Servias Ministries Blog

My friend Alan wrote:

As we follow the progression of ‘adam’ to Christ in the narrative of the Sons of Jacob, we begin to discern a pattern of valuable insights. The genealogy of the sons of Jacob is not unlike a progression of understanding that parallels the graduation from one school grade to the next. The ‘story behind the story’ of each of these sons of Jacob teach us progressions about ourselves as we play out our own pageant on our journey to Christ. Indeed, we are birthed Spiritually into the Kingdom. And then we have to begin to grow up into a mature Christ. We are shown an advancement of discovery of the Kingdom of God in the unfolding of this pageant.

Leah, feeling rejected and scorned, is producing sons for her husband Jacob, and is revealing to us her own tragedy in the names she ascribes to these sons. Though the story doesn’t specifically tell us, we know that Rachel is also having sexual relationship with Jacob, but she is embarrassingly unable to conceive and give birth. [Gen. 30:1] Rachel is producing no son. There is trouble brewing in the life of this ‘supplanter’ in his role as ‘Jacob’.

Gen. 29:34 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi. Apparently, the ability to produce two sons for Jacob has done little to assuage the hurt in Leah. As we remember that the name ‘Leah’ is a description of the feelings of rejection, and being negated, delivering sons doesn’t seem to have satisfied her feelings of inadequacy where her husband is concerned. Can ‘Leah’ be a parable of us all in our feelings of rejection and separation from the God of Unconditional Love? Aren’t we all, in our religious deceptions, attempting to produce something of acceptance to a God that we don’t really believe loves us as we are? Are these parable/patterns teaching us of the reality and progression of the Spiritual birth of the Son of God within each of us? Hmmmm.

Most of us are familiar with the ‘parable’ that declares “…three times is a charm”. In the case of Leah, producing a third son doesn’t seem to have provided much balm. The telling of this genealogy doesn’t give us any details about what has gone on in the lives of these characters between births. The nine months of a normal pregnancy can be a long time. Some have believed that time heals all wounds. Actually, time heals nothing. It does, however, allow for the formation of scar tissue; both physically and mentally. Throughout all of this, Leah is still haunted with feelings of rejection, starving for the reassuring love from her husband. Leah is still negated; at least in her heart and mind. “…now will my husband be ‘joined’ (lah-vah) to me, for I have born him three sons: therefore she called this son ‘Levi’ (lah-vah). The name ‘Levi’ (Strong’s # 3878) is quite revealing when the root of the word is properly understood. Levi (#3878) has been ‘defined’ by Strong’s Concordance as “…from the root #3867; attached; Levi, a son of Jacob;” Many have described this name as ‘joined’, based on how the KJV translates Gen. 29:34. In this verse, the word translated as ‘joined’ is indeed the
Hebrew root word ‘lah-vah’, Strong’s # 3867, and therein lies the beginnings of much misunderstanding of the name ‘Levi’ (Strong’s # 3878), of the tribe of Levi and of the Levitical priesthood around which most of the Old Testament revolves.

The primary meaning of the root verb ‘lah-vah’ is that of ‘borrow’. If you ‘borrow’ (lah-vah) something from me, it is doubtful that you would ever consider that which you had ‘borrowed’ as your own personal possession. If you are like me you have probably at some time ‘borrowed’ something, and then forgotten the importance of returning that which you borrowed. You didn’t intend to keep that which you had ‘borrowed’, but sometimes we get so distracted that the return of that which was borrowed becomes lost in the shuffle. I can personally attest to that in my own experience; numerous times. But never once when I ‘borrowed’ something did I intend to make that ‘something’ mine. In the case of Leah and Jacob and Levi, we are told that the name ‘Levi’ means “…to be joined to”. And yet the very word from which ‘Levi’ is derived doesn’t mean ‘to join’ at all. The verb ‘lah-vah’ is dealing with the idea of lending for a temporary purpose. The verb ‘lah-vah’ means simply to borrow, or to lend. Maybe, when naming this third son, Leah was thinking that since she was the first ‘wife’ of Jacob, her sister Rachel had ‘borrowed’ her husband from her. That is the more probable explanation of this scenario. For although Leah was continuing to conceive and give birth, yet in her mind her husband was not ‘joined’ to her at all. She knew that Jacob’s heart was for Rachel. Maybe Leah had determined that a third son for Jacob would ‘borrow’ him back from Rachel. But alas, this is all mere speculation, and the translators didn’t help us very much.

