It isn't enough to be a mere convert. We are to become mature, fruit-bearing disciples.

 Insults loaded with obscenity paint a vivid portrait of the insultor not the insultee.

 

Integrity of Heart

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

In this day we are seeing a fulfillment of Isaiah 60:1-2: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.  For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.”

Darkness has covered the earth and gross darkness the people, but answering the urging of the Holy Spirit, the Church has arisen and is shining.  However, the glory of the Lord will be seen upon us only as we continue to present a united front against the wiles of the enemy.  Satan has come in like a flood, but our God has risen a standard against him. (Isaiah 59:19).  That standard is integrity. 

Though King David was not a perfect man, he repented and became a man after God’s own heart.  He became a man of integrity.  One with integrity is one of moral principle.  One who is whole.  One who walks his talk.  

Psalm 78: 70-72: “He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:  From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.  So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.”

 The spiritual warfare continues.  We must pray that our leaders, on all levels, spiritual and secular, will be people of integrity who, in that integrity, will guide by skillfulness of hands. 

Christians have a vital role, and we have been given spiritual authority by our heavenly Father to exercise that role.  The Church is the city on the hill that cannot be hidden.  We must set the example.  We must be people of unwavering integrity.   The good soil has been tilled.  The good seed has been planted.  The world and all of creation is groaning for the fruit of the Spirit to flourish. 

We declare that through our words and our actions, through our integrity, His glory will be seen upon us.  

 Considering Pentecost: We Are the Temple

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Pentecost begins today.

 Many Christians consider Pentecost as only a New Testament Holy Day.  However, it is one of the three pilgrim feast days, or appointed times of the Lord, outlined in the Pentateuch.  Leviticus 23:15-15: “And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath (Passover) from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord.”  Pentecost means “50 days.”

 

Jesus' disciples gathered in Jerusalem 50 days after His crucifixion in to offer a new grain offering for Pentecost.  Acts 2:1-4 ”When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.  And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.  And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” 

Fire from heaven had long been a sign of the presence of God with His people.  The Lord spoke to Moses from a burning bush.  Fire from heaven consumed the offering when the Tabernacle in the wilderness was completed.  The Israelites followed a pillar of fire by night as the Lord led them through that wilderness and into the Promised Land.  When Solomon dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem, again, fire from heaven consumed the sacrifice on the altar.

In the first century, the Temple in Jerusalem was soon to be destroyed by the Roman legions.  However, God had a better plan. He sent fire to rest upon each person gathered in that upper room.  God was present not only among the people, He was present within each person as well. 

Paul wrote the church in Corinth: “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? or you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's” (1 Corinthians 6:10-20).

Each of us houses the Temple of God in our bodies.  The Holy Spirit dwells within us.  Therefore, we must honor our God both in our bodies and in our spirits.

Peter encouraged: “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4-5).

Together, believers are being built into a family, a household of priests with full access to the God who indwells us.  Understanding this, we cannot refrain from worshipping Him and glorifying Him even with our bodies. 

Then God’s fire upon the altar
Of my heart was set aflame;
I shall never cease to praise Him
Glory, glory to His Name!

(Margaret J. Harris)

For more about Pentecost see http://pastorlonnie70.blogspot.com/2015/05/events-of-pentecost.html  and http://pastorlonnie70.blogspot.com/2014/06/pentecost-our-jubilee.html

 Just a thought. The Pride rainbow has 6 stripes. God's rainbow has 7. Biblically, 6 is the number for mankind. 7 is the perfect number, the number of God.

 Prepare for the Storm; Expect the Rainbow Part 3

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Storms have come, are coming, and will continue to come because we live in a fallen world.  If we have gathered and placed provisions in the ark of our relationship with the Lord, we can ride out the storm.  I am sure that Noah’s ride on the ark was uncomfortable at best, but he was looking beyond the flood to the rainbow.  

Likewise, we must look beyond our circumstances to our hope.  We must expect the rainbow to come after the storm.  I have learned to ask God for discernment to recognize the blessings because they seldom come in the form I have imagined.  

We must remember Ecclesiastes 3:11: “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Grammatically speaking, that sentence is written in perfect tense.  That means it has already been accomplished.  Before the creation, God had already set in order our victory. 

Romans 8:28 assures us of the blessings that come when we navigate the vicissitudes of life holding the hand of our God. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” 

Returning to Genesis 8:12-16:  And God said: "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.'' 

