JESUS’ KINGDOM

Suggested Reading: John 17-18

(click scripture link to read online)

A majestic view of the Church of All Nations that is built over the spot where Jesus prayed through the night in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His arrest.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.

Key Verse: John 18:36a

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world…”

The kingdom of Saul, David and others was a small geographic entity known as Israel. At the time of our reading, Israel was known as Palestine, and was a province of the Empire ruled over by the Roman Caesar. But Jesus declares the fact that His Kingdom is the entire planet and beyond to the entire universe. With Jesus’ response to the representatives of an earthly political entity when they said that they were seeking Jesus of Nazareth, He demonstrated His total authority when He spoke that Name given to Moses from the burning bush, “I am He.” The detachment of troops and officers from the chief priests fell backward on the ground at His Name!!!

Let’s back up to chapter 17. This is Jesus’ powerful prayer to His Father. This prayer was answered with a resounding “YES!” His followers did maintain unity most of the time, and as a result, over two billion people on earth today claim to be Christians. When the world sees that we are one, as Jesus prayed, they believe that the Father sent His Son. Please read again John 17:20-26.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, I pray that I, as one who seeks to follow Your Son and my Saviour, Jesus Christ, will be one with my brothers and sisters as You and Your Son, Jesus, are one. I’m totally confident that as the world around me sees that love in me and the unity that I have with my fellow believers, more and more will believe that You sent Jesus. In His Name, Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

The Internet connects in a way which is important, but not really personally in a close friendship where I can put my arm around someone who is weeping or dance with someone who is rejoicing. This happens when believers come together in person. This “coming together” is “ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL.” As a leader of an international ministry with a good size full-time team and many part-time volunteers, I would bring together the other leaders to establish the budget. I would go over everything carefully that we were doing and ask the team to categorize all our commitments under three headings: (1) Necessary (2) Essential (3) ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL. Then we would eliminate the necessary and the essential, keeping in the budget only the ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL!!! The teaching of Jesus in today’s reading is the ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL for the cause of bringing lost precious people to Him. Without the unity for which He prayed, I fail miserably in the call He has placed on my life. The Father is answering Jesus’ prayer 24/7.

Yours for the Father’s answer in all of our lives,

David

HANG IN THERE

Suggested Reading: John 15-16

(click scripture link to read online)

Orange trees planted in the rich soil beneath Mount Herman in northern Israel.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.

Key Verse: John 15:4

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

Those delicious oranges pictured above must be connected to the branch and the branch must be connected to the trunk in order to be all that they were meant to be. This is the design of the Creator. The example Jesus uses is the same. He is the Vine and we are the branches. In order to fulfill the purpose for which we are created, we must keep connected with Jesus 24/7. This is not a struggle; it’s simply abiding. We just hang in there. We rest in Jesus and His life flows into us. The ingredients of His life are listed here in our reading – LOVE (15:9) – JOY (15:11 & 16:22) – THE HELPER, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH – (15:26 & 16:7) – PEACE (16:33). Relax, abide, and let His life flow. We should take note that what He desires will also flow into us. Our desires will be His desires. This is the secret to receiving what we desire. We must find out what He desires and ask accordingly. It will “be done for you” (15:7 & 16:24).

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, I’m abiding, hanging in there, relaxing in the sure knowledge that Your life is flowing into me and through me to produce delicious fruit. When someone picks my fruit, may they taste the Fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

At times in life I have, figuratively, taken myself by the scruff of the neck and tried to drag myself into doing what I knew I should do. Frankly, it doesn’t work. It’s frustrating, hard work, and produces rotten fruit. In the early 1970’s, we had a peach tree in our back yard which bore delicious fruit. Early one morning I went outside to pray, and I learned the lesson of the peach tree. I observed that it didn’t struggle. It didn’t push. It didn’t jump up and down in its effort to produce the fruit the Creator intended. It just simply knew enough to “abide.” I relaxed and decided to do the same. I prayed only for those things I knew Jesus desired. I knew His desires because I was faithful in daily reading what He had to say to me in His Word. This blog is an extension of that understanding. He is the Vine. I am a branch. Perhaps the Internet is the twig that enables the fruit to be there for the picking and eating.

Yours for productive lives,

David

LOVE

Suggested Reading: John 13-14

(click scripture link to read online)

This is the place identified as the "Upper Room" by the Tourist Department of Israel. It probably is not the actual location of the Last Supper, but it is a great place for tourists to meet and pray.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.

