Tag: Emmanuel Pentecostal Church

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Daily Devotion July 4th

SATURDAY 4th

Psalm 105

This is now the 105th devotion, my computer that I am using to type out the devotions says that up to the end of this devotion I will have used 108,784 words, this includes the songs I have included at the end of each one and it is 308 A4 pages. If I remove the songs it comes to 94,208 words. That is an average of 897 words per devotion.

The devotions have been sent out via email or text message to 47 contacts, which are reaching an even larger number of individuals, printed and posted to three more and has been posted every day on WordPress which has had 457 views over the period of time and a devotion has been read at least once in 2 countries, more than once in seven and over 390 times in the UK. The countries reached have been UK, Philippines, USA, Hungary, India, Russia, Pakistan, South Africa, UAE, Australia and Romania

At the same time, the weekly videos which we eventually got up and running have been reaching additional listeners. So the Church may have been in lockdown, in that we have not been able to gather together, but we have still had a voice in the world around us, and along with every other effort that has been made by Churches around the world, the gospel has continued to be shared, the Word of God has continued to be preached and taught and many needs have been met. To God be the glory.

In the Psalm which I have obviously chosen because it is the only chapter 105 in Scripture, it starts by saying ‘Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!’ I trust that when we do return to gather together that we will rejoice when we hear of the deeds the Lord has been doing among his people during what has been a lengthy and difficult time, for in it all God has been faithful, he cannot be anything else, because it is one of his characteristics.

V2 continues ‘Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!’ at the moment it would seem that the ongoing restrictions will prevent public singing, but in our hearts we can sing and rejoice.

The whole subject of this Psalm is of how the Lord has worked out his plan and purpose for the nation of Israel through slavery, exodus, and arrival into the land promised, it is a song that declares the goodness of God, his covenant keeping promises and his fulfilling what he intended to do, through whatever the circumstances may have been in which the Children of Israel found themselves in.  

We need to constantly remind ourselves that God is in control, he wasn’t caught unaware when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, and through the months in which we have gone down a road that we have never been before, God has been with us, individually, collectively as families, locally as a Church family and universally as the Church which is the body of Christ. He has been continually working out his purpose, as Job says in Job 42:2 ‘I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.’ God is in control.

Way back as it now seems to be on Sunday March 22nd, the Scripture that I used to commence these devotions was Psalm 147 ‘Great is our LORD, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.’ We may not fully understand the way that we have had to go during these last few months, but God knows, we trust him, and as we slowly come out of the lockdown, and as the restrictions will be eventually lifted, we will move forward as a local Church, strengthened and renewed in our determination to be the local Church that he wants us to be as we seek to reach the community around us.

Thank you for your prayerful and encouraging support during this time toward one another as a Church family. As we start a new week, from tomorrow I will be taking a slighter different route with the devotions and will concentrate on bringing some devotional thoughts from the gospel of John.

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with thee;

Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not

As thou hast been thou forever wilt be.

Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed thy hand hath provided

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

CCLI788682

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Daily Devotion July 3rd

FRIDAY 3rd

Psalm 1

There is a sense in which this short psalm follows on with the same thought that yesterday’s devotion was all about, being different as believers, and it does except for the fact that chronologically it comes long before Paul wrote his Roman letter.

This has always been one of my favourite psalms, I have probably only ever preached from it a handful of times, but what it has to say has often come up in my preaching. My grandfather was a lay preacher, and a retired elder in the local Church which I also attended where I was the leading elder, and he always had words of encouragement to give me and supported me in every way. I asked him if he would like to speak in our mid-week Bible Study and he did, he was around 90 or 91 at the time, and had suffered a couple of small strokes and I remember him getting up and he preached note free from this short psalm. But what I can say about my grandfather is this, he lived or practised what he preached!

This psalm is a challenge to all of us who claim to be followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, are we living out what we claim to be? Are we practising what we preach?

It is linked with yesterday’s devotion because it is all about our being different to unbelievers in the kind of lifestyle that we have. It is connected to those who we choose to walk with, stand with, or sit with, or rather those who we choose not to walk with, stand with and sit with!  Psalm 1:1 ‘Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers . . .’

The word ‘blessed’ is linked to verses 3-4 and 6, for what we decide in regard to verse 1 and 2  leads to whether or not we are like a tree planted by streams of water, fruitful, prospering, and in the righteous ways of the Lord.

