Don’t Give Up

Posted on April 10, 2024 by AntiochCMI

“Cast not away therefore your confidence which has a great reward” (Hebrews 10:35).

Confidence: (Def): (Gr.) Parrhesia: Assurance, boldness, fearlessness, courageous

The challenges of life can sometimes be overwhelming causing us to question our faith. The writer to the Hebrews knew well of all the sufferings of his readers:

“But remember the former days in which having been enlightened, you continued to endure a hard struggle of sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed both to reproaches and afflictions; and sometimes having become comrades of those living in such circumstances. For you both sympathized with the prisoners and accepted the plundering of your belongings with joy, knowing that you yourselves have a better possession and one that is permanent” (Hebrews 10:32-34).

Then comes the word of exhortation: Don’t give up! Or, in Scriptural language, “cast not away, therefore, your confidence.”

Don’t Give Up! The reward is too great to forfeit it now. As the great Apostle wrote to the Church at Philippi:

“Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

In the same thought the writer to the Hebrews tells us:

“But Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence (Parrhesia) and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end” (Hebrews 3:6).

This confidence we share together in our faith is also translated boldness, as we see in the context of the Hebrew Epistle:

“Let us therefore come boldly (Parrhesia) unto the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). And again,

“Having, therefore, Brethren, boldness (Parrhesia) to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19).

This confidence and boldness creates perseverance and steadfast hope in the promises of God that no suffering, no loss, no setback, no challenge can overcome.

The Apostle John used this same word in his Epistles:

“For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart condemns us not, then have we confidence (Parrhesia) toward God” (I John 3:20-21).

“Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness (Parrhesia) in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world” (I John 4:17).

“And this is the confidence (Parrhesia) that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him” (I John 5:14-15).

Beloved, don’t give up! Be bold, be courageous, be fearless, be confident and be assured. God is faithful to give you all He has promised, and what He has promised is His Son, whose very house we are, His Body. God will make all grace abound to you in all your suffering and great will be your reward in Him.

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The Lord Has Need of Him

Posted on March 30, 2024 by AntiochCMI

“Jesus said to them, ‘Go into the village over against you, in the which at your entering you shall find a colt tied whereon no man has ever sat; loose him and bring him to Me. If any man asks you, Why do you loose him? Say to him, because the Lord has need of him'” (Luke 19:30-31).

In our lives walking before the Lord, there are times of great activity and service, and there are times of waiting, apparent idleness in the eyes of man who constantly judge our actions. There are times to go and there are times to stay where we are in that moment of time.

Our text describes a situation where a colt was tied to a post to constrain his movements and to keep him from running away or being stolen. This colt is illustrative of our times of waiting. This colt was not in service. Indeed, as Jesus describes it “a colt tied whereon no man has ever sat”. This was a colt in waiting to be used in service to the Messiah.

Jesus said to His disciples to tell anyone who might challenge them when they were loosing the colt from the tether, “The Lord has need of him”. The service of the colt waiting for the Master’s use was all about timing, wasn’t it. Unknown to the colt Jesus was preparing to ride the colt from the Mount of Olives, a descending route into the City of Jerusalem for what is commonly known as the triumphal entry, Palm Sunday.

It was an epic moment for the colt as the disciples “cast their garments upon the colt and sat Jesus upon him” (Luke 19:35). The colt was right there when all the people began to shout, “Blessed be the King that comes in the Name of the Lord; peace in heaven and glory in the highest” (Luke 19:38).

Friend, are you ready to be “loosed” from your current situation of waiting before the face of the Lord? The Lord has need of you. There is a task, an opportunity, a moment in time, an occasion for you. Will you be ready? Will you be waiting at your post? Will you cease from your busyness, your compulsive activities wherein you feel you must be doing something. Afterall, you cannot be idle can you? You cannot just stand there. You must appear busy in the eyes of man. There are too many souls to save, too many messages to be preached, too many books to be written, too many songs to sing, too many Scriptures to read and prayers to pray. There is just so much to do. Oh, no, you cannot just stand there and wait, can you?

The Psalmist says, “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).

The Lord has need of him. May that be said of us as we wait patiently on the Lord, until the servants of the Lord come to you and say, “the Lord has need of him”. When they do come to you, let them bring you to Jesus. Let Him sit on you and ride you, and use you, so He can go to where He is going and accomplish that good thing to which He was sent.

