Please the Lord

Posted on April 15, 2023 by AntiochCMI

“And lo a voice came from heaven, saying ‘This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased'” (Matthew 3:17).

Pleased (Def): (Gr) Eudokeo: To think of well, approval, approbate, to take delight

Our Lord Jesus had a secret to reveal which gave rise to His success as a man, born of a woman. We often hear it said when we witness success and one asks, “What is your secret”? Well, Jesus did reveal His secret when He said:

“He that sent Me is with Me, the Father has not left Me alone, for I do always those things that please Him” (John 8:29).

This one desire is a key that unlocks all the doors of opportunity to do the will of God. The desire to please the Lord is a driving, constraining, confining, restricting and motivating desire to channel our thoughts, intentions, and actions through the narrow gate of following the Lamb wherever He leads.

This one desire to please the Lord goes against all our natural instincts, our carnal nature, our likes and dislikes, our habits, routines and predictable behaviors. This one desire to please the Lord disrupts all these things to bring us into the loving relationship of a living, vibrant communion with the Father, as Jesus had in His time on earth with the Father.

This key of pleasing the Father was given to the Apostles with the Keys to the Kingdom and Peter wrote of it in his First Epistle:

“Forasmuch then as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind; for he that has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God” (I Peter 4:1-2).

It is evident that the Father is pleased when we do His will, just as He was pleased with His Son. Therefore, let us “arm ourselves with the same mind” to so please the Lord by only doing His will in all things, then surely His approbation, His approval; yes, His very delight will be upon us as we go about doing the work of the Lord in His vineyard.

The Father’s declaration of His Son occurred on two significant occasions: (1) Christ’s baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist; and (2) on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses, Elijah, and the Apostles Peter, James and John:

“And Jesus when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him; and lo, a voice came from heaven saying, ‘This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased'” (Matthew 3:16-17).

“And there came a cloud and overshadowed them, and they feared as they entered into the cloud; and there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My Beloved Son, hear Him'” (Luke 9:34-35).

“For He received from God the Father, honor and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased'” (I Peter 1:17).

The writer to the Hebrews exhorts us to always be about pleasing the Lord with the words:

“But to do good and to communicate forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13:16).

The writer to the Hebrews further writes:

“Now the just shall live by faith, but if any man draws back, My Soul shall have no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:38).

Therefore, let us please the Lord and continue in the faith; let us pursue righteousness, holiness, purity, love and godliness and be well-pleasing in His sight. Let us offer the sacrifices of praise, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His Name (cf. Hebrews 13:15).

Remember our secret: doing only those things that please the Lord. If we take it to heart, then what we do in secret, God will see, and He will reward us openly as He will be well pleased (cf. Matthew 6:4, 6, 18).

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The Power of an Endless Life

Posted on April 8, 2023 by AntiochCMI

“Who is made, not after the Law of a carnal commandment, but after the Power of an Endless Life” (Hebrews 7:16).

Endless (Def): (Gr): Akatalutos from Kataluo: Not subject to disintegration, demolition, dissolution, halting, or being overthrown

The power of the Resurrection of Christ is a power unknown to man. It is a power (Gr. Dunamis) to transform, revive, change, and re-create from one substance to another, so to change the very nature of that element, or being to a new order.

Jesus displayed His transforming power on numerous occasions such as His first miracle when He turned water into wine (cf. John 2:9); transformed his body into a glorified body on the Mount of Transfiguration (cf. Luke 9:29); appeared to His disciples after His Resurrection (cf. John 20:19); and at His Ascension into Heaven (cf. Luke 24:51).

The Power of an Endless Life was the deep desire of the Apostle as he expressed it in his Epistle to the Philippians:

“That I may know Him and the Power of His Resurrection” (Philippians 3:10a).

To know (Gr. Ginosko) is to have intimate knowledge of and understanding so to be able to speak to or express that knowing from personal experience. This was Paul’s earnest desire and a goal to which he set himself on his course, and so ran his race to obtain it.

We are all currently experiencing the state of corruption of our bodies with all the weakness, aging, entropy, or gradual decline of all our systems which will eventually lead us to death. This is the (Gr. Kataluo), the overthrow, dissolution and halting of the earthly condition into which we were born. But there is a power to overcome our dilemma and to give us the solution to triumph over our earthly condition and to bring us into a new order, with a new nature; it is the Power of an Endless Life found in Christ.

