Month: June 2022

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Mid-week Manna

TO STILL FEED ON ‘MILK’ IS TO BE ‘LEFT BEHIND’ BY THOSE WHO ‘WALK FASTER’ IN THESE LAST DAYS

MID-WEEK MANNA FROM PASTOR NAT’S DESK:

TO STILL FEED ON ‘MILK’ IS TO BE ‘LEFT BEHIND’ BY THOSE WHO ‘WALK FASTER’ IN THESE LAST DAYS

“For when for the time ye ought to be TEACHERS, ye have need that one TEACH YOU AGAIN which be the FIRST principles of the Word of God; and are BECOME such as have need of MILK, and NOT THE STRONG MEAT. For everyone that useth milk is UNSKILFUL IN THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth unto them that are of FULL AGE [intellectually and spiritually mature], even those who BY REASON OF USE have their SENSES [and conscience] EXERCISED to DISCERN both good and evil.” Heb. 5:12-14, KJV (emphasis mine).

Dear fellow “ten virgins” who profess to be “waiting” for the soon-coming Bridegroom (Matt.25: 1-13), the night is far spent! “And that knowing the time, that NOW IT IS HIGH TIME to awake”’out of spiritual slumber “for NOW is our salvation NEARER than when we first believed!” (Rom. 13: 11-14).

“It is TOO LATE in the day to feed with milk [of the gospel]. If souls A MONTH OR TWO old in the truth, WHO ARE ABOUT TO ENTER THE ‘TIME OF TROUBLE, SUCH AS NEVER WAS’ [Dan. 12: 1], cannot hear all the STRAIGHT TRUTH, or ENDURE the ‘strong meat’ of the straightness of the way [of ‘the straight and narrow way’ that leads to eternal life] HOW will they STAND in the day of battle [of the final test of mankind, Rev. 13 and 14]? Truths that we have been YEARS learning must be learned in a FEW MONTHS by those who NOW embrace the THIRD ANGEL’S MESSAGE [Rev. 14: 6-12].

“There is NO NEED of milk after souls are convinced of the truth [the present testing truths]. As SOON as the conviction of truth is YIELDED to and the heart WILLING, the truth should have its effect. The truth will work like leaven, and PURIFY and PURGE away the passions of the natural [carnal] heart.

“It is a DISGRACE for those who have been IN THE TRUTH FOR YEARS to talk of feeding souls who have been MONTHS IN THD TRUTH, upon milk! It SHOWS they KNOW LITTLE of the leadings of the Holy Spirit of the Lord, and REALIZE NOT THE TIME WE ARE LIVING IN.

“Those who embrace the truth [of the third Angel’s message] now will have to STEP FAST. There will have to be a breaking up of the HEART before the Lord, a RENDING of the heart, and NOT THE GARMENT” [not in word but in deed; not the form but the substance].”- E. G. White.MS #1, Feb. 12, 1854/ 1 MR, pp. 33,34.

Bless all. To be continued next MWM, God willing, NMF.

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Mid-week Manna

THE SCRIBES SAID HE WAS ‘BEELZEBUB,’ WHILE DEMONS ADDRESSED HIM, ‘JESUS, THOU SON OF GOD’

MID-WEEK MANNA FROM PASTOR NAT’S DESK:
June 22, 2022

THE SCRIBES SAID HE WAS ‘BEELZEBUB,’ WHILE DEMONS ADDRESSED HIM, ‘JESUS, THOU SON OF GOD’

Indeed, “truth is stranger than fiction,” i.e., Bible truth, specifically, “the truth AS IT IS in Jesus” (Eph. 4:21). This alone satisfies the demands of “THE truth, the WHOLE truth, and NOTHING BUT the truth,” for, Christ alone is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

It is only His truth and enabling grace that can “free us” from slavery to the natural propensities and inherited weaknesses to sin, and deliverance from Satan’s power to seduce, tempt, deceive, confuse, vex, and annoy with his numberless schemes. See Matt. 8: 28-34; Mark 1:21-28.

In a jaw-dropping contradiction of role-reversals, as recorded in the New Testament, the SCRIBES ascribed the title, Beelzebub, “the Lord of dung,” a name given to Satan, the chief of the demonic world, to Jesus! See Matt. 10: 25; Mark 3:22; Luke 11: 15.

Who were the scribes in Christ’s day? “After Ezra’s time [Ezra 7] scribes assumed influential positions among the Jews as TEACHERS of God’s Word. By the time of the Maccabees (2nd cent. BC.) they were recognized as constituting an honored profession (1 Macc 7:12).

