Tag: one Lord
King over all the earth!
Scripture reading for October 2: Zechariah 12-14
“This is what the Lord says concerning Israel. The Lord, Who stretches out the heavens, Who lays the foundation of the earth, and Who forms the spirit of man within him, declares: ” I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations.”” Zechariah 12:1-3a
God has some serious plans for Jerusalem and Judah. He foretells of a time when all nations will be gathered against Israel and Jerusalem. They will attack but be broken, because God, Himself will be with His people. God stated through Zechariah that He would set out to destroy all nations that attack Jerusalem. (Zechariah 12:9)
God is going to pour out on Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication in that coming day, and they will look on Jesus, the one they have pierced, and mourn for Him. (Zechariah 12:10) (John 19:34-37) He promised to open up a fountain for the house of David and Jerusalem to cleanse them from sins. (Zechariah 13:1) The land would be cleansed of all idols and every impurity. The wounds that would cleanse them, would be received at the house of his friends! (Zechariah 13:6) The sword would strike the shepherd of the Lord and the sheep would be scattered. (Zechariah 13:7) (Matthew 26:31-32) God’s people would be refined in the fire of the last days! Two thirds of them will perish but a third will call on the Lord and He will answer them! (Zechariah 13:8-9)
In the last days that are to come, Jerusalem would be captured, houses ransacked and women raped. But, suddenly, the Lord will put his feet on the Mt. of Olives and it will split in two, creating a great valley. It will make a way of escape for God’s people! (Zechariah 14:4-5) It will be a day when living waters will flow out of Jerusalem. “The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and His name the only name.” Zechariah 14:9
Jerusalem will be lifted up and inhabited, secure and never again destroyed. The nations that attacked Israel will be struck with a terrible plague that will cause their flesh to rot while standing on their feet and the eyes to rot in their sockets! There will be survivors who will worship the Lord in Jerusalem by coming to the Feast of Tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:12-16) “Holy to the Lord” will be inscribed on the bells of the horses and the cooking pots in the Lord’s house. What a conclusion to this ‘minor’ prophet! Be sure He is King over your life for He will surely be and is “King over the earth.”
One Lord, One Church, One Spirit
Scripture reading for June 8th: Ephesians 2, Psalm 114, Proverbs 21
Ephesians 2: 17-22 “And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the Cornerstone, in Whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
Paul, writing to believers, both Jew and Gentile, sought to enlighten the eyes of their hearts to understand the big picture God had revealed to all mankind through His Son, Jesus Christ. God was building a house and inviting all who would believe on His Son into His household. This privilege of adoption and citizenship would be through the “Cornerstone” of faith in Jesus Christ and repentance. No longer would there be a building, but each believer would be a “dwelling place” for God’s Presence by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would give both Jew and Gentile access to God as Father. What a “Precious Treasure” is the gift of the Father to all who will believe! God turns our rocky hearts into a river of “Living Water!”
Psalm 114:7-8 “Tremble, O earth, at the Presence of the Lord, at the Presence of the God of Jacob, Who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for turning my hard and flinty heart to a river of “Living Water!” Thank You for the precious Treasure of the Holy Spirit, God the Spirit living in me. Thank You for Christ’s righteousness and eternal life. Use me to publish the “Good News” of one Savior, Jesus Christ, one Holy Spirit from the Father, and one new dwelling place of God, believers who make up Christ’s Body!
Proverbs 21:20-21 “Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it. Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.”
Our God speaks and empowers!
Scripture reading for September 9th: 1st Corinthians 12
Key Scriptures: 1st Corinthians 12:1-7 “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit; and there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God Who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
The Corinthians church was full of people who were once pagans and served dumb idols. The term ‘dumb’ means the inability to speak. But in the church of Jesus Christ, we serve a God Who is alive and speaks and gives gifts and empowers! Paul wanted none of the church to be ignorant concerning the Holy Spirit and the gifts He gives. He wanted them to grow in the grace of the gifts God had put within each member of the greater body. There is only one God, one Holy Spirit, and one Lord Jesus and when someone has been born again by the Holy Spirit, they will confess “Jesus is Lord.” They will never curse their Lord! There are also varieties of gifts of the Holy Spirit and varieties of service to the Lord, but our God is the only one to empower believers. These gifts and activities are all given for the common good, never to be boasted about or used for selfish purposes.
1st Corinthians 12:8-10 “For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
Faith confession and prayer: Father, thank You for the wonderful Gift of the Holy Spirit, living in me and all who believe. Help me to grow more knowledgeable about the Holy Spirit and Your gifts that I might use the gifts you give to be a blessing to Your body, the Church. I proclaim by the Holy Spirit: “Jesus is Lord!”
1st Corinthians 12:11 “All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, Who apportions to each one individually as He wills.”
Gifts to prepare the Body!
Scripture reading for September 25th: Ephesians 4:1-16
It was God’s amazing love that birthed the church from both Jew and Gentile. Paul prayed that the church at Ephesus might be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit and that Christ might dwell in their hearts by faith. He prayed that this amazing love would establish them and unify them in spite of any previous differences. As he prayed, he knew and confessed that Christ was able to do more than he could even ask or think about! (Ephesians 3:20-21)
God’s plan to save Jew and Gentile through the Gospel was made known to the church. God then raised up an army of those who would equip the church for the works of service that God required to advance His plan. These gift-people included apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. The purpose of these gifts to the church was to equip the body of Christ. God wanted each member of His body to come into unity of purpose and have a full understanding of the Son of God.
When a person is first born again, that person is like an infant baby. They must be fed and cared for so that they can grow properly. Good food with a balance of proper nutrition must be given the infant. They need milk in order to grow. (1st Peter 2:2) In the church at Ephesus, as in other churches, there were some false teachers who might try to persuade these new infants to eat from junk food that they were serving. These false doctrines would toss them about and prevent them from growing up as mature believers in the faith. (Ephesians 4:14) As each appointed part of Christ’s body did their part, the church would grow up to be like their head, Christ.
The church today needs God’s gift people to use their talents. There are many opportunities for infants in Christ to be tossed about by winds of doctrine and deceitful counterfeits. Church leaders must use discernment and preach the Word. Evangelists must preach the Gospel of Christ and birth infants. Apostles must plant churches and take the Gospel where it has not be preached. Prophets must expound the Word of God, keeping the church in God’s grace. Pastors and teachers must make disciples and care for Christ’s sheep by feeding and shepherding them. When all work together, Godly growth into the fullness of Christ results!