The Power of an Endless Life was first expressed as the Priest/King, Melchisedec (cf. Genesis 14:18; Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:6). This Melchisedec was:

“Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, abides a Priest continually” (Hebrews 7:3).

The Power of an Endless Life is in the Priesthood of Christ, the Melchisedec Order, the new order of the Resurrection Life in Christ. As the writer to the Hebrews explains there has been a transformation, a change in the nature and order of the priesthood from the Law of a carnal commandment to the Power of an Endless Life. This we have in the New Birth, the New Covenant, the New Creation in Christ Jesus.

This is our celebration. This is our Easter. This is our victory.

The Power of an Endless Life is the power to quicken as the Apostle expressed it:

“If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken (give life to) your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).

We who are in Christ have the Power of an Endless Life dwelling in us and by that Power we can live beyond the limitations of our earthly bodies, and with the Divine energy of the Spirit we can excel in mind, body and spirit, as the Apostle said to the Colossians:

“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the Glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of Glory; whom we preach, warning every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus; whereunto I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily” (Colossians 1:27-29).

The Power of an Endless Life is available to us now to empower us as we labor and work in our calling and will be ours forever in the age to come. To God be the Glory.

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The Simplicity of Christ

Posted on April 2, 2023 by AntiochCMI

“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).

Simplicity: (Def): (Gr): Haplotes from Haplous: Singleness, sincerity without self-seeking, clear, generosity

The Serpent, the Evil One is the master of subtilty and beguiling, who when approaching Eve ask the question: “Yea, has God said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” Notice the subtilty of omission.

What God actually said to Adam was:

“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the Garden you may freely eat, but of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die'” (Genesis 2:16-17).

The simplicity of the commandment was clear with nothing more needing to be said. The simplicity of Christ is like that. Declarative instructions without exception, exemption, or exclusions.

The Serpent is not only subtle, beguiling and a tempter. The Devil is a liar. “You shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4b)) was a lie. The simplicity of Christ recognizes the lie and calls it out. Eve was beguiled with the reasonings of the Serpent and listened to them, and being deceived by them disobeyed the commandment of God and by Adam’s joining in transgressed the command and thereby sin entered the world.

The Serpent played upon the self-seeking of Eve for “when Eve 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, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat” (Genesis 3:6).

The Apostle wrote:

“Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have behaved ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you” (II Corinthians 1:12).

Behavior in the simplicity of Christ is the most sincere, pure, single hearted, God honoring behavior one can do and in which one can walk before God and man in this world. Behavior in the simplicity of Christ is self-sacrificing, self-effacing, humble, meek, lowly, with quiet confidence that always trusts in the Lord and lets God fight the battles. The simplicity of Christ submits to the wisdom of God and follows His simple and clear commands.

In his Epistle to the Romans, Paul shares concerning gifts and ministry, and states about our service in these things:

“Let him who exhorts, wait upon his exhortation; he that gives, let him do it with simplicity; he that rules with diligence, he that shows mercy with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:8).

The simplicity of Christ is a simplicity of service, even as He said: “The Son of Man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give His Life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). In the simplicity of His mission, Christ remained focused and true to His purpose for which He was sent of the Father.

“He that gives, let him do it with simplicity”. Let us do all thing in the simplicity of Christ with singleness of heart and purpose with no self-seeking, no selfish ambition, but simply for the glory of God.

In life, keep it simple. That is not only an axiom to follow with worldly wisdom, but is a truth bounded in the Scriptures by the wisdom of God.

The Apostle wrote to the Romans:

“For your obedience has come abroad unto all men. I am glad, therefore, on your behalf, but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good and simple (unmixed, harmless, innocent) concerning evil” (Romans 16:19).

Let us all commit ourselves with all humility and with quiet confidence to walk in the coming days, enduring all the schemes and temptations of the Evil One, and by the grace of God to walk in the simplicity of Christ our Lord.

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The Equality of God

Posted on March 28, 2023 by AntiochCMI

“For you know the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might be rich” (II Corinthians 8:9).

It is an amazing wonder when we contemplate the mind of God in Christ in sharing His glorious riches with us through Christ Jesus, the Son.

The richness of the glory of God is hidden in the story of the Rich Young Ruler who had his encounter with Jesus, when Jesus said to the young man, “sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven, and come follow Me” (Luke 18:22). There is no hypocrisy in Christ, no demand or request beyond what He did when he emptied Himself of His pre-incarnate glory with the Father to come and pour out everything of Himself even unto death, the death of the Cross; and then to raise us to be co-heirs with Him in the Resurrection (cf. Romans 8:17).

