The Bread of Affliction

Posted on June 20, 2022 by AntiochCMI

“You shall eat no leavened bread with the Passover; seven days shall you eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for you came forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that you may remember the day when you came forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life” (Deuteronomy 16:3).

When Jacob led the Tribes into Egypt in the time of Joseph’s administration in the land there was little thought that although there was a temporary release from the ravages of famine in Canaan at that time, there would follow over 400 years of bondage and affliction at the hands of the succeeding Pharaohs ruling over them, thus fulfilling the dream given to Abraham:

“And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. And God said unto Abram, ‘know of a surety that your seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years. And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge, and afterward shall they come out with great substance” (Genesis 15:12-14).

Eating the bread of affliction as a remembrance of the day of deliverance was a fitting way of remembering and appreciating the salvation given by the hand of the Lord. Oh, what a day of salvation it was! A great day of judgment, deliverance, redemption and rescue from bondage for the people, the Children of Israel.

As we continue in these present days of trials and tribulations under oppressive governmental policies and continuous testing of our faith, let us hold fast our confidence in the faithfulness of our God and partake of the bread of affliction through our participation in the “afflictions of Christ” even as was experienced by the Church Fathers, of which trials the Apostle wrote to the Church at Colossae: “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His Body’s sake which is the church” (Colossians 1:24).

Eating the bread of affliction, the true bread from heaven, even the Lord Jesus, is a testimony to our faith and the steadfastness of our love for the Lord. The Apostle also wrote to the Church at Corinth concerning these things: “Our hope of you is steadfast, knowing that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so shall you be also of the consolation” (II Corinthians 1:7). We have been given a great hope of a glorious deliverance and great consolation of which we shall commemorate with the remembrance of Him by the breaking of the bread and eating of the Body of Christ in the joy and rejoicing of our hearts in the Lord.

The Apostle Peter also spoke of these things in his First Epistle: “But rejoice inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when His Glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy” (I Peter 4:13).

In the coming season there will be many fiery trials and temptations which will test our faith and may cause some to stumble (cf. I Peter 1:6-7). But for those who will eat the bread of affliction and go through the tribulations to follow, there will be a great salvation and reward (cf. I Peter 1:9). Therefore, let us celebrate with a great remembrance our victory that is assured as we endure the times of testing in these days of our oppressors, and the corruption of justice in the land against the saints.

There have been many such times throughout the life of the Church and the enemies of Christ will continue to do so until they are taken out of the way “with the brightness of His coming” (cf. II Thessalonians 2:8b).

The bread of affliction is our daily bread in the Lord for “affliction and persecution arise for the word’s sake” and this is the law of the sower (cf. Mark 4:17). Therefore, let us eat the bread of affliction with fullness of joy, knowing that as we do we are partakers of Him of Whom we are and have become.

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Father Abraham Has Many Sons

Posted on June 15, 2022 by AntiochCMI

“Neither shall your name any more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for a father of many nations have I made you” (Genesis 17:5).

Father (Heb. Ab): Father, Chief, Patrimony, Principal

Father (Gr. Pater): Father, Parent

What made Abraham so great that he would have such a tremendous promise from God to not only be a father in his old age, but to be literally “father of a multitude” in accordance with his new name? The answer is simple, his faith. Abraham simply believed God and became the father of faith, and the father of us all who are of that same faith (cf. Romans 4:16).

The Apostle confirms this in his Epistle to the church at Galatia saying, “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached beforehand the Gospel to Abraham, saying ‘In you shall all nations be blessed’. So then, they that are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham” (Galatians 3:8-9).

From the beginning of his calling, Abraham responded with faith. The Genesis account records that:

“Now the Lord had said unto Abram, ‘Get out of your country, and from you kindred, and from you father’s house unto a land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless them that bless you and curse him that curses you; and in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed’. So, Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him. . .and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran” (Genesis 12:1-4).

