The Divide of the Cross

 The Divide of the Cross

March 31, 2025

Ephesians 2:13-16

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, whomade both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.

Romans 6:6-11

6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longerbe slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin.

8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Our pastor has been preaching on the Cross the last few Sundays. That is really the heart of the gospel so there is a lot that can be said about it. Our men’s Bible study has also been reading Romans, and that epistle goes into great depth about the blood and the death of Christ and how we are to recon ourselves dead with Christ and alive in His resurrection. In Watchman Nee’s book, “The Normal Christian LIfe”, he also expounds on these topics in great detail. He wrote several chapters on these Cross. One phrase that stands out is “the divide of the Cross”.

“The divide of the Cross”. When you think about it, everything changed at the Cross. History itself was divided into B.C. and A.D. You can see the change in the lives of the disciples. Simon Peter was so self assured before the Cross that he swore that he would never deny Christ, but he did, three times. After the cross, he was changed and empowered by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, he preached with great power and went on to be one of the primary leaders of the church. After the cross he was faithful to Jesus unto the point of death, when he himself was crucified. Only he was crucified upside down because he didn’t think of himself as worthy enough to be crucified in the same manner as Jesus.  The divide of the Cross.

How has your life been changed by the Cross? When you consider yourself dead with Jesus your old life passes away and you enter into a new life that extends into eternity. You need to tell people your testimony. In the book of Revelation it says that the saint overcame by the blood of the lamb the word of their testimony (Rev 12:11). There is power in your testimony when you explain to people how much you life was changed when you accepted the power of the cross into your life. The divide of the cross.

There is a lot more that could be said about this topic, but I urge you to study it yourself. Romans and Ephesians in particular explain the workings of the Blood and the Cross. We need to understand what Jesus did for us on the Cross and strive to live in a manner worthy of His sacrifice. When you follow Jesus with all of your heart, everything changes at the divide of the cross.

Revive us Again

 Revive us Again

 March 29, 2025

Psalms 85:6-13

6 Will You not Yourself revive us again,

That Your people may rejoice in You?

7 Show us Your lovingkindness, O LORD,

And grant us Your salvation.

8 I will hear what God the LORD will say;

For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones;

But let them not turn back to folly.

9 Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,

That glory may dwell in our land.

10 Lovingkindness and truth have met together;

Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

11 Truth springs from the earth,

And righteousness looks down from heaven.

12 Indeed, the LORD will give what is good,

And our land will yield its produce.

13 Righteousness will go before Him

And will make His footsteps into a way.

Revival and peace. How are they related? The psalmist lays it out in Psalm 85. He calls out the the Lord, “revive us again”, and then lists all the benefits that follow: rejoicing, loving kindness (mercy), salvation, peace, glory, truth, righteousness and fruitfulness. That’s quite a list! So Lord, revive us again. We need you, the church needs you and our nation needs you, and we need to see all the fruits that follow revival.  It first, we need to seek You. When we find You and you revive our spirits, then we can have righteousness, truth and peace. 

Ordinary Miracles

 Ordinary Miracles

March 27, 2025

Acts 19:11-12 - Miracles at Ephesus

11 God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body tothe sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out.

Acts 8:12-13

12 But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. 13 Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.

Last night at our Wednesday Bible study, Pastor Kjell was teaching on power evangelism, and he made an interesting comment about Acts 19. It says there that Paul performed extraordinary miracles at Ephesus. That brings up the question, “what are ordinary miracles?”. Similarly, in Acts 8 it records where Philip’s preaching was accompanied by signs and great miracles. So if there are great miracles, are there small miracles?