Because we are descendants of Noah, that covenant belongs to us as well.   

Scientifically, we know about rainbows.  We know that droplets of water can act as prisms and bend the rays of light so that all seven colors are visible.  Let’s analyze the rainbow spiritually.  Although we generally see only one arc of the rainbow, the rainbow is actually a circle.  It is a perfect shape, without beginning for end.  It is a picture of the infinity of God who is the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end. 

Once when I was on a flight overseas, the pilot spoke over the intercom and literally commanded us to open the window shades and see the view.  We were above a rainbow and could see the circle in its entirety.  We spontaneously began clapping and cheering. People were shouting hallelujah and amen. 

We can see 7 colors in the rainbow.  Isaiah 11:2-3 describes the 7 spirits of God. We see the number 7 repeated many times in scripture.  7 is the number of perfection, of completion. 7 is the number of God who is perfect, who is complete.  The old hymn says it so well.  “Jesus is all I need.” 

 In Ecclesiastes 3:11, Solomon reminds us that God has made all things beautiful in His time.  Beautiful is not a synonym for pretty.   “Beautiful” actually means full of goodness.  We must pray for the discernment to see the goodness of God even as we prepare for the storms of life, even as we walk hand in hand through the storms, and especially after the storms. 

In this world, we will have storms.  We must prepare for those storms. Walking in the truth of the Lord, we can weather the storms.  We must knowingly expect and discern the goodness of God that is promised in the rainbow. 

In spite of all the problems in this world and in our personal lives, in spite of the fear mongers who surround us, this is the day the Lord has made.  Armed with the knowledge of Who God is and what He has promised, we can rejoice and be glad in it. 

And all God's people said, "Amen."

 Prepare for the Storm; Expect the Rainbow Part 2

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

John 5:24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” 

Accepting Jesus opens the door for some awesome changes in our life.  Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” 

The foundation of that change is a change of mind.  Proverbs 23:7 “for as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” What are we thinking? What is our self talk about?  

The Word of the Lord in Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”  The operative word here is “let”.  We must allow; we must choose to have the mind of Christ.   

Not only can we choose the mind of Christ, we can walk in the mind of Christ.  2 Corinthians10:5: “cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” 

Yes, we can control what we think.  Yes, we must be willing to do it.   

To walk in the mind of Christ, we must grow in our knowledge of God.  We must know, truly know, down in the depths of our being that God is good and that He wants the best for us.  God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah to Israel.  Romans 11:24 tells us that we as Christians have been crafted into the olive tree of Israel. What God spoke then to Israel, He is speaking to us today.  Jeremiah 29:11” 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.” 

In Him, we can have peace, a future and a hope.  Before the storm, during the storm and after the storm. 

Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you in His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.''   When we are walking in the mind of Christ, in the midst of the storm, God will quiet us in HIs love. He will sing heavenly lullabies over us.  

A deep understanding of the Father love of God for His children is a provision that we must put into our storehouse in preparation for the storms. Fear is a major storm.  Fear is likewise a sin.  God is love and perfect love casts out fear. (1 John 4:18) 

Provision for the casting out of fear, anguish, doubt and unbelief is found in Psalm 119:11: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” 

How do we hide His word in our hearts? 

Romans 10:17: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” 

We need to hear the Word.  We hear what we listen to.  We can listen in church, on the radio, on podcasts, in Bible study.  I found that one of the best ways for me to hear the Word is for me to listen when I speak the Word.  

The Word of God contains over 7000 promises.  Choose the promises that touch you and hide them in your heart.  Those promises will sustain you through the storms that surround you.  Faith in the promises of God, diminishes the fear of the moment and the dread of the unknown. 

Paul was in a dungeon when he wrote “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.” 

Horatio Spafford wrote “It Is Well with My Soul” after his four daughters had drowned when their ocean liner sank in the middle of the Atlantic. 

Thomas A. Dorsey wrote “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” after his wife had died in childbirth. 

Along with the Word of God, we must hide in our hearts precious memories.  The more we remember and are thankful for our blessings, the less impact the storms will have on our lives.  The more we embrace the good, the more we can endure the not so good.  Misery loves company, but it is unproductive. 

Storms have come, are coming, and will continue to come because we live in a fallen world.  If we have gathered and placed provisions in the ark of our relationship with the Lord, we can ride out the storm.  I am sure that Noah’s ride on the ark was uncomfortable at best, but he was looking beyond the flood to the rainbow.