|
Last Daze Letter to The Body of Christ
Chapter 4
God's Best-Kept Secret
Important: Please read
(if you have not) The
Preface,
Introduction &
Chapter 1 first. “Going Up to God’s way of thinking”
is preferred reading for the understanding of all subsequent chapters.
Scripture quotations taken from the
NASB except where
otherwise noted. Bold print, underline emphasis is mine.
The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He will make them
know His covenant. Psalms 25:14
Only those who fear Yahweh have His secret and His covenant, for their
understanding. Psalms 25:14 (NJB)
Who is the person who fears the Lord? He will show him the way he should
choose. He will live a good life, and his descendants will inherit the
land. The secret counsel of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He
reveals His covenant to them. Psalms 25:12-14
(HCSB)
The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to
them. Psalms 25:14 (NIV)
If you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures;
then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of
God. Proverbs 2:4-5
The Fear of the Lord is one of God’s best-kept secrets. When one reads
the Holy Scriptures and sees all of the promises, blessings & benefits that
this one attribute supplies, why would they not earnestly seek out what “The
Fear of The Lord” really means and how one can acquire it!
I believe the reason why so few Christians discover this amazing secret
of God and the
great treasures found in God’s word (to follow) is due to the following
paradox. Please bear with me here, we cannot fear Him if we do not know
Him and we cannot truly know Him if we do not fear Him!
For years I had pondered, 'The fear of the Lord' and the knowledge
one acquires when He is feared. The following is what I discovered;
"The fear of The Lord" draws us to know Him, knowing Him causes us to fear
Him, the more we know Him the more we will fear Him and the more we fear Him the
more we will love Him and the more we love Him the less we will have to fear
Him because “Perfect love casts out all fear.”
This is a dichotomy!
Get to know God so you will fear Him and fear Him so
you will know Him, then you will grow to properly love Him. If you do this then you will know “the secret of the
Lord” and benefit from the many blessings and promises that are only for
those who desire to know, and fear the Lord. Look at some of the
following
amazing benefits of "The Fear of The Lord"
Benefits of "The Fear of The Lord"
Knowledge of God
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: Proverbs 1:7
God's wisdom, knowledge and
understanding The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Proverbs 9:10
Longer life
The fear of the LORD adds
length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. Proverbs 10:27
(NIV)
Overcome sinful habits and
overcome evil By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men
depart from evil Proverbs 16:6
Discover life's fountain
and avoid the snares of death The fear of
Jehovah is a fountain of life, That one may depart from the snares of
death. Proverbs 14:27 (ASV)
Contentment
Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and
trouble with it. Proverbs15:16 (RSV)
Riches, honor, and
life The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD Are
riches, honor and life. Proverbs 22:4
Experience true worship
But as for me, I will come into Thy house in the
multitude of Thy mercy: and in Thy fear will I worship toward thy holy
temple. Psalms 5:7
No wants
O fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear Him
have no want. Psalms 34:9 (RSV)
Glory of God's
salvation Surely His salvation is nigh them that
fear Him; that glory may dwell in our land. Psalms 85:9
Receive daily provision
He provides food for those who fear Him; He is ever mindful of His
covenant. Psalms 111:5
A satisfying life, safe from
harm The fear of the LORD leads to life; and
he who has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.
Proverbs 19:23 (RSV)
Experience His Covenant The secret of The Lord is for those
who fear Him and He will make them know His covenant. Psalms 25:14
Experience God's
goodness O how abundant is thy goodness, which
thou hast laid up for those who fear Him. Psalm 31:19
(RSV)
Constant protection
Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope
for His lovingkindness, To deliver their soul from death And to keep
them alive in famine. Psalms 33:18-19 The angel of the LORD
encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them. O taste and
see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in
Him! Psalms 34:7-8
A Banner of defense
But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled
against the bow... Psalm 60:4 (NIV)
Receive an inheritance
For You have heard my
vows, O God; You have given me the inheritance of those who fear
Your name. Psalm 61:5
Experience vast
lovingkindness For as the heavens are high above
the earth, So great is his lovingkindness toward them that fear Him.
