O Give Thanks Unto the Lord, For His Mercy Endureth Forever

The Message today Scripture teaches us, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven!”  God has set forth a season, a time, wherein all humanity comes to a day of Giving Thanks.  May our heart turn to embrace a “Thankful Spirit” and to meditate upon the Goodness of God!  May our Praise today encompass a Thankful heart. When we embrace Thankful, Mercy comes to my mind; how grateful I am for the Mercy of God! 276 times the word Mercy is used in the Bible. Over and over in the New Testament we hear voices cry out for the Mercy of Jesus to heal, to set free, and to open eyes. Mercy was a part of their Prayer to Jesus!  As we move through the ‘healings’ of Jesus, we see that once His Mercy was applied, victory was obtained. What is Mercy? There  is quite a lengthy explanation in Webster’s dictionary and the following is what stands out to me and has become the reason for this Message.  Mercy: A price paid – Lenient or compassionate treatment shown to an offender –

Blessings, Divine favor – Mercy implies compassion that forgives punishment even when justice demands it! Mercy is a great part of God’s Grace. These statements will preach for they are the attributes of our Saviour. We can be Thankful for God’s Mercy in giving a fallen world to Jesus!  And then there is the Mercy of Jesus who offered His Life “in that while we were yet sinners,” and died for our Salvation. Perhaps it is not just that Thanksgiving was put on the calendar because some president wanted us to have a day off – but just maybe, God planned it for a moment for us to reflect upon His Mercy and the awesome power of Jesus’ Sacrifice to cleanse us from sin, to reveal His bountiful Mercy, His Divine Favor, and His Compassion that never fails. The Message today hinges on the beginning Scriptures: “O Give Thanks unto the Lord; for He is good; for His Mercy endureth for ever. And say ye, Save us, O God of our Salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may Give Thanks to Thy Holy Name, and glory in Thy Praise. Let us Give Thanks unto the God of our Hope, the God of our Eternal Salvation! Giving Thanks for everyone of you & Loving you! Pastor

O Give Thanks Unto the Lord

Scripture teaches us, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven!”  God has set forth a season, a time, wherein all humanity comes to a day of Giving Thanks.  May our heart turn to embrace a “Thankful Spirit” and to meditate upon the Goodness of God!  May our Praise today encompass a Thankful heart. Thankful for the Shed Blood of Jesus that Redeems us and Thankful for His Broken Body that brings healing to our soul. O Give Thanks Unto The Lord!  As we read the Congregational Scripture Reading today, you will note that over and over in the Reading we are admonished to “Give Thanks!” This admonishment comes from various areas of God’s Word. Beyond being Thankful for our life, our family, our jobs, and our friends – Note the Spiritual things that we are Thankful for: His Mercy that endureth, His Mighty deeds among His people, we are admonished to Sing of His Wondrous Works, and to enter into His gates with Thanksgiving! And most of all “Giving Thanks” must come from a faithful heart, a true heart that understands the Mercy of God!  And our Thanksgiving that comes as a sacrifice must come of our free will given us by a Faithful God!  Loving you & Thankful for you, Pastor

The Burden

As our Message opens today, we hear the cry of Habakkuk as he laments the burden of his soul.  Habakkuk is one of God’s faithful prophets, He is full of questions concerning violence, sin, strife and contention. While He is a Prophet of many years ago, we can quickly see his Prayer reaches into our very day.  Violence was on every hand, against God, government, and authorities.  In my devotions I felt the Lord ask me a question. It went something like this; is there a cry in your heart unto Me regarding the condition of your country?  Habakkuk’s burden was for Israel, his Country, as he could see prophetically what was happening to his Beloved Israel.  So the question among many is basically do we have a burden for America?  I know we are concerned, I know we see the wickedness compassing the Christians, but do we intercede as Habakkuk?  Is there a grief in our soul as we see the signs of the unrighteous prevailing in many circumstances, laws being changed, more power to the wicked and less respect for God’s people.  Habakkuk has questions: “How long shall I cry, and Thou will not hear?” – “Why dost Thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance?” – “Art Thou not from everlasting, O Lord, my God, mine Holy One?” Habakkuk is having a heart to heart talk with the Lord in the midst of his Prayer and Prophetical vision.  We have Prophets in the land, the question is do they see the vision of the End-Time that is fastly approaching our nation. There is a cry in the heart of God that His people might comprehend; the hour is upon us to Pray, to intercede for our nation and to include in these Prayers and Fastings Israel. There is a purpose for this Burden of the nations.  God reveals it in Hab.1:5 “Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.” May our response be as Habakkuk; [1:12] “O Lord my God, mine Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.” This burden of a Prophet’s vision is much like our day and God tells him; the vision is for an appointed time and it will surely come, wait for it! – The Just shall live by his Faith!  O Lord, strengthen our Faith Father God that we will be attentive to the hour in which we live!   Loving you, Pastor  