Now, it is important when looking at this psalm to notice that it does not say that we should have nothing to do with the unrighteous, that is we should not spend time with them, etc. It’s language infers that it means that we do not participate in what they do that would be unwholesome or unhealthy toward our Christian lifestyle and testimony.

See, if we do not mix with unbelievers, then we have no opportunity to let them see that we are different! We will have no opportunity to share with them what they most need which is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We will not be able to be the light in the immediate darkness around us or the salt in the world around us that needs salting with the gospel. It is a sad fact, that many Christians have become so insular that they have no friends that are unbelievers!

Now of course, I say all this with caution, because I do believe that there are some places we should never attend or go to as believers, there are activities that we should never be involved in as believers, but what I am sharing is that we are not called to isolate ourselves away like monks or nuns in case we get tainted, rather we should be looking for ways in which we can influence and infiltrate with the good news of the gospel. We need to be cautious, as Jesus says, wise as serpents and gentle as doves, (Matthew 10:16) at all times seeking in any way and with every opportunity to share the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, either by witness or testimony, by sharing the gospel with words or showing the gospel by our lives. One of the most astounding things we read about Jesus was that he spent time with the publicans and sinners! (For example, Luke 15:1-2 ‘Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’’

So far, I have missed out the most important part of this chapter, it is found in verse 2 ‘but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.’ I believe that if we follow this practise of meditating upon the law (or the Word) of the LORD, and this requires us to be reading it to be able to meditate upon it, it will determine our motives in everything else that we will do. Our meditation of the Word will impact our lives and our living and as a result will help us to make the right lifestyle choices, it will have an effect upon our desires and the decisions we will make as to whether we can sit in certain places, stand in certain places or even walk with certain people. (See Psalm 119:1-9)

If the ‘Word’ delights us, we will be careful with the company that we keep, and with our walk and with our talk. Because if we want to practise what we preach, then what we preach should only be a reflection of what we practise, and what we practise and preach should be a reflection of who Jesus is and what he means to us. Therefore, the more Christlike we become, the more effective our walk and testimony will be.

The following hymn came to my mind a few days ago and I include just the first two verses.

I want my life to be all filled with praise to thee,

My precious Lord divine who died for me,

Let all my will be thine, controlled by thy love divine,

Live out in me thy life, O mighty Saviour.

Thy blessed will divine, with joy I make it mine,

My heart shall be thy throne, and thine alone,

Choose thou the path I tread and whither I am led,

Help me to follow on, O Mighty Saviour.

CCLI788682

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Daily Devotion July 2nd

THURSDAY 2nd

Romans 6

WANTED – Dead and Alive!

No, the title is not a mistake, I know the old Western posters used to say, ‘Wanted dead or alive’ but for our devotion it is ‘Wanted Dead and Alive’!

Why? Because it is the perfect description as to how we should be as Christians. Dead to sin and Alive to Christ.

Roman 6 is a well-known chapter, often used at a water baptismal service, in the ESV that I use the heading says at the commencement of the chapter ‘Dead to sin, Alive to God,’ and that is what baptism is all about, it is signifying that we have died to sin, the old flesh, nature  and have been raised to new life in Christ Jesus. It is a symbolic act of what 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.’

Here in Romans 6 verse 4 we have, ‘We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.’

These verses along with many other Scriptures clearly show that if we have been born again by the Spirit of God a definite change should have happened in our lives as believers. We should be transformed, we should be living differently, we should be to use an old-fashioned word ‘holy’ or at least holier than what we were and striving to become even more holy, Christlike. In other words, my lifestyle should be different to what I was and to the lifestyle of an unbeliever.

In Romans 6 Paul shows us how different we should be, our old self should be crucified, dead, and as a result the body of sin should be brought to nothing and we should no longer be enslaved to sin, we should have been set free from it. This then leads to us being united to Christ, alive in Christ and sharing in his resurrection.

I mentioned that the word ‘holy’ has almost become an old fashioned word, in that often today there seems to be a ‘light Christianity’ being preached, it’s almost like just lift your hand up or sign a card and you are saved. Rather than a presentation of the full gospel which requires the unbeliever to be moved by conviction, which in turn leads to genuine repentance and then on to a genuine transformation, where the old truly is gone and the new has come, repentance and salvation that really does mean that an individual is dead to sin and alive to Christ.