The Equality of God is an equality based in the Father’s Heart to raise up sons unto Himself and bring these sons into His Glory:

“For it became Him for Whom are all things, and by Whom are all things in bringing many sons unto Glory, to make the Captain of their Salvation perfect through sufferings” (Hebrews 2:10).

Follow Me. There are numerous passages in the Gospels when Jesus said those words to individuals, and to groups of His disciples. Indeed, it is as Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). We follow Him into His death and burial. We follow Him into His resurrection. We follow Him in sacrifice, in laying down our lives for His sake. We follow Him in obedience and in doing the will of the Father. Yes, we follow Him even to being seated with Him in the Heavens (cf. Ephesians 2:6).

“These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb” (Revelation 14:4b).

The equality of God does that. He makes all things equal in Himself. This is the way it has been from the beginning, when God said,

“Let us make Man in Our Image, after Our Likeness; and let them have dominion. . .” (Genesis 1:26a).

This is the difference between the equality in the mind of men and equality in the mind of God. Man’s equality is to bring everyone down, the great leveling among men. God’s equality is to raise everyone up to share in the riches of His Glory in His Son. These are the true riches of which Christ has spoken repeatedly:

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

That is the key, isn’t it? Where is my treasure? What am I after? What is in my heart?

Jesus told us the story of the Lord of the Vineyard who gave everyone what he had committed to give them, one penny for the day. And that is what everyone received, regardless of when they started to work, whether early in the day or later in the afternoon. Then Jesus said to them:

“So, the last shall be first, and the first last. . .” (Matthew 20:16).

That is the equality of God. God is good to all and gives Eternal Life to all who believe. That is what He promised us in His Son Who has redeemed us to God by His blood, and given us all the same Holy Spirit and made us One in Christ, as Brethren where:

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all One in Christ Jesus. And if you be Christ’s, then are you Abraham’s Seed, and Heirs according to the Promise” (Galatians 3:28-29).

The Equality of God is an equality of Glory, of Honor, of Immortality, Eternal Life in Jesus, the Son, for all those who follow Him whithersoever He may lead. That was His Promise and that is what He has been faithful to deliver.

“For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich unto all who call upon Him” (Romans 10:12).

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Possess the Gates

Posted on March 24, 2023 by AntiochCMI

“In blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your Seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand upon the seashore and your Seed shall possess the Gate of His enemies” (Genesis 22:17).

Possess (Def): (Heb): Yarash: To occupy by replacement, to inherit, seize, expel

There is always a fulfillment of the promises of God and the promise of God to Abraham was fulfilled in Christ Jesus, the Son, as the Apostle states in his Epistle to Galatia:

“Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He said not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of One, ‘and to your Seed’ which is Christ” (Galatians 3:16).

It is Christ to Whom “all authority is given. . .in heaven and earth” (Matthew 28:18b). Therefore, it is Christ, the Seed of Abraham Who shall “possess the Gate of His enemies”. Jesus, Himself acknowledged this in His proclamation to the Apostle Peter:

“I say also unto you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church; and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Indeed, “Occupy till I come”. (Luke 19:13).

Christ, through His Body, the Church, to Whom all authority has been given will possess the Gates of His enemies and administer justice and righteousness throughout His Kingdom both in heaven and on earth.

The Gates. It was at the Gates of the City where the administration of almost all important matters were made: (1) the Administration of the Courts of Justice and the reading of the Law; (2) the administration of public business, and the announcement of legal transactions; (3) Conferences and meetings of the Elders; (4) the place of public concourse and discourse; (5) the Gates were guarded for peace and safety; (6) the Gates were closed at night against attacks.

Possessing the Gates: The promise that the Seed would “possess the Gates” was a promise that it was Christ and His Kingdom that would have authority and reign over all the affairs and administrations of the people. This is how it is in the Kingdom. There is one King, one Throne, one Authority, one Power and one Dominion over all.

Jesus said to His disciples, “I will give unto you the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 16:19a). The keys were given to bind and loose, to open and shut, to regulate all the affairs of the people.

The Psalmist declared: “Open to me the Gates of Righteousness, I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord. The Gate of the Lord into which the Righteous shall enter” (Psalm 118:19-20).

The Prophet Isaiah declared concerning the Gates of the Kingdom:

“Thy Gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day or night that men may bring unto You the forces of the Gentiles, and that their Kings may be led in” (Isaiah 60:11).

