Recently, for my birthday, I was told I should live outside my comfort zone. I got thinking about that.
For the past 40 years, that is exactly what I have been doing. How? All by the Power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ! He sent me the Holy Spirit, known as the Comforter. He keeps me strong and stable in the midst of uncomfortable change.
Being outside my comfort zone has become easier for me, since I used to hate change. But the last decade has been a real refining process. Jesus promised me this, and He promises it to all who call on Him:
John 14:16 KJV And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
John 14:26 KJV But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
He, the Holy Spirit, comforts me, teaches me, and guides me consistently and continually in the midst of leaving my comfort zones. Let me share with you some of the comfort zones I have left over the years. Some were negative changes brought about by people, but somehow God miraculously turned those circumstances for His good plan for me and for others. Some were growth changes. And some were happy and positive, yet still pushed me out of my comfort zone.
Change is inevitable. And at my birthday (Dec 23) and at Christmas, I have been reflecting on my years here on earth.
People who see a stable and consistent working man like me may not understand that I have been constantly stepping out of my comfort zones... and I can only do it by the consistent and ever present Comforter who abides in me, the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ! Praise to Him alone!
Here are some examples of how I left my comfort zones:
1986- Recognizing that the Bible is right: I am a sinner (Rom 3:23), needing God's grace. (Talk about uncomfortable!)
I cannot work for or earn my own salvation, but I NEED salvation. I am doomed to hell and punishment if I stay in my sins. The GOOD NEWS IS I can HAVE salvation if I accept it as a FREE GIFT from Jesus (Eph 2:8)! I believed Christ (John 10:9, John 14:6) for salvation and then I immediately told others about it in church the next day!
1989 - Getting a Gideon Bible and reading it.
1991- flying in an air plane for the first time!
1995 - working in retail! (going for an interview, getting a schedule, working for a manager.)
1998 - going to college, living away from home and family in a different town for the first time!
2000 - Comfort zone: not going to church for years. It was time to LEAVE my comfort zone get back into fellowship! By God's guidance, I did it! After nearly 20 years, I am still in fellowship with this church. They are my spiritual family in Christ!
2002 - attempting small business - and doing contract work for my father (website design). I left my comfort zone (working as an employee) to try this for about 8 months. Eventually I saw that the business was going in a geographic direction I could not practically follow, so I returned to what worked for me. I was hired back to my previous job.
2003- taking out ministry credentials (local license at first) with Anchor Ministerial. Later in 2006 I would apply for the next level (the general ministry licence) and I was granted it as a recognized maturing minister of the Gospel.
2004 - being called a "pastor" for the first time.... a step out of my comfort zone! I was the Youth Pastor back then. Nowadays I am the Assistant Pastor for the church.
2005 - getting married, and learning to share life at home!
2006 - changing jobs! My former company was going downhill fast, and I was given a offer.... to a new position in town. It was related to what I already do, and they were desperate for experienced help. So I took the plunge and left my comfort zone.... for a NEW JOB! It worked out well as my former job eventually disappeared as the company sadly went out of business.
2007 - learning and playing piano at church - and learning to sing and lead worship! (my now-former wife had stopped playing piano or coming to church). I had a background in music and in playing many instruments. Just not in piano. So I stepped out of my comfort zone, and I felt like I was unqualified (I had the basics of chords and pitch etc, but I was not as good as my ex-wife). I felt in over my head. But I kept trying and pushing myself to get better with the keys.... and I grew in skill! God even gave me new songs to write and play. I now have over 10 original songs that are a part of our regular worship services. Oh! And did I mention that sharing an original song also required me to step out of my comfort zone? Seriously, it's a part of my heart... and I am letting others hear something that is personal to me. I am exposing a piece of my inner self. But thank the Lord my church was gracious and allowed me to explore my songs. The songs that really resonated with me and the others in the Lord, they became regular worship songs.
2008 - being abandoned in marriage by a now-former wife who did not truly believe God or the Bible (1 Cor 7:15). Being forced to reevaluate who I am in Christ.
2009 - deciding to KEEP following Jesus, even if no woman will ever support me or stand beside me in my calling (1 Cor 7:17). Divorce was a huge step outside of my comfort zone (my parents were happily married all their lives). But God turned even this for good. This year was a tough year, but a defining moment in my coming of age, in what made me a MAN. No woman could ever make me a Man of God. Only Christ, who is fully MAN and fully GOD, could do that!! And He did, praise Him!
