Don't Stop Now!

Guest post by uncleministry

"Jesus answered, 'Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.'" - Luke 13:2-3

 

Brothers and sisters, the church is in peril. No, not in the sense that it will "perish" as stated above, for Jesus said "the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). However, a recent disturbing study has shown that only 3 percent of "Christians" read their Bibles 4 or more times a week! I wonder how many are reading 7 days a week? This begs the question, "Would anybody intentionally not eat for a day or more for no reason?" Of course not. We all need physical food and water to live! But that apparently doesn't seem to connect with many when it comes to their spiritual lives. Did we forget that Jesus is "the bread of life" (John 6:35), and the source of "living water" (John 7:38)? How can ANY believer live without that?

Not only are believers not reading the Word of God, but they are also forsaking the true fellowship in the gathering of the church, which results in abandoning our corporate prayer, petitioning God to help us all not to fall into the "temptation" of neglect. We are in a serious battle, my friends. God has promised He will never leave us or forsake us, but if we don't keep our eyes on Him, we WILL sink, just like Peter did. The race is NOT over, but many are stopping short of Finish Line. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever" (1 Corinthians 9:24-25). "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:1-2).

 

Satan knows his time is growing short (Revelation 12:12), and he is pulling out all the stops to prevent us from completing our mission. The time is now to turn back to what we all know is the most important thing. Yes, it's time to REPENT brothers and sisters. If we don't, we lose. Don't give up now. The finish line is in sight, if we take the time to look for it. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers" (Galatians 6:9-10). "And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing" (2 Timothy 4:8). So don't forget to, "Look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near" (Luke 21:28)!

Lord, we ask Your forgiveness for our sin of neglect, regardless of how small it may seem. All around us we see that the clock is coming closer each day to the time of Your return. Help us to keep our eyes on You and the work You have given us to do. Thank You for the great love You have shown us and the blessing of including us in Your Kingdom. You have never given up on us. Help us to not give up on You. May all we do be for Your glory and honor, on that Day when You appear. Amen!

God bless you all on our Mission every day as we walk in His love through the power of the Spirit for His glory!

U.N.C.L.E. HQ

We wish to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ without whom this ministry would not be possible.

U.N.C.L.E. Ministry is affiliated ONLY with Jesus Christ to build up the body of believers who comprise His church…for His glory!

 

Lessons from laundry (a God moment story)

Doing laundry is a process. It’s not what I’d call a favorite pastime, but I’m happy with the end result of having clean clothes to wear. This past week, my son put a load of laundry in about the time I was going to bed. I told him I’d fluff it in the morning since I’m the first to rise in our household. And, thank the Lord, I remembered there was laundry in the dryer to fluff at 5:00 a.m. When the dryer buzzed, I decided to do him a favor and fold it. As I was going through the process, the Lord showed me this whole laundry process was like sanctification. While I folded, I pondered this fresh perspective, and I’ll probably never look at doing the laundry in the same way.

 

…Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:11).

God's sanctification process

Before I get into the insights I enjoyed that morning while doing laundry with the Lord, let’s talk about what sanctification is. In the Bible, the Greek word used is hagiasmos and it means "holiness." In 1 Cor. 6:11 it means "to make holy.” In the context of today’s verse, he is reminding the Christians that they have been washed, and that their current behavior did not match up with who they were in Christ. The activities they were involved in and the way they treating each other mirrored that of godless people who weren’t even part of the kingdom of God. Bottom line, they were acting like they weren’t saved. Paul goes on to remind them that their salvation and how they live are not separate things. Our lives should reflect Him in us as we become more like him. This is sanctification.

Now, let’s go back to the laundry. If I say I’m doing laundry, but don’t do it, then the laundry is not done. If I put the laundry in the washer, but I don’t add soap, it is not done. If I put the laundry in the washer with soap and run it, but I don’t give it a second thought, then it is not done. Even if I put it out on the line or in the dryer to dry, it is not completed. Even when it is folded and put away, we are not wearing it. It’s not being applied. 

  That morning when I fluffed the load and folded it, I didn’t have to do it. I didn't do it just because it was a good deed. I did it because I loved the person I was doing it for. And that was the revelation the Lord gave me. I did it because I loved. And this is the same reason we live for the Lord and allow him to clean us up from the inside out. Sanctification is like daily wearing the clothes he washed in His righteousness. When they get dirty again, we are to apply his holiness “by the washing with water through the word” (Eph. 5:25). Each time we do this, we become more the person he wants us to be.

Book Trailer: The Inheritance by Donna Sundblad

For those who follow this blog, you know I started it back when my book The Inheritance came out. This Christian fantasy is written in the allegorical style of books like The Pilgrim's progress but set within a fantasy backdrop. The story follows a young man by the name of Jejune who decides to head to the Eternal City, but every village, along the River of Tradition, offers a different way to gain citizenship there. They can't all be right! How can he find his way?

I thought I'd share the latest book trailer. Enjoy! (And while you are there, please take a moment to "like" or share it. Much appreciated.

