Worthy Is The Lamb - Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

The Brains Behind AOC Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Keeping It Simple - Jack Kelley

By Jack Kelley Sunday October 19th, 2014 About 12 Minutes to Read

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

Mankind has a propensity for taking simple things and making them complex, often confusing himself in the process.  Some say this began with the serpent’s question to Eve,  “Did God really say…?”(Genesis 3:1).  Lets look at some of the simple things of the Bible that man has tried to complicate and ask ourselves if we’re better off with man’s opinion or would it make more sense to keep it simple and stick with what the Bible says.

Creation

God said His work of creation required six days and He rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:1-2).  There was no one around who could dispute His claim but that hasn’t stopped man from proposing alternatives.

The best man has come up with is that we’re really the product of random chance. The Big Bang theory and Evolution are called  laws of nature by some, but in fact, they violate natural law. Things in nature don’t naturally evolve from randomness, or chaos, into order. In fact they go the other way. The evidence is all around us. Your house, your car,  your body, and everything else that’s been created or made or manufactured confirms that absent some kind of preventive maintenance, the natural way is devolution, from order into chaos. Everything breaks down, wears out, rusts, rots, or dies. There’s no way around it.

And the best preventive maintenance can only retard the devolution process. It can never reverse it, let alone turn something into something else. Order into chaos, order into chaos. That’s nature’s way.  Some folks want you to ignore this simple fact and believe that where you’re concerned, natural law was spontaneously reversed for no reason at all so that the amoeba that became the fish that became the monkey could become you.  If we can’t believe the very first thing God said to us, how can we be sure about anything else He said?

The simple thing is to believe God.

Salvation

God said we’re saved by grace through faith, not by works. (Ephesians 2:8-9) He doesn’t want anyone bragging that he earned his own way into the kingdom, and knows that we can’t do it anyway. He gave man a set of laws that were impossible to keep but which defined the standard He required of us. Then He sent His Son to keep those laws for us and give His life to purchase an unconditional pardon that releases us from the penalty of breaking them (Colossians 2:13-14). He said this is the only way we can be saved (John 14:6, Acts 4:12).  All we have to do is believe in the one He sent (John 6:28-29) admit we’re sinners, ask for His pardon, and accept it in faith (Romans 10:13).

But right from the beginning, man has tried to earn his own way into God’s Kingdom. Some have multiplied God’s laws by adding many others, while others have ignored His laws, substituting their own instead.  Either way man has made his existence here on earth miserable as he labors to prove that he doesn’t need God’s free pardon, living a life of guilt and fear in a vain attempt to earn something that has been offered to Him for free.

The simple thing is to believe God.

Agency

God said that anyone who wants to can choose this pardon and have eternal life.  It’s free for the asking irrespective of merit or worthiness (Matt. 7:7-8).  It doesn’t matter if you’re a Jew or Gentile, free or slave, male or female, civilized or barbarian (Galatians 3:26-29). If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you’ll be saved (Romans 10:9). You have your entire lifetime to make your choice. However when you die His offer of pardon expires (Hebrews 9:27).

Some men have  imposed conditions without number to this unconditional promise. They say you must have been chosen in advance by God, or belong to a certain denomination, or behave in a certain way, give a certain amount, maintain certain standards, avoid certain food or drink, etc, etc. Others say you don’t have to accept God’s terms at all.  Just try to do the best you can and treat others nicely. You’ll have a chance after you die to sit down and work it all out with God.  Still others say it doesn’t matter who your god is.   As long as you’re sincere in your belief, you’ll find your way to eternal life.  Jesus said all these ways lead to destruction (Matt. 7:13-14).

The simple thing is to believe God.

Security

God says that when you’re saved He sends His Holy Spirit to dwell within you, sealed there as a deposit guaranteeing your inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14).  It’s the down payment on His promise never to leave you or forsake you.  God Himself will make you stand firm (2 Cor. 1:21-22), and there’s no one who can take you out of His hand (John 10:27-30).  His Spirit will also guide you and advise you on behavior that’s pleasing to Him, not to earn His favor but as a way to express your gratitude for already having received it. Your behavior is still your own choice and when you sin, as we all do, the Holy Spirit will prompt you to confess so you can be forgiven and preserve your intimate relationship with God (1 John 1:9).

