Rejoice in the Lord

           Rejoice in the Lord

           By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

            Bible scholars often refer to Paul’s epistle to the Philippines as the epistle of joy.  In fact, Paul uses the word “rejoice” eleven times in this short letter and the word “joy” six times.  In Philippines 4:4, Paul instructs the brethren at Philippi to “rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, rejoice.”

 

            “Oh,” you may argue, “it was easy for Paul to rejoice.  He was an honored church leader.  He had everything going his way.  He couldn’t possibly understand what is happening in my life.”

            We forget that Paul was imprisoned by the Romans three times during his ministry.  In fact, he was in prison when he wrote the epistle of joy.  He mentions his imprisonment in Philippians 1:13-14.  If we think Paul’s life was easy, we need only read 2 Corinthians 11: 24-28: “From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—besides the other things, what comes upon me daily:”

            In spite of his hardships, pain, and perils, Paul was so overcome by the miracle of salvation in Jesus Christ that he rejoiced in the midst of and in spite of his circumstances.  Jesus’ sacrifice for us makes it possible for us to rejoice.

            Why should we rejoice?  Scientific evidence shows that happier people are healthier people.  That means that we will be stronger physically, emotionally and spiritually if we learn to rejoice, if we learn to look at the positive side of life.  Proverbs 17:22 says, “a merry heart does good like a medicine.”

            Paul rejoiced while in prison because his imprisonment emboldened others to preach the truth of Jesus Christ.  Paul rejoiced because he witnessed the Philippians maturing in their faith.  Paul rejoiced because of the presence of God in his life. 

            Another scientific study concluded that one way to be happier is to decide to be happier.  In agreement, Aeschylus, an ancient Greek playwright, said, “Happiness is a choice that, at times, requires effort.” Happiness is a still choice that, even with effort, results in health and peace of mind. 

            Nehemiah 8:10 says, “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

 In John 15:11,

Jesus said, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement said, “"Sour godliness is the devil's own religion.”

           

Do you need strength to overcome the pain and disappointment of the past? Rejoice because the old things have passed away and God has made all things new.

Do you need strength to get through today? Rejoice because God is your provision, your comfort and your hope. 

Do you need strength to face the future? Rejoice because the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you.

            “Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again, I say, rejoice.”

Trees of the Lord

Trees of the Lord

By Rev. Lonnie C.  Crowe

The Lord has much to say about trees.  In Eden, He planted two trees.  One led to life and the other to death.  Adam chose the latter. 

Adam, in a desire for greatness, ate the fruit, sealed a covenant with the enemy, and opened the door to sin, disease, despair and death.  In the Old Testament economy, when two parties entered into a covenant, they exchanged possessions.  Adam ceded his dominion of the earth in that covenant and received all that the enemy had.  Nothing of which was good.

God, in His mercy, sacrificed an animal, clothed the man and the woman, and began the journey to closing the door on Adam’s poor choice and opening another into newness of life and victory for believers. 

Every prophetic word, every promise, every person chosen from that moment on has been a step forward in the journey from the Garden of Eden, through the Garden of Gethsemane, to the tree of Calvary and onto the Tree of Life in the New Jerusalem.

It began in the beginning.

Genesis 3: 22-24: “Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever''.  Therefore, the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.”

In Gethsemane beneath the olives trees, Jesus sweat drops of blood as He faced the agony of the tree of Calvary.  He sweat drops of blood as He prayed for His followers, and not just those at that time, but for us as well. 

John 17: 20-23: "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: "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”

Jesus prayed for you and me in Gethsemane.

Jesus’ sacrifice on the tree of Calvary gives us access again to the tree of life which was restricted when sin entered Eden.

The New Testament uses the word tree five times to refer to Christ’s crucifixion on a cross:

Acts 5:30: 30.  "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.

Acts 10:39: "And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.

Acts 13:29. "Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.

Galatians 3:13: Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree''), (Deuteronomy 21:23)

1 Peter 2:24: who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed.

The result of Gethsemane and Calvary is the restoration of the Tree of Life: 

Rev. 2: 7.  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.''

Revelation 22:1-2: And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Revelation 22:14: Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

We, too, can become trees of life in the world. Isaiah 61:3b promises, “they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.''

