Dead Kernels Produce Much Fruit

Dear Father,

     I praise You that You let Your work be known to us. You reveal Your work in such a way that it is clear to all of Your people that Your own power and authority has brought about Your justice and Your sanctification of Your people. We know that the Day is coming when all of our hearts will be laid bare before You. Please forgive me for my most despicable hypocrisy and fear of man and wipe it away from the lives of all Your people. You have already forgiven us and covered us by the blood of Your Son. Turn our hearts to desire the death that You have granted to us. Turn our eyes to the Life of the Risen Christ, the One by Whom we live.

In Jesus Christ's Name, 

Amen

²³ Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵ Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal Life. ²⁶ Whoever serves Me must follow Me; and where I am, My servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves Me. John 12

     God's will is that we die to our old self and be born again in the Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now He wants us to test ourselves with His Word to determine whether we have gone with Christ to His death and whether we continue to take up our cross each day. The effect of this death will be the outpouring of our lives for His Kingdom and our being used as effective instruments for His special purposes, "made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work" (2 Tim 2:21). True faith is a belief and entrusting of our lives to the unseen heavenly purpose of God in Jesus Christ such that our physical and spiritual being are continuously subjected to the Spirit that He has jealously caused to live inside of us. 


 ¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³ Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. Rom 6


Have You Died?


     God asks you, dear saint, "Have you died with My Son?". We know that we have been born into this world as enemies of God. All of the inclinations of our hearts were only evil all of the time. We were taught by the world to wear masks of self-righteousness. The devil had taught us many intricacies of the masquerading techniques and we have learned them well. We have learned to feign love which would quickly fall away from within us when the objects of our feigned affection rose against us or condemned us. We have learned to show concern when we could not acknowledge God in the midst of our own actions. We have learned to act, to smile, to speak, and to present. We have learned to put forth our outsides as clean and white, engraved with credentials, attires, and personas. We had become like the whitewashed tombs that were "beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of bones and everything unclean" or the "clean cups and dishes" which were "full of greed and self-indulgence in the inside" (Matt 23). This conviction is not only for those who outwardly deny the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but also for those of us who have a form of godliness: for those of us who have been born and raised in the church. For though on the outside we appeared as righteous, God knew that on the inside we were filled with "hypocrisy and wickedness" (Matt 23). Yes, even us who have believed and who are growing towards maturity. We have deceived one another but we know that one Day we will stand before the Judge and He will test our work in the fire. And to our Master each of us will stand or fall. 


     For all of the charitable things which we had done out of a heart that was mindless of God and negligent in the Gospel of Christ and all of those things which we had done out of the fear of man, to appease and to please men, will be burned up in the flames. The greatest loss would be if our profession of faith was made on the outside, but in the depths of our hearts there was no knowledge of Him. There was a life lived outwardly in the presence of the people of God, but lived inwardly as darkened and independent from the Spirit's circumcision which is always present in the hearts of true believers. There is a powerful aura of righteousness which mankind may have, but it cannot save. We cannot be saved unless we have known Him in the secret place of our souls.


⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matt 6

     We cannot know Him if we have not died with Christ. God has proclaimed that though we were His enemies in our self-righteousness, we are reconciled to Him THROUGH THE DEATH OF HIS SON. In order to be saved through His Life, we must die with Christ. Have we died with Christ?

¹⁰ For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! Rom 5

     Our hypocrisy and attempts to appear as worthy, righteous, or presentable before men is as if we painted our own kernels. We painted our kernels beautifully and elaborately such that they stood before the eyes of the world as prized and worshiped. We were adored kernels. These visually perfect kernels are numerous and widespread in the earth. We find them in the media and in our social circles, yes, even in our church. Perfect families, perfect decency, perfect charitableness, perfect attire, perfect talents, perfect honor and respect by the people of the world, perfect wealth and possessions. But these perfect kernels had never died. They had never been put to death. And thus no seed nor fruit could be born from them. These perfect kernels could not bring the Word of salvation to the corrupted world. They could not pour their lives out as drink offerings and living sacrifices for the good of the people of God. They could not stand up when their perfection was stripped from them by the trials of the world. They could not restrain secret sensual indulgence. They were of no Spiritual benefit to anyone around them. Like "clouds without rain" these beautiful kernels were altogether useless to the Master and fit only to be trampled or destroyed in the fires (Jude 1:12). We are in the last days and there are many who have a form of godliness while denying its power.


¹ But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ²People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. 2 Tim 3


     But to us who are called, chosen, and beloved before the world began, Jesus calls us to come to Him in His death. Jesus in His death became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. In order to die with Him, we must see all of our wickedness, our inward and outward hideous sin as well as the sin of our "beautiful" hypocrisy (the act of faithless self-dependent righteousness that was apart from the humble acknowledge of the Savior) as placed on the Savior. 


For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
 ⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸ But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Col 3



     We must behold the wrath of the Father due to us for our offences poured out on Christ. In the very process of beholding our sin placed on Him, we go to Him in His death. As He bore our sins and was crushed by His Father, we too die to the old self. In this way we are "crucified with Christ and no longer live" (Gal 2:20). In going to Jesus in His death we must die to sin. Death to sin results in a distaste and inner displeasure towards sin. That is, we no longer delight or thrive in our wicked acts and self-righteousness, but we find the sin that we committed beforehand as utterly distasteful and detestable. We can no longer find pleasure in the sins of the flesh for we have seen the end result of them. We have seen the shame and guilt for these sins placed on our perfect Lamb and the due just and good wrath of the righteous Judge and Father for these same sins poured out on our Savior and Friend, Jesus Christ. We are released from the deceitful promise and the sting of sin, death, as we die with Christ and behold our sin placed on the Lamb nailed to the tree. 