Man says something different.  Some say the Holy Spirit doesn’t come all at once. You get a little bit when you’re saved and more when you’re worthy. You’ll know you’re worthy when you receive a certain Spiritual gift that tells you and others that you’ve made it. They also say the Holy Spirit isn’t permanently sealed within you. He’ll leave you if you don’t behave right or if you decide you don’t want Him any more. And once He’s gone you can never get Him back. Scary.

The simple thing is to believe God.

Abundant Life

God says that you shouldn’t worry about how your life will work out, that He’ll take care of it.  Since He takes care of little birds and flowers, that aren’t worth anywhere near what you are to Him, He’ll certainly watch out for you. “Seek first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness,” He says, “And I’ll take care of everything (Matt. 6:31-33). After all, I came to Earth so that you could have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).  So don’t conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).

Man says you have to figure out what you want and then strive to get it. Work hard and sacrifice much, and you’ll be rewarded. The stress you feel from the job, and the difficulty you have staying connected at home are just part of the deal. And when you become successful, if it wasn’t all you hoped it would be, well everybody feels that way. The more you have, the better you’ll feel. Stay with it.

The simple thing is to believe God.

Forgiveness

God says to forgive as you’ve been forgiven, that nothing someone does to you can ever approximate what you’ve done to God. (Matt. 18:32-33) And since He’s forgiven you unconditionally, you should do the same. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger. Don’t give the devil a foothold. “Vengeance is mine,” says the Lord. “It’s mine to repay.”

Man says some folks don’t deserve to be forgiven. Make them prove that they’ve earned it before you let them off the hook. Besides, maybe it’s you. Maybe you’re just too weak, too naive. As you become more skeptical, less trusting, you’ll find people won’t take advantage so often. Don’t get mad, get even.

The simple thing is to believe God.

Giving

Jesus said don’t store up treasure on earth, where it can be stolen or destroyed.  Instead, store up treasure in heaven where nothing can happen to it (Matt. 6:19-21).   He said, “Give and it will be given to you, for with the measure you use it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38).  Paul confirmed this.  He said if we sow sparingly we’ll reap sparingly, but if we sow generously we’ll also reap generously.  He said we should decide in our own heart what to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver  (2 Cor. 9:6-7).  He said our generosity will be rewarded with blessing and we’ll be made rich in every way so we can be generous on every occasion (2 Cor. 9:10-11).

Some pastors say you owe a debt to God and if you don’t pay it back to the church you’ll be cursed. Others say you worked hard for your money and it’s yours to do with as you please. Why give any of it to a bunch of do-gooders who’ll just waste it on people who don’t deserve it. Give enough to keep them off your back, if you must, but not so much as to cramp your lifestyle.
The simple thing is to believe God.

Prophecy

God said he would never do anything without first revealing it through His servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7) For over 6,000 years now He’s had a perfect record of first saying what He’ll do and then doing it.  But many scholars call predictive prophecy a sham and go to great lengths to try and disprove its reliability. For example, when history documented that Daniel 11:1-35 contained 135 fulfilled prophecies, scholars tried to say it was written after the fact.

As a result the Book of Daniel became the most thoroughly validated Book in the entire Bible. And yet some still deny its authenticity, in spite of the fact that Daniel also predicted the rise of Alexander the Great (Daniel 7:6, 8:5-8, 8:21-22), named the exact day that Jesus would ride into Jerusalem as Israel’s Messiah,  and foretold His Crucifixion, as well as the city’s subsequent destruction as (Daniel 9:26).

Zechariah prophesied that the Messiah would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zech. 9:9), then be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver with the money being thrown into the Temple for the purchase of a potter’s field (Zech 11:12-13). Micah prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).  Isaiah that He would be the Son of God (Isaiah 9:6), born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), pierced for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5), though innocent would offer no defense (Isaiah 53:7), be buried in a rich man’s grave (Isaiah 53:9), and come back from the dead (Isaiah 53:11).  Amos said the sun would go down at noon on the day He was crucified (Amos 8:9-10). There are over a hundred more that pertain to the first coming but you get the idea.