Call to Prayer for Wyoming

Call to Prayer for Wyoming

Wyoming is a “break through state.”  This statue, entitled “Breaking Through” was erected on the University of Wyoming campus in 2014. 

WYOMING:    Our name comes from a Delaware Indian word which means “mountain and valleys alternating” and possibly from a Dakota Indian word meaning “large plains”. Both are fitting descriptions of our state as Wyoming’s landscapes are made up of large plains and towering mountain ranges.

STATEHOOD:  July 10, 1890.  44^th State   Motto: Equal Rights   Familiar Name: Equality State  50 State Tour Name;  The Deliverance State     License Plate: Bucking Horse   Governor: Matt Mead      Senators: John Barrasso & Mike Enzi       Representative: Liz Cheney     Capital: Cheyenne which  means “God sees”;   The city is known for Cheyenne Frontier Days

WYOMING FIRSTS:   First state to have a County Public Library System    First National Park: Yellowstone   First National Forest:  Shoshone National Forest     First state to grant women the right to vote    First Woman Governor in the U.S.: Nellie Taylor Ross    First Town in America to be governed entirely by women: Jackson 1920-1921    First Woman Justice of the Peace: Esther Hobart Morris    First All Woman Jury: 1870 in Laramie    First Ranger Station: Wapiti Ranger    First National Monument:  Devil’s Tower     First  business west of Missouri River at Fort Williams    First Woman Statewide Elected Official:  Estelle Reel Meyer – Superintendent of Public Instruction      First Woman Bailiff  in our nation & in the world:  Martha Symons ^a

TRIVIAL FACTS OF WY:  Largest coal mine in USA: Black Thunder in Wright    WY leads the country in coal production: 3 million tons/week      JCPenney stores started in Kemmerer     We have the lowest population of all 50 states       The city of Cody was named for “Buffalo Bill” Cody      Sacajawea, a female Shoshone guide for the Lewis & Clark Expedition, is buried west of Fort Washakie      Wind River Indian Reservation is shared by the Shoshone & Arapaho tribes of Native Americans in central western portion of the state.^a

STRONGHOLDS:  Roots of Freemasonry are present in formation of cities and towns.     Rugged independent mentality:  “I don’t need your help, leave me alone!”     Oil industry is either “Boom or Bust”; puts a strain on economy.      “Good ‘ol boys” thinking in some local governments makes  it harder to bring changes into area.    Tough physical environment:  temperature can get well below zero at night, rapid changes in temperature.  Extremely high winds that will blow semi-trucks and high profile vehicles over on highways!      High use of alcohol & drugs; some residents are pushing for legalization of marijuana.   Abortion is done in two places that we are aware of in WY; we want that to end!     Our suicide rate is one of the highest in the nation; teens and Native Americans are especially at risk for this; suicide has affected all our communities to some degree.  Such tragedy!  We need this stopped also!

PREVIOUS PROPHETIC WORDS OVER WYOMING:   We have been given a Ministry of DELIVERANCE:  The Lord has spoken to Wyoming repeatedly about its gifting to be A PLACE OF RENEWAL to the leaders, both secular and spiritual, of the world.  Dutch Sheets declared (in the 50 State Tour in 2004^b) that, “Deliverance is coming to this state.  Iniquities are being broken.  People are being released from bondage.  Eyes are being opened; scales and veils-scales are falling off; veils are being lifted.  Deception is being broken.  Every age group is about to receive a visitation, an outpouring by the Spirit of God.  Nothing can stop it….  Signs and wonders are coming to Wyoming….miracles are coming to Wyoming…. Breakthrough is coming.  The voice of the Lord will be heard across the state.  The prophetic Word of the Lord will ascend over this state.  And the Word of the Lord will rain on Wyoming.  It will bring release.  It will bring breakthrough.  It’s going to heal the broken hearts; it’s going to set the captives free....The gospel will be preached to the poor, the downtrodden will be ministered to & released; the oppressed will go free…. FAVOR is coming to Wyoming…FIRE is coming to the Church…outpouring, renewal, life, victory, renewed hope, and vision.”  

