Nehemiah 11
Lot chose ten percent of people verse 1- 2
And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem
the rest of the people also cast lots
to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city
and nine parts to dwell in other cities
And the people blessed all the men
that willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem
List compiled of those resettling Jerusalem verse 3
Now these are the chief of the province that dwelt in Jerusalem
but in the cities of Judah dwelt everyone in his possession
in their cities – to wit – Israel – priests – Levites
Nethinim – and the children of Solomon’s servants
List of those from tribe of Judah verse 4- 6
And at Jerusalem dwelt certain of the children of Judah
And children of Benjamin
Of the children of Judah
Athaiah the son of Uzziah – the son of Zechariah
the son of Amariah – the son of Shephatiah
the son of Mahalaleel – the children of Perez
Maaseiah the son of Baruch – the son of Col-hozeh
the son of Hazaiah – the son of Adaiah – the son of Joiarib
the son of Zechariah – the son of Shiloni
All the sons of Perez that dwelt at Jerusalem were
four hundred threescore and eight valiant men
List of those from tribe of Benjamin verse 7- 9
And these are the sons of Benjamin
Sallu the son of Meshullam – the son of Joed – the son of Pedaiah
the son of Kolaiah – the son of Maaseiah – the son of Ithiel
the son of Jesaiah
After him Gabbai – Sallai – nine hundred twenty and eight
And Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer
and Judah the son of Senuah was second over the city
List of those priests who resettled Jerusalem verse 10- 14
Of the priests – Jedaiah the son of Joiarib – Jachin
Seraiah the son of Hilkiah – the son of Meshullam
the son of Zadok – the son of Meraioth – the son of Ahitub
was the ruler of the house of God
And their brethren that did the work of the house were
eight hundred twenty and two
And Adaiah the son of Jeroham – the son of Pelaliah
the son of Amzi – the son of Zechariah – the son of Pashur
the son of Malchiah
And his brethren – chief of the fathers – two hundred forty and two
and Amashai the son of Azareel – the son of Ahasai
the son of Meshillemoth – the son of Immer
And their brethren – mighty men of valor – an hundred twenty and eight
and their overseer was Zabdiel – the son of one of the great men
List of those Levites who resettled Jerusalem verse 15- 18
Also the Levites
Shemaiah the son of Hashub – the son of Azrikam
the son of Hashabiah – the son of Bunni
Shabbethai and Jozabad – of the chief of the Levites
had the oversight of the outward business of the house of God
Mattaniah the son of Micha – the son of Zabdi – the son of Asaph
was the principle to begin the thanksgiving in PRAYER
Bakbukiah the second among his brethren
Abdi the son of Shammua – the son of Galal
the son of Jeduthun
All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred fourscore and four
List of those porters who resettled Jerusalem verse 19
Moreover the porters – Akkub – Talmon
and their brethren that kept the gates
were a hundred seventy and two
Others lived where there family inheritance verse 20- 21
And the residue of Israel of the priests – Levites
were in all the cities of Judah
every one in his inheritance
BUT the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel
and Ziha and Gispa were over the Nethinim
Uzzi was overseer of Levites verse 22- 23
The overseer also of the Levites at Jerusalem
was Uzzi the son of Bani the son of Hashabiah
the son of Mattaniah – the son of Micha
Of the sons of Asaph
the singers were over the business of the house of God
for it was the king’s commandment concerning them
that a certain portion should be for the singers
due for every day
Pethahiah was at king’s hand verse 24
And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabeel
of the children of Zerah the son of Judah
was at the king’s hand in all matters
concerning the people
Tribe of Judah lived in surrounding villages verse 25- 30
And for the villages – with their fields
some of the children of Judah dwelt at
Kirjath-arba – and in the villages thereof
Dibon – and in the villages thereof
Jekabzeel – and in the villages thereof
Jeshua – Moladah – Beth-phelet – Hazar-shual
Beer-sheba – and in the villages thereof
Ziklag – Mekonah and in the villages thereof
En-rimmon – Zareah – Jarmuth – Zanoah – Adullam
and in their villages
Lachish and the fields thereof – Azekah
and in the villages thereof
And they dwelt from Beer-sheba unto the valley of Hinnom
Tribe of Benjamin lived in certain villages verse 31- 36
The children of Benjamin from Geba dwelt
at Michmash – Aija – Bethel
and in their villages
and at Anathoth – Nob – Ananiah – Hazor
Ramah – Gittaim – Hadid – Zeboim – Neballat
Lod – Ono – the valley of craftsmen
And of the Levites were divisions in Judah and in Benjamin
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem: the rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts to dwell in other cities. (1486 “lots” [gowral] means pebbles used for systematically making decisions, portion, or recompense)
DEVOTION: Many decisions in the Old Testament were made with the casting of pebbles. We sometimes flip a coin. Can there be some decisions that are not against the law of God, be made by the flipping of a coin or a casting of pebbles?