In spite of this, some of the very men and women who make a career out of studying the Word of God resort to extreme measures in their attempts to convince us that God is unreliable at best and at worst a liar.  And to what end? If they were diplomats and worked this hard at undermining the principles on which our country is founded, they’d be charged with treason. If they were managers who were committed to destroying the public’s perception of their company’s product, they’d be fired.  But since they claim to be Christians we call them scholars. “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,” Paul wrote, “And the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate” (1 Cor. 1:19)  He was quoting from Isaiah 29:14.

The simple thing is to believe God.

Conclusion

These are harsh and perilous times and now, more than ever, we need someone we can rely on who is utterly dependable. When the hurricane’s threatening to blow you down, and the flood waters are rising fast, you don’t want to be worrying whether the One you’re praying to is committed to your well being.

If you’re from Israel and your neighbors are publicly planning your destruction, and take every olive branch you hand them then turn it into another excuse to attack, you need to know that the One who gave you the land you’re standing on will keep His promise that it’s yours forever.

When your eternal destiny hangs in the balance, you need to be certain that the One Who says He surrendered His life to redeem yours really did.

The End of the Age is upon us. It’s time to stop debating and start believing the simple truth of the Bible. God is Who He says He is and He did what He said He would do. And in the 6000 years of man’s relationship with Him, not one of the 14 billion of us who’ve walked this earth has ever been able to successfully refute this. Conversely, proof of His existence is so far beyond the limits of mere probability that it’s no longer debatable.  Therefore belief in Him is a choice we make. It’s time to choose and be done with it. Like my favorite bumper sticker says, “God said it. I believe it. That settles it.” It’s the simple thing to do. Selah 10-18-14.

Christians.. You NEED to know this Truth (R$E)

Personal Experience of a Very Young Christian Believer :: By Jean-Louis Mondon

Published on: February 7, 2019 by RRadmin7 Category:General Articles
 

I would like to share with you a personal experience I had with the Lord right after my spiritual new birth, which has taught me 4 basic principles that have served to strengthen and sustain my faith. In his goodness and grace, the Lord demonstrated his care and loving-kindness to me by giving me what I call a shot of colostrum in my first steps as a baby Christian, along with the spiritual milk of his word. He was preparing me for the weaning that happens as a natural stage in the baby´s growth and the long walk through the desert that was awaiting me.
These principles are:

• We might be doing a good, spiritual, church-related activity or service, but actually Jesus Christ our head may have something different and better that he wants us to do, that is his will for us at the present time, no matter what the circumstances look like to our human eyes.
• Listen to the inner guiding voice of the Holy Spirit in you. With time you will recognize it just like you are able to recognize the particular tone of voice of your loved ones.
• Do not be ashamed of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
• The Bible is the true revealed word of God. You can trust it as God will speak to you and guide your walk through its pages with the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

Just a few weeks after I was born again – twenty-two years old at the time – I had been going to a Baptist church and joined the choir as people encouraged me to participate in activities. I was giving my testimony on a Christian radio show, enjoyed reading and learning from the Bible, going to church and being fed by My Father´s providential hand.

I had the same exhilarated feeling as when I first put my foot on the US soil just to celebrate my first Christmas with my American sponsor´s family, that of an immigrant who is starting a new life in the land of freedom where nobody knows or cares about your past and where you can look forward to a new exciting life full of opportunities.

One Thursday afternoon as I was walking to the church for choir rehearsal, I felt an inner prompting to turn around and go to the bar in a seedy part of town where I had been drinking a few weeks ago with a friend of mine before I became a believer. This thought left me confused as I stopped in my tracks, not understanding what was happening.

I had barely started reading the New Testament, was not aware of the Holy Spirit as a teacher, a guide and all of his ministry in the believer´s life. I was afraid of being late for practice and went on a few more steps, when the impression got stronger. I thought it strange and a temptation to prevent and sidetrack me from doing my service to my newly found God and Savior. So I walked on until the third prompting was so intensely felt that I just had to turn around and walk back to the bar.
There as I sat on a bar stool and ordered a drink, the man next to me with the imposing physique of a huge football player asked me in a “basso profundo” booming voice, “Who, are, you?”