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Life More Abundant

Posted on March 13, 2024 by AntiochCMI

“I have come that you might have Life, and that you might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10b).

Abundant (Def): (Gr): Perissos from Peri and Ek): Ek (Gr.) denotes origin, Peri (Gr) Superabundant (in quantity) Superior (in quality), Preeminence, Beyond Measure

In the teachings of Jesus there is an emphasis on Life (the Divine Life, Life in the Spirit, Eternal Life) that has its focus on the Life Christ came to impart to the spirit in Man that conforms the soul into the character, nature, and virtue of the perfect Life Christ Himself lived while in His human body in the Incarnation.

Many have replaced the emphasis on the Divine Life of Christ with the focus being placed on earthly riches, wealth, prosperity in terms of being financially successful, owning property, aircraft, autos, stocks, bonds, silver, gold, fine apparel, and other worldly treasures.

The Apostle understood the right focus on the Life More Abundant when he wrote to the Church at Ephesus:

“Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly (Perissos) above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20).

In the true meaning of the Life More Abundant there is a working in us by the power of the Holy Spirit that conforms our being into the image of the Son of God. The Apostle expressed it well in his Epistle to the Romans:

“For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son that He might be the firstborn among many Brethren” (Romans 8:29).

The Life More Abundant is for the Brethren. Christ, the Firstborn, the Elder Brother, has brought us into His Life, the Life of Glory, Honor, Immortality.

The writer to the Hebrews gives us this thought:

“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 suffering” (Hebrews 2:10).

The aspect of suffering is little taught when it comes to the Life More Abundant message to the Church, but the Apostle did not neglect to teach it as he wrote to his “son in the faith” Timothy:

“If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us” (II Timothy 2:12).

So then, we can conclude from these passages that the Life More Abundant is not inherited through earthly parentage, or earned through wise investments, ingenious inventions, or best practices in the corporate world. Life More Abundant has its origins (Ek) from the Life of Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith. This Life working in us will cause us to endure suffering, be “patient in tribulation” (cf. Romans 12:12); allowing the “dying of the Lord Jesus” to have its work done in us so that the abundant “Life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body” (cf. II Corinthians 4:10).

The Apostle wrote of these things to the Church at Colosse, saying:

“If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth; for you are dead, and your Life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1-3).

Beloved Brethren, we are the sons of God in Christ Jesus, our Elder Brother. We have become of His Divine Seed, His Kind, of His Spirit; indeed, of His Life. These are the true riches (cf. Luke 16:11) of the Life More Abundant. In Christ there is a superabundance and superior Life that manifests in us the glorious expression of the Life of the Son. Therefore, let us endure hardship and suffering, and let us go on to know Him more and more every day, ever growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ to whom pertains Eternal Life and the Eternal Glory of God our Heavenly Father in the power of His Spirit that is working in us mightily.

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Thy Presence, My Light

Posted on February 29, 2024 by AntiochCMI

“Waking and sleeping, Thy Presence my Light” (Be Thou My Vision) An old Irish Hymn translated to English by Mary E Byrne, 1905; (1880-1931).

There is a tremendous comfort to the soul that knows the Presence of the Lord and understands the Light He brings to us in all our joys, sorrows, fears and triumphs we may experience in life. The Psalmist, David, declared:

“The Lord is my Light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’ (Psalm 27:1).

It is the Presence of the Lord that brings “fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11b).

If we desire to see a clear path forward in our lives, it is the Presence of the Lord that will shine His Light upon that path, so we can proceed in safety, and see the way ahead. The Presence of the Lord surrounds us as we go and guides us into the Truth. As the hymn writer declares:

“Waking and Sleeping, Thy Presence my Light”.

At night we can lay down in peace in His Presence and awake in His Presence at daybreak. Waking or sleeping His Presence is our Light to guide, to inspire, to give revelation into His Word, to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom, to discern, to speak with wisdom, to fill our lives with peace, joy, love, to witness to our hearts His Divine Will, to know and understand the purposes of God for every occasion, to show forth His glory. Then even at death, we can lay down in rest to awake to the Light of His Presence forever.

King David cried, “Cast me not away from Thy Presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11). He cried so because he knew that without the Presence of God and apart from the Holy Spirit, he would dwell in darkness; but with His Presence he would continue to dwell in His Light of life.

