Rise Up, Decently and in Order

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Micah 6:1: “Hear now what the Lord says: "Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.”

The Lord is calling His people to rise up and speak truth into the councils of the worldly. However, believers must do more than simply speak against sin and oppression; we must coherently speak for truth, and we must speak for that truth decently and in order. (1 Corinthians 14:40).

In order to plead our case, we must have a case.  It is time for Christians to offer solutions, to make solid, grounded suggestions in writing to influence public policies and to articulate exactly why we stand where we stand.  Every problem that exists is an opportunity to offer a godly solution. We must be proactive in offering solutions.

Our solutions must be presented decently and in order.  Decently and in order means that we must speak and write as the Holy Spirit directs.  (Luke 12:11-12:) "Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.''

The Holy Spirit will not lead us to speak out of fear and anger.  He will not suggest that we resort to vitriol, bigotry and name-calling. While the context of Psalm 45:1 is a song of praise to the King, the example is universal. “My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.”

We must have a good theme, a message that God wants people to hear and to understand.  Our theme must be well composed. A ready writer is one who has carefully chosen vocabulary and constructed sentences that will fully articulate the theme.

The biblical book of Romans is often considered one of the greatest legal briefs ever written.   Paul wasn’t just sitting at his desk spewing wrath.  He was listening intently to what the Holy Spirit wanted him to write. 

We must also present our solutions in an orderly manner.  Whether it is a board meeting, an open forum or friends meeting for coffee, we must understand protocol. We must follow the necessary procedure for placement on the agenda.  Then we must follow that agenda.  If we are given only 3 minutes to speak, we must organize our thoughts so that we present our arguments articulately within the allotted time frame.   Frankly, that takes thought and rehearsal.

We, like Esther, were born for such a time as this.  Like Esther, as well, we must prepare to meet those issues God has called us to confront.  Remember we are ambassadors of the Kingdom of God.  Paul wrote, “Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us”  (2 Corinthians 5: 20).

In our zeal, may we truly represent our King and His Kingdom. When we do that, Isaiah 60:1-3 will unfold in our lives:  “Arise, shine; For your light has come! and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles (unbelievers) shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”

1 Corinthians 14: 40.  Let all things be done decently and in order. 

 Just had to share this.

Sometimes It Takes a Mountain

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Sometimes It Takes a Mountain

By Gloria Gaither and Mark Mathes

“Sometimes it takes a mountain

Sometimes a troubled sea

Sometimes it takes a desert

To get a hold of me

Your Love is so much stronger

Then whatever troubles me

Sometimes it takes a mountain

To trust you and believe.”

This song has captivated my heart.  It resonates in my spirit even in my sleep.  It has caused me to meditate on the mountains, the troubled seas and the deserts of life. 

In scripture, mountains often represent difficulties and hardships that must be overcome.  

Jesus assures us, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, `Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:22-24.)

Holding onto the promises of God, we discover that those mountains of obstruction in our lives can be removed, most often one layer at a time. 

However, the mountain image is not one-sided.  We often describe those victory moments in our lives as “mountain top” experiences.  Remember the ark rested on Mt. Ararat.  Abraham offered Isaac on Mount Moriah and received the provision of God for salvation.  Later, Solomon built the Temple on that sight.  Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai.  Elijah called down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel.  Golgotha gave us the ultimate mountain top experience when Jesus cried, “It is finished” and died to pay the price for our sin.

Whether the mountain offers obstruction or deliverance, a mountain top experience opens us to the revelation of God.  God gets a hold of us on the mountain.

On the troubled seas of life, we can either be like Jonah or like the Apostle Paul.  Jonah tried to escape the Lord on the tumultuous sea.    Jonah asked to be thrown overboard in the storm and found himself in an unlikely and uncomfortable place of protection.  God got a hold of him in the belly of the great fish.

God previously had got a hold of Paul on the road to Damascus.  When the tempest arose, Paul prayed and fasted during the storm and received the assurance that though the ship would be lost, all the lives on board would be saved.  When the stormy sea arose, Paul prayed because he knew his Lord.

