Dear Weekly Readers around the world! God’s Peace!
I sincerely do pray that the peace of God is in your hearts today! This is the peace that passes all understanding!
John 5:8 Jesus said unto him, Rise, take up thy bed and walk.
What amazing words for this man that was by the pool of Bethesda. This man had an infirmity for thirty eight years. Such a long time he waited to go into the water. This pool was such that when the angel stirred the water, the first man to enter into the water would be healed.
Jesus had asked the man, Wilt thou be made whole? V6. The man answered, I have no man, when the water is troubled to put me into the pool. Jesus wanted to hear from the man with his own mouth, do you want to be made whole? Jesus already knew what the man needed, and he knew his heart. This man would not have been by the pool unless he had some measure of faith that the water would heal him. Just as God called to Adam in the Garden of Eden, where art thou? Genesis 3:9 Our God knows right where we are. Yet he calls out. He is still calling out for the lost, the hurting, and the sinner today.
Here Jesus came to this pool called Bethesda, which is the place or house of mercy. The God of all mercy, our Lord Jesus Christ, came to show mercy to this man. There were many other people there that needed healing. John does not record whether or not Jesus healed any others. From this we see that each person needs to be healed one by one. Each individual heart needs to be mended one by one. As in this text, the first person into the troubled water was healed. As individuals we must face our Lord!
Oh that all mankind would come face to face with our Saviour during the time of mercy and grace, as this man did. The Bible says that unto me every knee shall bow……. Isaiah 45:23 So important it is if one by one we would humble ourselves as great sinners during this time of mercy and grace! Soon the day of Grace will be over, and the Lord will come again in the eastern sky. Then it will be too late! That will be a great and terrible day of the Lord. Much like the day that the door on the ark was closed; no more could get in when the rains came. When Jesus come again, it will be with power and Great Glory! The day of grace is then over, no more can enter in.
Once this man with the infirmity spoke of his troubles, his problems, what did Jesus do? He listened to his confession. He listened that the man had faith that if he could get into the waters, that he would be healed. Jesus listened, heard, and showed great mercy!
Jesus said unto him, Rise, take up they bed, and walk. V8 Jesus did here what He came to do! In Isaiah 61:1 we read how He came to ….. preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prisons to them that are bound.
Are there any of us reading this today that are bound? Satan has so many ways he desires to keep us bound. It may be the sins of this world, the pride of life, the deceitfulness of riches. It could be depression due to our physical illness, or so many other things. Are the waters of your heart troubled today? Will you preach today in a way that will stir up thoughts and movement in other people’s hearts? Remember, one by one we must each turn for help!
It is such a glorious Gospel then that we can hear from the ambassadors of Jesus Christ, as from God himself, when they proclaim to the dear poor, weak, sinful one; believe that Jesus died for you. You can believe that by the power of Jesus name, His completed work on earth and on the cross, and by His own precious shed blood, all of you sins are forgiven! He has come to set the captive free!
What a joy when sinner mankind can then be set free by Jesus, and can Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
Immediately the man was made whole, took up his bed, and walked. V 9 When the heart was ready, when it was prepared, and when Jesus spoke to him, immediately he was made whole. No more waiting was needed. His time of turmoil was past, the day of rejoicing is now!
Dear reader, no matter how long you or someone close to you has had turmoil and troubles, this can all be over as soon as the Lord fills us with His Holy Spirit. Enter into His Rest. Enter into His peace!
Notice the man carried his bed. He did not leave it behind. This I believe signifies that we still carry our fleshly portion with us, and we will until we die. No, life will not be perfect, we are still sinners. However, when we have been made whole by the merits of Jesus Christ, we are perfect in God’s sight, and now we are only waiting for Jesus to come take us home to worship the Lord forever in heaven above.
May God Bless your Week! John R.
"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." Isaiah 55:1
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Oil in our Lamps
Dear Weekly Readers! God’s Peace!
“Oil for the light”… Exodus 25:6
We remember from scriptures that the wise virgins had oil in their lamps and the foolish virgins did not. Dear reader, the oil is the Holy Ghost. Without the Holy Ghost, which is the third person of the Godhead, there simply is no light. It is impossible to light our light shine, unless we have been anointed by the Holy Ghost.
