Our Holy Mystery: The Celebration of Communion Part 2

If you ask most Christians what ‘being saved’ means, they would tell you that it means to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ: believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that He was resurrected on the third day, and that He ascended bodily into heaven and sits at the right hand of our Father God. Perry Stone in his book “The Meal that Heals” points out that the Greek word for saved is “sozo” and it is used 52 times in the English translation of the New Testament. Sozo means “to save, deliver, protect and heal”. Salvation is a complete work of making a person whole in spirit, soul and body.

In our study last week, we looked at Passover. To protect the Hebrews from the angel of death, God instructed each family to take an unblemished young lamb and sacrifice it, placing the blood of the lamb on the left, right, and top posts of the door (forming a cross). Each family was to eat all of the lamb before midnight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. (Exodus 12:7-8) The miracle they would experience through obedience to God was two-fold: They were healed and protected from both sickness and death.

As religious Jews have participated in Passover Seders through the ages, they told the story of God’s miraculous deliverance from Egypt. The Passover bread is baked without leaven – a remembrance that the Hebrew people did not have time to put leaven in their bread before departing. Participants in the Seder drink from four cups of wine, each numbered and specific. The first cup is the Cup of Sanctification; the 2nd cup – the Cup of Affliction; the 3rd cup – the Cup of Redemption; and the final 4th cup – the Cup of Consummation.

As Jesus celebrated the Seder with the 12, He was announcing a new covenant that would be sealed with His very own blood. Jesus, the Passover Lamb, was about to make a way for complete healing and redemption to all who would believe in Him. Jesus did not drink the 4th cup that night.

After the resurrection, Jesus again met with His disciples and broke bread with them. Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. (Luke 24:30) Though Jesus would not drink of the 4th Cup (Consummation) until He sat with them again at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, the breaking of bread between believers was a continuous tradition in the early church. Believers broke bread daily together and celebrated the resurrection of our Lord. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart. (Acts 2:46).

As long as believers walked in love and were centered on the teachings of Christ, the early Church grew in blessing and grace of the Lord. But like all of us ~ foolishly forgetting the goodness and teachings of Jesus ~ some opened the door to sin and engaged in strife and dissention. Because of this, some members of the early Church received the Lord’s Supper unworthily. It stopped the healing flow of God. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. (I Cor. 11:30)

It is in this context that Paul instructs believers to examine/test themselves. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. (I Cor. 11:27-29) We are to repent and confess all sin prior to participating in the Lord’s Supper.

Jesus knew that His suffering and death would bring salvation and healing to those who believed. His atonement (at-one-ment) for our sin made way for wholeness and complete healing of body, soul, and spirit. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Thessalonians 5:23) The Prophet Isaiah foretold of the total atonement through Jesus, the Messiah:
 Our body: Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5)
 Our soul: He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. (Isaiah 53:3,7) and
 Our Spirit: Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. (Isaiah 53:10) It was the Father’s will that we be made whole in this life and that we be prepared to fellowship with Him eternally. Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies. (Psalm 103:3-4)

Rejoice! The day you received Christ as Lord, His “sozo” began its complete work in you in making you whole in spirit, soul and body, here and for eternity!!

Next week: Our Holy Mystery: The Celebration of the Lord’s Supper Part III.

The Mystery and Power of Communion: Part 1

If there are two mysteries that the Church doesn’t fully understand, I think they must be prayer and communion. Both hold the very keys to the mighty power of God being released into our lives individually and into the life of the Church. A number of years ago, the Lord began to pursue me at time of seeking Him and His understanding in both of these critical areas of life as a Christian. It was about this time the Lord directed me to the work of a Southern Church of God evangelist by the name of Perry Stone. Largely through research done by Perry Stone, but others as well – in confirmation of the Holy Scriptures themselves, a whole new understanding of communion began to emerge. I heartily recommend Bishop Perry Stone’s book, The Meal that Heals (www.voe.org) to those who wait upon the Lord for healing of any kind . . . Physical, Emotional, or Spiritual.

Communion is more than a simple remembrance – there is life in the Lord's cup! The result of my own search to understand of this blessed sacrament will be written over a four-week period. My prayer is always that anything you read will have solid Biblical backing, which is why I feel that scripture reference is essential. This is a repeat series that is worth repeating. I pray it blesses you.

