Led to Restoration

Psalm 23: 2 – 3

The journey of the Moravian remnants to the rebirth of the Moravian Church on August 13, 1754, can be described in the words of David in Psalm 23: 2 & 3. ‘He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.’ Persecuted for their faith, the brethren were scattered and almost lost forever. As this was happening, John Amos Comenius, the last Bishop of the old Unity of the Brethren, prayed that the Lord would preserve a remnant of the church. His prayer was answered almost a hundred years later when Christian David was given permission by Count Zinzendorf to bring any persecuted member of the church he could find to stay on his estate in Germany where they would be safe from persecution. For these persecuted brethren God was truly leading them from turmoil, hardship, persecution and even death, to a place of restoration, a place of green pastures and still waters. David used the shepherd imagery to describe God’s complete provision for His servants. As the shepherd led the sheep daily to green grass, calm water and shade, the sheep would find satisfaction and restoration. Christian David had been a shepherd himself so he understood the imagery of the Psalm. God would lead his people from trouble, fear and turmoil, to restoration. Christian David made trips into the areas where the remnants of the Moravian Church were to be found and led them to the estate of Count Zinzendorf where they were restored and renewed.

All was not well however as the new settlement was anything but settled. There were frequent disagreements and they were helped by Zinzendorf to unite under a common understanding of their faith. They agreed to, and signed the Brotherly Agreement, (known today as the Moravian Covenant for Christian Living) a code for Christian conduct, and it was agreed that they would celebrate this milestone with a communion service on August 13, 1727. They gathered with a common purpose, united in prayer. As they worshipped the Holy Spirit filled their hearts with love for God and for each other and out of that experience the Moravian Church was reborn. God had led His people through the valley of the shadow of death, through persecution, wars and hardships to a place where they could worship in peace and safety, a place of restoration.

As we celebrate today I would like to assure someone that God still restores and renews. You may be in the valley of death and despair but that is not your destination. Do not get comfortable in despair for God is leading you to your place of restoration and renewal. Remember the woman with the issue of blood was healed and restored when she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. Remember the blind and deaf found new life when Jesus entered their situation. Remember Lazarus was dead bur Jesus called him forth from the tomb. Nothing is too hard for our God. Whatever your situation may be, He is able to bring restoration. Do not give up. Do not turn away. Let God lead you friend so that God can restore you.

Bevon White

Let’s Sing!

They sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.” And all the people responded with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.       Ezra 3:11

The book of Ezra opens with the end of the Babylonian captivity and the return of the exiles to Jerusalem. For some time after their arrival they were occupied with the necessary work of rebuilding their houses and lives, amid the ruins of Jerusalem and its neighborhood. Having accomplished this, they sought to rebuild the altar of burnt offering. This was urgent and immediate so they could make atonement for their sins and receive the divine blessing on their preparations for the temple.

As they set out to rebuild the temple, they organized the base upon its old foundation, so that it occupied as nearly as possible the site on which it had formerly stood.  There they offered the burnt offerings, as they wanted to restore their religious and worship life even before the temple was rebuilt and dedicated. At the establishment of the foundation, the faith community began to worship God. They sounded the trumpets and cymbals as they sang and shouted, praising and giving thanks to God. They declared, ‘God is good and his mercy endures forever toward Israel.’ There were no walls, no roof, no pulpit or table, yet they worshipped God. Isn’t it true that sometimes we get caught up in the beautiful edifice that we lose sight of the worship? Sometimes our focus is on the sanctuary more than the worship? I am in no way suggesting that we ought not to ensure that God’s temple is in an appropriate state. However, our focus should be more on the quality of worship to God.

It is interesting that there was a mixed reaction from the people when they saw the foundation of the temple built. Some shouted for joy, while others wept. In fact, verse 13 says that one could discern the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping. Those who had only known the misery of having no temple at all, praised the Lord with shouts of joy. For them, it was as life from the dead. However, many who had seen the first temple were distressed that this new temple is likely to prove far inferior to that of the first, not only with regards to its outward structure, but also relating to the extraordinary marks of the divine favour that were evident in the first.

There was no hope that the poor beginnings of the latter temple would ever be raised to the grandeur and magnificence of the former, since the first was built by Solomon, the wisest and richest king. However, this new temple was being pursued by a small company of exiles. The first was finished with the most costly stones and timber, with exquisite art and overlaid with vast quantities of gold, while this one was going to be built with no better materials than what could be dug from the ruinous foundation of the old one.