Who wouldn´t be intimidated? I certainly was. So with my best French accent, I recited my resume, name, birth place and other data that we usually give total strangers when we are introduced. This went on for a while as the man kept repeating the same question and didn´t seem to be satisfied with my adding each time true, factual answers about myself. But inside, my chest was heaving as I sensed God asking me the same question: Who are you Jean-Louis? Are you going to properly identify yourself or are you ashamed of me?

Bear in mind that I had not yet read the verse on Christ being ashamed of us if we are ashamed of Him.

The Lord Jesus in Mark 8:38 declares, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

So finally, unable to resist the pressure of the Spirit, I told the man, OK, let´s go sit down in a quiet corner so we can talk undistracted and I can tell you who I really am.
The man replied, “Well, that´s better,” as if he knew something that escaped me and was setting me up for a strange encounter.

Up to that day, I had been shielded being around Christians and had never had to be in a confrontational situation as this. I proceeded to tell the man that I was a new born-again believer, and shared with him my testimony of how God had brought me miraculously to the US and had changed my heart and my life.

He in turn shared how he had turned his back on God and felt his life was a wreck without any hope of finding his way back to his relationship with Jesus. He had become a hopeless drunk. He even passed me a bad check in exchange for a few dollars so he could buy liquor.

After a long heart-to-heart conversation, I told him about the grace and mercy of God and that if he had done it for me, a wretched sinner, he would do it for him also. All he had to do was to repent of his sins and ask forgiveness, and God would accept him back into the relationship and help him to lead a victorious life.

He was truly touched by my words, and his countenance brightened up. He told me to wait for him and that he was going to bring me back a present to thank me.

A few minutes later, he walks to the table with a big black Bible and hands it to me as a gift for having taken the time to listen to his story and given him a ray of hope.

The following Sunday after church, my sponsor friend who had become my spiritual mother, leading me to the Lord, and I were eating in a restaurant. We were finishing our dessert, and I thought it a propitious moment to show her my newly acquired Bible and shared with her the surrounding events that led to my receiving this precious gift.

While leafing through the first pages containing the personal family information of the owner, she exclaimed, “The name of the owner is the same as the man´s sitting at a table not far from ours; I know that man!” Piqued with curiosity and a little overwhelmed by the strange sequence of fortuitous, incredible events happening in such a short time, I got up and introduced myself. Asking him if he recognized the Bible, his face beamed with surprise mixed with emotional intensity as if he had recognized a long lost friend. He replied, “This Bible belongs to me and my family. We lost it 25 years ago.”

I sat down to explain the amazing story of how it came into my possession. He listened carefully, even more awestruck than I was, as I related to him an outline of my spiritual journey, and the details of my past week´s adventure and God´s providential instruction in leading the way and teaching me in a real and unmistakable manner.

As I told him that I was happy to have found his Bible and handed it to him, he graciously offered me to keep it as a token of God´s loving-kindness and care to all involved. He was obviously touched by this testimony of God´s acting on the behalf of his children.

I leave it up to you to see the hand of God in all this and the resulting blessings in the lives of the ones involved. I am sure every one of us was changed in some way. I am also certain that these encounters were the results of personal questions and doubts about the reality of faith and providence of God and answers to prayers.

What happened to that big black Bible? I don´t know where it is right now or how God used it. I gave it to a friend in college as a witness and encouragement after telling him the wonderful story behind it.
Personally, this experience served to solidify in a very real and concrete way the foundations on which my faith is based and provided a pillar of remembrance for times of discouragement, weakness and doubts. Later on as I became more familiar with the scriptures, I found passages and verses confirming my life experiences of the reality and truth of the revelation of a loving Father to his children. I can trust his word as the eternal, unchanging truth, a sure light guiding me on the way. I can trust the Spirit´s promptings as the voice of my Shepherd because, and when, it aligns and concurs with his written word and is confirmed by several witnesses.

One of those verses is Isaiah 55:10-13: “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn bush will grow the juniper; and instead of briers, the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD’s renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.”

I thank and praise God my Father and the Lord Jesus Christ for his mercy, his grace and his enduring loving-kindness to us his children and the abundant blessings that he bestows on us every day without any merit on our part. Bless his Holy Name forever.