When you consider life, and I mean when you closely examine how are bodies live, it is an ordinary miracle. I studied biophysics at one time, and we studied the biochemistry of cells and the operation of DNA and other biological molecules. The living cell is a complex and wonderful machine. Each cell can take in oxygen and nutrients and convert them to living matter. It is a complex and wonderful balance of interrelated biochemical reactions, not one of which could  work without the others. It is inconceivable that any of the biochemical cycles in the living cell could have just evolved by happenstance as no one part can work without all of the others being in place. This is an ordinary miracle. Every moment and every day, we life and work without thinking about all the activity going on in our cells that keeps us alive. Perhaps, if we though a little more about it, we would feed ourselves better and not eat so much junk food that is all around us. But even with that abuse, our bodies remain remarkable healthy in most cases. Disease and disability is the exception, and that is a miracle.

God created our bodies to be healthy, so it should not surprise us that He commands us to pray for the sick. We consider it an extraordinary miracle when a grave illness is cured by prayer, but why are we surprised by that? It is our commission to preach the gospel to all the world and call the dying back to life. It should be a normal part of evangelism to pray for the sick and see them healed. The extraordinary should become ordinary as we see the Lord restore bodies back to the ordinary miracle of healthy life. It’s only extraordinary if we cease expecting the Lord to do great things. So today, expect the Lord to do ordinary miracles every time you take a breath and expect extraordinary miracles when you pray for the sick and see their diseased bodies return to the ordinary miracle of life.

Revelation of the HIdden

 Revelation of the Hidden

March 26, 2025

Psalms 19:12

12 Whocan discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.

Matthew 10:26-27

26 “Thereforedo not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.

Revelation is essential to Salvation.

The Occult must be Hidden for Evil to succeed.

First, some definitions:

Occult means hidden, invisible, secret or unknown. Keeping in the darkness.

Revelation is the act of disclosing, making known, bring into the light.

With these definitions in mind, what do I mean by the opening statements? Yesterday we were talking about the refiners fire, and today’s topic is similar. Just as the refiners fire reveals the dross, so that the refiner can skim it off, just so revelation from God exposes our sin so that it can be forgiven. The first job of the evangelist is to teach people that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” No sinner wants to believe that. They think that they are just normal people with normal foibles. It takes a revelation by God for them to acknowledge that they are indeed sinners and in need of salvation. That is the sense of Psalm 19:2 in that it is near impossible for anyone to discern his own errors but by the grace of God, they can be revealed and forgiven. Thus I say that revelation must precede salvation. The enemy traps us in sin by concealing its true nature from us. Thus the occult, or hidden, leads to evil. But when light shines into the darkness and reveals the evil concealed Therein, then salvation, forgiveness and redemption can enter in. 

This also applies the society as a whole. Occult powers seek to enslave mankind in darkness. It is the gospel of Jesus that reveals all that is hidden and brings people out of darkness into the light. Just as the silver being refines first turns ugly as the dross rises to the surface in the increasing heat, thus it is when truth and light comes into a society. We see the evil and darkness that had been hidden (occult). It is ugly, but it can only be purged from society when it is revealed. As long as it is occult (hidden), it has power to influence society because people don’t realize the dangers around them and are ensnared by the occult master’s evil plans. It is only when revelation comes that the light can drive out this darkness and society can be healed. We see this process going on around us in this age as the greed, corruption, child trafficking and human slavery is revealed for the evil that it is. Pray that the forces of the light will persevere and drive out the forces of darkness.

But first, seek the Lord for your own revelation. Jesus teaches that judgement begins in the house of the Lord, so examine your own heart and ask for forgiveness and healing for any darkness you find there. Then you will be able to speak light to your neighbor and help him come to the Lord also. Each of us has our own part in salvation and revival. So pray, repent and seek for righteousness to increase in your own heart and in those around you. Then revival can come to you and to your nation.

Refiners Fire

 Refiners Fire

March 25, 2025

Proverbs 17:3 (NASB95)

3The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests hearts.

Proverbs 25:4-5 (NASB95) 

4 Take away the dross from the silver, And there comes out a vessel for the smith; 5 Take away the wicked before the king, And his throne willbe established in righteousness.