Oh, what a possession we have been given. Indeed, as John the Apostle has written:

“Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of Life, and may enter in through the Gates into the City of God” (Revelation 22:14).

Enter in, possess the Gates, reign with Christ in the City of God. As the Psalmist has declared:

“The Lord shall send the rod of your strength out of Zion: rule in the midst of your enemies” (Psalm 110:2).

This is the heritage of the saints, the children of our Father Abraham, to possess the Gates by his Seed forever.

“Lift up your heads, O Gates, be lifted up you everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in” (Psalm 24:7).

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The Way, The Word, The Witness

Posted on March 19, 2023 by AntiochCMI

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no man comes to the Father, but by Me'” (John 14:6).

Way (Def): (Gr): Hodos: A path, journey, course of conduct or way of thinking,

We all have our ways about us. People know us by our ways, our character, our personality. There is, however, something of much more importance, or substance then our ways; there is The Way. That Way is Jesus.

The early disciples of Christ were known as followers of The Way (cf. Acts 9:2; 22:4: 24:14,22). Christ, the Way, was the focus, the center of searching and learning, the One to whom all sincere followers looked.

The Wisdom Scriptures teach us “There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25; cf. 21:2,8).

The Apostle was a persecutor of The Way, until his encounter with the One who is The Way occurred, and then everything changed, and Paul became a follower of The Way himself.

What is your way? What path are you following? Where is your journey taking you? What is your course of conduct? What is your way of thinking? These are serious questions that will take you some place, either to Eternal Life or to death.

The Word: We can be on the right way, the right path when we are in the Word. That Word is Jesus. The Apostle John has written in his Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). In his First Epistle he wrote: “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 to 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. These things we write to you that your joy may be full” (1 John 1:1-4).

The path of Life, the way of Peace is in the One who is the Way and the Prince of Peace, who is the Truth which is the Word of God.

Word (Def): (Gr.): Logos from Lego: To lay forth, Divine Expression, Discourse, Reasoning

The Way of Life springs forth as a Divine Expression and that expression flows from the Word of Life. Succinctly, the Way of Life springs forth from the Word of Life. Our journey, our pathway flows from our walk of faith based upon the Word of Life. “Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17).

The Witness: It is incumbent upon a witness that his witness is true. There is a True Witness of God and that Witness is Jesus.

In Christ’s Letter to the Laodiceans He tells John to write: “These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the Creation of God” (Revelation 3:14). Indeed, the Book of Revelation was given to the Apostle John from Christ through His Angel, as John writes:

“John to the seven Churches which are in Asia, Grace be unto you, and peace from Him who is and was and is to come; from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, Who is the Faithful Witness, and the first Begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him Who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own Blood” (Revelation 1:4-5).

So then, as disciples of Christ, this is our assignment: To walk in the Way according to the Word as a True Witness of Jesus, giving a true testimony of Him in everything. It is even as Jesus said to the Apostles:

“You shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come upon you, and you shall be Witnesses unto Me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

This then is our calling in Christ Jesus: to proclaim Him, to testify to Him, to live Him, speak Him, and show forth as a Divine Expression the Life that is in us by the Holy Spirit. This true and faithful witness is accomplished as we walk in the Way and the Word by faith, as we hear Him, see Him, touch and handle Him in the Spirit of God to the end that you, too, may have fellowship with us in His Kingdom, power and glory.

Walk in the Way, walk in the Word and be the True Witness to Christ God called us to be from this day forth and forever. Amen.

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Whys, Wherefores and What-Nots

Posted on March 14, 2023 by AntiochCMI

“Why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing” (Psalm 2:1).

Why: The universal question from everyone’s lips is “Why”? From the questions of childhood to the questions of the elderly, everyone wants to know “Why”.

“Why me”? “Why is this happening”? “Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble”? (Psalm 10:1). From David to Jesus the cry goes out “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring”? (Psalm 22:1; cf. Matthew 27:46).

In the throes of it, in the thick of it, in the battle, in the desperation, in the heartbreak, in the crushing, in the middle of it all we cry out, “Why”?!.

Wherefore: “Wherefore if you are dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why as though living in the world, are you subject to ordinances” (Colossians 2:20). Amid all the why’s, there is a “wherefore”. There is a continuation, a going forward, a way through, there is something to follow after, to pursue. There is a Life above, beyond in the heavenlies. The “wherefore” makes certain of it. “Wherefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. This will we do, if God permit” (Hebrews 6:1-3).

