Mystery—Unexplained—Awesome

By DiAne Gates –

“As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking” (NAS Ezekiel 1:28).

Our Precept Bible group began our Fall Bible study in the Book of Ezekiel. I knew the book was about visions, but had never studied it. The first day’s homework directed us to read Chapter One. That last verse stopped me cold and sent my mind ripping back through the years—

—to a rainy Sunday afternoon, eight years ago when my husband and I were returning from Kansas City with our four-year-old grandson, Noah. Papa drove the car, while Noah and I rode in the backseat and played games and watched the rain splatter on the windshield.

Late in the afternoon, we came into Denton, Texas, on I35 South. It had not rained in weeks. The roads were slick, traffic heavy, and driving difficult.

The sky had cleared in the east and God had painted a spectacular rainbow against the darkness of the passing storm. Noah saw it and squealed in delight. I told him about his biblical namesake.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the flashing red taillights of the cars just ahead. Papa barked, “Sit back. Brace Noah. Relax.”

“What?”

I jerked my neck to glance out the back window. An eighteen-wheeler barreled toward us. Another peek forward and I saw the cars in front of us. Stopped. The truck would never be able to stop in that short distance. Not on these roads.

“Oh, Lord, please.” I gasped and smashed my body against the back of the seat and threw my left arm over Noah.

An arc of brilliant color appeared overhead and a luminous golden light shimmered all around us and reflected like a thousand tiny stars over the hood of our car. The power of stillness surrounded us within and without. Utter silence. Peaceful silence. Entrancing silence.

Then it was gone.

How long had it lasted? Minutes? Seconds? I don’t know.

Cars in front of us had stopped. The truck in back of us stopped a few feet from our back bumper. And we stopped. No squealing brakes, no sliding tires, no honking horns. Not a sound.

I sat, unable to speak. Papa let out a sigh and put the car in motion as the cars in front of us moved too. Neither Noah, Papa, nor I said a word for a few minutes. Then I leaned forward and whispered, “Honey, what did you see back there? What happened?”
Papa wiped his forehead and ran his hand down the back of his neck. He turned and “No. Please. Tell me.”

He stammered, “I…it looked like…we were in the middle of a rainbow and the light…was unreal. Golden. Sparkling. So quiet and peaceful.”

Our eyes locked in the rear-view mirror and I whispered, “Me too.”

Papa shrugged his shoulders. “Honey, that back there…,” his head tilted backward, “…was a God thing.”

I turned to Noah. His precious head slumped against the shoulder of his car seat. Sound asleep.

We rode another few miles pondering all that had transpired. Each of us knew a power greater than anything we had ever experienced or known had intervened in our lives. I Eight years later there is still a catch in my throat, and tears in my eyes when my mind plays that scene over again.

And that light—I’m at a loss to describe, paint or interpret it in any way except glorious.

Someway, somehow, the hand of God miraculously spared us that stormy afternoon outside of Denton, Texas. And He allowed us a glimpse into the world around us that we can’t see. Yet.

And wherever you are today, dear reader, God loves you too. And He has a plan for your life. Believe Him. Love Him. Because He alone is faithful.

Faith That Works

By Warren Mueller –

The role of faith and works in salvation is a topic that has been, and continues to be, debated among Christians.

Clearly, faith and good works are related and without works faith is dead or useless (James 2:20 NIV). There are a number of paradoxes in the Bible associated with faith and works that would disappear if Christians would realize that it is who they are that should drive what they do. In other words, “be to do” not “do to be.”

Our human thinking and culture tells us we need to work hard to gain skills and knowledge to be successful and attain a better way of life. This is “do to be” thinking. I believe this thinking has pervaded Christianity such that the motivation to do good works, receive the sacraments, achieve status and rank by becoming a priest, deacon, elder, etc. is based on the desire to accumulate spiritual rewards and a better place in heaven. Another problem is that some Christian denominations teach that works are an essential part of salvation. In other words, the grace needed to reach heaven is imparted through the sacraments of the church which again is “do to be” thinking.

So what is “be to do” Christian thinking?

The basis for this thinking rests on a spiritual birth, through faith in Jesus Christ as personal savior (John 3:16-17; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Romans 6:23 NIV). Jesus said one must be born again in order to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3 NIV). The death of Jesus on the cross provides payment for the penalty of the sins of mankind. This is a legal transaction that enables those who accept this by faith to become children of God indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Gal 3:26; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 John 3:24; Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV).