The Book of Hebrews tells us concerning Abraham’s faith: “By faith Abraham when he was called to go out into a place that he would afterward receive for an inheritance, obeyed and went out not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). Now that is faith and by his faith Abraham became the Father of Faith; and by it became the Father of Many Nations. Indeed, Abraham has many sons, whose sons are we.

So, the table is set, and the question is before us: How is it with your faith? Faith begets faith as a seed begets fruit with the seed in it which begets more fruit. The Faith of Abraham is as a Father begetting many children, who in turn have children and on and on it goes.

Be encouraged, you have been given a measure of faith (cf. Romans 12:3); and if you will take that measure, however great or small it may be, and believe it, and then obey and follow that to which that faith leads, you will be blessed of your Heavenly Father and prosper in that thing for which you believe. Do it and you will be amazed at what God, your Father, will do.

Abraham is the chief and principal example. He is our parent in the matter of faith. Study his life, follow his lead and walk out your faith in whatever God has called, even when you do not know in every detail what the end of your faith will be.

Just remember this: Father Abraham has many sons, and you are one of them, as are we, so just walk out your faith every day and just keep believing and obeying the Lord.

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The Remnant

Posted on June 10, 2022 by AntiochCMI

“Except the Lord of Hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah” (Isaiah 1:9).

Remnant: (Heb: Shehar): The rest, remain, reserve, a remainder, the residue

It is interesting to juxtapose the writings of the Prophets and the writings of the Apostle Paul. The Apostle writes:

“Isaiah also cries concerning Israel, ‘though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved'” (Romans 9:27, cf. Isaiah 10:22-23).

The idea that only a remnant, comparative to the entirety of people, will be saved is not new. This question was asked of Jesus in His day. “Then said one unto Him, ‘Lord, are there few that be saved‘? And Jesus said unto him, ‘Strive to enter in at the strait gate, for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able'” (Luke 13:23-24). In the context and text of this saying, Jesus says there is a time when the “Master of the house rises up and shuts the door” (v 25a); at that point it will be too late to cry to the Master to open the door. This happened in the days of Noah with the Ark. The door was shut and no one else could enter. Only those who were safe in the Ark when the door was shut were saved, i.e., Noah and his family (cf. I Peter 3:20).

In our world today, of all the billions, how many are truly in the Kingdom? Jesus said to Nicodemus “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom”. Then He said further, “except a man is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3, 5). We enter the Kingdom through a restricted path and through a narrow gate. There are strict conditions for entering this strait gate. Jesus said it this way: “Enter in at the strait gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are who go that way; but strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there are who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). How many today are finding their way through? One can only wonder. However, from these Scriptures we can clearly see the Remnant is real.

The Prophet, Joel, prophesied in his day “It shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved, for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call” (Joel 2:32). The Apostle wrote to the Romans: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13) quoting the Prophet Joel. Are you in? Are you a part of the Remnant, those who walked through the strait and narrow gateway?

With all that is in the world to distract us by the lust of our flesh, the lust of our eyes and the pride of life (cf. I John 2:16), it very well maybe we are as Eve was in the Garden allured away from the one strait and narrow command of God to not eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil to being tempted when she saw that the Tree was “good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to her husband with her, and he did eat” (Genesis 3:6). Indeed, even as the Apostle wrote: “I fear lest by any means as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (II Corinthians 11:3).

There is a simplicity in the Cross, there is a simplicity to our faith, the solitary gate. It would seem simple, wouldn’t it? But, oh we are a stubborn lot, a rebellious people, and except the Lord had left us a Remnant, we would all be doomed to destruction. I pray you find your way through today.

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The Time of Our Testimony

Posted on June 5, 2022 by AntiochCMI

“You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Testimony: (Gr. Marturion from Martus): A witness, a martyr, evidential, the Decalogue

Ecclesiastes tells us “To everything there is a season; and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die. . .” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a). The fullness of our time of living is the time of our testimony. It is our testimony that must withstand the judgment in the last day and that is the final verdict on our souls.

