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Powerful messages that encourage, inspire, and convict “People of the Way” to enter into the presence of the Living God and to mirror the image of the precious Lord Jesus, bringing his life to this hurt and broken world. The messages were written by Richard E. Bieber (REB). A pastor whose prolific writings spanned six decades.
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I HAVE TOLD YOU THIS SO YOU WILL NOT FALL AWAY
Tomorrow is execution day.
You were framed.
They trumped up charges against you, put you through a kangaroo court and sentenced you to death.
Tomorrow, before they bring you to the firing squad, you will be allowed to make a one-hour video, to say whatever you choose to your family and friends.
What will you say?
________________________
As he celebrated Passover with his disciples, Jesus knew that he would be executed within hours. So he gave them words to help them in the crisis and sustain them through the years of persecution that lay ahead.
“I have told you all these things, so that you will not turn away from God. People will send you away from their meeting places. There will be a time when people will want to kill you. When they do this, they will even think that they are doing what God wants. They will do these things to you because they have never known either the Father or me. But I have told you this so that you will remember. When they begin to do these things, you will remember that I told you about them already.” (John 16:1-4a)
These words were spoken to the eleven just before their trials began.
These words are now spoken to us for the same reason.
“I have said all this to you to keep you from falling away.”
The falling away has already begun.
The words Jesus spoke to his disciples at that last supper (John Chapters 14-17) are now spoken to us.
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, `A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But all this they will do to you on my account…. because they do not know him who sent me.” (John 15:18-21)
If you live by the standards of Christendom none of this will affect you.
But if you take up your cross and follow Jesus,
You will taste the wrath of the world.
You will know what it is to be a “speckled bird”.
But you will walk this earth clothed in resurrection power.
Prayer: Lord, Lord keep us from giving up as we see this world, including Christendom… embracing ugly rhetoric, rejoicing over cruelty, arming themselves, making excuses for violence, and accepting persecution and/or abandonment of the poor, broken, and lost. Help us not to fall away, not to be crushed, not to be offended, not to stumble, not to give up and abandon our faith, not to surrender to confusion and doubt, not to be ensnared and go down the wrong path as we are tempted to throw our hands up in despair. Help us to keep our eyes on you, to pursue your will, to pursue your presence with more passion now than ever before. Because Lord we cannot do this, we cannot do this without power from on high. We need your Spirit now more than ever. We don’t want to be overwhelmed by fear, disappointment, and grief as we taste the wrath of the world. Instead, we want to draw near to you in it, to be covered by your peace in it, to draw courage from you in the midst of it, to keep our vision of you…so that, yes, we can walk this earth clothed in your resurrection power … so we may speak and live your healing and truth wherever you send us. Amen.
Message: Richard E. Bieber July 2021 aka Tomorrow is Execution Day Printable/Shareable Copy
Featured Artists: Suzy Schultz
Website: suzyschultz.net
#IHaveToldYouTheseThings #John16 #T0_keep_you_from_falling_away #Persecution #SuzySchultzArt
Artwork: The beautiful art featured here enhances the power, depth and visual appeal of the messages. It is by the gracious and kind permission of the artists. Please respect their hard work, time, and talent by not using without their permission. We are grateful for their artistic gifts, kindness, and generosity. The art is linked to their websites where you can learn about them and view more of their art. When visiting their websites, you will need to use the back key to return to this website.
TWO WORLDS
At this moment, each of us is living in one of two worlds:
This World.
God’s World.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the good news.” (Mark 1)
The Kingdom of God is God’s World.
It’s here.
We can live in it and breathe the atmosphere of heaven even now.
It’s like treasure hidden in a field, worth everything to the person who finds it.
It’s like a mustard seed that produces an immense bush.
It’s like yeast that silently permeates the dough.
Searching for a better world?
It’s closer to you than your breath.
The Master stands at the door, waiting to welcome you.
All you have to do is say….
“Lord, here I am! May I come in?”
Prayer: Holy Lord, as we live in this world may we find your world, your kingdom. May it be very real to us. Give us the vision and desire to come to you and to keep asking to breathe in the atmosphere of heaven and live it here and now in this world, every day of our lives. Amen.
Message: Richard E. Bieber 2016 Printable/Shareable Copy
Featured Artist: Karen Harkema
Website: On Facebook and Instagram
#TwoWorlds #HeavenNow #God’sKingdom #KarenHarkemaArt
EVERY DETAIL…
Nobody knows the inside of a soul but God.
And God knows every detail.
O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. (Psalm 139)
Before the eye of God no one is lost in the crowd, no one ever falls through the cracks.