Jude, the Brother of Jesus, wrote in his Epistle:

“Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the Presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (Jude 1:24-25).

Beloved, seek His Presence daily, night and day, moment by moment, ever and always in His Presence, your Light. If you do, you will never walk in darkness, but have “the Light of Life”.

“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).

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart. Be all else but naught to me, save that Thou art. Be Thou my best thought in day and the night; both waking and sleeping, Thy Presence, my Light.

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A Secret Place

Posted on February 21, 2024 by AntiochCMI

“But you when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret shall reward you openly” (Matthew 6:6).

Secret (Def): (Gr.) Kruptos from Krupto: To conceal, to cover or hide, Private, Inward

We all love our privacy. The question is ‘What do we do with our privacy’? What do we do in secret? Are we praying? Are we singing songs of praise to God? Are we reading the Scriptures? Are we nourishing the inward man? (cf. Romans 7:22; II Corinthians 4:16). If we are praying, singing, reading and nourishing the inward man, God sees it, for God sees in secret and the promise is, He shall reward you openly.

Solomon has written:

“God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it is evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

Jesus spoke of secret things by saying:

“There is nothing hidden that shall not be manifested; neither was anything kept secret (Gr. apokruphos), but that it should come abroad” (Mark 4:22; see also Luke 8:17).

The Psalmist declared:

“You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your countenance” (Psalm 90:8).

Secret: (Def): (Heb.): Alam: To veil from sight, i.e. conceal

Our secret sins which we do out of sight, concealed from others are seen by God in the light of His countenance and shall be brought into judgment by Him. The Apostle warned:

“Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after” (I Timothy 5:24).

When men of reputation for godliness are later found out to have been involved in secret sins, it is a scandal in the church of God, and many are harmed in their faith and their confidence in the ministry is shaken.

May our motto be: What I am in reputation in public before men, may I be in secret before God.

The Apostle sounded this alarm:

“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (rejected, reprobate)” (I Corinthians 9:27).

The Apostle lived in the fear of the Lord, as he expressed to the Corinthians:

“Knowing therefore, the terror (Gr. Phobos; fear) of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences” (II Corinthians 5:11).

Paul knew his secret life was open before the eyes of the Lord and he also trusted that his manner of living was made clear in the consciences of the people.

The Scriptures encourage us to dwell in our Secret Place before God and to pray and commune with Him in the inward man, in the heart, in the spirit in sweet fellowship with the Lord. How blessed we are to have been brought by the grace of God to such a place of abiding in Him. May we find His favor, blessing and reward openly for all to see, just as Jesus declared:

“He that does Truth comes to the Light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:21).

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Kings and Priests Unto God

Posted on February 13, 2024 by AntiochCMI

“And has made us unto our God, Kings and Priests, and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:10).

The authority of a Kingdom is embodied in the King. The authority of the Temple of God is with the Priests who administer the things of God therein. The authority over all things is the King of King and great High Priest of the Most High God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

All authority in heaven and earth has been given to our Lord by virtue of His overcoming sacrifice of Himself on the Cross for the purpose of the Redemption of Man from sin and death and to destroy the works of the Devil (cf. 1 John 3:8; Romans 3:24).

The authority of Christ has not been kept back to Christ but has been freely given to the Saints of God, His Body, to raise for Himself a people made like unto Himself, being conformed to His image, nature and kind. Salvation has come to us, not so we have a ticket to heaven, but that we should “reign on the earth” with our Lord.

Kings and Priests in the Kingdom of God are made so by the righteous act and holy gift of the Father and the Son to His Redeemed possession through His own blood that washed, justified and sanctified us in His Holy Spirit which He has freely given to all who believe on His Holy Name.

The foundation for the authority of the believer is not in those who believe, but in Him in whom they believe. The foundation of God is a solid rock that gives the believer standing, a standing upon which he can reign in life as a King and Priest unto God.

The great failure of many believers is a lack of understanding of the position they have in Christ, the Beloved Son, who by His own words declared:

“All authority (exousia) has been given to Me in heaven and in earth. Go, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

The position of the believer is in the Son of God, who commissioned us to live in the power and authority of His Name, to reign in the earth as Kings and Priests, and to go forth in His Name into all the earth establishing the Kingdom of God.