Dutch Sheets added this encouragement, “People in Wyoming …have a loud voice in the Spirit--- they have significance…. Your size of population is not significant in the Spirit, but your voice is….. The Lord wants you to shift over to the spiritual realm and see that where you don’t have much of a voice really in the natural----‘And when you pray, and when you decree things, you have as much as a voice as any place else in the nation’.  He also prophesied that God is saying, ‘I’m giving you a sword.  I’m bringing you in UNITY.  You will overthrow thrones of iniquity.  This territory will be a place of habitation of My Spirit.  Many will come into this territory.  And the VOICE OF GOD WILL BE HEARD HERE.”^b

As a state, Chuck Pierce did not see us having a covenantal root.  Wyoming is one of few states to never have had a major revival occur.  But read on for more prophetic words spoken over us!

OTHER PROPHETIC WORDS SPOKEN OVER US IN THE PAST:   “The Voice of Wyoming carries much weight.    A  powerful Voice in the Spirit.     The horn will be blown from the mountain tops of Wyoming.     Kingdom living-praises will bring His Presence in.     Wyoming will bring forth a New Song.     A New Sound of Worship will be coming out of Wyoming.     WY means WORSHIP YAHWEH.     God’s Voice will be heard in Worship in Wyoming.     The lioness has been let out of its cage.   WIND will blow the sand & dirt off the jewels buried and they will come forth.    The minerals of Wyoming will be given to God’s children for His Kingdom.     Prairie wind will blow fires across Wyoming.    Prairie fire-revival would be spread by burning tumbleweeds and then out to surrounding states.  REVIVAL WILL COME FORTH IN 28 cities of WY.  The FIRE that God will put in Wyoming will ignite the United States.      ‘Gullywasher’:  dig the ditches for the gullywasher that will come!    Gullywashers will go out across Wyoming to the other states.  For the Church to be delilvered (in Wyoming) and (for it) to be in the business of delivering others.  Unity will come to the Church.   As goes idolatry in WY, so it will go in the nation.”^a

MORE RECENT PROPHETIC WORDS FOR WYOMING:  In May of 2015, at the Feast of Pentecost at Glory of Zion, Corinth, TX, these Prophetic Words were given for Wyoming by Church Pierce.  “Now is the TIME TO UNIFY Wyoming.  Your valley of trouble will be turned into the Gateway of Hope.  God will marry you and you will know His loyal love. The rocks of Wyoming are crying out, calling to their God.  God says, ‘A GREAT REVIVAL IS COMING!’   Wyoming will wake up with A NEW HOPE.   God will align your borders as He does and will Israel’s.  He will show His way to repent. (You) are to RISE HIGHER into the sphere of Righteousness….into relationships not yet seen.   The crooked places will be made straight.  Jehovah Rohi is over you….above ‘the striking serpent’ who has brought isolation and scattered the people.  I AM is gathering His people…brooding over barrenness to produce LIFE again….  We will have A VOICE rising up to drive out the serpent….Agree with Your God for a new move of HOLINESS….(that) the mountains of resistance will be brought down and the valleys of despair will rise up.  Majestic high places of worship to Yahweh….Come into the destiny of High Worship.   Worship will flow from Wyoming.  He will fill mouths with tongues of fire.  Wyoming will be struck with violent WINDS, the sounds of this will release the paga of God….(you) will get up with the strength, the grace and the HOPE of God…. You will pass through that which held you back.  The hand of God’s blessings will be with Wyoming’s First Nation People…  Move past the voice of accusation with brothers and sisters…become a UNIFIED FIGHTING FORCE!     I will let you know how to make war with PRAISE …follow Judah forth…. Speak into the atmosphere!”  Transcribed by Mary Meister in attendance of Pentecost gathering at GOZ, May 2015.^c

In November of 2016, Jeff Barnhardt, a Canadian prophet, had a dream in which he saw the Lord spreading fires all over our country.  There was an amazing outpouring on young people.  The states where the fires were burning the brightest included Wyoming (particularly Albany County) (the Lord was pointing to it), the Carolinas and New York.   Reported to Michelle Lana Wolf.^d

PRAISE REPORT:   Early in March of 2017, our Wyoming Supreme Court affirmed Judge Ruth Neely for her honorable beliefs about marriage (between one man and one woman) and allowed her to remain on the bench and serve as judge.  Removing her would have violated the constitution. 