1 Peter 1:6-7 (NASB95) 

6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of yourfaith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

MAGA, MAHA, DOGE, BREXIT, BRICS Countries… What in the world is going on today? When we look around the world today, we see all manner of fires and storms; some man made, and others seemingly natural, though some are very suspicious in origin. So why so much fire and flood and turmoil?

According to scripture, purity comes from the refiners fire. The dross in the silver doesn’t reveal itself until the heat is turned up. A silver bar can look perfectly wonderful until the heat is turned up and all that is ugly and dark begins to rise to the surface. The more dross that is skimmed off, the purer the remaining silver becomes. Does the dross complain about the heat? Of course, the dross turns dark and ugly as it is exposed but the silver could complain about the heat also, but it endures the fire because it knows that it is necessary for purification.

Therefore, we hear a lot of complaining about MAGA and DOGE, etc., but the Proverb says that through the trials, the wicked will be removed from the king and a righteous government can be established. You can not tell the righteous from the wicked until the heat is turned up. Both are apt to complain as trials are uncomfortable , but in the end, the wicked will be exposed and removed, and what remains will be pure. It’s easy to question the process while it is going on. Wildfires and floods hardly seem fair and removing criminals from society is a messy process.

According to Peter, our job through this is to greatly rejoice. The trials only last a little while in the grand scheme of things, and enduring them prove our faith and purify our soul. That is true both personally and nationally, So patience. Let the process proceed and watch the outcome of the trials. With prayer and providence, the nation as well as our own souls will be purified so that once more we can be salt and light and a city on the hill that shines forth to guide all nations. 

Diet

 Diet

March 19, 2025

Romans 14:2-3

2 One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. 3 The one who eats is not to regard withcontempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.

Romans 14:16-18

16 Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousnessand peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.

With the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, there is a lot of talk about diets lately. One says it is morally pure to eat only vegetables and observe a vegan diet, and another says that to be true to our ancestral makeup we should eat a carnivore diet. This is actually not a modern argument. The apostle Paul in Romans 14 has a lengthy discourse on diet. There was apparently a controversy in the Roman church about what a Christian should eat. There were some Jews who kept Kosher and looked down on those who ate non kosher foods. Others came from a pagan background and had been used to eating meat sacrificed to idols. There was disagreement about whether or not they should abandon that diet. I’m sure all sides of this issue thought they represented the moral high ground! Paul is instructing them that the issue is not what you eat but how you treat your brother. Living in righteousness, peace and joy is the goal, not arguing and judging one another about what you eat. 

Likewise, in our day there is much heated discussion about diets. There are undoubtedly merits in eating healthy, but what that means differs by your genetic makeup and cultural background. It is wisdom to seek the Lord’s guidance on what is the best thing for you to eat, but it is not a moral imperative to follow one diet or another. What is important is being as strong and healthy as possible so that we can serve the Lord. It is easier to serve one another joyfully when you feel good. But regardless, we need to love one another other and rejoice in the Lord.

Romans 14:17

17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

The Wisdom of Silence

 The Wisdom of Silence

March 17,2025

Proverbs 17:27-28 (NASB95) 

27 He who restrains his words has knowledge, And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. 28 Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.

Today is St. Patrick’s day, so maybe something a little lighter to consider; the wisdom of silence. Proverbs speaks much about wisdom and Proverbs 17 talks about the wisdom of keeping silent. A more American version of this proverb is as follows:

Better to keep quiet and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

This is sometimes attributed to Mark Twain or Abraham Lincoln, but there is no proof that either one actually said it. However, having grown up near Hannibal and New Salem, it is easy to imagine that either or both could have said it. It was the common ethos of that region that speaking was reserved for those rare occasions when you actually had something important to say. The way that my father put it was, “children should be seen and not heard.” This maxim was strictly enforced with a stern glare if you spoke up out of turn. “Silence is golden”, is another common expression that I grew up with, and we were blessed with long stretches of silence over the rolling plains, where actual people were few and far between. I had one Bible teacher that said he practiced preaching by speaking to the cows. I suppose I could have done that, but that seemed silly. I probably talked more to my dog and cats because I could depend upon them to listen. The dog was especially attentive, but of course the cats would just wander off and take a nap when they got bored.

