"The God That Answers By Fire"

"The God That Answers By Fire"

"Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.  Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under; And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God.  And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken." 

(I Kings 22-24) 

Elijah had himself a time that day!  The prophets of Baal called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us."  But there was no voice, nor any that answered.  They leaped upon the altar that was made, crying out, cutting themselves until the blood gushed out, screaming for their god, Baal, to answer.  Then, Elijah mocked them, telling them to cry louder, because maybe their god was talking, pursuing, on a journey, or maybe he was asleep and need to be awakened. 

And when midday was past, and the prophets of Baal had no voice, nor answer from their god, the Prophet Elijah called the people unto him, and he took twelve stones, according to the number of the twelve tribes of Israel, and built an altar in the name of the Lord, and made a trench about the altar, laid wood upon it, cut the bullock in pieces and laid it upon the wood.  He called for four barrels of water and poured it upon the wood, the bullock, the altar, and the trench.  He ordered that the water be poured on a second time, and a third, until the water overflowed the altar and the trench.  Then, at the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah, the prophet, came near and said:

"Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it

be known this day that thou art God in Israel,

and that I am thy servant, and that I have done

all these things at thy word.  Hear me, O Lord,

hear me, that people may know that thou art the

Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart

back again.

                            Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the
                      burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and
                 the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

                     And when all the people saw it, they fell on their 
                   faces; and they said, The Lord, he is God; the Lord,
                                           the Lord, he is the God.

The Lord God of the universe IS a consuming "fire!"  Wood, water, a sacrifice, and not even stones, have a chance of surviving His "heat."  Hey, false gods, mockers, and deniers; there's a song that says, "Your arms are too short to box with God!"  He IS the Creator, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Holy One of Israel, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, and He still answers by fire.

John the Baptist said, "He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." (Luke 3:16)  Almighty God likes Holy Fire.  The Holy Ghost was likened unto fire on the Day of Pentecost; "And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them." (Acts 2:3) There was a cleansing power of fire symbolized in Isaiah 6:6-7, "Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: and he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is purged."  Hebrews 1:7. "And the angels He saith, Who maketh His angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire."  And  ... my personal favorite:

                             "..But His Word was in mine heart as a 

                                 burning fire shut up in my bones.."

                                                       (Jeremiah 20:9)

                                                 

"Fire" burns out impurities, gives light, and tames the most wicked member of our bodies: the tongue.  This is why people must be filled with the Holy Ghost and speak in tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance, in order to be saved.  God always used fire to show that He accepted the sacrifice in the old testament.  The Holy Ghost and fire, today, is the sign to the believer, and the evidence that he/she has been filled with the Spirit of God.  

The Christian theologian, John Wesley, used to say, "I just set myself on fire and folks come to watch me as I burn."  He meant that when the Holy Spirit of God takes over in the power of God's anointing, the light of the Holy Word of God is manifested by "fire" in the Word preached, and in the hearts of men.  Ah, the Holy Ghost and fire  ...  something the angels desire to look into  ...

Elijah proving God

The fire on the altar still burns; the God who knows all, IS all, controls all, moves all, rules all, and reigns over all, still sends down His fire!  The Holy Ghost and fire has filled over 580 million people all over the world and the clock is still ticking away every minute that someone is filled with the Holy Ghost and speaks with tongues.  

We can't make it in this life by ourselves.  You say, "God is not in my life, and I'm doing just fine."  Really?  Who holds you when the storms seek to destroy your boat?  Who heals you when the diseases ravage your body?  Who eliminates the evil voices in your head, tormenting you day and night?  Who protects you from the car accidents, the trials and troubles of this world?  Yes, the rain falls on the just and the unjust, but there are multitudes of God's saved and sanctified witnesses to testify of the protection, grace, love, joy, and salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Dear friend, the Lord Jesus Christ can't calm your storm  ...  if He's not on your boat  ...