Here is a time when the city of Jerusalem had to be repopulated and a decision had to be made for the safety of the nation. One tenth of the people had to move into the city. There were some who offered willingly to move into the city.
Jerusalem needed to be protected. It was in the beginning stages of the new nation that had returned from captivity. This chapter again lists many names. Remember that with the LORD all people are important.
In the New Testament they had times of prayer and fasting to make decisions regarding whom to send out as missionaries. Those who are followers of the LORD have to make decisions on a regular basis regarding those in leadership in our local churches and over groups of churches. These decisions should not be made by a popularity vote but on the basis of those who are filled with the Holy Spirit which is manifested in the use of their gifts in the local church. The church has to appoint leaders who have the gift of leadership but also are doctrinally sound in the faith.
Our depending on the Holy Spirit should make our decisions easier. One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is discernment. Are we praying for this gift in our local churches? Too often we make decisions based on the will of the people and not on the will of God. Robert’s rules of order are not found in the Word of God. God’s rules of order are to be followed.
Our churches need to be repopulated. Are we out in our world presenting the Gospel to all that will hear? Everyone can volunteer to repopulate the church. We all have the gift of evangelism. The early church reached their neighbors for the LORD.
So many churches need to reach their neighborhoods for the LORD. Use your present knowledge to reach out and touch the lives of those around you.
CHALLENGE: As your gifts are manifested there might be a vote to put you in a leadership position. Our goal should be to glorify the LORD!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 2 And the people blessed all the men, that willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem. (5068 “willingly” [nadab] means to impel, to make a voluntary decision, contribution, to offer willingly or freely to give something or do something)
DEVOTION: Volunteering is very important in the work of the LORD. Here is a group of people who were willing to repopulate the city of Jerusalem. There had not been many people living in Jerusalem before the walls were built because the city was unprotected from the bands of thieves that could come throughout the country and steal all they could from the people who were unprotected.
It was easier to leave in the country because if these same bands came to a country home the people could run and hide until they left and then return to rebuild what they had destroyed. They would still be alive.
Now Jerusalem had walls and it was time to get people to move back into the city. This group of volunteers was the start of the repopulation. This would cause others to be willing to move into the city. Having walls and gates also encouraged more people to move into the city.
The church today needs volunteers to help make sure the ministry of the church moves forward. The more people who volunteer cause others to volunteer. It would be great if every member of the church volunteered of one ministry. If all members are involved that means that others have to be invited to fill the pews each Sunday.
No matter what your age you can volunteer to do something to help the church move forward for the LORD. Even if is on the cleanup committee after an event. Children need to be in choirs and help with the younger children in the nursery at times.
We need the involvement of all those who attend the church to keep it running smoothly for those new people who come through the doors.
CHALLENGE: Make sure you are active for the LORD in the local church. It encourages others!!!
