Luke 24:5

Why Do You Look For

The Living Among The Dead?

It was a logical question for two angels to ask, knowing that Jesus was alive, as they did.  Angels have a way of coming right to the point.  They often say, "Do not be afraid ... ," as the angel said to Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Humans would likely be fearful if suddenly a glowing white figure appeared before us out of nowhere; however, in this case as in many times when they appear, they had a message, which was essentially, "Nobody's dead in this tomb."  

"And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout,

behold, two men stood by them in shining garments."

(Luke 24:4)

Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, Almighty God in the flesh, was alive!  We would be a little perplexed too, if we visited a grave site, the casket was open and empty, and white-robed angels quickly appeared asking why we are looking for the "living among the dead."  What a story!  Only the God of the universe could plan and carry out such a miracle!  The sacrifices of animals and blood shed in the old testament only covered sins for a time, but the Lord Jesus Christ came to shed His blood for all mankind forever, for without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins.  (Hebrews 9:22)  He shed His blood once and for all and "It Is Finished."  If the God of creation can give Himself for us, die and rise again; He can take care of us in every situation!  He sends forth His angels as ministering spirits to help us. 

                                                          

"Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to

minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?"

(Hebrews 1:14)

Jesus Christ our Lord thought of everything!  He was born to die; He died to live; He lives to prepare a place for us that where He is, we may be also.  He created us to have peace, joy, love, and life everlasting.  We will have our trials, troubles, and woes, because the rain falls on the just and the unjust.  We live in a fallen world and many of the world's ongoing and terrible problems are the result of sin; we are "in" the world but not "of" the world, if we are filled with His Spirit, baptized in His name and walking in His precepts.  The God who spoke all into existence can take care of you and me!

          

       "He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the

       ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne

of honor.  For the foundations of the earth are the Lord's; upon

          them he has set the world."

         (I Samuel 2:8)

We serve a God who always has a plan!  From the beginning of time, He was Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.  He is never without a solution, never without an escape hatch, never scratching His head in dismay, never without a victory, never has a Power outage, never without resources, and He will never ever "leave" you and me.  So, when the teardrops plop like sounds of thunder on our pillows in the darkness of night, we have to remember that everything around us is decaying and dying, such is the ordinance of life and death.  But, our hope lies beyond the blue with Jesus Christ, our Lord, in a paradise designed and waiting for us, so we must ask ourselves a very pertinent and timely question, "Why are we looking for the living among the dead?" 

             

                                                                                                                                                                                   By Sheryl Fowler

                                        (Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.
                                   PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

   

Psalm 22:16

The Man In The Middle

Have you ever wondered why Jesus Christ was in the middle of three crosses?  The Lord Jesus Christ stands between good and evil; the honest-hearted man who said, "Remember me," was on His right, and the cursing evil man was on His left.  We owe our lives, our eternal security, our very freedom to The Man In The Middle.

"When they had crucified him, they divided up

his clothes by casting lots."

(Matthew 27:35)

They gambled for the robe of the God of the universe!  The God who could blink an eye and multitudes of Angels would appear at His side; the God who created light and lightning was treated like a "bet," and He let them ... because He was The Man In The Middle.  He was the Man who came to die for the gambler, the one with the whip, the mockers, those who spit in His face, the ones who delighted in His blood flowing from gaping ripped flesh, the ones He created and was dying for ... the ones He loved. 

"All day long they surround me like a flood; they

have completely engulfed me."

(Psalm 88:17)

They were like rabid, snarling dogs surrounding Jesus, cursing Him, growling their accusing insults, hatred popping the veins in their scowling throats, as hour after hour they attacked the only Man in the universe who could, with those beautiful nine little words, "This day you will be with Me in paradise," save them.  They knew not what they were doing.

                                                                   

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation

hath appeared to all men."

(Titus 2:11)

Earth is not all there is; we have a home beyond the stars, a garden ordained from the foundation of the world, a hope for a creation that, for the most part, knows not their Creator.  But, the all-knowing God, the Lord Jesus Christ did not become The Man In The Middle for nothing ...  He had a plan; it started with the dust of the earth, a man molded like clay, progressed to a cross to redeem that pitiful clod of dust, and one day results in that dust transformed into a vessel of honor robed in white singing "Holy, Holy, Holy."