Jean-Louis

http://lightnseed.blogspot.com/

As President Trump Approaches his Third Year In Office, Christians Need To Be Reminded Why God Put Him There In The First Place

As President Trump Approaches his Third Year In Office, Christians Need To Be Reminded Why God Put Him There In The First Place: In 2008, God began to judge America for her sins by placing Barack Hussein Obama in office. In 2016, God made Donald Trump president to judge the world.

Preparing the Way for Jesus´ Second Coming

Written and published by Jean-Louis Mondon

Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, Build up the highway! Remove the stones.

Raise a banner for the nations. The Lord has made proclamation To the ends of the earth: “Say to the Daughter of Zion, See, your Savior comes! See, His reward is with Him, And His recompense accompanies Him". Isaiah 62:10,11.

John the Baptizer was sent to prepare the way of the Lord, the 1st advent, in the power of Elijah.

  

Now we Christians have to do our part to prepare the way of the Lord for His glorious appearing, the second advent. Matthew 3:3 declares:

 “It’s the voice of a man crying in the desert, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths for Him”. Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1. John the Baptist is the one who would prepare the way according to his father Zacharia´s prophecy in Luke 1:76-79 (NASB):

“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”
 
Interestingly enough Elijah performed many miracles, but John performed none.

Ways to follow in John´s footsteps and prepare the way for the Lord’s second coming 
As John was preaching repentance and heralding the first coming of Christ in the flesh, so the main work of the Church is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus-Christ through words and deeds in preparation for His second Coming as King and Judge of all the earth.

This is what the LORD says:

 “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches. 24But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth—for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.…

Jesus said: “Among those born of women there is none greater than John, yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he".

 How is it possible?

 

 Here the Lord is making a connection with the attitude of John "He must increase, but I must decrease" John 3:30 and the attitude that should be the distinct characteristic of the servant of God found in Philippians 2:5-8:  
 "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

In the eyes of the Savior, humility and faithfulness in announcing the Gospel of Salvation and knowing and obeying the Lord are more important than being perceived as a great spiritual leader by performing miracles, signs and wonders.
 
Here are some ways to be Christlike from Paul´s exhortation to the Philipians to demonstrate a loving attitude and behavior in their midst that caused him to rejoice through their "fellowship of the spirit, affection and compassion":

• Being of the same mind,
• Maintaining the same love,
• United in spirit,
• Intent on one purpose Philipians 2:1-2

Divine agape love is manifested in attitudes perfectly described also by Paul in I Corinthians and through examples of actions throughout the Epistles. 

Lord Jesus, our love supreme example 
In chapter 13 of John, Jesus shows His disciples how to serve one another after having loved those who belonged to Him in this world by soon showing them His sacrificial love on the cross. Obviously, it is the love of Jesus through the Holy Spirit in the believers, for Jesus said: ” Without me you can do nothing." 

These attitudes and actions are based on the actions of Jesus at the Last Supper. The Lord Jesus will never ask us to do something He didn’t demonstrate to us while He was on this earth. 

In John 15:12-14 Jesus reminds us that: "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you.… "

Paul uses a superlative when he describes the face of love: “And now. I will show you the most excellent way.” I Corinthians 12:31.

Going back to John, chapter 13, verse 1 states that Jesus: “having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love, or he loved them to the last.” Another superlative!

The following scene while He washes the disciples’ feet shows us the example of love in action, first in the Savior’s attitude of humility and then by the practice of service to His disciples. It is in this service to our brothers and sisters in the church, our spiritual family, whatever their needs might be, that we find the answer to the question: “What would Jesus do?"

How did He demonstrate His love for them?
With the right attitude of a servant:

• Kneeling is a posture of humility, respect and readiness for service. 
• Taking his clothes off shows vulnerability (figuratively)
• Acceptance of others, whoever they may be (not the acceptance of, nor participation in their sins or their sinful life style). Ex: Judas who was not  a true believer was not sent away until before Jesus started the teaching on the Holy Spirit which can be shared only with true believers. He not only allowed Judas to partake of the last supper, but He also washed His feet. 
• Focus on the work at hand: Jesus who knew that Judas was about to betray Him didn’t rebuke him and send him away. He was focused and refused to be distracted by His knowledge of the heart of man and the terrible next few days leading up to His death.