Eight billion people.
How can God keep track?
The difference between us and God is that….
He alone knows what’s going on.
He knows how many hairs are on our heads.
His presence fills the universe and far beyond.
Every abused child, every slave, every prisoner, guilty or innocent—God knows and cares about every detail of each one.
And every hypocrite, every liar, every sadist, is totally exposed to the One for whom there is no darkness.
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4)
When Jesus sets me free, cleans me up and brings me before the Father, he says, “Father, this is your redeemed child.”
From now on, I never forget that I am living every second under the Father’s loving and holy eye.
There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Luke 12)
It is those who know they are known by God, who walk in his light.
Prayer: Lord, may we never forget that we are known by you, that you care about every detail of our lives. May we also never forget that we can’t hide from you, that nothing we do, say, or think is hidden from you. And yes, that we do live our entire lives under your holy and loving eye. May both your knowledge of who we really are and your unfathomable love for us anyways… keep us bowed before you in adoration, in reverence, in fear, and in thankfulness… propelling us to walk in your light for all of our days. Amen.
Message: Richard E. Bieber April 2021 Printable/Shareable Copy
Featured Artist: Courtesy of Deborah King Website: dkingsdesign.weebly.com
#GodKnowsEveryDetail #GodCares #UnfathomableLove #DeborahKingArt
THE FACE OF GOD
Who can see the face of God and live?
God put Moses in the cleft of a rock so that he would not see his face as he passed by.
Ezekiel fell prostrate before God’s glory.
Soldiers guarding the tomb became as dead men before the glistening messengers from heaven.
Yet we are told to seek the face of God.
When you said, “Seek my face,”my heart said to you, “I will seek your face, Yahweh.” Don’t hide your face from me. Don’t put your servant away in anger. You have been my help. Don’t abandon me, neither forsake me, God of my salvation. (Psalm 27)
How is it possible for us to see God’s face?
Not only is it possible, it is essential.
How can we remain sane in this troubled world, if we cannot see the face of God?
How can we walk through this dark valley, unless we see the Father’s face?
Lost amid all the trappings of Christianity is one simple fact:
Jesus is the face of God.
Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14)
Jesus, closer to us at this moment than our very breath, is the face of God.
When our hearts turn toward him, we are looking into the Father’s face.
And we are transformed again and again.
Until our hearts are changed forever.
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
II Corinthians 3
Prayer: Yes Lord, we need to see your face. How can we live, how can we face the darkness in this world without you? Lord, may we not give up seeking you and holding you in the midst of either trouble, monotony or busyness. May we continue to turn towards you, finding you closer than our breath, and knowing that dear Jesus, when we hear you, sense you, and know you… we are loved… and that we are in the presence of the Holy Father who loves us too. Help us to draw close so we may continue to behold your goodness, your glory, and so that, yes, our hearts are changed forever and we are transformed into your precious, beloved likeness. Amen.
Message: Richard E. Bieber April 2021 Printable/Shareable Copy
Featured Artists: Chris Powers Website: Full of Eyes
#TheFaceOfGod #Transformed_Into_His_Image #Seek_Jesus #ChrisPowersArt
THE LIE WORM
You don’t even know it’s there, while it eats away at your soul.
Actually you don’t want to know it’s there.
Yet deep within, you know.
The Lie Worm.
It makes lies “true”.
It makes truth “false”.
It deceived Eve.
It put David’s conscience to sleep.
Bathsheba was so beautiful!
And Uriah was so expendable.
David didn’t have a clue until Nathan the prophet nailed him.
From that day the sword never left David’s house.
But David learned a lesson, which he shares with us in Psalm 51.
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
The Lie Worm loves to infect Christians.
It bores its way into our soul and fills us with strange “truth”.
It instructs us in the art of compromising the truth.
Which is one thing Jesus never did.
Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners.
He blessed a prostitute who washed his feet with her tears.
But Jesus never compromised the truth.
And Jesus never wastes time with those who do.
When the Lie Worm takes over.
David was spared catastrophe, because, when Nathan faced him with truth, he repented.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
But when Jesus faced the religious leaders of Israel with truth, they hardened their hearts.
Jesus answered them…. “I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:39-44)
Truth in the inward parts.
Once the Lie Worm begins eating at our soul there is only one cure:
We repent before the truth as David did.
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
There are not many kinds of “truth”.
There is only one truth:
Jesus himself.
“Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.”
