Amazing Grace How Sweet the Sound

Amazing Grace How Sweet the Sound

“Let us come boldly to the throne of Grace.” Heb_4:12-16

John spoke to the vast crowd once more from the Pavilion, “God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need; you will abound to every good work. Doing good, and being good; bearing fruit and increasing in the knowledge of God as you stand under the covering of His amazing grace!”
Then Daniel and the Three Hebrew Children began to play a familiar chorus, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.”

The band picked up on it and joined in with the instruments. And like a prairie fire swept by a mighty wind, the melody spread throughout the vast crowd gathered in Monumental Park. We lifted our voices together and sang the song of the Ages.
Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see!

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved!precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.
Though many danger, toils and snares I have already come,
‘twas grace that brought me safe thus far; and grace will lead me home!we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shinning as the sun!’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun!

John lifted his voice above the crowd and said, “A great battle was fought as the powers of darkness sought to seize the Throne of Heaven. The Lord girded Himself in battle array and led His Saints and Angels into the conflict. The full arsenal of Hell was unleashed in one desperate attempt to topple the King and take control of all things. There was loss on both sides as the War unfolded all around, reaching a terrifying and chaotic pitch.

And then, suddenly, there was silence. The last shot had been fired, the final blow had been landed. We who survived stood in the fog of war waiting to learn of its outcome. A breeze began to blow across the vast battlefield, and slowly the smoke and dust started to clear. We stood on tiptoe looking about for some sign that would signal what would happen next.

A ray of golden sunshine pierced through the lingering clouds and we saw it. First, a sparkle from a jewel in the Royal Crown. Then, the golden glow of its untarnished splendor. It was but a moment longer until someone closer to the epicenter shouted out in exuberant triumph – “Hallelujah! Jesus Reigns!!”

That word of triumph swept through the battlefield and we raised our voices to heaven as one, “Hallelujah! Jesus reigns!!”

And then King David shouted, “Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah (Psa_24:7-10)

At that we all joined together and shouted, “Hallelujah! Jesus reigns!!” And once again we began to sing, “Amazing Grace!” After some time we slowly began to disperse. Our group headed toward the west end of Monumental Park to plan our next move.

The Two Worlds

The Two Worlds

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts — Mat_6:11-12

Acceptance of the Material World

When our Lord bids us pray for daily bread He accepts the visible world of space and time. He reveals to us our right relationship to the material world with which we are surrounded. Only if a man accepts that world is it possible for him to live. He must receive and assimilate the nourishment it offers him if his bodily life is to continue. He does not create his own material nourishment. He finds it in the world around him, and, finding it, draws it within himself. Our true attitude to that outward world lies in receiving what it has to offer us. We need bread, and it comes to us with bread. We need water, and it brings us water. Not out of the stores of our own being, but out of the vast largesse of the world do we secure our bodily existence. All this is implied when we are taught to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." Our Lord is not setting the bounty of His Father over against the world in which we live. He is teaching us what He profoundly felt, that the material things which make our being possible are the free gifts of a loving Father's hand.

Realization of the Spiritual World

But to our Lord there was another world, and that other world not far away. The moment He teaches us to ask forgiveness He has stepped from the one into the other. In the material world pardon is unknown, just because sin is non-existent there. The effects of sin darken and disorder it, but it is not the sin of any bird or beast. These, guided by instinct, ignorant of evil, untouched by the glory of responsibility, have never felt the shamefulness of sin. The moment our Savior speaks about forgiveness He has passed into another world. It is not the world which bears the golden corn, nor is its music the music of the river. And the wonderful thing is how our blessed Lord, in a single breath, if I might put it so, moves over from the one world to the other. When He bids us pray, Give us our daily bread, He is thinking of the sower and the reaper. When He bids us pray for pardon, He has moved into the realm of spirit. And quite evidently, from His swift transition, the latter was not a world of distant frontiers. It was closer than breathing, nearer than hands and feet.
Both Material and Spiritual Gifts Are Derived from Outside of Ourselves
Now it seems to me that this rich collocation has a profound significance for all of us. It means that to these two different worlds our attitude is meant to be identical. We crave for bread, and the one world gives us bread. We thirst for water, and it gives us water. If we are to maintain our bodily existence we must receive what we cannot create. And in the same way our deeper life, to which we give the name of spiritual, must be sustained by constant receptivity. We do not win bread out of our inward stores. We get it from the bounty of the world. It is scattered across a thousand fields, and from these fields we wrest it and assimilate it. And all the nurture of our deeper life, to which our Savior gives the name of bread, has got to be received in the same way. It is not within our power to create pardon, anymore than it is in our power to create corn. Both are gifts and miracles of mercy, to be humbly accepted from God's hand. Give us our daily bread; forgive us: God's gifts are diverse; man's attitude is one.