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: 17 And Mattaniah the son of Micha, the son of Zabdi,the son of Asaph, was
The principle to begin the thanksgiving in PRAYER: and Bakbukiah the
second among his brethren, and Abdi the son of Shammua, the son of
Galal, the son of Jeduthun. (8605 “prayer” [taphillah] means the act of
communicating with deity, intercession, entreaty, supplication, a
sacred song, plea or petition)
DEVOTION: Worship leaders make all the difference in the world to a worship service. If the service begins with thanksgiving with a sacred song it will cause the people to start rejoicing in the LORD. If the service begins with poor music that no one can be thankful for it will cause the whole service to be one that doesn’t honor the LORD.
I have been in many churches both small and large where the music does make a difference before I stand up to preach the Word of God. The people who are encouraged by the singing of songs are in a better position to listen to the Word of God. If they have not been encouraged the preaching of the Word can be lightly listened to because they are half asleep in the pews.
Leading music in a worship service is very important to honoring the LORD. If the heart of the song leader is not in proper relationship with the LORD their attitude will show in their leadership. If there is a proper relationship then people will see this in the attitude of the one leading.
Many times I have been involved in worship services where there are people leading who have no or little talent in music but still feel the LORD has called them to be involved in this ministry. It is wrong and sometimes pastor have no one else to lead and so use people who are not talented.
This is true of those who like to play musical instruments that don’t have the ability to keep up with the rest of the musicians. This can cause the service to be off key and the worship to be lackluster.
We need to get the best people we can to lead the worship services of our churches and if that means that we have to recorded music then so be it. I have been in churches where there is no musical talent and so they start each hymn with a prerecorded tape. This is better than someone leading who is not talented.
Music in important but it is not the most important part of the service. The preaching of the Word of God should be the most important part of any service that worships the LORD but the part of the service before the message has to be one that brings people to an attitude of prayer and learning.
CHALLENGE: We need to have a worship service where the people leave thankful they have worshiped the LORD.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 22 The overseer also of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micha. Of the sons of Asaph, the singers were over the business of the house of God. (4399 “business” [mala’kah] means service, trade mission, activity directed toward making or doing something, craftsmanship, occupation.)
DEVOTION: The Persian king knew the importance of those who led the singing for the worship of the LORD. He gave a command that they should receive a portion of the revenue that came in for the king in the form of taxes.
So those who were singers received their paycheck from the king of Persia to do their singing that honored the LORD. They were in a paid position to make sure that they were not serving with no compensation.
Those who serve from a paid position have more freedom to spend their time just on making sure that the worship services were well prepared. If a service is not well prepared it doesn’t honor the LORD.
Nehemiah knew this to be true as well. He might have been the one who suggested that the singers receive a paycheck for their service. We need to make sure that if we can afford paid worship leaders than we pay them to help them use their time wisely to honor the LORD in worship.
Talent is hard to find today. So many churches need more talent in the front of the church to make sure each service honors the LORD. There should be no one in the pews that has musical talent not being used of the LORD in one area of music or another.
The LORD give us these instructions in history to show us that the children of Israel thought the Levites needed to be paid well to help the priests with their leadership of service or special feasts the needed times of singing or listening to singing.
It is said that the people walking to church sang as they came to worship the LORD.
CHALLENGE: We need to come to church singing HIS praises. It will help us worship HIM better.
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: 23 For it was the king’s commandment concerning them that a certain portion should be for the singers due for every day. (7891 “singers” [shiyr] means a person who sings, continually sing of, resound, hoot, or resound)
DEVOTION: The LORD wants us to have a song in our heart at all times as we live our lives to please HIM. We will not all have songs that we sing in tune but we can still sing to honor and glorify HIM.
HE is not so much concerned that we keep the tune but that we want to praise HIM for all the blessings HE gives us each day.
There were professional singers in the Temple to keep the music flowing and it flowed on tune. The people were to follow the professional or paid singers as they lead the congregation of the children of Israel in worship services that would please the LORD. Our services are to please the LORD. Too often we find that when people come to worship some don’t even try to sing. They seem to think that only those who can hold a tune should sing but that is not the case today.
