Rev. Patrick Vincent
Got your verse for the new year:
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you – Matt. 5:44
Just imagine if everyone embraced it.
Yours in Christ
Church doesn’t mean what we think it means. If I asked you to describe church, I am 99.9% positive that you would describe a building where Christians worship, right? Well, that’s not what the original word meant. The first time ekklēsía is used is by Jesus:
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church (ekklēsía) and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. – Matt. 16:18 (NIV)
According to Strong’s (#1577): properly, ekklēsía is people called out from the world and to God, the outcome being the Church.
Read that again: ekklēsía is people. Called out ones belonging to the Lord.
It wasn’t even a religious term. It was a civic one. It described an assembly of people (or soldiers) gathering for a purpose. Did you catch that? It’s the assembly. It’s the gathering. And they are meeting for a purpose.
I could get into the whole etymology of church: the English transliteration of the German kirche (which actually is a building) and how Constantine’s conversion completely shaped our modern liturgy (pageantry that no where resembles the Jerusalem council of Acts 15). But I don’t want to bore you to tears. What I want is to make sure you realize that church is not just four walls and a ceiling. It’s so much more!
We are the Called Out Ones belonging to the Lord. We act as salt & light in the world (Matt. 5:14). When we leave that building (which I totally love by the way), “church” doesn’t stop there! It goes out with us as the hands and feet of Christ. It’s the moving body of Christ (1 Cor. 12).
The church is also the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:22-33). I love my bride. How much more then does Jesus love His? If you ignored my bride or disrespected her, then you and I would have difficulties. It’s a foolish man who mistreats the adored bride of the Son of God.
When we think of church if we just think of a building then we have a very small idea of church.
If you love Jesus, you will also love His bride.
The Pharisees said, “If you change, you can join us.”
Jesus said, “You can join Me. You will be changed.”
That’s a big difference.
May God’s Love be with you
Great news! You will inherit $5 million dollars from a rich relative you didn’t even know you had. However, there is a small catch (isn’t there always?): you won’t receive the money for another five years. That’s a bummer, but even though you don’t have the money just yet, don’t you think your overall attitude will change? Won’t it be a little lighter? Won’t you breathe a little easier knowing it that day is coming? Won’t all those little things that usually get on your last nerve now seem… not all that bad? That demanding job will seem less demanding. Those aches and pains will seem a little duller. Slow Wi-Fi may even seem not so slow… well, maybe not (let’s not be overly optimistic here).
There will be a skip in your step because you know that big payday, although not here yet, is coming.
We have the paydays of paydays coming to us. (Rom. 8:17) The big one; Heaven eternal with the Father – It is promised us (Col. 1:20). It is coming. Soon, but not yet. Therefore, shouldn’t just knowing its there waiting for us put a little smile on our faces?
I’m not saying we are so heavenly focused that we are no earthly good. We still work (Jer. 29:4-7). We still “do business” till he comes (Luke 19:13). We still have to get through the in-between (James 1:12). I know all about the in-between; sometimes she’s a real bear. Yet our inheritance is sweet and it is well worth the wait! (Psa. 2:7,8). The future glory outweighs any present light and temporary trouble (2 Cor. 4:17). That’s right: it weighs more; it’s big & it’s fat.
So, no matter how loud & ugly our trouble seems in the moment, remember your rich Relative with the abundantly extravagant inheritance just waiting for you. He’s closer now than He’s ever been. And that $5 million dollar earthly inheritance is actually fake. It’s toy-money. Play-pretend money. Compared with what He’s preparing for us, its dust.
I constantly say the wrong thing. I consistently am weak when I ought to be strong. I have no power to speak of. However, I take great comfort and confidence in the common denominator of the following 2 verses:
(My wife would be so proud of that Math term!)
Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts – Zech. 4:6
And:
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, – 1 Cor. 2:4
It’s God’s gift of the Holy Spirit that empowers us. Anything we do that is even moderately successful is just a small demonstration of this power. When I mess up (which is often), it is because I am relying on my own strength and power (which we already established is dreadfully deficient). Relying on the Lord and the Holy Spirit dramatically increases the successful outcome of any situation.
If you are facing a crisis and feel overwhelmed, take comfort in the knowledge that a child of God can rely on the power that Zechariah and Paul relied on. It wasn’t their own, I can tell you that much. It was the power of the Spirit!
Not a child of God? He’s just waiting to adopt you! He’s got the paperwork ready. He’s got the car outside running. Sprint out of that orphanage into the mansion!
You can take that one all the way to the bank.
Do me a favor and chew on this “solid food” (1 Cor. 3:2):
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. -Rom. 8:11
We sort of gloss over that verse, but it’s implications are crazy amazing: resurrection power resides in us! Is there anything more incredible? The power to raise the dead? Dwelling in our bones? Come on, now!