God does require us to be both dead and alive, God does expect us to live differently as his children who are walking in his Kingdom than what we did when we walked in the kingdom of darkness. Paul puts it in another way in his letter to the church at Galatia, (Galatians 5) he talks to them about either walking in the flesh or walking in the Spirit. We cannot walk in both ways, we cannot try to pick and mix, we must walk in the one way or the other.

We are living in difficult days, and days where there is so much peer pressure especially within the younger generation. There is so much to distract the believer today, we are living in a pleasure and leisure filled and seeking age, and there is nothing wrong with either unless there are activities or things within them that would distract us in our Christian walk, or would be a means towards diverting us in our Christian walk.

The teaching of Scripture is that we should be seeking to walk and to live in a way that is pleasing to God, and this should be more important to us than our seeking after pleasure, especially pleasure that is questionable.

May God help us to respond to the heading I started with, by being willing to be found, not wanting, but dead to sin and alive to Christ.

Dying with Jesus, by death reckoned mine;

Living with Jesus, a new life divine;

Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine,

Moment by moment, O Lord, I am thine.

Moment by moment I’m kept in his love;

Moment by moment I’ve life from above;

Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine;

Moment by moment, O Lord, I am thine.

Never a trial that he is not there,

Never a burden that he doth not bear,

Never a sorrow that he doth not share,

Moment by moment, I’m under his care.

Never a heartache, and never a groan,

Never a teardrop, and never a moan;

Never a danger but there on the throne,

Moment by moment he thinks of his own.

Never a weakness that he doth not feel,

Never a sickness that he cannot heal;

Moment by moment, in woe or in weal,

Jesus my Saviour abides with me still.

D Whittle CCLI788682

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Daily Devotion July 1st

WEDNESDAY July 1st

Revelation 5 – CROWNS – Part 2

We continue from yesterday:

Paul often uses language that speaks of us running a race, reaching the finishing line and winning the prize, (see Galatians 2:2, Philippians 2:16, 2 Timothy 2:5, 4:7) the Hebrew writer encourages us in the same way in Hebrews 12:1-2 ‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.’

I have written a lot over the last two devotions to get to this point which is a question? What is going to happen to our crowns?

I cannot recall that I have ever competed in anything to have won and been presented with a crown, trophy, laurel or wreath, but if I had I would have made sure it was somewhere up on display! I have won some competitions, won a few prizes but never had a memento to display, other than perhaps a certificate.

What is my answer to the question, what is going to happen with the crowns? because one thing is for sure we will not have a cabinet to display them in in heaven? I think that the answer (and it is my own personal view) lies in Revelation chapter 4.

In verse 4 we read ‘Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.’

Notice, they had their crowns on their heads, but they then did something with them,  we see this in verse 10-11 ‘the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.’

They cast their crowns at the feet of the Lord Jesus! In other words, in heaven it will all be about what it should all be about here on earth – all about Jesus! All the praise, honour, glory, worship, adoration goes to him because without him we would still be lost, still in our sin, it is only because of his redeeming grace that we can be who we are and what we are. And it will only be because of his redeeming grace that we will be found around the throne! Everything we receive, including our crowns, will be cast at his feet so that all the glory goes to him.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 ‘For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;  God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’

Revelation 5:12-14 ‘Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing! And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might forever and ever! And the four living creatures said, Amen! and the elders fell down and worshiped.’

Now, if we are going to cast our crowns at the feet of Jesus, we could be sceptical and say then why bother to get them? Well, this one thing is sure, when I get into the presence of Jesus, I do not want to appear empty handed, that would be a sign of spiritual laziness, I need to do something here on earth to be able to cast something before him in heaven!

Charles Wesley sums it up for us in the last verses of this hymn, ‘till we cast our crowns before thee.’

Love divine, all loves excelling,

Joy of Heav’n to earth come down,

Fix in us thy humble dwelling,

All thy faithful mercies crown!

Jesus, thou art all compassion,

Pure unbounded love thou art,

Visit us with thy salvation,

Enter every trembling heart.

Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit,

Into every troubled breast!

Let us all in thee inherit,

Let us find that second rest.

Take away our bent to sinning,

Alpha and Omega be,

End of faith, as its beginning,

Set our hearts at liberty.

Come, Almighty to deliver,

Let us all thy life receive,

Suddenly return and never,

Never more thy temples leave.

Thee we would be always blessing,

Serve thee as thy hosts above,

Pray and praise thee without ceasing,

Glory in thy perfect love.

Finish, then, thy new creation,

Pure and spotless let us be.