People do not realize the amount of courage it took for me to choose Jesus' path in the midst of my pain and grief. Other men of God close to me told me they do not think they would have had the courage to choose the path that I did (to follow the call of God alone) . But I give all the credit to the Holy Spirit. He comforted me and made me strong, in Jesus' Name! I am still unmarried to this day, and the woman is "not my wife" any more. (Hos. 2:2)
More than ten years later, God has made me strong when I felt weak.
Being unmarried is still not my true comfort zone, but I have learned the BENEFITS of HOLY SINGLENESS (more on that in a minute). I have learned to forget about what I wanted... it was never about "me" anyway. It is all about abiding in and loving God, and about loving and helping the people around me in life. Marriage is now nothing more than a future possibility that can wait until God is done doing good things in my life with singleness. Singleness WAS outside my comfort zone...but not anymore. Now, I am comforted by the Holy Spirit and completely at rest. And singleness in Christ is dynamic, action-filled, and full of purpose and ministry to others. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I decided to take action as a man of God.
Some of my best music, sermons and lessons, and prayers for others have been done as a single! God has given me some great revelations from the Bible!
2009- management change at work was also a huge change that forced me out of my comfort zone. I had to adapt to a new style of management! To this day, I am still thriving at that job, because I embraced a change, and relied on the Comforter - the Holy Spirit to guide me. But make no mistake, it was a tough change. Again, God gave me the comfort and courage needed to hold fast in the midst of the storms of change.
2014 - being asked to start a Christian Singles Ministry!! It wasn't my idea to start one, but I was approached by the church. We had many older singles and some were interested in a group for singles.
I felt the Lord was in it, so I agreed to it, and established the ONLY regular Bible study in the Newmarket area for Christian Adult singles (never married, divorced or widowed). The age can be 18 and up. There is no upper age limit. I knew of a non-regular singles group in the area, but they only met semi-periodically, and oddly, they limited the singles ages to 35 and under. That made no sense to me since singles come in all ages. As long as they were a legal adult aged 18 or older, then they can join in my Christian discipleship Bible studies with music and prayer for singles! 5 and a half years later, I am still leading the Christian singles ministry. I have been given key Biblical revelations from God about singleness for Christ. More on that here:
www.churchonthego.ca/christiansingles.html
www.facebook.com/christiansinglesonthego/
2015 - attempting small business (again) in order to help a friend (and a group) who wanted to try it as partners. I care about people.
BUT.... In this life, you learn that some things are not your metronome, they are not your calling. I learned this about small business. It was a huge step out of my comfort zone, and it was not a happy time. But I love helping people. Through this, I learned that I can help people in other ways. It does not have to be in small business. Some people are truly anointed for small business and marketing. God bless those people as they are truly needed!
SO I know that by at least attempting it one last time, I now have the authority and reason to say "no" to any future business proposals. :) That way I can stay focused on my own calling for this time and season.
2016 - being promoted at work... in an environment that did not seem likely for promotion!! I was surprised when I got the promotion to be a department manager (I was already a key-holder). I was yet again, being invited to step outside of my comfort zone. I did NOT feel ready, yet, here I was, being given a wide open door into more responsibility, more chance at failing, more chance to not have it all together. Yet somehow, God keeps me afloat and gives me His grace. He blesses the staff and the management there. And He blesses me. I am never completely at ease at work because there is always something new to be aware of and there is always something changing. But I have nevertheless been given the room to grow into my position and slowly gain influence and proficiency at managing. THIS is how we learn, by staying in an active environment of change and growth... not remaining stagnant and "safe".
2018 - my dad passing away. He knew Jesus, so he is home with the Lord. He had a sickness that eventually took a toll on his body. But he was ready for heaven. He believed in Jesus and accepted the free gift of salvation from an early age.
But I had to leave my comfort zone anyway, despite knowing all this. I had to get used to not having a dad on the planet, not having a father in the flesh to talk to, confide in, and have fun with. I still miss him and think of him often. But God has helped me adjust and move forward in a positive way. Now, I rely on my Heavenly Father all the more to be my Dad. I am comforted by The Comforter.
Change is inevitible. Except for Christ. He is always the same. The Comforter is always the SAME.