This spiritual birth is like the natural one in that growth in knowledge of the new identity of self, the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit and the works that result are progressive. From this theological view, good works are a result of changes that God has produced inside me and not changes that I try to achieve by doing something. Thus, the meaning of Jesus in saying that in order to gain life you must lose it means that you must be born again or changed spiritually through faith in Jesus. When this happens, there is a fundamental change in self-identity in which a person’s thinking shifts from “me” to “we” as a result of the presence of the Holy Spirit. In my case, I began to live for Jesus and not just for myself so, in this sense, I have lost my life but found new life and joy in serving Jesus.

Likewise, faith without works is dead means there can be no genuine change within (i.e. spiritual birth in Jesus) without changes in outward actions. The outward actions or good works result from the reality of spiritual changes within and not visa-versa. Thus, the greatest in the kingdom of God are servants or slaves who, like Jesus, follow the will of God. What they do is a result of what God has already done within them. Good works becomes an expression of love, gratitude and obedience that desires to give God joy. The result of such good works is a deeper experience of the presence of God within.

I am afraid too many Christian denominations stress works because they are led by human understanding and a desire to self-improve or control others rather than as a result of being fundamentally changed by a spiritual birth.

A Simple Silent Night

By Kathi Woodall –

Last year, our pastor called my husband two days before Christmas. He asked if our daughter would play the piano for church on Christmas morning. Somewhat surprised, but knowing she had a few Christmas carols in her musical repertoire, my husband agreed. Now, my daughter was only six years old and wasn’t an accomplished pianist. In fact, she had only been taking lessons for a few months. Despite her inexperience, she nonchalantly agreed to play. On Christmas morning, she seated her small frame in front of the grand piano and simply yet beautifully played “O Come, All Ye Faithful” and “Silent Night.”

“I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Luke 18:17).

A month previous, my daughter received a book of Level One Christmas carols. Born with a passion for music, she diligently began to learn every song in the book. She never expected to play for anyone besides her piano teacher and us. Audience or not, it didn’t matter, she simply loved to play and practiced her carols every day.

Similarly, God wants us to study and know His Word everyday simply because we love Him, not so we can look good when we spiritually perform for others. When we grow in Him just because we love Him, we become a vessel He can use at unexpected, impromptu opportunities. “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15).

After the Christmas service, many people commented they couldn’t even see my daughter while she was playing because she was so little. The pews full of watching eyes, the imposing grandeur of the piano, and the expectant silence of the room could have scared her into not playing her songs. The intimidating combination could have kept her from doing what she had been asked to do.

I have felt this way so many times in my ministry. The voice inside my head says, “You can’t teach. What business do you have trying to explain the Word of God?” Or, “You can’t speak. People will be bored with what you have to say.” Sometimes the voice says, “You can’t write. Everyone will be critical of the words you type.” At those times I have to recognize the true enemy, face the giants of fear and rejection, and persevere in what God called me to do, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

Like I said, my daughter is not an accomplished pianist. Her song was simple. So often, we feel we can’t serve because we aren’t the most perfect, the most accomplished. We can’t have people over for coffee because our house isn’t adequate. We can’t teach a class because we’ve never done it before. We can’t serve on a mission trip because we aren’t trained like a real missionary. God calls us to those things, and countless others, not because we are perfect at them but because He is glorified through our weaknesses. “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me…For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Does Size Matter? The “S” Word: Part One

By Lori Freeland –

Mistakes. Poor judgment calls. Transgressions. Errors. Veering off the path. Blunders. Slip-ups. Oversights. Lapses. Misunderstandings.

The thesaurus holds many words for sin.

And no matter what the label, everyone sins.

We can’t help it. We’re human. No matter how hard I try, I will always mess up somewhere along the journey, whether in thought or deed or motivation.

Flawlessness?

Never going to happen. God knows that about me. I can’t hide from Him—even though some days I want to bury what I’ve done or thought or said.

“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out” (Romans 7:18 NIV).

That should be my life verse. I try and try and try and never reach the bar. I never will.

Yet God demands perfection because He is holy and righteous and perfect. Those magnificent attributes render Him unable to stand any of my sins—or whatever label I choose to slap on my transgressions.

