GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

[nChrist]

DISCERNMENT   Part Five    OCTOBER 1, 2007


DISCERNMENT IN THE DISPENSATION OF THE MYSTERY
Part Five, Conclusion
By Elizabeth Spaulding Scharff, M.D.




DISCERNMENT,  ITS PLACE IN HIS SERVICE .....


GOD DEALS WITH THE FLESHLY MIND --- In the early 1950's I was in charge medically of a small hospital in Fatehpur, U.P., India which was under WUMS or BMMF, faith missions. Two months one hot season I helped out under Dr. Wilfrid Morris Head of WEC for India at Mt. Abbott in the Himalaya foothills, which was an old tea plantation with its lovely mountain terraces of tea plantings. The old abbey was the hospital headquarters, housing-staff dwellings and operating room facilities. Mt. Abbott was about 12,000 feet high. To get there from Fatehpur one took the train to the Rail Head and from there a bus up the foothills in convoy. The ascending road into these Kumoan Hills, or Himalaya foothills, was single, not much wider than a cow path. The two convoys passed at Lohaghat, a mountain village near Mt. Abbott, one convoy ascending while the other convoy passed descending. This was a treacherous route as it was the Indian army's convoy with which the civilian bus attached itself and the ascent into who these mountains was hazardous in the extreme. At that time the army was stationed in full force along the Tibetan border just 60 miles away from Mt. Abbott as Red China was in the process of taking over Tibet. We also were routed along the western Nepal border just five miles away.

Mt. Abbott Hospital, or the Abbey, had to be one of the most beautiful spots in the world. Less than 60 miles away to the north, the "Greats" of the Himalaya Tibetan range with such giants at Nanga Parbart and Nanga Devi, well over 23,000 feet, hung over us. Snow reflected the light from above in shades in keeping with the time of the day and to the East, right upon us, stood the Himalayas of Nepal, a range of equal wonder. Such beauty! However, man in this area was sickly, miserable and depraved. They were animists, worshipping demons, even talking to them along these lonely mountain trails. The Kumoan Hills were made famous by a book written earlier in the century by a famous British hunter named Jim Corbet who wrote "Man Eaters of the Kumoan ": a novel concerning the famous big black panther who along with the bengal tiger roamed these Himalaya foothills terrifying these poor mountain villagers.

At the Hospital there we treated fractures from mountain falls, which in the monsoon season were many since the paths were slippery and treacherously close to peaks. We had bear-maul and tiger-maul cases besides multiple kidney stones and cataracts, due of course to lack of water intake. These people followed the advice of their idols, whose demons told them to not drink water. This was truly one of the last frontiers.

One day in the operating room while doing surgery and stumbling through it with what I considered a blundering clumsy technique, I recalled the genius and ability of my earthly father who was a skilled and well known surgeon in New York. At that moment, looking at my own inabilities, I cried to my Heavenly Father and said, "Oh that I had the skill of my surgeon father". Immediately the answer came, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us". We are given the mind of Christ. Christ is our ALL in ALL, THE ALL THINGS.

Peerless Worth

Hast thou heard Him,
Seen Him, known Him,
Is not thine a raptured heart?
Chief among ten thousand own Him
Gladly choose the better part.

What has stript the seeming beauty
From the idols of the earth?
Not the sense of right or duty,
But the sight of peerless worth.

Not the crushing of those idols,
With its bitter void and smart,
But the beaming of His Beauty,
The unveiling of His Heart.

'Tis that look that melted Peter
'Tis that face that Stephen saw,
'Tis that Heart that wept with Mary,
Can alone from idols draw.

Draw and win and fill completely,
'Til the cup o'erflow the brim,
What have we to do with idols,
Who have companied with Him?

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

Click Below For FREE Email Subscription:
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/pop_up.htm
___________________________________

[nChrist]

PAUL'S SPIRITUAL PILGRIMAGE  OCTOBER 2, 2007


PAUL'S SPIRITUAL PILGRIMAGE
An Overview of Philippians 3
by Dr. E. R. Campbell




In view of my desire that all of us believers might be identified with the message that the Lord Jesus Christ revealed to and through the apostle Paul, and how it controlled his thinking and living, I begin this by quoting from my literal and conservative translation of Philippians.

vv.12-14 "Not that I have already obtained or already have been made perfect, but I pursue, if also I may lay hold upon that for which I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not count myself to have laid hold, but one thing, on the one hand forgetting the things behind, and on the other hand reaching out unto the things before, I pursue the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

The apostle Paul never claimed that he had reached the spiritual status unto which end the Lord had laid hold of him. On the one hand, Paul and all those who believe that Jesus Christ died for their sin, are counted sinless and righteous in Christ Jesus for good works, which God previously prepared, that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10).

