The Color of Worship - Silver

 2 Corinthians 6:16, 17

What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of The Living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” 

“Therefore come out from among them and be separate," says The Lord. "Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 

    Silver is the color of sanctification, of purification, of being set apart {separated from} for The Lord's glory and purpose. Thirty pieces of silver was the redemption price of both slave {Exodus 21:32}and under-valued shepherd. {Zechariah 11:10-13; Matthew 26:15; 27:3-10}. 

    In Zechariah 11:10-14 silver shekels forewarn of the breaking of two covenants because of their refusal to listen to Him. The first covenant broken was the covenant of peculiarity, of being singled out by God to be His own {Zechariah 11:10; Matthew 21:43; Romans 11:20-22}. The second covenant broken {Zechariah 11:14; Jeremiah 19:1-13; Matthew 27:9} was the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. No longer would they get along with each other in brotherly love, but now they hate each other because of the abundance of sin in their camps, in their hearts.  

    Only in Christ have the two covenants been restored. Only in Christ has God redeemed a people who were not His own. Only in Christ has God redeemed His elect, the people He called to be His own though they rejected Him time and again. Only in Christ can we love one another with the love of Christ. Only in Christ is anything made possible that seems impossible. 

SANCTIFICATION 

    Hebrews 9:22

According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

    Exodus 30:11-16 tells us that the silver given for the building of the tabernacle was the atonement price paid to ransom each man's life who consented to being numbered in the census. Therefore silver represents the atoning power of Christ to redeem us from sin and death. 

    Romans 3:25 - Christ Our Atoning Sacrifice

God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice in His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.

    1 John 2:2

He Himself is The Atoning Sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. {John 3:16} 

    1 John 4:10

And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as The Atoning Sacrifice for our sins.

    Hebrews 2:17

For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, in order to make atonement for the sins of the people. 

PURIFICATION

    1 Peter 1:22

Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.

    Zechariah 13:9

This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My Name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’” [Hosea 2:23; Jeremiah 31:33]

    1 Peter 1:6, 7

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

SEPARATED

    1 Peter 2:9 

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

     1 Thessalonians 2:4

 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, Who tries our hearts.

    2 Timothy 2:15

Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles The Word of Truth. 

    2 Corinthians 10:18

For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

    Jeremiah 9:24

But 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.

    

    

    

    

    

    

Prayer Cards - Prayers of The Saints

 

Revelation 5:8

When He had taken the scroll,

 the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders

fell down before The Lamb. 
Each one had a harp, 

and they were holding golden bowls full of incense,

which are the prayers of the saints. 

    So much going on in this verse, but we are centralizing today's study on the last five words: the prayers of the saints. With that thought in mind let us first see what denotes a saint. We cannot use the dictionary for this, as it is opposed to what a saint is according to the Bible/Scriptures. 

    Strong's Exhaustive Concordance describes "saint" as: unlike any other, different (distinguished/distinct), likeness of nature with The Lord because [it means] different from the world, set apart (for God)

    Are saints only in the New Testament? No. Saints are mentioned in the Old Testament, as well. Here in Daniel 7:18 "saints" refers to "the holy ones (of God)", they who are set apart for God's purpose because they have chosen to believe in and obey The God of Israel, Almighty God. Following this definition there were many saints spoken of in the Old Testament. This verse is Psalms tells us best:    

    Psalm 64:10  The righteous shall be glad in The LORD, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory (exult).

    ~The people whom God has chosen for His own are not always saints. Too many times people reject God as their God. They refuse to obey His Will, will not acknowledge His Word and rebel against His Spirit. They set up their own gods (idols) to worship and pray to. They bring their gifts and offerings to empty nothingness and their prayers will not be heard by The True God, The Living God.~

    God chose to send His only Begotten Son into the world to save the world, the whole world not just parts of it. But we need to choose Him back. It is not enough to say, 'I believe in God', we must also choose to be obedient to His Word and listen to His Holy Spirit, Who will lead us on the path of holiness and transform us into levels of holiness until we meet God face to face. It's not an easy life path to walk, but it's definitely worth the effort. 

