Our God Is Not Limited!

Dear Weekly Readers!

Please find the below article for your encouragement!

May God Bless your week!  JR

OUR GOD IS NOT LIMITED!

The Samaritan woman with whom Jesus conversed at Jacob's well asked Him about the right place to worship (John 4).

The Samaritans considered Gerizim to be a holy place. God had already commanded Moses that when the people of Israel came to the land of Canaan, they should put the blessing on Mount Gerizim (Deuteronomy 11: 29).

THE JEWS HAD THEIR TEMPLE in Jerusalem. Therefore, the woman said: Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship (John 4:20).  Jesus answered: Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (v.21-24).

From these words, we understand that God is not bound to any particular earthly place. Although Jesus said this to the Samaritan woman, it is also a teaching for us wherever we are or dwell. Nevertheless, there has always been this trait among those who confess to be Christians—something that seems to follow us—that we want to confine the right Christianity to certain places or areas.

We often think: Do they belong to us? Are they with us?  Yes, the disciples of Jesus also said: Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part (Mark 9:38-40).

This does not mean that all who speak of Jesus are with Him, but it does mean that we should not limit the activity and power of Jesus to our person and nearest area of acquaintance. Those to whom Jesus has given His power to drive out devils are not against us, but for us, and above all else, are for Jesus.

The Catholic Church has its earthly headquarters and papal throne in Rome. They consider the pope to be Christ's vicar (substitute) here on earth. The historian tells us that this church has excommunicated and persecuted faithful servants of Christ. This should be a reminder to us that we would not allow ourselves to be led into spiritual delusion. We should not limit the activity of the Holy Spirit—that is God's work. The Holy Spirit works at all times and in all places where God is present by His Spirit, His Word and His Gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians that God's congregation at Corinth was holy (called to be saints and sanctified)— not only there in Corinth, but in every place they call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 1:2).

The Samaritans also waited for the Messiah. This woman met Him, and she spoke of Him to the people in the city. Many believed on Him because of her word.

We have also heard the Gospel of Christ, and God has given us faith to believe that which we have heard. This is the gift of God. It is the power of the Gospel. Therefore, we shall not boast in the presence of men or think that we ourselves have been able to comprehend faith. God is the Author and Finisher of our faith. It is not in the power of any person to give faith or to take it away. Many dangers are found that can harm us in our lives of faith.

We see that already at the time of the apostles—when Christianity should have been the purest and uncontaminated by wrong doctrine—when John wrote to the seven congregations, there were only two of them which were not admonished to repent and correct their failures. Those who were the most self-confident had fallen the deepest. The two congregations which were pleasing to God were those who felt themselves to be poor and weak. It is a great grace of God that He has sent us His Word and given us faith in our hearts. It is only through the Spirit of God continuing to enlighten us with the knowledge of sin that we can also preserve the knowledge of grace in our hearts.

Those who will one day, by God's grace, reach home in heaven will see that the limitations or boundaries imposed by man and his judgment are not honored in heaven. There the saved multitude is gathered from the north and from the south, from east and west—yes, from all nations, people and tongues.

The keys of death and hell have not been entrusted to you or to me. These keys are retained in the possession of Him who knows each person's heart and see all of our works. As poor sinners and children of dust, we have no other refuge than the mercy seat and the throne of grace. God's grace is sufficient for salvation to all repentant sinners—yes, even the greatest sinner.

In this life our faith is tried in adversity and tribulation. Even if some would condemn us, no one can take us out of God's hand. We will hold firmly to Jesus, our salvation's solid rock and foundation, and say with Peter: Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life (John 6:68). Amen. ~

Keep Seeking the Things That Are Above

Dear Weekly Readers! 

Please find the below article by Pastor Wayne Juntunen.   I hope and pray it strengthens and encourages you in your faith!

May God Bless your Week!  John R.

"KEEP SEEKING THE THINGS THAT ARE ABOVE..."