Let us pray that each one who calls themselves a Christian would know that no matter what we may do, we are not capable of being a light to the world without the Holy Ghost.
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost.” Titus 3:5
The light of Jesus shines through us by the power of the Holy Ghost! Always remember that the Word of God and the Holy Ghost agree in one. We cannot say that we are following the leading of the Holy Ghost if we are doing against what scripture records.
Let us all pray that beginning with ourselves, that we would earnestly desire to keep our light burning. Keep reading God’s Word, keep praying, keep fellowshipping with other believers, and attending the church services. These are all ways that we are fed and nourished from His word and are ways by which we are given strength by God to continue on in the battle against the enemy or our souls, the world, and our own flesh!
Let us also pray for our pastors, leaders, fellow congregants and other Christians, that they too would understand the importance of having this oil in our lamps.
Pray that they would have truth, life, joy, holiness, love, knowledge, and the many other attributes and characteristics of one that possesses the light and becomes like a sunbeam!
Galatians 2:20 says: “ I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ which liveth in me: and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Are we living by the faith of the Son of God? If we are, then we have the Holy Ghost and the oil is in our lamps. Then we can truly be a light unto this dark world! There is no other way!
We have a children’s song in America that talks about being a sunbeam for Jesus! Our small children often sing this song. I will put a copy below since it seems fitting to our topic today! Perhaps you can teach it to your children and Sunday School children.
Let us let our light shine! The sunbeams of the morning pierce the darkness! It shows light to the lost. There is hope for the sinner, those lost and weary souls. Dear reader, if you do not yet have the light in your heart, remember, today is the day of Grace! Seek the Lord while He may be found! Seek Him out where He is today, in the heart of a true Christian Brother or Sister! Call out today, repent and believe the gospel!
May God Bless your week! John R.
Verse 1) Jesus wants me for a sunbeam, To shine for Him each day; In every way try to please Him, At home, at school, at play.
Refrain: A sunbeam, a sunbeam, Jesus wants me for a sunbeam; A sunbeam, a sunbeam, I’ll be a sunbeam for Him.
Verse 2) Jesus wants me to be loving, And kind to all I see; Showing how pleasant and happy His little one can be.
Refrain
Verse 3) I will ask Jesus to help me To keep my heart from sin, Ever reflecting His goodness, And always shine for Him.
Refrain
Verse 4) I’ll be a sunbeam for Jesus; I can if I but try; Serving Him moment by moment, Then live with Him on high.
Refrain
“Oil for the light”… Exodus 25:6
We remember from scriptures that the wise virgins had oil in their lamps and the foolish virgins did not. Dear reader, the oil is the Holy Ghost. Without the Holy Ghost, which is the third person of the Godhead, there simply is no light. It is impossible to light our light shine, unless we have been anointed by the Holy Ghost.
Let us pray that each one who calls themselves a Christian would know that no matter what we may do, we are not capable of being a light to the world without the Holy Ghost.
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost.” Titus 3:5
The light of Jesus shines through us by the power of the Holy Ghost! Always remember that the Word of God and the Holy Ghost agree in one. We cannot say that we are following the leading of the Holy Ghost if we are doing against what scripture records.
Let us all pray that beginning with ourselves, that we would earnestly desire to keep our light burning. Keep reading God’s Word, keep praying, keep fellowshipping with other believers, and attending the church services. These are all ways that we are fed and nourished from His word and are ways by which we are given strength by God to continue on in the battle against the enemy or our souls, the world, and our own flesh!
Let us also pray for our pastors, leaders, fellow congregants and other Christians, that they too would understand the importance of having this oil in our lamps.
Pray that they would have truth, life, joy, holiness, love, knowledge, and the many other attributes and characteristics of one that possesses the light and becomes like a sunbeam!
Galatians 2:20 says: “ I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ which liveth in me: and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Are we living by the faith of the Son of God? If we are, then we have the Holy Ghost and the oil is in our lamps. Then we can truly be a light unto this dark world! There is no other way!
We have a children’s song in America that talks about being a sunbeam for Jesus! Our small children often sing this song. I will put a copy below since it seems fitting to our topic today! Perhaps you can teach it to your children and Sunday School children.
