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Tag: hope (Page 1 of 7)

Remain In Me.

September 28, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father.” –1 John 2:24.

In his first Epistle, John the Apostle admonishes us four times within four verses to “remain” both faithful and in fellowship with Christ Jesus, and he adds our doing this is a sure sign of our love and obedience to God and His Word. “And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.” –1John 2:3-5.

Perhaps, as John was writing this portion of his Epistle, he was reflecting on earlier times.

Those days when he and his brothers spent drinking in every Word that fell from Jesus’ lips as they walked, talked, worked, ministered, debated with, and questioned Him so as to know and learn everything Jesus had to teach them. I pose this question because, upon reflection, the heart of John’s words in his Epistles concerning remaining connected to Christ—obeying Him, abiding in Him, could easily be interchanged with those spoken directly to him by Jesus in his Gospel. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” –John 15:5;8.

At their core, each verse points to how crucial staying connected to Christ truly is.

This cardinal precept of “remaining,” of spiritual intimacy with God, was a point Jesus emphasized the importance of repeatedly with His friends—and through them, to us. This precept of abiding is repeated throughout the Gospels—particularly in John’s.

Yet how? How do we “remain” faithful to what we’ve been taught from the beginning when nearly every day we hear of some new theory, new doctrine, some new “Word from the Lord” splashed across YouTube or social media, from the pulpit or whispered in our ear from a “well-meaning” yet albeit naïve believer. How do we “abide” in Christ when we’re being pulled this way or that by family members who demand, we choose between being with them or following after “this Jesus of yours.” When that addiction we thought was long behind us, the habit that had all but destroyed us, seems to be calling to us. A vague yet familiar siren song emanating up from our memory.

When your marriage is in crisis and, no matter of counseling, prayer, or late-night raging at the pain of disappointment and betrayal seems to heal it. How? When your wayward child is drifting further and further away, duped by a culture filling their heads with lies and confusion. When that stinging church hurt, or the betrayal of a life-long friend threatens to grow roots of bitterness in your heart. When the boss says that you must work on Sunday or participate in some office practice, that goes against your faith and principles, or it’s your job.

Thankfully, as believers, the answer to these questions isn’t complicated.

The process of our overcoming may be muddy and challenging, but the answer itself is straightforward. “…remain in my love.” –John 15:9. Jesus assures us, the solace and strength we need to overcome any trial is not only readily available to us, but found only in Him.

Equally, a prolific seed of Truth is found inside this simple verse: our unequivocal need for absolute Oneness with God. “Without me, you see, you can’t do anything. –John 15:5.

Sounds simplistic, I know. Maybe even trite to some.

However, absolute Oneness with God is what our relationship with Jesus must be built upon for us to flourish—to overcome and thrive spiritually.

We must have a resolute, watertight bond with our God. “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” –Matthew 7:24-25.

And yet beloved, when we’re the ones facing the mountain before us, the death, terrifying diagnosis, betrayal, break-up, or loss, this simple Truth of abiding in Jesus, clinging to Him, placing a measure of faith we didn’t even know we possessed in Him, can feel not only daunting, but down-right impossible for some of us to swallow. And yet, swallow we must. Staying connected to Truth—to Jesus, we must.

Our feelings will fail us, so will our hearts, courage, and minds—our friends, too, as well intended as they may be. In times of trials, only Jesus can help us. Save, heal, deliver, strengthen, enable, make a way through or restore us.

Only Jesus.

Actually, this is true every day. For most of us, unfortunately, we only become aware of this when the winds and waves are threatening to take us out.

Each verse in today’s teaching is intended to harken us back to Jesus. To Remind us we can do nothing apart from Him—not even those things we so readily take for granted, like drawing our next breath.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly states that He came not to exercise His own will but to do the will of the Father who sent Him. To say what He’d heard the Father say only. “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does…” –John 5: 19-20.

At the core of all Jesus did was an ever-present determination to obey God and His Word to the utmost, even unto His death on the Cross.

It was this burning love for the Father, this fixed determination that was such a part of who Jesus is that nothing and no one could lure Him away from oneness with the Father. This absolute oneness caused and enabled Jesus to do what the “fully man” in Him momentarily stumbled over. “Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” –Mark 14:35-36.

We would do well to imatate Jesus by remaining in, trusting in, the love of the Father for His children.

Beloved, you have a Great High Priest who knows how hard it is for you right now. He not only sees you but that all but unbearable weight of pain you’re carrying—He’s been there. It’s why, in part, He sent me to remind you to stay connected to Him—your True and Only Source of Strength. Abide in Him. Trusting that the strength, healing, rescue, answers, or freedom you need—have been praying for— is found only in Jesus—that He has you.

Your trial, the “hour” that has come upon you, is safe in God’s Hands.

No matter what things look like, regardless of how dark it may get, trust God, beloved, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.  The Father and I are one.” –John 10: 28-30.

Friend, Jesus made connecting with Him simple. Here’s how: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” –Romans 10:9-10. I encourage you to call out to Jesus as your Lord and Savior today, become one with Him—abide in Him.

A New Thing.

September 14, 2024 /

Pastor Maria Braga

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” –Isiah 43:19.

The Bible is filled with countless examples of God’s incredible changes in His people’s lives as He led them. He continues to change us and lead us today. The “new thing “the prophet Isaiah talks about in today’s Scripture is not a one-time event. It’s a continuous work of God in each generation. A work that is impossible for man to do—but not for God. This evidence of God’s ongoing work should reassure and fill us with hope.

The prophet Isaiah received this Word from the Lord and passed it onto us, believers, so we would know that Abba Father is creative and Omnipresent in every season of our lives and every generation. God Himself points to this Truth in Isaiah 43:19: “Behold, I will do a new thing.” 

All God does in the life of the believer is for growth.

To bring His child closer to Him and to build His child up in the Spirit.

God, in His Omnipotence, knows what His plan is for each of us.

And He knows exactly how to execute the individual plan He created for each of His children.

Often, in our humanity, we can’t comprehend God’s plan because of our spiritual limitations, but in His Omniscience, God’s plan is so perfect. All we need to do is trust that the new thing He is doing is awesome! Because God is more than awesome! He is Powerfully All-Knowing, and He is always present. God is Spirit, and the things of the Spirit are not always clear to us. For the believer, we must accept spiritual Truths by faith. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” –Hebrews 11:1.