The Lord would have us clearly understand why and how we should partake of the Communion of the Saints, even as He desires that we understand His purpose from the beginning for the Sacrament and in the power and life contained therein. In We begin by examining the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 26: And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

While it has often been said that the Old Testament was a covenant under law, and the new Testament a covenant under grace; such a statement is at best misinterpreted and one that can be considered only partially correct. Yes, it is true that the death of Jesus on the cross fulfilled the law. It is true that through the cross, Jesus accomplished victory over death. It is true that, by the shedding of His precious blood, He became our atonement – our eternal ‘sacrificial lamb’. The Scriptures neither release us from the teachings of the Old Testament, nor from the law; however, Christ honored the law and celebrated the Holy convocations. Consider . . .

Psalm 19:7-9 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

Psalm 119:1-4 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways. You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently.

Matthew 5:17-20 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

God designed a way of redemption for man from the very beginning of creation, knowing our sinful nature full well and loving us beyond our comprehension in spite of it. From the very beginning of time itself, the shedding of innocent blood was required for redemption of sin. Our first glimpse of this truth appears in the garden, where for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21) God cursed the serpent for allowing Satan to speak and beguile Eve into eating of the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil”. He cursed the ground and declared that mankind would toil from that day forward.

But God did not curse Adam and Eve . . . for them, God covered their sin by the first innocent blood shed for the redemption of sin. The animals used to supply the skins for the tunics God made were the first sacrificial offerings to restore man to right standing with God. Life was in the blood . . . Abel’s sacrifice to God was pleasing to Him. Abel was the first shepherd of men: his sacrifice to God a spotless lamb. Cain assumed his sacrifice would please God: the tiller of the soil brought before God the fruits of the ground. Cain’s anger and jealousy over God’s rejection of his sacrifice resulted in the first murder in scripture; and the Bible teaches us that Abel’s blood cried out to God from the ground!! It is clear in these scriptures that Adam taught his sons of God’s plan for redemption of sin as God himself had no doubt taught Adam. Life was in the blood . . .

In spite of God’s favor and promise to Abraham, Abraham sinned before God. Yet, Abraham went before God willing to sacrifice Isaac, His beloved son of promise. God in His mercy supplied Abraham instead with the ram.

The Feast of Passover ordained by God and presented by Moses to God’s people celebrated the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. The final breaking of Pharaoh’s willful refusal to let God’s people go came after the first born sons of Egypt were destroyed. Innocent lambs were sacrificed to mark the door posts of God’s people and redeem the first born sons of Israel from the curse of death. God preordained that flight from Egypt.

Bread played a crucial role in sustaining God’s people. In the Bible, leaven is used to represent sin. The Feast of Unleavened Bread marked the annual week of cleansing to celebrate the separation of God’s people from Egypt. God desires that we too separate ourselves from sin. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Cor 5:8)

For almost 2,000 years a lamb had been slain on Passover as Jesus prepared to celebrate this Feast of Moses with his disciples. Jesus would become the ultimate lamb slain that Passover day: God’s eternal sacrifice for man through His design and purpose. The significance of the bread and of the cup had been established since the beginning of time itself.

His Character is Reflected in His Name

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and is safe. Proverbs 18:10

I really appreciated Pastor Gene’s message yesterday. Names are extremely significant to God in that they reflect the character and attributes of a person. So important are they to Him, that God saw fit to change man’s name on numerous occasions. Abram became Abraham. Jacob became Israel. Simon became Peter. Saul became Paul.

It shouldn’t surprise us then, that God would describe His own attributes and character within the content of His word. Each name of God reveals a unique characteristic of His nature, a revelation of His majesty. He also gives us understanding into the awesome and unfathomable depth of His power and His holiness.

I remember doing a study on the names of God and discovering more than 700 scripture reference to the names of God, the descriptions of who both Father and Son are, and what they said about themselves. It was an incredible study that left me in absolute security of not only who God was but who I was in and through Jesus. I encourage each of you to begin to study the names of God and worship Him by calling upon His awesome and powerful names.

My goal today to provide a list of some of the predominant names of God and the references to them. "ELOHIM" is the first name for God found in the Bible, and it's used over 2,300 times throughout the Old Testament. Elohim comes from the Hebrew root meaning "strength" or "power". El is the simple form of Elohim, and is often combined with other words for descriptive emphasis.