Let us let our light shine! The sunbeams of the morning pierce the darkness! It shows light to the lost. There is hope for the sinner, those lost and weary souls. Dear reader, if you do not yet have the light in your heart, remember, today is the day of Grace! Seek the Lord while He may be found! Seek Him out where He is today, in the heart of a true Christian Brother or Sister! Call out today, repent and believe the gospel!
May God Bless your week! John R.
Verse 1) Jesus wants me for a sunbeam, To shine for Him each day; In every way try to please Him, At home, at school, at play.
Refrain: A sunbeam, a sunbeam, Jesus wants me for a sunbeam; A sunbeam, a sunbeam, I’ll be a sunbeam for Him.
Verse 2) Jesus wants me to be loving, And kind to all I see; Showing how pleasant and happy His little one can be.
Refrain
Verse 3) I will ask Jesus to help me To keep my heart from sin, Ever reflecting His goodness, And always shine for Him.
Refrain
Verse 4) I’ll be a sunbeam for Jesus; I can if I but try; Serving Him moment by moment, Then live with Him on high.
Refrain
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Love
Dear Weekly Readers! God’s Peace!
For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 1 John 3:11
Our message today is about the perfect love of Christ! It is in only when we know the love of God that we can truly love one another. Please enjoy learning today from Pastor Orval Wirkkala. May God Bless your week! John R.
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If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Philippians 2:1-4
A couple of weeks ago, I heard a pastor make this comment concerning the above portion of Scripture:
"If we consider our spouse more important than ourselves, they will know that they are important to us." This is how he explained the last part of the third verse, in which it is written, "but in lowliness of mind let each esteem the other better than themselves."
As I thought of what he had said and of its significance in our relationships with one another, the words of Apostle John came to mind as to the definition and foundation of love:
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (1 John 4:8-11)
Our Creator sent His Son into the world to reveal His seeking, forgiving and accepting heart of love toward us. He wishes through His Son for us to know and experience this forgiving and accepting love toward us as it was revealed through the Christ on the cross. God views His new creation through Christ and desires that all would come to this knowledge of acceptance in Christ. As it is written:
to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 2 Cor 5:19
Do we understand what this means for us today and for all the peoples of the earth? Have we come to experience the full impact of the meaning of how God has received us in Christ? That we are no longer his enemies, but He has become friendly toward us because of the work of His Son in doing the will of His Father through the cross? He is waiting for us to accept this gift through repentance toward Him (turning away from and turning toward Him) and faith in Christ. (acceptance of forgiveness through Christ's offering of Himself)
When we come to know, understand and experience the love of God in His forgiveness and acceptance, we come to experience our true worth in the sight of God. Because we know that we are extemely important to Him, we live in the experience of that relationship of being accepted in Christ, and this is on a continual basis. For God looks upon us through His Son, of whom He testified: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Do I believe this? Do you believe this?
And if God welcomes us into this fellowship, how can we than not welcome all even as we have been welcomed? Therefore, when we are in Christ, we consider others more important than ourselves and we exhibit this through our desires, motives and actions. May the life of Christ in us be evident to all that we come in contact with in our daily lives.
May God bless you in Christ today and always!
Pastor Orval Wirkkala
For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 1 John 3:11
Our message today is about the perfect love of Christ! It is in only when we know the love of God that we can truly love one another. Please enjoy learning today from Pastor Orval Wirkkala. May God Bless your week! John R.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Philippians 2:1-4
A couple of weeks ago, I heard a pastor make this comment concerning the above portion of Scripture:
"If we consider our spouse more important than ourselves, they will know that they are important to us." This is how he explained the last part of the third verse, in which it is written, "but in lowliness of mind let each esteem the other better than themselves."
