The Angel and the Prophet

 The Angel and the Prophet

January 31, 2026

Acts 7:37-39

37This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN.’ 38 This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you. 39 Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt,

Acts 7 presents the final discourse of Stephen which he gave to the leaders of the Jews immediately before they stoned him to death. In it he reviews the history of Israel leading up to their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. In verses 37 and 38 he tells them how the people of Israel heard from God through Moses, the prophets and even angels, but still would not obey. If you saw an angel in a burning bush or heard the thunder and lightning on a holy mountain, would you listen? The people of Israel had many opportunities to listen to the voice of God and obey, but only a few listened. The rest went their own way and killed the prophets and crucified Jesus. Stephen pointed this out to the leaders of the Jews and they killed him for it. Stephen spoke the truth but the leaders viewed it as heresy.

Even today we see this same pattern. We are living in the age the George Orwell wrote about when he said, “In an time of universal deceit- telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” Orwell was not an angel but was a prophet of sorts. He saw the evils of Stalin and the USSR and foresaw an evil, dystopian state where all truth was suspect and individual thought was prohibited. The antidote to this is the kingdom of God where truth is central and love is paramount. So in this age we need angels and prophets to proclaim the truth. But who will listen?

The Face of an Angel

 Face of an Angel

January 30, 2026

Acts 6:8-10, 15 (NKJV) 

8And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

…

15 And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

There is a curious passage in Acts 6 about Stephen. It was said of him that he was full of faith and power, and did great signs and wonders. If fact he was so full of the Holy Spirit that even his detractors said that his face looked like an angel. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but perhaps is was something like what happened to Moses when he returned from the mountain where he met the Lord.

Exodus 34:29-30 (NKJV) 

29 Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of theTestimony [were] in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.

So what does it mean to have a face of an angel? How did they even know what an angel looked like? Whatever he looked like, Stephen made a distinct impression on the Jews in Jerusalem, so much so that they put him on trial and then stoned him to death. Something about Stephen aroused their fierce anger. They had just crucified Jesus and now the were going to stone Stephen. How full of hate they must have been to lift their hands against one who even looked like an angel.

Whatever they saw in Stephens face, it reminded then of Jesus. They could tell that he had been with Jesus and their hatred of Jesus spilled over to Stephen. There are also other accounts in Acts where the disciples demonstrated that they had been with Jesus, so much so that they were derisively called “Christians” or little Christs. But the question for us is, “can people tell that you know Jesus?” Is there anything in your face that makes you look different from all those around you? Does your face shine like Moses? That’s a pretty high bar to meet, but perhaps there is something less dramatic in your countenance that reminds people of Jesus. Perhaps there is a peace that come into the room when you enter, or a sound of compassion when you speak. Whatever it is, there should be something about you that demonstrates to people that you know Jesus. It’s like the saying attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi, which goes something like this, “Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.”

Angels

 Angels

January 29, 2026

Exodus 23:20-24 (NKJV) 

20 “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into theplace which I have prepared. 21 “Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name [is] in Him. 22 “But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 “For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off. 24 “You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their [sacred] pillars.

Acts 5:17-21 (NKJV) 

17 Then the high priest rose up, and all those who [were] with him (which is the sect ofthe Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, 18 and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. 19 But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.” 21 And when they heard [that,] they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

In today’s scripture reading, there are two instances of angels going to war against the enemies of the people of God. In Exodus, the Lord promised Moses and the people that He would send an angel before them to guide them into war as they took the promised land. In Acts, an angel freed the apostles from prison and gave them directions to continue to preach the gospel of Jesus. This perplexed the high priest and the sadducees as they imagined that they were fighting against heresy but ended up battling with angels. They would lose that battle.

So, do angels do battle for us today? There is nothing in the scriptures to indicate that they ever stopped. The pattern seems to be that when we follow the Lord’s commands to oppose evil and preach the gospel, the angels will go before us. They can bring a message or fight against our spiritual enemies. But I have heard it said that we need to ask for angelic help. The Lord gives them commands, but normally He waits for us to ask before He sends the angels. That sounds reasonable, but I can’t prove it for sure. At any rate, it can’t hurt to ask the Lord to send His angels to help when you are embarking on a particularly difficult mission for the Lord. The angels can battle spiritual forces that we can’t even see and can bring us a word that will clarify our mission. I am grateful for the help that angels have provide for me, including saving my life on at least one occasion, and probably many more. Some times we are not aware of the angels assigned to help us, but we can thank the Lord for them anyway.