When stepping out of your comfort zones, as I do, remember these comforting words: Jesus Christ is the SAME yesterday, today, and forever! (Hebrews 13:8)
This is my key and my advice for you. When all else is changing, abide in Christ Jesus, who never changes! His Spirit, the Comforter, will comfort you and guide you in your life, when circumstances call for you to step outside your comfort zone!
Merry Christmas! Jesus was born to be our Saviour!
Pastor Curtis A
churchonthego.ca
Christmas Day Dec 25 2019 12:09pm
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Saturday, July 27, 2019
The Law of Divorce and Remarriage is Fulfilled in Jesus Christ, The HEAVENLY HOSEA!
DIVORCED ISRAEL REDEEMED THROUGH CHRIST ALONE
Jesus does not set aside the Law of Moses. Instead He fulfills it.
Matthew 5:17-18 New King James Version (NKJV)
Christ Fulfills the Law
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
Does all mean "all" or "some"? If all means "all" then this would have to include Moses' holy law regarding divorce and remarriage inspired by God.
The Law of Divorce and Remarriage
Deuteronomy 24:1-4 New King James Version (NKJV)
1 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house,
2 when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife,
3 if the latter husband detests her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife,
4 then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Divorce, though not God's original design for marriage (His original design is Gen 2:24-25) still cannot be considered a sin since it was allowed in God's holy law as written by Moses. Divorce was a necessary PROVISION in the Law due to sin... the sin of Israel.
As we will see, God the Father uses this law Himself to divorce His adulterous wife, Israel.
Divorce ends the covenant, the contract is over. REMARRIAGE is the HOPE of SCRIPTURE to start AFRESH with someone NEW! NOTE that the only "abomination" mentioned in Deut. 24:1-4 is if the FIRST husband attempts to remarry his ex-wife AFTER divorcing her and AFTER she has had a new husband. There is no other sin or abomination in this passage.
And Jesus FULFILLS it ALL with Israel, the Ten Divorced Tribes! Jesus is the NEW HUSBAND that made it possible for individuals of the divorced Wife to be remarried! Jesus is the Husband and New Jerusalem is the Bride!
(For more teaching on this, follow this link: https://view-finder-blog.blogspot.com/2019/05/new-life-and-healing-after-divorce.html )
So how does Jesus Christ fulfill this law? Either He fulfills ALL the Law, or He has failed and is lying. And since we know Jesus is TRUE and FAITHFUL, we KNOW He has succeeded and He is telling the truth! So we should study Israel and the promises God made to Israel after they cheated on God the Father and abandoned Him. God the Father was her husband in the Old Testament. In order for Christ to fulfill Deut 24:1-2 He cannot forget the divorced tribes altogether or replace them. He cannot ignore the promises of remarriage made to natural Israel in Hosea, especially in chapter 2.
Why? Because Jesus fulfills the actions of Hosea. (Hos. ch.1 and 3)
Follow God's process in Holy Scripture:
The Father divorced Natural Israel (hardness of heart caused her to commit adultery/idolatry)
Jeremiah 3:8 New King James Version (NKJV)
8 Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.
Hosea 2:2 NKJV
2 “Bring charges against your mother, bring charges;
For she is not My wife, nor am I her Husband!
Let her put away her harlotries from her sight,
And her adulteries from between her breasts;
Such a statement "I am Not her Husband" serves to support the "dismissal and divorce certificate" principal of Deut 24:1-4 and Jer 3:8. The Father's marriage to the wife is over, ended, finished. But He does not leave this divorced woman who is NO LONGER HIS WIFE in dispair. He promises her a betrothal! WHAT? Yes!! A betrothal for a divorced woman?? Wow!! That flies in the face of the legalist's claim that remarriage is a sin. Follow along with me in Hosea chapter 2.
The Lord does not replace Israel. Instead He promises a remarriage to her (It will be to the Father's Son NOT to the Father):
Hosea 2:19-20 New King James Version (NKJV)
19 “I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me
In righteousness and justice,
In lovingkindness and mercy;
20 I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,
And you shall know the Lord.
- Note that "know" is a marriage term here, indicating the consummation of a marriage.
The Father prepared the Divorced wife (Israel) for a NEW HUSBAND, His Son Jesus:
Mat. 22:2 NKJV
2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,
The Son is the Groom = Jesus Christ (Son of God) and His Body the church (attached to the Head).