Let us see thy great salvation

Perfectly restored in thee,

Changed from glory into glory,

Till in Heav’n we take our place,

Till we cast our crowns before thee,

Lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Charles Wesley CCLI788682

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Daily Devotion June 30th

TUESDAY 30th

James 1:1-16 – CROWNS – Part One

In one of our devotions last week (Friday) I mentioned verse 12 of James 1 ‘Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.’

James mentions the ‘crown of life’. In this devotion I want to look at the verses in Scripture that mention crowns in relation to the Christian life.

We have the crown of life

James 1:12 ‘Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.’

Revelation 2:10 ‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.’

We have the crown of righteousness

2 Timothy 4:8 ‘Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.’

We have the crown of glory

1 Peter 5:4 ‘And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.’

We have the incorruptible crown (in the ESV it is an imperishable wreath)

1 Corinthians 9:25 ‘Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.’

1 Corinthians 9:25 (NIV) ‘Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.’

There is a warning to hold fast so as not to lose the crown

Revelation 3:11 ‘I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.’

And Paul considered those who were under his pastoral care to be his crown, a crown of rejoicing

Philippians 4:1 ‘Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.’

1 Thessalonians 2:19 ‘For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?’

When we read of these crowns, they are not crowns as we see a king or queen wearing signifying authority, but rather as the ESV translates the word in 1 Corinthians 9:25 as wreaths or laurels that would have been given to competitors who have completed and won a race, or like a trophy presented to someone who has achieved something.

In Malachi we are told about a book of remembrance, Malachi 3:16 ‘Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name.’ later in Scripture we are told that a day of judgement is coming for all men (and women) and on that day the books will be opened, Revelation 20:12 ‘And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.’ And in 2 Corinthians 5:10 ‘For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.’

Is one of the books that will be opened the book of remembrance?  I wonder what will be recorded down about each one of us, thankfully some of what has been written about us will be blotted out, everything that happened pre-conversion will be blotted out because it will have been forgiven as we saw in the devotion June 18th (Acts 3:19) but what about post-conversion, well, the Scripture also tells us that if we confess our sin he is faithful and just to forgive us of that sin, (1 John 1:9) so every confessed sin will be blotted out, but what about the things we should have done and didn’t do, or the things we have done that we should not have done?  The Scripture says that ‘we will receive what is due according to what we have done . . .’ Let us be clear that if we have kept the faith and run the race we will not lose or forfeit salvation, but we can lose out on our eternal reward! What is written in the book of life determines our eternal destination, (Revelation 20:15) and what is written in the books that will be opened will determine our eternal reward, that is, what crown, crowns or laurels, winners wreaths, reward we will receive. That is why what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 is so important. ‘Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.’

Jesus also taught of reward in his parable of the talents, being rewarded according to what we have done with anything that he has entrusted to us in our Christian ministry (Matthew 25)

We will continue this theme tomorrow:

Living for Jesus a life that is true,

Striving to please him in all that I do;

Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,

This is the pathway of blessing for me.

O Jesus, Lord and Saviour, I give myself to thee,

For thou, in thine atonement, didst give thyself for me;

I own no other Master, my heart shall be thy throne,

My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for thee alone.

Living for Jesus who died in my place,

Bearing on Calv’ry my sin and disgrace;

Such love constrains me to answer his call,

Follow his leading and give him my all.

Living for Jesus wherever I am,

Doing each duty in His holy name,

Willing to suffer affliction and loss,

Deeming each trial a part of my cross.

Living for Jesus through earth’s little while,

My dearest treasure, the light of his smile,

Seeking the lost ones he died to redeem,

Bringing the weary to find rest in him.

T O Chisholm CCLI788682

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Daily Devotion June 29th

MONDAY 29th

Psalm 100

I have chosen Psalm 100 as our reading today because it is the only chapter 100 in Scripture. Secondly to tie in with the number 100, for today’s devotion is number 100!

It feels like we have been in a cricket match and it is one hundred, not out!

Who would have thought that when I sent out the first devotion on Sunday March 22nd that I would still be doing it 100 days later? I certainly did not expect it, I thought maybe for three weeks, four at the most.

But God has been faithful, and during this period of lockdown we can still ‘Make a joyful noise to the Lord . . . for the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.’

Thank you to all for your encouragement during this period.

Over the period of the devotions I have made many references to sheep and this short psalm reminds us that ‘we are his people and the sheep of his pasture’.