Some of the most famous scribes of Jewry, such as Hillel, Shammai, and Gamaliel I, lived at the time of Christ’s birth and shortly thereafter. They were PHARISEES and attempted to adapt the Law of Moses [the Ceremonial law] to the times in which they lived, but could not always agree, so different schools of thought developed.

The SUBTLE interpretations of the Pharisees were considered by many to be of EQUAL value with the Law of Moses, and Jesus BITTERLY DENOUNCED the sect’s HYPOCRISY and MISINTERPRETATION of Scriptures which LED THE PEOPLE [the Jewish nation] ASTRAY (Matt. 15:1, 3; 23:15, 23, 25, 27, 29, 33).

Some of the scribes in Christ’s day were influential members of the SANHEDRIN and shared in the responsibility for His death (Matt. 26: 57-59; cf. chs 16:21: 27:41). Later some of these men also turned against the APOSTLES and had a hand in their persecution (Acts 4:5; 6:12).”-SDA Bible Dictionary, Commentary Ref. Series, Vol. 8, 1960, art. “Scribe,”p. 966.

Indeed, Jesus Christ, the promised “Seed of a woman”(Gen. 3:15; Gal. 4:4, 5) “came to His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” John 1:1-3, 10-12

To be continued in the next MWM, God willing. NMF

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Mid-week Manna

FATHER’S DAY MESSAGE

FATHER’S DAY MESSAGE FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:
June 19, 2022

The God-given duties and responsibilities of father to his children are numerous. The most important ones are: to love them (Gen. 37: 1-4); command (Gen. 18: 19, 1-33); instruct (Prov. 1: 8, 9); guide and warn (1 Thess. 2: 11, 12): train up (Prov. 22:6); rebuke (Gen. 34: 30, etc); restrain (1 Sam. 3:13; 1 Sam. 2:12-17, 22-25); punish (Deut. 21:18-21); nourish (Isa. 1: 2,3); supply their needs (Matt. 7: 8-11); not to provoke his children to anger (Eph. 6: 1-4); and to chasten with God’s discipline as described below (emphasis mine):

“And you have forgotten the exhortation. which speaks to you as to sons: My son, do not despise the CHASTENING of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are REBUKED by Him: for WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE CHASTENS, and SCOURGES every son He receives [cf. Prov. 3: 11, 12]. If you ENDURE CHASTENING, God deals with you as with SONS, for what son is there whom a FATHER DOES NOT CHASTEN? But if you are WITHOUT chastening, of which all of you have become partakers, then you are ILLEGITIMATE (bastards, KJV), and NOT SONS. Furthermore, we have had HUMAN FATHERS who corrected us, and we paid them RESPECT, Shall we not MUCH MORE READILY BE IN SUBJECTION TO THE FATHER OF SPIRITS, AND LIVE? For they [our human fathers] for a FEW DAYS chastened us AS SEEMED BEST to them, but HE [our heavenly Father] for OUR PROFIT, that we may be PARTAKERS OF HIS HOLINESS!

Now no chastening seems to be JOYFUL FOR THE PRESENT BUT GRIEVOUS: nevertheless, AFTERWARD it yields the PEACEABLE FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS to those who have been TRAINED by it [the chastening of the Father].” Heb. 12:5-11, NKJV.

Professed Christian fathers who presumptuously belittle or worse, rebelliously reject the heavenly Father’s work of chastening him in order to produce the “peaceable fruit” of Christ’s righteousness without a flaw, have disqualified themselves from chastening their own sons or “training them up” for God’s glory and eternity. Pure, fresh water cannot be obtained from corrupted wells. The source must first be purified.

Bless all fathers and grandfathers today! NMF

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Mid-week Manna

SATAN ACKNOWLEDGES CHRIST’S DIVINITY. HIS WORD AS LAW BOTH SPOKEN AND WRITTEN

MID-WEEK MANNA FROM PASTOR NAT’S DESK:
June 15, 2022

SATAN ACKNOWLEDGES CHRIST’S DIVINITY. HIS WORD AS LAW BOTH SPOKEN AND WRITTEN

First things first, read for yourself what “is “written” in Matt. 4: 1-11; Luke 4:1-13; Mark 1: 12,13. Another apostle says, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well; THE DEVILS ALSO BELIEVE, AND TREMBLE.”’ James 2: 19, KJV.

Here is common ground shared between such “believers in one God,”regardless of what religion they believe, and whoever they believe is their “God”—-with the demons or evil spirits. But whether such “believers” likewise “tremble” as the demons do in that belief is quite another thing.

The only one that can answer that is the believer himself, and God in Christ, through the Holy Spirit, in the “Word of God that is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do [give an account of ourselves.].” Heb. 4: 12, 13.