So how does this relate to St. Patrick’s day, you might ask. Well it doesn’t really, though when I did first meet some Irishmen, the gift of blarney was something quite strange to me. I was amazed to discover that there are actually speak when they have nothing of importance to say! Not that this is a specifically Irish trait, but it does seem to be more common among them that it was among the German and English midwesterners that I grew up with. In fact, it was not an Irishman at all that first tried to teach me to speak more freely. One of the girls among my hippy friends in college was Swedish and she loved to try to get me to participate in “stream of conscienceless” speaking. It was very strange to me, to say the least.

The end of the matter is this, there is much wisdom in the Proverbs, so I will stick with King Solomon and the other writers of the Proverbs, and endeavor to speak with wisdom when it is appropriate and keep silent otherwise. This is the sentiment of Proverbs 15, so I will close with that.

Proverbs 15:2 (NASB95)

2 Thetongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, But the mouth of fools spouts folly.

Delight in the Lord

 Delight in the Lord

March 15, 2025

Psalms 1

1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

Nor stand in the path of sinners,

Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,

Which yields its fruit in its season

And its leaf does not wither;

And in whatever he does, he prospers.

4 The wicked are not so,

But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,

But the way of the wicked will perish.

Delighting in the Lord is a prevalent theme in the Psalms. The word delight is used 26 times in the Psalms. (Ps 1:2, 16:3, 37:4, 37:11, 40:8, 40:14, 51:17, 51: 19, 62:4, 70:2, 109:17, 111:2, 119:16, 119:24, 119:35, 119:70, 119:77, 119:92, 119:143, 119:174, 147:10).

Delighting in the law is a particular theme of Psalm 119

Psalms 119:47

47 I shall delight in Your commandments,

Which I love.

The Jewish interpretation of Psalm 1 and Psalm 119 is the constant study and meditation on the Torah. I prefer a modified interpretation based on Romans 10:

Romans 10:4

4 ForChrist is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Where “end” is to be taken not in the sense of termination, but in the sense of goal or fulfillment. Christ is the fulfillment or completion of the law, so we could read Psalm 1 as “His delight is in Christ and he meditates on Jesus day and night”. This makes more sense to me in the New Testament context. Yes we still study the written word, but our real delight and constant meditation is on the love of Jesus and the mighty things He as done for us.

Isaiah gets more to this meaning in his great messianic prophecy in chapter 11:

Isaiah 11:1-3

1Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,

And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him,

The spirit of wisdom and understanding,

The spirit of counsel and strength,

The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

3 And He will delight in the fear of the LORD,

And He will not judge by what His eyes see,

Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;

In this prophetic text, Isaiah proclaims the attributes of the coming Messiah. Because He is filled with the Holy Spirit, He delights in the fear of the Lord. And as Jesus fulfilled this prophecy, we too can delight in the Lord when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus also gives us wisdom and understanding, counsel and strength, and enables us to delight in the fear of the Lord, which is a relationship with the Lord, not fear as in being frightened.

But back to the Psalms, we see in Psalm 40 how King David delighted in the Lord. He sings here of delighting to the the will of the Lord which is not a dry thing from the written law, but is the will of the Lord written on his heart.

Psalms 40:8

8 I delight to do Your will, O my God;

Your Law is within my heart.”

We need to have a heart like David so that we can delight to do the will of the Lord. Indeed, the Proverbs tell us that when we are faithful to do the will of the Lord, He delights in us as well!

Proverbs 11:20

20 The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD,

Butthe blameless in their walk are His delight.

The end of the matter is this, when we delight in the Lord and meditate on him day and night, we are blessed and prosper like a tree planted by the water that bears its fruit in its season. How blessed is the man who delights in the Lord!