The Nation’s Rage

 The Nation’s Rage

January 28, 2026

Acts 4:24-26 (NKJV) 

24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You [are] God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 “who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: 

‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? 26 The kings of theearth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against His Christ.’ (Psalm 2:1-2)

The nations raged against the Lord in King Davis’s time. They plotted against Jesus, and they still rebel against he creator of heaven and earth. So what can we do? Our answer should be the same as the apostles in Acts 4:

Acts 4:31 (NKJV) 

And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

They prayed and worshipped God in the Holy Spirit and continued to preach the word. In the passage in Acts, Peter and John had just been released from prison for healing a lame man in the name of Jesus. They didn’t let that discourage them as they continued to proclaim all that they had seen and heard. We can do the same. The world can rage and plot, but they cannot deny when we testify to the things that we have seen and heard. The Holy Spirit is still moving in the land and the angels are still at war with the forces of darkness. So when things look dark and discouraging, remember that the Lord sits in heaven and laughs. And pray that the Lord opens your eyes so you can say, like Elisha, “Do not fear, for those with us are more than those who are with them”. (2 Kings 6:16]

Psalm 2:1-4 (NKJV) 

1 Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? 2 The kings of theearth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, [saying,] 3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.

A Kingsom of Priests

 A Kingdom of Priests

January 27, 2026

Exodus 19:3-6 (NKJV) 

3 And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and [how] I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. 5 ‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth [is] Mine. 6 ‘And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These [are] the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

1 Peter 2:9-10 (NKJV) 

9 But you [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own specialpeople, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once [were] not a people but [are] now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

It has been God’s plan from the beginning to have for himself a holy nation, a kingdom of priests. The problem is that we keep disappointing Him in not obeying His commandments. There is only one who has fully obeyed the Lord and obeyed all His commandments, that is Jesus, so those of us who put our faith in Jesus are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people…” If we are a special people, we should act like it! 

The world today needs to see what a kingdom people look like. They can see the sorrow and pain that come from living as the world lives. They need to see what it means to live in joy and peace.

Romans 14:17-18 (NKJV) 

17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace andjoy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in these things [is] acceptable to God and approved by men.

So today, strive to live as a holy nation, a kingdom of priests, to show the world what it means to live with true righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 

Strange Things

 Strange Things

January 26, 2026

Have you ever been reading the Bible, and you come across something that makes you go “Hmmmm “? Maybe it’s just the strange way my mind works, but sometimes I have questions. Like the plagues of Exodus… take the fifth plague where all the livestock of the Egypt died.

Exodus 9:6 (NKJV) So the LORD did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died.

 

That’s seems clear enough, but then in the seventh plague the cattle in the field died. 

Exodus 9:19 (NKJV) “Therefore send now [and] gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.” ’ ”

But if that wasn’t confusing enough, more cattle died in the tenth plague.

Exodus 11:5 (NKJV) ‘and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who [is] behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals.

I’m sure there is a perfectly good explanation, but my curious mind is wondering how some cows died three times!

Then in the New Testament there is the mystery of Matthias:. 

Acts 1:23-26 (NKJV) 23 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen 25 “to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” 26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

So what ever happened to Matthias? Maybe he was the apostle to the lost tribes of Israel because he is never heard from again. Anyway, that is just some of the things I wonder about.

Of course none of this really matters, it’s just something to muse about on a cold winters day. The Bible is trustworthy and true and when we don’t understand, it is exactly that, we don’t understand. Our feeble brain is not capable of comprehending all the the truths about God so we need to be content with asking questions and understanding in part.

1 Corinthians 13:12 (NKJV) For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

One day we will stand face to face with Jesus and all our questions will be answered. But until the, I have questions…

The Burning Bush

 The Burning Bush

January 22, 2026

Exodus 3:1-3 (NKJV) 

1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush [was] not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”

Hebrews 1:7

7And of the angels He says,

“WHO MAKES HIS ANGELS WINDS,

AND HIS MINISTERS A FLAME OF FIRE.”   (Ps 100:4)

2 Kings 2:11

11As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.