In the western concept of ‘joined’, the idea means to ‘unite’ with; to become in union with another. We are told in Genesis that the union of ‘adam’ with his wife was intended for them to become ‘one’ flesh; united. ‘One’, in the Hebrew concept, doesn’t necessarily mean singular, or singularity. Actually, the Hebrew word we translate as ‘one’ is not often used to indicate singularity, as if referring to quantity. The concept of being ‘one’ is that of becoming in total and complete harmony with the other; united in every aspect. Yashua said, numerous times, “My Father and I are one”. And yet he also told us “My Father is greater than I”. Was Yashua being coy with us? Of course not! While acknowledging that ‘God the Father’ was a greater concept than that of ‘God the Son’, Yashua also declared that he is in complete harmony and unity with all things revealed to him by “My Father”. In our western and occidental mindset we have totally misunderstood many Hebrew concepts, and therefore have taken many things out of context. I believe the ideas surrounding ‘Levi’ are a valid example of western mindsets misunderstanding some common eastern customs and language patterns.
The ‘mystery’ and fascination with the name ‘Levi’ can be addressed by understanding that the verb from which this name is derived, ‘lah-vah’, means “…to borrow”; plain and simple. The word is translated into KJV English as ‘borrow’ and ‘borrower’, ‘lend’ and ‘lender’, ‘join and joined’, ‘abide’ (Ecc. 8:15) and even ‘cleave’ (Dan. 11:34). Prov. 22:7 translates this word both as ‘borrower’ and ‘lender’ in the same verse. The obvious idea this word is communicating is that of a temporary transaction of lending, borrowing or abiding with. None of these concepts can be seriously considered transactions of permanency. These all are referring to actions that have temporary purposes, value and merit. All of these ideas were/are intended to be ‘supplanted’ by a more valuable understanding; and that more valuable understanding is Christ in you and me.

For whatever reasons that Leah was moved to call her third son ‘Levi’ we can speculate and debate. However, if we understand the true meaning revealed in the verb ‘lah-vah’, and the noun ‘Levi’, there can be no question that the importance and permanence that religion has attached to the name and concept of ‘Levi’ as an enduring priesthood has been misunderstood, and misrepresented. Judaism is still trying to elevate the concept of the Levitical priesthood to a level of credibility and glory that was never intended by the Spirit of God. Levi was a temporary loan for the purposes of God’s Pageant to teach us about ourselves, and to illustrate our distancing ourselves from the Spirit of God within. God never intended for us to think that ‘Levi’, or the Levites, were anything more than borrowed actors, performing their role in God’s Great Pageant. For mankind to continue to value and pursue the spiritual benefits of a ‘Levitical’ priesthood is tantamount to a grown up continuing to play with toys and dolls after the Real and True Christ has been given; which he has. To expect to be ‘joined’ to that which is grossly inferior is to completely misunderstand the Character and Nature of Our Father.

Christ is High Priest after the order (dah-vahr, divine orderly arrangement) of Melchizedek. Christ has no fellowship with Levi. “For what accord has Christ with belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever”? [2 Corin. 6:15] The story of Leah has much to teach us. And this is not the end of the story. …to be continued.

When the Sons and Daughter come into full maturity, great Love and wisdom will be needed as their power and authority will be on display.  Consider the following passage.  Luke recorded by THE SPIRIT in chapter 8:

26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.

27 And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.

28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!”

29 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.

30 Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?”

And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him.

31 And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.

32 Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them.

33 Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.

34 When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.

35 Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.

36 They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.

37 Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.

You would think that everyone would be excited and positive about the deliverance of this man being plagued by the demons.  He was well known among the local inhabitants and was kept under lock and key when possible.  When his day of deliverance came, it cost the herdsmen their herd of about 2,000 swine when the demons entered them and “ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.”  In one fell swoop, this entire income-producing herd was gone at a great financial loss to the owners of the herd.  What was it worth for the man to be delivered from the demons?

What do you think will happen when hospitals are cleared of patients as a result of FATHER’s healing power comes forth?  Do you think the American Cancer Society’s first response will be to rejoice?  Do you think the entire healthcare industry will lay down their stethoscopes and begin praising the Name of Jesus?  FATHER’S Love and Wisdom must come forth and minister to those who will be seized with great fear.  There will be a sudden shift from the old system of Babylon to the Kingdom of Heaven.  Those who have come to rely on the old system will need FATHER’S Love to prevail and consume the fear of loss in their lives.  There will surely be a great impact on all those surrounding the ones who will receive complete healing and restoration.  This is why the foundation of Agape Love must not be overlooked as we become fully mature IN HIM and HIS Love.  Agape Love will overcome the love of money in all situations.