"YHVH" (Yahweh) is the Hebrew word that translates as "LORD". It is sometimes written "Jehova" in the Bible. Found more often in the Old Testament than any other name for God (approximately 7,000 times), the title is also referred to as meaning the "The Four Letters". YHVH comes from the Hebrew verb "to be" and is the special name that God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM; and He said, you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you... this is My eternal name, and this is how I am to be recalled for all generations'" (Exodus 3:14-15). Therefore, YHVH declares God's absolute being - the source of everything.

The LORD who revealed Himself as YHVH in the Old Testament is revealed as Yeshua / Jesus in the New Testament. Jesus shares the same attributes as YHVH and clearly claims to be YHVH. In John 8:56-59, Jesus presents himself as the "I AM."

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

And what are those primary names of God? Let’s take a look at them:

ELOHIM. . . Genesis 1:1, Psalm 19:1 . . meaning "God", a reference to God's power and might.

YAHWEH - JEHOVAH. . . Genesis 2:4 . . .a reference to God's divine salvation.

ADONAI......Malachi 1:6 . . . meaning "Lord", a reference to the Lordship of God.

YAHWEH MACCADDESHEM . . .Exodus 31:13 meaning "The Lord thy sanctifier"

YAHWEH RO’EH . . .Psalm 23:1 . . .meaning "The Lord my shepherd"

YAHWEH SHAMMAH. . . Ezekiel 48:35 . . .meaning "The Lord who is present"

YAHWEH ROPHE. . . Exodus 15:26 . . . meaning "The Lord our healer"

YAHWEH TSIDKENU. . . Jeremiah 23:6 . . . meaning "The Lord our righteousness"

YAHWEH JIREH. . .Genesis 22:13-14 . . .meaning "The Lord our provider"

YAHWEH NISSI. . .Exodus 17:15 . . .meaning "The Lord our banner"

YAHWEH SHALOM. . .Judges 6:24 . . . meaning "The Lord our peace"

YAHWEH SABBAOTH. . .Isaiah 6:1-3 . . . meaning "The Lord of Hosts"

YAHWEH GMOLAH. . .Jeremiah 51:6 . . .meaning "The God of Recompense"

YAHWEH HOSEENU . . . Psalms 95:6 . . . meaning “The Lord our Maker”

YAHWEH ELOHEENU . . . Deuternonomy 6:4 . . . meaning, “The Lord our God”

EL-ELYON . . .Genesis 14:17-20,Isaiah 14:13-14 . . . meaning "The most high God

EL-ROI. . .Genesis 16:13 . . . meaning "The strong one who sees"

EL-SHADDAI. . .Genesis 17:1, Psalm 91:1 . . .meaning "The God who is sufficient for the needs of His people"

EL-OLAM. . .Isaiah 40:28-31 . . .meaning "The everlasting God"

The phrase “Selah” means stop, pause and consider. May you stop, pause and consider the glorious attributes of the Lord Your God! I pray we continue to hunger and thirst for more of Him! May we strive to know Him in His fullness through Jesus our Lord!!

Pray for Jerusalem

Today is a very special day. May we join with fellow Christians from all nations today and stand in solidarity with Jerusalem and Her King, as we pray for peace and security. Her king is ageless. His name is Jesus. He is found in every book of the Bible. His first coming was forecast with 100% accuracy by the prophets of old. So too will be His second coming. The world is experiencing birth pains as we prepare for His coming. His earthly rule will be established from Jerusalem’s holiest hill.

God commands that we pray for Jerusalem. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “They shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.” Psalm 122:6-7 God told Abraham, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God also said that in the days before the Lord’s return, that all nations would rise against Israel in the time before Christ returns, And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. Zech. 12:3.

Please join with multitudes today in praying for Jerusalem and all of Israel scripturally:

That God’s wisdom, discernment, anointing and favor would rest upon Benjamin Netanyahu and all those in leadership in Israel. This is a Godly man, who is keenly attuned to God’s promises to Israel. Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4

That Jews and Arabs to grow deeper in love and unity with God and each other in Jerusalem, Israel, and the Middle East: Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall rise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles (nations) shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. The multitudes of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall show forth the praises of the LORD. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. Isaiah 60:1-7

For God to strengthen the leaders of Jerusalem and Israel to stand in His everlasting covenant, that Jerusalem will remain the united capital of Israel forever. He even set a carved image of Asherah that he had made, in the house of which the LORD had said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever. 2 Kings 21:7. The covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac, and confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel for an everlasting covenant, saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as the allotment of your inheritance,” 1 Chronicles 16:16-18

That the way to be prepared for the coming of the King of Glory. A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." Isaiah 40:3-5

For Shalom to Jerusalem and her becoming a praise in all the earth forever. Her King will reign as Prince of Peace over Jerusalem, Israel, and the Middle East. Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Rev. 19:11-16

For Watchmen in all nations and cities to take no rest and give God no rest day and night, standing in solidarity, worshipping and interceding on behalf of Jerusalem. I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Isaiah 62:6-8 Amen.