As I thought of what he had said and of its significance in our relationships with one another, the words of Apostle John came to mind as to the definition and foundation of love:
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (1 John 4:8-11)
Our Creator sent His Son into the world to reveal His seeking, forgiving and accepting heart of love toward us. He wishes through His Son for us to know and experience this forgiving and accepting love toward us as it was revealed through the Christ on the cross. God views His new creation through Christ and desires that all would come to this knowledge of acceptance in Christ. As it is written:
to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 2 Cor 5:19
Do we understand what this means for us today and for all the peoples of the earth? Have we come to experience the full impact of the meaning of how God has received us in Christ? That we are no longer his enemies, but He has become friendly toward us because of the work of His Son in doing the will of His Father through the cross? He is waiting for us to accept this gift through repentance toward Him (turning away from and turning toward Him) and faith in Christ. (acceptance of forgiveness through Christ's offering of Himself)
When we come to know, understand and experience the love of God in His forgiveness and acceptance, we come to experience our true worth in the sight of God. Because we know that we are extemely important to Him, we live in the experience of that relationship of being accepted in Christ, and this is on a continual basis. For God looks upon us through His Son, of whom He testified: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Do I believe this? Do you believe this?
And if God welcomes us into this fellowship, how can we than not welcome all even as we have been welcomed? Therefore, when we are in Christ, we consider others more important than ourselves and we exhibit this through our desires, motives and actions. May the life of Christ in us be evident to all that we come in contact with in our daily lives.
May God bless you in Christ today and always!
Pastor Orval Wirkkala
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
True Life!
Dear Weekly Readers! God’s Peace!
Spring is here in New Hampshire, USA! The leaves are coming back unto the trees, flowers are in bloom, and the grass is growing! What a wonderful time of year. This time of year reminds me every year of the New Life we have in Christ Jesus! Just like the seeds sown, the must die, then new life comes forth! The same spiritually, as we read in 1 Cor. 15:22 (KJV)
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
Our article this week is about True Life! It is written by Pastor Wayne Juntunen. Please enjoy! John R.
Who is living? You or Christ!
Isn't it amazing how slow we are to learn? God gave me the grace to repent and believe in Christ and know Him as my Savior a few months after mine eighteenth birthday. By that grace, He has been working mercifully and faithfully in my life so that to this very day I know how much He loves me. Throughout my life as one of His disciples, the Lord has taught and shown me many things. Yet through all these years of being a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, one thing I have known, more in my head than in my heart, is a truth that is now imbedded within me.
Just recently the Lord has brought to my mind a thought that has transformed my way of thinking about myself and my life in this world. It's a thought that has made a great impact upon me, and I want to share it with all of you because I believe many, maybe most, of us do not fully realize its importance. This thought is based upon the statement made by the.Apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians. He wrote: “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me...” (Galatians 2:20a).
We all know that Jesus Christ is a real person! When He, God, became incarnate in Christ Jesus to live on this earth, upon fulfilling the will of the Father as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, He returned to heaven to live a life he had never lived before. Because since His birth, life, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension, He is and will be forever both God-Man. But, also, after His ascension, Christ lives in every believer in and through the Holy Spirit. And since the Holy Spirit, who is also a real person, has come from the Father and the Son (Jn. 15:26), this means the entire Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, dwell within us (1 John 4:13-16).
So what does all of this mean in a practical sense? It means what the Apostle Paul stated to the Galatians— Christ lives in us! And it is exactly this reality that has such a far-reaching, astounding impact. Because of our fallen nature, we tend to be quite self-centered. We think more highly of ourselves than we ought (Rom 12:3; Phil. 2:3). We often are more concerned about our own interests than the interest of others (Phl. 2:4). The fact that the Apostle Paul wrote these exhortations to Christians shows that even as believers, we walk in the flesh rather than in the Spirit (Gal. 5:13-16) at times.
But we have been “crucified with Christ.” So WE NO LONGER LIVE! It is Christ who lives in us! Dear brother and sisters in Christ, do you understand what this means for your everyday life in this world? When Jesus Christ declared that He is “the resurrection and the life (Jn. 11:25). that didn't just mean the future only. Jesus Christ is today and every day our resurrection and life. This is what the Apostle Paul meant when, quoting one of the Greek poets, he said that in Christ “we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Simply put, everything we are involved in; whatever decisions we make; whatever we are doing, Christ is doing it!
Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which means we are the vessel or instrument by which and through which Christ now lives in this world. Our responsibility is to be obedient to the voice of his Spirit and maintain an intimate fellowship with the Lord so that he may continue to live His life through us in this world. (Jn. 14:12). The “greater works” are not greater in nature but greater in number.