The definition of identity is who you are, the way you think about yourself, the way you are viewed by the world and the characteristics that define you.  Each of us has a unique identity and the ability to impact certain aspects of our identity.  There are characteristics which FATHER has imparted into each of us when HE formed us in the womb.  There are other characteristics which we have the ability to impact over time.  These include the way we think about ourselves and the way we are viewed by the world.  These aspects help define our future walk and our growth in various areas.

There is an old wise saying, “You become like the company you keep”.  If you run around with lawless types, you will ultimately become lawless yourself.  If you surround yourself with those who are successful, you will likely be more successful in life.  If you read many books on self improvement, you will surely develop better habits which will serve you well in life.  If you are lazy and make no decision to change lazy habits, you will probably remain lazy and be seen as lazy by those who encounter you.  These are some of the areas where you can impact your future.

Our words are indicative of who we are.  Jesus spoke in Matthew chapter 12:

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The summation of our fruit is very informative to us of who we are.  What we do, where we go, and what we spend our money on all reflect who we are.  When our annual tax season has arrived, I am acutely reminded of who I am when I go back and look at the past year.  Have I grown or have I digressed?  If someone looked at my life, who would they conclude me to be?  Has my fruit increased in the areas of blessing others?  Have I represented The Way of Jesus and reflected His priorities?

Many want to be called Sons and Daughters of GOD but in order to be one, we must take on the identity of Jesus Christ.  We must take on His characteristics, not expect to endorse ours  which are distinctly separate from His Way.  Above all, we should be increasing in the revelation of unconditional Love and producing more fruit in this area.  Only then do we truly begin to have an identity change.  In the end, when asked the question who are you, we should be able to confidently state, “I am Love”.

The most fundamental aspect of our life as Sons and Daughters of Our Heavenly Father is trusting what Jesus did for us at the cross.  There is not one thing we can add to the Blood of Christ to improve what He did at the cross.  We do not need to go and do some periodic act to refresh our salvation rather we need to simply trust in our salvation in Christ.  Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in 2 Corinthians chapter 5:

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Let us never doubt this work of salvation on our behalf.  We do not need to go and get saved again for His exchange at the cross was once and for all sufficient for our conversion.  When I stand before FATHER, I will not count on anything I have done nor any good works, I will only trust in The Blood of Christ as my reconciliation to Our Heavenly Father for I trust in Jesus’ Blood shed at the cross.  I shall think only of His sinless Blood in exchange for mine.  I shall think only of His Love for me to shed His Blood at the cross which removed all my sins which were legally transferred to Him as the ultimate sacrifice of this immense and intense Love for me.

All of Christ’s righteousness is transformed to my account and I am no longer guilty of any judgment previously requiring payment.  This exchange was permanent!  Continuing in chapter 5:

21  He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].  AMPL

This great exchange should never be questioned.  We cannot ever be judged twice for the sins we committed or we would have to acknowledge that Christ’s Blood was insufficient for Its intended purpose.  FATHER’S Divine Intent of Love designed this plan for our complete and total reconciliation unto HIM.  Let no person ever convince you otherwise.  We do not need to run up to some mountain retreat to make some sacrifice.  We do not need to create some object to pay homage to in order to  assure us of our salvation, Heaven forbid!  We do not need to seek some prophet to confirm our state of reconciliation, we simply need to trust IN HIM and His full and complete sacrifice on our behalf.

Our carnal man will wait until we are weak or discouraged to tempt us into believing we are missing some aspect of our conversion as though it was incomplete in some aspect.  Paul further wrote in chapter 10:

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ

We must implicitly trust in FATHER’S Word toward us and not allow anything to compromise what FATHER has expressed to us in HIS Word.  There are those who would use their carnal logic and understanding to undermine the Words of Jesus and the work of The Holy Spirit in order to exalt themselves above Christ.  We must reject any teaching which would compromise what Jesus did for us at the cross.  We must not allow mankind to redefine FATHER’S Divine Intent of Love by using some extensive form of research in order to create division among the brethren.  The Gospel of Christ is both simple and direct.  Let us not forget what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 18:

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,

3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.”

Let us approach the Words of Jesus in the simplicity of His Word and trust His Word knowing that The Holy Spirit will provide the level of understanding we need at the time of our study and at our current state of maturity.  Yes, there are many facets of His Word but all those facets simply reinforce the fundamental Divine Intent of what Jesus was expressing to us.  Let us not forget this Truth.

In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus spoke:

24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:

25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:

27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching,

29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

A wise man is known as a far-sighted, practical, and sensible man who makes the right choices which serves him well in the long term.  In these days of instant gratification, there appears to be less “wise” men than in the past.  In these times, everyone tends to rely on technology to fix any problem that arises.  In Oklahoma, we have some of the best weather technology in the world due to the high incidence of tornadoes but most of us who have been here for a long time know that we cannot count on that technology to assure us of a tornado’s track.  This is why we have a storm cellar.