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth." (Col. 3:1,2)

Because of our carnal nature, we tend to be earth-bound.  If, in truth, we are risen with Christ; that is, we are living and walking in the Spirit and not the flesh, it follows that we are to keep seeking the things that are above.  Our new birth is only the beginning of our walk of faith.  God's desire is that we be transformed into the image of Christ. "...whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son" (Rom. 8:29).  This does not take place automatically.  It is a continuous and constant "seeking those things that are above." 

What this means is all that Christ has achieved and won for us through His incarnation, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension.  The life of a true believer in Christ is a day-by-day walk of intimate fellowship with Christ.  The reason the Apostle Paul exhorts us to do this "seeking" is due to the fact that we still have this carnal nature that wants to live its own life apart from Christ.  It is the battle that continually goes on between the "flesh and the spirit" as Paul wrote in Galatians 5:17, "...the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh." 

In order that we be "victors in this strife", we need to continually be "looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).  What this means in our real, ordinary, daily life is that we maintain an on-going life of prayer with our Savior.  This prayer-life is not necessarily talking to Lord.  Rather it is our "mind-set" in which we are mindful of all he has done for us, all his promises that are part of our inheritance in Christ, and a realization of his constant presence with us as we go through our daily tasks, plans and purposes, challenges, trials, stress, joys and sorrows.

Since it is in Christ that "we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28), seeking the things where Christ is enthroned in all authority, power, and glory ought to be the most natural thing for us to do as His redeemed bride. "Seeking" implies our desire and longing for Christ to be our first and foremost love.  It is a Holy Spirit passion for Christ's power and influence to have dominion in us and over us in all we do and say.

The primary reason for this "seeking" is simply the fact that apart from Christ "we can do nothing" (Jn. 15:5).  The opposite truth is that we can do all things through Christ who strengths us (Philippians 4:13).  This being true, Satan, the world, and our own flesh and blood form a powerful triad to hinder us from such a total surrender to our Lord and King.

The Triune God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--is seeking throughout this wide world for those "whose hearts are perfect toward him" (2 Chronicles 16:9).  We so easily sing, "Lord, you are my All in all."  Is it truly so for all or any of us?  Is it possible that we worship the Lord with our lips but our hearts are far from him?  (Matthew 15:8).

O Lord, forgive us for pretending we love you above all things!  Wash us in the blood of Jesus for not thinking about, and failing to seek those things that are above!  Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us! Rekindle in our hearts a passionate desire for all your riches in Christ, and move us to diligently, consistently, and faithfully desire that your presence and power would dominate our lives!  We thank you, Father, that you desire to reveal yourself to us and others that all men would know you are the One and only true God to whom belongs honor and wisdom, and glory and power now and forever, Amen!

Trust in Jesus

Dear Weekly Readers!

Please find the article below written by Pastor Ken Storm.

May God Bless your Week!  John R.

Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he hath sent. John 6:29

THIS STATEMENT BY JESUS WAS directed unto the people who had followed Him by the sea of Capernaum. They had witnessed in recent days many miracles of healing He had performed on those who were diseased, and the miracle of feeding a great multitude of people with only five barley loaves and two small fish. When they beheld these miracles they were convinced that Jesus was a prophet of God; and rightly so. For it was God, through Jacob, who prophesied: The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. (Genesis 49:10) Yet the people considered Him to be only a prophet; not the Messiah, the Son of God, nor the Savior of mankind.

We see however, that Jesus, who searches the hearts of men, found that unbelief was ruling their lives. The people had focused on the bread and fish they had eaten and were filled. Little did they consider the miracle by which so many were fed with so little. Even more notable was the fact they failed to observe carefully the significance of these miracles. Jesus therefore clearly redirects their minds and hearts away from that which they observed outwardly and unto the meat which He gives that is everlasting and does not perish.

He tells the multitudes to expend their efforts for that which never perishes, namely the spiritual food He gives. In verse 51 of our text chapter, He said, I am the living bread which came down from heaven, and in verses 53 through 58 Jesus explains the need for men to eat this spiritual bread. (Read John 6:29-58.)  The people however did not comprehend these words of Jesus and therefore promptly asked, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? (John 6:28) The same question is commonly found in the minds and hearts of men today because spiritual darkness rules within. The answer to this question is no different today than it was when Jesus said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Someone may ask, "How does one really believe?" First we must understand that the nature of man is to seek to be justified before God by his own labors and his own works. This trait is inherent in the flesh of all mankind and is motivated by pride. The natural man is determined to effect, by his own doing, something that he thinks is acceptable and meritorious before God. Oblivious is he to the Word which teaches that there is nothing man can do of himself to achieve righteousness before God.