Key Verse: John 13:5, 35

After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded…By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

The words, “love, loved or loves,” are found 14 times in our reading! The Lord Jesus is letting us know what is truly important to Him. When we say, “I love You, Jesus,” we must say it in a practical way by loving one another. Jesus said to His disciples, “I love you,” by washing their feet and by drying them with a towel. What an example to follow! In fact, Jesus tells us all that the way all will know that we are His disciples is by loving one another. Sadly, the history of Christianity has, from time to time, been marked by fights and divisions. Often when we witness for Christ, we have these dark stains on the Church thrown at us. People will look past these historical messes if they see love in us as individuals, or if they experience love from and in the local church. If we are breaking the bonds of love through gossip, self interest, or outright rebellion, STOP!!! Ask God’s forgiveness, confess our sin, repent, and ask God to mend the broken bonds of love. We then are ready to read the love chapter again (1 Corinthians 13 – King James Version).

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Dear loving Lord Jesus, give me the grace and determination to wash the feet of my brothers and sisters (figuratively or maybe now and then literally – it sure wouldn’t hurt to ask someone, “May I wash your feet as Jesus washed His disciples’ feet?” This should be someone I wish to serve or someone with whom I’ve had strife). I’m asking You, Lord Jesus, to grant me the humility I need to do this. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I thought one time of washing someone’s feet on the 100 Huntley Street TV program, and then I backed off because It might look like I was trying to be humble, and proud of it. The story is told of the man who was voted the most humble in the congregation and given a button stating this. However, the first day he wore the button to church, they had to take it away! He was no longer the most humble person. As a public school teacher, and later teaching college English, I required my students to memorize 1 Corinthians 13. I’m not the only one who considers the love chapter of the Bible as the finest example of the use of the English language. Of course, we memorized it in the old King James language. In my opinion, it loses some of its beauty in modern translations. I’m a believer today because, as a teenager, I came across people who loved one another and who loved me enough to lead me to Christ.

Yours, not because of my own love, but because the love of Christ is in my life,

David

TRIUMPH

Suggested Reading: John 12

(click scripture link to read online)

The view towards the Old City of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. Mt. Zion is central on the horizon. The City of David is on the left and in the foreground is the high point on the wall which is known as the pinnacle of the Temple.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.

Key Verses: John 12:10-11 & John 12:31

But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus (vv. 10-11) … Now is the judgement of this world, now the ruler of this world will be cast out (v. 31)

Like Lazarus, we who believe in Jesus have been raised from the dead. Ephesians 2:1 describes us as “dead in trespasses and sins,” but now “made alive.” We are living proof that Jesus is real and that He brings new life where there was death.

Our second key verse declares the reality of what happened at the cross. The world, with its pride and rejection of God, mistakenly thought it was judging Jesus. The opposite is true. God was judging the world by the way it treated His Son. The so-called “ruler of this world” thought he was the winner, but again the opposite is true. The pretender to the throne was cast out. Jesus is King. His eternal Kingdom was established forever and ever. Amen!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Jesus, You are Lord of all. Grant that I may demonstrate that I’ve come out of the grave and discarded the grave clothes. May my life be the proof that You judged the world and deposed its ruler. I celebrate my new life with great joy. Thank You, Jesus! Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I thank you who send me a reply. I read what you have written. I would like to answer every question but that is impossible. The best way to get answers is by asking your Pastor or a Bible teacher at your local congregation. You can critique what I have written with your friends on facebook, or better still, in a home Bible study with your brothers and sisters in Christ. If you start a home study group, get the blessing of your church. Beware of false teachers who may come to your door or who may be on radio or TV. There is protection in the fellowship of a church which is affiliated with an established denomination. Here in Canada, you can check the website of The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada for affiliated churches. Also, there are local congregations of the historic denominations which may not be a part of the EFC which are true to the historic Christian faith. Check out the church. Click here for the most ancient declaration and summary of our faith, “The Apostles Creed.” Still have questions? Make an appointment with a Pastor.

Yours for the glory of the One Who said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32),

David

LAZARUS

Suggested Reading: John 11

(click scripture link to read online)

These are tombs of the sons of Hezir found in the Kidron Valley between the Mount of Olives and the Old City walls of Jerusalem. Hezir was one of the priests in the time of King David listed in 1 Chronicles 24:15.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.