The Things Which Be Hereafter - Part 3 of Three End-Time Things

It is my Prayer that you have looked into Revelation Chapter 1-3 as we have walked with John the Beloved in his vision that God gave to him.  We have looked at the “Things which we have seen” – We have have looked at “The Things Which Are” and to day we explore “The Things Which Shall Be Hereafter!”  To really have the knowledge of The Things that Shall Be Hereafter one must read the entire book of Revelation. Most basic Christians refer to not read the Book because it is scary or they can not understand the symbols that the Book contains. To glean a keen understanding of The Book of Revelation one must have a good study Bible, King James, and carefully begin your study by including the foot notes of the study Bible as you read.  Libraries are filled with explanations of this Book and you will find great authors that you trust, yet they will disagree with other great authors. The Book of Revelation holds the mystery of the End-Times for the saints of God.  It will unfold periodically as God allows the vision to be known.  As we read the Scriptures of the End-Time in Scripture, we realize that we are in the End-Time. Joel 2:28-32 is excellent reading for it is again mentioned in Acts 2:17-21. It is the record of the outpouring of the Holy Ghost which has come to the New Testament Church. What is interesting is to see what is attached to this “outpouring of the Holy Spirit:”and it is mentioned in both of these Passages of Scripture Acts 2:17-21 “I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be Saved.” and Joel ends with: “Joel 2:32 “It shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.”   The Word of God is filled with ‘warnings’ of “The Things that shall be hereafter!” We must respond to the cry of the Spirit; “He that hath an ear let him hear ... sixteen times it is heard in the New Testament and even in the Old Testament as God spoke through Ezekiel [3:27] When I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house. There is a cry in God’s heart that we might hear “The Things that shall be hereafter.”   Loving you, Pastor

Three End-Time Things! Part 2b “Things Which Are!”

“The Things Which Are!: We continue this second part Revelation 1:19: Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are;  As Jesus is unveiled in the midst of the Churches of Revelation we learn what He is looking for in His Church! We sense His sorrow over the shallowness of their love, and the fact of some being a stumbling block to the Children of Israel. His heart hurts over the false teachers and the false doctrines that He hates. There is great warning to those who seduce God’s people with false teachings. He cautions the Faithful: “Be watchful, strengthen whatever remains, and keep your works perfect before God.” Watch that no defilement overtakes you! He challenges us, if we will keep the Word of His Patience, and not deny His name, He will keep us from the hour of temptation. We continue the Message today with the Church at Pergamos; again the Lord tells them He knows their works. He reminds them that Antipas had been a faithful Martyr slain among them.  A close look at history discloses some information about Antipas; it seems that he might of been the Bishop of Pergamos and he was put to death by being enclosed in a burning brazen bull.  Even though they dwell where satan’s seat was, they held fast to Jesus name; they did not deny the Faith. False doctrine continues to be rampent, even as it is in our day. The seat of satan is swelling as we see the wickedness in our own world today. The doctrines of Balaam and the Nicolaitanes invaded the Church and we will see them even in our world today, as they are uncovered in the Message. The Spirit continues to speak to the Church of Thytira, much is said of the evil spirit of Jezebel. She is given a space to repent and if she does not the consequences are devastating as the Message of Repentance is set before this false prophetess. Time does not allow me to go into the depth, but read Rev. 2; Jesus Message to Churches ends with Overcome, hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church! In Sardis we hear “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.”  And in Philadelphia there is no rebuke: “Because thou hast kept the Word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” And finely we arrive at Laodicea, the luke warm Church. Perhaps that is where our Church world is today. Jesus stands at the door and knocks – He desires to sup with He desires to sup with us. Let us respond to His Spirit that is drawing us! Loving you Pastor