God our Creator made man [Hebrew, âdâm] on the sixth day. The LORD God formed Adam out of the dust of the ground, then He specially created Eve from one of Adam’s ribs. But, He allowed the man to name her, establishing man’s priority as the head of the woman. “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God” (1Corinthians 11:3 KJV). May the Body of Christ function as well in these Last Days, as He intended in the Original Creation.
Body of Christ’s Church
Should You Run for Congress?
Probably not, but then again, you may be positioned like Moses or Esther “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14 KJV). Christ’s Body is the Church. Each of us has our gifts and calling, but all for the benefit of the Body. “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will” (1Corinthians 12:11). No doubt there is a moral vacuum in society. Not all have been motivated or led to step into the place of secular government or leadership. If God has led you, then clothe yourself with power from the Holy Spirit to be that Daniel, who cared more about pleasing God than garnering votes, maintaining political capital, or purchasing political favor to use at a future time. “I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for He is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and He worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions” (Daniel 6:26-27). LORD, raise up Your Moses, Daniel, and Esther for such a time as this; but, whether we find that one or not, may we serve You with all our heart, come what may. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Baptism: The Icing on the Cake
Other than the Lord’s Supper (known also as Communion or the Eucharist), Baptism is the other significant ordinance commanded by Christ, and historically much debated by the Church. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations [‘make disciples of all nations,’ NIV], baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19 KJV). To clarify, we are to make disciples of all nations and baptize them. No single explanation on baptism will satisfy all religious traditions; but, for conscience sake, can anyone gain entry into the Body of Christ, while defying the command, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38)? To be clear, no one or no thing saves except Jesus. Even if baptism is considered as a condition of salvation, baptism is more than a personal decision, but the outward approval of those who do the baptizing that the recipient has indeed fulfilled the terms for salvation, i.e., we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit by (1) turning to Jesus and BELIEVING on Him to save us from our sins (Acts 16:31), (2) turning away from our sins by REPENTING of them entirely (Acts 2:38), (3) FORSAKING or be willing to forsake everything for Jesus (Luke 18:22), and (4) CONFESSING Jesus is now the Lord or boss of our life (Romans 10:9). LORD, may Your body of believing, practicing disciples find our agreement in Christ about baptism “that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11). Amen and amen.
Rapture: The Blessed Hope
“Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13 NKJV). Sure, I’d like to go, if there’s a Rapture, but how do you know it’s so? Harpazō is the NT Greek for catching up or rapture. “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [Greek, harpazō] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1Thessalonians 4:17). Here, harpazō is understandably connected with the “coming of the Lord” (4:15). We will be “caught up” (4:17) to the Lord in the air to reunite with our predeceased brothers and sisters before we all return with Christ. Harpazō also occurs in Revelation 12:5, where the “woman” (12:1), representing Israel, brings forth the Messiah, who is “caught up” (12:5) to the throne of God. Likewise, the Church as the Body of Christ will be raptured to Heaven, after which Israel will be forced to flee “into the wilderness” (12:6). May the Spirit of Christ “comfort” you (1Thessalonians 4:18) with these words, but let us not be impatient or contentious with one another, least of all, about the Rapture. “According to your faith be it unto you” (Matthew 9:29).
Racing With the Lord
They say you are known by the friends you keep. Jesus said, “Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:14 KJV). Moses asked the Israelites, “Who is on the LORD’S side?” (Exodus 32:26). If we run with the LORD, then we side against the devil. If we are part of the Body of Christ’s Church, then we are on Christ’s Team against a common adversary, the devil. “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). We need carefully to determine our allies or teammates — “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2Corinthians 6:14) — then, make sure they consider us teammates, as well. We need to strive together for the best interests of Christ’s Team. Christian families need their spouses and children to strive together as a team against the devil. Churches need to pull together as a team against the devil, or we will certainly pull ourselves apart. “Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me” (Romans 15:30). LORD, when You return for us, may our hand be on the plow working the fields and building Your kingdom. Amen and amen.
We Need A Miracle 