Clarke's Commentary gives explanation of Zechariah 4:6 to all of us in need of uplifting: "This was the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel - This prince was in a trying situation, and he needed some special encouragement from God, and here it is: Not by might, (of thy own), nor by power (authority from others), but by my Spirit saith the Lord - the providence, authority, power, and energy of the Most High."  Everything today, is by His Spirit.  "Whose Spirit?" you ask.  The Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Only God, the true God, the Omnipotent God, the God reaching out His hand to you now  ...  "The God That Answers By Fire!"

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

Who Are We?

Who Are We?

"For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."

(Acts 17:28)

The Apostle Paul was brilliant, and besides that, he knew how to witness.  He was speaking wisely to pagan philosophers and he told them that we are created beings countering the Greek thought that men were gods.  Idolatry and false worship were rampant during this time; there was no other place on earth at the time where so many idols were exhibited.  Idol worship was the very thing that caused God to punish Israel over and over again.  Paul began preaching to them about the death and resurrection of the Messiah.  The philosophers then identified Paul as one who was preaching about "foreign gods," because they prided themselves that they always wanted to know about new gods, so their interest was peeked.  Herein ensues the questions with which they were intrigued, and which the world is still asking, Who is God  ...  and "Who Are We?" 

Apostle Paul

Matthew Henry's commentary says it like this, "Paul's audience was very hard to preach to.  The Epicureans believed everything evolved; they did not have a concept of creation.  The Epicureans believed that the world was made accidentally by atoms which have been in perpetual motion from the beginning and had brought this form.  Aristotle's school held that the world was from eternity, and everything always was from eternity, and every thing always was what it now is." 

The Epicureans held the view that the world was not made by God.  Paul explained that it was God who made all things, that He could not be confined in temples made with hands; therefore the gods worshipped in their temples was not the true God.  Paul based this on Isaiah 66:1-2, "Thus says the LORD: Heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool.  Where is the house that you will build Me?  And where is the place of My rest?  For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist," Says the LORD. 

In verse 26, He hath made of one blood (meaning Adam) all nations of men.  Paul was showing our common origin.  The pagan philosophers held in high esteem a Cicilian poet Aratus, who said, "It is with Zeus that every one of us in every way has to do, for we are also his offspring."  Paul infers the absurdity of their idolatry by quoting their own poet.  "Paul used another pagan source to confirm the truth of the Bible, not the reverse.  He was showing them that even their own poets had some knowledge (though corrupted) of the God he is speaking to them of, that they do not know.  Paul introduced them to Jesus Christ using terms such as "offspring" of which they were already familiar, and brought to bear the truth of the Word of God.   

We are created in the likeness of God; the definition of  "offspring" is: a descendent, product or consequence of something or someone.  Hebrews 2:11 says, "Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family.  So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers."  

Almighty God is Jesus Christ our Lord, and WE are made in His image or likeness.  What does the God of the universe pray?  He told us what to pray:

We have the key to this hour, "in earth as it is in heaven."  To pray like God is to see like God sees, think like God thinks, and do what God does.  "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 2:5)  We are His hands and His feet in earth; we lay hands on people by the Name of Jesus, the Word of Jesus, and the Blood of Jesus for deliverance, for healing, for casting out devils, for the infilling of the Holy Ghost, for peace and clarity of mind and spirit  ...  We do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Whatever will be done in earth, for the purpose of God, will be done by His followers; so we must do it as He would do it  ...

The Spirit of Jesus Christ living within us, when we are filled with the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues, is the avenue to praying what God would pray, because sometimes we don't know what to pray, so the Spirit makes intercession for us.  (Romans 8:26)  We live and move and have our being in Him, Jesus Christ our Lord; He died, rose again, and sits on the right hand of power in heaven.  His Church carries on His work; we are ambassadors for Christ  ...  the Christ people see today is the Christ they see in you and me  ...  "Who are We?"

