The Triumphal Entries

By Rev. Lonnie C.  Crowe

Matthew 21: 5-9:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, `Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.' '' So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their garments on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! `Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' Hosanna in the highest!''

“Hosanna” means “God save us” or “God is our salvation.”  Later that week, the crowds became a mob demanding His crucifixion.  Little did they know that it is the crucifixion that brings the salvation.

On that first Palm Sunday, our Lord entered from the Mount of Olives, which is east of Jerusalem, on the back of a donkey.  He came as the obedient servant. Matthew 20:28: “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.''

A few days later, Jesus knelt, as a servant, and washed the feet of His disciples, even the feet of Judas Iscariot.  Later that evening, He was arrested, tried by three courts, and then died on the cross at the time when the Passover lambs were slain.  He served.  He gave His life as the ransom for sin.  He gave His life for all the children of Adam.

Ø  The triumphal entry fulfilled an ancient prophecy.

Ø  Zechariah 9:9 reads: “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

However, it isn’t over.  He is coming again.  He is coming again along the same route.  He will again enter through the Eastern Gate.  Zechariah 14:4a: “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east.” 

He will enter again, but not as a servant riding a donkey.

Revelation 19: 11-16:  “Then 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.”

It will not just be crowds on earth that will welcome Him. A great multitude in heaven will sound forth.

Revelation 19:1, 5-: 7a “After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power to the Lord our God! Then a voice came from the throne, saying, "Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!''

“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.”

Look up! Your redemption draweth nigh. (Luke 21:28).

Psalm 24:

⁷    Lift up your heads, O you gates!

    And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!

    And the King of glory shall come in.

⁸    Who is this King of glory?

    The Lord strong and mighty,

    The Lord mighty in battle.

⁹    Lift up your heads, O you gates!

    Lift up, you everlasting doors!

    And the King of glory shall come in.

¹⁰    Who is this King of glory?

    The Lord of hosts,

    He is the King of glory.

The First Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem has passed.

The Second Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem is to come.

The question is “Will you live in triumph with Him today?

 The Beginning of Wisdom

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Proverbs 9:10 (NKJV): "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” In this verse, the word translated “beginning” means a perquisite. In other words, we cannot have wisdom without a moral reverence (fear) of the Lord. Therefore, wisdom must first emanate from the heart of believers, radiate out into the world, and bring glory to the Kingdom of God.

Before we pray for wisdom for our leaders, we must first seek wisdom in our own lives and speak that wisdom into the world. We must keep in mind that God does not dwell in the problems; He dwells in the solutions. Wisdom has a positive outlook. Wisdom has a heart of gratitude. Wisdom trusts in the provision and protection of God.

Jesus spoke to believers when He said, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16 NKJV).
Wisdom allows our light to shine and bring glory to our Father in heaven.

 

Declaring the Word in Faith
By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

The following is from: https://biblestudyforyou.com/bible-verses-about-decree-and-declare.

“The power of declaring and decreeing in our faith is an essential part of our walk with God. When we decree and declare, we are using the authority given to us by God to speak life, truth, and blessings into our situation. It’s about affirming God’s promises and aligning our words with His will. The power of declaring and decreeing in our faith is an essential part of our walk with God. When we decree and declare, we are using the authority given to us by God to speak life, truth, and blessings into our situation. It’s about affirming God’s promises and aligning our words with His will.
“In as much as we decree and declare, the importance of prayer behind our declarations cannot be overstated. When we pray and declare God’s promises, we activate His power in our lives. It’s not just about saying the right words; it is about having a heart aligned with His. Prayerful declarations invite the Holy Spirit into our circumstances, producing results that align with God’s character. It’s a transformative practice that leads to personal growth and strengthens our faith in God’s divine plan.”
When our prayers are influenced by the Word of God, our petitions are more likely to align with the Father’s heart. May we learn to declare and decree based on the Word.

Psalm 34:1 . I will bless Jehovah at all times; His praise always shall be in my mouth.

Act 17:28 For in Him we live and move and have our being.

Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Jehovah, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Father God, we desire that we will not only praise you with our mouth, but with every aspect of our lives. Therefore, we, Your church, declare that we are arising, we are denying ourselves, we are taking up our cross, we are following You. We are mindful, O Lord, that the words of our mouth and the thoughts of our heart must be pleasing to You, our rock and our redeemer.

Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.

Romans 14:17: For the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, But righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

We declare that through our words and our actions, through our integrity, Your kingdom will be evident in our lives.

Psalm 112:1-2 Praise Jehovah! Blessed is the man who fears Jehovah, who delights greatly in His Commandments. His seed shall be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright shall be blessed.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the purposes which I am purposing for you, says Jehovah; purposes of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Psalm 127:3 Lo, children are the inheritance of Jehovah; the fruit of the womb is a reward.

Lord, I desire that through my faithful walk with you, my children will be blessed and will be a godly influence in the land. My children will know God’s will and purpose for their lives. I will enjoy the reward You have given to me in my children.

Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

Lord, I desire to be like Johnny Mercer and Harlan Arlen. I will endeavor to Accentuate the Positive.