It has already been accomplished in perfection by Christ Jesus on the cross of Calvary where He suffered, bled and died to pay our sin debt; and in the power of His resurrection He instills a lively hope of eternal salvation in all who believe in Him as the Scripture teaches. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Here only is the true righteousness which is acceptable to God. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) We must conclude with the words of the Apostle: For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:10) We see that human intellect must be put aside.

If, dear friend, you find that you are struggling to make yourself righteous before God by your own efforts, as did the people in our text, may God reveal to you that your struggle is against Him and rejects His perfect work of salvation for you. Dear friend, cease from your fruitless and futile efforts which will only lead to spiritual shipwreck. Surrender instead to the loving, entreating words of the Savior who today invites you, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Come just as you are but with a repentant, humble and contrite heart, confessing your sin and your failed efforts to make yourself righteous. Trust in Jesus, God's perfect gift to all, for your righteousness. Here, in His kingdom on earth today, the blood of Jesus continues to speak grace and forgiveness. Jesus awaits your arrival, and His children will assure you with the audible Gospel and the laying on of loving hands that this miracle of spiritual healing is indeed true. Your sins are washed away in the name and blood of Jesus Christ your Savior.  May the wonderful, saving work of God through living faith in His Son be accomplished in every heart. ~

Kept By the Power of God Through Faith

Dear Weekly Readers!  God’s Peace!

Thank you for your many prayers as my wife and I have traveled about doing work in the Lord’s Vineyard here in the USA!  

We are safely home now and I am happy to share more of God’s Word with you on a regular basis!

Please enjoy the below article!   May God Bless your Week!   John R.

"...KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD THROUGH FAITH..."
(1 Peter 1:5)

This brief phrase is taken from several verses in this first epistle of Peter in which the Apostle is encouraging the persecuted believers in an area of the world that we know today as Asia.  Please read this entire passage from 1 Peter 1:1-9 wherein Peter is encouraging these brothers and sisters in faith to hold fast to the Lord knowing that through the resurrection of the of the Lord Jesus Christ, they would receive an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and eternal.

As I thought about this phrase of being "kept by the power of God through faith," I began to think about faith.  What do we really mean when we use this word?  The main meaning, I believe, is that of entrusting ourselves whole-heartedly into God's hands.  The Apostle Paul stated it most clearly in his second epistle to Timothy:  "...I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Tim. 1:12).

Our Lord, a while before he was to be crucified, counseled his disciples to "believe in him" (Jn. 14:1).  Several times during their discipleship training, Jesus chided them for their "little faith" or "lack of faith." (Mt. 6:30, 8:26, 14:31, 16:8, 17:20).  Are we any different?  We sing and say we believe, but do we truly?  Since God has always proved himself faithful, why do we not always trust him?

There are several reasons why we do not trust God.  Probably the chief reason we do not is due to our carnal nature.  Our faith is not in God, but in ourselves.  We rely upon our own abilities, strength, wisdom, capabilities, etc.  Added to this way of thinking, we have been taught and encouraged to rely upon other sources and resources-- our employment, pastors, counselors, the government, technology, doctors, lawyers, etc, I suspect we have become so accustomed to these and others means of handling life's issues, we take little notice of our need for the Lord.  Yes, we believe in him for our salvation, but what about for everything else?  Yes, in times of storms, turmoil, dangers, severe illness, economic collapse, destruction of dwellings, and other disasters, we call out of fear and desperation to God.  Yet when the causes have passed, we return to our old ways.  In effect, we have done as did Israel in the days of Jeremiah.  They had forsaken the fountain of living water and hewn out for themselves fountains that hold no water (Jer. 2:13).