God is in control.

In our humanity, we get thrown off because our timing does not align with God’s timing; we want it when we want it, and we want it now! But Abba Father teaches us to trust Him with all things. In His Omnipresence, He is always beside us, and things come to our understanding in His perfect timing! “God will provide your need at the right time. At the right time, God will deliver you. At the right time, God will rescue you.” –Psalm 31:15.

We must understand that the right time is God’s time, not ours.

“Now it springs up (forth); do you not perceive it? (Recognize it?)” –Isaiah 43:19.

God’smaking a way through the desert and providing water out of nowhere for the Israelites to drink is a miracle that transcends their passage through the Red Sea and many other miracles we see throughout Exodus; it lands at God’s faithfulness to His people today. God is still doing a “new thing” for and in His people. Maybe in the prophet’s mind, this may have been the “new thing” he saw—a symbol of Israel’s deliverance.  

Today, God continues doing this new thing in our personal lives, church community, and within the hearts of all those who call on Him.

God never stops working.

 In Numbers Ten, we learn that the people of Israel only moved when the Lord moved. They followed His lead and rested whenever the cloud rested. But today’s culture encourages us to move on our own, independent from the Lord.

God knows our weaknesses like He knew the weakness of His people then. He knows how far we can go without Him, so God gently realigns us when we persist on going it alone. God is always right and always knows what is best for us. We must train ourselves to obey Him quickly when He speaks, especially through His written Word.

” Do you not perceive it?”

God calls our attention to what is happening and what is passing us by, similar to how He called Isaiah’s attention to what was about to happen, yet we sometimes don’t see it. We may pay attention to natural things and quickly understand them, but not so much with spiritual matters. At times, our miracle is in God answering our prayer.

We cry out, ask, call intercessors, plead, and even lose hope in difficulties.

Then, suddenly, God answers our prayers and cries, yet when we receive them—receive our healing, we sometimes act as though we are entitled. We don’t even take the time to say, “Thank you, Lord, for answering my prayer. For healing my body.” This ungrateful attitude must hurt God’s heart! Things are well now; I am all set. Just like the Israelites, we quickly forget what God has done and does for us.

Let’s be attentive and grateful for all God does for us. Our gratitude for His answering our prayers should make us feel appreciative and humble before the One who helps us. There’s a story in the Bible about ten lepers that Jesus healed, but only one returned to say thank you. “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.” –Luke 17:15-17.

We must not forget to bless God for healing us and answering our prayers. Our thanksgiving is giving God the glory He deserves!

Since 2022, I have been crying out to God to heal me of breast cancer. I have my church praying, my family, friends, and others. I could be in heaven today, but God did heal me and is allowing me an extended life. I am so joyful and thankful for all He’s done for me through answered prayer.

I look forward to the “new thing” He is about to do in the seasons that lay before me. I believe the best is yet to come because God always does what He says He’ll do.

Look at the last part of this verse in Isaiah 43:19: “I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

I never want to forget the wilderness that Abba has brought me through, as He’s taking me to the “new thing” He has for me. From now on, I choose to worship Him with greater devotion and a more thankful attitude. And I will wait for His lead. Going when He says go and stopping when He says stop. After all, He is opening streams in the deserts I know not of. It is His work, and I will follow Jesus to these streams to serve and bless His name.

Today, Father, we come before Your Throne with a grateful heart. We ask for faith to believe every Word You say. Forgive us for going our own way at times, and teach us to listen to Your voice as You lead us into the “new thing” You have for our futures. We are ready to receive Your salvation, healing, and the power needed to live for You and bring glory to You alone. We love You and praise You, Jesus. Amen.

If you are looking for a “new thing” to happen in your life, start by asking Jesus into your heart as Lord and Savior. The Word of God promises, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” –Romans 10:9-10.

Have You Set Your Face?

August 31, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” –Hebrews 12:2.

It’s not that Jesus wasn’t aware of or chose to ignore whatever adversity or circumstance in which He found Himself—He is, after all, Omniscient. It’s more that, unlike Peter, Jesus emphatically refused to be distracted by waves of tumultuous feelings or the oft-roaring winds of adversity and descent that swirled about Him, doing their best to deter Him from His sole mission—doing His Father’s will.

Speaking prophetically in his third Servant Song, Isaiah describes the Source of Messiah’s determination and His purpose this way: “Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame” –Isaiah 50:7.

And in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 9, verse 51, we hear  Isaiah’s words echoed this way: “Now when the time was approaching for Him to be taken up [to heaven], He was determined to go to Jerusalem [to fulfill His purpose].”

No amount of pushback or rejection, no personal loss or tragedy, no hunger, homelessness, opposition, nor any amount of physical or emotional pain, no betrayal at the hands of those He loved, would ever deter Jesus from ushering in the Father’s purpose for His coming: A New Covenant—making way for us to return to the Father. “Now as they were eating Jesus took bread, and after blessing it, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the [new and better] covenant, which [ratifies the agreement and] is being poured out for many [as a] substitutionary atonement] for the forgiveness of sins. –Matthew 26:26-28.

No temptation in or of this world did or will ever be strong enough to lure Jesus’s focus away from fulfilling the Father’s will. Remember, beloved. Christ will come again to rule and reign over His world. “And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

From the beginning, God’s focus has been singular in its intent—to receive glory from—and have a loving, intimate relationship with—His children. “Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” –Revelation 4:9-11.

To fulfill this plan conceived between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in eternity past, Jesus took on flesh, becoming fully human while remaining fully God. So that, when He had finished the work, the Father had given Him, He would return to His rightful place of honor at the Father’s right hand. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” –Hebrews 14:14-15.

Beloved, we have a high priest then—a heavenly Intercessor who fully understands all of what it is like to be human and yet, being fully God, is able to show us that through Him and by Him, we can be washed clean of our sin if we agree to clothe ourselves with the Holy, Blood-stained garments of Jesus’ Sinless Righteousness. “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” –Isaiah 61:10.

From His birth to His death and resurrection, because of the joy set before Him, the hope that you, friend, would one day say yes to His unfathomable gift of salvation, Jesus remained tunnel vision-focused on fulfilling His singular, yet multifaceted task: “I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.” –John 6:38.

What have you set before you, beloved?

 What are you laser-focused on, friend?

Like Jesus, are you determined to do the will of your Father?