Key Verse: John 11:25

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live…”

It’s natural to fear death as it remains filled with the unknown. Nevertheless, we can say with Job, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25). People everywhere are filled with despair when they contemplate their death because they think of it as the final reality. Jesus exploded that myth and opened the doors for us to see the triumph, the joy, the celebration that is ours through believing in Him. This is the message that our dying world needs to hear. To move forward into the Church and to discover where we come into the resurrection picture, please read the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 15.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, thank You for weeping over the loss of Lazarus. You are there for me when I mourn. Please give me grace to live with the secure knowledge that I need not fear death. Please enable me to weep with those who weep, bringing to all the comfort with which I am comforted. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I’ve spoken the words of our key verse at many graves. Without fail, I think on those occasions, “This could be the moment of Christ’s return,” as is written in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. After Norma-Jean and I sold her birthplace farm, we wanted to take all of our children and grandchildren to visit my family roots. To do this, we rented a bus (it had the seats around the sides rather than behind each other). What a great time of family fellowship we had as we visited significant sites from my childhood. One stop we made was at the cemetery in the little village of Elgin, Ontario, where we visited the graves of my ancestors on my father’s side, right back to my great-great-grandmother. Of course, I had stories about them all. Then I did something which shocked my children and grandchildren. You may think this was morbid, but I wanted to make the point that we need not fear death. I laid down on the spot where, if Jesus does not come first, my body will be buried. I could not help but notice some shocked looks on faces around me. Then, those looks gave way to laughter. We rejoiced in our faith that this will not be my final state. Norma-Jean’s plot is beside mine. She informed everyone that she believes Jesus will return before she needs it. She made it clear that she dose not intend to use that plot!

Yours for life in this world and in the world to come,

David

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Suggested Reading: John 10

(click scripture link to read online)

It was a joy to observe the care and interaction between this shepherd and his sheep and goats in Nazareth.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.

Key Verse: John 10:11

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

A relationship is obvious in the picture above. Gather around our Good Shepherd and enjoy His company. Jesus is our Friend, our Provider, our Comforter and He calls himself, “the Door.” Shepherds literally became the door every night. The sheep slept in a cave, and the shepherd would lie down across the opening as their protector. We are His sheep. No enemy will be able to destroy us. He bears the attack. He is our Protector and Deliverer. Our Shepherd has already given His life for us. We need fear no evil. He has already overcome the evil one and won victory over death and hell. He promises that we will know His voice. We should take time right now to listen. We’ll hear that still small voice of our loving Shepherd. He has a message of love, peace, and hope. Psalm 27 ends with the words, “Wait on the Lord.” We may want to read this entire Psalm (click here).

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, Slow me down so that the pace of modern life won’t get in the way of my relationship with You. Because of Your presence I am filled with courage and my heart is strengthened. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

Several readers responded to my blog the other day with a request for the rest of the story. Avedis from Armenia was one who asked me to do this. Check back to October 23rd for the first part of the story in my “100 Personal Words” portion.

I was told this story when I was in the Armenian Socialist Soviet Republic delivering equipment for a children’s hospital following the devastating earthquake. The Baptist and Pentecostal Pastors had been arrested following their Sunday night services. As they sat in the cell, the warden arrived with another prisoner. It was the Patriarch of the Armenian Orthodox Church. They sat in silence for a time when the Patriarch spoke. He said, “I was the leader of the young communists when I was in my thirties. I had an encounter with Jesus Christ and He transformed my life. I arranged your arrest with the authorities. It was the only way I could get your attention. I beg you to stop attacking me. I want to win people to Jesus just as much as you do. We’ve got to work together to win Armenians to Jesus.” They’ve been helping each other ever since. The two Armenian priests, who were sent by the Patriarch to study with us here in Canada, graduated with the highest marks in the history of our School of Broadcasting. We have graduates in over 80 countries who help share the good news of Jesus on TV and radio. Therefore, what the Patriarch said includes you and me, “We’ve got to work together.”

Yours for the call to “work together” to reach the world with the best news ever heard,

David

THE WORKS OF GOD

Suggested Reading: John 9

(click scripture link to read online)

The southern tip of the Dead Sea in the Jordan Valley with the Mountains of Moab in the distance.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.

