“But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and  the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob?  God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” (Matthew 22: 31-32 KJV).

When man chose to listen to the lies of the evil one instead of the Truth of God, sin and death entered into man and impacted everyone and everything.  We are reminded of the reality of sin and evil every day in the news.  And all of us have been impacted by the death of someone we loved and cared for.  It is a reminder that everything the evil one touches produces death.

But through the finished work of Christ on the cross and the power of His mighty resurrection life was given to anyone who would receive it.  What the Lord Jesus gives to us is His very own life! The promise of Jesus is “abundant life”. (John 10:10).  The Greek word for life is “zoe” which means “a life that is filled with vitality.”  (Renner, Sparkling  Gems from the Greek page 548). It is literally the God kind of life!   This life is present in all of those who have received His gift of grace, forgiveness, and eternal life. It is the Holy Spirit who releases the reality of this life in us!  (Romans 8: 11-16).

What this tells us is that everyone who is in Christ is alive.  (Rom. 6:11). And everyone who is not in Christ is still under the sentence of death. (John 3:36).  Those who are alive in Christ are governed by the power of Christ.  But those who are not in Christ are dead and are governed by the power of darkness.  (Eph. 2:1).

Let us rejoice in the fact that Jesus is alive!   And because He lives, we also live!  Our God is the God of the living!  Let us embrace His life and enjoy it!   It is God’s gift to the redeemed, both now and for all eternity! 

“Wherefore I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting  on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of  love, and of a sound mind.”

2 Tim. 1:5-6 KJV

2 Timothy is the last letter that the Apostle Paul wrote.  At that time he was in the infamous Mamertine Prison in Rome.  The Roman Caesar,  Nero,  was persecuting the Church with a vengeance.   In Paul’s final letter to  Timothy, the one whom Paul called his “son in the faith”, he was seeking to encourage him by helping him to remember! 

The word “remembrance” is translated from the Greek word “anamimensko”. It is made up of two Greek words:  “ana” (which means:  “again or to repeat”) and “mimensko” (which means: “to be reminded of something”).   When these two words are put together they mean: “to regather or to recollect memories”.  (Sparkling Gems from the Greek, Renner, page 6).   Paul knew he was facing death. He was encouraging Timothy to “remember” his calling and his gifts in the Spirit.  To not neglect them, ignore them or to be fearful of expressing his faith in  Christ, even in the face of great trial and difficulty.

While it is important for us “to forget” some things (Phil. 3:13), it is equally important that we remember some things.

For the redeemed of God, it is important to remember where Christ has brought us from and what He has called us to!  He has redeemed us from the power of sin and darkness (Rom. 6: 12-14).  He has called us unto Himself to be conformed to His image (Rom.12:2).  And He has called us to be of service to Him in His Kingdom (Eph. 2:10).  It is important to remember that the Holy One has called us to be the instruments of His Light in the darkness of this world. He has gifted each of us to do exactly that. Not all of us have the same gifts  But we all have the same calling.   To honor, glorify, and represent Christ to an unbelieving and dying world. 

Let us resolve to do just that in this new year more than ever before,  both individually and corporately as the Body of Christ.

Rev. James W. Black 

 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  John 1:29 NKJV

When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, in that instant, the Holy Spirit revealed to him for the first time just who Jesus really was.  Jesus was the promised Messiah!  Jesus would indeed be the One who would take away the sin of the world!  The Gentiles (non-Jews) who heard those words probably did not understand what John meant.  The Jews did, at least in part. They knew that a lamb was the sacrifice for sin in the Temple.  A sacrifice was made both morning and evening in the Temple each day.   However, it is very unlikely that the Jews understood just how that statement applied to Jesus. After all, what did a lamb have to do with the Messiah?   For the Jews, the Messiah would be the Conquering King!  Certainly not a lamb!   

It is also doubtful that neither John nor those who heard those words fully grasped the significance of that revelation. They did not understand just how Jesus would take away sin.  That understanding would only come later; after the crucifixion and the resurrection.  By that time, John the Baptist himself would no longer be alive on the earth.  John would be alive in heaven, but he would not be alive on the earth.  But even though he would not be here physically to see the fulfillment of the revelation, he would see it from his position in heaven!   (Heb. 12:1-2).

Sometimes the Lord will give a word that will minister to us, excite us, encourage us, and fill us with hope. But the full revelation and realization of that word may not come until later; sometimes much later!   