    John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in The Name of the only begotten Son of God." 

    -The saints of The Most High reject evil, and love The Lord - Psalm 97:10

    -The holy ones sit at His feet and receive His Word - Deuteronomy 33:3

    -The blessed of The Father will inherit a kingdom He has prepared - Matthew 25:34

    -The blameless have an inheritance that will last forever - Psalm 37:18

    -A kingdom and priests who serve God - Revelation 5:10

    -Priests of God and Christ over whom the second death 

    has no power - Revelation 20:6

    -Sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus - Galatians 3:26

    What are prayers? A subject we speak of almost everyday. Forty-seven days and counting so far. We have learned thus far that prayers are our vital source of communication with our God. We commune with Him. 

    Psalm 77:6 I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. (KJV) 

    Other versions translate this word 'commune' as: search my soul (NLT), mused (BSB), with my heart I conversed (BLB), meditate in my heart (ESV), think very carefully (NET Bible), consider in my heart (New Heart English Bible). 

    When we pray to our God, we don't always use words. In fact, it isn't always just us speaking to God from deep within in our hearts: His Spirit within us reaches out to the heart of God in His own voice. Romans 8:26 'In the same way, The Spirit helps us in our weakness (infirmities). For we do not know how we ought to pray, but The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.' 

    The prayers of the saints are the prayers that have reached God's hearing, gotten His attention and are motivated by the love of God within us. We desire to see His kingdom come. We long to see our families, our friends, and our communities filled with the knowledge of saving grace through faith in The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ. 

    Our prayers move mountains, obstacles we sometimes see as impassable, but know and believe that our Lord will move for us through our faith in Him. That mustard seed faith that makes mountains move from one place to another (Matthew 17:20); that causes mountains to be wet and sunken under water (Mark 11:23). 

    Our prayers are constant (1 Thessalonians 5:17). From our waking to our resting, our hearts and our minds are focused on interceding for everyone. These prayers are not just for people we know, but people we don't know. We pray that the gospel message is delivered everywhere, that all may know The Name by which all men must be saved. 

    I am a saint. And I'm praying for you. 

NOT IN A HURRY - Will Reagan/United Pursuit

    

 

Statements of Faith - Sanctified and Set Apart

 

Ephesians 5:25-27

Husband, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of The Word,That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

SANCTIFIED

    When Jesus prayed for you and I in the garden on the night of His arrest (John 17:17), He prayed for God to sanctify us with His Truth, with His Word. It is only with God's Word that we can be saved, sanctified and set apart for Himself. 

    To ignore or disregard The Word of God is to bring condemnation on one's self. To remove any part of The written Word from The Scriptures or to add anything to The written Word is to bring judgment and destruction upon one's self (Revelation 22:19).

    God's Word is powerful:  Hebrews 4:12. It burns:  Jeremiah 23:29; Psalm 97:5 & Nahum 1:5; Malachi 3:1-3; 4:1. God's Word increases and spreads: Acts 12:24. The Word of God is Alive and lives in every believer: 1 John 2:14. 

    The Word of God sanctifies ( purifies, makes holy) the hearts of every believer who has The Word living in him or her. The Word is holy and demands a holy dwellingplace. He cannot live where sin dwells: only in a righteous man or righteous woman or righteous child. The Word of God cannot reside in anyone who declares themselves to be other than what God has made them to be. Be warned: God will not be mocked. 

    You who think you can live any lifestyle you want to and still make it to heaven are only fooling yourselves. The day will come when they who live in sin will be judged by God for their self-centered lifestyles. Everything that is not of God will be burned up by His holy fire. Now is the day of repentance. Now is the time to answer God's call on your lives to turn from sin and turn to God. 

    Today is the day of salvation for someone reading this. Today is the day of reckoning and getting our hearts right with The Word of God. Tomorrow is not promised. We can pray anywhere, so whenever you make your way to the cross where Christ died for our sins, that is the right time to confess our sins and receive forgiveness from God. No man or woman can forgive us. absolve us,  for the sins we have committed against The Word: only God can forgive those who sin against Him. 