God's love surrounds us even in the most turbulent times.

Romans 8:38-39:

For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor messengers, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,

nor things about to be, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, that in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Then we come to the desert times when we feel empty, deserted and spiritually lethargic.  During those times, we must remember the Israelites in the wilderness.  God found his people in that desert: "He found them in a wilderness, a wasteland of howling desert. He shielded them, cared for them, guarded them as the apple of his eye" (Deuteronomy 32:10)

When the people of Judah were exiled in Babylon, God told them to return to their homeland.  The desert wilderness that lay between them and Jerusalem became a pathway back to God: "A voice proclaims: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!" (Isaiah 40:3.)

We are not deserted in the desert.

What we must learn in difficult times is that His love is stronger than anything that might trouble us.  It is in those seemingly impossible situations that we learn to trust and believe. Sometimes it takes a mountain for us to accept that.

 

Fulfilling Our Nation’s Destiny–Part 3–Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

 

As we focus on believers as the key to fulfilling the destiny that God has for our nation, we have examined the importance of consecration and regeneration in activating the righteousness that exalts a nation.  As we continue this week in Joshua 5, we see the provision of our Lord in His loving care for His own. 

 

Joshua 5: 10-12: “Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho. And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.” 

 

God had fed the Israelites manna for forty years.  When the wilderness years were over, the manna ceased, but the provision of God continued.  Our God is Jehovah Jirah, the God who provides.  When we forget that, we will act out of our fear rather than out of our faith.  Our nation’s current crises have caused many believers to forget our Lord’s ability to provide.  We panic rather than pray.  The crisis appears to be overwhelming, but “with God nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:37)

 

Matthew 6:31-33: ”Do not be over-anxious, therefore, asking ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For all these are questions that Gentiles are always asking; but your Heavenly Father knows that you need these things—all of them. But make His Kingdom and righteousness your chief aim, and then these things shall all be given you in addition.”  The key to divine provision is seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. 

 

We must remember, also, that God’s provision is not limited to food and clothing.  He has provided us with salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  We usually have a limited concept of what all is involved in salvation.  When we examine the definition of two Greek words translated as “salvation”, we find that the word means deliverance, safety, healing, health and prosperity.  If salvation meant only that we may have eternity with our Lord, it would be enough to cause us to live always in hope.  However, our God is a God of abundance.  Not only does salvation insure our eternity, it insures our today. 

 

We need the total package that salvation provides.  We need deliverance and healing from fear, hopelessness, and despair.  We are conscious of the war of terror that is being waged on the national  and international fronts.  We are not so aware of the war of terror that is being waged in our own hearts.  The news media reports what is happening in the world, but can offer no solution or hope.  Even most believers have resolved to expect the worst. 

 

How can believers reconcile what we see and hear around us with God’s word that He delights in us and has a future and a hope for us?  We must walk in faith in the promises of God.  Philippians 4:19: “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”  Do you need faith?  God will supply it.  Do you need hope?  God will supply it.  Do you need wisdom?  God will supply it.  Is a solution to our nation’s needs available?  Yes, and God has it.

 

As consecrated, regenerated believers, walking in His righteousness, let’s intercede before the throne of God on behalf of our nation.  Let’s declare His promises and walk in His hope.  One of my favorite hymns is “I Don’t Know about Tomorrow” by Ira Stanphill.  Let’s sing with him.

 

“I don’t know about tomorrow, I just live from day to day;

I don’t borrow from its sunshine, For its skies may turn to gray.

I don’t worry over the future, For I know what Jesus said;

And today I’ll walk beside Him, Because He knows what is ahead.

 

Many things about tomorrow

I don’t seem to understand

But I know who holds tomorrow

And I know who holds my hand.”

 

 

Father, we are thankful that when we walk in Your righteousness, we can trust in Your provision.  We receive Your wisdom and Your hope.  We rebuke any spirit of fear that tries to attach itself to us.  We pray for the decision-makers of our nation that they, too, will seek Your wisdom. Amen.