Jesus tells us the key to standing in the judgment is to receive the power of the Holy Spirit that will produce the testimony of Christ in our lives.

The Apostle confirmed this in his First Epistle to the Corinthians stating: “I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God which has been given to you by Jesus Christ; that in everything you are enriched by Him in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you”. (I Corinthians 1:4-6). The testimony of Christ in us is the witness to Christ to the world. That witness is the time of our testimony that shines forth out of our lives. It is that testimony that will either be accepted and believed or hated and persecuted in the world (cf. John 15:18: 17:14). It is also that same testimony that is accepted by the Father, the testimony of His Son in us.

The Apostle John experienced first-hand the rejection of the testimony of Christ by the world and the trials and tribulation that followed, as he writes: “I, John, who also am your brother and companion in tribulation, and in the Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the Isle that is called Patmos for the word of God, and for the Testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:9). In the time of his testimony, he remained faithful to his witness to Christ to the rulers at Rome and we are the beneficiaries of that testimony.

The Apostle John was, indeed, an overcomer and could write accordingly: “And they overcame the accuser of the brethren by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death” (Revelation 12:11).

This is the time of our testimony. The Apostles and Prophets have gone before; but the same Holy Spirit that was given to them has been given to us. The same Spirit of Christ in power and the same promise given to them was written to us. The testimony of Christ is in His Body. We are the members of that Body, and the testimony of Christ has been confirmed in us as it was in them. Let us bear true faith and witness to Christ to the world as we allow the power of the Holy Spirit to be revealed in us as it was revealed in them. Let us continue the story, the Gospel, the Good News of our salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Be encouraged. We are not alone, the love of the Father is with us, and Himself will give testimony to His Son in us, as it is written: “Long time, therefore abode they, speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of His grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands” (Acts 14:3). In the time of our testimony and witness Christ will be glorified and the Father will be well pleased.

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Rivals

Posted on June 1, 2022 by AntiochCMI

“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come” (Hebrews 11:20).

There was a blessing on both Jacob and Esau from their father Isaac, but though brothers, they were rivals in life from their beginnings to their end and had to live separated as two nations (cf. Genesis 36:8; 37:1).

“And after that came his brother out and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel. . .” (Genesis 25:26). From the time of their birth and throughout their lives the story of Jacob and Esau is a story of rivalry, competition and the promise of blessing and inheritance. We would do well to study their lives to see the pitfalls of ambition, deception, vengeance, and rivalry.

It seems in life there is always a rival: that other, that one person or one thing that is always competing, a nemesis. We face it in all aspects of life: in relationships, careers, personal devotion and commitments.

Who, what is your rival? It is good when we can identify our rival, so we can face reality. Now facing it, how will you handle it? What will you do about it?

We must all now face the reality that rivalry has entered our lives as saints in our relationship with God. This is nothing new. It was the constant struggle with Israel throughout their history. The Prophets had to constantly speak against Idolatry which was a rival to the worship of the One True and Living God, the Almighty. Today, many of us have left our first love and have succumbed to the rival for our affections. The Church at Ephesus had to be chastened of the Lord and called to repentance for it: “Nevertheless, I have somewhat against you because you have left your first love. Remember, therefore, from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly, and will remove your candlestick out of his place, except you repent” (Revelation 2:4-5).

A Rival to Revival: There is a rival to revival that needs to be separated from our lives. Revival will come when the rival is sent away and our full devotion to our Lord is restored. Then there will be no competition for our time, energies, thoughts and dedication. We will be fully given to prayer, study of the word, service, communion, fellowship and sacrifice to God and to our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. Idols will be cast down; holiness will prevail in our assemblies and the renewal of the true worship of God will be restored. This was the call of the Prophets, and it is the call of the Spirit in our time.

The Spirit of the Lord is dealing with our hearts because this truly is an issue of the heart. Rivals of the Lord are trying to capture our hearts and take over our thoughts. How many prayers are not being prayed because of it? How many acts of sacrifice are not being performed? How many souls are not being saved? How much intimacy is being lost because of a rival?