Imagine if we really believed that.
Charlotte’s prayers are so sweet. I wish everyone could hear them. She prays that we would all know how much Jesus loves us, that we would love ourselves as Jesus loves us, and of course, she prays for Mary who is always getting into trouble. I want my prayers to be more like hers. They naturally overflow with hesed.
Hesed is, by far, my favorite Hebrew word. My guess is it will soon be yours as well.
Hesed [1] means steadfast love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, or mercy. [2] The late R.C. Sproul described it as loyal love. I like that. It’s sorta like our word for love. Not only in meaning, but also in the sense that we use it to mean a lot of different things. In fact, we probably over-use it: We say we love our spouse, our kids, & our coffee.
Hesed occurs 245 times in the OT (1st in Gen. 19:19, last in Zech. 7:9 [3] ). Arguably, the NT equivalent would be the Greek word charis or GRACE (favor, kindness). [4]
Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love [hesed] of the LORD. – Psa.107:43, (ESV)
OK, so most people do not like to read the OT. Its hard to understand and doesn’t seem relevant. We get hung up on all the begats, don’t we? Well, if that’s the case: I am giving you permission to skip over the begats. But I think its more than that. We also think the OT paints a picture of God that we don’t really like: full of wrath! This is a real shame. Because that’s not how God describes Himself:
The Lord passed before him, & proclaimed ‘Yahweh, the Lord, a God merciful & gracious, slow to anger, & abounding in steadfast love & faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the 1,000th generation, forgiving iniquity & transgression & sin.’ – Exd. 34:6-7
Not just love. Not just steadfast love. But – ABOUNDING in steadfast love! KEEPING steadfast love! Yahweh repeatedly describes Himself as being full of hesed. Oh, don’t think I am watering it down for you: God is holy, holy, holy (Isa. 6:3) and sin must be recompensed (Rom. 6:23). But, God is also abounding in hesed.
Jesus, of course, perfectly embodies hesed in the NT:
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. – Acts 10:38
Over & over again, the Bible tells us Jesus went around helping & healing (Matt. 4:23, 9:35). This is hesed in action! This is how we imitate Christ; by helping & healing. To be Christlike is to be devoted to each other in brotherly hesed (Rom. 12:10).
Ultimately, Jesus showed supreme hesed by laying down His life for ours (1 John 3:16). This is how we know what love is: sacrificial hesed. When you think of God, think of hesed. When you think of Jesus, think of hesed. And when you think of your fellow man, think of hesed. Just like Charlotte’s prayers, our lives ought to naturally overflow with lovingkindness and steadfast love.
Now, you can see why hesed is my favorite Hebrew word. Is it yours?
[1] http://biblehub.com/hebrew/2617.htm
[2] http://biblehub.com/hebrew/chesed_2617.htm
[3] http://pastorseansblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/word-study-of-checed-or-hesed-h2617.html
[4] http://biblehub.com/greek/5485.htm
R.C. Sproul, Loyal Love: https://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-hesed/
We are all looking for something, aren’t we? What is it that you looking for? Wisdom (experience, career)? Knowledge (facts, degrees)? Happiness (marriage, relationships)? Peace (also marriage and relationships… just kidding)? Riches (security, comfort)? Whatever it is, ALL is found in Jesus.
All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him – Col. 2:3
If you are looking anywhere else, then you are barking up the wrong tree. You know, that is a pretty funny expression now that I am actually thinking about it; the dog has chased a cat up a tree and is now barking at it, but the cat is in another tree? Silly dog. However, that is what I want you to envision if you are looking for…. lets say, self-fulfillment, in any other place than in Jesus. Yep, you are that silly dog barking up the wrong the tree. Come on, dog! Ya got the wrong tree!
If I were looking for something in the wrong place, I would want someone to tell me. Constantly searching sounds too exhausting. I would much rather rest. Its like looking for the car keys in the refrigerator. They probably aren’t there. If I were rummaging through the freezer looking for my keys and you knew where they were – I would want you to tell me.
If you are not looking to Jesus, then you are looking in the freezer for your car keys.
ALL treasures are found in Him. Satisfaction for your heart? In Him. Satisfaction for your mind? In Him. Satisfaction for your bones? ALL are found in Him. I promise you: Jesus doesn’t come up short. Jesus doesn’t disappoint. Jesus doesn’t leave you holding the check. Jesus doesn’t promise, and then not deliver. In fact, He over-delivers. He exceeds. He excels.
Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], – Eph. 3:20a (AMP)
Anything worth knowing, is known in Him. Anything worth finding, is found in Him. Anything worth discovering is discovered in Him. Think about that: All the secret riches that can potentially come out of all intelligence and understanding is revealed in Christ! That’s why Paul calls it treasure. Treasure is priceless, precious, and rare. The closest to finding treasure I ever got was using a metal detector at the beach one summer. Man, you never saw a kid more excited over a quarter. You would have thought I found the Heart of the Ocean or something. Jesus is talking about FOR REAL treasure. Not some rusty old quarter! Life treasure. Soul treasure. Eternal Treasure. True fortune.
Treasures are hidden, aren’t they? They are buried. They require some digging. They must be unearthed. You have to remove the dirt to find the treasure. We have a lot of dirt piled up in our lives. We are buried in it! Jesus can remove the dirt – if you will let Him. He wants to unearth the potential underneath all the guck and grime.
The most worthwhile treasure you can ever possess is knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. It may take some digging, but it is well worth it.
Lots of nativities around this time of year. Lots of mangers. Lots of little plastic Baby Jesus’s. Who is that Baby? Sounds simple, but this is THE greatest question.
There is no shortage of answers. Allow me to direct you to one.
That Baby would later describe Himself as, “the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Rev. 22:13)
Alpha & Omega, huh? That’s Greek, of course. We would say A-Z. This doesn’t just mean all 26 letters (24 for them). I mean, it does, but it also means every word created with those letters.
Every sentence.
Think about how much of our life now is in letters: texts, tweets, and posts! All letters. And Jesus said He is the A all the way down to the Z.
Incredible.
– If this blessed you, please like & share!
There is a recent (and warranted) outcry over moral failure. Every day someone new is ousted. Sometimes it is shocking (Matt Lauer). Sometimes it is not so shocking (Harvey Weinstein). In either case, this is nothing new. When mankind refuses to heed commonsense ethics, shrugs their shoulders at solid Biblical teaching, and stops their ears so they cannot hear the words of Jesus, then disaster inevitably and forcibly follows… and great is the fall of it (Matt. 7:24).
Imagine this (if you can!), Mr. Lauer or Mr. Weinstein there wakes up one morning and immediately opens God’s word. He comes across one of the many codes of ethics therein. For example:
9 Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Execute true justice, Show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.’ – Zech. 7:9-10
Makes sense, right? Pretty simple, I think:
1. Be fair. 2. Play nice. 3. Hug, don’t hit. 4. Help, don’t hurt.
(Funny, we say the same thing to our girls… who are only 4 and 2 by the way).
Then he starts his day. Do you think his day will be different? Do you think his life will be changed? Do you think his decisions would be more enlightened? Oh, I know that they would. Because you cannot encounter the Living God and walk away the same. You cannot meet with Yahweh every morning and then go out and sin (1 John 3:6). It just doesn’t work that way.
Instead, we get more and more people acting the way Zechariah’s audience acted:
11 But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. (7:11)
If we do like they did, “make our hearts like flint” and don’t heed God’s word, then we will face exactly what they faced: great wrath (7:12).
If you are reading this, there is still hope. Every second is an opportunity that God is freely giving to you so you can turn to Him. Isn’t that awesome? Don’t waste it.
Peppered throughout the Book of the Twelve (or as we call them, the Minor Prophets… “minor” in length not in importance!), there resides a curious verse: “Be silent before the Lord” (Hab. 2:20; Zeph. 1:7; Zech. 2:13).
Don’t we love to fantasize about all the things WE will ask the Lord when we get to Heaven? We envision long discussions and all the things WE will say in the presence of the Lord. In eternity I’m sure there will be time for that sort of thing, however, it seems the opposite will also be true. Not only will there be endless praise, adoration, and worship of the Father (Psa. 145:21) – but it appears we will also be in silent, reverent service (Rev. 22:3).
Picture this: we will be hanging on every word that drops from the Father. We will be on the edge of our seat unwilling to miss even a singly syllable. With bated breath, we will soak up every last letter. We will be totally and lovingly captivated by Jehovah. We will be silent, because we won’t want to miss anything!
Could it also be because if we open our mouths, inevitably, the subject matter will be ourselves? Or bad advice? Job’s friends were silent for a week before giving their counsel… and what rotten counsel it was!
I love Solomon’s Proverb to let your words be few (Ecc. 5:2). And also, even a fool seems wise if he doesn’t open his mouth and prove otherwise (Prov. 17:28). Silence is, indeed, golden. Silence (usually) means we are listening. Hey, it may be the reason we were given two ears and just one mouth.
I saw the movie Looking For Richard in 1996 and I have never forgotten the wise words of a homeless man when he said, “maybe if we meant what we said, we would say less and mean more.”
A Verse A Day 