Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread

Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread 

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

This year, Passover will begin at sunset, Friday, April 15 and end at sunset on April 23.    Passover is also called The Feast of  Unleavened Bread and commemorates the finished work of the cross. 

In the Bible, leavening (yeast) symbolizes sin. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a seven day memorial of not only the Israelites being taken from the bondage of Egyptian slavery, but also, the journey of Christians as we have been set free from the bondage of sin and grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. 

This is a time to meditate on some promises of God that will empower us to walk away from doubt, unbelief and fear and into a restful relationship with our Lord.  

Consider the following scriptures.

 Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)  “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

John 14:1-3 (NKJV) "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

Hebrews 13:5-6 (NKJV) "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)  "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

1 John 1:8-9 (NKJV) "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

James 1:5-6 (NKJV) "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

Our prayer:  Oh, Lord, may the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight  (Psalm 19:14).

Bless the Lord, oh my soul.  And let all that is within in me bless His holy name (Psalm 103:1).

“Baruch HaShem Hamashiach Yeshua.  Barach HaShem Adonai.”

“Blessing in the name of Jesus the Messiah.  Blessing in the name of the Lord.”

Trusting in Mortality?

Trusting in Mortality?

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

The political and moral chaos which whirls around us promises half-truths, fabrications, discord, disunity, confusion and fear.  Where can we go to learn of that truth that brings clarity from the chaos?

Several days ago, I felt an urging in my spirit to open my Bible, seemingly at random, and simply read where it fell open.  However, nothing orchestrated by the Holy Spirit is random. I found myself at Psalm 146.  If you think the Bible is not relevant for today, please read with me through this Psalm.

Psalm 146:1-2 (NKJV)
^“Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!  While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

The passage begins with an exhortation for us to praise the Lord in our souls.  Our souls are our minds, will and emotions.  It is in the soul that we make choices.  In these verses, we are encouraged to make the choice of praising God.  In English grammar, “I shall” is declarative.  “I will” is emphatic.  We are to make a determination to praise in all  our situations and in spite of our circumstances. We must remember that God enthrones Himself in our praise (Psalm 22:3).

Psalm 146:3-4 (NKJV)
^“Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.
His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish.”

Even those who have the most power in the earth are mortal, subject to death.  Their plans, likewise, are mortal.  The older and wiser we become, the more we consider the history of our own lives, the more we will understand the ephemeral nature of mortal man and mortal thoughts.  Do we even remember the slogans of the past:  The New Deal, The New Frontier, The War on Poverty, and It’s the Economy, Stupid.  While we endured the hype, many bought into the programs with their votes and the results were negligible.

Psalm 146:5-6 (NKJV)
^“Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his God, Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever.”

We are nearly always disappointed in our elected officials.  Much of the fault lies in us.  We want and expect politicians to meet our needs and insure our happiness.  Even the best governmental programs can meet our needs only on a superficial level.  The programs cannot touch the deeper needs, the needs of our hearts.  Our happiness is in the One who made heaven and earth, the One who made us in His own image. 

He is the one Who executes justice, without bribery, for the oppressed, Who gives both spiritual and physical food to the hungry and freedom to the prisoners trapped in the bondage of sin, hopelessness and negativity.  It is the LORD Who opens the eyes of those who have been blinded by deceit and their own desires. 

Praise the LORD.  He raises those who are bowed down; He loves the righteous because He loves righteousness and not self-righteousness.

The LORD watches over the strangers without pandering for votes; He relieves the fatherless and widow and does not seek to enslave them in hopelessness; But the way of the wicked, He turns upside down (based on Psalm 146:7-9 NKJV).

Just sayin’.

The Warrior Bride

The Warrior Bride

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Judges 4:4-9 (NKJV):  “Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time. And she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
Then she sent and called for Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, "Has not the LORD God of Israel commanded, 'Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun; and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand'?"
And Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go!"
So she said, "I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman."                     Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.”

And together they routed the enemy and sent the enemy captain, Sisera on the run.  Later in Judges 4, we learn the story of Jael.  She invited Sisera into her tent, lulled him to sleep with warm milk and drove a tent peg through his head.

The stories of Deborah and Jael cause me to paraphrase an old song by Nancy Sinatra.  My version:                

"These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do.
Devil, these boots are gonna walk all over you.”

Deborah, a mother in Israel, a judge and a prophetess, and Jael, a nomadic housewife, picture the Church, the Bride of Christ, willing to go into battle to defeat the enemy of our souls.   

Revelation 19:6-8 (NKJV) pictures the Bride of Christ, the Church:
^“And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”

Notice that the Bride has made herself ready.  Too many of us are sitting on our blessed assurances, whining and waiting to be raptured into glory.  However, we are to engage in His business until He comes. (Luke 13.)  That business includes standing up, speaking out, rebuking the enemy and declaring victory in the name of Jesus.

Revelation 19:11-16 (NKJV)
“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
"Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

The armies of heaven, clothed in righteous, follow the Lord into battle.  The weapon of the Lord is the Word of God.

Church, arise like Deborah and Jael.  Behave righteously, speak the Word of God that declares victory to those who love Him.  Think about this:  If God inhabits the praises of His people, then who inhabits our fearful whining and complaining?

Devil, listen carefully, these boots, these people of God, are gonna walk all over you and your deceit.

Habakkuk--a Voice for Today

Habakkuk--a Voice for Today

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Although the prophet Habakkuk wrote more than 2,600 years ago, his message is pertinent today.  In that day, Israel faced the peril of the Babylonian empire which occupied much of the same area that the terrorist organizations occupy today.  Today, Israel, the United States, and the world face the peril of the terrorism.  Habakkuk’s message should resonate with us in this difficult time.

First, Habakkuk speaks out and questions God.  Habakkuk 1:3-4 (NKJV) “Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises. Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.”

Habakkuk, like many today, asks why evil seems to be triumphing over good.

God answers.  Habakkuk 1:5 (NKJV) "Look among the nations and watch-- Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.”

God continues to outline His plan for the defeat of Israel’s enemies. All the powerful nations in that area of the world would fall. History records that Babylon later fell to the Greeks.  God allowed Babylon to rule for only a period of time.

Allow yourself to be encouraged.  The book of Revelation prophesies that in the end times, Babylon, the great harlot representing the worldly, humanistic, secular society will again fall through the intervention of God.

In chapter two, God encourages His people. Habakkuk 2:4 (NKJV) "Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.”

The just shall live by faith, not by fear, whining and complaining.

In the last chapter of the book, Habakkuk describes his vision of the Lord and worships. Habakkuk 3:4-6 (NKJV) “His brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His hand, And there His power was hidden. Before Him went pestilence, And fever followed at His feet. He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations. And the everlasting mountains were scattered, The perpetual hills bowed. His ways are everlasting.”

Because he had come to realize the nature, the majesty, power, authority and faithfulness of God, the prophet declares, Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NKJV) “Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls-- Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills.”

Is your faith in the One who is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent and omnibenevolent strong enough to do the same?