The Bride is....the Heavenly New Jerusalem (Rev 21:2, 9-12) which includes....
the Redeemed of Divorced Israel. Israelite indivduals are redeemed only in the Blood of Jesus Christ. This is shown symbolically with the number "12,000" repeated 12 times. (Twelve is a symbolic number of godly government and also of the 12 tribes of Israel). 1000 = Divine perfection.
Revelation 7:4-8 NKJV
4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:
5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.
Israelite individuals from all 12 tribes (Not just the Jews/Judah) who trust in Jesus Christ's Grace for salvation are the sealed ones who are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Israel is restored through Christ, the Only Door of Salvation (John 10:9). They are not replaced, nor do they get a different way into Heaven (no dual covenant theology and no replacement theology).
Jesus is the ONLY way into Heaven for both Jew and Israelite and Gentile.
The seal of Revelation 7 is identified here:
Ephesians 1:13 In Him (Jesus) you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
Acts 26:23 NKJV that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”
The Heavenly City is The Bride. Christ the Son (Who is Head of His Body the Church) is the Husband who takes a remnant of the divorced tribes (whoever believes on Him).
Rom 10:12-13 NKJV
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Hebrews 12:22 New King James Version (NKJV)
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,
Revelation 21:2 New King James Version (NKJV)
2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Revelation 21:9b-11 New King James Version (NKJV)
The New Jerusalem
9b ...“Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
The Heavenly City New Jerusalem is the mother of us all.
Galatians 4:26 New King James Version (NKJV)
26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.
The remanant/redeemed individuals of Natural Israel are remarried to the Son of the Father, Jesus Christ. Israel is restored through Christ and Christ FULFILLS the Mosaic Law in Deut. 24:1-2.
The Law of Divorce and Remarriage is fulfilled in Christ who takes a remnant of divorced Israel as His Bride forever, and she will never be divorced again!
Deuteronomy 24:1-2 New King James Version (NKJV)
Law Concerning Divorce
24 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, 2 when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife,
Jesus fulfills Deuteronomy 24:2--- HE IS "ANOTHER MAN". He is the Heavenly Man, the Last Adam! (1 Corinthians 15:45-49) He DIED, then ROSE again... the purchase price for the divorced woman has been PAID IN HIS BLOOD. The purchase price for the adulteress was originally found in Hosea chapter 3:1-5. But Jesus has PAID FOR HER SINS! He desires MERCY on those who are divorced, whether they were innocent or guilty. He desires a NEW START for divorced folks. The old covenant is finished. The New Covenant is HERE!
Jesus does not set aside the Law of Moses. Instead He fulfills it.
Matthew 5:17-18 New King James Version (NKJV)
Christ Fulfills the Law
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
Does all mean "all" or "some"? If all means "all" then this would have to include Moses' holy law regarding divorce and remarriage inspired by God.
The Law of Divorce and Remarriage
Deuteronomy 24:1-4 New King James Version (NKJV)
1 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house,
2 when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife,
3 if the latter husband detests her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife,
4 then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Divorce, though not God's original design for marriage (His original design is Gen 2:24-25) still cannot be considered a sin since it was allowed in God's holy law as written by Moses. Divorce was a necessary PROVISION in the Law due to sin... the sin of Israel.
As we will see, God the Father uses this law Himself to divorce His adulterous wife, Israel.
Divorce ends the covenant, the contract is over. REMARRIAGE is the HOPE of SCRIPTURE to start AFRESH with someone NEW! NOTE that the only "abomination" mentioned in Deut. 24:1-4 is if the FIRST husband attempts to remarry his ex-wife AFTER divorcing her and AFTER she has had a new husband. There is no other sin or abomination in this passage.
And Jesus FULFILLS it ALL with Israel, the Ten Divorced Tribes! Jesus is the NEW HUSBAND that made it possible for individuals of the divorced Wife to be remarried! Jesus is the Husband and New Jerusalem is the Bride!