To be sure, such “belief and trembling” never makes the eternally-doomed demons (Jude 6) one iota less demons, or the merely professed believers into true believers in Christ; the latter is definitively described in these last days in these words: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12).

True to the nature of “the mystery of iniquity,” as “the father of lies and murderer from the beginning” (John 8: 44, the master deceiver, disguised as an angel of light come down from heaven, approached Jesus at the end of His forty day-and-night fasting from all food and water.

When He entered the wilderness in His incarnated flesh and blood human nature (Heb. 2: 9-18; Rom. 8: 3-10) to cope with Satan, the Son of man, of David, and of Mary,” was in much lesser advantage than was “the first Adam” (1 Cor. 15: 45-47) in his yet-sinless nature in pure Eden.

How and why? “For four thousand years the [human] race had been decreasing in physical strength, in mental power, and in moral worth; and Christ took upon Him the infirmities of degenerate humanity. [For] only thus could He rescue [deliver, save] man from the lowest depths of degradation.” (White, Desire of Ages, 117). The three types of temptations that embody the “all points in which mankind has, is, and will be tempted till the close of time.

Jesus was “tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin.” Embodied in the three great classes of temptations
that Satan, disguised as an “angel of light” (or a “wolf in sheep’s wool) attacked Jesus with, are embodied all the “points in which mankind” has, is, and will be tempted by” till the close of time.

In order that his first temptation upon appetite could sting hard, Satan had to first point out, thus acknowledging—-that the famished-from-40’days-of-fasting, recently baptized and anointed Messiah—was the Creator Himself, he cunningly suggested to create doubt, “IF thou be the SON OF GOD, COMMAND that these stones be made bread.”

The temptation of appetite/desire/lust on all things God forbids, is that which Eve and Adam yielded to, fell, and became sinners. All their progeny thus were born with sinful, not sinless nature.

Christ answered and SAID (spoke), “It is WRITTEN, ‘Man shall not live by bread [physical, literal food] alone, but by EVERY WORD that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4: 3, 4; cf. Deut. 8:3). God spoke through the patriarchs and prophets in ancient times, through His disciples and apostles in the New Testament, and through His chosen messenger-prophet in this closing phase of earth’s history in the advent movement, starting at the termination of the 2300-day prophecy of Dan. 8: 14.

That Satan yielded to the authority of the SPOKEN command and the WRITTEN word, accepting defeat with no question or quibbling, is testified by the written record that he quickly moved on to the next two classes of temptations.

To the temptation PRESUMPTION, Satan’s counterfeit of genuine faith, Christ again replied, IT IS WRITTEN, thou shalt not tempt the LORD THY GOD….” verses 5-7. To the third and last temptation of “love” (adoring; idolizing; worshipping) “the world and the things of the world,” and “the creature over the Creator,” Jesus, “the Word made flesh (John 1:1-3, 14), consistently and with certainty replied, “It is WRITTEN, Thou shalt WORSHIP THE LORD THY GOD, AND HIM ONLY SHALT THOU SERVE.”verses 8–10.

The record of Matthew says in conclusion, “Then the devil LEAVETH Him, and, behold, ANGELS [‘ministering spirits,’ Heb. 1:14; Ps. 103: 19, 20] came and ministered unto Him.” v 11. Luke’s account concludes with, “And when the devil had ENDED ALL THE TEMPTATIONS, he departed from Him FOR A SEASON (‘for a while’ only).” Luke 4: 13.

Satan continued to tempt, assail, vex, and harass Jesus till He was crucified—a Victor and Overcomer “over the world, the flesh, and the devil” by the power of IT IS WRITTEN.” Fallen, sinful mankind cannot succeed in any way other than what Jesus established in the flesh!

Until next MWM, God willing, NMF.

Categories
Mid-week Manna

CHRIST—THE LAW IN LIVING FLESH—DEMONSTRATED ITS AUTHORITY OVER SATAN AND DEMONS

MID-WEEK MANNA FROM PASTOR NAT’S DESK:
June 8, 2022

CHRIST—THE LAW IN LIVING FLESH—DEMONSTRATED ITS AUTHORITY OVER SATAN AND DEMONS (“in the mouth of two or three witnesses truth is established.”)

The awesome and reassuring truth stated in the above title that God in Christ exercises ultimate authority and power over Satan and his evil angel-demons, is witnessed to by these three “witnesses”:

Example No. 1.
The dramatic experience of the ancient patriarch who was “the richest man in the East” of his generation yet was “a perfect and upright man who escheweth evil.” Read the book of Job, written by Moses.