Angels are one of the mysteries of God. We know that they are messengers and worshipers, but we don’t have many details about them in the Bible. There does seem to be one curious species of angels that have the appearance of flames of fire. One such angel spoke to Moses out of a bush that appeared to be burning and another came for Elijah in a chariot of fire. I don’t think they are actually burning, I think that they are clothed in something like feathers that have the appearance of flames of fire. They seem to be a class of angels that carry important messages, at least they had important messages for Moses and Elijah.

The message to Moses was particularly unique as that was the time that the Lord revealed His name to Moses.

Exodus 3:14-15 (NKJV) 

14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This [is] My name forever, and this [is] My memorial to all generations.’

The Lord not only gave Moses instructions, but he gave him His name, which is His power and authority to act in His stead. So Moses went to Pharaoh not only with a word from the Lord, but with the power of His name to perform mighty wonders to convince Pharaoh. Now that is a powerful message, delivered in flames of fire and with the authority of the Name of the Lord.

What would you do if. you saw an angel in a burning bush or a fiery chariot? That would undoubtedly be a frightening experience. That’s why almost all message from angels begin with “Fear not…”. At any rate, we should be prepared to listen and obey to any word we receive from the Lord, whether it is from a fiery angel or in a still small voice. When we listen and obey and act in the Name of Jesus, great and mighty things can be accomplished.

O Lord, In The Morning…

 O Lord, In The Morning…

January 17, 2026

Psalm 5:1-12 (NKJV) 

1To the Chief Musician. With flutes. A Psalm of David. 

Give ear to my words, O LORD, Consider my meditation. 2 Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray. 3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct [it] to You, And I will look up. 

4 For You [are] not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You. 5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. 6 You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. 7 But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple. 8 Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face. 9 For [there is] no faithfulness in their mouth; Their inward part [is] destruction; Their throat [is] an open tomb; They flatter with their tongue. 10 Pronounce them guilty, O God! Let them fall by their own counsels; Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions, For they have rebelled against You. 

11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. 12 For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as [with] a shield.

Music and Worship

 Music and Worship

January 16, 2026

Psalm 100:1-5 (NKJV) 1 A Psalm of Thanksgiving. 

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! 2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 3 Know that the LORD, He [is] God; [It is] He [who] has made us, and not we ourselves; [We are ]His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, [And] into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, [and] bless His name. 5 For the LORD [is] good; His mercy [is] everlasting, And His truth [endures] to all generations.

We’ve been talking about music all week, but what is the ultimate purpose for music? 

We read in Job that there was music at the creation of the worlds, so we know that God created music for a good purpose, But we also read in Isaiah that when Lucifer fell he took his music and instruments with him.

Isaiah 14:11-12

11 ‘Your pomp and the music of your harps

Have been brought down to Sheol;

Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you

And worms are your covering.’

12 “How you have fallen from heaven,

O star of the morning, son of the dawn!

You have been cut down to the earth,

You who have weakened the nations!

So since that day, music has served duel purposes. Back in the day, Larry Norman sang a song called “Why does the Devil have all the Good Music”, and that’s still a good question. Certainly, the musicians that make the most money and have the largest fan base are singing for the devil, or are at least performing for simple worldly entertainment. But what is the real purpose of music? If the angels sang at creation to worship the God of creation, certainly music was made to worship the Lord. 

Jesus quoted the prophet Malakai  to say that He had come to restore all things.

Matthew 17:11

11And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; (Mal 4:5-6)

Acts 15:16

16 ‘AFTER THESE THINGS I will return,

AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN,

AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS,

AND I WILL RESTORE IT, (Amos 9:11)u

Then Peter quoted Amos to say that that was the day when the tabernacle of David was to be restored. The tabernacle of David is used in scripture to describe true worship, so the meaning of these passages is that Jesus came to restore true worship. Music plays an integral part in this, and our job in preaching the kingdom of God is to restore music to its rightful place in worship.

Matthew 6:10

10 ‘Your kingdom come.

Your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

We pray for the kingdom to come and His will to be done on the earth, and in part, we preach this through music. When we listen to the Holy Spirit, and we play with the greatest skill, and sing with a voice of high praise, we can open the gates of heaven and lead the people to join in the praise and worship that is continually sounding in heaven. If you are in the congregation, and not on the worship team in the front, it is still your job to enter into worship with praise and thanksgiving. When we restore the tabernacle of David on the earth, we enter into that heavenly choir that we see in Revelation, singing worthy is the Lamb.

Revelation 5:11-14

Angels Exalt the Lamb

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,

“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.