In the context surrounding the preceding verses, we need to identify with Paul in that which is all-important: the pursuing of "the surpassing knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord" (Phil. 3:8 ). We need with Paul to be found having "the righteousness that is through the faithfulness of Christ" (Phil 3:9). We need to also be reaching out "unto the end to know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death" (Phil. 3:10).

In the third paragraph above, I have explained how God changes a sinner into one fit to serve Him. Also, in the light of what is said in this portion of Philippians, I indicated that salvation by grace should result in our living according to the good works prepared by God. The Pauline Epistles certainly make it dear, while the Apostle was focusing on the future, he was preparing for the reward which would accrue to his account (2 Cor. 5:9-10; 1 Thess.1 :9-10).

After bathing my mind in Philippians 3:5-21, I have concluded that the apostle Paul is sharing with us an overview of his spiritual pilgrimage, beginning with his deliverance from the Law, and ending with the acquisition of a body of the same form as Jesus Christ's glorious body (Phil. 3:21).

I want you to observe an important aspect of Paul's spiritual pilgrimage with which we all can identify. He says, "but one thing," then proceeds to mention the focus of his ministry, what he concentrated on. He says that, on the one hand, he was "forgetting the things behind." The Greek word translated forgetting is a present participial and means that Paul continually forgot and obliterated his past blasphemous conduct from his mind, for he had received mercy and forgiveness because he did it when he was an ignorant unbeliever (1 Tim. 1:13). We should identify with Paul in not doting on things we did in ignorant unbelief.

It is interesting that the Apostle links together the negative forgetting and the positive reaching out as one thing. Negative doting on the unalterable past has the potential to have a deleterious effect on our minds. Apparently, the apostle Paul is looking at it as that which stymies spiritual growth, maturity, and progress.

Summarizing we all need to be more closely identified with Paul in his intimate relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. He wanted to know experientially the power involved in His resurrection; he wanted, in a deeper sense, to feel His sufferings leading to the Cross; also, he wanted to be progressively molded and conformed to the death of Christ.

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

Click Below For FREE Email Subscription:
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/pop_up.htm
___________________________________

[nChrist]

A DIVIDED HEART    OCTOBER 3, 2007

HOSEA 10:2
"Their heart is divided;
now shall they be found faulty:
he shall break down their altars, he shall spoil their images."

***********


A DIVIDED HEART



"Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty " These words remind me of Hebrews 8:8 where it says "for finding fault with them, he said, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel "

What was Israel's divided heart? It was that they were not true to God's Law but broke it in idolatry! They went whoring after other Gods. They forsook the God of Israel and were continually showing their breach of the Covenant of the Law. God in His longsuffering allowed Israel again and again to manifest their failure under the First Covenant because He was going to prove them to need a Savior who would mediate a better Covenant.

Finally, in Acts 7:53, the dispensation of law came to a dramatic close as Stephen full of the Holy Spirit, declared to Israel "who have received the Law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it!" Thus it is here, dispensationally speaking, "...that where sin abounded (under the Law) GRACE superabounded" (Rom. 5:20). Yes, indeed, God found fault with them in their divided heart, but that just showed them to be sinners like all the rest of us! God has effectively shown ALL (Jew and Greek) under sin that He might have mercy upon ALL (Romans 11:32). What is this mercy? "Christ died for our sins...was buried.....and rose again the third day....." (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us..." (Galatians 3:13). "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified (declared righteous) by faith apart from the deeds of the Law" (Rom. 3:28 )." "Believe oh the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved..." (Acts 16:31)

Donald Webb, Bible teacher

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

Click Below For FREE Email Subscription:
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/pop_up.htm
___________________________________

[nChrist]

~VICTORY BY GRACE~   OCTOBER 4, 2007


~VICTORY BY GRACE~
Read: 1 Cor. 15:54-67


"Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God!" (1 John 5:4,5). Carnal man has not the capacity nor the means to fortify himself against the destructive forces of this world. As vessels of clay we know only discouragement and defeat. So long as we walk the earth we are subject to its evils and temptations. Each of us has the same struggle as that described by the Apostle Paul.

"For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD...For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 7:22-25; 8:2).

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or peril, or sword! ....Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us" (Romans 8:35,37).

"So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory .....The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ"

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

Click Below For FREE Email Subscription:
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/pop_up.htm
___________________________________

[nChrist]

"Titus 2:11-12"   OCTOBER 5, 2007


"Titus 2:11-12"  




Scripture reading Titus 2:11-12

One of the reasons we are instructed to study the Word of God (II Timothy 2:15) is in order that we might be instructed by it so we will know how we are to live in this present evil age. Paul has been set forth as our example (I Timothy 1:16; I Corinthians 11 :1) and we are to learn from his LIFE as well as from his ministry. Yet, Paul tells us we have a better instructor. GRACE is to be our teacher and if we listen to this teacher, we will learn that separation is essential if the Christian is to walk pleasingly before our God.