On March 30^th, 2017, these words were given to Mary Meister of Casper, Wyoming, a member of Glory of Zion.  “God is releasing intercession for the land.  Let us be His Voice in the wind.  Breathe and let His Voice be released through us…no matter what it sounds like!   The violent wind brings turbulence…stirs up dirt, dust; it rearranges the terrain…brings down high places and levels the valleys.  Even as this arises, let us be quick to confess, repent, or whatever God leads us to do for our state to fulfill its promise, its’ destiny.”^e

Most recently, on April 5, 2017, this prophetic declaration was given by Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe, our RPN General for Wyoming:  “Wyoming is a leader in breakthrough for the Kingdom of God in our nation and in the world.  The Kingdom of God will move in power up the Oregon Trail, across all of Wyoming, down the North Platte River and throughout the nation just as one river flows into another and unites in greater power.  Wyoming may have the least population and be the last alphabetically, but we declare that Wyoming is the head and not the tail.” ^f

PRAYERS/DECLARATIONS:

·         We repent for the fear of man.  We pray for the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord to fall. 

·         We agree with God for a new move of Holiness.  Let us come into the destiny of High Worship.

·         Every high place must come down! Every stronghold shall be broken in Wyoming!

·         We declare, “Abortion WILL END IN WYOMING!”

·         Send the wind(s) of change and cause us to align with Israel.

·         Let the wind blow the sand and dirt off the “jewels” buried in Wyoming!

·         We declare a sweeping revival in the youth that will spread like wildfire to the nation.

·         May we walk in the fullness of our destiny, fulfilling God’s plans & purposes.

·         Let Your Voice be heard here in mighty ways and declared into the atmosphere!

·         May ALL OUR PRAYERS HIT YOUR TARGET as the “paga” of God!

Information taken from ^aWyoming State Prayer Guide,  January 31, 2012, Larry and Barbara Dodge,  Apostolic State Prayer Coordinators, USRPN-WY.    ^bReleasing the Prophetic Destiny of a Nation,  Dutch Sheets and Chuck D. Pierce,  Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2005.   ^cTranscription of Prophetic Words spoken by Chuck D. Pierce,  Feast of Pentecost, Glory of Zion, Corinth, TX, May 31, 2015 ,  ^dProphetic Words by Jeff Barnhardt, Canada, given to Michelle Lana Wolfe, November 2016,  ^eProphetic Words for Wyoming given to Mary Meister, March 2017.   ^fProphetic Declarations by Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe,  April 5, 2017. 

Compiled and Submitted by Sally Bohart  and Linda Clifford of Casper, WY

“He Has Risen”—Our Victory Song

“He Has Risen”—Our Victory Song

By Rev. Lonnie C.  Crowe

Three days after Passover, is the Feast of First Fruits.  Jesus died on Passover and rose again on the Feast of First Fruits. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23.  "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming." 
 

Matthew 28: 1-6: “Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

“He Has Risen” is, indeed, our song of victory.

Our need for victory began in the beginning.  Adam, in a desire for greatness, ate the fruit, sealed a covenant with the enemy, and opened the door to sin, disease, despair and death.  In the Old Testament economy, when two parties entered into a covenant, they exchanged possessions.  Adam ceded his dominion of the earth in that covenant and received all that the enemy had.  Nothing of which was good.

God, in His mercy, sacrificed an animal, clothed the man and the woman, and began the journey to closing the door on Adam’s poor choice and opening another into newness of life and victory for believers.  Because Jesus suffered and died, was buried and rose again, the price of atonement has been fully paid. 

Because the Holy Spirit indwells us and empowers us, our covenant in Jesus is greater than the original covenant God made with Adam.  Because of God’s new covenant with us, we have victory over the world and even over death itself.  1 John 5: 10-11: “He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.”

Every prophetic word, every promise, every believer from that moment on has been a step forward in the journey from the Garden of Eden, through the Garden of Gethsemane, to the tree of Calvary and onto the Tree of Life in the New Jerusalem.