So our daily prayer ought not to be what we can do for Christ, but that we can be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit so Christ can do what He wants to do through us. We don't do things “for Christ.” We live a life of daily communion with the Lord trusting that as He leads us, we will be doing what He desires. And by this obedience our spirit is filled with joy as co-workers with Christ. He supplies the wisdom, direction, power, etc.; we supply a body [implying our mind, will, and emotions] as “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is [our] reasonable service” (Rom 12:1).
Pastor Wayne Juntunen
Spring is here in New Hampshire, USA! The leaves are coming back unto the trees, flowers are in bloom, and the grass is growing! What a wonderful time of year. This time of year reminds me every year of the New Life we have in Christ Jesus! Just like the seeds sown, the must die, then new life comes forth! The same spiritually, as we read in 1 Cor. 15:22 (KJV)
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
Our article this week is about True Life! It is written by Pastor Wayne Juntunen. Please enjoy! John R.
Who is living? You or Christ!
Isn't it amazing how slow we are to learn? God gave me the grace to repent and believe in Christ and know Him as my Savior a few months after mine eighteenth birthday. By that grace, He has been working mercifully and faithfully in my life so that to this very day I know how much He loves me. Throughout my life as one of His disciples, the Lord has taught and shown me many things. Yet through all these years of being a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, one thing I have known, more in my head than in my heart, is a truth that is now imbedded within me.
Just recently the Lord has brought to my mind a thought that has transformed my way of thinking about myself and my life in this world. It's a thought that has made a great impact upon me, and I want to share it with all of you because I believe many, maybe most, of us do not fully realize its importance. This thought is based upon the statement made by the.Apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians. He wrote: “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me...” (Galatians 2:20a).
We all know that Jesus Christ is a real person! When He, God, became incarnate in Christ Jesus to live on this earth, upon fulfilling the will of the Father as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, He returned to heaven to live a life he had never lived before. Because since His birth, life, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension, He is and will be forever both God-Man. But, also, after His ascension, Christ lives in every believer in and through the Holy Spirit. And since the Holy Spirit, who is also a real person, has come from the Father and the Son (Jn. 15:26), this means the entire Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, dwell within us (1 John 4:13-16).
So what does all of this mean in a practical sense? It means what the Apostle Paul stated to the Galatians— Christ lives in us! And it is exactly this reality that has such a far-reaching, astounding impact. Because of our fallen nature, we tend to be quite self-centered. We think more highly of ourselves than we ought (Rom 12:3; Phil. 2:3). We often are more concerned about our own interests than the interest of others (Phl. 2:4). The fact that the Apostle Paul wrote these exhortations to Christians shows that even as believers, we walk in the flesh rather than in the Spirit (Gal. 5:13-16) at times.
But we have been “crucified with Christ.” So WE NO LONGER LIVE! It is Christ who lives in us! Dear brother and sisters in Christ, do you understand what this means for your everyday life in this world? When Jesus Christ declared that He is “the resurrection and the life (Jn. 11:25). that didn't just mean the future only. Jesus Christ is today and every day our resurrection and life. This is what the Apostle Paul meant when, quoting one of the Greek poets, he said that in Christ “we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Simply put, everything we are involved in; whatever decisions we make; whatever we are doing, Christ is doing it!
Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which means we are the vessel or instrument by which and through which Christ now lives in this world. Our responsibility is to be obedient to the voice of his Spirit and maintain an intimate fellowship with the Lord so that he may continue to live His life through us in this world. (Jn. 14:12). The “greater works” are not greater in nature but greater in number.
So our daily prayer ought not to be what we can do for Christ, but that we can be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit so Christ can do what He wants to do through us. We don't do things “for Christ.” We live a life of daily communion with the Lord trusting that as He leads us, we will be doing what He desires. And by this obedience our spirit is filled with joy as co-workers with Christ. He supplies the wisdom, direction, power, etc.; we supply a body [implying our mind, will, and emotions] as “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is [our] reasonable service” (Rom 12:1).
Pastor Wayne Juntunen
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