The Church: Keeping the Law……the true Church of the Living God helps one another. Yesterday morning at the “Gap” prayer meeting I was the recipient of that law. Paul the Apostle wrote a letter to the church of the Galatians and in his letter in chapter 6 and verse 2 he said “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Now I’ve always tried to be an encourager…that is what I feel God would have me be, but there are times when we get discouraged and maybe we need a little encouragement ourselves.
Yesterday in the prayer meeting one of the sisters was praying for some special needs that had been voiced and as she came to the end of her prayer, she asked the Lord to touch me. She had no way of knowing just what I had been going through but it was as if I had shared my need with the group beforehand. And I had not shared anything about myself. Then after she finished everyone in that prayer circle came and laid hands on me including a certain pastor whom I have a great deal of love and respect for and they prayed for encouragement for me. They were fulfilling the “Law of Christ.”
Only the Spirit of the Living God could have prompted that sister to include my need in her prayer; only the Spirit could have caused those present to bear my burden and fulfill the Law of Christ. One might ask, “what is the Law of Christ?”
Jesus said in John 15:12, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” And verse 17”THESE THINGS I COMMAND YOU, THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER.”
This is the Law of Christ…this is the Church

I just received yesterday the followingessay froma dear missionary friend to India and with his gracious permission I want to pass it onto you.

JEHOVAH-SHAMAH

Today in our morning devotion, the Lord impressed upon Kamala and I one of God’s names, which is descriptive of His character and attribute. He is Jehovah-Shamah meaning “God is there” (Ezekiel 48:35).

It is truly assuring and comforting to know that God is here among us. The awareness of His glorious presence became very real to us. The recognition of the transcendence in our midst has mightily inspired us as we began to petition and supplicate on behalf of our prayer partners and supporters of Asia For Christ Ministry. Kamala began to pray for individuals in need of prayer from Trinidad and Tobago to Singapore, from USA to Hope For Asia Bible College in India, and from Canada to Cambodia. I am writing this e-mail because the Lord brought your name to our remembrance as we began to intercede before the Lord. This is not my India mission report, but an encouraging word to you by the sudden prompting of the Holy Spirit upon Kamala and I in our prayer for you.

Yes, our God is there, here, everywhere, at all times! He will never leave us nor forsake us. He will be faithful to us as we go through the deepest discouragement and depression. He is also “Emmanuel” meaning “God with us.” He is our dearest Friend who sticks closer than a brother. Moreover, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

He is with us when we go through the dark and surging current of sorrow’s stream. He is with you as you wait for a report from a laboratory test. He is with you as you face critical health problems, chemotherapy or radiation.

In June, Kamala and I will be faced with the reinjured sport surgery of our daughter Joyce, and also surgery for sport injury (torn ACL) for our son Joshua. He is here with us even when these crises cause our children to doubt God. He is with us in our financial stress, emotional overload, and in our spiritual crisis. He is with us here in our acute loneliness, deepest pain, and persecutions (during my three months of ministry in India from January 30 – April 30, 2008, the Hindu mob violently attacked our College at night and caused some damages. Thank God for He was there to protect us from blood bath).

We are inspired by the words of Charles Spurgeon. He said, “It’s good there is one stable Rock in the middle of storms on the sea of life.” We all can thank God for that blessed ROCK the LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Since God has been with us in the past, and as He is with us present here and now, He will be there with us in the future, as we will face new challenges ahead. It takes our eyes off our current and future worries, gives us a glimpse of His glorious presence and of His omnipotence to do exceeding abundantly on our behalf (Ephesians 3:20).

The mission trip to India was fruitful and most productive. I knew He was there in India in my loneliness and persecution. He is with you today!
“When we are down to nothing, God is up to something!”

Do you remember this song, GOD IS HERE?

There is a sweet anointing in this sanctuary
There is a stillness in the atmosphere
Come and lay down the burdens you have carried
For in this sanctuary God is here

He is here, He is here
To break the yoke and lift the heavy burden
He is here, He is here
To heal the hopeless heart and bless the broken
Come and lay down the burdens you have carried
For in this sanctuary God is here

Thank you for your prayers.