John 18:37
Prayer: Lord, help us, help us…the father of lies is going after our hearts. Our souls are being eaten away by the lie worm. We’ve hardened our hearts because we so want our beliefs, our perspectives, our leaders to be right. And when there is dissonance between your word, your truth, your way…we are allowing satanic forces to spin lie after lie to explain the dissonance, and justify our own lack of mercy, and our own ugly hearts. All these lies are tightening up around our hearts and choking out your life. We are even beginning to compromise and reject the truths you have taught us to cherish. We repent. We do not want to lose you. We want to embrace your sweet wisdom again. We abhor our hardened hearts, and our closed ears, and our blind eyes, and our raised fists. Rescue us, open our eyes, unstop our ears, clean our hearts, touch us to the core with your truth. Help us to delight in you, in your beautiful, wonderful truth once again. Amen
Message: Richard E. Bieber June 2021 Printable/Shareable Copy
Featured Artists: Chris Powers
Website: Full of Eyes
#TheLieWorm #John8_39 #ThereIsNoTruthInHim #You_Delight_In_Truth #ChrisPowersArt
POWER TO GET THE JOB DONE
It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there.
The folks on top are determined to stay on top.
The folks on the bottom are bitter enough to break windows and burn police cars. “What have we got to lose?” they shout.
Democracies are crumbling.
Dictatorships are stumbling.
Chaos is a fire burning across this planet with a will of its own.
“And then many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because wickedness is multiplied, most men’s love will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:10-14)
So who’s going to “preach the gospel of the kingdom throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations”?
The church? In the shape it’s in right now?
And you and I, where do we fit?
Who will proclaim the gospel of the kingdom to this teetering world?
Who actually has the power?
“If only the people up there on the top could be reborn, this world would be changed in a hurry. Convert the top dog, and he will convert the world!”
It’s been tried a thousand times and failed.
It looks like God has other plans.
God always seems to use the underdog to get the job done.
Jesus has been telling us this for two thousand years!
So why are we still obsessed with the top dog—the man or the woman who has “power”?
The Top Dog
The top dog is the one with the brains, the savvy, who knows how to make things happen.
The CEO, the General, the President, the Bishop—they didn’t get there by being wimps.
These guys know how to do “whatever it takes.”
They know how to take control…
How to increase profit.
How to shave expenses to the bone.
How to crush the competition.
How to weed out the “dead wood.”
How to be hard-nosed and “practical,” and sideline the “bleeding hearts.”
After all, how can you run a business, an army, a church, without a top-down chain of command?
Yet Jesus keeps telling us that the Father uses the underdog to get his work done.
The Underdog
In the Kingdom of God the underdog is the one with the power.
This upside-down hierarchy is not an option for us; it’s a command from the mouth of the Lord himself.
Even though it has been ignored in Christendom for centuries, this command of the Master still holds…
“You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45)
In God’s Kingdom the “chain of command” comes from below.
Way down at the bottom is a man wrapped in a towel, washing feet.
“You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:13-15)
In God’s Kingdom, power rises from the floor where Jesus is on his knees washing feet.
From that place he rules the universe.
Only those who are down there with him share in his power—
—a power infinitely greater than that of any dictator, general, or CEO, or mitered bishop.
“Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.”
Jesus commands us to lay aside our vanity
… and start washing feet
… in the shadows of obscurity, leaving the glory to God alone.
Giants of faith have altered the course of history. But the truly great servants in God’s Kingdom will never be known on this side of glory. Their power comes, not from their brains or their status, but from the simple fact that they are crucified with Christ. These crucified souls are preparing the earth for Judgment Day through their simple obedience, their fervent prayers.
They are the ones who are holding back the powers of darkness until the appointed hour.
They are quietly spreading the fire of the gospel across the earth.
And now the Master invites us to give him our burden of vanity which we have carried for far too long, and join these servants under his yoke.
The Yoke
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly of heart, and you shall find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29)
Under that yoke is Sabbath Rest. And as we learn from him who is meek and lowly of heart, Jesus imparts to us the power of his death and resurrection—the power that holds the universe together.
Let’s leave the “top dogs” to their vanity games,
… get under the yoke and receive from the Master the power …
“to proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom to the whole world as a testimony to all nations.”
And then the End will come.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, in the coming days where betrayal, lies, and hatred are so prevalent, where false prophets and wickedness flourish and love grows cold…help us to reject any power that takes us out from under your yoke. Lord, bring us back, bring us back to you. Bring us back to you, who kneeled on the floor and washed feet. Forgive us for the times we have let go, for the times we see the power of the enemy and quiver in fear and anger. Forgive us for engaging in the swirling hatred. We lay our hearts before you, we lay our lives before you. Help us to stay faithful, focused, and to trust in your yoke, to trust in all you have taught us. May we continue to pray fervently for the powers of darkness to be held back. May we endure without dismay. May we embrace your power, the power of servitude, the only power to get the job done, so that we are your gospel to the whole world, proclaiming it with our lives until the very end. Amen.