(For more teaching on this, follow this link: https://view-finder-blog.blogspot.com/2019/05/new-life-and-healing-after-divorce.html )
So how does Jesus Christ fulfill this law? Either He fulfills ALL the Law, or He has failed and is lying. And since we know Jesus is TRUE and FAITHFUL, we KNOW He has succeeded and He is telling the truth! So we should study Israel and the promises God made to Israel after they cheated on God the Father and abandoned Him. God the Father was her husband in the Old Testament. In order for Christ to fulfill Deut 24:1-2 He cannot forget the divorced tribes altogether or replace them. He cannot ignore the promises of remarriage made to natural Israel in Hosea, especially in chapter 2.
Why? Because Jesus fulfills the actions of Hosea. (Hos. ch.1 and 3)
Follow God's process in Holy Scripture:
The Father divorced Natural Israel (hardness of heart caused her to commit adultery/idolatry)
Jeremiah 3:8 New King James Version (NKJV)
8 Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.
Hosea 2:2 NKJV
2 “Bring charges against your mother, bring charges;
For she is not My wife, nor am I her Husband!
Let her put away her harlotries from her sight,
And her adulteries from between her breasts;
Such a statement "I am Not her Husband" serves to support the "dismissal and divorce certificate" principal of Deut 24:1-4 and Jer 3:8. The Father's marriage to the wife is over, ended, finished. But He does not leave this divorced woman who is NO LONGER HIS WIFE in dispair. He promises her a betrothal! WHAT? Yes!! A betrothal for a divorced woman?? Wow!! That flies in the face of the legalist's claim that remarriage is a sin. Follow along with me in Hosea chapter 2.
The Lord does not replace Israel. Instead He promises a remarriage to her (It will be to the Father's Son NOT to the Father):
Hosea 2:19-20 New King James Version (NKJV)
19 “I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me
In righteousness and justice,
In lovingkindness and mercy;
20 I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,
And you shall know the Lord.
- Note that "know" is a marriage term here, indicating the consummation of a marriage.
The Father prepared the Divorced wife (Israel) for a NEW HUSBAND, His Son Jesus:
Mat. 22:2 NKJV
2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,
The Son is the Groom = Jesus Christ (Son of God) and His Body the church (attached to the Head).
The Bride is....the Heavenly New Jerusalem (Rev 21:2, 9-12) which includes....
the Redeemed of Divorced Israel. Israelite indivduals are redeemed only in the Blood of Jesus Christ. This is shown symbolically with the number "12,000" repeated 12 times. (Twelve is a symbolic number of godly government and also of the 12 tribes of Israel). 1000 = Divine perfection.
Revelation 7:4-8 NKJV
4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:
5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.
Israelite individuals from all 12 tribes (Not just the Jews/Judah) who trust in Jesus Christ's Grace for salvation are the sealed ones who are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Israel is restored through Christ, the Only Door of Salvation (John 10:9). They are not replaced, nor do they get a different way into Heaven (no dual covenant theology and no replacement theology).
Jesus is the ONLY way into Heaven for both Jew and Israelite and Gentile.
The seal of Revelation 7 is identified here:
Ephesians 1:13 In Him (Jesus) you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
Acts 26:23 NKJV that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”
The Heavenly City is The Bride. Christ the Son (Who is Head of His Body the Church) is the Husband who takes a remnant of the divorced tribes (whoever believes on Him).
Rom 10:12-13 NKJV
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Hebrews 12:22 New King James Version (NKJV)
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,
Revelation 21:2 New King James Version (NKJV)
2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Revelation 21:9b-11 New King James Version (NKJV)
The New Jerusalem
9b ...“Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
The Heavenly City New Jerusalem is the mother of us all.
Galatians 4:26 New King James Version (NKJV)
26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.
The remanant/redeemed individuals of Natural Israel are remarried to the Son of the Father, Jesus Christ. Israel is restored through Christ and Christ FULFILLS the Mosaic Law in Deut. 24:1-2.
The Law of Divorce and Remarriage is fulfilled in Christ who takes a remnant of divorced Israel as His Bride forever, and she will never be divorced again!
Deuteronomy 24:1-2 New King James Version (NKJV)
Law Concerning Divorce
24 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, 2 when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife,
Jesus fulfills Deuteronomy 24:2--- HE IS "ANOTHER MAN". He is the Heavenly Man, the Last Adam! (1 Corinthians 15:45-49) He DIED, then ROSE again... the purchase price for the divorced woman has been PAID IN HIS BLOOD. The purchase price for the adulteress was originally found in Hosea chapter 3:1-5. But Jesus has PAID FOR HER SINS! He desires MERCY on those who are divorced, whether they were innocent or guilty. He desires a NEW START for divorced folks. The old covenant is finished. The New Covenant is HERE!