Brother and Sister Kutty

The presence of God in the church...a song we sing puts it this way "in the presence of Jehovah, God Almighty Prince of Peace, troubles vanish, hearts are mended in the presence of the King"...that is how it is in the body of believers that I worship with. When the Presence of Jehovah is evident troubles seem to disappear...but when they don't, we have that same mighty presence to help us carry the load that these troubles represent. Hearts are truly mended in His presence. In His presence there is fulness of joy and at His right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
Some may say that there is pleasure in sin as well and that is also true but it is short lived pleasure and in the end it brings sorrow and death; unlike the pleasures forevermore that the child of God will soon know. The church without the presence of God isn't a church at all, oh it may be called a church but the only thing that will identify it as a church is the sign as you enter through the door. It has a name but that is all.
In the church of the Living God(remember He is the head)the presence of God is real and able to deliver all of us. Sometimes we seem to think we have to create an atmosphere for His preseence to come but His presence is always in His church for where two or three are gathereed in His name...He is there. He gives the church life, not the other way around, however as we worship Him who dwells in the praises of His people, that is when we sense His presence. Sometimes we invite Him into our midst ...He is already there. It is us, the church that needs the preparation. And it does bring pleasure, His presence does, but that is only if your heart is surrendered to Him because if it is not, then His presence can be quite uncomfortable. But it wouldn't be the church if it were not for His presence. I am thankful for His presence.

The church in crisis? Next time you are sitting in a worship service, in the church which you attend regularly, or in one you are visiting, look around at the heads gathered there and do a mental count or a quick percentage estimate of gray heads or white ones or even shiny heads...of course a lot of men today don't want hair so take that factor into consideration. You know what I am getting to, don't you? I am encouraging you to look at the average age of our congregations today. Take a look at the section where the young people sit...not too many?
I heard a story from one source that is typical in our area. The sound technician in this particular church looked out over the crowd and did a quick estimate and came up with a figure of 50 t0 55 percent of the congregation who were over 55. That is probably a conservative estimate.
No youth...no future, yet Jesus told us in Matt. 16:18, "I will build My church.? Is the church facing a crisis today? Yes but it is only temporary...it is time that those of us who perhaps make up the majorityheed to the words found in Isaiah's prophecy "Arise, shine for the Light has come And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you" Isa. 60:1. Let's not wallow in the pit of despair but let's get behind the effort in the place God has called us and push the battle for the Lord and we do it on our knees in prayer. It is high time that we arise and shine our lights for Jesus. Today is pantry day at our church and while I for one do not have a particular task assigned I will be there and I will pray for someone and God will answer prayer. Let's do something to support our pastor's and the work of God...prayer is the place to start...

The church; treasure...or trash? Jesus said " Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."(Matt 6:21) He also said "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." When we gather with friends, what is our conversation about? Is it about the things of God or is it about the things of this world? Jesus said "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things" so this morning(it is still early as I write these thoughts) I am examining my own heart and I ask my self this question "what do I talk about when I am with friends? Is it something that is uplifting? Is it something encouraging? Is it something about Jesus or the Body that is good? What is my conversation like?
As a Christian we know that our foundation is built on Jesus blood and righteousness. Paul writes in 1 Cor. ch 3 vs 11,12, "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ, Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw". ....(Some trash and some treasure in this list), look at vs 13 "each one's work will be come clear for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test each one's work , of what sort it is." Some day we shall give an account of every idle word....are my words treasure or trash? Sometimes I find myself alone in a group, isolated with my own thoughts...do you know what I mean? The conversation is about everything else but the things that are important, things that count. And I wonder if what is said is pleasing in His sight? Is my life showing forth His beauty? Am I walking the way He would have me walk? When people say things that hurt or just ignore us, do we retaliate in kind? What kind of treasure proceeds from my heart...I trust it is an encouragement....treasure not trash
When you love somebody, you will want to be with that person, you will want to say good things about them, you will want to talk to them, you will perhaps carry a picture of them....what about the Lord? Is He my focus? Is He my chief desire? Do I want to be more like Him today? What about you? Does your heart treasure the God who saved you?

The church and it's benefit plan. When I was in the work force I had to be a union member and when the collective agreement was being negotiated, benefits were usually the top priority. Well it is the same in God's church...He has a high priority benefit plan for His people.

