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Where is the LORD God of Elijah?

9/17/2018

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And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; (2 Kings 2:9-13)
     Elisha joined Elijah in the prophetic ministry. He requested a double portion and received it by staying with Elijah when Elijah was taken up to be with the LORD in a fiery whirlwind, accompanied by a chariot and horses of fire. Once Elijah was departed, Elisha returned and carried on the ministry which Elijah had been called to.
 
     This simple, yet memorable, account of Elijah’s rise to Heaven is a record of God’s recall of His prophet and the passing of the mantle and call upon God’s man and prophet unto Israel. God had shown Elijah that he was going Home and he promised Elisha that the prophetic and servant ministry he would conduct would be more than that of Elijah just as Elisha had asked. God blessed Elijah in this unique Homegoing and blessed Elisha in giving him a double portion of the spirit of ministry which had been upon Elijah.
 
     God calls those who are available and will obey His commands and direction. He calls His people, regardless of their talents or abilities to use all that God has given them to perform God size tasks for Him and through His power. Just as He used Elijah and later Elisha to minister in prophecy and in service to the people of Israel, so God uses those who say yes to Him in ministry, missions, and discipleship to reach the lost, teach the nations, and preach His Word as we go in the Spirit and grow through the Word of God. Those who are His by faith in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus through the body of Christ, His Church, and serve as His ambassadors and servants to those who need Him. We are to go to those who are as we once were and reach them where they are that they may come to know Christ as we have and be born again. We obey the commands of our Creator, Redeemer, and King until He takes us up to be with Him just as He took Elijah and as He will take the many who are His who now sleep in Jesus and await His return.
 
     Until that day, God has commanded those of us who are His saints and know Him to go out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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According to the Word of the LORD

9/14/2018

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And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words? And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight. And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king. And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of His Word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. (2 Kings 1:7-8, 13-16)
     When the king of Israel sent men to inquire concerning his fever from a false god, the LORD sent Elijah to confront them with their idolatry. The king sent men to apprehend Elijah and the LORD consumed these men with fire from heaven. The third captain surrendered to Elijah and Elijah went with him to the king and confronted the king for his disobedience to the Word of God. The king died on his bed just as the LORD had proclaimed.
 
     Once again God demonstrated his power and presence to those in Israel who refused to believe and obey. The God who brought fire down from heaven on Mt. Carmel brought fire down and consumed these ungodly men who sought Elijah and who worshiped baalzebub the false god of the Philistines. God proclaimed the death of the king of Israel, not only for his idolatry but because of his evil acts and failure to obey God and His Word. He had pronounced judgment upon the house of Ahab and was bringing it to bear upon the sons just as He told Ahab He would.
 
     When those who are truly in Christ by faith in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary seek answers from the world instead of God’s Word and His Spirit our idolatry demonstrates a lack of faith in the power of the God we serve. He has proclaimed, and we ought to believe it in deed and not just in lip service to His character, that He is sufficient and that He alone is God and will provide and care for His people whom He will never leave nor forsake. He has called us to ministry, missions, and discipleship, not following the world’s ways or seeking other gods which are not gods, but resting in Him and doing the work which God has brought us into in order to reach the lost, teach the nations, and preach the Word. If we go seeking wisdom and answers anywhere else besides God, we may end up as Ahaziah or as those who confronted Elijah. The same God who protected Elijah from conflict and confrontation will protect His people who are completely sold out and submissive to God in surrender and service to our Creator, Redeemer, and King until He is done with us.
 
     Until that day, God has commanded those of us who are His saints and know Him to go out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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Hear thou therefore the Word of the LORD

9/13/2018

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And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, Surely it is the king of Israel. And they turned aside to fight against him: and Jehoshaphat cried out. And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot. And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country. So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armour; according unto the Word of the LORD which He spake. (1 Kings 22:32-38)
     After the prophet Micaiah revealed the false prophets and the lying spirit and was jailed for his efforts, Jehoshaphat and Ahab went out to war against Syria. Jehoshaphat had made an ill-advised agreement with Ahab to fight Syria. Jehoshaphat dressed as a king was pursued by the Syrians until they realized it was not the king of Israel. Ahab tried to avoid the battle by disguising himself but was shot anyway by an archer who shot randomly and Ahab died. He was buried in Samaria just as God had foretold by Elijah and Micaiah. His son reigned for a short time but judgment was already coming from God.
 