Faith in God is to be a constant, consistent, daily trust.  In effect, it is an act of resignation.  After all, no matter what the situation or circumstances of life, we are not capable of handling it.  We tend to being stressed--mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.  The faithful who are described in the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter eleven, are examples to us of how faith is to function.  God has called us to dying to ourselves.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book, The Cost of Discipleship, states that when Jesus calls us to follow him, he bids us to die.  When the Apostle Paul wrote in Rom. 6:6 that "our old man is crucified with Christ", it means that we are no longer to function by the powers, ingenuity, and abilities of our carnal nature.  It is in Christ that "we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

Surrendering our own independence and resigning ourselves into God's hands is not our natural desire.  We have inherited this carnal attitude from Adam and Eve which they thought was independence; it is not independence, but slavery.  Jesus, alone, is the One who can break our bonds of sin and death.  Only through the Holy Spirit's power working through the Word of God can we be taken captive by the Lord wherein and whereby we will have true freedom.  Though our heart is changed to love, honor, and obey God, the battle still goes on between the spirit and the flesh.  May we honestly and truly repent of our self-centered rebellion and rejection of the Lord's loving, merciful, total care of us, and yield our whole body, soul, and spirit to our One True Lord!  God help us to trust him always and ever!

Pr. Wayne Juntunen

The Works of God

Dear Weekly Readers!

May the Peace of God be with you!   Please enjoy the article which reminds us of the importance of family structure!

May God Bless your week!  John R.

THE WORKS OF GOD

Throughout these last few months, I have been thinking and looking at what modern-day

America says about doing the work of God. Often, we think that the work of God is being a pastor or a missionary, or leading music in the church, or doing something where people can see that we are serving God.

None of these services are bad, but we shouldn't think that if we are not doing these things that we are not doing the work of God. Looking at the history of Christianity we realize that most of the Christians in the past 2000 years went to church once a week, heard the Word, partook of the Sacraments and went home to scratch out a living.

In modern times, it seems that many people have a lot more time to worry about if they are "doing" the work of God. This question often comes up when people are "choosing" an occupation or a vocation. Jesus addressed this question in an account in the book of John.

When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. John 6:24-29  Here, Jesus is talking to a crowd that had come looking for Him because He had fed them the day before. Most of the time, we would think, "Isn't it great that the crowd wants to hear Jesus again?" But this crowd is looking to fill their bellies. They are searching out Jesus for selfish reasons. At times, we also may do things for God or search out God for our own selfish gain, or even to look good to others or to feel good about ourselves. When that is the case, our focus is wrong. Instead of a selfish focus, we should look to Jesus and His words. It's also important to know that even if we are serving God for our own selfish reasons, God can still make it work for His own good.

No matter where we find ourselves in this life, if we believe, we are doing the works of God. So, as a believing parent, we are doing the works of God. As a carpenter who is a believer, we are doing the works of God. We, as believers, are led by the power of the Holy Spirit and our focus comes away from ourselves to others. We may not be serving in the mission field or leading a church, but that does not make our role as a believer any less important.

Actually, I would say that the calling of being a parent and raising children in the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is a much greater calling than being a pastor. In fact Paul tells Timothy that if he does not manage his own household well then he should not be in the ministry.

Wherever God has put us in our daily vocation we are serving him by serving our family, neighbors and church family. We continue to do the work of God by believing in

the one that He sent. ~

Pastor Gerry Southerton 

Vancouver, Washington 

The Awakening Call

Dear Weekly Readers!

God’s Peace!

The below you could find useful for your ministry, to share with anyone you know is an unbeliever, or to be reminded yourself of important matters.

  

May God Bless your week!   John R.

The Awakening Call

Everyone of us has at one time or another experienced some type of awakening call during the course of our lifetime.  A typical awakening for everyone each day is the awakening from sleep.  Some hear the call of a parent or loved one informing them of the time to get up.  Many must be reminded or called several times before getting up.  Others jump up at the first call and are ready to start the day. Those who have no one call them must depend on alarm clocks, or perhaps by a telephone call when lodging at some inn while traveling. Even this type of call has its problems.  People just hate to get up, so they will shut the alarm off or press a doze button to delay getting up.