¹ What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Rom 6

     The end result of our death to the old self with Christ at the cross is that we are able to wisely count as a loss whatever was to our profit compared to the greatness of knowing Christ which we have come to realize surpasses all other things which we had previously sought to attain. What had we considered our profit? 

⁷ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Phil 3

     I had considered it a profit to become a perfect and elegant woman, a perfect wife, with a perfect large family. To be at peace with every human, to be loved by all, and to be never at fault before their eyes in the work of my hands or the words of my mouth. To live content and secure with no fears, worries, or physical discomfort. To live with no risk of failing, fumbling, doing anything awkward, or regretting any act....this was what I had considered a profit when I had not come to know my Savior in depth. 

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER A PROFIT?

     But as I daily come to Christ and deny myself, the Father tells me "Dear daughter, you must take up your cross. This means that you must be willing to take on any affliction that comes your way, whether this affliction be due to your own errors or to the troubles of the world which you could do nothing to prevent, to take them as part of the cross which I have given you. You must take up this cross while trusting in Me knowing that I am making You like My Son, Jesus Christ. There may be times when your heart feels ripped to shreds. There may be times when all earthly security is taken from you. There may be times when you experience great earthly loss. There may be times when you are disgraced or when you fall before the eyes of men. There may be times when My love will be the only love you feel and it will be enough for you. There may be times when I am the only One who shows you grace but My grace is the only saving grace. There may be times when your physical body is seared with pain and discomfort, but my Spirit will never be taken from you and I will keep you from denying My Name. You must take up your cross and seek to please Me alone. You must make My Kingdom and My pleasure the only desire of your heart. Remember, dear child, I am saving Your soul. I am granting you every good thing in knowing My Son, Jesus Christ. I grant you the desire of your heart: to know and possess My love. I will help you stand firm until the end that you may be saved."

What more could we want?

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹ For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that His life may also be revealed in our mortal body. ¹² So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 2 Cor 4

     In the same way that we die in unison with Christ, we are united with Him in His resurrection. The new Life that we have in our risen Savior is one in which our old self is completely crucified. "The old is gone and the new has come" (2 Cor 5:17). As Jesus said "I am making everything new" (Rev 21:5). As we are raised with Him, we are set free from the futile cycles of self attempts to obey the Law and we are given new hearts and spirits by the indwelling Spirit of Jesus. He pierces our hearts with the double-edged Sword of the Spirit: the Word of God. His Words will no longer fight against us, but will be cleansing to our spirits and hearts, refining to our whole bodies, souls, and minds. His Words become our daily Bread of Life and our Living Water. Our lives become lived for God alone. We no longer live for ourselves or to please other men, but we live only to please our Lord and Master. His Spirit is poured out on us from on High and we are given conviction, counseling, and comfort in Him.

 ⁵ For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like His.⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— ⁷ because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
 ⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. ⁹ For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him. ¹⁰ The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. Rom 6


     The risen life in Christ is no longer contaminated by the fears and worries of the world with regard to material things: the food and clothing that the nations seek to acquire. We know the Father and we know that He has given us His Son and everything else in Him. That is, if the Father loved us enough to give us the greatest gift of His Son, there is nothing He would allow to come our way that could not be given in the same perfect display of love. Christ is never taken from us. Christ is never taken from us. In Him, we have escaped judgment. We have escaped the wrath  of the Father. Our gloom has turned to joy. Our blindness has turned to sight. He has enlarged our joy in Him! He will present us covered in Christ and there will be none to accuse us. For the accuser of the brethren is condemned. In view of this mercy, our lives become living sacrifices.


¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.Rom 12


     God desires for us to know that until we experience this death with Christ, we are unable to bear the true fruit that last for eternity. Until we have died to self by acknowledging and believing the Holy Spirit's conviction of our wickedness and of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we cannot be used for any eternal good. We would be of absolutely no use for the Kingdom as long as we hold onto our beautiful kernels and refuse to die with Christ. Even each day, we must not seek to cover ourselves with the same self-righteous cover we had before we died with Christ. But we must come before God with utmost sincerity and reverence. Our fear of God must be exalted far above our fears of any man. Is it not saddening that we often do fear men more than God...that after some event, we find ourselves pondering the possible thoughts of other men rather than the thoughts of our Savior and whether we have pleased the King of the Universe and the Lord of the Harvest. Have we died? Do our heart live anew with Christ?


      As long as we had feared men, we could never please God. For God alone is to be feared and His pleasure alone is to be sought and that of His people in Him. But when the Spirit moves us and the gift of faith and repentance is granted to us, we are given power to die with Christ. As our lives are given over to death, we bear much fruit for the Kingdom. We become like the jars of clay that display the Light of Christ to the world. For the Light of Christ is hidden from us all of the time we put our forsaken beautiful kernel coverings around us. Yes, it is our fear of men rather than God that causes us to pick up the formerly discarded covering which would hide rather than reveal the Light of Christ. Yes, even our self-righteousness hides the Light of Christ from being shone from us. We must be true to God and sincere before God with men. Only then are we able to love in Spirit and in Truth and not in hypocrisy. Do you want to love in sincerity, dear saint? Is this not our deepest longing?: to love in the truest sense as Christ loved? We must first die and then continue to deny self, take up our cross, and follow Him each day. We will no longer have these beautiful kernel coverings but the Light of Christ that renews us daily will shine so bright that our beautiful coverings (or lack thereof) are no longer of any importance. He is so glorious! He is perfect in glory and holiness and no one can compare to His majesty and splendor!