In Titus 2:11, Paul says that the grace which brought salvation has appeared for all men and this teacher instructs the saints (verse 12) to deny "ungodliness" and "worldly lusts" To do this, there must be a separation of the believer from those activities that are so much a part of this world system. Yet, it is not enough for the saint just to live a negative life, that is, one that abstains from these immoral activities. There are many unsaved individuals who also abstain from ungodly activities and worldly lusts. Grace teaches the saint to go further than just living a NEGATIVE life. The saint is to live a POSITIVE life. The saint is to do something the unsaved, but morally upright person, cannot do. The saint is to live "RIGHTEOUSLY" and "GODLY" in this present evil age. No unsaved person can live righteously or godly.

There is much legislating of morality by many churches today, but this only produces an attitude that is negative - don't do this or don't do that. Let us separate ourselves from this negative attitude and adopt a positive attitude. Christianity is not a doctrine to be believed, it is a life to be lived. We, as saints, in this dispensation, are to LIVE "RIGHTEOUSLY " and "GODLY."

Marvin Duncan, Pastor

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

Click Below For FREE Email Subscription:
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/pop_up.htm
___________________________________

[nChrist]

GROWTH FOR SERVICE  OCTOBER 6, 2007


~GROWTH  FOR SERVICE~
By M. Stanford



"My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you" (Gal. 4:19).

A ministry of life, whether it be at the kitchen sink, or from the First Church pulpit, must flow from the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. That life must be developed in and shared through the growing believer, by the Holy Spirit. We are to rest in Him for spiritual growth, and He will work through us for spiritual service.

"He, whom the Lord cannot trust with the faithful care of his own vineyard, will not be trusted with the tending of God's Vineyard of living, immortal souls. How shall we face the Owner of the Vineyard, if we have neglected our own lives; if we have not entered into that which God has shown us; if we must say, when He asks us about the lack of fruit and the neglect which is so sadly evident: 'Lord, I was so busy tending Thy Vineyard, that my own vineyard I have not kept' (S.S. 1:6)." - C.H.MacI.

"Our Lord is more concerned for a testimony than for a work. We need to get clear on that. A good deal of confusion comes in when you begin to think of things in the light of a work. When you get a lot of people leaving their employment to go into 'the work,' all kinds of complications arise. It is not that we aren't to serve the Lord, but in the first place it is not the work the Lord is after, it is a testimony, it is a light, a living flame."

"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

Click Below For FREE Email Subscription:
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/pop_up.htm
___________________________________

[nChrist]

~PREVIOUSLY PREPARED~  OCTOBER 7, 2007


~PREVIOUSLY PREPARED~
By M. Stanford




"Let the same disposition be in you which was in Christ Jesus." "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh is at rest from sin" (Phil. 2:5, Wey; I Pet. 4:1m).

Too late! too late! if we seek to deal with sin by reckoning at the moment it becomes an issue. Our stand and attitude from the beginning of each day is to be a settled matter as we rest in our risen Lord Jesus: the death of the Cross separates me from the enslavement of sin and self, and I continually abide in my new life, Christ Jesus. My life is "hid with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3).

"The reckoning believer is to meet every proposal of self-gratification armed with the mind to suffer in the flesh. Sin is the gratification of self, but 'he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from the domination of sin.'

"If you allow yourself to entertain a suggestion of self-gratification --- if you consider it, and give it a place in your mind --- you are defeated. You have laid aside your armor, and will fall an easy prey to the foe. But there will be no response to the suggestion or temptation if you stand armed with the mind to suffer in the flesh. That which is proposed to you is exactly opposite to what you are set for. It is suggested that you should be pleased and gratified in the very thing in which you are fully minded to suffer. You are now in conflict with sin --- not going along with it; you suffer in the flesh, and have ceased from the practice of sin." - C.A.C.

"So that he can no longer spend the rest of his natural life living by [his] human appetites and desires, but [he lives] for what God wills" (1 Pet. 4:2, Amp.).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

Click Below For FREE Email Subscription:
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/pop_up.htm
___________________________________

[nChrist]

~THE ONE HOPE~ OCTOBER 8, 2007


~THE ONE HOPE~  




Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4:4


The Church which is the Body of Christ is a distinct and separate entity. It is an entirely new creation - not under the law, not under a doctrine of works not an outgrowth of any other body or assembly, not composed of members who have qualified them-selves by accomplishment of stipulated requirements. The position of the Body member is altogether unique in character and relationship. Only by revelation of Jesus Christ to and through the apostle Paul can we know God's will and purpose for the Body of Christ. As members we are identified with Him as the Head of the Body of which we (believers) are members.