 

Fulfilling Our Nation’s Destiny–Part 2

–by Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

 

            The fulfillment of our nation’s destiny lies within the hearts of our nation’s believers. God’s justice is dispensed based on what is happening in the hearts of His people and not on what is happening in the hearts of others.  Believers are the representatives within America who carry the destiny that God sees for our nation. 

 

Proverbs 14:34 declares, “Righteousness exalts a nation.” However, the righteousness that exalts a nation is not righteousness as determined by man.  Through the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary, righteousness has been imputed to those who have accepted Him as Lord and Savior. (Romans 4: 22-25): Speaking of Abraham, Paul writes, “And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”  To impute is to assign, to empower, to allot.  When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, God assigns righteous to us and empowers us to live righteously in Him.

 Righteous living is seen in those who honor God by following His ways.  (John 14:15) Jesus said, “if you love me, keep my commandments.”  Through our imputed righteousness in Jesus Christ, we are to live lives that honor Him. Not only does righteous living honor God, but righteous living also brings blessing into our lives. Many blessings come to us because, through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we are able to make better choices.  God’s Holy Word has given us a road map to attaining the heart attitude for righteous living.  Joshua, Chapter Five, is only one of many passages of scripture that outline that heart attitude

 

In Joshua 5, the Israelites have followed the Ark of the Covenant across the Jordan River near Jericho.  The conquering of the Promised Land is both historical and spiritual.  The battles represent spiritual battles we must all overcome in order to walk fully in the promises of God in this life.  Israel came out of Egypt with a slave mentality, wandered in the wilderness for forty years, and developed into a nation empowered to fulfill God’s destiny for them.  God prepared them spiritually for the battles ahead.  The first step was consecration. 

 

All those who had left Egypt had entered into a covenant with Jehovah through circumcision.  However, all those who had left Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb, had died in the wilderness.  Although they were God’s chosen, the new generation had not yet entered into the covenant and had to be circumcised as a sign of their consecration unto the Lord.  Consecration comes as we embrace what God has prepared for us and choose to walk with Him in covenant.  Consecration goes hand in hand with biblical regeneration. 

 

“Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17). Regenerated people can testify that things are different now. We have received a new power and pattern for living. Regeneration and consecration bring with them new life, and new desires and new goals. 

 

In the New Covenant, the sign of consecration is baptism. In believer’s baptism, those who have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, enter into the baptismal waters to declare their decision to leave the old life behind and enter into a new life consecrated to our heavenly Father.  (Romans 6:4)

 

It is in that new life consecrated to God that we will become more than conquerors in the chaotic world around us. It is there that believers will, through righteous living and intercession, fulfill the destiny that God sees for our nation. When we believers humble ourselves, pray, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, God will forgive our sin and heal our land. (2 Chronicles 7:14.)

 

Father, we pray for Your guidance to walk in the righteousness that You have imputed to us.  We covenant with You to leave our old lives of defeat and discouragement behind and to walk in victory in Jesus Christ.

 

Amen.

 

Fulfilling Our Nation’s Destiny

by Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

As Christians and concerned citizens, we can easily be overcome by the barrage of discouraging reports that fill our newspapers and television and computer screens.  Our economy is not what we want it to be.  Our family structure is threatened.  Sensuality seems to have become our god.  Devastating tornadoes, floods and fires have left many homeless, frightened and in despair. Many feel that God has abandoned us or has, at least, withdrawn His blessing from us.   If God has turned His back on us, where, then, is our hope?

Whenever we have questions about our heavenly Father, the first place to look is in the Book He has written for us. In Jeremiah 17:7-8, we read, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”  According to His Word, if our hope is in the Lord, we can prosper in the midst of and in spite of the circumstances around us.