¹³ It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, ¹⁴ because we know that the One who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to Himself. ¹⁵ All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

 ¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.2 Cor 4

     As God's chosen people, we suffer outside the city gate. We are often excluded from the various elite circles of beautiful kernels that have never died, and that have never borne fruit. We go to Him like a scapegoat outside the camp bearing the same disgrace that He bore as He lived among sinful men. But may we never forget the enduring city that is to come!

¹² And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through His own blood. ¹³ Let us, then, go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore. ¹⁴ For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.Heb 13

     Even as we assume no earthly position, status, or identity, but seek only to be found covered in Christ's righteousness and to please the Father, we are granted the ultimate love and unity of the believers. We must be patient as we wait for each other to come to maturity in the faith. That is, we may not always sense the love and unity of believers but even as God inspired us to die to self and live anew in Christ apart from those formerly profitable things, the true sheep will be drawn to us not because of us, but because their heart's longing and soul's need is for the Savior and His Light will shine out from us. Yes, His Light shines out from our broken and contrite spirits. 

² For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. ³ I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. ⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, ⁵ so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. I Cor 2


May we love well, dear saints, but He asks us, "Have you died with My Son?"





Events in the Heavenly Realms (testable by the Counsel of the Word of God, The Spirit of God in you, and the community of believers):
May God forgive me for not sharing these things earlier (the past several months), but I trust in His will as they are now shared. I feel that the Spirit has already revealed these things to many of you.

As we move closer to the time of the end, the Spirit is working heavily among His worldwide church:

1. The Spirit and Word are working to grant the true sheep a complete understanding of the Gospel:

    In our past lives there were few believers who understood the true meaning of the Gospel. But God in His grace has been pouring out His Spirit on believers to grant them a knowledge of this great and precious salvation. His Spirit is working to convict the world of guilt with regard to sin, righteousness, and judgment.  The result is that the people of God are being purified and seen as increasingly distinct and separate from the world.

²⁴ Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding;
   those who complain will accept instruction.”Is 29

¹⁵ till the Spirit is poured on us from on high,
   and the desert becomes a fertile field,
   and the fertile field seems like a forest.
¹⁶ The LORD’s justice will dwell in the desert,
   his righteousness live in the fertile field.
¹⁷ The fruit of that righteousness will be peace;
   its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.Is 32


2. The Spirit is unifying the believers through the Bond of Peace:
 
    As long as we had gloried in earthly things and in our culture and the familiar things and people, we could not sense the immediate union which we have with other believers. But the Spirit is working to give believers a true unity through the Bond of Peace: a common experience in knowing Jesus Christ. He will bring to us an instantaneous love and familiarity in the Spirit with believers, even the believers that we do not know. He is increasing our awareness of the global body of believers and increasing the fervency of our prayers for them. Make it your aim to be used by God to unite the believers in the Name of Christ wherever you go: if you have to move, as you travel, in your workplace, in your community, etc.

²⁰ “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. ²² I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as we are One— ²³ I in them and You in Me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me. John 17


3. The Spirit is filling believers with the boldness and clarity of purpose and need to share the Gospel to the world:


    As believers understand the meaning of the Gospel (see number 1), the need to share the Gospel is understood as the love of Christ fills the hearts of believers for their neighbors and the people of the world. The great need is due to the "famine of the Word of God" (Amos 8:11) present in many places in the present world. Believers are becoming aware of the "other sheep who have yet to join the fold" (John 10:16). We have a great hope and prospect for the salvation of souls because the Spirit has been working in the soils of human hearts such that when we cast our seeds (the Word of God), God will make them grow in the chosen ones. We may face much rejection, but God will grant us that delightful fruit and the sight of the miraculous change of human hearts that will result in our praise and thanksgiving to Him.


4. God has filled every believer who is placed in an arena of communication to other believers with the same Spirit of the Revelation of Jesus Christ: (e.g. pastors in pulpits, Christian radio broadcasters, Christian speakers, Christian writers and music artists, Christian parents and teachers, etc.)


     This filling is not granted only to the mature or knowledgeable in the faith, but to all Christians who have the Spirit living inside of them. Thus, we can expect to hear the Voice of God from all sorts of sources in our Christians circles. We will hear the same message everywhere: the message of God concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His call for His church to put on their armor and to awake and be alert. Because God is giving this same Spirit of Revelation of Christ to ALL believers, the Christians will start to focus less on the presenters and to make less judgments about the earthly glories of their Christian leaders, but will acknowledge of the King of Glory who has given His same Word and Command to all His people that He has appointed in various places. 


²⁰ Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them.²¹ Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Is 30


¹ See, a King will reign in righteousness
   and rulers will rule with justice.
² Each one will be like a shelter from the wind
   and a refuge from the storm,
like streams of water in the desert
   and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.
 ³ Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,
   and the ears of those who hear will listen.
⁴ The fearful heart will know and understand,
   and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.
⁵ No longer will the fool be called noble
   nor the scoundrel be highly respected. Is 32


However, the deceivers among the believers do not have the Spirit of God and continue to speak lies.


5. The Spirit is breaking our attachment to material things and preparing our hearts to share:


     Our strong attachment to material wealth and goods is being melted in the fires of heavenly refinement sent to us from the Father above. He warns us against greed of all kinds. He teaches us to refuse to acknowledge security in any earthly sense. He is preparing us to share with the body of believers because a time is coming when many of us will be in need and the love of our hearts will be tested. He tells us to hold onto nothing except for Him. He will never fail us. He alone can rescue and save.