Because of the exclusive nature of our plamasterfice in God's plan, we are advised by our apostle of our doctrinal distinctions. Among these is our one hope. "There is ONE BODY, and ONE SPIRIT, even as you are called in ONE HOPE of your calling." It is specifically the hope of the Body of Christ. Paul refers to the event as "the redemption of the purchased possession" (Ephesians 1:14). The apostle defines our very special identification: "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? FOR YE ARE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE..." (I Corinthians 6:19, 20a). Thus we are His 'purchased possession' "...which He hath purchased with His own blood" (Acts 20:28b ).

That great occasion of 'the redemption of the purchased possession' is a positive assurance peculiar to us as the Body of Christ. "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God...and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 16, 17).
ROBERT E. HANNA, Pastor, California

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

Click Below For FREE Email Subscription:
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/pop_up.htm
___________________________________

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

It's been 10 days since I've received anything from Grace and the Truth Ministries. The person who distributes the devotions has been ill for some time, so I ask you to join me in prayer for this ministry.

I've sent an email to see if there is some specific need that we can pray about. I'll let everyone know if there is a reply. The web site is still up, so that's a good sign. I hope an pray that this ministry continues. The devotions and inspirationals are excellent because they furnish Christians what we need in these times: encouragement and STRENGTH IN CHRIST. The writers obviously love the LORD, and they care about the readers, both the lost and the saved.

In the meantime, I plan to post a few articles by pastors who contribute devotions and Bible studies to Grace and the Truth Ministries on a regular basis.

Love In Christ,
Tom

2 Corinthians 3:14-18 NASB
But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

[nChrist]

A Changeless God in a Changing Age
By: Dr. Lloyd A. Peterson

This message comes to us from the 27th Psalm. It is a song precious to the hearts of most Christians. David wrote this Psalm probably after his experience of 2 Samuel 21:15-17 You must read this portion to understand the Psalm. David was evidently aged when he went out to war with these Philistines. He very nearly lost his life in the battle. His friends said, 'Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.' In Hebrew and the Chaldee this Psalm is captioned 'ledavid' which is 'to and for David'. It is the testimony of sweet confidence in the living God.

There is a confidence because of divine protection. Verses 1-3. Confidence is given in the realm of spiritual, mental and physical anguish, He declares, 'When the wicked..' Verse 2., 'Wicked' here is not personified ; it is wickedness in general. The Hebrew word is 'ra-a,' It means the breaking up of all that is good and desirable. If a Greek word were chosen it would be 'poneros', which is normal depravity and corruption. A day like this is not only spoken of as coming but some of us believe that it is here. We who have children and grandchildren care for their souls and we are tempted to worry. But let the age come, twisted and warped as it is, we may have confidence in the living God that He cares for His own. Isaiah said of Him, 'When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard.' Isaiah 5919.

Again the Psalmist declares, 'Though an host should encamp against me.' Verse 3. This is MENTAL ANGUISH. It is a picture of the threats about us. None of these have actually engaged us in struggle yet, but they are like the Philistines encamped round about Israel. It engenders a spirit of uneasiness. It disturbs the rest that belongs to the chosen of God. Our Heavenly Father wants us to rest in the Lord. These threats come to all of us at all ages of life, but God says that we should not be disturbed. David in the Psalms says, 'I shall not fear'. Dearly beloved, God does not permit one thing to be an accident in your life. We call them such but this is improper. Our Father knows what we have need of and when we need His protection. Sometimes the Lord lets the host encamp about us so that we may more carefully examine both ourselves and our God. The host sometimes becomes His tool to make us a vessel unto honor. A dear brother in the Lord gave me a piece of paper. It had this message on it: "The present circumstance which presses so hard against you is the best shaped tool in the Father's hand to chisel you for eternity. Trust Him then. Do not push away the instrument lest you lose its work.'

Once more the Psalmist declares, 'Though war should rise against me.' Verse 3. This is PHYSICAL. This is actual contact with the enemy. It is not only threat but experience in the physical. We all know what this is and will as long as we live in these bodies,. Young people are not so cognizant of this but time brings all face to face with this issue - the care of the physical.

What about age? With it come infirmities. Oh, how rich the Word is here! David said, 'I will be confident,' How could he say this? If you care to study, read on in the Psalm. David begins to pray as an old pilgrim along life's road he wisely asks for some items of life, even in late years, that God sees fit to give all those who seek His guidance. No wonder we may say 'Selah' (think of that) for this is our unchanging God in this changing world.