Message: Richard E. Bieber 2018 Printable/Shareable Copy
Featured Artists: Reverend Ally Barret Website: reverendally.org
#DefeatingEvil #UnderTheYoke #ThePowerOfWashingFeet #AllyBarretArt
KNOWING THE SCRIPTURES
Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God.” (Matthew 22)
The Sadducees were convinced that they knew the scriptures.
Jesus told them they knew neither the scriptures nor the power of God.
The Pharisees figured that they knew the scriptures.
Jesus corrected them again and again.
Nicodemus was drawn to something in Jesus that challenged his scriptural knowledge.
And Jesus said,
“Are you a teacher in Israel and don’t understand these things?”
If the experts who study the scriptures day and night can’t “get it”, who can?
There is only one way to know the scriptures:
Get to know the one to whom the scriptures point.
“You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”(John 5)
Jesus is Lord of the scriptures.
Jesus was the Word of God before the scriptures existed.
Jesus was with Abraham on Mount Moriah, when he was about to sacrifice Isaac.
“Before Abraham was, I AM!” (John 8)
Jesus was with Moses at the Burning Bush.
Jesus was breathing upon Isaiah as he wrote,
All we like sheep have gone astray.
And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
From Genesis to Revelation the Spirit of Jesus is the Word that breaks through our frail, flawed, stumbling human words.
For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear,
Jesus IS the Word of God.
Jesus opens the scripture.
“Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the way, and as he opened to us the scripture!” (Luke 24)
The risen Lord opened the scriptures to these disciples in a way which was impossible before Calvary. He continues to open scriptures to this day.
If I come to the scriptures looking for ammunition for my doctrinal debate, I will find just what I’m looking for. But it will be dead words.
If I come to the scriptures seeking light from God, Jesus himself will turn on the light.
If I pray constantly for the Lord Jesus to shed his light on scriptures, he will constantly answer my prayer.
Jesus fulfills scripture.
Jesus kept reminding his disciples that he was fulfilling scripture.
His death on the cross was the fulfillment of Isaiah 53.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
His resurrection, too, was the fulfillment of Isaiah 53.
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
As we read those words Jesus is fulfilling scripture before our eyes.
He is lifting us into the kingdom world and giving us a foretaste of the coming glory.
Jesus is better than any commentary.
We love to turn to commentaries to figure out what’s happening in the world of the scriptures,
to understand difficult words,
to grasp the meaning of difficult prophecies.
The danger is that we become focused on details, side-tracked into the trivial.
It is far better to take that difficult passage of scripture and lay it before the Lord Jesus.
“Lord, this passage baffles me.”
“Lord, please show me what this means.’
“I’m going to lay this one before you and let it alone until you’re ready to make it clear.”
“Lord Jesus, as I read scripture keep me focused on the one thing needful.”
The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is the witness of ordinary men and women like us, who encountered the HOLY.
God broke in on their lives.
God spoke to them.
God saved them.
God judged them.
God lifted them into his world, his kingdom.
When we read scriptures with our eyes on Jesus, he brings us into that world.
He speaks to us.
He saves us.
He judges us.
He lifts us into His World, His Kingdom.
Scripture, from beginning to end, is a witness to Jesus, the Living Word.
Jesus alone can open its mysteries.
Jesus alone can release its power.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we want to know you more than mere bible passages and quotes. We want to know You. You who the scriptures point to, You who loved us so much that you poured out your life for us. You who offer so much to us. Help us to stop using scripture as a weapon, as a divider, as know-it-alls. Instead may it draw us ever closer to you. May your presence burn within us as we hear you speaking to us through the scriptures. Keep breaking into our lives, keep lifting us into your Kingdom, keep filling us with your light, keep opening our hearts so we may love you and others more deeply and continuously answer your call to pour mercy and redemption into this world. Amen.
Message: Richard E. Bieber July 2021 Printable/Shareable Copy
Featured Artists: Chris Hopkins (Pharisees and The Agony of Jesus) and Rebecca Brogan
Websites: chrishopkinsart.com and jtbarts.com
#Knowing_The_Scriptures #The_Bible_Is_Not_A_Weapon #The_One_To_Whom_The_Scriptures_Point #RebeccaBroganArt #ChrisHopkinsArt
THE AUTHORITY OF BABES
The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”
The authority of heaven rested upon these ordinary men.