¹⁵ The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. ¹⁶ It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. Rev 13

The Exalted Word

Dear Father,
     As You raised Your Son from the dead, the Head of the Church was brought up. Along with the Head, the body, that is, the church of Christ is resurrected with Him. Not in part, but in full, every part of her was brought to life. In Your great love for us You have brought Your Son to Life. Here in the stillness, we know that You are God, that You are exalted in the heavens and in the earth. Please do not cease the work of Your right arm. Your love for Your children is infinitely great and we have seen more of it in the recent days. Daily we are drawn to You. Our eyes turn to You. We opens wide our mouth and You fill it with every good Word of Spirit and Life. Your Words are our Life and You have caused them to dwell within each of our members. Please reveal to us that Your Words are exalted, are inseparable from Your love, are filled with Light, and bring us Life eternal in knowing Christ. Unfold Your Words of the Gospel to each of Your Bride's parts.
In Jesus Christ's Name,
Amen


Theme Song: Ancient Words

I will bow down toward Your holy temple 
   and will praise Your name 
   for Your love and Your faithfulness, 
for You have exalted above all things 
   Your Name and Your Word. Ps 138:2


     God's purpose with this letter is to give us a sight of the power, voice, and life-giving nature of His Word. Our Father has chosen to use His Word to instill and impart His Life to us. His Word has been the only Truth that remains forever and is thus exalted above the heavens and the earth. He uses a Divine interplay between His Word, His gift of faith, and the power of the Spirit to raise our souls from the dead. This work is unseen and yet it is eternal. This is the work that occurs on this very day in members of the bride scattered throughout the world. The ministry of His Word is exalted in power. Yes, His Words come to us from under His loving canopy.


JESUS IS THE WORD


 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1


     In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. By His Word, the earth was formed and is sustained. God spoke and the earth and the heavens came into existence. Until the time when Jesus was born, the people of God were given the Word of Jesus through their faith in the prophesied Deliverer. The belief of their Father's gift of Life through the sacrifice of His Son was the Word which sustained the souls of the believers who awaited the coming of Jesus Christ.


     The precious nature of His Words was by no means disregarded by those who lived before "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us". As Moses taught the Israelites, "No, the Word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. Deut 30:14". Christ was still yet to come but the Word of Christ dwelt in their hearts by faith. His Words were on the mouths of these ancient elect by their hope in their future Deliverer.


      The power of these precious Words is unchanging. Before Them the mighty waters and created elements of the earth are held back. His voice is heard through the thunder and the lightning. His voice is infinitely loud, powerful, and majestic. Its effects are to break the cedars, to make Lebanon skip life a calf, to shake the dessert, to twist the oaks, and to lay the forests bare. At the very moments that His Words are heard from the heavens, countless glorious beings cry out "glory" from within His temple. 


³ The Voice of the LORD is over the waters; 

   the God of glory thunders,
   the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
⁴ The Voice of the LORD is powerful;
   the Voice of the LORD is majestic.
⁵ The Voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
   the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. 

⁶ He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, 
   Sirion like a young wild ox. 
⁷ The Voice of the LORD strikes 
   with flashes of lightning. 
⁸ The Voice of the LORD shakes the desert; 
   the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh. 
⁹ The Voice of the LORD twists the oaks
   and strips the forests bare. 

And in His temple all cry, “Glory!”Ps 29

     The Israelites who heard the Word of God were filled with dread and fear. They could see that the Voice of the Lord could grant them a sentence of eternal damnation or an acceptance that was valued more than life itself: the Words that bring Life, and the Words of the Eternal Gospel. The Israelites who lived at the time of the Exodus cried out that they could not hear the voice of the Lord their God and survive. Their own words were filled with sin, hatred, and ultimately death. Their own words would have set a seal on them for His destruction by His own pure Word. 


By the same Word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 2 Peter 3:7


      The words of mankind were of no use to them. Their own words could never bring life or love into their hearts. Their words sought to justify their deeds which were worthy of only condemnation. Both their actions and words of defense were condemned. Their words could only be spoken with the desires for selfish gain and profit and could bring no eternal fruit. Their own words lay claim to the heavens and bestowed on them a deceptive shroud of power, control, wisdom, and importance, but deep in their souls they could not see the Light. There is no Light in those who speak their own words.


To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this Word, they have no light of dawn. Is 8:20


     The holiness of their God was beyond comprehension and the Words that came out from the Holy Fire of the Lord who dwelt among them caused the people to fear His awesome judgments.


¹⁶ For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” Deut 18

     God's Divine Purpose has been to glorify Himself through creating, saving, and uniting a people in His love. We are to be His very own people who are holy just as He is holy. He would send His Son (the complete radiance of the Father), the Word, to become flesh and make His dwelling among us.

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and Truth. John 1:14

     The Word in Flesh was to speak to us everything that the Father commanded Him to speak. His Words would be to His people their salvation, righteousness, cleansing, and promise.

 ¹⁷ The LORD said to me: “What they say is good. ¹⁸ I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put My Words in His mouth, and He will tell them everything I command Him. ¹⁹ If anyone does not listen to My words that the Prophet speaks in My name, I myself will call him to account.Deut 18

     Jesus remained in His Father throughout His time on this earth and His Father remained in Him. The Words which He has spoken that we have recorded from our four precious Gospels were not only His own Words. They were the Words of His His Father. He spoke according the will of His Father. He spoke exactly what His Father told Him to speak. The speaking of His Words were the manifestation of the Father's work. Through these Words He preached the Gospel. He was the Gospel. He lived the very essence of what He came to do. Everything He spoke was to reveal the work for which He came that would bring Life and salvation to all those who would believe. 

Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? The Words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in Me, who is doing His work. John 14:10

     What kind of dwelling did the Word make among us? The Word's dwelling was one of obedience to His Father. He came to portray His perfect submission to His Father. From the very moment He entered this world He chose to suffer. For us who were conceived in sin, even as we were born, we drunk iniquity as though it were water. We had never known the perfect union with the heavenly Father that Christ had as He perfectly obeyed and dwelt in His Father as He lived on this earth. To Jesus, His dwelling in His Father as He dwelt on this earth caused utter agony even from conception as He was surrounded by the wickedness of the world and wicked men whose hearts were filled with blaspheme and hatred towards God. As He grew in wisdom and stature, every temptation known to mankind was given to Him. As these trials came upon Him, He cried out loudly and wept to the One who could deliver Him from the separation from His Father that would immediately arise if He faltered in even one step. Though He was the perfect Son of God for every moment of His existence, He learned obedience by crying out to His Father for deliverance at every step. He never faltered. No, not even once. In the years leading up to the day when He would be offered as the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world, the Word obeyed the Father and remained the perfect spotless Lamb, the only perfect sacrifice who could make atonement for our sins and be called our salvation. Every moment of the Word's dwelling among us was one of intense suffering and "acquaintance with grief" and yet He poured out each morsel of the Bread of His Life. Yes, we live by the Living Bread of the Word's Life, every Word of the Mouth of God. 

      ⁷ During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of his reverent submission. ⁸ Although He was a Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered ⁹ and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him ¹⁰ and was designated by God to be high Priest in the order of Melchizedek. Heb 5

      His Words are Spirit and they are Life. We know that our heavenly Father is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. He Himself delivered the Spirit through His Word. Even as He ascended He promised to send the very Holy Spirit to be with us and to live in us. His Words are Life. They awaken our souls. Until we eat them, we are dead. We could not even know the emaciation of our souls for we did not have the appropriate function of the living senses to detect our Spiritual starvation. We did not understand our loss until His Words had awakened out soul.

The Spirit gives Life; the flesh counts for nothing. The Words I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are Life. John 6:63

     It is our destiny to know His Words through the Gospel. 

¹⁴ “Then he said: ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from His mouth. ¹⁵ You will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. Acts 22

     As the Word was crucified for our sins and raised to Life for our justification, we beheld the glory of the Father, full of grace and Truth. His Word was filled with grace and Truth. For the Word did not make His dwelling among us to condemn us, but to save us through Him. Thus, the Word spoke to us Words of grace and Truth so that we may be saved. On the cross where He was broken, He spoke to us Words of grace through what He bore. He bore not only the physical suffering inflicted on Him. For certainly many saints throughout history were tortured physically in similar manners and were able to do so while singing joyfully to their eternal Savior, the Word Who had saved them from damnation. Our own Savior suffered the infinitely greater suffering: the complete wrath of His own Father that was due to us in our wickedness. He drank the full cup of this wrath. He was cursed as we ought to have been cursed. The Word became sin for us so that we may become the righteousness of God in Him. Incomprehensible agony. Incomprehensibly love. This was His Word. As the Word was poured out unto death and numbered with the transgressors, bearing indescribable torment, the Words of love, grace, and truth were spoken to us. This was the revelation of the Words: His utmost agony from conception until the moment the Father forsook Him and He was put to death, He spoke His Word of unfailing love. 

     
Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, 
   for I have put my trust in You. 
Show me the way I should go, 
   for to You I lift up my soul. Ps 143:8

Exhortations of the Word for Us

1. "He who has ears, let Him hear" 

     Do we believe that He alone has the Words of Spirit, Life, and Truth? Do we believe that His Words are our salvation and our righteousness? Then we ought to make every effort to hear and know His Words. We have heard that His Word is able to divide soul and spirit, joints and marrow. Though we do not fully comprehend the meaning of these actions, He calls us to put our faith in the power of His Word, not to be careless, but to hear from Him. Who are those who have ears? Are they not we who have been chosen before the creation of the world? Jesus spoke His Words of grace and Truth to all so that those who are chosen may be saved through Them.

2. Let the Hearing of the Word be Combined with Faith.

    

     His Words of grace and Truth were spoken to all and the Gospel is made known to all people throughout the world, and yet, only those who heard the Word with faith received the life-giving and life-changing value of the Word. For we are born again by the imperishable, living, and enduring Word of God.


For we also have had the Gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Heb 4:2


     To those who do not believe the Words of grace and Truth, the Words become a law of condemnation. For only those who have been set free from the law and who have become bond-servants of Jesus Christ are able to experience the loving refinement of the Word. 


So then, the Word of the LORD to them will become: 
   Do and do, do and do, 
   rule on rule, rule on rule; 
   a little here, a little there— 
so that they will go and fall backward, 
   be injured and snared and captured. Is 28:13

3. Trust in the Spirit's power to convict us with the Word.

     May the Words of the Gospel not come to us as words alone, but may we acknowledge and trust that the Spirit of God will come upon us with power and deep conviction as we hear the Word. 