The position of being in the Righteousness of God was given to the believers upon the Resurrection of Christ having overcome sin and death for us and as a free gift to His Redeemed, Christ blessed His chosen ones with Himself in us by the Holy Spirit.

“You shall receive power (dunamis), 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 to the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The great disconnect between those who reign and those who flounder in their faith is in the area of suffering. The great Apostle tells us:

“If we suffer (hupomeno: to stay under), we shall also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us” (II Timothy 2:12).

We are in the Son, the Crucified, the Lamb of God. We must stay under Him, in Him, living according to His will, His obedience, His Life. We are never independent of Him but we have been joined in Him by one Spirit (cf. I Corinthians 6:17).

He is the King and High Priest (cf. Hebrews 3:1) in whom we dwell, in whom we reign in life; in whom we suffer and fill up His afflictions (cf. Colossians 1:24) “for the sake of His Body, the Church”.

Beloved, we do not live to ourselves, we live to God. In this we live as Kings and Priests to God, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns forever and ever, Amen.

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The Atmosphere of the Spirit

Posted on January 31, 2024 by AntiochCMI

“It was told King Saul, saying ‘Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.‘ Then went Saul also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu; and Saul asked and said, ‘Where are Samuel and David?’ Then one said, ‘Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.’ Then Saul went to Naioth in Ramah and the Spirit of God was upon him also as he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. Then he stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, ‘Is Saul also among the prophets'” (I Samuel 19:19,22-24).

There is a change that comes to us when we are in the presence of the Almighty. This is made very clear to us in the story of King Saul. Saul commanded his officers to kill David (cf. 1 Samuel 19:11), but Michal, David’s wife helped him escape. David fled to Samuel to seek counsel at Naioth at Ramah, where there were dwellings at the School of the Prophets, headed by Samuel. When Saul heard that David had fled there, he pursued David sending messengers ahead to take him captive. However, when the messengers “saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied” (1 Samuel 19:20).

The Atmosphere of the Spirit changes everything. All are made subject to the power of the Spirit as they are subdued and overtaken by the power of God.

The Apostle John recorded the arrest of Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane with these words:

“Judas having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus, therefore knowing all things that should come upon Him went forth and said to them, ‘Whom do you seek?’ They answered Him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am He’. Then Judas also which betrayed Him stood with them. As soon then as Jesus had said, ‘I am He’ they went backward and fell to the ground” (John 18:3-6).

The Atmosphere of the Spirit creates a powerful influence upon the heart, the soul and body with a demonstration of the reality of God’s Presence. There is a working of the Spirit that causes a change in the immediate conditions at hand to bring a change of attitude, emotion, purpose and will and alters the behavior of the one who enters therein.

Saul of Tarsus entered the Atmosphere of the Spirit on his way to Damascus and the impact was life changing, transforming him from an enemy of God to one of the great Apostles of the Lord.

“As Saul journeyed, he came near Damascus and suddenly there shone round about him a Light from Heaven, and he fell to the earth and heard a voice, saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul why are you persecuting Me?'” (Acts 9:3-4).

The Atmosphere of the Spirit at times is very specific, as Luke records:

“It came to pass on a certain day as Christ was teaching, there were Pharisees and Doctors of the Law sitting by which had come out of every town of Galilee and Judea, and Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present to heal them” (Luke 5:17).

The above occasion shows us just how gracious and good God is to all, whether Pharisee or Lawyer or the lowliest of saints when the Atmosphere of the Spirit is present the power of God is demonstrated for the benefit of all. Whether for healing, prophesy, miracles of all kinds, commanding winds and waves to cease, raising the dead, or multiplying loaves and fish, anything is possible with God in the Presence of the Lord.

Oh, how we should long for the Presence of the Lord among us. Dead religion, rituals, ceremonies, rites and following the traditions of men without the Spirit profit nothing. But, oh, in the Atmosphere of the Spirit there is Life!

It is time to repent of our dead religion and enter the realm of the Spirit, where Christ, the Anointed One is. Pray for revival. Pray for the change that the Spirit can bring to us. Life changing change that transforms the sinner into the saint. From Saul of Tarsus to Paul, the Apostle of the Lord.

Are you ready? Are you hungry, and thirsty and desire greatly the Atmosphere of the Spirit? This change is for all of us today. It will transform your home, your church, your neighborhood, your city and eventually your country and the world.