The other day Judy and I were having breakfast at a local truck stop and in walked two of our friends that we have known for many years, man and wife. So in the course of our conversation and speaking of her health, she said something to us that really caught hold of my spirit. These five words are found in Psalm 103 vs3 "forget not all His benefits." Just five words yet they spoke volumes to me , "Forget not all His benefits" The church is blessed by His benefits, in fact that is the only way that a person can be a partaker of this plan, you have to be a member. You may ask just what kind of plan is this benefit package? What are the benefits?
The answer or at least part of the answer is found right in the contract but you need to rad the fine print...look at Psalm 103 vs.3 "Who forgives all your iniquities (that's the fine print....you can find it in the gospel of John also in ch. 3 vs 3 "you must be born again" Back to Psalm 103 vs 4(b) "Who heals all your diseases."Vs. 4-6 says that He "redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles."I particularly like the benefits of verses 10 - 12 "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth , So great is His mercy to ward those who fear Him,; As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."
You need to read the whole chapter in it's entirety to get the whole package; I've just touched on some highlights.
Every now and then I throw myself a personal pity party...pity parties are best when you are alone...nobody else comes anyway. Ever do that? "Forget not all His benefits"; and there is no place for pity parties...thank you sister Donna for that good word from Psalm 103....it made my day!!

The Hand of God - Obviously, since God is the creator, we know that He has hands.

I’ve been thinking about the idea of God’s hands for some time now, so will share some of my thoughts with you.

Over the years, I have often heard the expression, “He has enormous hands.” Whenever I have heard this expression, I have always connected it in my mind with strength, both physical and of character. Recently at a pastors’ event, I heard the expression again with reference to a man who was a wonderful pastor in the Maritimes , Rev. I.D. Raymer. It certainly would be true from what I know of the late Rev. I.D. Raymer. I have never heard a negative word spoken of him, only that he had strength of character - a visionary, effective speaker, pastor, "pray-er" and leader. I’ve known a few other men, too, during my lifetime, the size of whose hands impressed me and gave me the same feeling about their strength and character.

So, we equate large hands with large character and strength. Imagine that connection when thinking about God. We know that He has very large, strong hands. When I think about God's hands, I always think of some scriptures I love in Isaiah which speaks of the size and strength of His hands. You will draw the same conclusions that I do from these words.

Isaiah 40:12 “ Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?”
Can you imagine - holding the water of the world in the hollow of your hand? Also, picture your hand, palm down, stretched out - referred to as the span of your hand - that, for God, measures the sky, from horizon to horizon. The size of His hand is beyond what I can imagine. And I have not even drawn attention to holding "the dust of the earth in a basket"! If I were an illustrator, I would attempt to show the mountains of the earth sitting on one side of a set of scales - you will have to picture it in your mind.

When I was a kid, we loved to sing the song, “He’s got the whole world in His hand” - maybe that is when I first pictured in my mind, the size of His hand. Remember that song? With its unlimited number of verses? “He's got the whole world in His hands . . . He's got the wind and the rain in His hands . . . He's got the sun and the moon in His hands. . . He's got the little bitty baby in His hands. . . He's got you and me Brother in His hands. . . many, many verses . . on and on. And, then we always added our own, “He’s got (our town) in His hands. . “ The point was powerful - the greatness of His hands - we got it as a child, but sometimes as adults with adult problems, we forget it.

Getting back to Isaiah, in 45:12, we read “It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshalled their starry hosts.” And in Chapter 48:13, “ My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together.”

I cannot get my head around the size and strength of His hand, but I am sure I want to be held in that hand. This just scratches the topic of the hand of God, but will let it sit and perk in my own spirit (again). I pray that the thoughts will bless you, too.

Submitted by Naida

The church at war/ part seven: The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, the Bible tells us but they are mighty through God; perhaps we should read it from 2 Cor.10:4, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal(fleshly weapons) but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds"

Someone reading this may wonder just what are strongholds and why do we have to fight them? These are good questions and there is a list in Colossians ch. 3 vs. 5 that says, "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." These of course are only a few strongholds in our lives that we have to battle and put them out of our lives, in fact put them to death it says in Colossians...now that is what happens in wars is it not? The church is at war but not with people.

When you go to war you have to be prepared or you will lose...big time. Our captain is Jesus (He is also the General and the Commander in chief) and He has given us an impenetrable armor to protect us and all powerful weapons to win this war...Ephesians 6 vs 10 through 18...Ephesians 6:10-18 (New King James Version)
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[a] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
Be strong today in His mighty power...get this Word and let it penetrate