How come?
Jesus explains:
And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
What qualified them to have such authority?
They were babes.
They were children, looking to Jesus to show them the way.
In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will.” (Luke 10)
A different kind of power.
This world’s power is seized by the ruthless, the arrogant, and the bold.
God’s power comes only to babes….
to those who draw near to Jesus…..
And listen.
And believe.
And obey.
Across the earth today are many who carry heaven’s authority simply because they cling to Jesus with child-like faith.
Spirits are subject to them.
Their names are written in heaven.
The curse of vanity.
When we marinate our souls in vanity the authority of heaven departs from us.
Faith is replaced by suspicion of anything simple.
We are no longer child-like; we’re just gullible.
We gravitate toward voices that feed our suspicions and stoke our vanity.
Jesus walks into the room, and we roll our eyes and look at the floor.
We will remain blind until we “turn and become like children”.
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18)
To be “great” in this world, we go for money, status, connections in high places—this world’s power.
To be “great” in God’s world, we simply “turn and become like children.”
And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Prayer: Good Father, forgive us for our arrogance, our vanity, our suspicions, our quest for being right. All of these draw us away from a simple trust in you, making us miserable and blind to your very presence and goodness. Help us to let go of our need to be right, our need for authority, our so-called wisdom and attitudes. Make us childlike… so trusting in you, so confident in you, so in awe of you, so in love with you that nothing can shake our faith. We ask for this childlike faith that defeats the enemy at every turn, this childlike faith that brings healing, this childlike faith that brings us victory and authority over evil, this childlike faith that makes us ever grateful and thankful…But most of all this childlike faith that brings us joy in who you are at all times. Amen.
Message: Richard E. Bieber June 2021 Printable/Shareable Copy
Featured Artists: Colleen Briggs Website: N/A
#TheAuthorityOfBabes #StartGivingThanks #TheGratefulLeper #ColleenBriggsArt
CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION
We were strangers in town, looking for a church to attend. And there it was, a sleek modern building with a sign out front: CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION
It must be a Catholic Church, we thought, celebrating the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Should we go in, even though we’re not Catholic?
Why not? When we stepped inside it didn’t seem like a Catholic church. There was no smell of incense. No long robes. The music was upbeat and familiar. It seemed just like any other evangelical church.
But why the name CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION?
As the service progressed we began to understand.
In this church…
…they make the assumption that, if you are sitting in these pews, you are saved.
…they assume that you are in tune with the Christian Agenda of the hour.
“In here we’re all believers. It’s the world out there that needs to get their act together.”
The word “repent” is never heard.
The weekly gospel is simply,
“God loves you.” “Jesus took care of everything.” “Let not our hearts be troubled,”
This church is no different from our church back home!
When I think about it, our church could also be called CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION.
We assume that everything’s just fine with us.
It’s that world out there that needs to repent.
But if Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches, can we assume that everything is just fine?
Can we assume that our connection with the Vine at this moment is alive, strong, and pure?
Can we assume that the Vinedresser is happy with our fruit?
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
So it’s possible that a branch that belongs to Jesus could be cut away?
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me….
….If a man does not abide in me he is cast forth as a branch and withers. And the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned
It is indeed possible to be “cast off as a branch and wither.”
So when we look at this magnificent Vine with all those beautiful branches, we can assume nothing.
True, we are branches on the Vine by a miracle of grace.
But it’s up to us to stay connected.
If we abide in the vine we thrive…. If we lose touch we wither.
Maybe it’s time to lay aside our assumptions and pay careful attention to the Master.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.
She who abides in me, and I in her, she is it that bears much fruit.
For apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15
Prayer: Yes Lord, help us not to assume that we can keep thriving and healthy if we aren’t abiding in you. Rescue us from the assumption that we can just set ourselves on automatic pilot, going to church, going through the motions, playing the role of Christians… without drawing near to you, without calling to you, without needing you, without living wholly for you. Lord, apart from you, we can do nothing, we have no life, we cannot bear fruit. We repent. Help us to see our sickness, our emptiness, our need. Lord, keep us from withering, keep us from being cut away and destroyed. Help us to draw near you, to abide in you, to be filled with life from heaven, and to thrive again. Amen.
Message: Richard E. Bieber March 2021 Printable/Shareable Copy
Featured Artist: Courtesy of Peter Koenig
Website: pwkoenig.co.uk
#Making_Assumptions #Withering #Cut_Off_Branches #He_Who_Abides_In_Me #PeterKoenigArt
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