A Rushing Mighty Wind

Dear Weekly Readers!

God’s Peace!  

I have not been writing personal notes or any of these articles personally for the last few weeks.  The reason is that I have been on an extended trip into Finland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, and Estonia.

This trip was so very blessed! I pray that all that was done gave Glory to God and to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.   

All of our strength and anything good that comes out of our mouth is only from HIM!   The weak or poorly chosen words, those were mine, but anything good is from God, so I ask him to bless His Holy Word!

Now this week I am traveling to South Carolina USA.  Pray that God’s Word would be spoken there during the Southern Mission Services.  Again, we pray and plead for God’s presence through the Power of His Holy Spirit.    

May God Bless your Week!  Please pray for us in the USA.   John R.

We have just celebrated the Day of Pentecost.   Please enjoy the below article called:

A Rushing Mighty Wind

He (the Spirit) shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. (John 16:14)

And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God,I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh… (Acts 2:17)

Pentecost, meaning fiftieth day, was celebrated by the Jews as the Feast of Weeks, in which they commemorated the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. Many people from many nations had gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost. They were to witness the unveiling of the living Church of God, the birth of the New Testament Church.

On the day of Pentecost, a great change came to the Kingdom of God on earth. Jesus had already revealed the great power of God. He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, caused the lame to walk, the lepers were cleansed, the dead were raised, and to the poor the Gospel was preached (Luke 7:22).

He said, Many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. (Luke 10:24)

Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Christ announced, "On this rock will I build my Church." He was not building it on Peter, but on his confession that Jesus was the Christ. To this Church He promised great authority by giving the keys of the kingdom

of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:19)

Jesus didn't send His disciples out in their own power. He said, Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. (Luke 24:49) Though they had been with the most excellent teacher for three years, they needed heavenly power for the work that was before them.

On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were assembled in one accord when the Holy Spirit descended on them as a rushing mighty wind. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:4)

On this day, Jesus, who had ascended to the Father ten days earlier, fulfilled His promise of sending a counselor to teach them (John 14:26). Like the creative breath of God in Genesis, the Spirit filled the disciples, showing them how the Old Testament was fulfilled through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Peter had recently denied the Lord for fear. Now, Peter was no longer afraid but had received power from on high to boldly preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins. That day 3000 souls were saved, and they went on to turn the world "upside down" through the power of the Holy Spirit. It was clearly God's plan from the beginning that the Church, His called-out people or the Body, would be made known to the world by gathering together to fulfill His mission. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the godhead, which proceeds from the Father and the Son. The work of the Holy Spirit is to reveal Christ. In a practical sense, the Holy Spirit is the living Lord Jesus within us as a Spirit. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:23)

As God is in Christ, Christ is in the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. (John 16:13-14) Jesus glorifies the Father, and theHoly Spirit glorifies the Son.

The office of the Holy Spirit is not to speak of Himself. The Spirit shows us the truth found in God through Jesus Christ. The power of the Holy Spirit is where Jesus is lifted up. The first work of the Spirit is to awaken us to our sin and bring us to repentance. Then He reveals to us the greatness of the living Lord Jesus, who has completed our redemption and reconciled the sins of the whole world with His blood. Our Pentecost begins when we are able to believe our sins forgiven in the name and blood of Jesus.

Where the preaching of the blood is heard, there the power of the Holy Spirit is moving. The blood of Jesus is, from the fall of man to the end of the Revelation, a red cord that goes through the Bible. Through the Word, the Holy Spirit brings us into a union with God. Then the Spirit comes to live in us, to enlighten, sanctify and preserve us unto everlasting life. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost… (1 Thessalonians 1:5)

The Church is an assembly of those on earth in whom God dwells through the Holy Spirit. God instituted His Church on earth to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins to penitent sinners. The Church will continue here until the end of time and He will come again, just as He ascended, and receive us unto Himself.

The disciples could never recall the day of Pentecost without thinking about what they were before and what they were after the day had passed! The same is true for every one born of the Spirit.

Has this miracle happened to you?

May we pray as Luther, "May God, our Father, through Christ Jesus, send the Holy Spirit into our hearts, there to begin and to complete the work of salvation!"

Amen.