Further down, Jesus tells His disciples: “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” and elsewhere “it is more blessed to give than to receive”. It is wonderful to receive instructions from our Lord and to get the understanding from the Holy Spirit, but the blessing comes from applying the teaching of life and truth which results in bearing fruit.

Jesus’ teaching is not only about the spiritual side of life but also about practical preparation. The work of God is done on both levels. Luke 12: 42, 43 tells us that the faithful servant feeds the other workers their portion of food, at the right time. But before that, the table must be set, the floor cleaned, the chairs properly arranged. Is it not the duty of the deacons or the persons in charge in the church to make sure that everything is ready in order for the service to begin and for the pastor to feed the flock with the Word of God?

Old Testament examples of preparing the way for others
When Israel was in the desert, the Angel of the Lord went before the people preparing the way for them. The 12 spies were sent to the land before the Israelites were to go in. The 2 spies went to Jericho before the army marched around and defeated its inhabitants. David prepared the way for Solomon to build the temple by giving to him the instructions and the plans that the Lord had revealed to him.
The prophets prepared the way by proclaiming the word of the Lord before a battle or when instructing the people of Israel.

Examples found in the New Testament as well 
Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare the way for the Lord to have the Passover supper with His disciples. In Acts 19:9 the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him not to fear the Corinthians because He had many people in this city. He was preparing the way for Paul to preach, teach and plant churches. And even now the Lord Himself is preparing the way for us to meet Him one day soon and be with Him eternally. He is preparing us a new tabernacle to dwell in, a new glorified body fit for heaven.

Jesus said: “Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s kingdom there are many dwelling places, I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you with me that you also may be where I am”. What marvelous words of comfort from the very lips of our Lord and Savior!

The Holy Spirit was sent to us to reveal to us the Lord Jesus, His person, His works in us and through us. 

The people of Israel were to follow the presence of the Lord in the ark of the covenant. Now under the new covenant of the blood of Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells in the believer guiding him, instructing him what to do, where to go, what to say and how to say it just as the Father did with His son Jesus while He was on this earth. 

We will know where to go and what to do because our Lord Jesus delights in revealing His will to His faithful servants who want to do His will and please Him in everything. 
Joshua 3:4-5 (NIV) Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits^[a] between you and the ark; do not go near it.”⁵ Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

The Lord has given His body various positions of leadership and various spiritual gifts to help us grow and do works of service, but it is the responsibility of all the members to be diligent and not only serve others, but prepare the way so each of us might serve more effectively.

Ways in which we can prepare the way to help other people       For example, a husband not only helps his wife by praying for her and with her, but also anticipates her needs, physical and emotional. He can relieve the burden of a hard day, by helping her with the household chores or taking care of the children. This is not only washing her feet and washing with the water of the word, but preparing the path on which she will walk more safely, surely and securely.

Let's remember that we are sheep and we follow, but also shepherds who go in front of whoever the Lord has given us to watch over and to prepare the way for them to follow the great and good Shepherd more closely. We can also warn the people of the many stumbling blocks and traps from the enemy, remove the stones, so to speak and make their paths smoother.

A neighbor can do the same by praying for a neighbor’s salvation and provides some help and fellowship in order to show them the love of Christ and witness to them and invite them to church.

All this can be done to prepare the way for the Lord coming. This is a way to help all parts of the body of Christ, our brothers and sisters to grow into the fullness that the Lord intended for us.

Someone helped us and prepared the way by showing us kindness and talking to us about the Lord Jesus and how to be saved. May each of us do the same and in this way fulfill the commands of our Lord to reproduce and produce good fruits for His kingdom and His glory.

In closing, here is a quote from the New Testament looking forward to the time in which the Lord will bring down the New Jerusalem from Heaven:

In Revelation, we find the same words of promise spoken in Isaiah by the Savior Himself:
“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me And I will give to everyone According to what he has done… Blessed are those who wash their robes That they may have the right to the tree of life And go through the gates into the city”. Revelation 22:12,14.

Amen, Come Lord Jesus.

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