Over the period of lockdown we have been like scattered sheep, unable to come into the Church as a gathered flock, isolated in our homes and yet we have been able to remain in contact through all the various means available. We pray that very soon we will be able to flock together again for corporate worship, prayer, ministry and in the breaking of bread.

One of the greatest assets that a shepherd has is that of his faithful friend, the sheepdog. Often when the sheep are scattered especially in areas of moorland where it is difficult for the shepherd to traverse, the sheepdog becomes an essential companion, he can go to the parts the shepherd can’t reach and help in rounding the sheep up together so that the shepherd can deal with anything that needs doing.

As we have been like scattered sheep, it has not been possible to visit, but I pray that these devotions along with the phone calls, messages, videos etc. that we have all been involved in will have been like the sheep dog, drawing us together and keeping us together in the spiritual bond of unity through this difficult time.

But most of all we give thanks to The Shepherd, who has been watching over us, the one who has helped us to keep it together when at times things may have felt tough and difficult.

It will pass, we will eventually (hopefully soon) be able to gather again, and when that moment comes may we ‘enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise’.

Thank you again for your prayers and support toward me as pastor, but also toward each other, may we come out of this crisis with a renewed confidence and trust in the Lord, ready for him to do new and great things amongst us.

 Faithful God, faithful God,

All-sufficient one, I worship you.

Shalom my peace,

My strong deliverer,

I lift you up,

Faithful God.

Chris Bowater CCLI788682

Lord, I come before your throne of grace,

I find rest in your presence

And fulness of joy.

In worship and wonder

I behold your face,

Singing what a faithful God have I.

What a faithful God have I,

What a faithful God.

What a faithful God have I,

Faithful in every way.

Lord of mercy, you have heard my cry;

Through the storm you’re the beacon,

My song in the night.

In the shelter of your wings,

Hear my heart’s reply,

Singing what a faithful God have I.

Lord all sovereign, granting peace from heaven,

Let me comfort those who suffer

With the comfort you have given.

I will tell of Your great love for as long as I live,

Singing what a faithful God have I.

CCLI788682

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Daily Devotion June 28th

SUNDAY 28th

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

We will return to where I left off yesterday, the amazing transformation that is going to take place at the moment of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Incidentally, if in doubt about a possible future rapture or being caught up as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, do not forget it has happened before! Remember a few weeks ago we looked at Enoch, who was not, because God took him. (Genesis 5:24) Elijah who was taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire, witnessed by Elisha (2 Kings 2:11-12) and Jesus was taken up (Acts 1:11) – Jesus knew the wonder of resurrection and rapture! As a result, we who believe in him will experience one or the other, depending on whether we are dead in Christ (resurrection) or living in Christ when he returns. (Rapture)

What is the transformation that is going to take place? Read what Paul has to say, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 ‘Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory.’

Paul says ‘we shall be changed’ in these few verses he is saying or declaring what is to be factual in the future, that is that the perishable shall be transformed into imperishable, and the mortal shall be transformed into immortality. It will be the final moment when death will be ultimately defeated, swallowed up in victory. Understand this, that once we have gone through this transformation, death will never haunt us again, we will live for ever, spiritually, and in the new resurrection body.

In the Scripture we read the accounts of men and woman who had died but through the means of a miracle had been raised from the dead, but the problem was that they would all have to face death again! When Lazarus came out of the tomb all wrapped up, once the grave clothes had been taken off he might just as well have washed them and packed them in a bag and kept them in a cupboard, because he would have to use them again one day. When Jesus arose from the dead, the grave clothes were folded and left where his body had lain, Jesus could have put a note on them, free to anyone who wants them, because I will not need them again, because he was raised to the power of an endless life.

Let us remind ourselves regarding our loved ones who have died in Christ, the place where we have laid their earthly remains is only temporal! They will rise again, and we will meet them in that meeting in the air.

And this incredible transformation that will take place when Jesus comes again, means that we will be transformed or changed from the earthly and natural to the heavenly and spiritual. From perishable to imperishable, from immortal to immortality. As in Adam we all die, so in Christ shall we all be made alive.

In verse 42-44 of 1 Corinthians 15 Paul says, ‘So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.’ And the same transformation will happen to the bodies of those who are alive when Jesus comes again.

I want us to note the word used there in those verses, ‘it is raised in glory’. This is where I had intended to be back three days ago when I mentioned in the devotion those words ‘from glory to glory he’s changing me’ but I have got carried away with the excitement of it all!