You've got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium is
Liable to walk upon the scene
To illustrate this last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do
Just when everything looked so dark
Man, they said we better, accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No, do not mess with Mister In-Between

 How Did We Get Here?

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

In the past months, I have been taking a new approach to the book of Revelation. I am seeking the Lord for fresh revelation. Because prophecy contains a message for the time in which it was written, a message for today (whenever that day may be) and a message for the future, I have been praying for the Holy Spirit to give me messages for this moment in which we are living regardless of whether or not we are in the last moments of history.

The Holy Spirit drew me to Revelation 6:1-2 (NKJV): “Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, "Come and see." And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.”

This conqueror on the white horse represents both the antichrist of the tribulation period and the spirit of antichrist which has been in the world since the beginning . 1 John 4:1-3 (NKJV) “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”

The phrase that captured my attention is “a crown was given to him.” This, I sense, is a key verse in understanding much of what is happening in our lives. We have given a crown, that is, placed in authority over ourselves, those whose decisions and actions are bringing about the circumstances represented by the four horsemen of the Apocalypse: violence, inflation, famine and death. We have participated in crowning the antichrist spirit in our personal lives, in our nation and in the global arena.

We have become a people so consumed by fear, that we have fed and empowered the red horse personifying violence. Revelation 6:3-4 (NKJV): “When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come and see." Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.”

In scripture, the word of God is symbolized as a sword (Ephesians 6:17 and Hebrews 4:12.) The word of the Lord brings victory to those who stand on it. However, the sword of the antichrist brings spiritual defeat to those who wallow in fear.

One of our fears is based on the economy. Ironically, in that fear, we spend ourselves into near bankruptcy.

That brings us to the third horse, the black one. Revelation 6:5-6 (NKJV): “When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see." So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine."

Two things cannot be harmed by poor economic conditions—the oil and the wine. In scripture, oil represents the anointing, the empowering of the Holy Spirit. The wine represents the covenant we have through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. In darkest economy times, the power and authority of God stand firm. We have no need to fear.

In 1706 Matthew Henry wrote, “During the progress of this black horse, the necessaries of life should be at excessive prices, and the more costly things should not be hurt. According to prophetic language, these articles signified that food of religious knowledge, by which the souls of men are sustained unto everlasting life; such we are invited to buy, Isa 55:1.

“But when the dark clouds of ignorance and superstition, denoted by the black horse, spread over the Christian world, the knowledge and practice of true religion became scarce…The famine of bread is a terrible judgment; but the famine of the word is more so.”

The famine of the Word does not result from a lack of availability. It most often results from Christians who are spiritually anorexic and/or bulimic. We either refuse to eat of the Word or we purge ourselves of it as soon as we step out of the church door.

What is the answer? We must take back the authority we have been given in Jesus Christ. That authority is, amazingly, protected by the Constitution of the United States of America. Our hope is in the Lord who is our provision, our strength and our light. It is time for us to step out of the darkness of the spirit of antichrist and into the light of Jesus

 

The Parables of My Life:  The Prodigals

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Most of us are familiar with the “Parable of the Prodigal Son.”  However, take a few moments and refresh your memory by reading Luke 15:11-32.

This is, in truth, the story of two prodigal sons.  We miss the deeper story when we define “prodigal” as wayward. “Prodigal” refers to a specific kind of waywardness.  Merriam-Webster defines “prodigal” as “carelessly and foolishly spending money, time, etc.”

 

One son was prodigal in spending his inheritance foolishly.  The second son was prodigal in foolishly ignoring the resources and relationships that were available to him.  The question we must each ask ourselves is, “Am I prodigal with my inheritance in the Lord?”

Our inheritance in the Lord has little to do with money.  Our riches are heavenly.  They are spiritual.  Psalm 16:5-6 has long been one of my “life verses.”   “O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance” (Psalm 16:5-6 NKJV).

While those verses do not always describe the situations in my life, they aptly describe my position in the Lord. No matter what is happening around me, God is my inheritance and my cup of joy.  Because I can trust Him for my provision, the lines have truly fallen to me in pleasant places.

What is my inheritance in the Lord?  The Bible has much to say about our inheritance.  One of my favorite scriptures is 1 Peter 1:3-4 (NKJV):  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.”

Because our God is a God of abundance, our inheritance is more than spending eternity with Him.  Our inheritance includes living victoriously in this often difficult life.  A glorious part of the inheritance is the fruit of the Spirit that becomes ours when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and the Holy Spirit indwells us.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.  And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-25 NKJV).

Another question to ask is, “Am I allowing my fleshly passions and desires to tarnish the fruit of the Spirit in my life?”  When we do not walk in the Spirit, we are being prodigal with our inheritance.

Many times we cry out for God to imbue us with the fruit of the Spirit not realizing that He has already done so and we need only to allow the fruit to be manifest in our lives.  In those times, we are prodigal like the second son who had all the resources of his father at hand and did not avail himself of them. 

My greatest inheritance is my relationship with my heavenly Father made possible by the sacrifice of His Son.  “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.”   Oh, Lord, may I not be prodigal with what You have given me.