When we accept His atonement, nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus (Romans 28:  38-39).

Jesus’ resurrection is the most significant event in history. His resurrection signifies Father God’s acceptance of His Son’s sacrifice.  He is the first fruits of those raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20).  Because He lives, we, too, shall live (John 14:19).

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 will be the culmination of creation,

The restoration of Eden,

The doorway to eternity.

You are the way, the truth and the life.

Hallelujah!  He has risen! He is the first fruits.

Walking in a Different Spirit

Walking in a Different Spirit

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Numbers 14:30: “My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.”

Caleb was one of the 12 spies Moses had sent to search the Promised Land. He was one of the family chiefs of the tribe of Judah. He and Joshua were the only two of the spies who encouraged the people to take the land.

Because they lacked faith to enter the Promised Land at that time, all the people that had been counted, from twenty years old and older, died in the wilderness except Joshua and Caleb.

After the death of Moses, Joshua became the leader of the Israelites.  When God’s people had battled the inhabitants of the land for five years, Caleb came to Joshua with a request:

Joshua 14: 6-14: “Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him: "You know the word which the Lord said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God. So Moses swore on that day, saying, `Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children's forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.'

“And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.

 “And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance. Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel.”

The Anakim lived in the land that was to become Caleb’s.  They were giants.  Their warlike appearance and fortified cities filled most of the Israelites with terror.  But not Caleb.  He was a man of a different spirit.  Most people are willing to retire from active Christian duty long before the age of 85.  But not Caleb.  He was a man of a different spirit. 

We all face giants in our land.  In Jesus Christ, we have the power to be like Caleb, to be a people of a different spirit.  “We are blessed in every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

In other words, we are blessed with every provision for our spiritual welfare. Our spiritual needs, including victory over sin and fear and failure, have already been met in Christ Jesus.

We are a people of a different spirit.  We need only to walk in that spirit. Like Caleb, we must choose to follow wholly the word of our God.


Our prayer: “Lord, I choose to live in the power of the Holy Spirit, to have a different spirit within me, to follow You fully, to receive the promises You have given me in Your Word.” 

Redeeming Eve

Redeeming Eve

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” - Galatians 3:26-28 (NKJV)

In spite of Paul’s teaching that we are all one in Christ, there were still a considerable number of misogynistic writings from the early church fathers that have continued to influence believers today. A few examples include:

For it is improper for a woman to speak in an assembly, no matter what she says, even if she says admirable things, or even saintly things, that is of little consequence, since they come from the mouth of a woman. - Origen (d. 258): Fragments on First Corinthians, 74

It was you who coaxed your way around him whom the devil had not the force to attack. With what ease you shattered that image of God: Man! Because of the death you merited, even the Son of God had to die . . . Woman, you are the gate to hell. - Tertullian, “The Father of Latin Christianity” (c160-225): On the Apparel of Women, Ch. 1

As regards the individual nature, woman is defective and misbegotten, for the active force in the male seed tends to the production of a perfect likeness in the masculine sex. - Thomas Aquina, Doctor of the Church, 13th century: Summa Theologica I q. 92 a.1

How do we account for these teachings and such harsh perspective?

It is important to recognize that this mindset does not come from careful Biblical exegesis, but rather reflects another strong philosophical influence that still impacts us today.

From at least the time of the great Greek philosophers in the 5th century BC until today, the liberally well-educated have been schooled in classic Greco-Roman mindsets and thought patterns. A proper understanding of Scripture requires a transforming of our minds, so we will understand the Word of God in its proper context, rather than through the lens of this European, or Western, way of thinking.

Mythological Confusion

Because of the Greek mindset, biblical Eve is often confused or associated with Pandora.

According to classical mythology, the titan Prometheus created men and gave them many gifts—one of which was fire, stolen from the gods on Mt. Olympus. Zeus was angry and determined to punish Prometheus by creating a wife for him. He commissioned the blacksmith of the gods, Hephaestus, to forge a woman in his smithy. She was lovely, and all the gods gave her gifts. One goddess gave Pandora the gift of curiosity. Zeus gave Pandora a lovely box filled with all the evils of the world as a dowry.  The one good thing in the box was hope. Zeus then sent Pandora to Prometheus.