Perhaps the greatest source of grief was that the ark of the covenant, and the mercy- seat which was upon it, the holy fire upon the altar, the Urim and Thummim, the spirit of prophecy, the Shekinah or divine presence, the five great things for which the former temple was so renowned, were lost and gone, and never to be recovered. What a time of distress for many! But, God provided a word through the prophet Haggai, “I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house with glory: the glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, says the Lord of hosts.” (2:7-9) Let us not stay consumed with the past and weep over it. Instead, let’s open our mouths and sing for joy; open our eyes and look, for God is going to do something new and better!

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Micah 5:2

Today’s Watchword is one of the many prophecies that pointed to the coming Messiah. This prophecy comes at a time when trouble loomed in Israel. Micah summons the people to gather themselves into troops because a siege will be laid against them. Israel will be humbled by foreign powers, and even her judges will bear insults. In this distressing context, Micah offers a word of hope – God would raise up a great Ruler from the humble place of Bethlehem.

Bethlehem was well known as the hometown of David, Israel’s greatest king; yet it was never a great or influential city. It was truly little among the thousands of Israel. Yet, God chose it as the birthplace of the Messiah, the Ruler in Israel. The chief priests and teachers of the law quoted this verse when Herod asked about the birth of the Messiah (Matthew 2:5-6). It is no wonder that Phillips Brooks wrote in 1868:

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in the dark street shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.

Bethlehem means ‘House of Bread’, and Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:35). Ephrathah was the old name of the place which the Jews retained and loved. It means ‘fruitfulness,’ or ‘abundance.’ Well, well!! Jesus was born not just in the house of bread, but in the house of fruitfulness. This seems almost like a paradox – Bethlehem was an insignificant place, yet its meaning is rich and bountiful. What a word for a people about to face trouble! You will face trouble, but God will bring forth a ruler from the place of food and abundance to deliver you.

The Messiah came not just to rescue the Israelites, but to rescue and save all humanity from the forces of men and the armies of satan. He came, procured our salvation, and guarantee us life everlasting. May we receive God’s gift to us and live with eternity in view. May we also recognize that no matter how insignificant we think we are, God has vested much in us and prepared to do great things in and with us.

Jermaine Gibson

Our Father and Potter

 Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8

How do we view God? More than that, how do we view God in relation to ourselves? The Bible describes this relation in varying ways, including today’s text that declares God as the potter and his people as the clay. This description is also present in other texts in the Bible. Isaiah 64 is a prayer of appeal to God to exercise mercy in the presence of the sins of the people. Isaiah begins with, “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence… so that the nations might tremble at your presence! …From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him.”

It is in this context that we have today’s Watchword declaring God as Father and potter, and us as clay and the work of God’s hand. In spite of everything, God is our Father. God might be disappointed with our behaviour; God might have allowed us to engage in self-destructive behaviour; God might have allowed us to do our own thing, but God’s purpose has never been our destruction. God’s hope is the hope of a Father, who always hopes against hope that the child will see the error of his/her ways and return home. The Parable of the Prodigal Son in St. Luke 15 is a prime example of this.

God is also our potter – the one who fashions us. We are clay and the work of his hand. Just as fathers and mothers love their children, artists also feel a deep affection for their art. When an artist fashions a piece of art, something of the artist is bound up in that art. Part of that has to do with the deep involvement of the artist in the creative process. Part of it is pride of workmanship. Part of it is that the work of art reflects the artist’s understanding of how the piece should look or sound or feel. The artist and the art are inextricably bound together. God has invested much time in us; indeed God has invested himself. He is bounded to us as our potter who desires that we be an excellently admirable art piece of his work.

This prayer uses that connection of art and artist in an attempt to persuade God to forgive Israel, to save Israel. Having called God a Father, Isaiah reminds God of the creativity that God has expended in fashioning the nation Israel—God’s people—God’s artwork. Israel might have sinned, and be as disgusting as a soiled filthy rag, but God should not abandon Israel, because artist and art are inextricably bound together. It is always God’s intention to fashion us into the best that we can be; however, we should remember that a potter can mold a vessel only as the clay yields to his hands. We have such great potential, but this can only be optimized when we submit to God, our potter, and remain in his molding hands.

I close with today’s New Testament text from Ephesians 2:10, “For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” 

Jermaine Gibson

Please the Lord and be at peace with your enemies

When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Proverbs 16:7 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/pro.16.7.KJV

Are you at war with those who continuously persecute you? Are you struggling to find peace? Are you battling daily with those who hate you and say all manner of evil against you?