⁴ For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you,⁵ because our Gospel came to you not simply with Words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 

     We know and believe that Christ is the Word and that this Word is the only way of Eternal Life. He promises to use the Word to refine and cleanse us. The Spirit takes and gives to us the Words of Jesus. As the Spirit continues to "teach us all things" He is our deposit and seal guaranteeing what is to come. 

^{25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14}

4. Read the Bible through the lenses of the Word, full of grace and Truth.

     We will find our loving Savior who went through complete suffering for our sakes all over the Bible. We must read the Words of our Bible through the lenses of the Gospel. Think of the Aaronic blessing: "May the Lord bless you and keep you.; the Lord make His face shine upon you; the Lord turn His face to you and give you peace" spoken to the idolatrous Israelites. The speaking of this blessing onto any Israelite who was not covered by the blood of Christ would be a contradiction of the Father's justice. But because Christ was cursed, we are blessed. Because He was forsaken we are kept. Because the Father turned His face away from the Son, The Father's face shines upon us and He turns His face to us. Because He was separated from His Father, we are given peace through His blood. Why did the prophet Isaiah tell us that "Though our sins were as scarlet, we would become white as snow"? Could this be understood from the law which stated that every man who does not abide by the law be put to death? The Word of grace and Truth, the Gospel, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is the way to understand and read the Scriptures. He will bring everything to light as we understand His sacrifice and resurrection of love.

The unfolding of your Words gives light; 
   it gives understanding to the simple.Ps 119:130

5. Obey the Word of God in Order to Be Complete in the Love of God.

    Once we have tasted a small bit of His Agape, we know that we have found something of greatest value. Our acknowledgement of the exalted worth of His love is incentive enough to obey our Father. Our greatest desire is to live and walk in His love. 

But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly made complete in Him. 1 John 2:5a

6. Do not Forsake Giving His Words to His People.

     The faithful and wise servant is the one who is found giving the other servants their food at the proper time. We know that the sheep listen to the Shepherd's voice and we know that there are many other sheep yet to come into the fold. The Word of the Gospel is as a seed that we scatter and plant as we go about this life. May we cast our bread upon the waters as we live. Though we often feel that our love is incomplete, He commands for us to deliver His Words of Life to all mankind. And even now He is working to perfect our love. Even as we scatter the Word, He is filling us with measures of AGAPE.

and at His appointed season He brought His Word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the Command of God our Savior Titus 1:3

7. Acknowledge that the Word lives in Us.

  

     He never leaves us or forsakes us. Many of us do not feel Him and we feel as though we have been orphaned or widowed. But the apostle John tells us that we are strong and the Word of God lives in us. Be still and know that He is God, that He lives in You. He is so very near to you, dear saint!

 I write to you, fathers, 

   because you have known Him who is from the beginning. 
I write to you, young men, 
   because you are strong, 
   and the Word of God lives in you, 
   and you have overcome the evil one. I John 2:14

8. Hunger and Thirst for the Word.

    May our souls hunger and thirst for the Life that comes to us from His Words. May we not be like the dead souls which lack the senses to detect their own Spiritual starvation. But may we press on into the rushing waters of His Word. They keep coming and coming. The moment we praise Him for His Words, there are many more to be spoken. The Spirit will cause the Words to rain down and drench our  souls so that we may be refreshed. 

His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of rushing waters. Rev 1

9. Praise Him for His Word.

     Even as we praise Him by faith for His Words of Life, we are given the victory. In the midst of the praise of His Word, He removes our fears and captivates our trust. 

     In God, whose word I praise, 

   in God I trust; I will not be afraid. 
   What can mortal man do to me? Ps 56:4

10. Make His Word our Highest Joy

       As we behold the awesome power of the Word of God that allows us to be thoroughly equipped for every work, to enlighten us to the love of the Father, to refine and purge us from deeds that result in death, and to make known to us the path of Life, we will surely find deep joy in the Word. We must consciously delight in His Words as our soul eats Them. Our choice to find joy in His Truth is manifestation of the faith which He has instilled in us. We will also find that a love for God and His people comes with this delighting in the Word of Christ. 

 When Your words came, I ate Them; 
   They were my joy and my heart’s delight, 
for I bear Your Name, 
   O LORD God Almighty. Jer 15:16

Excellent Read: The Resurrection of Christ and its Relation to the Inner Life of a Christian (by Octavius Winslow ~1830)

The Mystery of God

Dear Father,

       We praise You because You are incomprehensible. Every aspect of Your character is unfathomable and limitless. Please give us the faith that pleases you and leads to obedience. Enlarge the territories of our grasping of Your Truth. Please show us by Your Spirit the mystery of You, revealed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Your union with Your Bride, and Your ultimate fulfillment of Your purpose. Also give us faith to behold sin as resulting in the mystery of death which we will never know because Your judgment has been lifted from us. Give us wisdom which is full of desire to know the infinite God and yet saturated with contentment in Your comfort, Fatherhood, love, and grace. In this way we may be self-controlled in every area of our lives. 

In Jesus Christ's Name,

Amen


Theme Song: It was Love

²⁵ Now to Him who is able to establish you by my Gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, ²⁶ but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey Him— ²⁷ to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. Rom 16  

     In this letter, God's purpose is that we understand the existence of the "Mystery of God". This mystery regards the Spiritual realms which we can behold only with the Spiritual eyes granted to us by the gift of faith which He has given us. From the beginning of time (and before) events have been occurring in the heavenly realms and continue to occur for all eternity. As soon as man had become separated from God after the first fall in the garden, his eyes have been closed to the events of the heavenly realms. God in His grace bestows His Holy Spirit and Word to mankind by which their eyes may be opened to behold the heavenly realms in part by faith. To us who have tasted salvation, the heavenly realms are a reality that we base our lives upon though we have not seen the Spiritual world with perfect vision. To call ourselves followers of Christ indicates that we have given up everything to pursue by faith the Mystery of God. In this way we "walk by faith not by sight". God has revealed His mystery in part to us through the Spirit's revelation of the Word of the Gospel. 