The Inheritance book trailer 

 

 

Call upon the name of the LORD in faith

It’s a new year, a new start, and an opportunity to hone our daily habits to become more the people God wants us to be from the inside out. I gave up New Year’s resolutions decades ago because they tend to go by the wayside quite quickly. Instead, I set goals—targets toward progress (that is measurable) in what I hope to accomplish. In my case, one of those goals is to continue my quest to become a person of prayer.

Calling upon Jehovah the "becoming one"

In Lord Teach Us to Pray, we looked at the model prayer Jesus gave to his disciples in Luke 11 when they asked Him to teach them to pray. Not how to pray but to pray. That model reveals that as a child of God, our relationship opens the door to God and all the way back in the book of Genesis we see that people called upon the name of the Lord.

To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord (Gen. 4:26)

If we look at the original Hebrew, this verse reads “And to Seth, also to him there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.”

 

Notice that LORD is all capital letters. In How do we praise the name of God, I talked about how God’s personal or proper name in Hebrew is not pronounceable. It is written as YHWH or JHVH and today articulated as Yahweh or Jehovah. In the Old Testament, it is written in all caps as LORD and rather than being a proper noun it is actually a verb and means “the becoming one ” or “I am.” It is a name by which God reveals his desired relationship with you. He is willing to become to you what your need is (notice I'm not saying want but need). An example of this is found in Proverbs 18:10.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe (Proverbs 18:10).

Jehovah the strong tower

In this case, “the becoming one” becomes a strong tower we can run into to be safe. Here the word for safe means, "to be high, be inaccessibly high" or out of reach. Life throws all kinds of things our way. Just look at what we’ve lived through since Covid 19 entered the world. Even in a world filled with anxiety and fear, Jehovah (Yahweh) becomes everything we might possibly need. It doesn't mean we won't get Covid or that none of our loved one will get Covid. Understandably, that is what most of us want. What we need to understand is that even if we get Covid or even die of Covid, that our souls are out of reach of Covid. Believers are "safe." God becomes what we need.

In future posts we will look at some of the compound names of God such as:

• Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide)
• Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner)
• Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shepherd)
• Joehvah Rophe (The Lord Who Heals)
• Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts) The Lord of Powers
• Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Is Peace)
• Jehovah Shammah (The Lord Is There)
• Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness)
• Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Sanctifies You) The Lord Who Makes Holy

As I call upon the LORD, in faith, I believe he is my righteousness, that He is the Lord who sanctifies me, and the Lord who will provide as I ask him to grow me into a person of prayer.

Happy New Year. Be blessed.

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How do we praise the name of God?

 

What does it mean to praise the name of the LORD? Part of prayer is praise but how exactly do we do that? I don’t want it to just be empty lip service. I want it to be the real deal. When Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, in Luke 11:1, he gave them a model prayer. Not to pray those exact words over and over, but to learn to pray by using it as a template. Not just how to pray, but to actually pray.

In my post, Lord, teach us to pray (Part 1), we looked at the importance of the use of the word “Father” in that model prayer and how it shows the need for a relationship with God before we can pray. We also looked at how when we pray “our Father,” that father is not God’s name. It is one of his titles. The word “hallowed” in the model prayer shows that we are to set His name apart as holy and worthy of devotion. But what name are we praising?

 

God's personal name 

God’s personal name in Hebrew is not pronounceable. It has no vowels. You’ll see it referred to as the Tetragrammaton, and in the Old Testament, you’ll see it written in all caps as LORD. When it comes to praising God, His name is much more than unpronounceable. First of all, His name is a verb. That means it describes an action, state, or occurrence. Keep that in mind as you pray.

 

God’s name YHWH or JHVH (today articulated as Yahweh or Jehovah) is the Hebrew name revealed to Moses in the book of Exodus at the burning bush. It means “the becoming one” or “I am.” It is a name by which God reveals his desired relationship with you. He is willing to become to you what your need is. Throughout Scripture, God reveals Himself to us through His names. The meanings behind His names teach us more about who God is to us. For instance, his name, El Shaddai, means Lord God Almighty. He is the All-Sufficient One, our Lord God With this deeper understanding, it becomes more natural to praise God.

 

List of the names of God and their meanings

Use this list of the names of God to practice praising Him.

• Adonai (Lord, Master)
• Elohim (God) God, Judge, Creator
• El Olam (The Everlasting God) The God of Eternity, The God of the Universe, The God of Ancient Days
• El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty) All-Sufficient One, Lord God
• El Elyon (The Most High God)
• Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide)
• Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner) The Lord My Miracle
• Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shepherd)
• Jehovah Rophe (Rapha) (The Lord Who Heals)
• Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts) The Lord of Powers
• Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Is Peace)
• Jehovah Shammah (The Lord Is There)
• Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness)
• Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Sanctifies You)
• El Qanna (Jealous God) Zealous
• Yahweh (Lord, Jehovah)

You can use this list to praise the Lord for who He is becoming in your life as you grow into the person He wants you to be. As the Lord leads, I’ll post more about these names and their meanings individually in the future along with Scripture references.

Photo credits: Sapphire Dream Photography

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The Inheritance by Donna Sundblad

Written within the allegorical tradition of classics like Pilgrim's Progress, The Inheritance offers a symbolic fantasy adventure with a Christian message. Ideal discussion starter for youth groups, homeschoolers, and families.