There are, of course, other ways by which we are awakened to a need or some situation.  Our automobiles at times will catch our attention when the engine begins to sputter and our glance at the fuel gauge reveals that we are out of gas. How about the siren and blinking lights of a traffic patrol reminding us of our speed? What about the past due notices we receive in the mail? They sure get our attention, don’t they?  Well, we could go on and on, and I’m sure you get my point.  This happens all too often in our secular lives.  But what about our spiritual lives? Is there such a thing as an “awakening call” from God?

If so, how does it come about and what purpose does it serve, you may ask?  I suppose to one who has never heard the story of the creation or has just refused to give it his or her attention, it has no meaning. In spite of this, there really is such a call for His Word tells us that He doesn’t want any of us to perish (2^nd Peter 3:9).  The purpose of this call is to awaken you to the solemn fact that it is appointed for men once to die but after this the judgment (Heb 9:27), and in so doing get your attention.  God wants you to know that we are sinners and that the wages of sin is death

.

It is true that everyone must meet with a physical death because of the inherited sin of Adam and Eve. To the one who has forgotten the natural man’s destiny, it has a grim reminder.  Once God has your attention and reveals to you your sinful condition, He also wants to let your know that there is hope for you to change your situation. The hope is in His Son, Jesus Christ.   For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).  Isn’t this Good News to the one who has been awakened from this horrible nightmare of a condemned sinner? The life in store for this sinner who ignores God’s call or scoffs at this call is by no means desirable for it entails eternity with the devil and his angels in the lake of fire.  The fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, ad whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death ((Rev 21:8).

The mechanism that trips the alarm of God’s awakening call in a man’s heart and mind is the WORD OF GOD.  He wants to be heard with this message delivered to the Hebrews: The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb 4:12).  Where and when does one get stricken by this word? This is a mystery that has no ready answer. There are many factors which govern this answer.   Some have been on the verge of suicide, and by picking up and reading a tract have been smitten by the “sword of the spirit,” which is the Word of God. One departed preacher told of his mother’s convicting words coming to him during a card game which led him to repentance. Others have heard the witness of a child of God or disciple of Christ.  Perhaps some tragedy has taken away a loved one and at the funeral service the message delivered God’s convicting sword. God works in mysterious ways.

Whichever way God chooses to awaken you, dear friend, take heed.  This is the first step in God’s plan of salvation. In other words, God is placing the conviction of sin into your heart to test your reaction. Is His word going to pierce your hard heart?  The two-edged sword wants to break your heart to provide good ground in order that God’s Word would find a lodging place. This is a desirable condition for now the “Sower of the seed” (Matt 13) may be able to plant the seed of hope into your troubled heart.  It is now that you need the absolving word of reconciliation to be preached to your listening ears and troubled heart. You need to find the “Keeper of the keys” of the kingdom of God.  These are the members of the royal priesthood who have received the keys of binding and loosing and the authority to use them (Matt 16:19). You see, they too, have heard the Good News, and have had their troubled and evil consciences cleansed with the blood of Christ contained in the Gospel message declared unto them. Jesus spoke these words to His disciples after His resurrection: whosoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them: and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained (until such time they repent) (John 20:23). In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus instructed His disciples that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem (Luke 24:47).

May God, our Heavenly Father, awaken those sinners receiving His call to their needs of a savior in these latter and crucial times.  Have you received God’s awakening call? If God is calling you, why not answer the call by seeking the Lord while He can be found.  Are you aware of the time on God’s time clock? In the days of Apostle Paul, He gave the Romans this warning.  Now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof (Rom. 13:11-14).  May He speak to your heart.

Rueben O Peterson.

Encouraging Others in Faith

Dear Weekly Readers!

I am now on a long road trip (almost 6 weeks) with my wife.  We are visiting churches in the USA for the purposes of preaching Jesus Christ, and informing Christians of our work in other countries around the world.   It is our prayer, that by informing the Christians, they will be willing to join in support of the mission.

Please be in prayer for safe travels, and obedience to serve the Lord to His Glory!

During the time I will be traveling, the Weekly Diner will come every two weeks, rather than every week.  Please understand, and I am thankful for your prayers!

