The Devotional

Papa “J” Says

The early and late rains bring fruit, wheat and food for the harvest. Such as it is with the LORD, if we follow Him; His presence reigns and prepares us in the same way. Hosea 6:3

Cape Hatteras and the Bermuda Triangle are two of the roughest areas of water off the Eastern coast of the United States. Water in the Bermuda Triangle is always rough and looks as if there is no current. The water sort of pops up like boiling water in a pot on the stove, when at it's worst the mounds of water can reach twenty five to thirty five feet. What make it so dangerous is that the weight of a ship means nothing to the water that can lift the vessel up out of the water and break it in two pieces. Three destroyers were escorting an oil tanker to Norfolk, VA and we were laboring through these waters at 12 knots; that is about 19 miles per hour. I was on one of the destroyers and the tanker was taking on water, all of us were moving slow, at any moment we expected the tanker to break in half, or maybe one of the destroyers. But at any rate, we must keep moving moving on. “We may stay up, or we may go down” said one sailor, “but we must keep moving forward”. The new year is tomorrow. Jesus may come and we may go up. Or, we may die, and go down and then go up. But at any rate, we must keep moving forward. May your new year be blessed of the LORD. So let's keep looking up!

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 11:27-34 I see the communion service as a most holy event and I am always eager to participate. Not only is it a time for some serious reflection on my spiritual condition or health, but it is a time to be close to Jesus. The examination that is to take place should be one of the most serious things we do, not only at this service but throughout the day, everyday. If you like being close to the LORD then it is mandatory to keep account of your spiritual life.

In Handel's Messiah, there is a section that says; “Worthy is the Lamb, that was slain” The song can bring a person to spiritual heights that cannot be duplicated except at the LORD's table. There is coming a “day” in eternity when time will no longer exist, a day when; “Worthy is the LAMB” will be a continuing spiritual expression from our soul. We need to be judging our walk moment by moment. Also we need the chastening of the LORD when we seek to live as the condemned. Trust in the LORD and do good, the healthy soul is made of trust. Proverbs 3:5-8

We come together at various times, in small groups or large ones and most times distractions tend to draw us away spiritually and our focus becomes physical. There is that one who is hungry, another is tired. Some may be suffering through a headache, or some other physical need. If we consider our condition above the condition of others who are also suffering through some issue, then the spiritual blessing of the soul is lost. “Worthy is the LAMB that was slain” has lost that spiritual effect and our moment is not blessed of the LORD. For people who focus on self, the church meeting or small group meeting means nothing spiritually and the soul suffers.

The Devotional

Papa “J” Says

Why is ti so hard to understand the words of someone speaking the truth, and so easy to believe the one who speaks lies? Proverbs 29:4

Me again at the keyboard (Jean) We also enjoyed meeting your granddaughters. Lovely young ladies. Well, here's one from today. Ted and I have procrastinated about going to the DMV to pay the taxes on our camper. We knew we'd have to wait in line, sit on a bench, take a number, etc. Today was a chilly one, so our trip to the DMV seemed timely. The place was mobbed. The parking lot alone might have turned us away, but we were goal-oriented. Our number was almost 300 numbers behind the next in line. We knew we would be there most of the day, and lucky for us we brought some lap work, some reading, and our gift of gab. We shared a form-completion-counter with a young couple with three sweet little daughters, much like our own family 35 years ago. "Coincidentally," their daughters were the same difference in ages as ours are (a single child, then twins less than 2 years later). So ... we chatted some more, then split up. Several hours later, they found us and we got to know them better. They had recently moved here (job relocation) from the Bronx, now lived in N. Scituate, and were becoming acclimated to RI. I "walked across the room" and wrote down our names and phone # to give them, as well as the name of our church. I told them there were lots of young families and I would keep an eye out for them. Bold? You bet. The eyes of the unsaved are like the blind man of Luke 18:35-43 and Jesus will use friends like Ted and Jean to guide the blind and heal the broken hearted. Thanks for your story folks, for your experience of yesterday as God uses all events to glorify His Son...

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 There is not a pastor or church leader who personally knows Jesus as LORD who has not received directly from the LORD the authority of this common ordinance of faith in Christ. For the pastor of any local assembly, this is the time that he can take His flock as the under shepherd to the Holy Place, the place for New Testament saints to be in common with the LORD. Oh friend there is no closer moment then the moment of the Bread and the Cup!

