THOUGHTS FOR CONSIDERATION:
Greetings again my Brethren. Well, praise God! With this September edition of Beholding His Glory we start our 20th year of service to God and the Body of Christ. Back in 2002 while I was pastoring at Christliche Gemeinde Stuttgart the people said, Pastor Dave you must go to my country and share the Gospel. So, I started travelling as the US Navy allowed, I was still on active duty. The countries started to add up and before I knew it I was travelling every three months. The LORD said, “put a name to my travels” and I thought, well, all I want to do is behold His glory and bam, Beholding His Glory was birthed for the glory of God. Since then we have not looked back. So many flights, miles, countries, so many scrapes God got us out of, so many people, as to date when we went to Ukraine in June of this year Ukraine was 88th country the LORD has allowed me to represent Him in ministry. And I know this is not the end of our travels we have many many miles to go before we sleep. I look forward to the next 20 years if the LORD desires.
Okay, let us continue on with “Waiting on God” as we continue to look at the many circumstances and ways the LORD has visited man. Last month we looked at God visiting man in the wilderness. Wow, what a special place God desires to take us all to so He can show us He is God. The wilderness is often taught as a place of sin and separation from God, but not true. For those who know God the wilderness is the making place in God where we learn God’s ways. It is the place God leads us to so that he can establish His truths and we are taught the way God operates and functions. Not in the land that flows with milk and honey, on no, but in the seemingly stark and barren places where we must lean on our beloved as we come up from the wilderness. It is a shame the church is more concerned about telling the devil what they are going to do to him, in Jesus’ name, than going to the wilderness and learning the secrets that hide in the lessons God provides freely in the difficult, perplexing, and even confusing times. We went to a very big church recently and the people spent more time telling the devil what they are going to do to him instead of talking to Jesus. Something is wrong when in church you are talking with the devil. So this week we will look at another time of visitation in Luke 24:13-15. Of course this is the wonderful story of the two men walking to Emmaus and as they walked Jesus drew near and went with them. Luke writes, “And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.” (Luke 24:13-15) Many folks even Bible Teachers often refer to these men as disciples, but that is not what Luke calls them. However, I would say they could have been two of the original Apostles of Jesus. In verse 30 when Jesus breaks the bread and in verse 31 their eyes were opened and they knew Him, “And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.” (Luke 24:30-31). So let us look at the picture. These two men were walking to Emmaus about 20 miles from Jerusalem and suddenly Jesus (it was resurrection Sunday) shows up, but please note these two men did not know it was Jesus. In their minds Jesus was dead, he was crucified and put to death three days ago, but they also heard some certain ladies said His body was gone and something about an Angel. So they were confused and perplexed. Why I said they could have been Apostles was only the original 12 – 1 (Judas) were at the last super and saw Jesus break the bread. So, verse 31 says when Jesus broke the bread, “their eyes were opened and they knew him.” But wait a minute when Jesus appeared they did not know Him. Why not? I mean if at least a disciples (maybe one of the 70 disciples Jesus sent out two by two) they walked with Him, heard Him speak, and maybe ministered, “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.” (Luke 10:17) And at best an Apostle, a part of Jesus’ inner circle of friends who saw the Son of God in all of His glory the most. BUT have it be a disciple or Apostle they never recognized Jesus. So too in our lives Jesus can show up and we not see Him. Now, He probably will not show up in a physical body (He may), but make no mistake my friend Jesus will show up in ways when we least think. He is good at showing up to teach us His ways if we have the eyes of our understanding open. I am amazed these two men did not know Jesus after all they went through. After all, their plans and hopes were crushed. Jesus who they hoped was the Messiah or who they referred as “a mighty prophet in deed and word among the people” was dead. Ah, but Jesus spoke to them, “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27) When Jesus shows up to speak peace we must allow Him to touch our heart.