Man's Craving Not Satisfied with Bread Only

One feels, too, that in this collocation there is a powerful encouragement to faith. It reminds us of our Savior's graciousness in comparing faith to a grain of mustard-seed. I crave for bread, and the one world comes to me crying, Child, I have got bread for you. I have got satisfaction for that hunger in the loving fore-ordering of God. And I cannot believe that in the world of sense God would make ample provision for our cravings, and mock them in the other world of spirit. You do not exhaust the hungering of man when you satisfy the hunger of his body. The craving for truth and love and light is as real as the craving for the loaf. And that God in His merciful provision should give the loaf and deny the spiritual bread, to the thoughtful mind is utterly incredible. To do that would be to mock us. It would force us back to the level of the beast. To give the lower and refuse the higher would be the deathknell of the hopes of man. And how unthinkable that would have been to Jesus is evident from the one simple fact that His hopes for man are boundless. To Him the bounty of the world of sense was a pledge of the bounty of the other world. If from the one realm we get the gift of bread, shall we not from the other get the gift of pardon? Every field ripening to the harvest, and every fountain with its bubbling waters, was to Him a sacrament of the world unseen where are the water and the bread of life.

PRACTISING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

PRACTISING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

"The Lord is at hand. In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." — Php_4:5-6.
THE WORD anxiety comes from the same root as anger, and suggests the idea of choking. Worry chokes the life of faith. It does not help us to overcome our difficulties, but unfits us for dealing with them. No weapon that is formed against us shall prosper; every tongue that shall rise against us shall be condemned; our bread shall be given, and our water sure. God will perfect that which concerneth us, and His goodness and mercy shall never cease. Roll thyself and thy burden on the Lord, and leave them there. Too many take them back again!

In the darkening autumn evenings, we light our lamps earlier, or turn on the switch, and lo! there is a burst of light which had been waiting to be called upon. So let us keep a smile upon our faces. As we put off our heavy and rain-soaked clothes in the vestibule, so let us leave our anxieties with God, until we have to resume our destined path.

The Lord is at hand! Let us often repeat these words, amid the common places of life, as well as when anticipating His near Advent! Say it when Euodia and Syntyche are giving you trouble! Say it when you are irritated and think that there is no reason why you should accept rebuffs and slights so meekly! Say it when you are worried and anxious! Say it, till you come again into that Presence, which is as the light of the morning when the sun riseth. Practise the Presence of God! Hold fellowship with Him! Even in business, or in the midst of daily toil, often lift your heart for a moment into the atmosphere of His presence! There is a great difference between faith and its intellectual expression. We must rise above the intellectual into spiritual fellowship with God. It is not for us to excite a transient feeling of love towards God. This will soon evanesce. Our business is the absolute surrender of the heart to Him. Not the rapture of the mystic, but the consciousness of the spirit, which is aware of an unimpeded union with the life of the Infinite. To be ever, tranquilly, joyously, and strenuously, at one with the blessed Will of God—that is the Heavenly Paradise, and each of us, by His grace, may walk with Him in happy fellowship, as Enoch did of old, and then we can make known our requests!

PRAYER

We ask not, O Father, for health or life. We make an offering to Thee of all our days. Thou hast counted them. We would know nothing more. All we ask is to die rather than live unfaithful to Thee. Living or dying we would be Thine. AMEN.