The fulfillment of a nation’s destiny lies not within the halls of the Congress, but within the hearts of believers; that to understand the destiny and purpose of God for a nation, we must look with spiritual discernment at the believing remnant within that nation.  More simply put, God’s justice is dispensed based on what is happening in the hearts of His people and not on what is happening in the hearts of others.  Believers are the representatives within America and every other nation who carry the destiny that God sees for that nation. 

We often quote 2 Chronicles 7:14: “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.”  We quote this passage and point our fingers at non-believers and declare their need to repent.  We often choose to overlook the fact that God is calling His people, believers, into repentance and holiness.

In Genesis 18:17-23, God agrees to spare Sodom from destruction if only 10 righteous men can be found within the city walls.  In Ezekiel 22:30, God says that He will spare Jerusalem if only one righteous person is willing to stand in the gap and intercede for the city. It is a righteous remnant who can, through the power of the Holy Spirit, bring into fulfillment the destiny of a people.

As the believing remnant of the nation, let us join together in prayer.

“Lord, I humble myself before you and acknowledge that You alone are my God and my Savior.  I repent, first of all, for my own sins, and then for the sins of my nation.  I pray that You, in Your mercy, will heal our land.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

During the next few days, we will look into the deeper implications of the righteousness and holiness of God’s people and how that righteousness and holiness will lead to the healing of our hearts and of our land.

 

Kings and Priests Continued

Rev.  Lonnie C. Crowe

Jesus is the only one who is both King and High Priest.  Yet He has called His followers “a royal priesthood.”

1Peter 2:9:  But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for possession, so that you might speak of the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

We will reign with Him during the Millennial Kingdom.

Rev 5:10  And You made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign over the earth.  

We are both kings and priests.  Those positions have specific, but different, functions. Kings are called to govern.  Priests are called to come before the Lord to worship, pray and intercede.  We are also called to evangelize and disciple.  That ministry begins in our homes.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7  And you shall love Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be in your heart. And you shall carefully teach them to your sons, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. 

It is the ministry of the church, of those who Jesus has called to be priests, to lead our people in prayer.  If Christian schools receive no government funds, they are under no obligation for follow government rules on prayer. They can pray in school.

We are naïve if we do not understand that no prayer in schools is a protection for our students.  If some prayer is allowed, all prayer is permissible.  My son once said, “If people are upset because prayer has been taken out of our schools, imagine how upset they would be if Mr. Abdul Mestopha, a Muslim, asks his students to kneel facing east 7. and pray to Allah.”  

As priests of the Most High God, do we want a practicing Wiccan to take our children outside and have them dance around a tree praising Mother Nature?

Spiritual warfare is the ministry of believers.  The purpose of government, of kings is to protect that right. Many people who advocate for prayer in schools do not have consistent prayer in their homes. Prayer had been taken out of many homes long before it was taken out of the schools.

Rember James 5:16b: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous one avails much.” 

It is not the job of federally funded schools to pray in our students.  However, it is the job of the government to protect our freedom to worship. 

 

Kings and Priests

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

In the Bible, kings and priests serve distinct yet complementary roles with kings governing and protecting God's people, and priests mediating between God and humanity, a pattern pictured in Melchizedek and ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ and extended to believers.

Genesis 14:17-20: And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and of the kings with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's valley. And Melchizedek the king of Salem brought forth bread and wine. And he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of Heaven and earth.  And blessed be the most high God, who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And he gave him tithes of all. 

Melchizedek means King of Righteousness.  He was the king of Salem.  Salem mean peace.  Melchizedek was the King of Righteousness and Peace.  He was both a king and a priest. This event was a preincarnation appearance of the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 7:15 -17: And it is still far more evident, since there arises another priest after the likeness of Melchizedek, who is made, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. For He testifies, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." 

Jesus is the only one who is both King and High Priest.  Yet He has called His followers “a royal priesthood.

1Peter 2:9:  But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for possession, so that you might speak of the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

We will reign with Him during the Millennial Kingdom.

Rev 5:10  And You made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign over the earth.  