When God permitted Satan to afflict Job to prove his accusation that he was only faithful because of God’s blessing and protection, He defined the limits of how far Satan could employ all his most diabolical schemes and cruelty against the unsuspecting target. “Do all you want with him but kill him, God said. “Thus far and no further.” Satan immediately unleashed his scorched-earth attack upon all of Job’ s vast properties, herds, servants, then killing all his ten children of three daughters and ten sons, sparing only his wife.

Then Satan turned to his ultimate target: Job himself. Obeying God’s specified limitation of not taking away his life, Satan proceeded to torture Job, without touching him, by inflicting him with terrible boils from the crown of his head down to the soles of his feet. (Satan is the mastermind behind all manner of diseases and sicknesses that have vexed mankind since the fall). All that the disconsolate sufferer could manage to do was to “sit on ashes” and use pieces of broken pottery to scrape away the pus oozing out of the boils he could reach.

As if the imponderable loss of all his properties and ten children were not enough to break his indomitable will and patience of a saint, his wife, of all people, instead of of being his designated “helpmate and better half,” told him, adding insult to injury, “curse God and die.”

This is when and where the awe-inspiring, succinct, and concise declaration of pure faith and trust were spoken that have echoed down the stream of the ages to the very close of fine by all who have and will glorify God, pleasing Him by “doing His will in magnifying His law and making it honorable.”

Here they are as spoken by Job under extreme duress [emphasis mine[: “I have esteemed His WORDS more than my necessary food,” and “Though He slay me yet will I serve Him.” Unconditional and uncompromising fidelity, loyalty, trust, confidence and obedience to God’s word and His law! God regarded Job after by returning all that he had lost, tenfold!

Among all the astonishing takeaways from this Biblical record is that Satan, the adversary of God and man, the prince of the devils, of this world, of the power of the air, OBEYS God and His spoken command!

We will consider the next two examples in the following MWMs, God willing. Bless all, NMF

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Mid-week Manna

CHRIST THE LAW IN THE FLESH MANIFESTS POWER OVER INANIMATE CREATION

MID-WEEK MANNA FROM PASTOR NAT’S DESK:
June 1, 2022

CHRIST THE LAW IN THE FLESH MANIFESTS POWER OVER INANIMATE CREATION

“What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” Matt. 8:27, KJV.

Christ commanded the inanimate, tempest-tossed waves in the Sea of Galilee, “Peace be still.” Instantly “The storm ceases. The billows sink to rest. The clouds roll away, and the stars shine forth. The [fishing] boat rests upon a quiet sea. Then turning to His [animate] disciples, Jesus asks sorrowfully, ‘Why are ye fearful? Have ye not faith?’ Mark 4: 40, R.V.

“A hush fell upon the disciples. . . The [other] boats that had set out to accompany Jesus had been in the SAME PERIL with that of the disciples. TERROR AND DESPAIR had seized their occupants; but the [mere spoken] COMMAND of Jesus brought QUIET to the scene of tumult. The fury of the storm had driven the boats into CLOSE PROXIMITY, and all on board beheld the MIRACLE. In the calm that followed, fear was forgotten. The people whispered among themselves, ‘What manner of MAN is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?’

“When Jesus was awakened [by His terror-driven disciples] to meet the storm, He was in PERFECT PEACE. There was no trace of fear in WORD or LOOK, for no fear was in His HEART. [Words and looks are heart condition indicators].

“But Jesus ‘the Man’ rested NOT THE POSSESSION of almighty power. It was not as the ‘Master of earth and sea and sky’ that He reposed in quiet. That power He had LAID DOWN [in the incarnation], and He says, ‘I can of Mine own self do nothing.’ John 5:30.

Instead, “He TRUSTED in the Father’s might. It was IN FAITH—faith in God’s love and care that Jesus rested, and the POWER OF THAT WORD WHICH STILLED THE STORM WAS THE POWER OF GOD.

“As Jesus RESTED BY FAITH in the Father’s care, so WE are to rest on the care of our SAVIOR. If the DISCIPLES had trusted in Him, they would have been kept on PEACE. THEIR FEAR IN THE TIME OF DANGER REVEALED THEIR UNBELIEF. In their efforts to SAVE themselves, they FORGOT Jesus; and it was only WHEN, in despair of self-dependence, they TURNED to Him that He could give them HELP.

“How often the disciples’ experience is ours! When the TEMPESTS OF TEMPTATION gather, and the fierce lightnings flash, and the waves sweep over us, we battle with the the storm ALONE, FORGETTING that there is One who can help us. We trust to our OWN STRENGTH, till our hope is lost, and we are ready to perish.” (Excerpts from Desire of Ages by E. G. White, pp. 335, 336).

Are we like the inanimate waves or the animate disciples, as we battle the storms and tempests of life, particularly in these last days of earth’s probation?

Bless all. Till next week’s MWM, God willing. NMF