"And the king shall answer and say unto them, Verily

I say unto you, Inasmuch as you have done it unto one

of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

(Matthew 25:40)

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and the experience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

 

  

"King Size God"

"King Size God"

The heavens declare His glory; from a babe

in a manger, to the King of Kings

He IS the Great I AM; the Alpha and Omega,

of this, all of creation Sings

Hallelujah; our God is an awesome God, and

we bow before His majesty

The Lord of all and God of all; soon, none

will doubt His Deity

Holy, Holy, Holy, our Lord God Almighty;

we come with gratitude

To worship and praise our God and King, in

a humble and thankful attitude

For You are our Savior, our soon coming King,

the lover of our souls

Preparing for us the Holy City, the River of Life,

and mansions untold

Sing, O barren land, and shout to the treetops, for

the King arose; He lives

The sun sets at His bidding, and rises in the hearts,

of all He forgives

The earth reaches for its Maker, climbing high 

in clouds of beckoning 

For the One coming to the Mount of Olives, for a

showdown and reckoning 

Shout, Ye children of the King, for your hope and 

joy eternal has thundered

Everything kneels and surrenders to His voice, as 

He tears Hell and evil asunder

Heaven and earth proclaim His wonder, in the winds of

promise, where His angels trod 

For nothing shall be impossible for the Lord of all,

Jesus Christ, our King Size God!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcF75h4BHk8&feature=player_embedded

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

"The Promise"

"The Promise"

A promise to the world that the Messiah would

come, to deliver creation

It was the birth of God, the flesh of the Word,

come for the duration

He accomplished the plan; the birth, the death,

the consummate resurrection

For the redemption of mortals, the manger and

the cross, a holy connection

And, now, God waits, for the completion of His 

universal circle 

The controversy of godliness, a mystery of aura, 

and colossal miracle

He Was; He Is; He Is to Come, the only God,

the Holy One of Israel 

The Great Creator became creation, in His birth,

and His death, in lonely travail

But the story bids pondering, for the final lines

are yet to be manifested

He's coming back with power and Glory, a finality

His enemy has detested

The baby grew; He's quite a Man, a King and Lord,

commanding His kingdom with prowess

Earth is His; He was born for this; it was to refill

Eden, and reclaim "The Promise."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Faz9MTs8JOY&feature=player_embedded

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

"He Came, To Go, To Come"

"He Came, To Go, To Come"



"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call his name JESUS, for he shall save his people from their sins." 

(Matthew 1:21)

Mankind could not continue sacrificing bullocks, turtle doves, and lambs; the blood sacrifices of the old Testament only covered the sins for a time, but when Jesus Christ came; it was to "remove" the sins of the world forever.  The blood shed by Jesus Christ our Lord was the ultimate sacrifice  ...  He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world  ...  That's why The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us; that's why the Lord Jesus Christ was born of a Virgin and thrust Himself from heaven's Glory into earth's cruelty; that's why we're in the middle of the Plan and it is yet to be complete from beginning to end: The full circle of God: "He Came, To Go, To Come."

                                                      He Came

The Lord Jesus Christ grew to about the age of 30 and began His ministry: preaching, teaching, healing all manner of diseases and sicknesses, casting out devils, raising the dead, opening blind eyes and deaf ears, doing miracles, and preparing for why He came  ...

                                              

                                                       To Go

The purpose for His coming was to go: "While they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.  And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said; Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?  This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."   (Acts 1:9-11)

"It Is Finished" were the Lord's last words on the cross, and then followed His death, burial and resurrection  ...  What He came to do was finished, so He left  ...  But, He said He would send the comforter, the Holy Ghost, and He commanded them to go to Jerusalem and "wait" for the promise of the coming Spirit.  "But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the utter most part of the earth." (Acts 1:8) 

The Rapture of the Church

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,

with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:

and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive

and remain shall be caught up together with them in the

clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be

with the Lord."

(I thessalonians 4:16-17)

                                                                     

We're working on the completion of the circle:  I Timothy 3:16 says, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into Glory."  The next and soon-coming event is the Rapture of the Church, which is "not" the second coming of Jesus Christ, because He does not come all the way to earth; He will "catch away" His bride, the Church, in the air.  The second coming will occur when He comes "to earth" riding on a white horse, with the Saints riding on white horses following, and He sets His feet upon the Mount of Olives  ...