Today I want to assure you that you can be at peace with those who are raging war against you (Your enemies). Hear the words of the wise one when the WAYS of people PLEASE the Lord, he causes even their enemies to be at PEACE with them.

Have you ever wondered sometimes why so many people attacking you all at once? Usually our first response is that it is a test from God and we will battle our way through.
However, it is not always a test from God, often times it is our own choices that causes us to be in battles. Battles that God didn’t meant for us to be in, but because of our own lust and fleshly desires, our enemies range war against us. Think of a time when you purposefully displayed ways that are displeasing to God DID ANYTHING GOOD COME AFTER THAT?

Have you ever had a period of oneness with God, and during that period, everything and everyone is nice to you? THINK ABOUT IT!
Why would that happen, why would those who once persecuted you and lie on you, be nice to you? That is because you are in good standing with God Your ways are pleasing to him and so he causes even your enemies to be at peace with you!

As I reflected on the passage, I thought about my own Christian journey. The more I please God , is the more peace I experience. At work, at home, at school and on the street. I have less encounters with individuals and I am better able to walk away from certain arguments.

Being in right standing with God, allows you to enjoy a better and more fulfilling lifestyle I can testify.

Untill next week , Make it your daily goal to PLEASE THE LORD, and you will be surprised at the results.

EVEN YOUR ENEMIES WILL BE AT PEACE WITH YOU

TRY IT! IT WORKS!
BLESSINGS!
Shaneka Raymore-Euphfa

The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him! Habakkuk 2:20  

The first two chapters of Habakkuk consist of a dialogue between the prophet and God. Habakkuk dared to openly question Yahweh. First, the prophet is upset with God’s presumed indifference in the face of clear injustice, and then he objects to the action God is taking. God has seemingly sided with idolaters. God responds by assuring Habakkuk that the perpetrators will face repercussions in the form of five woes. The conversation ends with addressing the absurdity of idolatrous worship. God gets the final word by reassuring the prophet, “But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.”

I believe God was asserting that he is active and present in the midst of the turbulences in the world. Chandler Vinson agrees and posits that, “Contrary to popular belief and despite the apparent silence, God is in fact on the job. Yahweh is not a helpless bystander but is rather perched in a position of power ready to act.” God being present in his temple signals a reminder that the temple was established as the source from which divine instruction and help would come. The consecrated temple was the place where God would teach, and even if God should have to discipline his disobedient people, he would also hear and forgive.

As God is in his holy temple, he is available to help. Indeed the context of the verse juxtaposes God’s capability with the ineptitude of false idols who say and do nothing. The idol sits where it is put without the ability to hear or to respond, but the Lord, full of almighty power, is in his holy temple ready to respond to the needs of his people. Despite all that we go through, God is not powerless nor disinterested. Instead, he is in our midst and at work. The challenge is that most times we want to see that God is at work and we want to know what he is doing. But, would we need faith? Absolutely not! God calls us to entrust ourselves completely in his care and trust him to take care of us.

The conversation ends abruptly as there is a call to “be silent”.  The Hebrew word ‘hacah’ is actually more forceful. It means “Hush!” This command is given to all the earth. The prophet who thought that God was silent is himself silenced by the Almighty. This indicates a demonstration of respect. There is nothing more to say or be said. Ironically, the command to silence evokes praise. Though a gap may exist between chapters 2 and 3, the book concludes with a psalm of praise. The book that begins with complaints ends with praise, evidence that God’s affirmation had a profound effect on the prophet.

The text forces us to ask, has God ever converted our complaints to praise? Is there a place for silence in communal worship? When do we find time to be silent before the Lord? What great benefits there are when we hush before the Lord!

Psalm 27 was written by David in the early years of his life, some believe while he was being chased by King Saul. David’s life was threatened but he faced this threat with confidence, courage and fearlessness because of his faith in God. Today’s watchword is a statement of the courage. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 27: 13. Life’s struggles can paralyze us with fear, but those who know and trust the Lord can be confident of receiving God’s goodness not only in the future but also in the here and now.

God’s goodness comes with His divine presence. When the Holy Spirit indwells us, it is a guarantee of God’s presence in our lives. The omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence of God gives confidence to all believers. We know that God is always there, knows everything, and is all powerful. Acts 17: 27 reminds us that ‘He is not far from any of us.’  David was in despair but he was neither lost nor hopeless because his confidence was in the God who was present with Him. Regardless of what we face we should remain confident in God’s unchanging ability, love and grace. The person who remains in God’s presence will experience God’s goodness in the here and now.