SET APART

    Every believer of The Word of God is not only sanctified by The Word but we are set apart by The Word. We are different from the world (John 17:14). We are strange and peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9). We are called by God to listen to Him and to Love like him: (1 John 4:6) and (John 13:34). 

    In this Love of God expresses through God's Word we are able to love like God. We show compassion and mercy and lovingkindness to everyone we meet, even if they don't love us back. We love anyway. We are bold in The Spirit for The Spirit of God is with us. We are fearless for our God is always with us. We are Christians, faithful followers of Christ Jesus, and we serve a risen Savior and coming King. 

    While we pray, Come, Lord Jesus, come, we also pray for the salvation of souls who need Jesus. We pray for the salvation of Israel (Romans 9:33 - 10:1) and the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). We are praying people because we have a God Who hears us and answers our prayers. Especially the prayer that brings us into His kingdom. 

    So we beg you, Come to Jesus. Come today. 

    ANCIENT WORDS

IN CHRIST ALONE

ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER . 

A Crucified Life - - Is Received By The Lord

 

2 Corinthians 6:17

"Therefore come out from among them and be separate," says the Lord. "Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 873

Separate: set apart

From the Greek word 'aphorizó' (pronounced af-or-id'-zo): separate from a boundary (a previous condition/situation).

    Being saved and filled with the Spirit isn't enough to remain untouched by the world. We have to make that hard and sometimes difficult decision to set ourselves apart from the unrighteousness that is in our churches. Our testimony should stand out so much that they who practice wicked living are drawn to us so they can have what we have: a strong relationship with Jesus Christ and a faith-filled lifestyle in the Holy Spirit.

    We are commanded by our Lord and Savior to "come out from among" the unclean. Our lives are to be living witnesses of Christ in us. We are to reflect His image and shine His Light and His Love into the sinful world around us. This includes our family members who are not walking with Christ. 

    As it was when Jesus began His ministry, so it is with us. His own town at first rejected Him. The city of Nazareth recognized Him only as a homeboy, not as the Savior they so desperately needed. They tried to kill Him. Luke 4:16-30. 

    We need to step up and make a firm decision to live for God in Christ. Though we are becoming holy people we are not 'holier than thou people' nor are we 'better than you' people. We are sinners who have been changed into saints because of our faith in Christ. The people around us need to see the change in us. Be amazed. Wonder. This change needs to be so self-evident that it makes people hungry for the Word we have in us. 

    Though many will come against us, we can't let that have a negative effect on our relationship with Christ. We are a set apart and being sanctified people. Our actions need to reflect our relationship. We will set ourselves apart. 

    I used to drink. But when I got filled with the Holy Spirit, I couldn't stand the smell of alcohol: it made me sick, physically sick and nauseous. I still can't stand it. I am filled with new wine. 

    When we make that decision and stand by it, the Lord receives into Himself and unto Himself. We are grafted into the Tree (Romans 11:24). He prayed in the garden for this to be so: John 17:22,23 "I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one—I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me."

    Stop playing with sin in your church and your life and kick it out the door! There is no room for the works of Satan in the House of God. Knowing that our hearts are the dwellingplace of God when we believe, this doesn't leave room for discussion now, does it? 

    No longer should the born again Holy Spirit filled believer want to have anything to do with that which they have been delivered from. But when they do, they will be worse off than they were before. Peter refers to it as a 'dog returns to its own vomit'. 2 Peter 2:21-22. Proverbs 26:11. 

    I urge you. Come out from the wickedness around you. Set yourselves apart and follow Jesus Christ. Be filled with the Holy Spirit of God. Seek His face. Worship in His Presence. Rejoice in your victory! and glorify God with your lives. 

    A crucified life turns its back on worldly living and lives only to please God and serve Him. Let us do so.

RECEIVED BY CHRIST

Just To Be With You - Paul Baloche

Seekers of Your Heart - Sandy Patti, Larnelle Harris, Steve Green

New Wine - Hillsong Worship

Hungry - Kathryn Scott

In The Garden - Jim Reeves

Just A Closer Walk With Thee - Randy Travis

Better Than Life - Phil Wickham

I Know Whom I Have Believed

    

Signs & Wonders of Christ's Arrival - - The Consecrated Lamb

 

Luke 2:22, 23

22. And when the time of purification according to the Law of Moses was complete, His parents brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 

23. (as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to the Lord”).