Or, as Jesus pointed out to His friend, Peter, have you allowed the raging storms around you to draw your attention away from Him, His plan for your life, losing heart? “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” –Matthew 14:30-31.

Wars and rumors of wars, nation fighting against nation, and people group against people group. Perhaps it’s your siding with this political party or that one that’s distracting you? Is the rising food, gas, and cost of everything why you’ve lost focus?

Friends, I’m here to remind us:  We “get to” choose what we set before us.

I encourage you, then, to make wise use of your choice. To set righteous living before you—living to please God. To choose Jesus, living with a flint-like, sold-out faith, hope, and belief that Jesus is the only Way to the Father, letting nothing in this world distract you from hearing Jesus say to you, “‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!'” –Matthew 25:23.

Friends, the Father allowed Jesus a set time to accomplish His will. He’s allowed you a set time as well. Be a good steward of the time God has entrusted you and His plan for your life. Not sure what that is? Your finding out begins with you saying yes to Jesus—having a relationship with Him and saying yes to God’s will for your life. Then, set your face to follow Him wherever He made lead you. God is faithful. Trust Him to give you the grace and strength you need to fulfill His will. “He gives power to the faint, and to him that hath no might he increaseth strength.” –Isaiah 40:29.

Decision 2024: Who Is Jesus To You?

July 20, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” –John 1:29.

Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such importance. –C.S. Lewis

Friends, this post is not political. Though I pray your upcoming vote in November aligns with Godly principles and statutes. Still, in light of the horrific events that recently took place in Butler, Pennsylvania, my heart is nonetheless burdened for the nation and, indeed, for the families of the victims, living and deceased. Corey Comperatore—now in glory. In contrast, David Dutch and James Copenhaver are still fighting for life from the injuries they sustained. And though burdened for our nation, these victims, and their families, how much more my heart—our hearts, be burdened for all unsaved souls in light of just how quickly a person’s life can, without warning, be taken?

I’m sure if we asked the wife and daughter of Corey Comperatore, whose earthly life was ended by the sniper’s bullet, they would agree. Mr. Comperatore had given his life to Jesus, and so is far more alive now than he was that nanosecond before the bullet struck him. Though his being with the Lord is a great comfort to his family, I’m sure. We grieve with them nonetheless as they were maliciously thrown into learning to navigate the agonizing valley of loss. Thus, today, I felt led to share the Truth found only in God’s Inerrant Word.

A Word I pray that will help steady and realign our hearts and minds as we move forward individually and as a nation. “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” –1 John 5:20.

Jesus Christ is our only hope, Beloved.

Earthly leaders are powerless to save us. Only Jesus Christ has the Absolute Power to save.

John the Baptist knew this. So do I. And for the sake of your earthy life and your eternal destiny, I pray you do as well. No matter the outcome of “decision 2024”, the Lord Jesus Christ will remain forever on His Throne, Ruler over Life and death. And believe it or not, agree with it, or not, like it or not, your knee will bow before Him, and your tongue will confess that Jesus alone is Lord. “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” –Philippians 2: 9-11.

I pray you’ll freely do that now while the choice is afforded you.

Because every man, from those whom God appoints to hold the highest office in the land to, as Jesus lovingly calls them, “the least of these,” must choose whom they’ll serve. King Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of Lords, or the little g god of this world, Satan. There is no other choice on man’s proverbial ballot. No “other” box for us to check.

The instant John the Baptist caught a glimpse of Jesus walking amongst the crowd who’d gathered to be baptized, to choose Jesus publically—we hear John boldly proclaim words that had been put in his belly back when God was knitting him together in his mother, Elizabeth’s womb. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! He is the One who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” –John 1:29;27.

The words John spoke that day marked the beginning of the end of his life work —making ready the Way of the Lord.

John knew his place. He never pointed to himself but rather to Jesus only.

John knew he was never meant to be the Groom—but the groomsman. “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens to him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this pleasure and joy of mine is now complete.” –John3: 29.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, John recognized Jesus as the Messiah through Divine revelation.

John knew Jesus to be God’s Passover Lamb, come to be sacrificed. To once and for all take away the sins of this world and so, destined to reveal Jesus to the world, John joyfully cries out: “Here he is, God’s Passover Lamb! He forgives the sins of the world!” 

Child of God, pause hereto remember that moment you first believed.

Close your eyes and feel the joy and excitement that flooded through you when it really sank in that Jesus was with you and had chosen you as His. That in an instant, He’d pulled you from eternal death to eternal life, lost to saved—creation to beloved child.

Let the memory of that pure joy wash over you—overtake you.

Might that same joy have been the feeling coursing through John? Unable to contain it, he just had to let fly that darkness-piercing, literal life-changing revelation God dropped in his belly. Why? Because the Inescapable, Supernatural Truth, which had always existed in John’s peripheral vision,  stood clearly before him now, in the flesh!

Now, in Jesus, the days of sacrificing goats and sheep, of spilling their blood as an offering to God to wash away Israel’s sins temporarily, were over. This Spotless Lamb—God’s Perfect Son, came to accomplish what no animal sacrifice ever could—save the lost, to save you, specifically, if you’ll but accept His free gift of salvation.

Jesus’ sacrifice and death, His resurrection, all of it, everything Jesus did while on the earth, and continues to do as He intercedes for us while seated at the right hand of God, is personal and intentional because Jesus has had you in mind specifically, from before the foundation of the world. “From everlasting I was established, from the beginning, before the earth began.” –Pro.8:23.

Friend, the question before you is:

Who is Jesus to you?

Remember, professing Jesus is your eternal choice. I pray you’re not passive in that choice, friend. Because to not choose is your choice; it’s either God or Satan. There is no “other” box available to any of us.

In both the Old and New Testaments, Scripture makes that abundantly clear.

There is no “other” box to check. “By Myself I have sworn; truth has gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.” –Isaiah 45:23.

God or Satan. Those are the choices before you today. Who will you choose in 2024?

Take a stand for Jesus now.

Choose Him to be the Lord and Savior of your Life.

Friend, what recently happened in Pennsylvania is a sure reminder that no man is promised tomorrow. Jesus is the only sure hope you have of eternal life. Repent of your sins and welcome His Pure, sinless Blood to wash away your every sin because only Jesus is able to cleanse you. He freely laid down His life so that you might have life eternal. Won’t you accept His free gift of salvation today? “Because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation.” –Romans 10:9-10.