The circle is complete  ... Jesus Christ  ...  "He Came. To Go, To Come."

                                                              To Come

                                                  

                                            (Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

                                                      PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

  

Celebrate The Creator!

Celebrate The Creator!

    "And God saw everything that he had made, and indeed,

   it was very good." 

(Genesis 1:3-31)

Almighty God created the earth and He will judge the earth. 

The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us; the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. 

These two truths are the two the devil hates the most, and these are the two he fights the most  ... Creation against evolution, and the Virgin birth: because if Jesus Christ had an earthly father, He could not be our Savior; He would not be God, and He would not be sinless.  It is a scientific fact that the blood of the child comes from the "father;" Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Ghost, who is the Father in creation, Son in redemption and Holy Ghost in regeneration.  "One" sits on the throne: Jesus Christ the Righteous; we "Celebrate The Creator!"

Creation

God created the heavens and the earth!  It was a big bang all right; God said, "Let there be light," and BOOM; there was light.  Who can look at a rainbow, a zebra, a peacock, a whale, the Cedars of Lebanon, the majestic mountains, the rolling depths of the Seas, a sunrise, a sunset  ...  and not believe there is a God, and not just "A" God, but "THE God," The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, The Holy One of Israel, The LORD Jesus Christ! 

                              

                                             

                                     

The Angels cry Holy to the Lord God Almighty, the One who Was, who IS, and who Is to come; the Lily of the Valley, the bright and morning star, the beloved of our souls, the lover who never leaves us, the arms ever beneath us, the bow above us, the halo surrounding us, the beauty within us, the Glory beckoning us  ... He IS!

Jesus Christ our Lord

He was born of a virgin in a lowly stable.  The Creator made Himself a body to die for His creation; The plan of the Ages; a plan like no other: Salvation for mankind, blood shed for redemption of the world.  We've been bought with a price, and we are free forevermore!  Come one, come all, to the table of the Lord; His banner over us is Love.  His Spirit is Joy unspeakable and full of Glory; His presence is like the sweetness of rose petals freshly crushed in early morning dew; His love is like the pure velvet and the sudden brush of angels' wings; His peace is like glistening babbling brooks beside a welcoming grassy knoll; His strength is the unmovable anchor steadying us in the storm; and His power is like a Holy fire shut up in our bones  ...  He IS!

"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven,

and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they

be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers:

all things were created by him and for him."

(Colossians 1:16)

Creation declares His Glory, His Majesty, and His Omnipotence!  God became a baby, and the baby grew up to be quite a Man!  Nothing can defeat Him; no one can outwit Him; nothing can destroy Him; no effort can thwart Him; no dimension sustains Him, no galaxy can hold Him; no will can deter Him; and no human can prevent Him!  He IS!

Holy, Holy, Holy, are the cries from heaven, and now the cries from earth; we're moving into the realms of the fleeting moments of time; we feel the winds drawing upward for a final "inhale;" the deep calls unto the deep and we submerge ourselves in Him; the groanings of our souls are growing with strength and power; our vision yields to the inevitable "in earth as it is in heaven;" And, we cry with all our might, O Lord, Maranatha: Come, Lord Jesus; Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

                                                     

                                                            Celebrate The Creator!

                                      

                                                                                     

                                           (Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

                                                    PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

                                             

          

The Blind "I Will"

The Blind "I Will"

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." 

 (Matthew 1:20)

 Joseph married Mary, and even though an angel had appeared unto him in a dream telling him she was "with child" of the Holy Ghost, he must have been a little more shaky than usual when he slipped the ring on her finger.  After all, yes, he was a just and kind man; he was still a man, and this marriage vow was like no other in the history of the world  ...  it was "overshadowed," prophetic, miraculous, calculated from the beyond, preordained from a throne untold, and in Joseph's mind, this obedience of his had a veil of ethereal secrecy; it was Holy beyond measure; it was: The Blind "I Will." 