We are both kings and priests.  Those positions have specific, but different, functions

We rule and reign with Jesus during the Millennial Kingdom. In the meantime, we have a dominion only over what God has entrusted to us.  We need to know the boundaries of that dominion.  A relative said that I was the matriarch of my clan.  A matriarch is a ruling woman, often the oldest woman in the clan.  I am the oldest, but I am not the ruler.  I am the Grandma, and I function as a priest in my clan.  I love them and I pray for them, but I don’t rule over them.  I am busy enough, just keeping myself in line.  This currently is the extent of my dominion.

We must understand the equivalent, yet different, functions of the king and the priest.

I received a phone call that the Holy Spirit used to lead me into the path way of the Kingdom and the functions of the king and the priest.

I have an associate who has reached out to me for advice and prayer for several years.  He is a Christian journalist. He has an understanding of the need for spiritual warfare, but has no idea how to go about it because he doesn’t understand the roles of kings and priests.  He feels that world leaders need to call their citizens into spiritual warfare against the Prince of Persia.

The "prince of Persia" appears in Daniel 10:13-21, where an angelic messenger explains that he was delayed for twenty-one days by the prince of Persia before Michael, one of the chief princes, came to assist him: “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me” (Daniel 10:13 KJV).

As believers, we have been given authority to engage in spiritual warfare. That is a priestly function, not a governmental function.

 Luke 10:19: “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.” This verse reassures believers of the authority granted to us over spiritual enemies.   

The need for spiritual warfare against the Prince of Persia is vital. However, it is not the job of political leadership to engage in spiritual warfare as part of their office. Perhaps in their personal lives, but not in their office.  It is the job of the Church to engage in spiritual warfare. God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

Progressive Christianity preaches another God, one without the power to save, heal and deliver.

Isaiah 29:13 “And Jehovah said, Because this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips honor Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the command of men.”

The hearts of many, who name the name of Jesus, have moved away from Who God says He is and have received the fatalistic viewpoint of man, of ancient Greece, where everything that happened was thought to be fate and that fate was inescapable. If fate is inescapable, it must, therefore, be acceptable. Paul wrote described the resulting consequences.

2 Timothy 3:1-5: “Know this also, that in the last days grievous times will be at hand. For men will be self-lovers, money-lovers, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, unyielding, false accusers, without self-control, savage, despisers of good, traitors, reckless, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, HAVING A FORM OF GODLINESS BUT DENYING THE POWER OF IT; even turn away from these.”

The Word says that the God of the Bible is still the God of today. He is still our deliverer from the works of Satan. One of His names in Hebrew is Jehovah Maphalti (deliverer). “Yeshua” also means to save, to rescue, to deliver.

It is the ministry of believers to bring the word of God into world. Not the job of the federal government.

Deliverance is in the hand of God and is available to those who truly desire to be delivered.

Psalm 18:2 “Jehovah is my strength, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock; I will trust in Him; He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.”

Deliverance comes from a relationship with Jesus. I encouraged my associate to seek out leaders in the Church about the importance of spiritual warfare against the forces of evil including the Prince of Persia.

Our God is an awesome God. Our God can and will save, heal and deliver.

 Laying the Axe to the Root of “Progressive” Christianity

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Matthew 3:10 “And now also, the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.”

What is the root of the tree of “Progressive” Christianity?

Isaiah 29:13 “And Jehovah said, Because this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips honor Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the command of men.”

The hearts of many today have moved away from Who God says He is and have received the fatalistic viewpoint of man, of ancient Greece, where everything that happened was thought to be fate and that fate was inescapable. If fate is inescapable, it must, therefore, be acceptable. Paul wrote described the resulting consequences.

2 Timothy 3:1-5: “Know this also, that in the last days grievous times will be at hand. For men will be self-lovers, money-lovers, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, unyielding, false accusers, without self-control, savage, despisers of good, traitors, reckless, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, HAVING A FORM OF GODLINESS BUT DENYING THE POWER OF IT; even turn away from these.”