In this moment in time, eternity draws near, or as Jesus might say - “The Kingdom of God observes” as He awaits the day that we will all be at the Wedding Feast of the LAMB. Victory in Jesus, the Old but New Story, of the Savior who came from Glory. His suffering, His Blood, His Purpose, His atoning. And then I cry; Dear Jesus, you were broken for me, it is the only redemption STORY!

O Victory in Jesus, He searched for me with His redeeming blood, even before I knew Him. When repentance is real, you will hear shouts of praise from a heavenly host as He brings you to victory. Each experience of the LORD's table should remind us of the day and the moment when Victory in Jesus entered our soul. Communion Day in every evangelical church is a Holy Day.

The Devotional

Papa “J” Says

Why is ti so hard to understand the words of someone speaking the truth, and so easy to believe the one who speaks lies? Proverbs 29:4

What to know how it is that you have such a talent to do things that others cannot do? I remember a time when I was in my early teens. I was living in Florida and I drew this picture of the beach and ocean. Across the street from our home was a motel and the owner was a friend of ours. When he and his wife saw the picture, they wanted to hang it in the lobby. They also wanted me to paint a scene on the motel sign near the road way. I spent days on the sign trying to duplicate the painting hanging in the lobby. The sign of course had two sides, yet I could not duplicate the scene on one side. When I fell off the ladder, the man hired a professional sign painter who was able to duplicate my original painting. I did not have the talent of an artist, I only had a moment in time when it all seemed to work out. In order for us to be good with our talents we need to have the skills that come from God. And in order to use and teach others with our talents, we need the Holy Spirit's guidance. Exodus 35:30-35.

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 11:17-22 Someone has said, “Well, the issues of the Corinthian church are different than churches today.” I would say that this is an ignorant statement. If you look at the church in Corinth you find, Jews Greeks and Romans. We today, have; Germans, Greeks, Asians, Italians, Portuguese and the French. All of these cultures are very present and influential in our gatherings.

We make the necessary adjustments to get along within the church, but it is outside of the church where we come together in groups. This would not be our small group settings that are open to a localized part of the congregation, but these would be those cultural group meetings where we approve or disprove the organized structure of the church as a whole. All churches are infected to some degree with this and it would be naive to ignore.

The apostle addresses this and the other issues because he is about to give instructions regarding the institution of the Communion Service. The LORD's Supper as it is sometimes referred to is on of the most sacred events in the New Testament Church. When it is completed in the power of the Holy Spirit and the presence of Jesus Christ, it is one of the most holiest of events that a saint of God this side of heaven can experience. So each of us should strive to avoid things that would prevent this wonderful spiritual experience from being all that God desires for it to be.

The Devotional

Papa “J” Says

left alone, the rich will produce most anything, including harmful things! Better is the labor of the poor than the apathy of the rich. Proverbs 28:6

Once at a fire, I was going through a house that had been leveled by a fire and explosion that was caused by the man of the house who had been staining his kitchen cabinets. I was checking for hot spots, I had a backup person on the hose behind me and we were moving from one spot to the next. I had a four foot extension on the end of the hose and was dousing the hot spots with lots of water by placing the extension into the burning area. The power of the water when the nozzle is open is very strong and you need to be planted firmly even with a second person on the hose. I thought, this hot spot was small, one small shot of water and it will be out. I applied the nozzle, turn on the water and immediately I was lifted a few inches off the surface and landed on my back. The water was shooting into the air at nothing. I was not ready and my backup person was not ready either. In order to be safe in anything you do, you must take the necessary steps to ensure safety, first. Fortunately neither of us was hurt seriously, but the potential for back injury, cuts from broken glass or protruding nails and other hazardous objects were all around. Errors in judgment do not have to happen, but errors always happen when we think that we are bigger than the problem at hand.

1 Corinthians 11

1 Corinthians 11:1-16 Sometimes you run into passages of scripture that make you wonder why they are there since these seem to cause much confusion in churches. The thought of dishonoring God because of head coverings and shaving of the hair seems humanly ridiculous, but lets see if we cannot find some spiritual blessing for us.

When the gospel goes to the gentiles with Peter in Acts 10, Peter makes a bold statement (Acts 10:27-29); Jewish law contends with Roman culture. In most cases even today we run into cultures, customs and laws that stand as barriers between believers in Christ. These things ought not be because the law of liberty in Christ has set us free from these human or man made barriers.