It was not the first or the last time that mankind's obedience to God would require a blind "I Will."  Noah built the Ark over a period of almost 100 years with nothing but an "I Will" from his own lips to goad him on; Abraham rose early and treacherously climbed the mountain to sacrifice his promised son, Isaac, with his own "I Will" from a trembling, foreboding obedient voice; David stood firm with just a young lad's slingshot before a growling looming Goliath, and an "I Will" in answer to the multitude of men, twice his size and age, who asked who would fight this giant.  The surrender of humble servants to the quest of Almighty God marches throughout the pages of the Bible, and ALL of them step forth with blind obeisance and faith in their God.

Joseph's Dream

Joseph will always be remembered as a brave and submissive man to the plan of the ages, draped in mystery, enveloped in Spirit, produced in aura, immersed in Glory, and sealed with two little words, "I Will." 

Joseph

The Lord Jesus Christ still asks that same question of His followers today, with even a more profound insistence:  "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14) 

Every answer to prayer, any prayer, requires an action on our part.  It is the law of God: We reap what we sow.  If we have a need, we give to another's need, to receive our need.  Remember the woman who only had enough meal for herself and her son, and the Prophet told her to make "him" a cake first?  Her answer was "I Will," and her need was provided. 

Do you have need of healing?  Have you dipped seven times?  You say, "What are you talking about?"  I'm talking about Prayer and Obedience, which result in answer and deliverance.  Maybe it will require going through a prayer line, having hands laid on you; giving to someone else who is losing their home to save your own home.  You say, "I've never heard of such a thing!"  It's all through the Books of the Bible: Jesus told the ten lepers, "Go show yourself to the priest," and as they were going, they were healed; To the lame man, "Rise up and walk," in his trying to rise, he was healed; To the blind man after mud was placed in his eyes, "What do you see?"  As he was trying to see, he began to see.  It's always, "If You will, I will," from the eternal God.  

The bottom line:  Mary said it once, "Whatever He says to you, do it."  There had to be gathering of water pots, and filling them with water, for the miracle of the wine!  

O, Joseph, your "I Will" was more than a marriage vow, more than an agreement to wed, more than a commitment of forever; it was the greatest example of faith and trust ever told.  It was obedience at its finest; it was the sacrifice that brought "THE sacrifice."

Joseph

"Nobody told me that the road would be easy  ... I don't believe He brought me this far; I don't believe He brought me this far, to leave me."  Ah, the strains of the old song that ever keeps us going, when we're groping around in the dark trying to find the way out  ...  When the tunnel seems so dark that the light at the end is a pinhole  ... When we follow without a clue; we march with only the sound of the thud of our boots; we proceed with only the lingerings of a dream; we step out into nothingness with faith as our platform; we proclaim and pronounce with the echo of the Word of God as our prod  ...  

We follow, Lord Jesus; we obey and surrender our own will for the will of Almighty God.  Faith is:  "Taking a hand full of nothing and holding on until it's something," as a very wise man says continually.  Lord, You don't always reveal the road ahead; sometimes You just say "Trust Me;" sometimes, You say nothing at all; sometimes You just hold us; sometimes You say, "Come unto Me, weary one;" sometimes  ... 

Dear Jesus, we give you our all, we surrender; we know You have never left us, nor forsaken us; so our love for you is draped in our word to You that we will never leave You nor forsake You; after all, it IS Your Birthday!  Happy Birthday, Jesus!  Our present is wrapped in Love; and we offer the words You ever long to hear, as we follow, follow, follow: The Blind "I Will." 

 

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

"Where You Are ... He Is!"

"Where You Are  ...  He Is!"

"Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear." 

(Isaiah 65:24)  

Jesus Christ our Lord is "present!"  He is THE "present" to a hurting world; His Angels are all around, and He is right where You are  .... if You have made Him Your Lord and Savior; He will never leave You nor forsake You.  (Hebrews 13:5)  The "present" for You this month could be "the present" of Your life  ...  Be filled with "THE present," which is a constant comforter, an abiding Joy, the gift that is new every morning, a love like no other  ... the Spirit of the mighty Lord Jesus Christ, THE One, who will carry You in times of trouble, deliver You in dire circumstances, hold You in the mourning season, bless You with wonders untold, and You will always know, without a doubt, that "Where You Are  ...  He Is!"

"Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose

very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an

oath  ... it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold

of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.  We have this hope

as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure ..."

(Hebrews 6:17-19)

It's wonderful to know that we will always have those arms of a loving God underneath us, bearing us up, sustaining us, comforting us, and protecting us through life's trials.  Even when the rain falls on the "just," because we live in a fallen world, we know He will never put more on us than we can bear  ...  He will make a way where there is no way; He will whisper sweet peace in the darkest of night; He will make everything beautiful in its time, because He Is  ...  right where You are  ...

" ...  From the beginning God chose you to be saved

through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth."

(2 Thessalonians 2:13)

What is Truth?  What is the purpose of life in earth?  Why are we here?  Why are we separated from heaven?  What is the point of it all?  All good questions, and you're not alone; many wonder these things.  It was God's intention for us to live with Him forever, in heaven, paradise, the Garden of Eden, but Adam and Eve sinned and ate of the Tree of knowledge of good and evil; they then were banned from the garden, to work and toil all of their days.  

It is Almighty's God's desire that earth be like heaven  ... "in earth as it is in heaven."  We are on a trek to make the circle complete, and return to the Garden of Eden  ...  a place of no sin, a place of peace, no pain, no tears, no disease, no infirmity, no hatred, no war, no crime, no evil, no death  ...  "  ... in Christ all will be made alive."  (I Corinthians 15:22)  "How can that happen in earth?" you ask.  It happens one at a time, soul to soul, Nation to Nation, people to people, Church to Church, brother to brother, sister to sister, hand to hand  ...  until  ...  "That's impossible,"  you say.  Nothing is impossible with God!  

                                                       "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand

firm in Christ,  He anointed us, set His seal of ownership

on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit,

guaranteeing what is to come."

(2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

The Holy Ghost and fire living within us is our ticket to eternity.  Be repentant of your sins with godly sorrow and sincerity, be filled with the Holy Ghost and speak with tongues as the Spirit gives you utterance; and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins  ... These are the deposits that never lose their value; euros may fail, dollars may diminish, assets may be taken, homes and treasures may fall away, but the Spirit of Almighty God, Jesus Christ our Lord, and His name over us in baptism, no man can take or remove.  "These" are the real importance of life, the Gold that is destined for heaven's vault, the commodity the Stock Market cannot fathom or calculate; it is the Glory of eternity living in a human soul.

Lily of the Valley

"For we are to God the aroma of Christ

among those who are being saved and those

who are perishing.  To the one we are the smell

of death; to the other the fragrance of life ..."

(2Corinthians 2:15-16)

"Because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." (Hebrews 10:14)  Jesus Christ is the Lily of the Valley and the bright and morning star; salvation in Him brings the aroma of holiness, the beauty of righteousness, the scent of purity, the darkness made light, in the image of Glory.  This is the illustration of the Garden of Eden, and this is our target.

                 "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to 

                 enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by

              a new and living way opened for us through the curtain,

                this is His body, and since we have a great priest over 

              the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere 

           heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled

               to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our 

            bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold unswervingly

              to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful."

                                                         (Hebrews 10:19-23) 

It all comes down to "a promise," an oath sealed with a rainbow, a pledge evidenced with nail-scarred hands, a vow completed with His Spirit, a commitment from the betrothed to His Church, a sacrifice paid with blood, an omnipotent "I Will" if You will, a death-defying assurance from the One with the keys to everyone who belongs to Him, in Spirit, in baptism in His name, in repentance to follow Him forever.  

May this Christmas be the blessing of Your life!  May Your "present" be the Gift of life, Jesus Christ living within you, in Spirit and truth.  And, You will always know, through life, through death, through all of eternity that You are never alone, never forsaken, for "Where You Are  ... He Is!"

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)