     Ahab could not disguise himself from God and should have listened to Micaiah who prophesied that he would not return in peace from the battle. Jehoshaphat sought Ahab’s help with the Syrian’s but God had it planned to end Ahab’s life and his reign. A seemingly random arrow mortally wounded Ahab, despite his disguise and everything the LORD had said about him came to pass just as Elijah and Micaiah had said by the Word of the LORD.
 
     Following the Word of the LORD and being obedient to God in these trying times is not easy and often we are not rewarded in this life but only when we stand before God. If our actions in while we are here are more like Ahab’s than Jehoshaphat’s then we may receive the same end when God brings judgment and correction upon His people. If we act like Jehoshaphat and make a league with those who are not of God, being then unequally yoked, God may allow us to experience the consequences of our choice, but our ministry will falter and our testimony will be damaged. God calls His people to holiness that we might glorify Him in the missions, ministry, and discipleship which He has called us to do, not to gain or keep that which He gives by grace, but to reach the lost, teach the nations, and preach His Word for as long as we are here. Those who do not yet know Christ by faith in God and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary are called to repentance and salvation through God’s Word, His Spirit, and His church, that they may be reconciled with God and whosoever will may be made new in Christ and His righteousness. All that God calls us to do and be should point others to our Creator, Redeemer, and King until He is done with us.
 
     Until that day, God has commanded those of us who are His saints and know Him to go out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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The Word of the LORD came to Elijah

9/12/2018

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But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. And the Word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before Me? because he humbleth himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house. (1 Kings 21:25-29)
     When Ahab and Jezebel conspired to murder Naboth and steal his vineyard, the LORD came and pronounced the end of their lives and their kingdom. Elijah brought the pronouncement to Ahab and Ahab turned to the LORD for a reprieve, which was granted only in that the evil coming against the kingdom would not happen in his days, but in the days of the sons of Ahab. God was merciful but Ahab had still done much evil in the sight of the LORD and Jezebel was even worse.
 
     It is by the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed but He extends grace to those who repent. Ahab sought the LORD that he might receive mercy and God granted him that the evil which God had pronounced upon Ahab and Jezebel would not happen immediately but at his death and during the reign of Ahab’s children. Ahab was not freed from the consequences of his actions and rebellion against the LORD but was granted mercy in the timing of the judgment which God proclaimed when He came unto Elijah.
 
     God chastises His own and corrects those who seek Him to refine those who follow Him. When our actions bring disgrace upon the Name of the Lord, He brings judgment and correction to His own. God has spoken through His Word the doctrines of our faith in order for us to know Him, the reproof and correction of our thoughts and actions that we need, and instructions in the way of righteousness that we may grow in Him and walk by faith as obedient children of the living God. The ministry, missions, and discipleship which God has given unto His church is for us to reach the lost, teach the nations, and preach His Word, not for our glory but for His. He extends mercy to those who seek forgiveness through repentance, but we are not free in the liberty we now enjoy in Christ to do as we please nor are we free from the consequences of our actions. Our God is a jealous God, and is the same yesterday, today, and forever, He does not change. He will purify His Church even as He protects and provides for His people and we are to walk in His ways that others may come to know God and the fellowship of righteousness which we have with Him who is our Creator, Redeemer, and King.
 
     For while we are here, God has commanded those of us who are His saints and know Him to go out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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The voice of the LORD

9/11/2018

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And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I AM the LORD. And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou.
And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter. And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.
And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I AM the LORD. (1 Kings 20:13-14, 21-22, 28)
     God sent prophets to Ahab to encourage and strengthen his resolve in the conflict with the king of Syria. The prophets told Ahab on two occasions of the victory he would lead and the defeat of the Syrians, then chastised him for not pressing home the victory against the king of Syria whom God had judged and deposed, Elijah having anointed a new king. The king of Syria thought he was fighting against a weak people of the hills but soon came to realize that he lost and needed to appeal to their compassion and humanity by subterfuge. God condemned Ahab because he was weak and fell for Benhadad’s tricks and spared him.
 