May God Bless you and yours!  John R.

Please enjoy the below article by Pastor Orval.

If you knew you had only a short time to live, what would you tell your children, your loved ones? You would share those matters of utmost importance concerning life, namely spiritual life.

In our text of meditation, Apostle Paul, who shortly will be martyred for his faith, is writing from prison (possibly the last letter that he ever wrote) to Timothy, a young man who was converted through Paul's ministry. He is concerned about the Gospel being handed off to Timothy intact so that it may continue to bring salvation through Christ to multitudes. Let us read the first 7 verses of 2 Timothy

:

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in

my prayers night and day;

Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Paul, vested with the authority of Christ as one who was sent by Christ, pours out his heart to his dearly beloved son, reminding him first of all that God through Christ has been and is yet gracious, merciful and peaceful toward Timothy. Paul then shares with his son his prayers for him, his longings for him, and his joy in him.

Then before Paul shared of his main concern for the writing of the letter, the source, foundation, guarding, teaching and preaching of the Gospel, he focused on four things

that were instrumental in the bringing of Timothy to where he was now in his Christian faith.

The first was his upbringing. Biographies never begin with the individual themselves, but with parents and grandparents for they bring/have brought/will bring to bear the greatest influence on our lives. When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee,  which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

The second influence on Timothy was his spiritual friendship. After our parents, it is our friends who influence us most. Through Paul's ministry, Timothy had been led to Christ, and Paul did not desert, forget, or abandon him. Paul constantly remembered him. Three times in our text we see the bond of friendship between Paul and Timothy.

I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

The third influence in Timothy's life was a special gift of grace. Even though the gift that Timothy received most likely was a call into the ministry, nevertheless, in general we all have been uniquely gifted by Christ according to His grace and for His purposes, so that glory would be brought to Him and salvation to lost souls. We may not have as of yet fully realized our special calling of the Lord, but in time we will. We are members of His Body, therefore that which He has given us has been and will continue to be used to strengthen, protect, nourish and enhance His Body, the Church.

All gifts and talents that are given to us are for the purpose of bringing glory to God by being used directly or indirectly to gather people to a saving relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

The fourth influence on Timothy was personal discipline. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up (rekindle, stir into flame) the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power (word for dynamite), and of love, and of a sound mind (sound judgment, self-control).

We are called to rekindle, reignite, the gift that is within us/in others so that we/they may

not only live in the benefits of the Gospel, but so that we/they may also teach and preach

the Gospel. We that are in a place of influence need to recognize the Timothy's among us,

such as the younger ones in our congregations, and especially the graduates this year.

May we follow the example of Paul so that the Timothy's among us will be loved, appreciated, prayed for, sympathized with, rejoiced over, challenged, equipped and supported.  May we continue in this training, teaching and transition process that already has begun from our/their infancy so that the Gospel will be taught and preached in the grace and in the truth of Jesus Christ until the end.  May we ask today: Who do we know that we could take "under our wing" in order to bring them encouragement and direction for their life today and tomorrow?

May God bless you. ~

Encouraging Others in Faith

Pastor Orval Wirkkala

Kingston, Minnesota

Dear Weekly Readers!

God’s Peace!   Our article this week reminds us of some very important things.  Please read and share with your friends, congregations, and children! 

May God Bless your Week!  John R.

Christianity Begins at Home

Pastor Wayne Juntunen

Esko, Minnesota

Many times in the Bible we can read how important is the home in the eyes of God. God begins with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1:26-3:24) from whom have come all nations, kindred, peoples and tongues. But as they yielded to Satan's lie, the effects of that "fall" infected all of creation and home life became a battle ground. And from there the infection of sin has spread to all peoples. God, the All-Knowing, All-Powerful, and Everywhere-Present Lord of all, provides the blood sacrifice Himself in and through Jesus Christ to reclaim and restore all that was lost in the Garden of Eden. Jesus, God in the flesh, is born of a woman.

A new home begins through Mary and a substitute father, Joseph; God, the Father, being the true

Father. Even though Joseph was not the true father of Jesus, it was necessary that he be a godly man. The beginning of the Gospel according to Matthew records a long history of Joseph's godly heritage (Matthew 1:1-16).