Everlasting To Everlasting.

June 22, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities—for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!” –Psalm 2:12.

From Genesis to Revelation, one single, tenable thread establishes and unites Truth. God is Alpha and Omega, without beginning or end. He is Triune and Co-Eternal. As He was in the beginning, He will be in the end. It’s this very constancy—this “sure foundation” upon which every Blood-bought believer, starting with Moses and reaching to you and me, then locking fist and faith with that final believer, has anchored our faith. As Scripture makes plain, all else is shifting sand. “And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them, will be like a foolish (stupid) man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great and complete was its fall.” –Matthew 7:26-27.

Truth is Living. Immutable. Inerrant—contrary to the many jockeying voices who clamor otherwise.

“In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments.” –Colossians 2:3-4.

But more to my point, Truth is a Person:

 “Who is Truth?”  

Jesus Christ is the Living Word of God. “In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God.” –John1:1-2. Firmly establishing this Cornerstone of Christ as God’s Living Truth is paramount so that all else built atop it is sure, lasting—able to bear weight.

Jesus is God’s Living Word.

And so, I’ll lay the beginning and end of Truth side by side, exposing us to its whole counsel.

First, from the Old Testament, is Moses, who, under the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, says this of Truth: “He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!” –Deuteronomy 32:4. From the New Testament, Truth Himself speaks: “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” –John 14:6.

Go back and trace the Scripture references within this teaching, and you’ll notice a consistent interlacing theme—the Words: He, Father, Son, Mine, I, etc. As we will soon see, the “Person” they point to is our Linchpin, our Bridge, The Truth, Jesus. “I and the Father are one.” –John 10:30.

Jesus is Eternity Past and Eternity Future, being perfectly One with the Father, spanning time as we understand it. God simultaneously birthed and fulfilled His plan and purpose for creation through Jesus. And Jesus accomplished God’s purpose through obedience and Love for the Father. In Jesus, everything is held together: every jot and tittle of Scripture, you, me, the cosmos, every molecule of our world. “And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.]” –Colossians 1:17.

We witness Jesus, the Eternal Presence, foreshadowed in Eden—when sinless, innocent blood was shed to cover Adam and Eve’s sin and guilt. Yet let’s remember, Jesus has always existed, and so, through Scripture, we also witness Him Pre-Garden as The Lamb.

God’s Sinless Sacrifice—prepared before God’s the foundation of the world. Waiting. Willing. “And all the inhabitants of the earth will fall down in adoration and pay him homage, everyone whose name has not been recorded in the Book of Life of the Lamb that was slain [in sacrifice] from the foundation of the world.” –Revelation 13:8.

Before Christ’s Perfect sacrifice was a time when, over and over again, the blood of bulls, sheep, lambs, and rams were sacrificed, their lifeblood spilled on alters—blood is the substance God required to rid man of his sins. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.” –Leviticus 17:11. Blood, smeared on door posts and lintels that death might pass over those who, by faith alone in God alone, Trusted Him—another foreshadowing.

Those who ate their meals in haste behind those bloody doors knew God, but not the name of His slain Lamb—not yet.

Moses, Abraham, Noah, Joseph, and David worshiped God and served Him. Leaving behind their old way of life to follow “YHWH.”   They’d heard His Voice and came to know Him via His Spirit and Word. These men believed God to be far Greater than themselves—eclipsing all other gods they had worshipped before Him—out of custom and ignorance.

From eternity past, the Father’s plan centered around Jesus:From Genesis to Revelation, we witness this Truth repeatedly: Jesus’ eventual substitutionary death on the Cross, His defeat of sin, death, and the grave.

Even in the nascent Church, this Truth became so firmly entrenched in the hearts of Jesus’s disciples that men freely gave their lives for Him. “But when [in God’s plan] the proper time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the [regulations of the] Law, so that He might redeem and liberate those who were under the Law, that we [who believe] might be adopted as sons [as God’s children with all rights as fully grown members of a family].” –Galatians 4:4-6.

Later, as the Church grew, through the only Scriptures they knew, New Testament writers would heavily pepper the Word with Old Testament references to Christ. The birth, life, ministry, miracles, and mentions or inferences of Jesus’ Lordship, His Blood, death, and future reign all reference the will and work of God’s Holy Spirit; God’s Word is one single, seamless Truth.

Some scholars say these Old Testament references constitute as much as 33% of the New Testament. Said differently, roughly 2606 Old Testament Scriptures are directly quoted or referenced within the New Testament, every one pointing toward Jesus. “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” –Romans 15:4. This hope is part of God’s plan for all of His children—all those chosen in Christ, for Christ, before the foundation of the world. “For you [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified and] are all children of God [set apart for His purpose with full rights and privileges] through faith in Christ Jesus.” –Galatians 3:26.

Though none from the Old Testament had heard the name Jesus—they knew God—believed in God.

And because of such faith—His Blood, the Blood of Jesus, God incarnate, The Father’s Perfect, Sinless Lamb, slain before the foundation of the world, washed them clean, saving them. “Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” –Mark 12: 26-27.

We have looped full circle, ending where we began: with Jesus, our Co-Eternal, Triune God; The Father’s Spotless Lamb, whose All-Powerful Blood is far-reaching enough to simultaneously save Moses, Abraham, Isacc, Jacob, me, and you, if you’ll invite Him into your life as Lord of all. Trusting, as did Abraham before you, as I and every other believer on the planet have, that Jesus is who He claims to be—the Only Way to the Father. “Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” –John 14:6.

Friend, before the foundation of the world, Jesus knew you.

And if you say yes to Him today, that is evidence you’ve been chosen in Him.

Yet if you reject Him, which, unimaginably, is your God-given right, then Gentle Christ that He is, Jesus will not force Himself nor His forgiveness upon you.

He will honor your choice to reject Him.

But understand this.

From eternity past, that is never God’s choice nor His heart toward any of us—towards you. Your relationship with Jesus is personal. “Though we were spiritually dead because of the things we did against God, he gave us new life with Christ. You have been saved by God’s grace. And he raised us up with Christ and gave us a seat with him in the heavens. He did this for those in Christ Jesus so that for all future time he could show the very great riches of his grace by being kind to us in Christ Jesus.” –Ephesians 2:5-7.

Lifter of My Head.