   "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not

to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone,

graven by art and man's device.  And the times of this

ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men

every where to repent."

(Acts 17:29, 30)

I guess you could say it all comes down to this; He's the One who said, "Where were you when I formed the foundation of the world?"  He is also the One who mocks the Big Bang theory, because He created all Bangs; He's the One who moves a finger and the oceans stop at a boundary line; the One who nods His head and billions of stars appear; the One who exhales to fill creation with His Spirit; and the One who will inhale one day soon and the dead in Christ will rise first and we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with Him in the clouds and so shall we ever be with the Lord; the bottom line ...  I'd say He's MORE than just ... The Man In The Middle!

                                                                                                                                 By Sheryl Fowler

      (Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com. 

     PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday



Jesus Christ began at Jericho, ascending to 

the Holy City, Jerusalem

It was 3,000 feet of climbing on a donkey,

borrowed, for the use of him
It was a prophetic fulfillment, spoken of the
arrival of the King
With palms waving and Hosanna's praising, 
a joyous time to sing
A passion was emerging, the beginning of 
a Holy convocation
A triumph for the world; God came to die, 
a heavenly oblation
He was the promised Messiah, the Savior of 
all creation
Who was born to die, and then rise in a
splendorous manifestation
It was fitting to pave His path, with carpets
of royal fronds
For He embodies the power to break chains,
 and loose all the bonds
He gave life to the tree, His nemesis, and
then was His cross
But He counted it worthy to be an instrument,
to cover the cost
The palm was a branch laid down to the One,
who would set us free
 But His hands are the palms, nailed in victory,
 a ransom for you and me.

                                                                                                                          By Sheryl Fowler

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.
PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

Matthew 28:6

Miracle Countdown

The nights turned to morn and the moments ticked away, but it was coming!  Each day mounted a new excitement, a waited anticipation, but for whom?  Who believed Jesus when He said He would die but "rise again" on the third day?  They had never heard of such a happening and were skeptical.  But, Jesus Christ the Lord, said it, and the "Miracle Countdown" was on; the redemption plan was underway.

                                                              

"There came unto him a woman having an

alabaster box of very precious anointment,

and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat."

(Matthew 26:7)

There are four reports of Jesus being anointed by a woman while He was still alive on earth.  The two most notable were Mary of Bethany, who anointed Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair; and the other is the unnamed woman in the house of Simon the leper, who anointed Jesus' head.  The first took place six days before the Passover at which Jesus was crucified and the latter took place two days before Passover.  All of the disciples complained about the waste of the expensive ointment, but Jesus described it as a beautiful thing done to anoint Him for burial.  We should never taint anyone's attempt at worship of the Lord Jesus Christ; what we might think is showy or flagrant, the Lord may consider it to be precious in His sight. 

"Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to

you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal 

of a donkey."   (Matthew 21:5) 

The countdown continues; the Prophet Isaiah foretold it, "Say ye to the daughter of Zion, behold thy salvation cometh."  (Isaiah 62:11)  He is coming in meekness and compassion with a purpose, to give himself as a ransom for the very dust of the earth He created.  He comes willingly, silently, humbly, to be beaten, spit upon, nailed and crucified to redeem a people who have yet to understand His infinite thought process from the beginning of time to the finale of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:2.  It was a plot of ethereal scheming, maneuvering self-sufficient clods of dust by an eternal unseen hand. 

                                                              

"And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they 

put {it} upon his head, and a reed in his right hand:

and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him,

saying, Hail, King of the Jews!"

(Matthew 27:29)

"Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou?

Whom seekest thou?  She, supposing him to be the gardener,

saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me

where thou has laid him, and I will take him away."

(John 20:15)

The Miracle was manifested!  The Lord Jesus Christ was alive; He rose and lives forevermore!  However, the story is not over  ...  we are still in a Countdown to Miracles; the hand of Almighty God moves daily, in prisons, in hospital rooms, in sanctuaries, in homes, in baptistries, in altars, and on street corners  ...  but, the Countdown continues!  We have only moments until the Rapture of the church, the catching away of the Bride of Christ ... then, the Countdown moves on to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, riding on a white horse, with multitudes of saints following. 