Prometheus means “forethought”—he thought before he acted. He saw the lovely woman and reasoned, “Zeus is angry with me. If he has given me a gift, it must not be a good one.” Therefore, he refused Pandora and her dowry.

However, Prometheus had a twin brother, Epimetheus, whose name means “afterthought”—he acted without thinking. He saw that Pandora was lovely, gifted, and had a dowry, so he married her.

After her marriage, the gift of curiosity stirred within Pandora, and she begged Epimetheus to open the box. As the couple lifted the lid to the box, all the evils of the world poured out. They quickly closed it before the last object escaped, inadvertently shutting hope in the box.

In the Greek philosophical mindset, man will always be attracted to woman, woman will always bring trouble into his life, and his troubled life will be without hope.

Renewing Our Minds

Contrary to both classical mythology and faulty Biblical exegesis, woman is not the conduit by which sin and the consequences of sin entered the Creation. Actually, God places much of the onus on Adam, as we see in passages like 1 Timothy 2 and Romans 5.

Eve is not Pandora. She was created as the perfect companion for Adam because God said that it was not good for the man to be alone. Woman is his complement. Further, because the woman was created from the man, they manifest the image of God in the earth together.

In stark contrast to the Greek perception of woman, God chose her as the conduit of redemption. In Genesis 3, Eve recognizes that the serpent is a deceiver, and God hands down His verdict for the serpent’s fate—the seed of the woman will ultimately crush the enemy. It is the seed of the woman, Jesus Christ, the last Adam, who restores us to the relationship the first Adam had with God in the garden.

1 Peter 1:3 says, “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.”  When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, hope is restored. Rather than woman being seen as the cause of trouble and hopelessness, her rightful dignity is restored in Christ. We all, male and female, have equality and redemption through our covenant in Christ Jesus.

Called for Such a Time as This

Called for Such a Time as This

By Lonnie C. Crowe

Like Esther, we have been called for such a time as this.  Esther, a Jewish woman named Hadassah, divinely became the wife of the King of Persia, the most powerful man of his time.  His deceitful henchman, Haman, plotted to annihilate all the Jews living in Persia. 

Mordechai, Esther’s relative and guardian, reminded her that with privilege comes responsibility.

Esther 4:14:  “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Women in the Old Testament are most often pictures of the Church, the Bride of Christ. Through the story of Esther, God is saying to the Church, “if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise from another place, but you and your generation will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the Kingdom for such a time as this?”

What did Esther do at that decisive moment?  Though she was queen and held a privileged position, she also knew she risked her life in approaching her husband on behalf of her peoples  She was willing to take that risk.   She knew both her privileged position and her responsibility to her people.

In preparation, she called the people to fast—in other words, she turned to God for wisdom and protection. 

As we prepare for our Purim we must identify our privileges:

• We have the privilege of knowing God personally.

• We have the privilege of living in a country that still has the greatest wealth and the greatest freedom in the world.

We must also understand our circumstances.

• We are not safe just because we are Christians.

• If my nation suffers, I suffer.

• Being Christian doesn't mean we are safe from external factors.

Then let us intercede and ask the Lord to touch our nation and our world.

• God has called the Church for such a time as this.

• God knows what Satan is planning for each country and nation of the world. He appointed each of us to intercede for our nation. He wants us to change the destiny of this world and make history.

• God is faithful to those who are sincere.  Our hope is in the Lord not in earthly governments.

• We are, like all generations, a generation that God has called into destiny. Esther changed the history of the Jews through courage and sacrifice and the grace of God. We can do the same thing if we obey the calling.

In intercession, we must follow the admonitions of our Lord to His people.

•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.”  God has called His people, believers, to turn from our wicked ways and pray.

•1 Timothy 2:1-2—“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”

1. Pray that leaders, if they are not already believers, will become believers.

2. Pray that the leaders will come to a knowledge of the Truth.

3. Pray that they will acknowledge, honor, and praise God who is the sovereign ruler of heaven and earth.

With great privilege comes great responsibility. With great responsibility comes great opportunity.  We have a divine opportunity to be God’s instruments in leading our nation into God’s destiny for us.