Psalms 103:11 (ASV)
Bring delight to the
Lord The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear
Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love. Psalm 147:11
(RSV)
Confidence and a
place of refuge In the fear of the LORD is strong
confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge. Proverbs
14:26
With all of these benefits how come "The Fear of The Lord" is such a
secret?! Though we may have read these passages several times, the principles remain a secret and an unknown
experience, because we do not "Fear The Lord". What an abundance of peace,
wealth and blessing is for those who "Fear The Lord"!
There is little to no fear of the Lord in our culture. Christians use
God’s name in vain (as a common thing and a swear word) and don't even
realize it! We have little to
no morals; Christians commit adultery, cheat on their income tax, they don't
vote, they steal from
the workplace, copyright fraud is rampant, abortion, pornography, child
molestation just to name a few! The commonplace attitude of
Christians is that they should get a deal, get special treatment because
they are “a child of God.” We cheat on just about everything possible
because “God wants to bless His people”. We borrow and do not pay back. We
slander, gossip, defraud, steal, lie and defame one another, babies are
murdered through abortion, yes Christians get abortions. We listen to and
watch filth. We enjoy evil and excuse it in the name of entertainment.
Should I go on? You would think that God could not see or hear anything we
say or do! The true crucible of how we treat one another is in our homes,
with our friends, on the job and in church. You would think we had mini
civil war’s everywhere, we do! Christian divorce rate is higher than the
secular world and how happy are those who are married? Most marriages are
hanging on a thread. Believers go from marriage to marriage, friendship to
friendship, from job to job and from church to church why, because we are
running from God and trying to hide our sin rather than face it. “There is
no fear of God before our eyes” because they we not know God!
as it is written, "THERE
IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT
EVEN ONE; THERE
IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR
GOD; ALL
HAVE TURNED ASIDE,
TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME
USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO
DOES GOOD, THERE IS
NOT EVEN ONE." "THEIR
THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE,
WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING," "THE
POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS"; "WHOSE
MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND
BITTERNESS"; "THEIR
FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,
DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE
IN THEIR PATHS, AND
THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN." "THERE
IS NO FEAR OF
GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES."
Romans
3:10-18
The fear of the Lord is not just “to be in awe of”, “reverence” or
“reverential trust". Yes it is awe and reverence, but it is far more! Out of
the 93 times the original Greek word (phobeō) is transliterated only once it
is translated as reverence. By the way phobeō is where our word phobia comes
from. So what do we do when we teach and preach? We say “The fear of the
Lord” is to have reverence and never even mention the other transliterated
words (more on this to come).
Awe and reverence are what we experience when we fully understand what it
is to fear God. Following, we will see how we have twisted
and have not captured the true meaning of this word fear
and what it truly means to fear God! Just to say that “to
fear God” only means “to be in awe of”, “reverence” or “reverential trust”
is the devil’s decoy, his counterfeit to lure us and keep us away from the
full truth. Most of the world cannot even relate to the words awe and
reverence. “Awesome” is often misused in the Christian and secular
realm for a variety of things that are not Awesome at all. For example
in a church service;
"It would awesome if you filled out the registration card" "This ice cream
is awesome, you should try some." To this regard, if “The fear of The Lord”
only means "awesome" then some have reduced
“The fear of The Lord” to nothing but paper and food!
What should have great meaning results in little or no understanding of
“The fear of The Lord” this one way “God’s best kept
secret” remains a secret!
Who are our examples of those who knew the full meaning of “The fear of
the Lord” and therefore had stood in true great Godly Fear, Reverence and Awe?
How about The High Priest, who in the Holy of Holies would be slain in a
second if he disobeyed Jehovah God and be drug out as dead! How about Noah and his family, how
they obeyed God and saw all those people destroyed before their very eyes.
How about Moses who spent 40 days and nights on the Holy Mountain with
God and if any of the people at the foot of the mountain touched it would instantly
perish! How about Lot who saw his city and half of his family destroyed before his
eyes by the finger of God! Many might say, that only happened in the Old
Testament.
OK, then how about Saul who was struck with blindness. Ananias and Sapphira
who were both struck dead for lying to The Holy Spirit. John, who on the Island of Patmos was on the
verge of death as God revealed to him what will happen at the end of the
age. Not to take the bold step of mentioning Hell where those who disobey
the Gospel will perish utterly for ever and ever! Must I go on? We have no
idea what it is like to truly be in proper AWE of our Holy God.