“Thy Kingdom come! Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven! Lord, change our atmosphere today.

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The Power of Promise

Posted on January 7, 2024 by AntiochCMI

“He staggered not at the Promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God” (Romans 4:20).

Promise (Def): (Gr.): Epaggelia from Epaggello: To announce and engage to do; to make an assertion; to give a divine assurance of good

Our Father, Abraham, lived out his life of faith in continued reliance upon the Promise of God. He believed that which was announced to him and the divine assurances he was given by the Almighty. The Power of Promise carried him throughout his life, even in the dark, lonely, and troublesome times; as he quietly waited upon the Lord for the fulfillment of all He had spoken or revealed to him during his times of communion, fellowship and prayers.

The Power of Promise can keep all of us “strong in faith” and “strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10b). However, the power of promise is effective only through our faith. Unbelief, doubt, fear and giving in to overwhelming circumstances can block, hinder or delay the fulfillment of the promises that were made. Our Father, Abraham, “staggered not”. He did not waver. He did not faint. He did not give in to anything contrary to the word of promise. He always accounted God faithful to fulfill His word.

The Power of Promise is for those who through the experience of faith have allowed the fruit of patience to blossom and grow in their lives. Without patience we may grow weary and give up our hope in the promises made to us. The writer to the Hebrews expressed it like this:

“For you have need of patience, that after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise” (Hebrews 10:36).

“And so, after Abraham had patiently endured, he obtained the promise” (Hebrews 6:15).

Are you now living in the power of promise? Has the word of the Lord come to you through the Scriptures? Have you received a prophetic word? Had a dream, vision or an angelic visitation? Have you heard a hymn, a song with words that spoke into your spirit and imparted a promise to your heart? Has someone preached a word that planted a promise in you that gave you the hope, peace and strength to carry on? Are you patiently waiting for your promise to come to pass? Hold fast. Stagger not. As the Psalmist has written:

“I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13).

The Apostle John describes the Power of Promise in his First Epistle, writing:

“This is the promise that He has promised us, even Eternal Life” (I John 2:25).

The Apostle Peter describes the Power of Promise, saying:

“Nevertheless, we according to His Promise look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness” (I Peter 3:13).

“His Divine Power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may become partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (II Peter 1:3-4).

The writer to the Hebrews states:

“For this cause, He is the Mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the Redemption of the transgressions that were under the First Testament, they which are called might receive the Promise of Eternal Inheritance” (Hebrews 9:15).

Friend, the Power of Promise is real, alive, powerful and trustworthy. It is a powerful assertion from God that will assuredly be fulfilled in your life. We have been engaged by the Almighty who will do all He has spoken to us. Lay claim to Eternal Life in Christ Jesus who is your Life, who is your Eternal Inheritance, according to the Scriptures. Receive the Power of Promise today.

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The Pondering Heart

Posted on December 27, 2023 by AntiochCMI

“But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).

Pondered (Def.): (Gr.): Sumballo from Sun and Ballo: To consider, to consult (mentally)

There are many times in the eventful experiences of our lives that we just plain talk too much. There is such wisdom in the conduct of Mary from which we can learn much.

Think of the eventful experiences Mary had: Angelic visitation from Gabriel announcing to her that she would be the mother of the Messiah (Luke 1:26-35); giving birth to the Son of God (Luke 2:6-7); Angels announcing the birth to the shepherds abiding in the fields with their sheep by night (Luke 2:8-14); Shepherds appearing at the stable with the news from the angels and finding everything just as the angels said (Luke 2:15-18).

It is at these remarkable times that the pondering heart consults within itself and meditates upon the marvelous things taking place before our eyes that causes us to be filled with awe and wonder; yet, keeping it all within and not breathing a word to another living soul. That is a rare thing, indeed, when one has access to instant communications on social media, apps of all kinds with everyone having an opinion whether favorable or critical of our precious moments of splendor.

The Pondering Heart of Mary continued as Jesus:

“grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom and the Grace of God was upon Him” (Luke 2:41).