“He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he” (Deuteronomy 32:4).

Do I give up? Or try harder? Find a mentor? Lock myself away? Promise to be better?

Thankfully, none of those things. My answer lies in redemption.

Redemption, “the act of saving something or somebody from a declined, dilapidated, or corrupted state and restoring it, him, or her to a better condition” (Encarta Dictionary) is not mine to reach for or attain.

Redemption comes from the Lord and His sacrifice. His atonement for what I’ll never be. A free gift to me that cost Him everything.

“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17).

If I choose to accept this gift of righteousness, is there a limit on the number of sins blanketed by His blood? Are there sins too large, too deep, too ugly that will show through black no matter how much white He paints over me?

No. Because He doesn’t paint over my sins at all, He wipes them clean.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). From all unrighteousness. All.

Bottom line. I screw up. He forgives. And the more He forgives, the more He loves, the more He coats me in His redemptive blood, the less I sin. And not because of anything I’ve done. Anything good in me belongs to Him alone.

What better time than the Christmas season, when Jesus came to be our atonement, to meditate on the True Gift of redemption.

All that is required of me is acceptance. I have to lift The Gift from His outstretched hands and claim His atonement. It’s like winning the life lottery. The ticket does me no good until I cash in the winning numbers. I need to trade my sin for His perfection.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16, 17).

Picture me, holding up this banner. Not at a football game, but at the game that is your life and mine.

Now, what will you do with it?

Signs of the End Times? Rebuilding the Temple

By Dianne E. Butts –

This year we have looked at prophecies that might be signs of the End Times and might be coming true right before our eyes. As we finish this series, let’s look at the prophecy that fascinates me most: The Temple in Jerusalem.

It took a long time for me to learn that the Tabernacle/Temple is a picture of God’s plan. It pictures how we unholy humans may approach the one holy God. It pictures the work Jesus Christ would do when He came that reconciles us to God.

I’ve also seen the Temple as a barometer measuring the health of Israel’s relationship with God. When Israel’s relationship with God was going well, the Temple was thriving. When Israel’s relationship with God was troubled, the Temple fell into disrepair. When Israel rejected God, the Temple was destroyed.

Currently the Temple does not exist, not since the Romans destroyed it in 70 AD. I believe that is because Israel, meaning the Jews in general as a whole, has rejected Jesus the Messiah. Like the Temple, their relationship with Jesus is nonexistent.

What does the Temple in Jerusalem have to do with prophecy and the End Times?

In the End Times, the Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt as indicated in Scriptures:
• Daniel 9:27
• Daniel 12:11
• Mark 13:14
• 2 Thessalonians 2:4
• Revelation 11:1-2

According to the booklet 101 Last Days Prophecies published by Eternal Productions, “The prophet Daniel, Jesus, Paul, and John all refer to the temple in the last days. Therefore we know it must be rebuilt” (p. 14).

Also according to the booklet and to Daniel 9:27, 12:11, and Matthew 24:15, the Temple sacrifices will be reinstituted in Israel in the last days (p. 14). “Daniel foresaw the Antichrist ending the daily sacrifices. Therefore the Jewish sacrificial system must have first been restored in the last days” (p. 14).

In order for the sacrifices to be performed, the articles and equipment have to be in place, including bowls, forks, pitchers and many more items. Do you know all the items needed for the Temple to perform its functions have already been created?

That’s right. The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has been working for years creating the items needed, to their exact specifications. They are ready to go. Except for the Ark of the Covenant. There is only one of those…and if it survived the centuries, God surely knows where it is. All that is needed is the building to be built. Or wait…

Is it possible the tent–Tabernacle could be used? If yes, and if it has been created, is it possible the Tabernacle could be erected in a day and sacrifices could begin this afternoon?

Google the Temple Institute to see photos of the articles that have been created to be used in the actual rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. Do you think the fact that everything needed to begin the sacrifices in the Temple currently exists, unlike the centuries since 70 AD, is a sign we are in the End Times?

If we are in the End Times, are you ready? If you’re not sure, please don’t wait any longer. Pray a prayer like this: Dear Jesus, I do believe Your death on the cross paid for my sins. I want to live with You forever in heaven. Help me find people who can help me grow in my understanding of You. Protect me from false teachings and give me discernment to know Your Truth. Teach me how to live for You from this moment forward. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

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