? see Matt 6:33 or our own will and way?
Before you left your room in the morning did you
think to pray? Did we forget to pray? Jesus said Luke 18:1
“… that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”
Have we prayed or fainted? Have we attended church worship
and the word, and Bible study regularly? or just not bothered?
The Bible says, Heb 10:24-25 “and let us consider one another
to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is;
but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye
see the day approaching.” Have we, will we? Did we? Will we
walk in the steps of Jesus? Apostle 1st Peter 2:21 “For even
here unto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:”Have
we suffered and followed in Jesus’ steps?, are we willing to?
Do we have a concern for lost souls? Jesus said of himself
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
that which was lost.” he also said “as my father sent me so
send I you” Have we obeyed our commission and calling?
Will we? Have we? Gal 6:2″Bear ye one another’s burdens,
and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Did we? Will we bear each
others burdens? Has love ruled our hearts and actions?
1sr Peter 1:22 “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying
the truth through the spirit unto unfeigned love of the
brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart
fervently:” Did fervent love rule? will it? Oh Holy Father our
wickedness and sins are many. We are in agreement with
Daniel 9:19-20 “O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken
and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city
and thy people are called by thy name. And whiles I was
speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of
my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the
Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God;” Forgive us as
we call upon thy name Lord. Turn us Oh Lord and we shall be
turned grant us a fresh pouring out of your grace by Thy
Holy Spirit. Grant us Father in heaven strength to live for Thy
glory in all that we say and all that we do. Amen
Mark
The Epiphany of Our Lord
the Gospel, there is life in Jesus name and a sure anchor for the soul. John 5:11-13 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” Oh what an Epiphany it is when the grace of God in Christ Jesus is revealed to a sinner. Proclaim it preach it, teach it, sing it, herald forth the word of life as long as there is breath. The seed is planted and God gives the increase. The time is short, Jesus is coming again! In His service
Mark
Advent (Parousia) presence as opposed to absence
in human form The long awaited for promised seed of the
woman bringing salvation to a lost and condemned world.
Adams seed. The voice of the Lord spoke to Joseph quoting
Isa. 7:14 Matt 1:23 “Behold, a virgin shall be with child,
and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name
Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
Jesus being born of woman became present as “God in flesh”
True God and now true man. Jesus, from Bethlehem’s
manger grew to be a man, walked among us felt everything
we feel, yet with one big difference, He always pleased His
Father, Jesus lived perfectly Holy without sin. After fulfilling all
righteousness, as the spotless Lamb of God he laid His Life
down on the cross, shedding His blood for us sinners, that he
might take it up again, rising from the dead. Jesus then told Mary
“Touch me not for I have not yet ascended to my Father and
your father”
He than came back and told Thomas John 20:27 ” Reach
hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither
Thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but
believing.” “Believing we have life through His Name.” He then
came and preached peace to them that were near and to them
that were afar off. Jews and Gentiles, establishing His Church
saying as my Father has sent me so send I you. This is really
Jesus’s Second appearing from heaven as one of us as victor
over sin death and hell.
We read of His third appearing in Acts 1:11, “Ye men of
Gal’i-lee , why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus,
which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like
manner as you have seen him go into heaven.” Jesus is coming
again the third time to separate the sheep from the goats.
Two messages will be heard, “Come ye blest of my Father” and
“Depart ye cursed” We wait for a great and glorious day as many
as love the Lord. As we wait with anticipation, lets go forth with joy,
bearing our little cross’s proclaiming the everlasting gospel of Jesus
and his love,that whosoever believes may live and not die.Mark
Christmas is About Christ
Mark
The Church
Only those who are the “called out ones,” as the Greek word implies, are a part of that church. (Called out of the world purified and cleansed by His blood to be His own.)
It is the Lord that adds people, and saves them, to the church (Acts 2:47).
The church is more than an organization; it is a living, body, because Christ is within it.
Each member is a important part of the Churchs function. “For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members are one in Him, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.” Read 1 Corinthians 12:13-31. An individual Christian cannot be a church but is to function as a member of the body, Christs body, His church. God set in the church various gifts, of and directed by the Spirit, in the word.
MARK
Give Thanks
Psalm 92:1,2
“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: 2. To show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,”
The Bible teaches us that as a body of believers we should be Thankful
Colossians 3:15
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”
In good times an bad time we should always give thanks.
Ephesians 5:20
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”
We should thank him with words that are spoken.
Hebrews 13:15
“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
Ben Franklin, Told this story from New England history. “That in a time of great despondency among the first settlers of New England, it was purposed at one of there public assemblies to proclaim a fast. An old farmer arose, spoke of their provoking heaven with their complaints, reviewed their mercies, showed that they had much to be thankful for, and moved that, instead of appointing a day of fasting, they should appoint a day of thanksgiving. This was accordingly done, and the custom has been continued ever since.”
In spite of troubles and trails, lets us continually thank and praise Him.
Mark
Two Covenants
Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
Psalm 110:3
The old has the motivation of fear, if you don’t do good the axe will fall or if I do more and more good the reward gets better. As the Devil promised Eve you will be like God.
The day of power is the day of Christ, Christ came in the fullness of time to redeem man who all his life is subject to bondage, under the old covenant promise, do or die. In the new covenant Jesus as true man fulfilled all the demands of the law, went willingly to the cross taking our justly deserved condemnation made atonement for our sins in His blood, reconciling us to the Father. As new creatures in Christ, motivated by love we desire to obey God.
Praise be to God for the covenant of Grace!
Martin Luther’s exposition on this verse says it well.
The scriptures speak of two periods: the first of weakness, which included those who lived under the law. At that time, men did not observe the will of God freely through love but in the spirit of servile obedience. That day became to them an unbearable load and burden, impossible to enjoy. God’s will must be done without compulsion and that, in the nature of the case, was impossible for them.
The second period is the covenant of grace and help through which man is made strong, willingly observes the will of God and his commands, and sincerely loves him. Christians do this not for the sake of necessity or reward, nor do they fail through suffering or death. This is not the work of nature but of grace.
Mark
Posted on 23 Oct 2010