Through God’s goodness we are given divine guidance. Divine guidance is God’s will at work in the universe. God guides and directs our lives and at times will lead us. We are not always aware of this guidance or leading, but the results of obediently following will always serve to show us God at work in our lives. When we follow God’s guidance His plan for our lives is carried out as we live according to His will. Life offers us many directions, many paths, but when we trust God’s guidance we will be like trees planted by the river which cannot be easily moved, cannot be easily swayed. When God guides us, our faith keeps us firmly grounded and like David we can say ‘I would have fallen if I had not believed that I will see God’s goodness in the land of the living’. Remember we are guided by God’s plan for us, a plan to prosper us, uplift us, give us great hope and a brighter future.

With God’s goodness comes divine protection. There are many verses in scripture that assures us of God’s protection. Romans 8 asks ‘if God is for us, who can be against us?’. In Ex 19: 4 God reminded his people that he ‘carried them on wings of eagles to himself.’ When an eagle spreads its wings, it can reach as wide as seven feet. With such wings the eagle can soar higher than any other bird. The wings also serve to protect their young. The eagle spreads its wings to provide shade and when it is cold it wraps its wings around its young. Psalm 46 reminds us that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble. We have no reason to fear regardless of what is happening around us. You will not be loved by everyone and not everyone will support what you do. In face you will meet opposition along the way but do not give up, rather you should remember who walks with you, remember whose you are. Remember God’s promise through Isaiah: ‘No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.’ You are blessed to be a blessing all because of God’s goodness.

The Lord has granted me the petition that I made to him. 1 Samuel 1:27

From I was very young, and I imagine the same for most of you, I learnt and sung frequently the chorus, “Whisper a Prayer in the Morning”. I have always loved the second verse, “God answers prayer in the morning, God answers prayer at noon, God answers prayer in the evening, so keep your hearts in tune.” This simple chorus affirms the truth that God leaves no prayer unanswered. We may not like the answer, but God always answers.

Hannah, and by extension her son Samuel, is a testimony to answered prayer. Hannah had gone to the temple to lay her burden to the Lord – she desperately needed a son. She went to the temple, passed Eli at the temple doors and entered the sanctuary of the Lord with bitterness in her soul. She prayed to the Lord, wept in anguish, and poured out her soul before the Lord. Such was not in vain, for God granted her request. In celebration and fulfillment of her promise to the Lord, Hannah took young Samuel and dedicated him to the Lord. Hannah shares her testimony with Eli pointing out that the Lord has granted her petition.

Interestingly, while Eli was weak and his sons were wicked, Elkanah and Hannah prayed to the Lord. Deliverance had come to God’s people from the little village home, and not from the sacred Tabernacle. Isn’t this true of most situations in the Bible? The world’s Redeemer came from the manger at Bethlehem, not from palace, nor from the temple at Jerusalem. God has a mysterious way of doing his work, often confusing us and turning things upside down. After all, God’s standards are not ours, and his thoughts and ways are higher than ours.

Hannah named her son Samuel and this was intended to be a lifelong reminder to him that he was the Lord’s. How critical it is for us to dedicate our children to God in their infancy! It is also an indication that we cannot begin to serve God too young. Let’s think of little Samuel knowing something about worship at three years old! We should carefully foster and nurture our children in the fear of the Lord. Indeed, the tender blade must precede the full corn in the ear. We should also be deliberate in praying for them. We hear the story of Samuel Budgett who, at nine years of age, was passing his mother’s door and heard his mother engaged in earnest prayer for her family and for himself by name. He thought, “My mother is more earnest about my soul than I am.” In that hour he decided to serve Christ, and the impressions thus made were never effaced.

I wish to also emphasize that we should let others know the benefits we have received from the Lord. Hannah spoke to Eli of her answered prayers. Not just that, but in the chapter that follows today’s text, Hannah breaks out into prayer and song declaring God’s holiness, knowledge, might and purpose. We readily speak well of a friend who does us a kindness, but how often do we testify of God’s goodness to us? We must never be afraid or shy to share of God’s faithfulness and care extended to us. Infact, we should use every opportunity to do so; we can never tell how such will encourage another in their journey and cause someone to surrender to the Lord. May God be honoured through our witness. Amen.

Jermaine Gibson