May 25, 2024 /

Matthew Botelho

“Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her; “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.” – Luke 13:10-13

I pray this is a timely word for someone out there because it hit me right between the eyes when I read this Scripture. Why? It is the All-Powerful Word of God. It’s not just another bunch of writings or some book you may pick up off the shelf. It is God’s Living Word! You may have read the above passage many times and not thought about it much. But then, one day, as you read it, the Holy Spirit will make it come alive, and you can’t help but see it afresh. That is what happened to me.

As I was reading this passage of Scripture, Holy Spirit started to reveal things we go through in this life, as this poor woman did. She had spent eighteen years hunched over, bent under the weight of the spirit of infirmity. Some weakness, whether physical or mental, the Bible doesn’t specify which, had caused the ground around her feet to become her view daily. She was missing the beauty of life surrounding her—God’s beautiful creations.

Infirmity is not always the result of some physical illness.

It can also manifest by way of emotional trauma. Sometimes, when we are hurting or battling depression, anxiety, or anger, our bodies will suffer physically as a result of our emotional experiences. Let me explain.

We do not know this woman’s exact age, but we do know she was not born with this “infirmity.” However, Scripture does say, “She could in no way raise herself up.” Perhaps being in this state for so long had caused her to live in a mindset of defeat. Gradually becoming incapable of raising herself physically and, maybe equally, of speaking life into herself.

Maybe something unexpected had happened to her, and it left behind the weight of so much doubt and sadness that she could not even bring herself to praise God.

Or perhaps she just gave up. One day, she decided to stop fighting and allowed her body to give in to the weight of her infirmity, and before she knew it, the ground became the only thing she could see.

Had her heart been so broken and her confidence so shaken, she could only mutter, “What is the point, God?”

I really do wonder what happened to this poor woman. What caused this to happen to her? Her downcast spirit reminds me of the psalmist’s words in Psalm 42:5: “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.”

Friends, the Scriptures remind us that our worship of God is our weapon during our times of difficulties. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” –Hebrews 4:16

As believers, we hope in God. We praise God. We cry out to Jesus, yet in our trials, how often do we forget to “come boldly to the throne of grace,” focusing instead on our problems?

Are we only to seek Jesus when the wind and the waves threaten us? Shouldn’t our worship and adoration of His mercy and goodness be our default lifestyle?

I can speak from the experiences I have had where I had no strength in me to worship or pray. I have felt defeated and lost, not knowing what else to do. Be real with me here. Surely, I am not the only one here admitting to this. 

I need a Big God. A Father who will lovingly remind me when I am weak, He is strong and able to do exceedingly above anything  I could ever do without Him. When troubles come, I need Jesus to remind me that He is right there with me, going before me and leading me and my family out of whatever storm we are facing.

In 2 Corinthians 12:10, the Apostle Paul writes, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecution, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

I pray when distress comes, and it will, that you will stand knowing God is for you, child of God, and if He is for you, then who can be against you? 

My dear friends, all hope is not lost, for we have a loving God who will move mountains for His kids. He will not leave us to see only the ground beneath our feet. Scripture tells us, “But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him.” Get that into your hearts, my friends. El Roi saw her, and He sees you and is calling you to Himself, just as He did with this poor woman.

I can picture her as she heard Jesus’ voice, slowly following, hunched over, and looking at the ground. Only this time, when she heard Jesus’ voice, her faith was stirred up. This wounded sheep now followed her Shepards voice. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they know Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.” –John 10:27-30

You are His Beloved sheep if you have placed your faith in Jesus. And you shall never perish, nor can anything hold you back from Him reaching you. Jesus is Greater than the sadness that keeps you up at night. He is far stronger than that fear causing you to walk, head down.

As this poor woman finally reached Jesus, laying His hands on her, He said, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” –Luke 13:12. “… And immediately she straightened up and praised God.” –Luke 13:13.

Can you see the picture? I can see her looking at the ground, and then Jesus places His hand under her chin, and she looks up to Him. “But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill.” –Psalm 3:3-4

No more is she focused on her bondage or the ground beneath her; now she is eye to eye with God, and as He lays His hand on her shoulders, she starts to feel strength where there was weakness. The weight is removed from her as she stands up straight.

What an image of victory over the enemy! She stands glorifying God in His Presence, knowing her life will never be the same.

This holds true for you, dear friend. God wants you free from your infirmity, to be loosed, in Jesus’ name.

I pray this teaching spoke to you today. I pray the Holy Spirit touched you in a way that brought you comfort and peace, knowing no matter what is going on around you, Jesus is right there with you. Choose this day to make Jesus your Lord and Savior. Be washed by the Blood of Jesus and ask for forgiveness of your sins. Jesus is faithful to forgive. 1 John 1:9 assures you, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Amen.

Sin And Dinosaurs

May 11, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.” –Romans 6:14.

You may ask, “What’s the connection between sin and dinosaurs?” Bear with me. We’ll get there. Holy Spirit birthed this title and teaching after reading a morning devotional about how, in today’s world, many have drifted away from or ignored altogether—the concept and consequences of sin and sinning—even some professing Christians.

There is physical and scientific proof that dinosaurs roamed planet Earth for some 165 million years, but there is also proof those same dinosaurs became extinct approximately 65 million years ago. Categorically speaking, no one in our modern world can realistically live in fear of being overpowered by a dinosaur. Conversely, sin predates dinosaurs. It has been with us since the fall of Adam and Eve. “Therefore, as sin came into the world through one man, and death as the result of sin, so death spread to all men, no one being able to stop it or to escape its power] because all men sinned.” –Romans 5:12.

Yet, unlike dinosaurs, sin is very much alive and overpowers many in today’s world.

If you doubt this, watch the news. Daily, you’ll witness evidence of sin and its dire effects on the lives of so many men, women, children, teens, and young adults; those who come face to face with sin’s deadly presence—robbing them of hope, joy, peace, family, relational stability and, ultimately, both natural and eternal life.

So, in answer to the question: “What’s the connection between sin and dinosaurs?”

Simply put, one no longer has the lethal power to destroy lives, while the other very much does. Unapologetically, sin is often incognito, an unrelenting tyrant.“But each one is tempted when he is dragged away, enticed and baited [to commit sin] by his own [worldly] desire (lust, passion). Then when the illicit desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin has run its course, it gives birth to death.” –James 1:14-15.