The LORD wants us to make a joyful noise to HIM as we come to worship in spirit and truth. If there are people who look down on those who are trying to sing but are not able to hold a tune then they have to answer to the LORD.
Our singing in church should not be just for the professionals. Our singing should come from a joy in our heart because we have a Savior that loves us and died for us and wants us to glorify HIM any way we can each day of our lives.
CHALLENGE: Do we walk each day with a song in our heart because of what Christ has done for us? If not, we should start trying to do this for HIS honor and glory.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Mattaniah was to being the thanksgiving
with prayer verse 17
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Priests verse 3, 10- 14, 20
Levites verse 3, 15- 18, 20, 22
284 in holy city
Nethinims verse 3, 21
House of God verse 11, 16, 22
Asaph verse 17
Thanksgiving in prayer verse 17
Porters verse 19
Singers verse 22, 23
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 11, 16, 22
House of God verse 11, 16, 22
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Blessed verse 2
Willingly offered verse 2
Work in house of God verse 12
Thanksgiving in prayer verse 17
Inheritance verse 20
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Rulers of the people verse 1
Cast lots regarding who should dwell
In Jerusalem
Jerusalem verse 1- 4
Children of Solomon’s servants verse 3
Children of Judah verse 4- 6
Children of Benjamin verse 4, 7, 8
Dweller of Jerusalem verse 8
Villages verse 25- 36
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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DONATIONS:
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QUOTES regarding passage
There is a rich nomenclature for “praying” in the ot. There are at least a dozen Hebrew words for pray and prayer. But easily the most common word for “prayer” is tĕpillâ and the related verb, pālal. A number of suggestions have been made for the etymology of pālal. Wellhausen in the 19th century connected it with the Arabic falla, “to notch the edge of a sword” and thus pālal, it was thought, meant “to cut or wound oneself,” and reflected the pagan custom of slashing oneself in a frenzy during worship, a practice forbidden by the law (Deut 14:1).
A second suggestion also relates Hebrew pālal to Arabic falla but sees the connection between the two in the common meaning “to break, cut” with the subsequent development; to cut>to di-vide>to compare>to distinguish>to pass a judgment (Ap-Thomas).
A third suggestion is that Hebrew pālal and nāpal are developments of the same bilateral stem meaning “to fall,” emphasizing prayer and prostration.
A fourth suggestion is to see in pālal the meaning “to estimate, assess” on the basis of the reflexes of the derivatives. The Piel (the 4 uses noted at the beginning of this article) then means “to count on, figure” (Gen 48:11) or “cause (re)assessment” (Ezk 16:52 “you have caused reassessment in favor of your sisters.” That is, Jerusalem is so corrupt she has made Sodom and Samaria look angelic!) (Speiser).
What then is the relationship between the Piel and the Hithpael of this root and what is the significance of the 80 of 84 usages of this verb in the Hithpael, meaning “to pray”? First, it should be observed that several verbs in Hebrew for prayer are found preponderantly in the Hithpael stem. For example, I Kgs 8:33, “and they shall pray (wĕhitpallĕû) and make supplication (wĕhitḥannĕnû).” Ezra 10:1, “Now when Ezra had prayed (ûkĕhitpallēl) and confessed (ûkĕhitwadōtô), weeping, and casting himself down (ûmitnappēl) … ” Isa 44:17, “and he worships (wĕyištaḥû) and prays (wĕyitpallēl).