At the age of twelve Jesus and the happy family went up to Jerusalem:

“after the custom of the Feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the Child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem, and Joseph and Mary knew not of it. When they found Jesus not, they turned back again to Jerusalem seeking Him. And it came to pass that after three days they found Him in the Temple, sitting in the midst of the Doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding, and answers. And when Joseph and Mary saw Him, they were amazed, and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have you dealt with us this way? Behold, your father and I have sought you, sorrowing’. And Jesus said to them, ‘How is it that you sought Me? Don’t you know I must be about My Father’s business’? But they did not understand what He said to them. Then Jesus went down with them, and came to Nazareth and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these sayings in her heart” (Luke 2:42b-51).

The Pondering Heart is evident again in this narrative above. So many experiences, from the birth of Jesus, through adolescence and on to adulthood, Mary’s pondering heart is continually on display. But the pondering heart is not reserved to Mary. To the Prophet Simeon on the day of the circumcision of Jesus, the eighth day, it was revealed concerning all hearts when:

“he took up Jesus in his arms and blessed God and said, ‘Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all people. A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people, Israel. And Joseph and Mary marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, His mother, ‘Behold this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against (Yes, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed’ (Luke 2:28-35).

Friend, what is in your heart that you have been pondering for, oh, so long? What is in your heart that is yet to be revealed? What mysteries are hidden there, deep within that you have pondered upon and wondered? Eventually, the secrets of the heart will be revealed, as they were with Mary. The sword, indeed, pierced her heart, but ended with glorious victory in the resurrection of the Son.

Let us all walk in the Wisdom of God and in the Counsel of the Most High. Let our hearts ponder His ways and the deep things of His Spirit. The Lord will disclose all things in His time. Let us consult within ourselves with the pondering heart and then bear faithful witness to all He has done.

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The Great Restoration

Posted on December 21, 2023 by AntiochCMI

“Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the Presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ which before was preached unto you; whom the Heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21).

Restoration: (Def): (Gr.): Apokatastasis from Apokathistemi: Reconstitute, Restore again, Restitution

The Apostle Peter, at the occasion of the healing of the lame man at the Gate Beautiful, seeing the wonder in the faces of the people began to preach Jesus and the work of restoration assigned to Him by the Father.

Just as the lame man was restored in his body to health and vitality, “walking and leaping and praising God” (Acts 3:8b), so, Peter associates the restoration of health to the great restoration of all things of creation by the Father.

The verses quoted above give us a glimpse into the plan of God for the final days and the end of the age. Firstly, there must be repentance and a conversion on the part of the people. Jesus did the work of sacrifice for sins by offering up Himself as the Lamb of God on the Cross for the blotting out of our sins (cf. Hebrews 7:27).

Secondly, there will come “times of refreshing. . .from the Presence of the Lord”.

Refreshing: (Def): (Gr.): Anapsuxis from Anapsucho: Relief, Recovery of Spirit (breath), Revival

According to the words of the Apostle, following the repentance and conversion of the people there will come a great Revival, a recovery of the people by the Spirit, producing great wonder and joy among all the nations, just as occurred at the Gate Beautiful at the Temple on that great and joyous day when Peter and John went to the Temple to pray (cf. John 3:1). The healing of the lame man is an event of great significance and a type and shadow of the great restoration to come.

Thirdly, in the midst of the revival, the Father will send forth His Son, Jesus Christ, whom Heaven has received since the Ascension of Christ forty days after Passover. This sending forth of the Son again is not as it was in the Advent, for the sacrifice for sin; but for the consummation of the great restoration of all things spoken of by the prophets since the beginning of time.

The Covenant given to Abraham (cf. Acts 3:25) will be fulfilled wherein shall “all kindreds of the earth be blessed”.

The Great Restoration is coming. It is time to prepare for it. The prophets have declared it. The Apostles have established it. The final generation shall be witnesses to it as it is fulfilled.

It is time, it is time for all of us to “go up together into the Temple at the hour of prayer” (Acts 3:1). It is time to “make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed” (Hebrews 12:13). It is time for a great refreshing, a great recovery of the Spirit. It is time for Revival!

Friend, listen to what the Spirit is speaking to us in this hour. We are on the verge of something miraculous, something to make the nations wonder, something to proclaim to everyone. Jesus Christ is coming! Are you ready to witness Revival? Are you ready to be part of the great restoration of all things?

The great reordering, the great restitution, the great repair, the great balancing of accounts, and the great restoration of all the ages is at hand. Let the earth receive her King.

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