The Lord Jesus Christ invented that awesome, glorious word "Miracle," from the moment He created the heavens and the earth and said, "Let there be light."  That famous word moves in waves of Glory second by second as God implements His ongoing physics' formula of amalgamated matter and breathes into created earth His own eye view of perfection. 

There's one thing we know for sure; the Miracle Countdown is an unhindered continuum, for God is eternal; His mind is eternal; His creative impetus is eternal; His motive for molding heaven and earth is eternal; His desire for you and me is eternal; His blueprint following the 1,000 years of peace is eternal  ...  We should keep one thing in mind; the One who knows all, IS all, becomes all, makes or breaks all, holds all, and looses all, IS Alive!  In case mankind thinks we are in charge, we would do well to note the power of Almighty God; He created life and He created death ... the tomb is empty AND the cross is empty!

                                                                                                                                   By Sheryl Fowler

                                      (Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

 PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

John 8:58

I AM

The Lord Jesus Christ gave His all that we might live eternally with Him.  It was this cause that produced a book that is still the greatest of all books today, and the half of what He did has yet to be told.  The cross is the Holy emblem of the greatest sacrifice man has ever known.  Jesus Christ our Lord suffered, died, and rose again; the most profound of all of His words are, "Before Abraham was, I Am."

"I am the Living One; I was dead, and

behold I am alive for ever and ever!

And I hold the keys of death and Hades."
(Revelation 1:18)

"I Am" can wash away our sins; He can heal our bodies, aright our minds, save our souls, mend our broken hearts, fill our spirits, lift us up, whisper sweet peace, guide our steps, bathe our wounds, and Rapture us to life evermore!  He is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, the soon coming King, the Lily of the Valley, the bright morning star, the Joy unspeakable and full of Glory; He is "I Am!" 

"When Christ, who is your life, appears,

then you also will appear with him in glory."

(Colossians 3:4)

There is no God beside Him, the Lord Jesus Christ; He alone is the Savior for all mankind, and His promises are secured in His own blood.  Every drop of His blood had a name on it, yours, mine, and the names of every honest hearted soul on the face of the earth.  His love has a guarantee, "And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day."  (John 6:39)

"And from Jesus Christ {who is} the faithful witness, {and}

the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings

of the earth.  Unto him that loved us, and washed us from

our sins in his own blood."

(Revelation 1:5)

There is hope, for all who despair, for the weak and the diseased, the hurting and sorrowful, those who see no reason to live, for the downtrodden and poor, and even for the lonely and rich ... "I Am" came for everyone; He died for every soul in every Nation; yes, even the evil and the tormenting; He is not willing that any should be lost or perish. 

In the book of Acts, the people were so stirred in their hearts after Peter spoke that they inquired as to what they must do to be saved, and Peter said unto them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."  (Acts 2:38, 39)  This is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ; there is no other gospel.  Paul stated in Galatians 1:8, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." 

People's New Testament notes says it beautifully, "The utterance (I Am) is a remarkable one.  It does not merely assert that He was before Abraham, but before Abraham was, I Am.  It identifies with the I Am of the Old Testament.  Divinity has no past tense, no future tense, but always the present."

I AM

                                                                                                                   By Sheryl Fowler

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

                               PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

Matthew 13:45

Strands Of Pearls

Living for God is like the struggle involved when becoming a pearl.  Pearls are formed when an organic irritant becomes trapped in the mollusk.  It can be the result of an injury or an intruding parasite.  The animal senses the foreign object and coats it with two materials, a mineral and a protein, that results in mother-of-pearl, the substance called nacre (NAY ker).  Christians battle torments from without and within; they stand against persecutors; their faith fights against disease and attacks against the mind and spirit.  It's rather like that piece of matter that finds itself surrounded in the oyster shell.  We spend our lives standing for our Lord Jesus Christ, as He constantly surrounds us, enfolds us, and covers us, so like the forming pearl.     