Key Verse: John 9:3

Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him…”

It is so typical of human nature that Jesus’ disciples wanted to lay blame on someone for the blindness of this man. A particular kind of venereal disease can cause blindness in a new born. So often we see scandal when we should be seeing an opportunity to help. We fall into gossip instead of falling on our knees in prayer. For Jesus, this was an opportunity to bring glory to His Father. The Judge of all the earth did not judge. He who knows all things rejected speaking of the past sins of this man or his parents. Jesus did a creative miracle! The Pharisees are often seen as the bad guys, but here the followers of Jesus were acting like their opponents, abandoning compassion for criticism.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Dear Lord Jesus, I pray that You’ll grant me grace always to see human need with compassion and prayer. Help me to think, “What would Jesus do?” and act accordingly. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

My mother died when I was 12 years old. My most vivid memory of her was not of her making dinner, but was of seeing her on her knees in prayer. After her death, my Dad was silent as we drove down Bank street in Ottawa, and finally he said, “I can never remember hearing your mother say anything bad about anyone.” This reinforced my positive memories of her. I do know that she visited the most needy families in the little village where we lived at the time. I marveled at the glowing eulogies given her. I didn’t think it was exceptional. I thought all mothers were like that. I know now that this is not the case. I also know that Jesus changed my heart to make me more like Him, and yes, more like Mother, Hazel Pritchard Mainse. Norma-Jean’s mother was killed by a drunk driver in a car accident when Norma-Jean was just 17. All reports are that Lillian Davies Rutledge was a woman of God. Neither Norma-Jean nor I have met our mothers-in-law. Just yesterday, as I meditated, I thought that no doubt they’ve met in Heaven. What a wonderful truth it is that I’ll see them both someday soon.

Yours for ministering to the needs of others,

David

TRUTH

Suggested Reading: John 8

(click scripture link to read online)

Sunrise over the Dead Sea from Ein Gedi.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.

Key Verse: John 8:32

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Truth and Freedom – these words stand out in our reading. The accusers of the woman taken in adultery were faced with truth. The result was freedom, not only for the woman, but also for the men. She was free from death and was not condemned by Jesus. They were free to admit their sin and to be freed from the guilt of hypocrisy. Jesus was the only One who could’ve cast a stone. He is without sin, and He chose not to condemn her. What right does He have to change the Law of Moses? The scribes and pharisees quoted Moses’ Law on the matter. Jesus has every right to change Moses’ Law, because, as He stated, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” Jesus, in Himself the “TRUTH,” was the very One who had told Moses from the burning bush that His name was “I AM.” No wonder that the Jewish leaders, as recorded in the last verse of our reading, “took up stones to throw at Him.” He had given to Moses the Laws we’ve read in Leviticus, in order to show the impossibility of anyone living a holy life on their own. He is the One who provides forgiveness for our sins. The most often repeated verse in the Bible is, “His mercy endures forever.” For our worship today, we could read 1 Chronicles 16 and Psalm 136 (click here), or turn to these amazing Words in our Bibles, as I’ve done.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, “I Am,” I throw myself on Your mercy. I pray with the publican in the Temple,”Lord be merciful to me a sinner.” Just as You said that this person went to his house justified, so am I justified before You, O Holy God. Thank You Lord that as I daily abide in YOUR WORD, TRUTH MAKES ME FREE. AMEN!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I am honoured to know Dr. Paul Maier, Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University. He is often called on by the major radio and TV networks for his expertise. He spent every day for a year with me on 100 Huntley Street as we explored the book of Acts. His Dad is Dr. Walter Maier, Founder and former preacher on “The Lutheran Hour: Bringing Christ to the Nations.” I wrote Paul a few days ago as we read Leviticus. Without explaining the context of my enquiry, let me quote the Doctor concerning the Leviticus’ laws: “Most of these laws regarding ‘abominations’ are inoperative today, as they were in Jesus’ day 2000 years ago. Rabbinical Courts rarely, if ever, applied them.” I asked Dr. Maier specifically about Moses’ law concerning the practice of homosexuality. I quote,”Homosexuality is in an entirely different category, since it is opposed also in the New Testament and is against natural law.” As I pointed out in the Leviticus commentaries, FORGIVENESS, based on the animal sacrifices which pictured the sacrifice of Jesus, Who is our final and complete sacrifice for sin, is the operative Word of God (Romans 1:16-32).

Yours for a Holy Spirit taught understanding of TRUTH,

David

BROTHERS

Suggested Reading: John 7

(click scripture link to read online)

A Jewish man studies the Torah in a library situated in a tunnel along the western wall of Jerusalem.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.

Key Verse: John 7:5

For even His brothers did not believe in Him.