To find the only True explanation of how sin can and does rob us both in this life and the life to come, we must go to the only Source of Truth: God’s Innerant Word. “For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.” –Romans 5:17.

From the beginning, sin has gleefully robbed the saved of God’s blessings.

More tragically, whether acknowledged or not, sin is daily robbing the unsaved of eternal life.

Sin blinds them to the opportunity to experience intimate fellowship—a one-on-one relationship with Jesus, now and in the life to come. “But each one is tempted when he is dragged away, enticed and baited [to commit sin] by his own [worldly] desire (lust, passion). Then when the illicit desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin has run its course, it gives birth to death.” –James 1:14-15.

Through his admonition, James intends to instill this Biblical Truth in both the believer and those yet to believe.

For the believer, James is warning us to stay alert! To follow Joseph’s example and not entertain nor linger in sin’s presence. To literally run from sin! “ so she grabbed Joseph by his outer garment and demanded “Let’s have some sex!” Instead, Joseph ran outside, leaving his outer garment still in her hand..” –Genesis 39:12.

James also reminds believers: so long as we live in these natural bodies, both our intrinsic sinful nature —and the enemy of our soul—can and will, without warning, rear their ugly heads, determined to entice us to reach back and dredge up, make excuses for, give mouth-to-mouth to, those sins meant to stay dead.

To go dumpster diving—pulling out long discarded sins that reek of death and ruination.

In Hebrews 12:1, the Apostle Paul also admonishes us regarding ridding ourselves of sin so that we might run our race unencumbered by sins’ exacting weight: “…let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed curse of the race that is set before us.”

For the unbeliever, sadly, sin will always have its way so long as the person continues to attempt to do life minus, the only Source of Life. To be set free from the grip of sin and death, one must be born again. These are not my words. They’re the Living Truth Jesus shared with Nicodemus—is sharing with you today. “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” –John 3:3.

Another reason being born again is necessary is for a person to receive and understand the spiritual things God chooses to share with them.

Being spiritually dead, the natural man is incapable of receiving these gifts. “But the natural [unbelieving] man does not accept the things [the teachings and revelations] of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness [absurd and illogical] to him; and he is incapable of understanding them, because they are spiritually discerned and appreciated, [and he is unqualified to judge spiritual matters].” –1Corinthians 2:14.

James and Paul, speaking to believers, remind us that we, though saved, are still sinners. We are still prone to falling back into old habits, picking up once-discarded sins. Jesus, too, shares this same Truth in John 5.

After finding and healing a man who had been lying beside the pool of Bethesda for some thirty-eight years, Jesus admonishes him not to return to his past sin lest his next affliction may be worse than his last. “But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” –John 5:14.

 Though not stated plainly in Scripture, some theologians agree this man may have ended up crippled as the result of an untreated sexually transmitted disease.

Was sexual sin the sin that had so easily entangled this man?

Only he and the Lord know for sure. I use him as an example, as he is one of the only people in Scripture who we read about Jesus saying, “Something worse may happen to him.”

Typically, after having healed someone, such as a woman caught in adultery, Jesus tells those He heals to sin no more.“Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” –John 8:10-11.

So, was Jesus’ telling this man that there is a far greater devastation that could overtake him than having once been a cripple for thirty-eight years—of his having reaped a thirty-eight-year harvest of crippling consequences for the sinful seeds he had once sowed?

Or, is Jesus warning this unnamed man, as He did His disciples, and through them, us—of the greater eternal penalties of our unrepentant sins?

“I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will point out to you whom you should fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority and power to hurl [you] into hell; yes, I say to you, [stand in great awe of God and] fear Him!” –Luke 12:4-5.

To recap, I asked: “What is the connection between sin and dinosaurs?”

And in answer, I said: “Simply put, one no longer has the deadly power to destroy lives, while the other very much does.”

So then, is there hope for us? Can anyone be saved from the deadly consequences of their sins?

The answer: Absolutely!

How? By repenting of our sins.

By not pretending that, like dinosaurs, sin is prehistoric.

Satan loves nothing more than for you to believe the same lie he once got Eve to believe—doubt God’s Word. “Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which the LORD God had made. And the serpent (Satan) said to the woman, “Can it really be that God has said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” –Genesis 3:1.

Yet Satan’s ploys and recycled tactics are no match for God’s Immutable power.

So if you genuinely want every sin you have, or ever will commit, washed away, then, as Jesus assured Nicodemus. “You must be born again.”

Sure, you can choose to ignore the words I was sent to share with you with little consequence, but I pray instead you’ll ask Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior because ignoring His Words will have eternal consequences. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among people by which we must be saved [for God has provided the world no alternative for salvation].” –Acts 4:12.

Believe and Be Confident.

April 27, 2024 /

Elda Othello-Wrightington.

Have you ever felt like you were a little fish in a big pond? Sometimes, life can feel that way, especially if you have lived life in a small pond. Truth be told, in order for a small fish to become a big fish, its environment has to change. Change is hard but possible. But what if, due to circumstances, the environment cannot be changed? Well, then, one’s mindset must change. What do I mean? One must work through all their thoughts and feelings of unbelief.

Unbelief has a way of crippling one’s dream and what God might be calling you to do.

When fear sets in, questions start to arise. Can I really do this? Soon, that God-sized dream becomes a man-sized what could have been. Too often, many God-given dreams, visions, and plans end up in the cemetery because they were never walked out by faith. Fear and a lot of second-guessing brought on their early death.

Recently, I realized that had happened to me.

I have been going through a lot of transitions (maybe some midlife—joking!), and it occurred to me that I believed God could do God-sized things for everyone except me. This untruth was allowed to live in my imagination because I allowed fear, doubt, and unbelief to settle in.

You might be reading this and saying to yourself, “That’s me!” Or “But you don’t know what I’ve been through. I prayed, and God didn’t answer.” Or “I’ve been waiting, and it didn’t happen at all the way I expected or anticipated it would.”

Welp! That kind of talk and thinking is unbelief.

I want to share with you the question Holy Spirit asked me. “You say you trust God, but do you really believe God can do it for you?”

Many of you may know the Bible story of the man who brought his son to the disciples to be healed, but the disciples couldn’t heal him (Mark 9 1-29). Interestingly, Jesus identifies them as “you unbelieving generation.” Wow! What a statement. The disciples and even the boy’s father struggled and wondered why this boy couldn’t receive his healing. The father’s statement is a very thought-provoking one. He exclaims, “I believe but help by unbelief.”

