- araratchurch
- Oct 20, 2023
- 4 min read
“For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”
I Corinthians 9:16 NKJV
Esther was literally sitting pretty as queen over the Persian Empire when her relative, Mordecai, having learned of Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews, sought for her to appeal the Jew’s cause to the king.
At first, Esther resisted, saying that she could not approach the king unless called by him. Mordecai sent her this reply:
“For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?””
Esther 4:14 NKJV
Esther, convinced by Mordecai’s argument that she was actually chosen as queen to do this mission, accepts the call.
“Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!””
Esther 4:15-16 NKJV
Now, we know that Esther fulfilled her mission. Haman was brought to justice, the Jews were saved, and Esther and Mordecai were given great authority, all because Esther chose to act even if it would cost her everything to do so.
Prophet Isaiah gives a wonderful account of God’s call to him.
“Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” And he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people, ‘Listen carefully, but do not understand. Watch closely, but learn nothing.’ Harden the hearts of these people. Plug their ears and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to me for healing.””
Isaiah 6:8-10 NLT
Isaiah was to be a prophet to his own people, speaking the judgment of God in the period leading up to the Babylonian Captivity, as well as revealing God’s plans to send salvation to His people. Indeed, Isaiah saw the Suffering Servant Who would prove to be Jesus Christ!
“He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:3-5 NKJV
Yes, it was granted to Isaiah to see the ultimate Sacrifice, as well as His everlasting Kingdom to come.
“But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist. “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.”
Isaiah 11:4-6, 9 NKJV
Isaiah saw all these wonderful things, becoming one of the greatest among the prophets, simply because he responded to the call of God, saying, “Here am I! Send me.”
Indeed, the Bible is full of people who emerge from obscurity to do great things, simply because they accepted a specific call from God, in a specific timeframe.
Paul, after describing his call from the Lord to King Agrippa, declares that he had accepted the call of Christ, and had remained faithful to it.
“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.”
Acts 26:19-20 NKJV
Bear in mind, the Lord, in ordering Ananias to go pray for Paul, painted quite a solemn picture of what Paul was being called to do.
“But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.””
Acts 9:15-16 NKJV
And, yes, Ananias accepted his own specific call!
“And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.”
Acts 9:17-18 NKJV
Now—just imagine—all the wonderful things the apostle Paul did—as well as being accredited to Paul—are accredited to the faithful servant, Ananias, who prayed for Paul at the request of the Lord!
In our opening scripture we see Paul expressing the urgency he felt concerning his call. And, he was faithful to it unto death.
Next time we’ll discuss more about answering God’s call.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Sep 19, 2023
- 4 min read
“All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:27-30 NKJV
A while back the Lord spoke in my spirit saying that the burning question everyone has that must be answered is, “What must I do to be saved?”
Now, Paul and Silas had been badly beaten and then thrown in jail. Indeed, they were put in the inner prison and fastened securely in stocks. The jailer was instructed that they must be kept securely.
At midnight Paul and Silas were having a prayer meeting, praying and singing to the Lord.
Suddenly there was a great earthquake, opening all the doors of the prison and loosening everyone’s chains.
The keeper of the prison awakened from sleep, and seeing what had happened, drew his sword to kill himself.
However, everything was about to change for this jailer.
“But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.” Acts 16:28-34 NKJV
We see that the jailer asked Paul and Silas the question the Lord referenced to me. And, that was the beginning of a whole new life for him and his household.
Now, the part of what the Lord had spoken to me about which I needed clarification, was referencing the question: “What must I do to be saved,” as burning in everyone’s soul.
Surely, we see millions of people who are living their lives according their own dictates, never concerned about being “saved.” But what I came to understand is that they are asking the question, but they’re “asking” it to the wrong source.
In other words, people seeking after things of this world have a hole in their soul, and they’re seeking to fill it with what the world has to offer. They know they need something more than what they have, they sense their need to be “saved” from that feeling. But, they haven‘t asked about it as a response to hearing the Gospel. Sadly, this even applies to those who may have been presented the Gospel but haven’t heard it in their spirit (been convicted).
Nicodemus came to Jesus at night wanting to know more about Him. In Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus He makes a statement known by all Christians. We will look at it in its context:
“No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send 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. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”” John 3:13-21 NKJV
Of course, I was referencing John 3:16. However, within this passage we see the answer to what God did for us through Jesus Christ as well as why some will not receive what God offers. Yes, many are called (given the invitation) but few are chosen (few respond, see Matthew 22:14).
In our opening scripture we see the Lord‘s offer to give rest to the weary sin-sick soul. That call to come to Him is a call given to EVERYONE.
Sadly, we know that some do not accept that invitation. But—for those who do—just like the jailer overseeing Paul and Silas, a wonderful new life has begun.
Today we have briefly examined the call we all are given. Tomorrow we will look into some biblical examples of specific callings, or missions, given to individuals.
Peace to you. Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him! #ThePropheticWord
- araratchurch
- Sep 19, 2023
- 2 min read
In preparation for our discussion over the next five days, please carefully read and meditate on these passages of scripture:
“Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”” Judges 13:2-5 NKJV
“Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”” I Samuel 16:1 NKJV
“And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”” Esther 4:13-14 NKJV
“Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”” Acts 9:1-6 NKJV
“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” II Peter 1:10-11 NKJV
The Bible is full of people who answered “The Call.”
On the other hand, we also see people who didn’t answer it, or fell short of fulfilling it.
What IS “The Call”? Have YOU answered it?
Let’s examine “The Call” together over the next five days!
Peace to you. Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him! #ThePropheticWord