The Father does not remarry. It is the Father's SON, Jesus Christ who became the Husband of the Bride, who is New Jerusalem. And part of this New Bride are the redeemed ones from the divorced tribes of Israel. Jesus Christ (Husband) and New Jerusalem His Bride are the fulfillment of Natural Israel's remarriage!
This article/Bible study in no way is meant to promote divorce as an easy way out of marriage. Instead, Jesus always promoted healthy and holy marriage between one man and one woman for a lifetime. That is also what I do... I encourage married people to try and stay together, try to make it work, with the power and help of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus Name. Pray together, love each other sacrificially. Study the Word together. Attend church together. Die daily to self. Live to Christ's will in your marriage. Unless you are abandoned or cheated on or are oppressed (modern word: abused/threatened) then you should make the effort to stay together.
However, sadly, hardness of hearts sometimes causes people to leave their spouse and divorce becomes necessary. But there is HOPE!!
Even when Israel had been a cheater and an adulteress, who was divorced... God STILL gave her a way to be REMARRIED.... not to Him, but to HIS SON, Jesus Christ! She is redeemed in Christ alone, and has become a part of the Bride, the New Jerusalem! Jesus is the HEAVENLY HOSEA!
-CJA
Sat Jul 27 2019, 10:34pm
However, sadly, hardness of hearts sometimes causes people to leave their spouse and divorce becomes necessary. But there is HOPE!!
Even when Israel had been a cheater and an adulteress, who was divorced... God STILL gave her a way to be REMARRIED.... not to Him, but to HIS SON, Jesus Christ! She is redeemed in Christ alone, and has become a part of the Bride, the New Jerusalem! Jesus is the HEAVENLY HOSEA!
-CJA
Sat Jul 27 2019, 10:34pm
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Story Time - The Spiritual Surgeon
A short story for the broken hearted.
By Curtis J Alexander
---
There was, many years ago, a young man, who grew up with happily married Christian parents. It was very early on when he developed his own dream of being married to a beautiful godly woman and serving Christ together. Then that dream became reality. Sharing body, soul and spirit with his special woman his wife. He had learned what it was to be a husband and to be one flesh with his wife and to love sacrificially. It took practice as he certainly was not perfect. But he was always eager to grow and flourish and nourish the love.
---
And then that dream got smashed. His wife abandoned him and wanted a divorce... for no reason other than her own selfish ambitions.
The heart of the man now found itself riddled with the shards of what was once a beautiful dream. That very same dream became nothing but a complicated set of painful needles digging in every time the heart tried to move. So the solution, in order to avoid pain, became to not desire anymore.
Yet, for a long time. this man who trusted Jesus still had to ask every question - was she ever being real with me? why did she promise and then break her word? Was it something I did wrong? What more could I have done? Was she faking her intimacy with me? All these things were part of the shards of glass... a once beautiful ornament that became jagged and cutting, and dangerously embedded. He had been abandoned not by a girlfriend or a friend, or even a fiance.... but by his very own wife, his own flesh and bone, who had promised to stand by him through all life's challenges. After being abandoned, he found himself stuck on "replay" and trying to make sense of nonsensical abandonment. He had always been true, and always tried to be the best husband he could be. But it was never enough. And now here he was, left alone, and asking questions in his head and replaying everything in his mind's eye. Jesus would be patient with this one, knowing that there would be no "quick fix" on this road of mourning, loss, death of a marriage, and eventual recovery and healing and forgiveness. This healing would be a beautiful journey. And all the man knew how to do was cling to Jesus, and stay obedient to Him. For all his personal weakness, his hand strength was still pretty good, as he would refuse to let go of the Lord.
Only the most skilled spiritual surgeon in the Land could operate on such a damaged yet tender heart. And when the Call went out to that Surgeon, He responded immediately. And as He responded, He assured the man that there would be healing, but it would come in stages. The man would have to be patient as the Surgeon knew He could only draw out one shard at a time.
Eventually, the heart could move again. It could breathe again. And after many lengthy sessions, some quite painful and tear-inducing, the Surgeon from Above had successfully removed every single piece of the broken dream. That Surgeon was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He and the man walked together, and never did Jesus forsake the man.