Today’s reading tells us that Jesus knew the feeling of family betrayal. His brothers refused to believe in Him. He knew what it was to feel completely alone. He said, speaking of the world, “It hates me” (John 7:7). He understands when we feel alone and misunderstood. He is the Source of our comfort. The names of His brothers are recorded in Mark 6. It might be helpful to read again Mark 6:1-6. God can change families. Jesus’ brothers received the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14). Two of them, James and Jude, wrote books that are part of the New Testament, James and Jude. Sometimes it increases the impact of Scripture on our lives to read out loud. This morning, so as not to wake Norma-Jean, I’ve gone outside and read so that I not only see the Words of Jesus from this chapter, but hear them too. They are powerful, life-changing Words.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, I pray that Your Holy Spirit will teach me daily as I read, highlight, write in the margins, learn, and digest Your Word inside of me. I know You are helping me to follow this blog daily, and I thank You with all my heart. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

The largest private office I’ve ever visited was in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem. I had made an appointment to see the Armenian Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem about renting office space in one of their buildings for the Arabic television ministry. His main goal was not to do business, but to convince me that the “brothers” mentioned in Mark 6 were actually cousins. Be that as it may, we prayed together, and I thanked him for his time. Sometime I hope to share here about the other Patriarch in Yerevan. There are two of them in the Armenian church, one in Jerusalem and one in Armenia. The Armenian Patriarch is now their Pope. When in his thirties, as the leader of the Young Communists of Armenia, he had an Apostle Paul type conversion. He sent two of his brightest priests to study with us at Crossroads. He’s now telecasting the Gospel from Mt Ararat into Turkey, the area of the infamous Armenian holocaust. He, along with the Baptist and Pentecostal pastors, ended up in the same cell in a communist prison, but that’s another story.

Yours for a daily commitment to study God’s Word,

David

IT IS I

Suggested Reading: John 6

(click scripture link to read online)

These are windows in the Church of the Loaves & Fishes (also known as the Church of the Multiplication), located in Tabgha on the northwest shore of the Sea of the Galilee. This is the traditional site of Jesus' miracle of multiplying the five loaves and two fish (John 6).

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.

Key Verse: John 6:20

But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”

The Bible has much to say about “fear.” The most familiar words are from Psalm 23. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 27 starts with these words, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?” The translator put a capital on the pronoun, “Whom.” He believed, I’m sure, that when we fear God (awe, respect and worship), we need not fear anyone or anything else. Jesus made it very clear that He is the same One who spoke from the burning bush, giving His Name as, “I Am” (Exodus 3:1-6). Over and over Jesus refers to Himself as “I Am.” In today’s reading, He says, “I am the bread” twice. He demonstrated this by providing bread for the multitudes. We could read again now verses 48 to 58 in our Bibles. There is spiritual communion where spiritually, and not just physically, we make Christ Jesus the integral essence of our innermost being. We eat of Him. He is our very life. We also need to gather with other believers to participate in the Communion service. Paul teaches about the right way to eat and drink of Christ (read 1 Corinthians 11:17-34).

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Dear Lord Jesus, In my prayer time earlier this morning I have eaten some bread and have partaken of the fruit of the vine, thinking all the time of Your words here in John 6. I am most conscious of Your Presence here with me. On the cross, You sacrificed Your body and shed Your blood for me so that I would, by partaking by faith of You, have everlasting life. I pray for a fresh daily experience of Your life, death, and resurrection. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

John 6:37 is the Word I believed for my salvation as a 16 year old. Yes, I had prayed many times at my mother’s knee when she would encourage me to do so, and I had gone forward to the altar to pray for salvation. I had gone through the procedures that the church recommends, but I did not have the assurance of eternal life in Jesus until one night in the Glebe Collegiate auditorium in Ottawa, when I went forward at the invitation of an Evangelist from New York City by the name of Jack Wyrtzen. He had a radio program that I listened to and I liked his preaching. However, it was not his preaching that night that brought assurance to my heart, it was the words of an elderly man, whose name I don’t know, who met me at the front, held his Bible open at John 6 and asked me to read verse 37 several times. I did so. Then he said, “You’ve come to Jesus, right?” I answered, “Yes.” He then looked intently at me and said, “Then, what does Jesus do?” Suddenly, for the first time in my life, I truly believed, “He does not cast me out.” I believed with all my heart at that moment that Jesus received me and that I was saved. The next day I quoted that verse over and over, and I have not doubted my salvation since. I know that when I believe and confess the Word of God, the power of God is activated in my life. This is why I’m committed to this daily blog.

Yours for the assurance that comes from believing the “Word,”

David