David wrote this Psalm when he was aged. He probably was tempted to feel that the days of his usefulness were over. (As suggested, read 2 Samuel 21:15-17.) He was told that he should not go out to battle anymore. He was not able and capable as in former days. David was told that he should not 'quench the light of Israel.' It is not the easiest experience in life to be set aside from service. This is what Paul dreaded most. 'Lest I myself should become a castaway (set aside or disapproved)'. I believe that the Scripture teaches that until God takes us to heaven we are used of Him. When David saw that this particular phase of his ministry had come to an end he said, 'There is more for me to do, that will I seek after'. In so may words he declared that there was a ministry of prayer and through this he would reach areas that he had not before touched for God, and in this, confidence would be restored. By such communion several experiences would be his:

No. 1 - Prayer would reveal God's presence. Verse 4. ' I will seek.....that I may dwell in the house of the Lord.' He was speaking of the sanctuary. He knew what he would see there. There he would see the candlesticks, the table of shewbread, the altar of incense, the Mercy Seat, etc. These all spoke of God and His faithfulness and care for the children of men. In short, these items of furniture revealed the person and the nature of God. They spoke of God and His undying love for man. No one could abide here and every worry. The storms of life that come with age, or any period of life in this age or any age, must abate when we stand in the presence of God. It is impossible as a Christian to have communion with God and worry at the same time. Do you remember what Martha said when Jesus came to the grave of her brother? She said to the Master, 'If thou hadst been here.' There is a motto that reads: 'If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies; yet distance makes no difference, He is praying for me.' Try, my friend, to spend time in the Holy of Holies; see what God's presence will do when you behold Him.

No. 2 - Prayer would reveal His beauty Verse 4. David said, 'To behold the beauty of the Lord'. Another translation reads, 'To consider the pleasantness of Jehovah and to look upon Him with admiration in his temple'. David is saying, 'There is a great ministry for me even now and that is to reveal the beauty of the Lord.' No one can abide in God's presence and not reveal and reflect God's person. Moses did when he came down from the Mount. I know that his (Moses') experience was unique, but 2 Corinthians 3:18 says that the Holy Spirit through the Word has a way of revealing the beauty of the Lord. 'But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.' There is a tremendous ministry for all of us until Jesus calls us to heaven regardless of age. Think of it! While the world and its religion are so busy and taken with the peddling of their wares, denominationally and otherwise, God can use a few humble and dedicated souls to reveal his beauty. Does not this verse in Corinthians teach us that this is possible? Be sure to note, however, it is through THE WORD. This by prayer brings us into His presence.

No. 3 - Prayer would reveal his power and purpose. Verse 5. 'He shall hide me in His pavilion'. What is better than to know the power and purpose of God? This can be a reality in and by communion with the Lord. The word 'pavilion' comes from the words ' papilio' and 'papilion' which means butterfly. It signifies a tent made of cloth stretched out on poles which in form resembles the butterfly. Here God hides the trusting soul. Does it mean that a man in the Old Testament who felt the judgment of man and fled to the Tent Tabernacle and laid hold of the horns of the altar could feel security here; or does it mean that as God has taken and transformed the worm, a creature of dust, into the beautiful butterfly to flit about in glorious splendor, so He has done for those that trust in Him? Whatever it does mean, it speaks of the POWER and PURPOSE of God. When a believer learns this, that he is in God's tender and purposeful care, rest quickly comes to the searching heart.

May the Lord help us to find and take time for a ministry of prayer; then the above named pleasures will be ours.

Amen and love,
Dr. Lloyd Peterson

[nChrist]

From Condemnation to Glory - Part 1 of 5
Pastor Marvin Duncan

What Happens at Salvation

Something most Christians fail to recognize about their salvation is the extent to which God has gone to provide everything man needs to assure him of his place in God's eternal family. These activities take place simultaneously at the moment of salvation. These are not REWARDS to be gained following salvation and obtained by good works but every individual who is saved has every one of these blessings given to him by God's Grace at the moment he receives Jesus Christ as his personal LORD and SAVIOR.

FORGIVEN - Every son of Adam is a SINNER by nature as well as sinner by practice (Romans 5:12 & 3:2). The result of this Sin Nature is Spiritual Death (Separation from God) and Condemnation (Romans 1:18 & Ephesians 2:1-2). A picture of the individual who has never received God's salvation is seen in Ephesians 2:11-13.

The first thing God does when an individual receives Jesus Christ as his personal Savior is to FORGIVE that individual of his sin. God can do this because of Christ's death on Calvary's Cross which paid for all sins.