Pastor Elmer Yliniemi
Wolf Lake, Minnesota

Stand Strong in the Faith

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be multiplied unto you today and forever. Amen!
…Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Genesis 3:19
We are reminded of this at most funeral services.
Remind us, Father, that this life is short, and may we consider the days of our lives.  Look into your own heart and life. Is your walk pleasing in the sight of God? Is your walk by and in faith? These questions need to be considered, for you are not going to be on this earth forever.

If you are reading this, you are reminded that everyone who is born of man has a heaven to gain and has a hell to shun. When you are laid in the grave, where will you spend eternity? Are you on your way to a better land or is this world your home? If you have washed your robes white in the blood of the Lamb, you should be looking with great joy in your heart for the second coming of Jesus.

God has provided a home in heaven for all who love His appearing and are not ashamed to be called His sons. Your walk and life can only be pleasing to God if you believe in the One whom He has sent—Jesus the Christ. Has God revealed His Son Jesus unto you and has He given you a measure of faith by which to live for today?

God is the only One who can perform this in your life and in the life of all men. Jesus is the only One who can make your path straight and show you the Father. If you were asked for your testimony, what would you say? Would you say, "I have been a believer all my life"? Or, "I have been a believer for x number of years"? Or is your testimony, "Today God has granted me faith and a believing heart"?

It is important that you believe today and God has granted you faith by and in which to walk.  Childhood Christians do not have to go into the world and come back to be born of the Spirit and to have a testimony of what God in Christ Jesus has done for them. They have a living testimony of how faithful God has been to them, that God has kept them in living faith all their days and God has revealed that they are washed white in the blood of the Lamb.

You may say, "What are you asking?" I am asking: Do you believe and are you ready for the days to come? Are you walking in faith today? Yesterday's faith is not going to be enough; you need faith for today. Do you trust in the promises of God or have you given up hope that Jesus will ever come again? Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 24:44) Say not in thy heart, "My Lord delayeth His coming." (Matthew 24:48) And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 1:14-15)

Stand strong upon the foundation on which Jesus has placed you, that you are able to see by faith the things that are for those who love the things of God. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 25:13) Are you ready? This question can be answered and you can know where you will spend eternity.

God's peace! Mark Sunnarborg

PARENTS AND CHILDREN

By Pastor Ken Storm

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

Ephesians 6:1
T he counsel of the Apostle Paul in this epistle is given to prompt children everywhere to carefully consider their station in life and how to conduct themselves toward their Christian parents. God's Word teaches children to Honour thy fatherand thy mother… (Exodus 20:12) No greater honor can children bestow on their parents than to be obedient to their wishes. In doing so, they demonstrate to all their love and respect and, most importantly, their reverence for God's Word.

First, let us be reminded that having believing parents is one of the greatest blessings any child can have. It is a wonderful gift of God. Too often this blessing is taken for granted and children fail to recognize this as God's love and favor toward them and forget to thank Him for mom and dad.

Remember, dear children, mom and dad won't be with you forever. It is far better to show them love and respect, through obedience, to their joy while they are yet with you than to weep tears of regret for your disobedience at their graveside. Sadly, there are many homes today where unbelieving parents, lacking godly wisdom, have no inclination to teach their children in the ways of the Lord, for they themselves are not readers, hearers or doers of God's Word.

The Bible teaches, very clearly, how parents should raise their children, and it also warns of the dire consequences for parents who fail to heed such instruction. The result of such neglect becomes evident as we see many children so often unruly and disobedient at home and disruptive in school. As they grow toward adulthood, they begin to challenge their parents' authority at home, the teachers' authority in school, and even the very laws of our society.

From this behavior then spawns all manner of lovelessness and a general disregard for God and man. Prayerfully considered and prayerfully carried out with the help of God, His instruction for parents is not difficult. What it does require is a sincere dedication on the part of the parents to earnestly begin teaching their children at an early age and patient continuance throughout their formative years.

King Solomon, in the book of Proverbs said: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6) Although sometimes a rebellious and disobedient child will disregard such instruction and choose to enter an ungodly lifestyle, those seeds planted in that youthful heart by a loving parent will never be forgotten.

Surely the prayer of every Christian parent is that such wayward children would remember those teachings of their loving parents and return to the sheepfold from which they have strayed. Even today there are many Christian parents with heavy hearts, whose pillows are nightly stained with tears, praying that our heavenly Father would give increase to the seed they have sown into the hearts of their precious children. Oh, that such prodigal sons and daughters would return home where God's grace and forgiveness abounds and where in the blood of Jesus all sins are proclaimed forgiven and where living faith can be rekindled. ~