The man became fixated on the faithfulness of Jesus. He continued to remind himself of the Word that said Jesus would never leave him or forsake him. And he found purpose in the call of God as always.
Then, For a long time, that man became unable to dream personal dreams anymore. But he was healed... thank the Lord. He no longer suffered from endless questions in his mind or from endless replays of what should have/could have happened in the former marriage. And... he was at peace as a single-again Christian. He even found new ability and purpose in leading worship with a piano and in leading other Christian singles to be strong disciples of Christ. He found new purpose in teaching and comforting God's people, especially Christian singles.
He simply did not think about dreaming. Not for a long time. He did not miss it.
He could not imagine a new wife or a different future. But that was ok by him. He just enjoyed working bivocationally, in the call of the Lord and walking daily with Jesus. he had been broken, and then healed. Grace repaired his heart, its scars and cracks were sealed. He was now a whole man, with a whole heart... and where the shards had cut in, there was nothing but lines of grace, like a rich adhesive honey showing where God had repaired the rips. Each line tells a story in the heart. And the main story of the heart is that Jesus heals the broken hearted, and uses that brokenness to produce HUMILITY and LOVE for Jesus and COMPASSION for others who are broken.
It would take courage, and many years, for the man to once again handle a crystal-like dream ... one that is so beautiful and delicate, yet in danger of shattering if given into the wrong hands. Eventually, the heart recovered from the surgery of the Master Surgeon, Jesus, and the heart felt a new freedom... possibly the ability to ... dream again?
-CJA
Sun Jun 30 2019 2:19am EST
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
NEW LIFE and HEALING after DIVORCE
This article is meant to be a salve to separated Christians and a balm of healing and clarity to divorced Christians.
If you are only here to debate, please know that you are free to hold your own views of Scripture, but you will never win an internet debate on these topics. Trust me I know. You are free to agree or disagree but don't expect others to change their convictions for a stranger on the internet. Just sayin.... If you happen to disagree with my study, that's ok. I just ask that you please be respectful in your comments. No one has the whole understanding of all things, only the Lord Himself. I am simply offering up here some truth, as The Holy Spirit has revealed it to me, to those who have endured the loss of a broken marriage covenant. The goal here is encouragement and healing and hope for the future. Thank you!
:)
Ok so now that I have stated that disclaimer, let's continue:
Rom 8:1-2 KJV
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
There is life after loss. I want you dear Christians who are divorced (but never wanted it to be this way) to drink in these deep truths from Romans 8:1-2.
There is no condemnation on you. You are in the Spirit of God. Not the flesh. Stay close to Jesus and do not let those who throw the law of sin and death at you discourage you. The law has been changed.... and is in perfect harmony with Mosaic Law. The Law of sin and death is satisfied in the Law of the Spirit of Life. You are free and without condemnation in Christ. Let that minister to you. Let the Spirit of God minister these words to you.
God has given me new healing and life in Christ by His Spirit, after being abandoned/separated, and then later on after the divorce was finalized. There is new freedom for me in Christ. Ten years after divorce, I am a changed, healed and restored single man. I am not tied to my past. I no longer have a wife. I am free in Christ. Free from condemnation. Free to move into a new future in Christ as He leads me.
Divorced Christians, there is no condemnation on you if you are walking daily by the Spirit of God. You are free. Breathe it in. You are not tied to a dead past, a broken covenant. You are free. Even if you did sin, sin is confessed and brought under the blood. Repentance is made, and a new lifestyle is created in Christ. And possibly a new marriage too.
But in order to embrace this freedom we must understand some difficult passages of scripture that some translations do not do justice to.
I feel it is necessary to bring some clarity on this topic.
SO in order to embrace this LIFE after LOSS
There are two different words being used in Matthew ch.19:
1. v9 "put away" meaning physical separation/dismissal and
2. v7 "writing of divorcement" meaning a legal divorce decree.
Mat 19:7
They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
Mat 19:9 KJV
And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
WORDS:
"put away" is Strongs# G630: "Apoluo"
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G630&t=KJV
Thayers Dictionary:
to set free:
to bid depart, send away
to let go free, to release;
used of divorce, to dismiss from the house, to repudiate:
writing of divorcement is defined as
Strongs # G647 https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G647&t=KJV
apostásion, ap-os-tas'-ee-on; neuter of a (presumed) adjective from a derivative of G868; properly, something separative, i.e. (specially) divorce:—(writing of) divorcement.