Now, that’s a bold statement to tell Jesus.

 It’s also one that most of us struggle to admit. Friends, we must muster up the courage to believe and not doubt. “All things are possible if you believe “—Mark 9:23.

You might not have all the confidence in the world, but as a result of my own struggle, can I encourage you to start with God?

If you haven’t made Jesus your Lord and Savior, I want to encourage you to do so today. The Bible says in Romans 10:9-10 “If you declare with your mouth Jesus is lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. It is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

 When you put your confidence in God, He will lead you not only to salvation BUT also cause you to grow and thrive.

So, be confident in what He has called you to be and do by simply believing that He who calls you will also qualify you. He will show you the way. And will connect you to the right people. “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” –1 Corinthians 1:27-29.

Another encouragement I have for you, if you’re struggling with believing, is to remember the promise found in Hebrews 10:23: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful.”

Joseph had a dream he once shared with his brothers, and all it seemed to get him was sold into slavery and various other troubles. I wonder how often he questioned if he had heard God or asked himself where God was!

Friends, I’ve been there, and I just wanted to share an insight God shared with me about holding on to His promises: Hold on with patience!

Joseph had to learn to be patient before he could be Pharaoh’s second in command, a position that would ultimately save Joseph, his family, and many nations. Joseph didn’t know his dream would require that he be sold into slavery, be accused, and placed in prison, not to mention be forgotten—yet all of this was part of God’s plan for Joseph’s life.

 When we feel God has forgotten us, the truth is we have often underestimated God’s displaying patience toward us. That might sound a little backward. Yes, God is displaying patience towards us. Could it be possible that He is waiting for us to believe so that our growth can begin?

I was sent here today to encourage and remind someone that Jesus is in control and has a plan far bigger than our own. I’ve learned that God sometimes waits for us to believe Him. He is patiently waiting to see if we will grow into what He has called us to be through simple obedience and trust that He controls the process.

Be patient. Remember, the process has its purpose.

God is patient with us, and we must learn to be patient with our journey and wait for our dream or goal—whatever it might be. Believe my sisters and my brothers, and be confident in God. “Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful [to His word.” –Hebrews 10:23.

There Were Witnesses, Part 2.

April 13, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” –2 Peter 1:16.

Each Apostle had witnessed Jesus’ life and ministry during the approximate three-plus years He was on earth. And each was so convinced that Jesus was indeed who He’d professed to be while with them, they were willing to die a martyr’s death rather than deny Him—including Matthias, the Apostle chosen by lots to replace Judas’ Iscariot after he’d hung himself. “Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.” –Acts 1:21-26.

Historians say only the Apostle John, believed to have been the youngest of Jesus’s twelve Apostles, lived to see old age, having died at Ephesus of natural causes. Tertullian, a historian, wrote that Roman Emperor Domitian intended for John to be martyred by being boiled alive in a pot of oil. But God had a different plan for John’s life, so what had been intended to kill him—failed.

Perhaps Jesus was alluding to the way Domitian would attempt to kill John when he spoke these words in answer to John and his brother James’ request to sit at Jesus’ right and left hand in His Kingdom. “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” –Mark 10:38-40.

Because concerning Peter’s death, Jesus was the first to tell Peter that, like Himself, he would also be crucified. Directly after reinstating Peter within that now famous dialogue found in John 21:15, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” Jesus says this: “Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

And Peter did follow Jesus—straight to his cross.

Early church historians, such as Eusebius, Clement of Rome, and Tertullian, have each given us extra-Biblical accounts detailing by whose hand and what methods of torture were used to kill all twelve Apostles.

Of Peter, it’s said that when Emperor Nero ordered him to be crucified, he asked his executioners to be crucified upside down, having claimed to be unworthy of being crucified in the same fashion as his Lord. Only God and Peter’s executioners know whether this account of Peter’s final hour is valid.

We do know each Apostle followed their Master’s example as best a sinful man could, including Paul, who, though not an eyewitness of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension, was chosen by Jesus Himself to be His Apostle to the Gentiles and who—and chose death over denying His Lord, And in Romans 5, reminds us:– “Now it is an extraordinary thing for one to willingly give his life even for an upright man, though perhaps for a good man [one who is noble and selfless and worthy] someone might even dare to die.”  Then, in the next verse, this humbling and incomprehensible Truth is shared: “But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Concerning the Apostles, below are some shared accounts of how each man chose death, to be martyred rather than deny their Lord and Savior. Each took to heart more, with a final act of unwavering certainty and a profound demonstration of unmitigated love; each put legs beneath the Words their Lord had spoken concerning the selfless sacrifice both true love and Life require. “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”—Matthew 10:38-39.

  1. James, John’s brother: the first of the twelve to be put to death. His martyrdom is verified in Scripture. King Herod had him killed by the sword in Jerusalem (Acts 12:2).
  2. Like Peter, his brother Andrew is said to have been crucified by a Roman Governor in Patras, Greece. He was scourged, then bound with leather straps to his x-shaped cross, a “crux decussata,” which, when turned on its side, was intended to mock Christ’s Cross and discourage His followers.
  3. Historians share two different accounts of Phillip’s martyrdom. One account has him beheaded while in Hierapolis, Greece, while another has him and two other Christ followers, possibly Nathaniel, being crucified. This account has Phillip preaching the Gospel as he hung on his cross.
  4. As with Phillip, there are two accounts of Nathaniel’s martyrdom. One says he was skinned alive, while another claims he, too, was crucified while preaching in northern India.
  5. Matthew is said to have been martyred in Ethiopia by the sword.
  6. Mark was martyred in Egypt, having been drug through the streets by a team of horses until he was dead.
  7. Historians say Simon, The Zealot, was sawed from head to toe in Northern Africa.
  8. Jude, or Judas Thadeus, aka “the other Judas,” is said to have been martyred somewhere in Lebanon, having been shot by arrows.
  9. Luke, it is said, was hung from an olive tree.
  10. And Matthias was crucified.
  11. John survived, having been boiled in oil and died of old age on the Isle of Patmos.
  12. Lastly, Peter is said to have been crucified upside down.