MADE ALIVE - Another aspect of salvation is that God gives us LIFE. This life is the opposite of the Spiritual Death from which all believers have been saved (Ephesians 2:1). This life that we receive at salvation is actually Christ's Eternal Life for the Christian now has Life that will never end. This Eternal Life assures us that we will forever be with Christ in heaven Romans 8:38-39).

MADE A NEW CREATION - In Second Corinthians 5:17 we read, 'THEREFORE IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST, HE IS A NEW CREATURE." This statement means that the Christian has become something different from what He was before his salvation. The natural man is a SOUL DOMINATED individual. That is, he is motivated and controlled by the desires of the body (flesh) and the things of this world. Upon salvation, that individual becomes a SPIRIT MOTIVATED individual. The SOUL is body and world conscious while the SPIRIT is God conscious. The SOUL is connected to the EMOTIONS; the SPIRIT is connected to the INTELLECT.

FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT- At the moment of Salvation God gives to each Believer the gift of the Holy Spirit to dwell in his BODY and witness to his SPIRIT concerning the things a Christian should do and how he is to walk pleasingly before God and Man.

We have several Scriptures that speak of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 5:18 we have the admonition not to be filled (controlled) with wine but to be filled (controlled) by the Holy Spirit.

First Corinthians 6:19 is even more explicit in speaking of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Here Paul challenges these Corinthians with this statement: "WHAT, KNOW YE NOT THAT YOUR BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHICH IS IN YOU, WHICH YE HAVE OF GOD, AND YE ARE NOT YOUR OWN?"

The purpose of the indwelling Holy Spirit is to CONVICT US OF SIN and to INSTRUCT US IN THE WORD OF GOD. The Holy Spirit's presence in the Believer becomes the object of our next blessing:

SEALED - Seldom does the Christian consider this aspect of his salvation. Because God is a Jealous God, He does not want anything to happen to one of His redeemed. Therefore, the indwelling Holy Spirit becomes God's SEAL (Note Ephesians 1:13-14) and His EARNEST (His down payment) This SEALING is to PROVE that we belong to God and we have His SEAL within us. The Holy Spirit also becomes God's GUARANTEE that He will take us to Heaven to spend all eternity with Him there. Notice again Ephesians 1:14.

The purpose of a SEAL is to IDENTIFY something as belonging to the one whose seal is placed upon it. For example, when you place a postage stamp on a letter, that letter belongs to the Postal Service that issued the stamp and no one except the one to whom it is addressed may open it. The EARNEST is God's CLAIM that we belong to Him and that He will redeem His purchased possession when this age has run its course. This will happen when the Saints are caught up to meet our Lord in the clouds of the air (First Thessalonians 4:14-17).

____________________________________

[nChrist]

From Condemnation to Glory - Part 2 of 5
Pastor Marvin Duncan

ADOPTED - The word ADOPTED simply means SON PLACING. We have the doctrine of Adoption spoken of in Galatians 4:1-3.

Being a SON means being in a position of INHERITANCE. It is the SON who inherits the Father's estate. Jesus Christ is THE SON OF GOD. This means He is the One to inherit all that God the Father has - that is, all of God's creation (Note Colossians 1:5-19)

Not only has our Lord Jesus Christ been designated as the One to inherit all that God has created. But the Redeemed of God in this dispensation are also designated as SONS OF GOD and as JOINT HEIRS OF JESUS CHRIST (ROMANS 8:16-17).

The title "FIRST BORN" means that the one so designated is above all others in line of inheritance Jesus Christ, as "THE SON," -was NEVER BORN. It was only the HUMANITY of Jesus Christ that had its beginning with the physical birth recorded in the Gospel record (note again Luke 1:35). The DEITY of Jesus Christ always existed.

THE NAMES OF GOD

In the Old Testament we have THREE NAMES designated to the creator God. These are: ELOHIM (translated in the King James Bible as GOD), JEHOVAH (translated in the KJ as LORD), AND ADONAI (translated in the KJ as Lord).

1) ELOHIM is a UNI-PLURAL noun formed by the word EL which means THE STRONG ALL SUFFICIENT ONE and ALAH which means TO SWEAR or TO BIND ONESELF WITH AN OATH, thus implying FAITHFULNESS.

In Genesis 1:26 we find the PLURALITY of God while in Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 3:22 we find the UNITY of God. Thus, the TRINITY is seen in the name ELOHIM.

ELOHIM is the One primarily associated with CREATION in the Old Testament, Genesis 1:1 is a good example of this.

2) JEHOVAH means THE SELF-EXISTING ONE but HAVAH, from which Jehovah is formed, also signifies "TO BECOME," that is to become known, thus pointing to a continuous and increasing self-revelation.