Mary, too, came from a godly heritage being a relative of Elisabeth (Luke 1:36), the wife of Zacharias, a priest, whose genealogy would go all the way back to Levi from whom the entire Old Testament priesthood started. While it was important that the home was a godly one into which Jesus was to be born and in which he would be raised to manhood, the timing of Mary's conception was also important.

Engagement in Bible times was as binding as the marriage itself. It was important that Joseph and Mary were engaged before the angel brought the message from God that she was to conceive a son through the power of the Holy Spirit. Had it occurred before Joseph and Mary were engaged, Joseph could simply separate from her and have no further connections. He would be breaking no law but Mary, quite likely, would have been stoned to death—the punishment for adultery (Deuteronomy 22:23-24).

At best she would have been left to raise Jesus outside of marriage. God waited until they were engaged to guarantee the marriage, although an angelic message to Joseph was necessary in order for him to understand the reason for Mary's pregnancy. Mary was not to raise Jesus as a single parent. Beginning with Adam and Eve, the blueprint for marriage is one man with one woman for life. Children need both a mother and a father for proper nurturing. As Jesus began the work of saving creation and mankind from sin, death, hell and the devil, the first miracle He performed was at a wedding (John 2:1-11). Why? Because only a home where Jesus Christ is present can mankind's history and civilization itself survive and flourish. In every home where Christ is not enthroned as Lord, there the fruit of our fallen nature will reign. Since the original home from which God was to build humankind had departed from the Word of the Lord, Jesus, the Word made flesh, began in a home at a wedding to reveal both His human and divine nature that was needful not only for life after death, but life before death.

For, as the Apostle Paul said in his sermon to the gathered crowd on Mars Hill in Athens, "In Christ we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28)."  While Christ, through His life, suffering, death and resurrection, has finished the work necessary to save man-kind from his destructive course, each of us is still responsible to be the "doers of that Word (James1:22).

And the Bible is full of instructions as to how marriage and family life is to be carried out in the home. Each of us has a responsibility to live in harmony with God's Word as parents, children, brothers and sisters within a household. It has been said, "The light that shines the farthest shines the brightest at home." May the light of God's Word, the two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12), penetrate into our hearts. And as it reveals our thoughts and intentions, may each of us yield to its truth.

The only way Christianity can spread is from heart to heart, from house to house because the church, as a body of believers, is only as strong as each household within it. Then out of each heart and out of each home, Christianity can then spread to the neighborhood, the community, the nation, and the world. ~ 

We Just Have Today

Dear Weekly Readers,  

I pray that all is well with each of you today!  The below is a good reminder for all of us!  Sometimes we can miss the point and while we think we are doing the right thing, we miss what is right in front of us.  May God help each of us, and give us wisdom and fill us with His Love, so we would do what He would have us to do!

May God Bless your week!  John R.

WE JUST HAVE TODAY

by Mother Teresa

I do not agree with the big way of doing things. To us, what matters is the individual To get to love the person, we must come in close contact with Him. lf we wait till we get the numbers, then we will be lost in numbers, and we will never be able to show that love and respect for the person. I believe in person to person.

Every person is Christ for me, and since there is only one Jesus, there is only one person in the world for me at that moment. We talk about the poor but very little to the poor. There is so much talk about the hunger and ail that, that we'll have food after ten years, so much food--in the meantime, somebody's dying for a piece of bread and we don't even look at that person.

When they were having a very, very big conference in Bombay and they were calculating in fifteen years' time, how much food they'll have and right in front of the house, there was a man about iwenty-five, twenty-six years old actually dying of hunger. so I took him, put him in the car with me, By the time I reached our house, he died and he died purely of hunger.

This opened my eyes-they are calculating for tomorrow and the meantime, today, many people are dying for a piece of bread. I have never experienced saying to the people, I don't have, I can't give you. There's never been a time when we didn't have one more plate of rice, one more bed, or more dose of medicine.