In the spiritual sense, many people no longer rely on following the principles of Jesus because they have yet to see a significant storm in their own lives.  They assume that the long term will reflect their limited experience in the short term.  Nothing could be further from the Truth yet they are not interested in pursuing the warnings given to us by Jesus Christ or The Holy Spirit.  They are more interested in having their senses tickled by the latest form of entertainment.

Now that I have been around awhile and endured a few of my own storms, I have a greater appreciation for the Words of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the intent of His unconditional Love to prepare us for such storms.  I have endured storms on all fronts- spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, and financial, and FATHER has delivered me out of them all.  This gives me the confidence and faith in HIS Word even to a greater degree.

These writings are meant to build up the Body of Christ and provide current examples of “doing” the Word.  My wife and I have been cheerful givers for many years and FATHER has always been there for us in our own time of need.  What must I say or write to convince someone to become a cheerful giver?  I can only be a practical example for someone who is wise to look at and accept my testimony at face value.  Over ten years ago, I shared the importance of accumulating an ounce or two of silver each month whenever possible.  Those who live in Argentina are now going through hyperinflation of their fiat currency which has virtually no purchasing power now.  Those who accumulated silver are able to purchase food for their table.

What does it take to convince people that the Words of Jesus are critical to our lives?  The wise man will respond long before the first cloud in the sky forms.  However, the foolish man will wait until he is in the midst of the storm when all his assumptions are proving to be worthless and his life is crashing down all around him.  Neither Facebook nor Twitter will come to your assistance when the storm is raging all around you.  Only FATHER and HIS Truth will be standing when the storms of life cease.  You can learn your lesson the hard way or easy way… it’s your choice.

Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in 1 Corinthians chapter 8:

1  Now about food sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge [concerning this]. Knowledge [alone] makes [people self-righteously] arrogant, but love [that unselfishly seeks the best for others] builds up and encourages others to grow [in wisdom].

2  If anyone imagines that he knows and understands anything [of divine matters, without love], he has not yet known as he ought to know.

3  But if anyone loves God [with awe-filled reverence, obedience and gratitude], he is known by Him [as His very own and is greatly loved].  AMPL

In the above passage, Paul provide us a stark comparison of knowledge without Love.  That person many have knowledge and understanding but he is still missing the vital aspect of Love thus he does not know as he ought to know.  What is the point of having knowledge without Love?  If you are an avid student of Scripture, you must see everything written through the eyes of Love or you will fail to see the purpose of what is written.  This is true of the gifts of The Holy Spirit as well.

Could this be why many of the televangelists of the 70’s and 80’s were found to lead private lives in direct opposition to what they were publicly preaching?  Once found out, they thought they could easily repent and continue to run their money-making machines.  That was not to be.  They damaged many unsuspecting new believers with their compromising acts.  Thankfully, FATHER is not moved by men who lead two distinctly separate lives.

We are warned against taking such paths and we must not allow ourselves to be moved by those who do.  The remnant will simply continue on in great reverence toward Our Heavenly Father and will not allow ourselves to become classified with the five foolish virgins who failed to keep themselves prepared for the Lord’s coming.

We will continue out quest toward full maturity, knowing that many will fall away from The Way of Christ.  We must not become discouraged when we we others move toward the lukewarm states as Jesus warned in Revelation chapter 3:

14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,

‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:

15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.

16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—

18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

Those who have become lukewarm, become zealous and repent!  We must overcome our own lax attention to The Gospel, and refocus ourselves to The Gospel.  We must do a great reset in our own lives lest we be caught up with the masses who are headed toward certain pain and destruction.  We must recommit ourselves to the preeminence of The Gospel and reassess our priorities.  Agape Love keeps our priorities in line with FATHER’S Divine Intent.  It continues to be all about Love… without exception.

Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT:

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

We have been given the choice to go our own way or surrender to The Way of Jesus Christ.  Who would you rather trust, THE ONE who created you or your own limited facilities of knowledge, skill, and understanding?  When asked in this manner, any reasonable person would choose to trust in Our Heavenly Father WHO formed us in the womb through HIS workmanship.  Further, FATHER delivered us from sin and destruction through HIS most Holy Son Christ Jesus so we would further HIS Kingdom with good works.