     God gave Ahab the victory, not because Ahab was obedient or godly, but because of the people of Israel who were faithful unto God, as God had declared unto Elijah. God had judged the king of Syrian and Elijah had anointed a new king to take his place. Ahab was given victory over Syria in two different battles but spared this wicked king’s life in the face of God’s deliverance. God declared that Ahab’s life was forfeit for Benhadad’s because of Ahab’s disobedience to the LORD and His judgments. The prophets which had declared victory promised judgment upon Ahab and his house by the Word of the LORD.
 
     The victory we have over sin and death is not our own but by the grace of God through repentance of our sins and faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary. God gives eternal life unto whosoever will come to Him on His terms and we should not see that grace wherein we walk as anything else but the gift of God and the perfect miracle of His power in us. The ministry and missions we do as He directs give us opportunities to share the Good News with others that He might reach the lost through His church. We are not to be fooled by the ways of the world nor try to copy them in conformance to their systems but follow and obey the Word of the LORD in teaching the nations His Commandments and preaching the Word of God that all may learn of Him and grow in Him. God calls His people to service not for our glory but for His that He might shew Himself strong on behalf of His people and draw those who are in need of forgiveness and reconciliation unto Himself. He is our life and our strength from day to day and those who are His look to God and His Word as we continue in the work He has us to do.
 
     For while we are here, God has commanded those of us who are His saints and know Him to go out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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What doest thou here?

9/10/2018

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And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the Word of the LORD came to him, and He said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy Covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. And He said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? (1 Kings 19:9-13)
     When Ahab ran from the rain which God brought to Israel following their encounter at Mt. Carmel, Ahab told Jezebel about the slaying of the false prophets. Jezebel swore that she would make Elijah just as dead as the prophets of baal and sought his life. Elijah ran from Jezebel, was fed of angels and journeyed to Horeb. There God met him and spoke to him, not in great wind, nor in the earthquake nor fire, but in that still small voice which asked him again, what doest thou here? God had to remind Elijah that he was not alone, nor had the God who overcame the false prophets failed to protect His own.
 
     Elijah ran in fear from Jezebel thinking he alone had survived her wrath and that none except himself, despite God’s power demonstrated at Mt. Carmel and the declaration of the people that the LORD is God, remained serving God. God fed Elijah as he journeyed, directed him to Mt. Horeb, and then got his attention through several events. When He spoke, the still small voice called Elijah out of the cave and into His presence where God reminded Elijah that God knows His own, and had preserved 7000 in Israel who did not worship baal or follow Ahab and Jezebel. God then commanded Elijah to anoint his successor and new kings in Syria and Israel, for God was doing a mighty work for His people.
 
     God is not weak, nor can He fail, and He knows those who are His. He may use circumstances to get our attention, but He speaks through His Word and the still small voice of His Spirit to guide and direct us. Those who are His hear His voice and respond, not in fear of man or of what man may do, but with the fear of the LORD we obey. Just as God called us to Salvation, He calls us to service, submission, and sacrifice. We were saved by God’s grace and our repentance and faith in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary. We serve Him through His Church, not to gain or keep anything from the LORD but because of our love for Him and for others. We submit to His will, forsaking our own that others may hear His Word and believe, growing in discipleship and coming to faith in Christ. We sacrifice, not gain God’s favor, but because He owns it all, and because He calls us to give ourselves unto Him and to give of ourselves, willingly and cheerfully, that we may reach the lost, teach the nations, and preach His Word, until He is done with us. We are not alone in the ministry, missions, and discipleship God has called His people to do, nor will He leave us or forsake us, as He continues His work in and through us.
 
     While we are here, God has commanded those of us who are His saints and know Him to go out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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The LORD God of Israel is God over all the earth

9/7/2018

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And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the Name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. And Elijah said unto the prophets of baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of baal from morning even until noon, saying, O baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. (1 Kings 18:24-29)
     During this contest on Mt. Carmel between the false prophets of baal and Elijah and the LORD God of Israel, Elijah instructed the prophets to prepare the sacrifice and call upon their gods to bring fire down upon the bull. They called and called, Elijah even mocked them for their vain repetition, and then they cut themselves and bled while calling even more but to no avail. The false gods of the idol worshipers could not answer nor could they bring fire upon the sacrifice for they are no gods at all. When Elijah called upon the Name of the LORD, God brought fire down and burnt the sacrifice, the wood, the 12 stones Elijah had placed for an altar (1 for each tribe), and even the water in the trench around the altar.
 