Here on earth we have bodies that are fallen, fragile, life is futile (especially outside of Christ). Should the Lord tarry we will all go the same way, the way of death, and Paul says when we are buried, we are sown in dishonour. But the good news is that we will be raised in GLORY!

We are going to know the fullness or the completion of our redemption!

Face to face with Christ, my Saviour,

Face to face—what will it be,

When with rapture I behold him,

Jesus Christ who died for me?

Face to face I shall behold him,

Far beyond the starry sky;

Face to face in all his glory,

I shall see him by and by!

Only faintly now I see him,

With the darkened veil between,

But a blessed day is coming,

When his glory shall be seen.

What rejoicing in his presence,

When are banished grief and pain;

Death is swallowed up in vict’ry,

And the dark things shall be plain.

Face to face—oh, blissful moment!

Face to face—to see and know;

Face to face with my Redeemer,

Jesus Christ who loves me so.

Mrs Frank Beck CCLI788682

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Devotions

Daily Devotion June 27th

SATURDAY 27th

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Does anyone remember this old song?

‘There’s going to be a meeting in the air,

in the sweet, sweet bye and bye,

I’m going to meet you, meet you over there,

in the home beyond the sky,

such singing there will be,

never heard by mortal ear,

‘twill be glorious I do declare,

for God’s own Son, will be the leading one,

in the meeting in the air!

I remember it vividly, being sang especially at the annual conventions we used to have in Hereford, because my late grandfather used to be the song leader, and I can see him waving his arms around with all the effort he could to get the song sung with full gusto. The song speaks of something future, it is a song that is seeking to portray something of what will happen after the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ when the redeemed of the Lord will be assembled in praise and worship around the throne. (Revelation 5) It is going to be amazing, but immediately prior to that meeting in the air something else is going to happen and to quote Scripture it will happen ‘in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye’. (1 Corinthians 15:52) (‘in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye’ NIV)

It is what we call the resurrection of the dead in Christ and the rapture of the living believers at the second coming of Jesus. Now, I am not going to use this devotion to go through all the varying views concerning the timing of the second coming, except to say that my personal view is that of pre-tribulation and pre-millennial.

Jesus is coming again, he promised he would and that is good enough for me, he also said that when he came again he would take the disciples to be where he was going to, which was to where his Father was. (John 14) This promise also stands for those of us who have subsequently come to faith. Paul tells us how Jesus is coming again and what will happen, or how he will take us to be with himself, it is either via resurrection from the grave or by being snatched, taken up. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 ‘For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.’

During the week, I was having a conversation with a man who I had never met before, I was out walking and videoing the birds and he had seen me with my camera and enquired what the bird was up in the top of the tree. After telling him, the conversation continued, and he recommended to me a place to go to for a walk with the camera. I said I would need to write it down as I didn’t really know the area and would forget and so I got my phone out and typed the place in. The conversation continued and a few minutes later, he said, ‘I don’t think you have heard me right, it must be our accents,’ and proceeded to tell me the name of the place again. ‘Ah,’ I said, and repeated it and so the place name was changed. However a few minutes later he said ‘I still don’t think you have heard me correctly,’ and again sought to tell me the name of the place and yes he was right I had heard it wrong so a third attempt was made and I finally had the correct name. Initially I heard him say with his ‘very difficult’ to understand northern accent (difficult to me!) something like ‘Cler Bank’ He had actually said Clay Bank, I heard Claire Bank, then Clear Bank before finally getting to Clay Bank.

When it comes to what Paul has to say in 1 Thessalonians 4 concerning the second coming, we cannot mishear it, we do not need Paul to repeat it two or three times, the information is very clear and precise. Let us break it up:

The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel

At the same time there will be the sound of the trumpet of God

The dead in Christ will rise first

We who are alive, who are left will be caught up into the clouds

Together (the dead that have just been raised and the alive who have been caught up) will meet the Lord in the air

And so we will always be – that is with the Lord

That’s cler, ah no, that’s Claire, oh no, that’s clay, silly me, that is clear!

What will happen, which we reminded ourselves earlier will happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye and will be incredible. Imagine it, the dead being raised. I’m one of those who likes to walk around graveyards reading the tomb stones, and am amazed at the amount of effort that has gone into some of the massive slabs of stone or concrete covering them, and in a jiffy, at the shout and trumpet blast the bodies of those who have died in Christ are going to break through whatever has been placed upon the tomb, and as they ascend through the soil, concrete or stone, we the living believers are going to join with them and ascend into the presence of Jesus. Surely this is something worth getting excited about! And, in that instant an incredible transformation is going to take place. It is this transformation which was intended to be my subject today but I have gone the way I have and so we will have to continue tomorrow.