Set Free by the Spirit

Set Free by the Spirit

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (Rom_8:2)

There is a destructive spiritual tendency that resides in every human being. It is "the law of sin and death." This indwelling principle is always pulling people downward into sin and spiritual deadness. It comes from being born physically into a fallen race of sinners who are like their earthly father, Adam. Being born anew spiritually does not remove this problem, since this principle still operates within our natural humanity (the flesh). Yet, becoming a child of God does make His remedy constantly available to us.

God's remedy for"the law of sin and death" is a higher, more powerful principle, "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus." This lofty principle involves the Holy Spirit making the life that is in Christ Jesus our resource for living. This principle is operating in the life of any new creature in Christ who is not walking "according to the flesh but [is walking] according to the Spirit" (Rom_8:4). This approach to Christian living is the only one that can increasingly liberate us from the internal carnal tendencies that influence us all.

In fact (as we have noted previously), this is the only hope of growing in the godliness that the law demanded: "that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us" (Rom_8:4). Our lives can only measure up to the holy will of God when we are walking in the Spirit, because Christ is then being allowed to express His life through us. Jesus was, and is, the only one who could ever walk fully pleasing to the Father. Jesus said, "I always do those things that please Him" (Joh_8:29). For a victorious Christian experience, we need this same life of Jesus living in and through us now, by the working of the Holy Spirit. We need the higher law ("the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus") setting us free from the lower law ("the law of sin and death").

Again, what is our responsibility in this? We are to relate to the Lord in humility and faith. Humility can develop as we agree with our Lord that "the law of sin and death" characterizes our flesh (our best natural resources). Faith can be exercised as we look to our Lord to demonstrate that "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."
Dear Lord Jesus,You alone can supply the life I am called to live. I humbly agree with Your word that my resources are marred by a tendency to sin. I gladly trust in Your Holy Spirit to increasingly liberate me from my the defeat of living by my flesh. I thank You in advance for the faithful ways You will answer this prayer. Lord Jesus, live in and through me by the power of Your Spirit, Amen.

Evangelism Lesson One

Evangelism and Farming

“Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the

labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send

forth labourers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38).

FOCUS:: God is interested in farming.

Explain how it parallels to evangelism.

In the Old Testament God established His interest in farming, the oldest recorded

profession. The first man and woman, Adam and Eve, were placed in the Garden

of Eden (a farm) and were told, “work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15 NIV).

Because Adam listened to his wife and ate the forbidden fruit, the ground was

cursed. He continued to farm through agonizing toil and sweat. Even though they

had sinned, their responsibility for farming continued.

God has always been involved in a harvest. He is the “Lord of the harvest” (Matthew

9:38). The Lord alone is in charge of His harvest (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). His people

are merely seed sowers (farm hands). We look forward to hearing Him say on

judgment day, “You were a good farmer! ”Well, not exactly, but we do want to hear,

“Well done!”

““The greatest Farmer the world has ever known is pursuing the greatest harvest the world has ever seen..”” ((Dutch Sheets in The River off God))

The Israelites were people of the land. Canaan was their inheritance. The

children of God were repeatedly told to “possess the land” (Deuteronomy 3:20).

Each family received their portion. It was their property, never to be sold, always

preserved. As evangelists we have been given the land—our village, community, or

city. The land is ours! We must possess it. Jesus ministered to an agriculturally

oriented society. Most citizens were rural people. Even those who lived in cities kept

farms outside of the city walls. They knew what it meant to work the land.

Life depended on what could be grown .The essentials of life came from the land

including food, clothing, and shelter. Daily life revolved around the needs of the land.

The daily life of the church revolves around our first priority, reaching the

unreached. We have everything it takes to reach them. We have the Bible, and it has

the answer for every question. Old methods of farming will always work. The

old-time religion found in God’s Word still works in reaping a harvest.

Farming is important to survival. Farmers make up forty-eight percent of the world’s

labor force. Sixty percent of Africans farm, and sixty-one percent of Asians. “Despite

the expansion of commerce and industry and the importance of these activities to

the economy, most Africans remain farmers and herders.”

Through farming, food is provided for the population so that life goes on. With a

harvest of souls the church will not only survive, but its future will be secured.