 ²⁹ The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the Words of this Law. Deut 29


     As we walk in faith we become aliens and strangers in the world and we know that we are citizens of heaven. This knowledge results in the channeling of all of our earthly being, possessions, and actions into the obedience that comes from faith. For "though we live in the world we do not wage war as the world does" but rather we employ the Divine Weapons of the heavenly realms to fulfill God's purpose on earth according to His will for each of our lives here of earth. The Mystery of God for us who believe regards the purpose and plan for God to reveal the full extent of His glory and love to His unified Bride through the Gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ. 

¹³ All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. Heb 11



     What is the Mystery of God? It is "the Gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ". What is the purpose of this Mystery? It is "so that all nations might believe and obey Him--bringing glory forever to the only wise God through Jesus Christ". 


     When we remember our Spiritual forefathers who lived before the birth of Jesus Christ, we consider the great and glorious faith that was given to them to perceive the forgiveness of their sins through a future Deliver who was unknown to them as to His Name and the time of His coming. As King Solomon inquired, "Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His Name and the Name of His Son? Tell me if you know! (Prov 30:4)". We also regard Abraham who waited 25 years for the birth of the promised child Issac who was to bring forth a people blessed far above other nations and through whom this chosen Deliver would come. Abraham's faith, which God has credited to him as righteousness, to await the birth of his natural son was not only filled with eager expectancy because of his manly need for an heir, to be a father, or to satiate the barren longings of Sarah. The strength and zeal of his faith came from His recognition of the need for One to come who would bear his sins onto Himself and free him from bondage to the fate of God's wrath against sinners. As Moses poured out His loving instruction from God to the Israelite people he said "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from from among your own brothers. You must listen to Him (Deut 18:15)". Recall Job as he boldly stated "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth (Job 19:25)". 


     These forefathers will willing to walk by faith in the same manner as we are called to walk by faith. They had not known the exact earthly details of the birth, death, and resurrection of the Christ as has been revealed to us, but God in His grace had revealed to them the Gospel and the glories of Christ that we have written down in our New Testaments. All of their hope was in the future Deliver. Indeed they walked by faith and not by sight. The love they had for their brothers is revealed by the declaring of these prophecies aloud to the people of God alive at that time. The love they had for us is also revealed in their obedience to hear and write the God-breathed Word of God which prophesied the coming of the Deliver. They served us in this way for their intent was that we may read these Words and be encouraged and strengthened in our faith. These forefathers are "the great cloud of witnesses" and in the will of God to bring all of His people from all time together in unity under the Head of Christ, He has united us through the Gospel of Christ. The same love which unites you and the family of God which you know in the present day is present between our Christian forefathers and through their prophecied Word of the Gospel of Christ.


¹⁰ Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, ¹¹ trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the Gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. I Peter 1



     To all of these patriarchs regarded by God as faithful, the mystery of Christ had only been revealed in part. As Christ promised, they were blessed for having "not seen and yet believed". 

    Our Christian ancestors not only had faith to believe in the future Deliverer to provide forgiveness and eternal Life for their souls and to write down the prophecies of the Word of Christ that we may be united with them in Spirit through our interpretation and understanding of these Words, but also that this Deliver would bring salvation to people from every nation. 

² Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, ³ that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. ⁴In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵ which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. ⁶ This mystery is that through the Gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. Eph 3 


     These patriarchs did not glory in the flesh with regard to their Israelite blood to the point that they rejected the notion of their future Deliver bringing salvation to all peoples, but surpassed many Jews who could not accept this Truth even after Christ came and preached salvation to all. They were willing to acknowledge with faith, hope, and love the "highway from Egypt to Assyria" where these two nations would worship together (Is 19:23). Even the oldest patriarch Abraham believed that "ALL nations would be blessed through him".

²³ This is what the LORD Almighty says: “In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’” Zech 8:23


     We are so very blessed, dear family, to have the Word of the prophets fulfilled in the certain completed birth, death, and resurrection of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. The mystery of the time and events surrounding Christ's coming which was looked upon with belief by the patriarchs has been revealed to us in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, Christ, the hope of glory, dwells in us through the Holy Spirit, the promised seal of our sonship.


²⁵ I have become Its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the Word of God in Its fullness— ²⁶ the Mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. ²⁷ To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this Mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Col 1 


     Though this Mystery has been disclosed to us in Christ, there are still events in the heavenly realms which constitute the Mystery of God in which we put our faith and our hope in. Indeed, Christ in us is the hope of glory. There are a future events which remain a mystery to us and yet Christ in us is the hope of the coming glory. For certainly the things in the Spiritual realms which remain a mystery to us pertain to the glory of God, and Christ in us is the hope of that Mystery of glory. Yes, the Father reveals His glory to us now, but one day we will behold the glory in full.

The Mysteries of the Coming Glory:

1. The Mystery of Godliness:

     The manner in which the Spirit transforms us and conforms us into the image of Christ is unfolded before our eyes in the present days as He refines, disciplines, and reveal Himself to us. The transforming power of the Gospel of Christ forms the basis for the Mystery of Godliness which we behold in our hearts.