Jesus called His generation a “wicked and adulterous generation” (cf. Matthew 12:39; 16:4; Mark 8:38). What would He say of ours? The same? But it does not have to be so; we can begin the change; we can see revival. Let us come and work together to remove the rivals.

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Words Matter

Posted on May 28, 2022 by AntiochCMI

“I say unto you, every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the Day of Judgment” (Matthew 12:36).

Oh, the reputations wrecked and careers ruined by careless words, either spoken or written, for which the penalty was devastating. Words matter.

The Apostle exhorts us to “let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good, to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29). Words matter. Whether to tear down or to build up; whether to shame or to encourage; whether to blaspheme, or to honor and praise. Words matter, and there shall be an accounting, a judgment, a reckoning.

Words Matter: Jesus said, “For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned” (Matthew 12:37). The Apostle in his Epistle to the Romans makes this point clear writing: “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10). What is your confession? Your eternal salvation depends on it. Will you be justified, or will you be condemned?

Living by Words: “Jesus answered saying, ‘It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). Words matter. We live by the words that proceed from the mouth of God (see Matthew 4:4). Those rhemas (Gr.), those inspired words of life we receive from the Holy Spirit, those life-giving words received by the spirit within and heard with the ear and eyes of our understanding that challenge, that nourish, that comfort us and motivate us to press on in the midst of the stress and the trials. Those precious words that water our souls and feed us with our daily bread. Those living words of life and breath are the life source for soul and spirit and keep us in that eternal life that is in Christ Jesus.

One Little Word: Martin Luther (1483-1546) knew well the power of words as expressed in his familiar hymn, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (1529). The third stanza reads: “And though this world with devils filled, should threaten to undo us. We will not fear for God has willed His Truth to triumph through us. The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure, for lo! his doom is sure, one little word shall fell him”. Yes, many or few, or even one! Words matter.

The Prophets spoke the word of the Lord. In the Scriptures we have the word of God. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we have been given the word of Truth. Proclaim the Word, speak the Truth, share with everyone the words of Life. With your mouth make your confession, speak and be heard. Impact your world with your words everyday.

It very well may be as the songwriters sang: “It’s only words, but words are all I have to take your heart away”.

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Flesh and Blood

Posted on May 25, 2022 by AntiochCMI

“Now this I say, Brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption” (I Corinthians 15:50).

The life of all flesh is in the blood (cf. Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:11). This is the reason for the prohibition of eating flesh with the blood therein (Leviticus 17:14). Flesh and blood are the natural life of all Mankind. Flesh and blood are subject to mortality because of sin (cf. Romans 8:10). Flesh and blood have been subject to corruption from the time of Adam even as God spoke to him in the day of his sin, “In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, until you return to the ground; for out of it were you taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).

God has ordained an inheritance for His saints, but this inheritance can only be obtained in fullness by the immortal and incorruptible body of Man in the Resurrection or in the instantaneous change we who are alive and remain will experience at the coming of Christ at the last trump.

Inherit: (Gr. Kleronomeo): To get by partitioning, a possessor, a sharer by law in a possession

The Kingdom of God is an eternal Kingdom ordained by God for His People, a Kingdom in which we may be a possessor and sharer of eternal life in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (cf. Romans 14:17). To experience, possess and share in the fullness of the eternal Kingdom of God we corruptible mortals must of necessity go through the transforming process of the Resurrection. Until then, we can only enjoy the down payment of that promised Life by receiving the Holy Spirit, even as the Apostle wrote to the Ephesians: “In Whom also after that you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance until the Redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13b-14).

As long as we are flesh and blood, we must live and walk by faith (cf. Galatians 3:11). We must live in hope (cf. Romans 5:2), even as we rejoice with the joy of the Lord.