After the crucifixion, after the death, after the burial, after all the “whys”? there is a resurrection, there is a “wherefore”, there is the perfect. Was it not written concerning all the “whys”? Do not the Scriptures speak clearly concerning all these things? “Jesus said to them, Why are you troubled? Why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold, My hands and My feet, that it is I, Myself. Handle Me, and see, for a spirit has not flesh and bones, as you see Me have’ (Luke 24:38-39). “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter His Glory”? (Luke 24:26).

We must keep our eyes fixed on the Glory. We must pursue the Glory of God. That is the only thing that makes sense of everything. We are the children of God “And if children, then are we heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also Glorified Together with Him” (Romans 8:17).

What-Not: There is much to pursue in the Kingdom of God. There is much to experience: beginnings and endings; suffering and glory, sorrow and joy, death and resurrection and what-not. Oh, there is so much more of the “what-nots” of Life. Do not limit yourself to what you have experienced, to what you have known. Go on to the “what-nots”. Experience more of the effervescence, the springing forth, the “newness of life” (cf. Romans 6:4). Experience more of Christ, “grow in the grace and knowledge of Him (cf. II Peter 3:18). Know Him “in the power of His Resurrection, and the fellowship of His Sufferings, being made conformable unto His death” (Philippians 3:10).

In one lifetime you can experience the whys, the wherefores and the what-nots. In one lifetime you can experience the Life of Christ and know Him in all the Glory of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Why do you tarry? Arise! Wherefore, let us go on to Perfection, to the Glory and What-not.

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Blinded By the Light

Posted on March 9, 2023 by AntiochCMI

“As Saul journeyed, he came near Damascus and suddenly there shone round about him a Light from Heaven. Saul arose from the earth and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man, but they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus and he was three days without sight and neither did eat nor drink” (Acts 9:3, 8-9).

The sudden appearance of the Lord of Glory is an impactful moment in our lives that changes everything. We were on our course and suddenly the Lord of Glory appeared, and we are never the same.

Stephen the man of God recounted to the Council how “the Lord of Glory appeared unto our father Abraham. . .and said ‘Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the Land which I shall show thee'” (Acts 7:2). Thus was the call of Abram, the Father of Faith, the Father of a Nation, a man who changed the course of history.

The Apostle John tells us of John the Baptist, who was “sent from God to bear witness of the Light, that all men through Him might believe. This is the True Light who gives light to every man that comes into the world” (John 1:6-7, 9).

The Light of the World has come and His True Light shines; when we encounter that Light it blinds us. But when our eyes are opened, we see only one thing, the Glory of God. “Jesus said, ‘For judgment I am come into this world that they who see not might see, and they which see might be made blind” (John 9:39). Oh, that all of us were blinded by the Light, so that we who think we see, but are actually blind, might truly see and be made whole.

The judgment of God is the judgment of sin. Because of sin the world lies in darkness. Jesus said, “I am come a Light into the world, that whosoever believes on Me should not abide in darkness” (John 12:46).

Just as in the beginning when “darkness was upon the face of the deep” (Genesis 1:2), so when Christ came into the world God gave the command, “Let there be Light!” (Genesis 1:3). As the Apostle wrote to the Corinthians, “For God, who commanded the Light to shine out of the darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (II Corinthians 4:6).

“Then spoke Jesus again unto them saying, ‘I am the Light of the world, he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of Life'” (John 8:12).

Have you encountered the “Light of Life”? Have you had your moment that changed everything? A lightning strike takes a second, it is sudden, it is powerful, and it is electric. “For as the lightning comes out of the East and shines even unto the West, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:27). “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (cf. I Corinthians 15:52) that is how long it takes to be changed by the Light. The Light of revelation, the Light of Life shines into the heart and we are changed.

Have you been changed by the Light? Open your heart to Christ. His Light is shining on you now. He is calling you by name.

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see“.

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I Would Not Have You Ignorant

Posted on March 4, 2023 by AntiochCMI

“Now concerning spiritual gifts, Brethren, I would not have you ignorant” (I Corinthians 12:1).

Ignorant: (Def): (Gr.): Agnoeo from Noeo: A negative of exercising the mind by observation, not comprehending, perceiving or understanding

Over ten times in his Epistles the Apostle uses the word Agnoeo, ignorant, to denote his deep desire that the reader not be ignorant of the things of God. It was the earnest passion of the “preacher, apostle and teacher of the Gentiles” (cf. II Timothy 1:11), that the people would come to the knowledge of the Truth.