Let us get excited about the amazing future we have in Christ, a future that will last throughout the countless ages of eternity. There is going to be a meeting in the air, will I see you there?

You have heard of little Moses in the bulrush,

You have heard of fearless David and his sling,

You have heard the story told of dreaming Joseph,

And of Jonah and the whale you often sing.

There are many, many others through the Bible.

I should like to meet them all, I do declare!

By and by the Lord will surely let us meet them

At the meeting in the air.

There is going to be a meeting in the air,

In the sweet, sweet by and by,

I am going to meet you, meet you over there

In that home beyond the sky.

Such singing you will hear, never heard by mortal ear,

‘Twill be glorious, I do declare!

And God’s own Son will be the leading one

At the meeting in the air.

Many things will there be missing, in that meeting,

For the mourner’s bench will have no place at all,

There will never be a sermon preached to sinners,

For the sinner had refused to heed the call.

There will be no mourning over wayward loved ones,

There will be no lonely nights of pleading prayer,

All our burdens and our anguish will be lifted

At the meeting in the air.

There the doubters will be missing altogether,

All the sceptic will be absent on that day,

There will be no grumblers present to disturb us,

And the Achans will be busy far away.

There the saints will have His seal upon their foreheads,

Dressed in raiment none but ransomed ones can wear,

All who have the wedding garments will be present

At the meeting in the air.

CCLI788682

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Devotions

Daily Devotion June 26th

FRIDAY 26th

2 Corinthians 4

Yesterday I touched on the subject of being victorious in our suffering, in today’s devotion I want to enlarge further by looking at what Scripture says about our present suffering and place it in the context of what Paul says in this chapter, that is, that whatever we go through will be outweighed by that which is eternally prepared for us. Verses 16-18 ‘So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.’

In his earlier letter to the Corinthian believers Paul had written ‘But, as it is written, What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.’ (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Now we know that God has prepared for us in the present, that is everything that is wrapped up in our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ which we are blessed with today, but he has also prepared for us in the future, that which is yet unseen but will be revealed when we enter into his eternal presence. Jesus in one of his parables indicates this in Matthew 25:34 ‘Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ James talks of the crown of life that is promised and therefore is prepared for those who remain steadfast in trials. (James 1:12)

The verses before us today remind us that though the outward is perishing, that is our mortal flesh, the inner man which has been made anew by the Spirit of God is being renewed daily. In other words, outwardly we are aging and decaying, it doesn’t matter how much anti-aging remedies we may be using to try to stop it, we will fail! Yet at the same time inwardly, we are being renewed and to use the words of Paul again we are being changed from glory to glory, 2 Corinthians 3:18 ‘And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.’

Now it may seem strange to speak of us being changed from glory to glory, as we always ascribe glory as being related to the Godhead, but in the context here it is talking of us who have been redeemed, becoming more like Christ, the more we are renewed inwardly the more we are being changed to become like Christ. The NIV brings this out ‘And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.’

I remember as a young lad our Church often singing the chorus:

From glory to glory He’s changing me,

Changing me, changing me.

His likeness and image to perfect in me.

The love of God shown to the world.

For He’s changing, changing me,

From earthly things to the heavenly.

His likeness and image to perfect in me,

The love of God shown to the world.

It’s a wonderful thought that as Christians, although we are aging outwardly, losing all the youthful features and good looks (if we had them in the first place) something more wonderful is happening inwardly, we are becoming more like Christ. This is the work of sanctification taking place. But there is more good news, the aging, decaying body is not going to be left out of the process of glory! For, that which is temporal, will one day be made anew, and clothed with that which will be eternal. There is going to be an eternal glory, again as a lad I can remember the preachers talking of our justification, sanctification and our glorification, glorification is not only our becoming more Christlike, but also our being changed from temporal to eternal, from momentarily to eternal, from decay to eternal and it is Paul again who brings the wonder of this truth to us in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verses 35-49, I quote here verses 42-49 ‘So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.’

I quote Paul again from 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 ‘For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.’ (Did you notice prepared again)

We will continue to look at the resurrection of the body in the next devotion, but may we be encouraged and reminded today with the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:11 ‘If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.’