Flesh and Blood: The Incarnation: “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The Incarnation of Christ was the glorious plan of the Father and the Son for the Redemption of Mankind. As the Apostle John more fully describes this in his First Epistle: “That which was from the Beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of Life; (for the Life was manifested and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that Eternal Life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son, Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full” (I John 1:1-4).

The testimony of the writer to the Hebrews also sets forth the purpose of the Incarnation “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also, Himself, likewise took part of the same; that through death, He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; (Hebrews 2:14).

Indeed, as the Apostle Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Ephesians: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). And as the Apostle wrote in his second Epistle to the Corinthians: “Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh; for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds” (II Corinthians 10:3-4).

Flesh and blood, the mortal and the corruptible are, indeed, our current lot in life. Jesus spoke it to Nicodemus, “That which is born of flesh is flesh” (John 3:6). However, there is also a new life we can live in the present that transcends the flesh, life in the Spirit, life in the New Creation, the life of those who are Born Again. “Marvel not that I said unto you, you must be born again” (John 3:7). As you live in flesh and blood, mortal and corruptible, live also in the Spirit and begin to “taste the heavenly gift, partake of the Holy Spirit, taste the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come” (Hebrews 6:4-5). After all, it is the down payment to all the fullness of your inheritance, an inheritance that is “incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (I Peter 1:4-5).

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The Bond of Peace

Posted on May 21, 2022 by AntiochCMI

“Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).

There is a unifying power at work in the Body of Christ and it is the power of the prayer of Jesus, “that they may be one as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us; that the world may know that You have sent Me” (John 17:21).

The John 17 oneness or the “unity of the Spirit” in the words of the Apostle is held together in the “bond of peace” because of the strong bonding of the Body of Christ as individual members of the Prince of Peace. The Bond of Peace is the inherent order in the Spirit by which God has “gathered together in One all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in Him” (Ephesians 1:10b). Any disruption of this Order is a disruption by the failures and weaknesses of mortals which will in the end be overcome in accordance with the appearance of Christ.

In the words of the Apostle, we are to “endeavor” to be in unity in the Spirit which means we will have to make every effort and be forever diligent to guard and watch over our relationships with others in our life in the Spirit “with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).

The Bond of Peace: There is a unity by bonding that are “ties that bind” our hearts in One, just as there is a natural unity of the body by the union of ligaments, tendons, and joints that unite the body and form the body as one unitary being. The unity by bonding in the Body of Christ is a bonding of Peace.

Peace (Gr. Eirene from Eiro): Agreement, to join together, Prosperity

The joining together in the Body in agreement and harmony where all things are reconciled in Christ produces the prosperity and peace of God in each member, as we lay down our lives for one another in the very nature of the Lamb of God.

As members of the Body of Christ, we come into the Unity of the Spirit by the means of sacrifice. This has been the means of God’s grace in the saints from the beginning. We sacrifice in accordance with our knowledge of the will of God. We sacrifice in obedience to that known will. Christ Jesus knew the will of the Father. He sacrificed, He willingly laid down His life in obedience to the will of God. Philippians 2:8 tells us, “And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross.”

May it always be that the prayer of Jesus is fulfilled in each of our lives together as members of His Body. May each of us prayerfully endeavor to keep, watch over and guard the unity of the Spirit. May each of us commit our hearts to live in obedience to the known will of God and to sacrifice our own will to His will and become completely reconciled to the Lord and to each other in patient endurance and in the love of Christ. May the Bond of Peace seal us in Oneness that the testimony of Christ may be given in all the world and may all come to the unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace.

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The Wonder of Nothing

Posted on May 17, 2022 by AntiochCMI

“As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things” (II Corinthians 6:10).

Isn’t it amazing how completely opposite living in the Kingdom of God is compared to the thinking of most living within this present economy? It proves that which Jesus spoke to Pontius Pilate, “My Kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36a).

How on earth is it possible to be sorrowful, yet always rejoicing? To be poor, yet make many rich? To have nothing, yet possess all things? Well, in the earth realm this is impossible; but, in the Kingdom of God all things are possible.