The axe that we must lay to the root of is the Word of God.

Hebrews 4:12 “For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

The Word says that the God of the Bible is still the God of today.
Hebrews13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever.” The delivering power of God has not waned. It is eternal. God can and will deliver us from settling for less that what He desires for us.

Psalm 18:2 “Jehovah is my strength, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock; I will trust in Him; He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.”

Psalm 34:17 “The righteous cry, and Jehovah hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.”

Our God is an awesome God. Our God can and will save, heal and deliver.

 Scriptures the Lord has laid on my heart to share warning those who are promoting falsehood and perversion of truth at this moment.

Matthew 18:6 But whoever shall offend one of these little ones who believes in Me, it would be better for him that a millstone were hung around his neck, and he be sunk in the depth of the sea.

Isaiah 5:20-21: Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those wise in their own eyes, and bright in their own sight!

2Timothy 3:1-5: Know this also, that in the last days grievous times will be at hand. For men will be self-lovers, money-lovers, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, unyielding, false accusers, without self-control, savage, despisers of good, traitors, reckless, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it; even turn away from these.

 

Ambassadors for Christ

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

2 Corinthians 5:20a  “Then we are ambassadors on behalf of Christ.”

In the Bible, ambassadors were representatives sent by God or a king to bring messages, negotiate, and act on behalf of the one who sent them. We Christians called to be ambassadors for Christ.

We are to speak truth and to live our lives in truth because Christ is the truth, the way and the light (John 14:6). In His truth, we are to negotiate, that is, to navigate the complexities of this life led by the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit has all knowledge (John 14:6). We are to live out every aspect of our lives in the light of Jesus. “Then one of them, a lawyer, asked, tempting Him and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the Law? Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:35-37).

As ambassadors of Christ, we must let His light shine through us.

 Sometimes It Takes a Mountain

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Sometimes It Takes a Mountain

By Gloria Gaither and Mark Mathes

“Sometimes it takes a mountain

Sometimes a troubled sea

Sometimes it takes a desert

To get a hold of me

Your Love is so much stronger

Then whatever troubles me

Sometimes it takes a mountain

To trust you and believe.”

This song has captivated my heart. It resonates in my spirit even in my sleep. It has caused me to meditate on the mountains, the troubled seas and the deserts of life.

In scripture, mountains often represent difficulties and hardships that must be overcome.

Jesus assures us, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, `Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:22-24.)

Holding onto the promises of God, we discover that those mountains of obstruction in our lives can be removed, most often one layer at a time.

However, the mountain image is not one-sided. We often describe those victory moments in our lives as “mountain top” experiences. Remember the ark rested on Mt. Ararat. Abraham offered Isaac on Mount Moriah and received the provision of God for salvation. Later, Solomon built the Temple on that sight. Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. Elijah called down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel. Golgotha gave us the ultimate mountain top experience when Jesus cried, “It is finished” and died to pay the price for our sin.

Whether the mountain offers obstruction or deliverance, a mountain top experience opens us to the revelation of God. God gets a hold of us on the mountain.

On the troubled seas of life, we can either be like Jonah or like the Apostle Paul. Jonah tried to escape the Lord on the tumultuous sea. Jonah asked to be thrown overboard in the storm and found himself in an unlikely and uncomfortable place of protection. God got a hold of him in the belly of the great fish.

God got a hold of Paul on the road to Damascus. Later, when the tempest arose, Paul prayed and fasted during the storm and received the assurance that though the ship would be lost, all the lives on board would be saved. When the stormy sea arose, Paul prayed because he knew his Lord.

God's love surrounds us even in the most turbulent times.

Then we come to the desert times when we feel empty, deserted and spiritually lethargic. During those times, we must remember the Israelites in the wilderness. God found his people in that desert: "He found them in a wilderness, a wasteland of howling desert. He shielded them, cared for them, guarded them as the apple of his eye" (Deuteronomy 32:10)

When the people of Judah were exiled in Babylon, God told them to return to their homeland. The desert wilderness that lay between them and Jerusalem became a pathway back to God: "A voice proclaims: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!" (Isaiah 40:3.)