¹⁶ Beyond all question, the Mystery of Godliness is great:
   He appeared in a body,
   was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
   was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
   was taken up in glory.I Tim 3


⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, Godliness; ⁷ and to Godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  2 Peter 1 



2. The Mystery of the Unified Bride: 
     
     Though not seen completely now, we behold by faith the promised unified and perfected Bride of Christ. ³² This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.  Eph 5 Though we see her in part today, we see her perfect unity, purity, and holiness by faith. This unity extends between each and every believer of Jesus Christ from every denomination, nation, language, people, tribe, time of lifespan (e.g. patriarchs versus the children who are to come), culture, social status... Do you believe this? The unity between believers who make up the Bride will one day be stronger than any other relationship among mankind. 


     This bond of peace and love exists as Christ is the Head whose signals are transmitted to the entire body causing this body to live, function, and thrive together in perfect unity as each one does the will of God. This bond is even stronger than the strongest Christian marriage. We often hear the question "Will I recognize my beloved one in heaven and commune with him/her there". The answer dwells in this mystery of the perfect unity and love that God brings among His people. Each of us will be infinitely closer to each and every believer than the man and woman in a blessed Christian marriage that we see now on earth. This is true because Christ's request to His Father was that we "may be one as We are One" (John 17:22).

3. The Mystery of our Resurrection with Heavenly Bodies: 


⁵¹ Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— ⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

 ⁵⁵ “Where, O death, is your victory?
   Where, O death, is your sting?”I Cor 15

4. The Mystery of our Complete Perfection: 


     By faith we know that the One who calls us will remain faithful to us  and will keep our lives which we have entrusted to Him for the Day of the Lord. Though we do not see Him fully, we believe that He has granted us the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls. This belief will result in an inexpressible and glorious joy through the Holy Spirit. We ought to ask Him to "increase our faith" since we have often felt devoid of this kind of joy, even us who have believed. 

⁸ Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

 I Peter 1


²Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. ³Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as He is pure. I John 3 


5. The Mystery of The Fulfilled Purpose of God to Bring Everything under Subjection to Himself in Christ: 


And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one Head, even Christ. Eph 1

     In the book of Revelations the seventh angel's sounding of his trumpet symbolizes the accomplishment of the Mystery of God. The accomplishment of this Mystery will result in the kingdom of the world becoming the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He will reign forever and ever.

⁷ But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the Mystery of God will be accomplished, just as He announced to His servants the prophets.” Rev 10...
¹⁵ The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:
   “The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ,
   and He will reign for ever and ever.” Rev 11


The Mystery of Hell

     In addition to the Mysteries of the coming Glory, there is an ignoble mystery of the destiny of the world and those who follow its wicked practices:The Mystery of Babylon.

⁵ This title was written on her forehead:

   MYSTERY

   BABYLON THE GREAT

   THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES

   AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

 ⁶ I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. Rev 17

     By faith we behold the object of this mystery as exceedingly distasteful, appalling, and destructive. Though we are constantly plagued with arrows from the enemy, we use our shields of faith. These arrows are deceitful promises given to us by evil spirits present in the world. These promises often involve pleasure, happiness, satisfaction, earthly needs, wants, desires... But when these promises are heeded the result will be aimless unsatisfied strivings, strife, jealousy, sorrow, and hatred among mankind. Ultimately the sins of the inhabitants of the world will result in eternal destruction under the wrath of God in hell. In the same way that we behold by faith the Mystery of the glorious heaven of our Lord, we believe the mystery of hell and fear the One who holds our lives in His Hands. For we have not known hell. Even our worst miseries and trials would give us little insight into a life separated from God and filled with the judgments of the Lord. We do not understand the horrendous nature of these judgments (Revelations describes tormenting scorpions, horses with snake tails, deadly plagues...) and yet by faith we believe that we have been saved from something of utmost torment, pain, lifelessness, agony...something of which we would be the objects of God's perfect hatred.


⁶ During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them. Rev 9

God's Commands For Us Regarding His Mystery:


1. Pay attention the His Mystery as to a Light Shining in a Dark Place


¹⁹ And we have the Word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to It, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the Day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.  2 Peter 1 

2.  Fearlessly make known the Mystery of the Gospel


¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the Mystery of the Gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare It fearlessly, as I should. Eph 6

3. Align our Purpose to Encourage the Believers in Heart and Unite Them in Love that they may Know the Mystery of God in Christ

² My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the Mystery of God, namely, Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  Col 2

Love to You, dear Bride of Christ, forever in Him who has betrothed us to Himself in faithfulness.

14 But as for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise You more and more.
15 My mouth will tell of Your righteousness,
of Your salvation all day long,
though I know not its measure. Ps 71



On Sun, Mar 25, 2012 at 5:03 PM, Preethi David <preethimdavid@gmail.com>wrote:
Dear Anand, 

       Thank you for sending these! They are a blessing to watch. God is good and His love is incomprehensible! The crippled girl scene was really touching. 

When Anand uncle asked Timothy what he wants to be when he grows up, he said "I want to be like Anand". He and Abby are growing in the Lord. 

May God bless your Sunday in His grace! He is preparing you and Prasanna for His good purpose in His Kingdom. 'Be content with such things as you have because God Himself has said "I will never leave you or forsake you."'

Love in Christ,

Preethi

On Sun, Mar 25, 2012 at 12:22 PM, Anand David <nlaicadavid@gmail.com>wrote:

Dear Preethi,

  

   Here is the video of Paul Washer when he was a younger missionary.

Love in Christ,

Anand

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L3uUFM524c

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTIk5e3a2T4