This then, is the burden of the Teacher to the student, the Preacher to the people, the Apostle to the nations living in darkness, to remove the blindness, to remove the lack of comprehension, the perceiving and understanding of the truth of Christ and the Gospel.

The Apostle expressed this in his prayer to the Ephesians, Wherefore I cease not in my prayers for you, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give unto you the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the Knowledge of Him; that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the Glory of His Inheritance in the Saints” (Ephesians 1:15a, 16a, 17).

The lack of comprehension, perception and understanding is what has held Israel back from the full righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, as the Apostle wrote: “For they, being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the Law for Righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:3-4).

The Apostle confesses his own ignorance concerning Christ as he was a “blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious; but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief” (I Timothy 1:13). Oh, the extent of the mercy and love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Jesus, who appeared to Paul is our faithful High Priest, who as the writer to the Hebrews says, “Can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for He, Himself, also is compassed with infirmity” (Hebrews 5:2).

I would not have you ignorant. Concerning Israel, the Apostle wrote further “For I would not, Brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” (Romans 11:25).

Whether concerning spiritual gifts, the place of Israel in the economy of God, the working of Satan, the second coming of Christ, or the things of God in general, the heart cry of the Apostle was this earnest expression of deep intercession, “I would not have you ignorant”.

There are many things of which we do not have knowledge, perception or understanding, that are unknown, but that is not our final state of being. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to show us the things of God and make them known to us. Jesus said “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore, said I that He (the Holy Spirit) shall take of Mine and shall show it unto you” (John 16:15).

It behooves us to seek the Lord, to seek the things of God, to seek to understand, perceive by observation and to understand the mysteries of God, the things that are hidden and need to be revealed. Complacency has no place in the Kingdom. This is the season of revelation. The Lord is at hand.

Satan is also at work in the earth, but as the Apostle noted in his Epistle, “we are not ignorant of his devices” (II Corinthians 2:11b).

It is the last days. The Day is at hand, The time is short. Therefore, I would not, Brethren, that you should be ignorant, but that you should come to a full understanding and knowledge of the Glory of God.

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They That Wait Upon the Lord

Posted on February 27, 2023 by AntiochCMI

“Lead me in Your Truth, and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You do I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:5).

Wait (Def): (Heb): Qavah: To bind together, to expect, Tarry

There is a blessedness in our relationship with the Lord. It is the Lord who leads, and it is the Lord who teaches. The Psalmist brings out these two wonderful aspects of the Lord with his plea:

“Lead me in Your Truth and teach me”. They that wait upon the Lord are waiting to be led and waiting to be taught of God. Within the meaning of Qavah (kaw-vaw) is a living hope, a joyful expectation of being one in heart with God, a binding together of spirits to be joined with the Truth and to be taught of God by the Holy Spirit all that pertains to Life and Godliness (cf. II Peter 1:3). It is a living, vibrant relationship of longing, seeking, searching, listening and uniting in love and grace.

The Psalmist declared: “And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in You” (Psalm 39:7). All our hope, all we joyfully expect and all we desire is in the Lord. “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word do I hope” (Psalm 130:5).

The Prophet Isaiah spoke it so eloquently: “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). And, as the hymn writer added, “Teach me, Lord, to wait”. Yes, teach us Lord to wait, to hope, to fly away to Your bosom and find rest (cf. Psalm 55:6).

The Prophet Jeremiah wrote: “The Lord is good to them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him” (Lamentations 3:25). That is the faithfulness of God. He sees, He hears, He knows those who are waiting upon Him and seeking His face, and opening their hearts to be taught of Him; and out of His Goodness He comes to them and refreshes them in His love.

Again, Isaiah cries: “O Lord, be gracious unto us for we have waited for You. Be their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble” (Isaiah 33:2). We depend continually upon the goodness, the graciousness, the faithfulness of our God; in the morning, in the noontime, and when the sun goes down. We wait continually upon the Lord in good times, in times of sorrow and in times of trouble. We wait patiently for Him to lead us, to teach us, to instruct us in the way in which we are to go.

“Yes, in the way of Your Judgments, O Lord, have we waited for You. The very desire of our soul is to Your Name, and to the remembrance of You” (Isaiah 26:8).

“It shall be said in that Day, Lo, this is our God. We have waited for Him, and He will save us; this is the Lord, we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation” (Isaiah 25:9).

Wait, I say on the Lord.

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