     The false gods of these false prophets and the idol worshipers of Israel were not gods and could not bring fire from anywhere or even answer the people. The demonic forces behind all false gods were prevented by God from taking any action as God Himself showed that He alone is God and there are no other gods besides Him. The prophets of baal went first and could not summon their false gods for idols are silent before God. After Elijah not only prepared the sacrifice but soaked it down three times with four barrels of water (1 for each tribe), and called upon the Name of the LORD, God answered and brought a great fire down from Heaven and burned the sacrifice unto the LORD and all around it. He was reminding the people that He alone is God and there are no others.
 
     Christians call upon God for salvation, for strength, for victory and to show Himself strong on behalf of His people. He is not a genie who answers all our wishes, or the butler who cleans up our messes, but He is God and God alone and there is no other. We know Him, our Heavenly Father who is over all and sent His Son to whosoever will receive Him, Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, and the Spirit of God who indwells, empowers, and equips His people. One God who alone is God, manifest in three who are each God, and yet they are one and there is only one God. A Tri-unity in mystery which cannot be understood in the flesh, for He is God and we are not, but believed in the spirit for those who are born again by faith in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary. Those who are His are to lift Him up, live in obedience, and walk by faith, that God is glorified in the ministries, missions, and discipleship which God has called us to do for Him. We are to give an answer to those who ask us of the faith and hope we have in Christ who is our Life, our Creator, Redeemer, and King and continue to reach the lost with the Good News of forgiveness and reconciliation with the Father, to teach all nation all things which the Son commanded, and preach the Word by the Spirit of God wherever He sends us, until He is done with us.
 
     Until that day, God has commanded those of us who are His saints and know Him to go out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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That this people may know that Thou art the LORD God

9/6/2018

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And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah? And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not. And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. (1 Kings 18:7-11)
     After much time during the drought in Israel a servant of Ahab, who had saved 100 faithful prophets from Jezebel earlier, searching for fodder for the animals of Ahab met Elijah coming to confront Ahab. Obadiah was concerned at first of what Elijah asked of him because Elijah has been purposely absent from Ahab and those searching for him. Now the time was right, and Elijah had reappeared, and Ahab did not wait for him to come to him but met Elijah on the way, setting up the confrontation at Mt. Carmel.
 
     God was doing a marvelous work to remind the people that He is the LORD and that He alone is God. He sent Elijah to confront Ahab and along the way he met Obadiah, a faithful and obedient servant of the LORD. Elijah gave him the message that he would come to meet Ahab. Obadiah was sure that he would disappear again and being somewhat afraid of the king’s wrath should Elijah not be found, at first does not want to be the bearer of the news. Elijah assures him that this was the time and he would meet Ahab with the message which the LORD had given him.
 
     It often seems that we are alone or that no one understands the struggle we are going through. Though the people of God come together and meet, there are times that we feel like Obadiah, doing the work of God in the midst of the enemy and no one notices. But, God knows all and knows our weaknesses. He knows what we are doing for the kingdom, and not letting pride or a need for our own glory get in the way, we are to continue abounding in the work of the LORD, humbly and prayerfully, and He will exalt us in due time, just as He did with Obadiah and Elijah. He prepares the called and equips us to do His work in His time and for His glory. The ministry, missions, and discipleship of the church is there for us to grow in Christ and for us to reach the lost with the Gospel, teach the nations all things whatsoever He has commanded, and to preach His Word in all places and at all times until He is done with us. Our LORD has called us to Himself through repentance and faith in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary and sent us, as Elijah, to carry the message of God to whosoever will receive Him and be born again unto eternal life. May we be obedient as Obadiah and as bold as Elijah in doing the work of our Creator, Redeemer, and King even in the face of those who oppose our God.
 