Jehovah is also the REDEMPTIVE name of God. We see this in Exodus 6:3. It was with Israel's deliverance from bondage in Egypt that we first find JEHOVAH being introduced as the ONE who would deliver His people out of distress and trouble.

3) ADONAI means MASTER or OWNER. It is used both of God and of man. In the King James Bible it is translated "Lord" for God and "lord" when used for man. As applied to man, this word is used of two relationships: MASTER and HUSBAND. I Genesis 24:9, 10,12 "Master" may illustrate the former while Genesis 18:12, lord" the later.

B) In the NEW TESTAMENT we have three corresponding names in the Greek which equate exactly with the names in the Old Testament. These are: FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT.

1) FATHER EQUATES TO ELOHIM and all the attributes of the Creator and THE STRONG ONE are given to THE FATHER.

2) SON equates to JEHOVAH for it is the Son who is the REDEEMER in the New Testament Scriptures. A close examination of the Word of God will reveal that it was JEHOVAH who became identified with man in the person of Jesus Christ. Thus, Jesus Christ is truly the Jehovah of the Old Testament manifest in human flesh.
_______________________________

[nChrist]

From Condemnation to Glory - Part 3 of 5
Pastor Marvin Duncan

3) HOLY SPIRIT equates with ADONAI

SEATED with Christ in the Heavenlies is one of the blessings we have as the Redeemed of God in this present dispensation ( See Ephesians 2:6).

The word "SIT" in this context, means to be placed on a seat of authority, that is, to REIGN with Christ in the Heavenlies.

One of the Scriptures that speaks of our REIGNING with Christ is seen in First Corinthians 6:3 . Here Paul speaks of the members of the Body of Christ sitting in judgment over Angels. When will this come to pass if not when we
are reigning with Christ in the Heavenlies?

RISEN TO NEWNESS OF LIFE. Romans chapter six speaks of our identification with Christ in His Death, Burial ad Resurrection We often think of the Resurrected Life as only that life we will experience throughout all eternity when the Soul and Spirit of the dead in Christ has been re-united with their Glorified Body. But this is not true. There is a RESURRECTED LIFE that is to be experience by God's redeemed while living this physical, earthly life.

Paul speaks of our being CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST (Romans 6:3). We know we were not literally nailed to the cross with Christ for we had not been born at that time. Yet, fro, God's perspective, He sees us as having been nailed to the Cross by our identification with Christ. We are also seen as having died with Christ, having been buried with Him, and RAISED WITH HIM. Now, God expects all of his redeemed Saints to RECKON themselves to be dead to sin (Romans 6:11) so as not to yield their members to sin to commit the acts of sin. We are also to RECKON (as God does) that we are living as resurrected Saints who have been given NEWNESS OF LIFE (Rom. 6:4) after our death with Christ on Calvary.

Continuing with the subject of what happens at salvation, we find that we are COMMISSIONED TO BE AMBASSADORS. Second Corinthians 5:20 tells us that "WE ARE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST." This exalted position is for the purpose that we might speak in Christ's stead (with His authority), beseeching the unsaved to
be reconciled to God.

1) RECONCILE means CHANGE, RECONCILIATION means to change from enmity to friendship.

Reconciliation is an act that God accomplishes in exercising His Grace toward sinful man on the grounds of the death of Christ. Men, in their sinful condition and alienation from God are invited to be reconciled to Him; that is to say, to change their attitude and accept the provision God has made whereby their sins can be remitted and they themselves be justified in His sight

Romans 5:10 expresses his in another way. In this verse we read: "FOR IF, WHILE WE WERE ENEMIES, WE WERE RECONCILED TO GOD THROUGH THE DEATH OF HIS SON...."The term , "ENEMIES" not only expresses man's hostile attitude to God but signifies that until this change of attitude takes place, men are under condemnation, exposed to God's wrath.

We must always remember that the enmity is on our part, not God's. Never will we find that God is reconciled to man; rather, it is man who needs to be reconciled to God. That is, man is the one who needs to have his enmity removed and change his attitude so that friendship can be restored between him and his Creator.

As Ambassadors for Christ, or ministry is to encourage others to receive God's forgiveness and salvation so that their natural enmity toward God can be changed to one of friendship and worship.
_______________________________

[nChrist]

From Condemnation to Glory - Part 4 of 5
Pastor Marvin Duncan

Let us keep in mind that God has not asked us to be SUCCESSFUL in our ministry for Him. He has only asked us TO BE FAITHFUL. We see this in First Corinthians 4:2.

BLESSED WITH ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS (Ephesians 1:3). One of the distinctive elements between this present dispensation and the former one is that of the blessings promised for each one. In the former dispensation all the blessings were physical and material. Israel was to be blessed in the Millennium by having abundant crops and an increase in the productivity of their hands, as well as extended life and no sickness (Isaiah 5:20-25; Ezekiel 36:29-30). All of Israel's blessings will be experienced on the earth and in a physical or material way.