For if God did not spare angels when they
sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness,
reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved
Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a
flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom
and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an
example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued
righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by
what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his
righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the
Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the
unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment. 2 Peter 2:4-9
The term “God-fearing People” has faded into a world of compromise. If we
can find someone who we would call “God Fearing”, there is little desire to
inquire how to be like them. In this world of compromise, we have great
trouble with this concept of fear related to God, so we explain it away in a
way that feels good and acceptable, warm and fuzzy. To say that we as
believers should walk and live in “The FEAR of God” is upsetting and
politically incorrect! Compromise is no surprise to our ever-sliding
downhill standard of Christ-like living! To reverse this
attitude, we must "Go Up to God's Way of Thinking" (see
Chapter 1).
Let us look at the more complete meaning of this key word that unlocks
“God’s best kept secret!" What seems to be something very negative in an
“only think positive" world is in actuality a great blessing and the way to
truly and rightly live the Christian life.
fear (fîr) n. 1.a.
A feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence
of danger
2. To be uneasy or apprehensive. [Middle English fer,
from Old English fÆr, danger, sudden calamity. See per-3
below.] --fear“er n. 3. Extreme
reverence or awe, as toward a supreme power. SYNONYMS:
(n.) fear, fright, dread, terror, horror, panic, alarm, dismay,
consternation, trepidation. These nouns all denote the agitation and
anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger (American
Heritage Dictionary)
If we look at the original Greek, in the Strong's, (notice that we are in the New
Testament) you will see the words used to describe being fearful of man,
wild beast, the corrupt world system and The Lord are the same. The word Phobos is used for both. Phobos
is where the word phobia comes from. The following scriptures illustrate
this reality.
"Do not fear (5399) those who kill the body but are
unable to kill the soul; but rather fear (5399) Him who is
able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28
"I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid (5399) of those who kill the
body and after that have no more that they can do. "But I will warn you whom
to fear (5399): fear (5399) the One who, after He has killed, has authority to
cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear (5399 Him! Luke 12:4&5
Greek Strong's Number: 5399 Greek Word: φοβέω
Transliteration: phobeō Phonetic Pronunciation: fob-eh'-o Root: from
Cross Reference: TDNT - 9:189,1272 Part of Speech: v Vine's
Words: Awe, Fear, Fearful, Fearfulness, Reverence Usage Notes: English
Words used in KJV: fear 62 be afraid 23 be afraid
of 5 reverence 1 misc 2 [Total Count: 93] from
(phobos); to frighten, i.e. (passive) to be alarmed; by analogy to be in awe
of, i.e. revere :- be (+ sore) afraid, fear (exceedingly), reverence.
Strong's Greek & Hebrew Dictionary
Notice how many times phobeō is translated fear (62) in
the New Testament, be afraid (23) be afraid of
(5), vs. reverence (1). We major on the minors and minor on
the majors deluding the truth to say more what we want it to say. So
we soft
peddle God’s Word and miss out on the full truth. Let’s Go Up to
God’s way of thinking" (chapter 1) Look again at all of the benefits of “The
Fear of The Lord” no wonder the devil deceives us into believing that “The
Fear of The Lord” is not “The Fear of The Lord.” Look again and see what you
are missing out on.
The same thing occurs in the Old Testament. If you study this you will
discover the pluralistic meaning repeatedly, here is one example; you need
to do the same thing here as the NT.
…And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. "It is the
LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear,
And He shall be your dread. Isaiah 8:12b-13
Yes, in fact we should be exceedingly fearful of Him because He is
infinitely more powerful than anything in and out of this world.
God can destroy us eternally where the enemy and the world can only kill the
physical body. In fact why is Jesus called savior? Jesus saves us from
wrath, the eternal punishment that God created for those who do not obey the
Gospel of Jesus. In the book of Hosea, we find the exhortation given to
Israel 2,800 years ago is the same exhortation that the Lord would give us
today if He sent Paul and Hosea to us.