In the early days farming was a cooperative effort. Oxen and a plow were

passed from one field to another. Farming was so important to the children

of God that religious life revolved around four major feasts or celebrations.

According to Dale Rumble in Behold the Harvest several of these celebrations were

shadows of future spiritual harvests to be enjoyed by the church.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread reminded God’s people that they had been set apart

from Egypt and were not to be a part of a sinful nation. Jesus is our Bread of Life.

The Feast of the Passover reminded God’s people of their deliverance from bondage.

It was fulfilled in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Feast of Pentecost was celebrated when the wheat was ripe for cutting. It

was fulfilled by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4). This feast pointed to

the day that God would reap the harvest.The Feast of Tabernacles will conclude the

time of spiritual harvest with a final gathering of souls bringing His return.

God promised to pour out His Spirit on all flesh (Joel 2:28-29). This is likened to the

early and latter rains, which brought the crops to harvest. Farmers count on God to

send rain. Without the rains coming at the right time, crops dwindle and die. There

has to be a right climate for crops to grow.

GO FORTH IN THE POWER OF THE LORD

GO FORTH IN THE POWER OF THE LORD

"Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" — Mic_5:2
The Lord Jesus had goings forth for his people as their representative before the throne, long before they appeared upon the stage of time. It was "from everlasting" that he signed the compact with his Father, that he would pay blood for blood, suffering for suffering, agony for agony, and death for death, in the behalf of his people; it was "from everlasting" that he gave himself up without a murmuring word. That from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot he might sweat great drops of blood, that he might be spit upon, pierced, mocked, rent asunder, and crushed beneath the pains of death. His goings forth as our Surety were from everlasting. Pause, my soul, and wonder! Thou hast goings forth in the person of Jesus "from everlasting." Not only when thou wast born into the world did Christ love thee, but his delights were with the sons of men before there were any sons of men. Often did he think of them; from everlasting to everlasting he had set his affection upon them. What! my soul, has he been so long about thy salvation, and will not he accomplish it? Has he from everlasting been going forth to save me, and will he lose me now? What! Has he carried me in his hand, as his precious jewel, and will he now let me slip from between his fingers? Did he choose me before the mountains were brought forth, or the channels of the deep were digged, and will he reject me now? Impossible! I am sure he would not have loved me so long if he had not been a changeless Lover. If he could grow weary of me, he would have been tired of me long before now. If he had not loved me with a love as deep as hell, and as strong as death, he would have turned from me long ago. Oh, joy above all joys, to know that I am his everlasting and inalienable inheritance, given to him by his Father or ever the earth was! Everlasting love shall be the pillow for my head this night.

February 27 2019 Morning Devotions

February 27 Morning Devotions 

"Thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation." — Psa_91:9
The Israelites in the wilderness were continually exposed to change. Whenever the pillar stayed its motion, the tents were pitched; but tomorrow, ere the morning sun had risen, the trumpet sounded, the ark was in motion, and the fiery, cloudy pillar was leading the way through the narrow defiles of the mountain, up the hill side, or along the arid waste of the wilderness. They had scarcely time to rest a little before they heard the sound of "Away! this is not your rest; you must still be onward journeying towards Canaan!" They were never long in one place. Even wells and palm trees could not detain them. Yet they had an abiding home in their God, his cloudy pillar was their roof-tree, and its flame by night their household fire. They must go onward from place to place, continually changing, never having time to settle, and to say, "Now we are secure; in this place we shall dwell." "Yet," says Moses, "though we are always changing, Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place throughout all generations." The Christian knows no change with regard to God. He may be rich to-day and poor to-morrow; he may be sickly to-day and well to-morrow; he may be in happiness to-day, to-morrow he may be distressed-but there is no change with regard to his relationship to God. If he loved me yesterday, he loves me to-day. My unmoving mansion of rest is my blessed Lord. Let prospects be blighted; let hopes be blasted; let joy be withered; let mildews destroy everything; I have lost nothing of what I have in God. He is "my strong habitation whereunto I can continually resort." I am a pilgrim in the world, but at home in my God. In the earth I wander, but in God I dwell in a quiet habitation.