Many who have been converted, resist proceeding to full maturity because of their unwillingness to surrender fully to FATHER and HIS Divine Intent.  FATHER gives us the choice to walk at the level of our surrendering.  Some will surrender a little bit of their lives for HIM while others are willing to be completely led by The Holy Spirit and become a mature vessel of honor for HIS use.  Those unwilling to surrender fully and completely simply don’t have a revelation of FATHER’S immense Love for us.  They are afraid HE will somehow require them to do things that compromise their desires.  Nothing could be further from the Truth.

Fear of the unknown created by thoughts generated from the old man perpetuate the unwillingness to surrender to FATHER.  Fear of loss in some area of our life is a strong deterrent to full surrender to HIS Divine Will for us, the fear of death being the greatest.  Yet when our eyes are opened to HIS great encompassing Love for each of us, that fear will vanish from our midst.  In the past, men and women have taken advantage of us for their own purposes which caused much hurt deep within our souls.  We built walls within us to protect from being hurt again in such manner yet FATHER’S great grace can tear down those walls of protection if we are willing to submit to HIS Love.  However, we must first trust HIM.  HE has given us he power of choice, the power to surrender on our own accord because that is what Love does.  It does not force Itself on anyone.  As Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in 1 Corinthians chapter 13:

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;

6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

If we are to become fully mature Sons and Daughters, we must be willing to totally surrender ourselves to FATHER in all aspects of our life.  As we do, we will experience HIS immense Love and will look back with amazement and wonder why it took so long to make such a decision.

Note:  As a reminder, we will have a live, interactive communion service tomorrow at 3 PM CST for those who have a PC with at least audio operational on their device.  In the morning, I will post the link to access the service.  Hopefully, we will have no issues in getting people to connect.  If you are unable to connect, simply conduct your own communion service at the same time knowing that we will be with you in spirit.

Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in 1 Corinthians chapter 15:

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—

52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

​55 ​​“O Death, where is your sting?

​​O Hades, where is your victory?”

​56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Do not let your past failures enslave your future actions!  I can personally attest to many past failures in virtually every area of my life but I will not allow those past failures to define my future.  I have made many mistakes and have been duped by various and sundry people whom I trusted to steer me in a righteous fashion.  Had I listened to The Holy Spirit rather than the carnal man, I would have less missteps in life but I thank My Heavenly Father for HIS unfailing Love and correction toward me.  Those past failures do not define who I am but only serve to remind me that Christ is the Source of my victory and no one else can claim such a notion.

We must not allow ourselves to dwell on past failures as we ascend to a higher state of maturity in Christ.  Those failures will only result in weighing us down if we don’t let go of them.  Jesus Christ’s work at the cross was and is sufficient to wipe away our past and make us a new creation IN HIM.  FATHER’S great grace and mercy are surely worthy of all our praise for pulling us out of the ditch, no matter how many times we have fallen into that proverbial ditch.

Consider Paul who was Saul.  His past failures included being an outright enemy of the believers yet Jesus was not moved by his past failures.  Those past failures did not keep him from being converted and filled with The Holy Spirit resulting in him becoming a vessel of honor called to pen two-thirds of the New Testament.  Let each of us jettison the old man and all his failures so that we can move forth unimpaired by the past.  If the past raises up its ugly head, rebuke it because you are a new creation in Christ.  As Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in 2 Corinthians chapter 5:

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Hold fast to this confession and those past failures will cease to be an issue in your life.

It is recorded by THE SPIRIT in Acts chapter 2:

40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”

41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.

42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship (koinōnia), in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,

45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.

46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

The word koinōnia means fellowship, association, communion, distribution, and joint participation.  I first heard this word used in 1971 by a musical group at a local Christian coffee house.  Who would have considered the ability for those of us who span the various countries could have koinōnia without leaving our homes at some point in the future.  Now is the time for us to have koinōnia together.

Our fellowship should be “Christ-centered” else I believe we will be missing the point of what was happening in the above passage.  Has there been a time of a larger and greater perverse generation than now?  Many of us have been somewhat isolated from those who are like-minded with Agape Love being the foundation and basis of our fellowship.  Let us move toward unity in purpose and fellowship by beginning with communion which focuses on Our Lord Jesus Christ and His work done in our lives.

This Sunday at 3 P.M. Central Standard Time, we will have a short communion service live on the Internet.  In order to participate, you will need to have at least your audio working on your PC or such device you use to access the Internet… preferably with your camera working if you have one integrated in your PC.  The platform will allow us a live and interactive means to have communion.  Clearly, this will be a learning experience for us all.  I will be posting details of how to access the live meeting soon.  In the meantime, you should select a bread and “wine” for communion when we come together.  You are free to select your own tokens or elements of communion for the issue is the intent of lifting up Christ’s body and blood.