The spiritually wise and discerning know exactly that which the Apostle was saying. It is no mystery to them. This is the beautiful wonder of Life in the Spirit. In that marvelous realm you see, experience and enjoy a life of constant contradictions that absolutely confound the counsel of this world. “Where is the wise? Where is the Scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this cosmos?” (I Corinthians 1:20).

The Wonder of Nothing: “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God; so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:3). Ex Nihilo: from or out of nothing. Oh, the wonder of God and the power of our Creator. The songwriters Byrd and Hindalong gave us the lyrics to this familiar hymn of worship: “God of wonders beyond our Galaxy. You are holy, holy. The universe declares your Majesty. Lord of heaven and earth”.

Of course, we are writing of the things concerning faith, “The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). That intangible little word, faith, is a substance, a foundation, a support, an assurance, a confidence that destroys doubt and unbelief and incredulity. What a wonderfully powerful word faith is. Yet, it is also the evidence of things not seen. It is the proof, conviction and convincing invisible testimony to the truth.

The Apostle in his Epistle to the Romans wrote: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For the invisible things of Him from the Creation of the World are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made, even His Eternal Power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-20).

There is a wonder in apparent nothingness; indeed, a splendor. Yet, there is a world of invisible activities and actions that go unnoticed, except to the discerning. One said to another, “What are you doing?” To which the reply came, “Nothing”. Yet, within that “nothing” was a whole world of action and activity: a heart was beating, lungs were breathing, a body was sitting, standing or walking around; a mind was thinking, emotions were feeling sadness, joy, anxiety, fear or numbness. The wonder of it all. As you live out your days, do not miss out on the wonder of nothing. If you do, you will miss out on a whole world of creative activities where God dwells.

“He stretches out the North over the empty place, and hangs the earth upon nothing” (Job 26:7).

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Teach Your Children Well

Posted on May 8, 2022 by AntiochCMI

“And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy 3:15).

Wise Unto Salvation: The Lord is saying to us today, why is it you ask your why’s and wherefores in vain? The wise know where to go for their answers. The wise and aware come to Me, the Fountain of Living Waters, for answers that satisfy their souls.

It is the wisdom imparted to us from our teachers in our childhood years that keeps us as we grow older from the wiles and deceptions from the enemy of our souls. Our enemy is working hard in this generation to overthrow the wisdom of our forefathers, but this can be prevented if we will continue to teach our children well, and resist the new doctrines of those who oppose.

Teaching well is the teaching of the Faith of our Fathers grounded in the Word of God, the Scriptures, the Faith which is in Christ Jesus.

In his Epistle the Apostle wrote to his son in the faith, Timothy, who had been taught by his mother, Eunice and his grandmother, Lois (cf. II Timothy 1:5). Timothy’s father was a Gentile married to Timothy’s Jewish mother, Eunice. It was Timothy’s mother and grandmother who instilled in young Timothy the Holy Scriptures. When he heard the word of the Gospel from the Apostle Paul, his spiritual father, Timothy embraced it and became a disciple of Christ and faithful servant of the Lord under the tutelage of the Apostle.

The importance of believing mothers who instill the Word of God into their children cannot be overstated. The words of the mother to a child leave lasting impressions upon their young minds and hearts. When those words are words of faith, trust and hope in God, those words will make them wise unto salvation; and will teach them well the lessons of life and faith that are critical in later years to withstand the buffeting and bruising of the soul from the storms of life that arise upon all.

The Apostle encouraged his young disciple with these words: “Hold fast the form of sound words which you heard from me, in faith, and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing, which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us” (II Timothy 1:13-14).

If we will teach our children well, the Gospel will flourish, the Kingdom will advance, Christ will be glorified, the Church will grow up to maturity and be the witness to the Truth God the Father intended and the Great Commission will be fulfilled:

“Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age. Amen” (Matthew 28:19-20).

Teach your children well. Their future and yours depend on it.

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