But when we experience the full revelation of that word,  we discover that it is far bigger, fuller, and far more powerful than anything we could have imagined at the beginning. So keep believing the Word that the Holy One has given to you!  When the fullness of that revelation comes you will be able to see the Lamb of God more clearly than ever before! You will magnify and glorify Him with overflowing joy! And at that moment, the wait will have been worth it! 

Rev. James Black

“I have chosen the way of truth:  Thy judgments have I laid before me.” 

Psalm 119:30 KJV 

Each day we are faced with a multitude of choices in our lives. There are some choices we make because we have to and there are some choices we make because we want to. We have to make the choice to get up and go to work.  We don’t always want to, but we know that we have to if we are going to be able to pay the bills.  We don’t always want to exercise, but we know that we have to if we wish to maintain a more healthy body.

Most of the time, we make the choice to watch a movie or ballgame or go on a trip because we want to.  We make the choice about what we want to eat each day.  Eating is a choice of both having to and wanting to. We have to eat to maintain nourishment for our bodies, but then we must choose what we want to eat each day.   Each day is filled with choices.  Each week, we also make the choice as to whether or not we will join with the Body of Christ and worship the Lord together.  It is not a matter of convenience.  It is a choice. It is something that we do intentionally.  (Heb. 10:25). 

There is also a choice that the Followers of Christ must make each day.  We must choose to walk in the “way of truth”.  Our sinful nature, our fleshly human nature does not always want to do that. (Rom.7:21).  But we must choose to do so anyway. (Joshua 24:15).  The good news is that if we truly want to, the Lord will help us!  (John 16:13). We must choose to surrender to the Person and Power of the Holy One who dwells within us!  (Rom.8 9-14).  The Holy Spirit is always there to strengthen us, guide us, teach us,(John 14:16),   comfort us and correct us. (Heb. 12:6).   But we must choose to listen and to obey. We must choose to walk with Him.  (1 John 1:7).

Whenever we choose to walk in His Truth,  we discover that it is the best choice that we could possibly make!  The Holy Spirit always confirms to us that we have made the right choice because of the peace, contentment and joy He provides for us when we do. So let us resolve each day to walk in the way of truth!  We will never regret it! 

Rev. James W. Black

“Come unto me,  all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” 

Matthew 11: 28-29 KJV

There are times when life is burdensome.  Life can be challenging.  Life can be painful.  Life can be difficult.  Life can be disappointing.  Life can be lonely.  Life can be overwhelming. Not only do our bodies get weary, but so do our souls! Sometimes the weight on our souls can be greater than the weight on our bodies!    Jesus fully understands the burdens of life. After all, He lived a genuine human life just like us.  The scripture declares that Jesus fully experienced every burden and difficulty of life that we experience.  He fully identifies with our humanity!  (Heb.4:15).  And at the cross Jesus also experienced the full weight of our sin! (Isaiah 11:6).   So, when He offers us rest for our soul, it is not an empty promise!   He knows the need!  And He has the solution! 

First note that the invitation is to “Come”! It is open to anyone!  There are no exclusions! Second, the invitation is to become joined together, or yoked together, with Him!   Third, we are to “learn” of Him!  We are to learn just how much He truly loves us!   We are to learn that He is faithful in all things just like He promised!  His promises never fail.  His Word never fails!  His Word is true!   It is everlasting.  It is relevant to every generation.  We have to be joined with Him and walk with Him in order to learn that.   It is in that place that our soul will find the promised rest. 

It is in that place that our soul will find peace!  It is in that place that we will find contentment. It is in that place that we will find hope.  It is in that place that we will find joy.  It is in that place that we experience the richness and fullness of His love.  It is in that place that we experience His joy!  It is in that place that we experience His overflowing life as we learn to simply “rest” in Him!  It is in that place that we discover that He is the One who orders our steps. It is in that place that we discover that we can trust Him in all things!   It is in that place that we realize we can trust Him for whatever we face today and we can trust Him for whatever we may face tomorrow.  It is in that place that we discover the meaning and purpose of our life.  It is in that place that we get a glimpse of His glory.  And it is in that place that we get a small peek behind the veil of this life into what awaits us in eternity! There is no one anywhere who can offer us such rest!   Let us put aside whatever is necessary to enter into that rest!  For it is a rest that far greater than anything we can possibly imagine! 

James W. Black