We are for today; when tomorrow will come we shall see what we can do. Somebody is thirsty for water today, hungry for food today. Tomorrow we will not have them if we don't feed them today. So be concerned with what you can do today. The future is so much in the hands of God. I find it much more easy to accept today because yesterday is gone and tomorrow has not come, and I have only today. So very often if I have to be busy with tomorrow, I may neglect my people today.

And so, since we have just that one day, I prefer to put all my love and care and energy to that individual.....because I believe in loving just one person that is with me at the time. And, tomorrow may never come, that's in the hands of God, no?

And that is the wonderful gift of God that he has not given us--that is His great love for us that He has not given us to know the future. We fear the future because we are wasting the today. From Where There is Love, There ls God.

edited by Brian Kolodieichuk, MC.

God's Love

Dear Weekly Readers!

The Bible text for the sermon on Sunday was John 14:8-27.

In Verse 8, Philip is asking Jesus to show them the Father, saying that they will then be satisfied.   Jesus asked them, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip?”  Jesus told them that if you have seen me, you have seen the Father, because He is in Me, and I in Him.  

How is it with you and me today?   Are we thankful for knowing Jesus?  Do we see Jesus with the eyes of faith?  I pray that we all do! 

As a very small boy, when I read the Bible I was afraid to read the words of Jesus.  I thought to myself in my young mind that Jesus is so holy that surely I cannot live up to His sayings and words.   Oh, what foolish thoughts of a young child!  

However, when I began to learn of how Jesus loved mankind so much and demonstrated it as He lived here on earth, I began to see Jesus and God as merciful lovers of my soul.  I noticed how Jesus treated the man with leprosy and the sinful woman caught in the very act of adultery.  I noticed how Jesus picked Peter up out of the water when Peter doubted and began to sink.  I noticed how Jesus did not forsake Peter even after Peter denied Him.  I noticed how Jesus conversed with the woman at the well.  I noticed how He forgave the sins of the man sick of the palsy.   This same Jesus loves me and each of you the very same way even today.  He will never leave nor forsake us! 

What joy it is now to read of Jesus!  To read all of God’s Words, knowing that I am still a poor sinner, but God is a merciful God!  

In verses 13 and 14, Jesus is telling us that if we ask anything in His name He will do it.   What are we to think of this?  So many of us have prayed in Jesus’ name, sometimes even for years, and what we wanted has not happened.   So from our own experiences, we must admit that this verse must have much deeper meaning than this.   When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are asking for His intercession.  We are asking for His merit.  We are asking for His council, His wisdom, and His power.  

We surely do not pray to God in a demanding way.  We lay all of our cares and burdens down in front of Jesus, and He will surely do what is best.  Even as earthly fathers we do not give our children all they want, because we know certain things are bad for them.  This is the same with our Heavenly Father.  He will only give those things that He knows are good for us and our family.  Those things that fit His will.  Those things that will be best in the broad expanse of time and in the generations that follow as well.  You see, God can see the entire future, while we can only see today.  He knows so much better than we do as to what is good for us! 

So let us pray humbly, obediently, and with reverence in Jesus’ name, asking that God’s will be done in each situation!  

Verse 15 says, ”If ye love me, keep my commandments.”   What are the commandments of Jesus?  Are they the ten commandment laws?  We know Jesus came not to destroy the law but to fulfill them.   When sin entered the world through the sin of Adam, all mankind was at once lost and condemned.   In order for us to be saved, Jesus needed to come and fulfill all in our behalf.  We are ever so grateful that He willingly did this, and then gave His life for us!    In John 13:34-35, Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

Dear reader, do you hate your brother, your neighbor?  Are you jealous of a fellow pastor?  Do you care for the lost of this world?   Let us pay attention to these words of Jesus about love.  

We are not capable of loving as Jesus does.  We fall so short of having perfect love.  However, let us turn humbly to our Lord and in daily contrition and repentance, ask Him to work on us to love one another.  

We are out of time for this week, but please read the text and see how Jesus promised the Holy Ghost, which is the comforter to come and dwell with us and in us!   This will always be our strength and comfort and joy. 

We will close this article with the Words of Jesus found in verse 27.  “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid!”

God’s Peace!  John R.