Listen to the word of the LORD, O sons of Israel, For the LORD has a
case against the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no
faithfulness or kindness or knowledge of God in the land. There is
swearing, deception, murder, stealing and adultery. They employ
violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed. Therefore the land
mourns, And everyone who lives in it languishes along with the beasts of
the field and the birds of the sky, and also the fish of the sea
disappear. Hosea 4:1-3
…dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who
do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of
eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the
glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that
day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed. 2
Thessalonians 1:8-10a
… there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open
and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. Hebrews
4:13
Awe and reverence, yes but is that only what comes to mind when you read
these sobering scriptures? Hundreds may have come into the kingdom
(including my family) because my father said to my (now born again) Jewish
wife; “You are one of God’s chosen people and if you do not embrace
Christ Jesus as your Lord & Savior you will die and perish in Hell.” This
may sound harsh, but this is the gospel truth and it is sobering love from
above! I would that someone share a few non-politically correct Christian words lead
in love from Jesus, than they would burn in Hell forever and ever!!! How about you, as
we soft-pedal the Gospel, make it user friendly and politically correct to
the point of not knowing the bad news, how will they ever know what the good
news really is without knowing what the bad news is! Few will walk in “the
fear of the Lord” and will have difficulty living out the Christian life and
enjoying it as God intended. Let this Gospel of the kingdom be shared with much
fervor, fear and trembling so
as not to be without mercy, love, and truth.
By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men
depart from evil. Proverbs 16:6 (KJV)
"And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And
to depart from evil is understanding.' " Job 28:28
My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within
you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to
understanding; For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for
understanding; If you seek her as silver And search for her as for
hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the LORD and
discover the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:1-5
... make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,
Ephesians 6:19c
What is the fear of the Lord? Why is the fear of the Lord such an
important essential ingredient to the Christian faith? Why is it so rare to
find?
"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil”
(Proverbs 8:13a) is a result of the
knowledge and understanding that comes with “The fear of the Lord.” We do not hate evil, for the most part we embrace it! In
our mind we explain away and justify our indulgence because ‘we like it’, or
because we think we have a right to be entertained. We rationalize this amusement
because everyone else is doing it!
What Would Jesus Do (WWJD)? We like to
wear these charms and attire. I wish this apparel could speak ‘What would
Jesus do when we pick up the remote, change the channel and choose a movie.
WWJD when we pick up the paper, plan a vacation, choose a vocation, take up
a new hobby, pick up a magazine! Let's face it, in America money, pleasure
and entertainment
speak louder than the still quiet voice of The Holy Spirit!
Lord, where are those who “fear the Lord” and hate evil? Evil is all
around us, we invite evil to be in our homes! When you walk down most streets
that have electricity,
you are surrounded by evil. At night, one can see the destroying "BLUE GLOW"
everywhere, millions upon millions addictively feast their eyes on the abominations of the
world! Christians invite the devil into their home daily as a confidant, as
great relative or a friendly neighbor. We give him the highest place in the
living room, kitchen, bedroom, and for some even in their bathroom! Now, one
can carry this influence in the palm of their hand wherever they go. Most
will agree how bad movies, the tube and the Internet is, but are not able to
cast off this evil addiction through this umbilical cord that comes from the
very depths of Hell! Your people, who call you by name drink of this filthy
cup willingly, day after day, night after night, numb to its unending power
to eternally destroy them, their family and their friends. Lord, I know you
have a remnant that has chosen not to bow the knee to these destroying
idols. My concern is for the multitudes of Christians (who for lack of
knowing your secret) through willful ignorance, embrace the entertainment
gods of this world. This spiritual adultery is no different than that of
adulterous Israel who forsook the relationship of her God for the passing
pleasures of sin. We must open our eyes by the knowledge and wisdom of God’s
Word, and be like Moses, repent and turn away from this evil to serve the
true and living God! (also see chapter 6)
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of
Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the
people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering
the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for
he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the
wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. Hebrews 11:24-27
"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and
arrogance and the evil way, and the perverted mouth, I hate. Prov
8:13
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men
will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving,
unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of
good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than
lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And
from such people turn away! 2 Tim 3:1-5 (NKJV)
We are naturally bent on evil, either to do it, condone it and or be
entertained by it. To possess perfect (complete) love, we need “The fear of
The Lord” to turn from evil. The only way to fear The Lord is to know Him
and the only way to fully know Him is to fear Him! Yes, this is the
dichotomy, the paradox of God’s best-kept secret. Now that the secret is
out, let us experience it, enjoy all of the benefits that come with it, live
what is true life indeed and live it to the fullest!
Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD
always. Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off.
Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way.
Proverbs 23:17-19
Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let
the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let
him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our
God, For He will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7
Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and
understanding. Proverbs 23:23
How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding
is to be chosen above silver. The highway of the upright is to depart
from evil; He who watches his way preserves his life. Proverbs 16:16-17
How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my
mouth!
From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false
way. Psalms 119:103-104
Removing the poison of the media without a change of heart towards evil
will help but not resolve the issue because of our continual desire to be
entertained. When we progress to the state of fearing God we will progress
to the hating of evil, our passion for the pleasure of entertainment will
lessen and our hatred of it's evil will grow. We must re-examine what we
allow in our homes, in our lives, and in our minds. Our view of
entertainment must be in accordance to God’s Word. We must no longer compare
ourselves to others. We cannot do what others do and deem it as acceptable and OK! Our passion
must shift from the pleasure of entertainment to a passion for truth exposing
the evil lies of the devil.
How can this be accomplished? Hating evil can only be accomplished by truly
knowing God, seeking His kingdom and His righteousness with a heart that
wants to really know Him. How can we truly know God? I need to repeat, we must fear Him. How
can we fear Him? We must know Him, that is the dichotomy and quest of the
journey that will change your life to love and serve Jesus, His people and
enjoy all of the benefits that come from God’s Best Kept Secret, “The fear of
the Lord”.
The following is an example of true repentance; when God’s people are
living with no fear of God before their eyes and then choose to walk in “The
Fear of the Lord”!
Now there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against
their Jewish brothers. For there were those who said, "We, our sons and
our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain that we may eat and
live." There were others who said, "We are mortgaging our fields, our
vineyards and our houses that we might get grain because of the famine."
Also there were those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's
tax on our fields and our vineyards. Now our flesh is like the flesh of
our brothers, our children like their children. Yet behold, we are
forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our
daughters are forced into bondage already, and we are helpless because
our fields and vineyards belong to others."
Then I was very angry when I had heard their outcry and these words. I
consulted with myself and contended with the nobles and the rulers and
said to them, "You are exacting usury, each from his brother!"
Therefore, I held a great assembly against them. I said to them, "We
according to our ability have redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold
to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be
sold to us?" Then they were silent and could not find a word to say.
Again I said, "The thing which you are doing is not good; should
you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of
the nations, our enemies? " And likewise I, my brothers and my servants
are lending them money and grain. Please, let us leave off this usury.
Please, give back to them this very day their fields, their vineyards,
their olive groves and their houses, also the hundredth part of the
money and of the grain, the new wine and the oil that you are exacting
from them." Then they said, "We will give it back and will require
nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say." So I called the
priests and took an oath from them that they would do according to this
promise. I also shook out the front of my garment and said, "Thus may
God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does
not fulfill this promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied."
And all the assembly said, "Amen!" And they praised the LORD.
Then the people did according to this promise. Neh 5:1-13
Nehemiah's Example of walking in "The Fear of The
Lord"
Moreover, from the day that I was appointed to be their governor in the
land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King
Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my kinsmen have eaten the
governor's food allowance. But the former governors who were before me
laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides
forty shekels of silver; even their servants domineered the people. But
I did not do so because of the fear of God. Neh
5:14-15
Come, let us "Go Up to God’s Way of Thinking"
(chapter1). Oh, that we would truly
come to know and experience “God’s best kept secret” “The fear of
the Lord” and come to “know His Covenant.”
Oh, that we would turn from evil, repent from our wicked ways and that
it could be said of us (where we are geographically) what Paul Silvanus and Timothy said of the church at
Thessalonica:
Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God
the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give
thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our
prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love
and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of
our God and Father, knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you;
for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and
in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind
of men we proved to be among you for your sake. You also became
imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much
tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an
example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of
the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia,
but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we
have no need to say anything. For they themselves report about us what
kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God
from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His
Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus,
who rescues us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians
1:1-10
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and
pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear
from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2
Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 (NIV)
Last daze Letter to the Body of Christ
Joseph G. Wellhoff / jgw / 1999 - 2016
Next Chapter
Scripture quotations taken from the
NASB except where
otherwise noted.
Top of page | Home
|
|