And though not eyewitness ourselves, if we profess to be believers, to have received Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives, acknowledging Him as sole Owner and Master of our lives, then we, like all twelve of our brothers mentioned above, and others, like John the Baptist, who, also chosedeath over denying His Lord and Savior, we too, must do as they did—choosing Christ over our own lives. “You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.” –1 Peter 1:8.

We’re living in dark days, friends, “perilous times,” as the Bible refers to them—lawless days, where far too many professed believers live in the shadows, running away from taking a bold, fixed stance for Jesus, their faith, and commitment to our Lord.

What about you?

Where do you stand with Jesus?

Do you boldly profess Him as Savior, Lord, and Master of your life?

Like your brothers before you, are you so thoroughly convinced of who Jesus is that you’d lay down your life for Him rather than deny Him?

I pray you will. Because I believe to the very bones of me that if you genuinely believe Jesus is who He said He is, then if asked by Him to face such an hour as our brothers once did, His grace would be sufficient to silence every fear we’d have in the natural.

How can I be so sure of this?

One, my God is not a liar. And two, He has promised us—promised me, it’s meant to be personal.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.” –Deuteronomy 31:6.

Since Jesus is Alpha and Omega, the same yesterday, today, and forever, what He promised to Moses, Aaron, and others throughout Scripture is my promise as His child. Yours, too, if Jesus is your Lord and Savior.

And if you don’t yet know Him as Lord, His Word assures you that you can do so today if you ask Him into your life, acknowledging you are a sinner in need of a Savior. “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”—Romans 10:9-10.

There Were Witnesses.

March 30, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“No one takes it away from Me, but I lay it down voluntarily. I am authorized and have power to lay it down and to give it up, and I am authorized and have power to take it back. This command I have received from My Father.” –John 10:18.

We are a step away from Resurrection Sunday, the most glorious, life-affirming miracle this world has ever witnessed. And yes, there were witnesses to Jesus’s Resurrection. God’s Inerrant Word assures us of this. Some would keep silent about all they’d seen and heard early that Sunday morning. While others would run and share the news of that dizzying, inscrutable miracle with their brothers. So, let’s identify the witnesses; first, those who chose silence—the guards. Right before their eyes, God’s angel descended from heaven like lightning and rolled away the stone used to seal Jesus inside the tomb they’d been charged to guard. “And a great earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone [from the opening of the tomb], and sat on it.” –Matthew 28:2

Were these a cohort of Jewish, Temple Guards, Roman soldiers, or both? After reading the Gospel accounts and commentary, I agree that both were present at Jesus’ tomb. “The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.” –Matthew 27:62–66.

After witnessing that awe-inspiring, improbable occurrence, they ran back, not to Pilate, but straight to the chief priest, informing him of all they’d seen firsthand. And, it was the chief priest and elders who schemed, covered for, encouraged them to lie, and ultimately paid them off for their silence. “…some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.” –Matthew 28:11-15.

Also, John 18 informs us that the leading priests and Pharisees sent a contingent of Temple Guards and Roman soldiers to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. “So Judas, having obtained the Roman cohort and some officers from the high priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.” –John 18:3.

Still, I’ll leave the debate on this topic to far more learned minds. Instead, we’ll turn our attention to the heart of today’s teaching…

To help aid and abet those spurious religious leaders in keeping the Truth about Jesus, His miracles, and now, this most unfathomable, sure fact silent, that Jesus must indeed be the Messiah, some if not all of those soldiers, Jews, Romans or both, who witnessed Jesus Resurrection—chose silence over truth.

They opted to shut up, to hide in plain sight. To be paid off, rather than speak up—a woeful decision ripe with eternal consequence if ever there was one. “But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” –Matthew 10:33.

Then there were the women—the other witnesses:” And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.” –Mark 16:1.

Like the guards, these women were afraid and bewildered by the inconceivable miracle they’d just witnessed. An empty tomb! He’s Risen? An Angel! And yet, unlike the guards, something within these women would not be silenced. An unseen, inexplicable force propelled them ever forward.

Upon finding Jesus’ tomb empty, they ran with abandon to where they knew they’d find their brothers. They couldn’t help but share this paradoxical Truth. “The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” —Matthew 28: 5-8.

They chose to run toward, not away from, this undeniable Truth—however inexplicable.

One group of witnesses sided with those who sought and thought they’d succeeded in exacting the last drop of hope the people had that Jesus was, in fact, who He claimed to be.

While the other group ran to boldly proclaim the unexplainable, undeniable Truth that Jesus is who He claimed to be—the Messiah.

He is the One True God who has defeated sin and our final foe, death, and the grave!

So sure, of this Truth were His Disciples—all Twelve Apostles willingly died brutal deaths defending the fact that Jesus is the Christ. ” That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.” –1 John 1-4.

“Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword”. –Hebrews 11:35-37. “The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted and had John beheaded in the prison.” Matthew 14:9.

“It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also.” –Acts 12:1-3. (Killed by the sword here is understood to mean beheading).

Thousands of years have passed since the dawn of that first miraculous, hope-infused Sunday morning.

Yet one thing has stayed the same: only two groups of witnesses exist.

Those who’ve encountered Jesus and been eternally changed—made new, emboldened—unstoppable witnesses for Christ in the here and now—witnesses who will worship Him for eternity.

Then, there are those like the guards.

Exposed to Jesus’ miracles and power, His Words of Life. Words unlike any they’ve ever heard, drenched in power, Love, forgiveness, hope, and Life. And still, they’ll choose to walk away from what they’ve witnessed unchanged, unphased, and life-less—hiding away in plain sight instead. “This is the judgment [that is, the cause for indictment, the test by which people are judged, the basis for the sentence]: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.” –John 3:19.

As I said in my opening, we are a step away—hours really, from Resurrection Sunday.

God’s Inerrant Word has been proclaimed: Jesus Christ has defeated our final enemy, death, and the grave. And on His Cross, just days before, He spoke three final Words that seal the promise of all who believe that Jesus is the Christ—the only way to the Father. “Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” –John 14:6.

There will only ever be two groups of witnesses.

Those who walk away unchanged, unphased, unbelieving still, and make no mistake, life-less.

Or those who will go forward and tell anyone who will listen about Jesus.

Which will you choose?

Friend, Jesus loves you. I’m praying you’ll accept the promise of New Life He offers this Resurrection Sunday. “I, only I, am He who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.” –Isaiah 43:25.

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