The traditional explanation is that the Hithpael is connected with pĕlîlîm “judges” and hence, hitpallēl means to “invoke God as judge.” A second explanation, taking pālal as “to break,” is that the Hithpael, a reflexive, means here, “to break oneself,” that is, “to be contrite, pray,” (Goldman). A third suggestion is to move from the Piel pillēl “to decide, settle an affair,” to hitpallēl “to act as mediator,” (Ap-Thomas). A fourth suggestion is to move from the Piel pillēl “to estimate, make assessment” to hitpallēl “to seek assessment, consideration, to pray,” on the basis that one of the syntactical functions in the Hebrew Hithpael is to seek what the simple stem designates (Speiser). An interesting case where the Piel and Hithpael of pālal are juxtaposed is I Sam 2:25, “If one man sin against another, God can ‘intervene’ (ûpilĕlô ʾĕlōhîm) but if a man sins against the Lord who can ‘intercede’ for him (yitpallel-lô)?” GB divides the root into two verbs, *pālal I judge (mostly Piel) and pālal II pray (Hithpael).
Most often both the verb and the noun refer to intercessory prayer. This is best illustrated in Solomon’s prayer for the people at the dedication of the temple (I Kgs 8 and its parallel II Chr 6) where the root occurs 30 times in these chapters alone. The first reference there, I Kgs 8:28, reads, “listen to the prayer (tĕ pillat) of your servant and to his entreaty (tĕḥinnātô) … listen to the cry (rinnâ) and the prayer (tĕ pillâa) your servant makes to you today (mitpallēl).
תְּפִלָּה (tĕpillâ). Prayer. Found seventy-six times in the ot, most often in Ps (thirty-two times). Indeed five Psalms are specifically called “prayers” in their superscription (Ps 17, 86, 90, 102, 142). (Hamilton, V. P. (1999). 1776 פָּלַל. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., pp. 725–726). Chicago: Moody Press.)
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“The director who led in thanksgiving and prayer” had a great influence on the thinking and life of the community. Israel’s worship was the maker of its “world.” Today those who direct the worship of the church have extensive influence and a great responsibility in forming the values and priorities of the Christian community (see comments at 9:4). (Breneman, M. (1993). Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (electronic ed., Vol. 10, p. 258). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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22, 23. In contrast, it seems, to the officials who supervised the ‘outside work’ (see on verse 16), the Asaphite Uzzi was responsible for what is simply called the work of the house of God, which the context implies to be the choral worship. The rsv of verse 23 (following av, rv; but see av mg., rv mg.) sees in this a settled provision for the singers, by royal command; but ‘settled provision’ is a single Hebrew word (ʾămānâ) for something sure or firm, and more likely to mean ‘regulations’ (jb, gnb; cf. neb).72 The expression as every day required is literally ‘a day’s matter on its day’, and the verse is probably concerned with the service times of the choirs, for which the ‘overseer’ of verse 22 was responsible. Worship was too important to be left unplanned. (Kidner, D. (1979). Ezra and Nehemiah: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 12, pp. 131–132). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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The problem is outlined briefly in Nehemiah 7:4: “Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt.” Why had the city not been occupied? There were a number of reasons. For one thing, it had been without a wall for 142 years. This meant that the city had been defenseless for that time, and as a result it was dangerous to live there. In case of an invasion, a family living in the country could run away and hide, perhaps only losing their cattle and crops. But a person in the city was stuck. He was easy to attack, and the city, because it had few people, had few defenders. (Boice, J. M. (2005). Nehemiah: an expositional commentary (pp. 116–117). Grand Rapids, MI: BakerBooks.)
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But it is equally possible (better, in my opinion) to see the structure as follows:
Nehemiah, governor of the province of Judah
Hanani, civil ruler (first in command) of Jerusalem
Hannaniah, military commander (first in command) of Jerusalem
Judah of Benjamin, second in command of the city (probably under Hanani) (Boice, J. M. (2005). Nehemiah: an expositional commentary (pp. 118–119). Grand Rapids, MI: BakerBooks.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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The Winds of the World
“The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.” (Ecclesiastes 1:6)
This is one of the Bible’s many scientific insights, written long before such a process was discovered in the modern science of meteorology. The basic circulation of the atmosphere (which generates the winds of the world) is “toward the south” near the ground, which then “turneth about unto the north” aloft. The heated air near the equator expands and rises, then flows north to replace the colder, heavier air which has descended to the ground in the polar regions.