We are not deserted in the desert.

What we must learn in difficult times is that His love is stronger than anything that might trouble us. It is in those seemingly impossible situations that we learn to trust and believe. Sometimes it takes a mountain for us to accept that.

 

Haggai’s Message for Today

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

The biblical prophecies all have a message for their time and for all times. God’s message for Israel through Haggai is a relevant for our time as it was for ancient Israel.

The Lord spoke to the prophet Haggai after the Jews had returned from their exile in Persia. The people of God had been diligent in rebuilding their own homes and lives, but had neglected the Temple and the worship of the Lord.

Haggai 1:3-8 (NKJV) Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?" Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: "Consider your ways! "You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes." Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified," says the LORD.”

As He declared in the time of Haggai, the Lord is speaking to the church today. We have not only built beautiful homes for ourselves, but we have also often constructed elaborate edifices designated as places for worship. Yet, we have even more often neglected the building of God’s temple. God has set us aside for a time to consider our ways.

Consider Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church. According to Easton’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Corinth “was noted for its wealth, and for the luxurious and immoral and vicious habits of the people.” Paul wrote the letter when he learned of the strife and sin practiced by members of the congregation. The purpose of the letter was to address the different factions within the church and to correct doctrinal errors.

The Corinthians had neglected personal sanctification and had, as a result, neglected to build the true temple of the Lord.1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV) “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.”

Paul addressed the corporate Body of Christ in Ephesus as the temple of the Spirit of God. Ephesians 2:19-22 (NKJV) “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”

Individually and corporately, we are to be the sanctified temple of God, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Individually and corporately, we are to consider our ways. If our emphasis is on material wealth, we are impoverished and malnourished. If we are not good stewards of our wealth, we are putting our funds into bags with holes.

Like the ancient Israelites, we are to go to the mountains, to go up higher in our relationship with the Lord. We are to take the wood, the message of the cross and build on that relationship.

In Acts 7:48-50, the first martyr, Stephan, quoted Isaiah 66:1-2,:“However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: 'Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the LORD, Or what is the place of My rest? Has My hand not made all these things?'” (NKJV)

It is time for us to lay aside the divisive philosophies and practices of the world, to take up the cross of Jesus Christ and to build, both individually and corporately, the true temple of the Lord.

 Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Matthew 5:1-2,4 (NKJV)
¹  And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
²  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

⁴  Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

            To mourn is to be sad or disappointed because someone or something has passed away or has changed significantly. We must be aware of at least two issues in the mourning process.  The first issue is that in order to receive comfort, we must be willing to mourn.  To be stoical in the face of loss is to drive the pain more deeply into our being and actually prevent the healing that can come from the grieving process. When we refuse to grieve, we deny the comforting ministry of the Holy Spirit.  We shut the door to the desire of God to be our Comforter.  One of my favorite songs is “For Those Tears I Died” by Marsha Stevens.  In the song the Lord speaks, “I felt every teardrop when in darkness you cried, and I strove to remind you that for those tears I died.”

            In John 14, just before the crucifixion, Jesus had much to say about the Holy Spirit as our Comforter.   In verse18, He promised, “I will not leave you comfortless.”  Be willing to mourn and, therefore, willing to be comforted.

            The second issue is to remember that mourning is for a season. Solomon wrote:  "To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 (NKJV)

David wrote, “Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.”  Psalm 30:5 (NKJVB)

            To be overly mournful is to be lugubrious is to wallow in exaggerated, ludicrous or overly dramatic grief.  To be lugubrious is also to shut the door to the desire of God to be our Comforter and the joy-giver of our lives.

God can use even our grief to enhance His kingdom.  ^“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”  2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NKJV) Praise the Lord!  When we accept His comfort. we are then able to comfort others.

            “O, Lord God, I receive Your comfort so that I may be both comforted and a comforter. Amen.”