Next month we will continue to look at some circumstances in which the LORD has visited man as seen in some diverse situations. Next week my favorite (not that I enjoy it) the wilderness. Do you see Him draw near? Please know God is near to them who are near to Him. Do you feel His presence? Do you see His hand in your life? He is waiting on us to make our first move. Written by David Stahl
The intents of our Heart
You know we (maybe I should just say me) often do things like we think God is not listening to what we say. How often do we just carelessly bruise people with our words and actions not concerned about the circumstances and the results. Well my friend God cares and He is looking at the intents of our heart even more than what we do and say. In God it does not matter what we do for Him as much as it matters how we do things. God will not say “much done” to those Christians who will enter into the joys of the LORD, oh no He will say “well done.” I hope and pray you can see there is a world of difference here. The church today has a “doing heart” for God instead of allowing God to make them. In what we call the story of the Prodigal Son (strange the Bible does not call him a prodigal) we find this truth play out. In the 15th Chapter of Luke we find the younger of two sons asking his father for his inheritance which is backwards to the way things are to go between two brothers. The Bible is full of stories about two brothers maybe the LORD is really concerned about relationships between brothers. Here in verse 12 the youngest son says, “And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.” (Luke 15:12) Notice his heart condition, “give me” selfish, focused on himself, and his pleasures. He had not allowed God to work in his life to make him to give of himself. My friend if God cannot work in our lives and make us a giver than He cannot use us we will disqualify ourselves for service. I hear so many Christians say they go to church to receive a blessing (like the youngest son give me God) well my friend we do not go to church to receive a blessing oh no, we go to church to be a blessing. All I hear is bless me bless me bless me, how selfish and self-centered the church is today. This thinking comes from the humanistic philosophy that has taken over most churches today — it is all about me. But do not worry my friend for those who really have a heart for God He has ways to knock this wrong attitude and selfishness out of us. After years of spending all he had the youngest son found himself eating (see verse 16) with the pigs. And yes God has ways to brings us to our senses (see verse 17) and off he went home. Well spending all we have and dinner with pigs will carry us a long way to see the folly of our ways. God has His ways to get our attention and turn us aside unto Himself, if we have a heart for such things. Historically this story is taught about the loving father and he was, but in verse 19 we see something just as powerful as the loving father, we see a change of heart in the youngest son. The youngest son says, “And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.” (Luke 15:19) His time in the pig sty and in spending all of his inheritance was a blessing in his life (seen after the fact) because his words were no longer “give me,”but now “make me.” This is the real truth of this story. Unless God can brings us to this same place we will not progress one little bit in Him. Oh we will go to church, sing, dance, pay our tithes (I see this most every week), but there is no spiritual growth in the people. They are doing all of the right religious church activities, but they are no better than tingling cymbals and sounding brass and all the while not knowing it which is even sadder. They have been taught wrong for years trying to work up the Spirit, running after people, and all the while they are over into presumption. Now most preachers do not end their message about this story this way. But if you look at the end of the story the youngest son is restored back to his father (which is wonderful), but the Bible does not say his inheritance was restored. He was home in good favor with his father, but there was a price he paid for his waywardness, his inheritance. God was able to change his heart and there was restoration between him and his father, but he experienced a great loss. Let us take heed. The most amazing thing about this story is God knew what was going to happen all along the story. He knew the son would come home and be restored to his father (and maybe his older brother) the entire time. He knew the heart condition of: the oldest son, the father, the servants, the youngest son, and even the people who helped the youngest son spend his inheritance. My friend God knows all things He knows the intents of our heart even in times of great victory God knows what we are really thinking and how we really feel about people and situations. Miriam, Moses’ sister found this out the hard way. After the great victory over the army (600 chariots) Pharaoh sent after Moses and the Children of Israel, Miriam and all of the ladies grabbed their timbrels (like a tambourine) and danced and sang, “ the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea” and all the people rejoiced, God delivered them again. I can almost see them now twirling, jumping, shouting, and singing. In Exodus 15 we read, “For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea. 20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. 