This simple north-south-north cycle is complicated, however, by the earth’s rotation. Further complexities are introduced by the different topographical features of the surface (oceans, mountains, etc.), but the end result is a general circulation of the whole atmosphere, which “whirleth about continually, and . . . returneth again according to his circuits.”
None of this was understood at all until very modern times, but this ancient verse in Ecclesiastes corresponds beautifully to modern science. In fact, it was not even known until recent times that air had weight, but the patriarch Job had noted about 4,000 years ago that “he . . . seeth under the whole heaven; to make the weight for the winds” (Job 28:24-25), and this fact is essential to the atmospheric circulation.
This is only one of many scientific principles implied in the Bible ages before men discovered them in their scientific research. In contrast, there are no demonstrable scientific errors in the Bible. This is not really surprising, for the same God who wrote the Word made the world! In Jesus Christ “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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As many of you may know, Carolyn Koole, who is the wife of one of our pastors and PCN board chairman Dr. Richard Koole, is the plaintiff in a suit against the State of California and its Governor. The State Assembly passed a law (AB775) that became effective in January 2017 requiring pregnancy resource centers to prominently post notices telling women in crisis pregnancies who have come in for counsel and assistance where they can go to get a free abortion. To not do so subjects the centers to heavy fines.
The law compels pregnancy resources centers in California, including Fallbrook Center (where Carolyn is the Director) to use language directed by the state that is against the beliefs and mission of pregnancy care centers to provide life affirming care to their clients. In doing so, it violates their First Amendment right to freedom of speech. A number of national legal organizations favorable to our Christian beliefs soon got involved and asked the Fallbrook Pregnancy Resource Center and their director to be one of two plaintiffs in a suit to overturn the law.
The case has moved through the appeals courts and is now before the United Sates Supreme Court. On March 20th the Supreme Court will be hearing arguments. The leadership of the Pacific Church Network is asking all of our churches and people to bring this matter before God in prayer. The outcome of this decision will have profound consequences on religious freedom in our country. Thank you for making this a matter of prayer as we partner together for the Kingdom. (CB America)
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Faith does not come to us full-blown.
It must be cultivated and nurtured. Jesus cultivates the faith of His disciples. After an extensive time of teaching, Jesus goes out into the Sea of Galilee with the Twelve, knowing that a storm will come. He calms the storm and then asks, rhetorically, “How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). His disciples marvel and their faith grows. We, too, must go through times of testing to become strong. (Quiet Walk)
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THE DEMAS WAY
Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world. 2 Timothy 4:10
The world is opposed to Christians, and it shows its opposition by means of hatred. “Yea,” says Paul to Timothy, “and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). But the world has another way of showing its opposition. That is what I would call the Demas way: “Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world.” The world does not care very much how it attacks Christ’s followers. If by throwing them into prison it can wrest them from Christ, it will do so; but if that does not work, it will try some other method.
“Demas hath forsaken me” the love of ease, love of the things of the world, its wealth, its position,its so-called pomp and show, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. How many good men have been ruined by that! Prosperity can be very dangerous to the soul, and the world is prepared to use that. If direct opposition will not work, it will pamper us, it will dangle these things before us and thus try to wean us from Christ. So it is not surprising that He asked the Father to keep us in His name.
Another way in which the world does the same thing is by what may be described as the Barnabas method. We are told in Acts 15 that a dispute had taken place between Barnabas and Paul. Barnabas wanted to take his relative John Mark on their second missionary journey, but Paul said that he would not have him. Paul felt that John Mark had let them down and deserted them when they had taken him on their previous journey and that he was not therefore the man to accompany them. Here we have worldly relationships, such as family relationships, interfering in God’s work. It is the tendency not to judge things in a spiritual way. A Thought to Ponder: The world does not care very much how it attacks Christ’s followers. (From Safe in the World, pp. 136-137, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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