     Until that day, God has commanded those of us who are His saints and know Him to go out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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The Word of the LORD in thy mouth is Truth

9/5/2018

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And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. And the Word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did according unto the Word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. (1 Kings 17:1-7)
     Elijah came to Ahab and pronounced a drought from God. Elijah told Ahab that at his word, in obedience to the LORD, the rain would not come. God sent Elijah away from Ahab and provided for him at the brook with food from the ravens, then to the widow whose oil and meal never ran out while he was there. Elijah believed God and went to the brook and to the widow. God raised up the son of the widow when Elijah prayed for the life of the boy.
 
     Ahab had provoked God with his idolatry and God brought a drought upon Israel. God sent a message to Ahab through Elijah then sent Elijah away from Ahab. Elijah obeyed God and God provided for all his needs during the drought. God blessed the widow and her son through Elijah because of their obedience and faith with food, water, and life. God took care of Elijah through the drought and blessed others through Elijah.
 
     In obedience to God, Christians are to bless others around us. We are to use that which God gives unto us, not wastefully or haphazardly but being good stewards of that which God has provided, for the blessing and care of others. God uses His people, those truly born again through repentance and faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary, to minister, not only in reconciliation but also in wise provision and stewardship, unto those in need. That does not mean we will enable those who will not work or support the continued practice of those habits and choices the Bible speaks against, but we serve and give through ministry, missions, and discipleship, to reach the lost, teach the nations, and preach His Word. God is glorified through our faithfulness, lost people are drawn unto Him who is the Provider of all good things, and His people are blessed and grow through our obedience unto His Word of Truth. We trust and rely upon our God, the Creator, Redeemer, and King, who calls us to give as He gave unto us, until all who will receive Him have repented of their sins and been born again and He is done with us.
 
     Until that day, God has commanded those of us who are His saints and know Him to go out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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According to the Word of the LORD

9/4/2018

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And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years. And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served baal, and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for baal in the house of baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him. In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the Word of the LORD, which He spake by Joshua the son of Nun. (1 Kings 16:29-34)
     While Asa reigned in Judah, Zimri removed Baasha and destroyed his family and then was himself taken down by the people, all at the hand and direction of the LORD. Omri prevailed and became king of Israel, establishing Samaria as the capital of Israel. His son Ahab followed his father as king of Israel and married Jezebel, the daughter of the king of Sidon. He served baal, a false god of the Sidonians and did evil in the sight of the LORD, worse than Zimri and Omri who each had been worse than those before. During the reign of Ahab, Hiel rebuilt Jericho just as God had foretold in the days of Joshua who had destroyed it. All had been done as God had said it would be in Israel.
 
     Each of the kings of Israel goes further and further away from God and His Commandments. Baasha had overthrown Jeroboam and was himself deposed with the loss of all his family. Zimri was struck down, burning the palace down around his head, because the people rose against him. Omri set up Samaria as the new capital of Israel but continued to walk in the ungodly ways of those before him. His son Ahab was even worse and his worship of the false god baal is evident of not only the influence of Jezebel but also his total departure from the ways of the LORD. God was testing and judging Israel during the reigns of all her bad and ugly kings.
 
     The purpose of the Christian on the earth is to reach the lost with the Gospel, teach all nations whatsoever He has commanded, and preach the Word at all times and in all places. Those who are as we once were, are as badly in need of Christ and the good news of forgiveness through repentance, and the new birth which comes from faith in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary, as we were before we were redeemed by God. Our missions, ministry, and discipleship should be for God’s glory and not our own, to bring lost people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and to grow those in Christ in their relationship and walk with the LORD. If we are only about that which we can do, and only for our legacy and accomplishments, then we will be no better than Ahab who sought his own path and went his own way, instead of the ways of God. We are to walk in the path which God reveals unto us, even if that path seems to be contrary, and it often will be, to what the world expects or thinks our way should be. The ways of God are not our ways, and if we walk in them we will be just as contrary to the ways of the world as God is. God calls us to a higher standard, that we may lift Him up before men, and then He may draw others to Himself that they might be saved. The world will hate us, but God will be glorified in our worship and obedience of Him who is our Creator, Redeemer, and King.
 
     While we are here, God has commanded those of us who are His saints and know Him to go out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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