                                                              

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is

like a merchant

looking for fine pearls."

Heaven is the goal line, our forever home, the Eden mankind lost, the golden streets and Angel-filled paradise, for which we long, strive, pray, and dream.  And, heaven searches for its pearls; the white robes are starched and ready; the trees hang with the weight of fruit for the healing of the Nations; the Angels rehearse their welcoming bridal march; and the clock ticks in anticipation of the arrival of "fine pearls."

The mineral and protein used to coat the pearl are like the Word of God that covers and protects us, and the Spirit of God that nurtures and sustains us through life's storms and trials.  We are ever and always "becoming" vessels of honor unto the Lord, and as we take the hands of new souls, we form a "strand," an infantry of soldiers, warring together, praying together, and rejoicing together until that glorious day approaches. 

                                                                     

                                                         "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden

       in a field.  When a man found it, he hid it again,

        and then in his joy went and sold all he had and

      bought that field."   (Matthew 13:44)

People in the world, rich and poor alike, strive all of their days for more and more grandeur, more and more assets, arts and their values, properties, mansions and islands, and above that, position, power, and fame, but nothing  ...  nothing, can equal the value of the kingdom of heaven.  To come to the Lord Jesus Christ in humility and repentance; to be filled with His Spirit and speak with other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance; and to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins are the ticket and the entrance to the eternal Eden for all mankind. 

For the Christian, this period before the Rapture of the Church is "our tribulation."  We are tried, molded, sanded,  stretched, cleansed, broken, and sanded again.  The process is formulated over and over in evey area of our lives until we are ready for the "thief in the night," who comes for that thing of value, that polished "pearl" and we are whisked away in the moment in the twinkling of an eye to that place of Glory.  Following behind are multitudes of glistening, glowing vessels, God's Bride, His "Strands of Pearls," now fit to walk through Heaven's Gates of Pearl. 

                                                                                                                                  By Sheryl Fowler

     (Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

   PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

Hebrews 12:23

ECHOING SPIRITS

This is "Echo Canyon;" we can almost hear the mysterious and ever lovely, reverberating sound as we yell "Jesus."  Echoes are an interesting phenomenon; in Physics, they are known as "returned signals."  In the Bible, they are known as "the spirits of just men made perfect," or in this illustration, Echoing Spirits.

                                                                             

           "To the general assembly and church of the firstborn,

            which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge 

           of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect."

We follow in the footsteps and precepts of the greatest men and women who ever lived, the patriarchs, prophets and martyrs of the old Testament and the first Church.  They laid a foundation, established the doctrine, formulated unmoving faith, and left a bloodstained footprinted trail for hungry, searching generations to follow.  We are identified with this

honorable court of people and with the echoes of their spiritual triumphs; we are continually encouraged to endure to the end.

      

                                                  

                     

       "Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, 

          obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.  Quenched the violence of fire,

   escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better ressurection: ... cruel mockings and scourgings ... bonds and imprisonment ... they were stoned, sawn asunder, tempted, slain with the sword ..."

(Hebrews 11:33-37)

The echoes of "just men made perfect" get louder and louder as we approach the Rapture of the church and the world seems to digress to the persecutions of old.  We cup our ears a little tighter to hear those echoes of the soldiers of the faith, the stalwart heroes of the Great I AM, the members of Club Strength, the martyrs now robed in white.

          

                                  "When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar

                                                   the souls of those who had been slain because of the

                                                  word of God and the testimony they had maintained."

                                                                                           (Revelation 6:9)

The pages of the Bible are moving at a rapid pace, and our headlines are matching the Holy script.  People today, throughout the world, are imprisoned, tortured, and dying for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is not for nought; life in earth is but a mere moment compared to the glorious eternity awaiting us.  So, we march on; we stand tall; we refuse to recant, for we "know" the Spirit that lives within us and we live day by day uplifted by that Spirit, and the ever-present comforting sound of "Echoing Spirits," beckoning us to the eternal reward!

       

 

                                                                                                                                      By Sheryl Fowler

               (Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

               PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)