Actually this passage from verse 1 through 16 helps us overcome the contentions that develop within a church. If I have a problem with the way someone dresses, keeps his or her hair or does anything that causes me to be selfishly offended, then I am in no position to partake of the LORD's table. My conduct is not like that of Christ, verse 1. Our LORD is not as concerned about these things as we can be. But He is concerned about our obedience to the Word. 1 Corinthians 11:16 puts it all in perspective.

A Study of Eschatology

Revelation 20: 11-15

Every person who has ever lived on the earth who is unredeemed or saved as we generally say will stand before the LORD Jesus Christ to receive the sentence of eternal death. The death is called in the bible the second death. The judgment from this throne will be without a jury, a defense lawyer, but there will be a Judge and Prosecutor. There will be no appeal and the sentence will be final. When this event is completed the, all things on earth will be made new.

It is a fearful moment to fall into the hands of the Living God. Hebrews 10:31 and Revelation 20:11-15 explain why. All religions are based on works apart from faith in God, this is why sin is not mentioned once in this passage of judgment. It a brief explanation, Jesus paid the price for our sin at the cross of Calvary. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” John 1:29; Psalm 40:6-8 and Hebrews 10:5-7. So the Great White Throne Judgment cannot be about sin, it has to be about the deeds of mankind that God judges as dead works, or works without biblical faith. Ephesians 2:8-10.

The Great White Throne Judgment is a place without redemption, no favorable verdict and no possible appeal. There is only one sentence for everyone there. Separation from God for eternity in a place called the “Lake of Fire” All of creation including us feel this separation in part today, but it is not a total separation even for the dead at this time, but after this judgment the Lake of Fire will be filled with the souls of all people and spirits who have practiced deeds that God has classified as evil. If we have the time we will investigate just what these deeds are, but if not we will pick them up next week.

Sometimes we will run across those believers who are confused about judgment so lets take another moment and explain a thing or two. The Judgment Seat of Christ and the Great White Throne Judgment or two separate events:

The “judgment seat of Christ occurs after the Rapture of the church and during the seven year period of the tribulation. It is a resurrection to life and includes only those who are saved by the Blood of the Lamb. Revelation 1:5.

The “Great White Throne Judgment occurs at the end of the One Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ. It is a resurrection to death and all of the lost are included. Revelation 20:14-15.

Some would wonder where this event will take place. The Throne of Judgment will be so traumatic that the presence of heaven and earth will not be there to see it. Revelation 20:11. I think this is unique in that those at the judgment will not have any excuse. They will not be able to rely on earthly references because earth will not be around to remind them. They will not be able to refer to any spiritual guidance because everything pertaining to heaven will not be available to reference. Hebrews 12:28-29

God is preparing a new heavens and earth, the elements of this universe will melt away and the new heavens are in the making. 2 Peter 3:10-13, there is coming that day. The day of the LORD and it will not be December 12, 2012. It will be a day when God completes the judgment at the Great White Throne. Who ever is erased out of the Book of Life will be standing at this throne and there will be no appeal.

The Person on the Throne is God and we must be careful with this and confuse those who are not sure of what to make of the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the fullness of God in bodily form. No one has seen God at any time since God is a Spirit, John 4:24. There is a four fold witness that Jesus Christ is God in human flesh found in John 5:31-47.

One: John the Baptizer is a witness

Two: The works that Jesus did

Three: The Word of God the Father Himself

Four: The Scriptures and Jesus is referring to the Old Testament here since the New Testament has yet to be written.

The people at the throne are referred to as the; the dead, the small and the great. Revelation 20:12. The phrase is found often in the Old Testament and five times in the book of Revelation and always means those who are spiritually dead. Those who are spiritually dead are those who are blotted out of the book of Life. Exodus 32:32-33. This is the age old sin of mankind. Idolatry which rejects God, and replaces Him with pagan or man made gods. The One speaking to Moses here is the LORD Jehovah who is the LORD Jesus of the Old Testament. See also Psalm 69:28.

The purpose of the Great White Throne will not be because of a lack of “Good Works” humans mostly desire to do good things. The history of time proves beyond a doubt that good is accomplished. However, these good deeds or works that are written in the books that are opened is a guilty verdict to those who did them because these things were done in darkness because the deeds were evil. Simple put these deeds were not done in the light of Christ, or in His Name. John 1:5 and 3:19

The Punishment is permanent. Jesus spoke more about hell then He did about heaven. In fact; When He spoke of the two abodes, his references were three to one. For every one word he spoke of concerning heaven, He spoke three words concerning hell. Hell is a real place, it is not His desire for anyone to go to hell since it is a place that was originally made for the devil and his angels Matthew 25:41.