21 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.” (Exodus 15:19-21) What a great victory, but just a few days more on the other side of that great victory we find Miriam, Moses’ brother Aaron, and other leaders railing on Moses because he married an Ethiopian before he went back to Egypt. In Number we read, “And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)” (Numbers 12:1-3) Now the lady Moses married may have been light or dark skinned like we find in Ethiopia today the Bible does not say. Who knows what color the folks in that region were, but all of that is not important what is important is Miriam, Aaron, and the other leaders carried their hatred and anger for Moses marrying the Ethiopian woman through the Red Sea victory. And the Scriptures said, “And the LORD heard it.” My friend God always hears our words and takes action have they be what we would call good or bad. In Miriam’s case it was bad. Because of her hatred for Moses and his wife God rewarded (remember a reward is something we get from God out from our behavior) her with leprosy and kicked her out of the camp for seven (a period of purification) days. We read again in Numbers, “And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. 11 And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. 12 Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb. 13 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee. 14 And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again. 15 And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again. 16 And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.” (Numbers 12:10-16) My friend God is always listening and He always knows the intents of our heart. God knew what Miriam and Aaron had in their heart and let them sing and dance. Please do not think because you are singing and dancing God finds you acceptable, oh no He will let you sing, dance, wave flags, but there is a time (like with Miriam) when He will say enough of the singing and dancing time to see if I will be allowed to deal in your heart with some ungodly issues. And never forget there is always something we will pay for our waywardness. What is in our intentions that God knows about? My friend God is listening. Written by David Stahl
THOUGHTS FROM KAREN:
The Worst Things to Hear Ever
In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus was talking to the disciples on the Mount of Olives about the King coming in all of His glory but twice in the book of Matthew Jesus says, “Depart from Me” in Matthew 7:23, “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” and in Matthew 25:41, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” It sounds like not all are going to be able to see the King in all of His glory. But, can you imagine how horrible that would be to hear that? It would be the worst thing in the universe, the very one who died for our sins and sacrificed himself for ALL mankind saying, “Depart from Me.” My friend there’s no second chances and there is no purgatory as some main stream religions believe. No amount of begging, pleading, or crying will change His mind from the awful consequence to follow. There would be nothing left to do, but to trudge off in humiliated shame to the hell and then some day end up in the Lake of Fire (see Revelation 20:14-15) forever and if you couldn’t make it under your own steam, a couple of burly angels probably would assist you and literally throw you in the pit, “Depart from Me” and God means it. You would be past redemption and past trusting in the work of Jesus on the cross. Every act of unrepentant disobedience would flood your thoughts. Everything and anything that was good in your life would be gone. Forever. “Depart from Me.” The worse words in the universe, may none of us ever hear those words. May we be instant to hear and to obey so we may hear the best words in the universe, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21) Now while you’re alive tell people about Jesus. Spare them the agony of hearing those awful words: “Depart from Me.” Brethren, GOD is no joke, The Children of Israel played fast and loose with GOD, turned their backs on him and reaped the whirl wind and bad rewards. Repent now, humble yourself under the mighty hand of GOD and follow Jesus. Written by Karen Stahl
NEEDS NO WANTS:- In Dobrich, Bulgaria Pastor Niki Marsov and in SilistraPastor(s) Yanko, and Marcho. Times are troubled in Bulgaria much prayer and support is needed.
- Constanta, Romania Pastors Luke and Jacob at Bethel Church and Ian at the Romanian Center for Cross-cultural Studies Bible School.
- Pastor S. J. Peter, Founder of DAWN Ministries in Hyderabad and Pastor Wilson and his son Pastor Julian in Sankaraguptham, India.
- Dan, Cathy, and members of Uskudar Son Buyruk Kilisesi in Istanbul, Turkey.
- Pastor Elieti Msangi in Dar Es Salaam and Pastors Isreal Mutaitina and John Balone in Bukoba, Tanzania.
- Pastor Tek Dahl at Gethsemane, Church (his church) and their radio station “Good News 105.1 FM” in Kathmandu, Nepal.
- Bishop John, Samuel Kamanzi (from the Congo), and, Emmanuel Ndolimana in Ruhengeli,Rwanda.