The members of the Body of Christ live in a SPIRITUAL DISPENSATION. That is, everything about this dispensation is in the Spiritual realm. We have a SPIRITUAL SALVATION, A SPIRITUAL BAPTISM, and we walk by THE SPIRIT. We have no promises of any physical or material blessings in this earthly life for our hope for all eternity is to dwell in the heavenlies, reigning with Christ and being blessed with all the SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS that God can bestow upon one of His creatures.

BECAUSE WE ARE SAVED, WE ARE

1). ACCEPTED ( Ephesians 1:6)

Because of our inherited SIN NATURE, we are, at birth, separated from God and outside His favor. Because of our position of being IN CHRIST, we have become ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED (One). This means we have been made as close to the Father as the Son is.

Nothing has changed as to our physical or moral condition from what we were before we accepted Christ as our Savior. The only thing that has happened is that now we are IN CHRIST and from God's point of view, we have been made as RIGHTEOUS, as MORAL, as KIND and as LOVING as Christ is. It is because of what we have been made IN CHRIST that we have become ACCEPTABLE by the Father.

Being ACCEPTABLE means we have ACCESS to the Throne of God at any time without being personally invited to approach God. Being ACCEPT- ED means we will be HEARD when we speak to God. Being ACCEPTED means we will receive God's attention when we have any need or make any request of Him. Notice His promise to us in Ephesians 3:20. He will do EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL THAT WE ASK OR THINK .

2). BELOVED (Colossians 3:1).

Because we have been accepted in the BELOVED ONE, we also become BELOVED by being IN HIM. Notice that everything we have as the Saints of God is because of our being in Christ, not because of anything good in ourselves.

Being BELOVED means we are the "APPLE OF HIS EYE" and when He looks upon us, He is moved by His compassion and love to give us the BEST heaven contains.

The LOVE with which God loves us is a love that is motivated to GIVE to the object of that love the best that can be given for the beloved one's good. The kind of love we know as human beings is a selfish love that wants to GET from the one that is loved

3). CALLED (Romans 8:28 ).

To be CALLED means to be selected by name. God has selected us INDIVIDUALLY and has CALLED us ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.
_____________________________________

[nChrist]

From Condemnation to Glory - Part 5 of 5
Pastor Marvin Duncan

In this Romans eight passage, we find there are FOUR THINGS involved in God's PURPOSE.

A. PREDESTINED.
B. CALLED.
C. JUSTIFICATION.
D. GLORIFICATION.

A) From the standpoint of PREDESTINATION, we find this word used twice in Paul's epistles. The first time is in Romans 8:29. Here we find the Holy Spirit tells us exactly what has been pre-determined by God. That which was pre-determined was that the Saints would be CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF GOD'S SON. This promise was made to the members of THE BODY OF CHRIST (God's Church of this dispensation of His Grace). Everyone who is saved in this dispensation are members of the Body of Christ and as such have been conformed to the image of God's Son ( Jesus Christ).

The second time this word is found is in Ephesians 1:5 where Paul speaks of the Saints of this dispensation being PREDESTINED unto the ADOPTION OF SONS.

This activity make each believer an HEIR in God's family and causes him to INHERIT all that God has created. By becoming a Son in God's family, we become JOINT - HEIRS with Christ (Romans 8:17).

b) The word JUSTIFIED means to be DECLARED RIGHTEOUS. The picture this word portrays is that of a Sinner who has been before the Throne of God, expecting to hear God's Judgment being poured out, but instead we hear God say, I declare this one to be RIGHTEOUS- just as righteous as My Son.

Some individuals would have us believe we can find the meaning of the word justified by saying it means being in the place I'd be in JUST AS IF'D I NEVER SINNED. This isn't true. To be in the position I'd be in IF I'D NEVER SINNED, leaves me INNOCENT but not RIGHTEOUS. Justification does more than leaving me innocent, it makes me RIGHTEOUS.

c) GLORIFICATION means to be made into the image of Christ in His PERFECTION. We will have the same glory that Christ will have as the Head of the Body of Christ. We will be LIKE CHRIST in His Resurrected Perfection.

CHANGED (Second Corinthians 5:17).

To be CHANGED means to become something completely different from what we were before the change took place. Several things are changed at the moment a son of Adam receives the salvation that is in Christ Jesus.

1. The son of Adam who receives God's salvation becomes a Son of God.

2. The son of Adam who receives the salvation that is in Christ Jesus is CHANGED into a NEW CREATION. That is, he is no longer a SINNER, but has become a SAINT.