First, He is conceived. Second, He is circumcised. Now He is consecrated. 

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 2564

Consecrated: to call; I call, summon, invite; I call, name

From the Greek word 'kaleó' (pronounced kal-eh'-o). To call forth, to bid (command, direct). 

CONSECRATED FIRSTBORN MALES

Exodus 13:2

"Consecrate to Me every firstborn male. The firstborn from every womb among the Israelites belongs to Me, both of man and beast."

Numbers 8:17

For every firstborn male in Israel is Mine, both man and beast. I set them apart for Myself on the day I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. 

By this it is our understanding that consecrate means "to set apart, be separate from". When we have a dedication ceremony, we are setting apart our firstborn sons to God's service. At it's foundational meaning consecrated means 'called out from among, called aside, called to be set apart from'. 

To fulfill the Law, after Mary's days of purification had ended, she and Joseph brought their six-week old son to the temple for His consecration, along with a pair of turtledoves.  

Leviticus 12:8

But if she cannot afford a lamb, she shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean. 

We know that they brought a Lamb who would one day become the Atonement for our sins, but on that day, in their poverty, all they could bring was their son and a pair of turtledoves. 

THE LAMB  OF  GOD

Leviticus 12:4, 6-8 are a type and shadow of the atoning power of God in Christ that were to come during His crucifixion. Having been set apart for God's service, first by His heavenly Father, He is again set apart for God's service by His earthly father, Joseph. A double-portion, if you will. A double blessing is His. 

John the Baptist called Him God's Lamb: John 1:29 "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

A perfect Lamb. An unblemished Lamb. A silent Lamb. God's Lamb. 

Isaiah 53:7

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

THE LAMB HAS A VOICE

Have you met the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world? He is Redeemer, Savior, Friend. He is JESUS. And He's calling you and I to step away from the world and into His embrace, His love, His light. He's calling us by name (John 10:14, 15, 27), Come. Come to Me and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28) Come and dine (Isaiah 55:1; Matthew 5:6; John 7:37, 38).

And He's calling you and I to Follow Him (Matthew 4:19), to suffer with Him(1 Peter 4:1), and to carry our cross (Matthew 16:24; Luke 9:23, 24). That's why He came. That's why He was wrapped in flesh and laid in a manger. That's my Jesus. And I'm sticking like glue to Him. The psalmist wrote in Psalm 63:8 "My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me." 

Today, let us follow close behind Him. Let us take up our crosses and suffer for His sake, for His Name.  

LAMB OF GOD by Chris Bowater

REDEEMER, SAVIOR, FRIEND by B.C./A.D.

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS by Jaime Cortez

YOU ARE MY ALL IN ALL by The Gaither Vocal Band

Separated

 

2 CORINTHIANS 6:17

"Therefore come out from among them and be separate," says the Lord. "Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."

Separate: to set boundaries, to set or place apart

Matthew 25:31-35, 41

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne.

All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.

Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'

Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'

Revelation 18:4

"Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or contract any of her plagues." 

If we don't separate ourselves now, the LORD God will separate folks later. A conscious decision has to be made to commit one's self to a life lived according to God's will and God's purpose for us. 

It is not that we 'cannot' do what we used to do before we got saved, it's that we choose not to do what used to do. Nor do we want to do or be what we got saved from. We want to live a separated life unto God.

 Sin separates a person from God. Sin is unholiness. Sin is unrighteousness. Sin is disobedience to God's Word. To die in sin is to be forever, eternally, separated from God. There is no changing one's mind after death. And a person cannot be prayed into heaven by another after death. The decision to follow Christ must be made this side of heaven, this side of eternity, this side of breath.

Today is your day of salvation. Today is the day you give your heart to God. Today is the day you surrender your bodies as living sacrifices to God. Today is your day to believe that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD. Today is your day to be filled with God's Holy Spirit and begin to live a life changed because today is the day you get saved.