 

The Poor in Spirit

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

 

Matthew 5:1-3 (NKJV)
^“And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  Paul wrote in Romans 14: 17-1: " for the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men."

 

The Greek word translated as “Blessed” is “makarios” which means “happy” or “happier”.  We are happier when we follow the word of the Lord.  In John 10:10, Jesus said that He came that we might have life more abundantly.  An understanding of that scripture is foundational to an understanding of the commandments and precepts of the Word of God.  God’s commandments are a handbook to the “good life”, or as the Italians say, “La dolce vita.”  God desires for us to have His best in spite of a world system that desires the opposite.  

 

God has said that we are happier if we are “poor in spirit.”  What does that mean?  The Message Bible interprets vs. 3 as "You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.” (Matthew 5:3 MSG). We are poor in spirit when we swallow our pride and realize that our way is never the best way and that God’s way is always the best way.

 

Adam and Eve chose to do things their way, and all of creation fell.  Abraham and Sarah chose to produce an heir through Hagar rather than waiting on the Lord to bring to them the promised son, the son of the covenant.  As a result, conflict arose between the children of Abraham, and today, the animosity between the descendents of Hagar (the Arabs) and the descendents of Sarah (the Jews) has not abated.

 

However, when Mary declared herself the handmaiden of the Lord, Jesus Christ was born and redemption manifested.  When Paul, blinded, accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior, he received his sight and became a champion of the One he had once denounced.  He evinced his depth of joy when he wrote from prison, “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.”  (Philippians 4:4.)

One of the saddest television events in my lifetime was the reporting of the death of Elvis Presley.  One network ran a tribute to Elvis featuring a montage of his life.  In the background was Elvis’ rendition of “I Did It My Way.”  He did it his way and died at the age of 42.  

 

Are you doing things the way you have always done them and are still disappointed in the outcome? Have you reached the end of your rope and there is no knot to hold on to? Have you come to the end of yourself?   Are you willing to be poor in spirit so that God can bring the blessings of His Kingdom into your life?  Allow the following to be your prayer:  “Lord, I am so weary of my way.  In humility and with a submissive heart, I desire to live my life Your way.”

 

When we choose to be poor in spirit, when we choose submission to our Lord, ours is the kingdom of  heaven.  Ours is the righteousness, joy and peace of the Holy Spirit.

“Precious Lord, take my hand,
Lead me on, let me stand,
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;
Through the storm, through the night,
Lead me on to the light.
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.”         
---Thomas A. Dorsey

 Resurrection

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Jesus, beautiful Redeemer,

You who bore the agony of Calvary,

Pierced by the thorns,

Scourged,

Wounded,

Forsaken,

Reviled.

Your passion paid sin’s price.

Your death opened the veil.

Your tomb is the key to freedom

From death and the grave.

Your resurrection sealed our covenant

with the Father.

Your return is the culmination of creation,

The restoration of Eden,

The doorway to eternity.

You are the way, the truth and the life.

 Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread 

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

    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.”

 

The Passover Mandate

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

 Maundy Thursday is often celebrated during Holy Week.  Maundy means mandate.  On this day, Jesus mandated the Passover in communion, the Lord’s Supper.  In Biblical times, when people ate together, they entered into covenant with one another.  As Christians, in various times and places, when we celebrate communion, we seldom realize that in the act we are entering into is not only covenant with our Lord, but with one another. 

After they had finished the Passover meal, Jesus and the disciples sang a hymn and went out to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives.  There Jesus prayed.  He not only poured out His anguish before His Father, He prayed for believers through all the ages.  John 17:20-22:  "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;  "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one.”

As He faced the agony of the cross, the desire of Jesus’ heart was for unity in the Church—unity across denomination, culture and ethnicity.  His desire is the same today and forever more.

1 Corinthians 12: “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.”

Let’s join together spiritually wherever we are today and, in unity, celebrate the Lord’s Supper

.

Matthew 26:26-28:  And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body.''  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.