Created for God's Pleasure

I love this painting of Jesus with the children. It is clear that the heart of the artist envisions a Christ that takes great pleasure in His communion with His children. It causes me to think of one of the things that makes my heart smile and delights my soul in our church. There are some small girls I know that love to pray; they take it seriously. Though they are all in approximately 1st – 2nd Grade, I am confident that the Lord is molding them even now into prayer warriors who will take on the mantle of the Lord’s anointed and stand in the gap through prayer.

Some times they stop me in the sanctuary before church and ask me to pray with them. What a delight it is for me! At other times, you can find them resting before the Lord at the altar in response to a worship service invitation. May I never forget to praise the Lord for His goodness and continue to ask for a childlike heart of trust and dependence, both for myself and for all within our family in Christ. May I never cease to pray that each of us would embrace that simple, believing, powerful heart for our Savior! I pray you celebrate the sweetness of simple faith!

I remember, after first meeting one of these children, seeing her sprawled on the altar after Pastor Gene’s message. After a few minutes, I went forward to pray with her. I said to her, “Honey, is there something I can pray with you about?” She responded with genuine sincerity and said, “You can pray for me if you want to, but I don’t need anything. I just came up here to talk with God.” I was instantly stopped and joy flooded my soul. What incredible pleasure that little girl brought to my heart . . . and; if to my heart . . . can you imagine the joy that floods the throne room of the Lord when these little ones just come to talk with Him!!

The word of God teaches us that we were created for God’s pleasure. Revelation 4:11 says, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” “And He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father – to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever.” Amen. Revelation 1:6.

God created us to be His kingdom. He desires that each of us embrace with joy our priestly duty to minister to the Lord. When we give Him the glory and honor, the praise and worship He is fully and completely worthy of . . . we minister to our God! I don’t know about you, but the thought of ministering to my God gives me unspeakable joy!! It is to say not “What can you do for me, Lord?” Rather, it is to say “What can I do for you, Lord?” This pleases God. It builds relationship with the Most High!

So what are some other things that the Word says are pleasing to the Lord?

The Lord takes pleasure in those who seek Him in the morning and try hard to obey Him. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up. For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You. Psalms 5:3-4

Because He desires that no man should perish, the Lord takes pleasure in those willing to step up in service to the kingdom. He takes pleasure when we acknowledge His wonders. Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure. Bless the LORD, all His works, In all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul! Psalms 103:21-22

The Lord takes pleasure in those who respect Him for who He is and those who look to Him as their hope. The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy. Psalms 147:11

The Lord takes pleasure in those with humble hearts and teachable spirits. For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation. Psalms 149:4

The Lord takes pleasure in those willing to be His hands, and His feet, His voice and His heart in real and practical ways. "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? Isaiah 58:6-7.

The Lord takes pleasure in every Christ-follower that takes His commission seriously . . . in every soul that is saved through faith in Jesus. "Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?" says the Lord GOD, "and not that he should turn from his ways and live? Ezekiel 18:23

The Lord takes pleasure when He calls and we respond. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace. Galatians 1:15

The Lord takes pleasure when we surrender ourselves to be molded into the character of Jesus. Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

The Lord takes pleasure when we persevere and do not walk away from Him. Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him." But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. Hebrews 10:38-39

The Lord takes pleasure in the sacrifice of praise. Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Hebrews 13:15-16

The Lord takes pleasure when we choose to believe Him. And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God. James 2:23

Just think . . . when we love God and love His precious Son with an authentic and sincere heart / when we surrender and allow Him to mold us into a vessel that He can use / when are willing to be used / when we believe Him and choose to stand on His Word in spite of any circumstance that would seek to create doubt . . . we are called “FRIENDS OF GOD”. We bring Him pleasure! I am convinced that there is no title quite so sweet.