What is at present is temporal, but what will be, will be eternal, no more sickness, no more suffering, no more pain, no more decaying, no more aging, no more dying, instead we will be entering eternally into the joy and the presence of the Lord.

There’s a place where the streets shine

With the glory of the Lamb

There’s a way we can go there

We can live there, beyond time

Because of You, because of You

Because of Your love, because of Your blood

No more pain no more sadness

No more suffering, no more tears

No more sin, no more sickness

No injustice, no more death

Oh, our sins are washed away

And we can live forever

Now we have this hope

Because of You

Oh, we’ll see You face to face

And we will dance together

In the city of our God

Because of You

There’ll be joy everlasting

There’ll be gladness, there’ll be peace

There’ll be wine ever flowing

There’s a wedding, there’s a feast

Matt Redman CCLI788682

Categories
Devotions

Daily Devotion June 25th

THURSDAY 25th

Romans 8:31-39

Yesterday I left this portion out of our devotion because I wanted to share it for today, v 37 says ‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.’ We are more than conquerors! But what are the ‘all these things?’ they are all the things that seek to separate us from the love of Christ. (v35) Paul lists tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or sword. It is a comprehensive list, a list that very clearly identifies so much of what was coming against the believers in the early Church.

Paul was well enough qualified to not only ask the question ‘Who shall separate us . . .’ but also to answer it. He had been through so much – and remember what he went through was already predetermined by God even before he had been converted. In Acts 9 after the Damascus road experience, God speaking about Paul (Saul) to Ananias said ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’  Did you get it? ‘how much he must suffer for the sake of my name’. Can I remind us in this devotion that if anyone preaches or teaches that true believers only suffer (including sickness) because of a lack of faith or because they have sinned in some way are teaching and preaching a lie. The Scripture is clear that in the life and ministry of Paul, he was going to suffer and not because he will have sinned, nor because he lacked faith but because it was the predetermined will of God! ‘I will show him how much he must suffer . . .’ And it happened, read the list that Paul gives us in 2 Corinthians 11:22-29 and 2 Corinthians 4:7-8 and then in 1 Corinthians 4:10-13 he says ‘We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honour, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labour, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.’ And in it and through it his faith was not weak or tottery it was strong, when he was shipwrecked in Acts 27 he was confident that God was going to not only save him and bring him safely to the shore, but everyone else who was sailing in the ship as well,(v31, 34) his faith was so strong that he could say with confidence in Romans 8 that ‘. . . in all these things we are more than conquerors . . . neither death nor life . . . will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

I must of course put on record that yes sin does cause suffering, and bring on sickness, we only have to look at the addict or alcoholic, but if I am suffering as a firm believer in the Lord Jesus Christ it doesn’t mean it is because I am sinning, nor does it mean I lack faith, but what it most definitely means is that God is allowing something and I must learn to respond in the same way that Paul did, it should bring me closer to the heart of God, it should bring me into a deeper relationship with him, it should cause my faith to be strengthened because God is faithful and his Word says, ‘No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.’ (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Yesterday our subject was victorious and Paul in Romans 8:31-39 reminds us that positioned in Christ, in and through every circumstance in life we can be victorious because there is absolutely nothing that can separate us from the love of God. What about death, will this separate us from God? Absolutely not for death for the believer is the moment in which we will enter God’s eternal presence. Again, to quote Paul, he was so confident in his faith and trust in the gospel that he said, ‘For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.’ Philippians 1:21

We have been looking at the word Saviour, it is such an amazing word because it describes who Jesus is because of what he has done at Calvary. He is the Saviour, the only Saviour, because he has saved us and as Saviour he keeps us so that whatever or whomsoever would seek to comes against us, his saving grace is sufficient to keep me from falling and to bring me into his eternal presence.

I am trusting thee, Lord Jesus,

Trusting only thee;

Trusting thee for full salvation,

Great and free.

I am trusting thee for pardon;

At thy feet I bow;

For thy grace and tender mercy,

Trusting now.

I am trusting thee for cleansing

In the crimson flood;

Trusting thee to make me holy

By thy blood.

I am trusting thee to guide me;

Thou alone shalt lead;

Every day and hour supplying

All my need.

I am trusting thee for power,

Thine can never fail;

Words which thou thyself shalt give me

Must prevail.

I am trusting thee, Lord Jesus;

Never let me fall;

I am trusting thee forever,

And for all.

Francis R Havergal CCLI788682