PUT AWAY means separation or dismissal. Please note that this word is used to DISMISS the crowds that were following Jesus at various points.
SEE:
Mat 14:22
And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent G630 ➔ the multitudes away. G630
Now, obviously Jesus did not "divorce" the crowds. He sent them away. So the thrust of this word's meaning is on the physical separation between individuals, whether they be crowds leaving Jesus or a wife leaving the house of her husband.
But when combined with APOSTACION, then APOLUO can also mean divorce. But a person who is unmarried cannot commit adultery - they would require a spouse first before they would be able to cheat on them. Hopefully this never would occur, but the point stands.
For singles, sexual immorality is the sin of fornication. For married people, adultery is the sin. So note above that Jesus only uses the word for dismissal or separation in verse 9. It is not the complete package.
If the woman was truly divorced, then she could not be an adulteress! If the man was divorced, then he could not be an adulterer. But because they are not divorced, only "put away" (separated), then their marriage still stands and any external attempts at a new marriage are considered adulterous in that context. In short, Jesus was pointing out that the Jews had forsaken Moses' law.... and that a separation is not final without a divorce. And a woman cannot remarry without that writing of divorcement.
So apoluo refers to the PHYSICAL aspect... the literal, physical separation of husband and wife. This means they are no longer living in the same house together.
And apostacion is the LEGAL aspect, that recognizes and finalizes that the convenant has indeed been broken and the contract has ended.
Note that Jesus does not use this word apostacion in His statement in v9. Some newer translations muddle the two words together and translate "apostacion" and "apoluo" BOTH as "divorce", but this is not accurate. The writer used two DIFFERENT words for a reason. That reason is because both have significance. You NEED both words in order for a divorce to be valid. This is why I am using the old King James Bible for this particular study, because this version properly differentiates between the two words and helps keep the understanding that Moses gave in Deut. 24:1-4.
It is the "writing of divorcement" which ends a marriage contact and allows the wife to marry someone new, according to Moses. Jesus never disputes this. Jesus instead takes the Jews to task on separating from their wives (putting away) without divorcing them... and then marrying a new wife. Jesus said that is adultery. He does not promote divorce, but He also does not deny its validity in ending a marriage covenant. He is in complete agreement with Moses on this. All Scripture is inspired by God from the Old Testament to the New. There are no contradictions of doctrine between Moses and Jesus.
But Jesus does emphasize the original intent of God for marriage in Gen ch. 1 and 2 for the husband and wife to be joined together and to be one flesh. Jesus was brilliant in explaining Moses without contradicting him. This whole discussion with the pharisees was meant to be a trap for Jesus, but Jesus handles it with wisdom. But today I am afraid many divorced Christians are being held in bondage by legalists who want us to believe that divorce does not end a marriage. But Scripture tells us that this just isn't the case.
Deuteronomy 24:1-2 New King James Version (NKJV)
1“When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house,
2 when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife,
So note here that Moses says the same thing.... the putting away must be accompanied by a legal document declaring the end of the first marriage BEFORE the woman can remarry. Remarriage is never forbidden by Jesus OR Moses... only the idea of marrying a separated, NON-divorced wife.
So back to Matthew 19.
Separation= apoluo - and is translated as "put away" or "dismiss" in the KJV Bible.
Divorce = apostacion - and is translated as a "writing of divorcement". This is what completes and ends a marriage contract in Mosaic law, and it also protected women who were dismissed by their husbands. The Bill of Divorce protected the woman from false claims of her being an adulteress. In the Old Testament, adultery was punishable by death.... that means a divorce would have been UNNECESSARY!
So that bill of divorce proved the wife was not an adultress, and thus not worthy of death. She was then free and marry someone new. See Deut. ch. 24:1-4 for details.
Mat 19:9 KJV (with comments by Pastor Curtis)
"And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away ("put away" = "apoluo" meaning primarily to separate or to dismiss) his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery (Adultery is a sin committed only when it involves married persons, thus this couple has not been legally divorced yet, they are merely separated!): and whoso marrieth her which is put away (Separated) doth commit adultery (because she is not divorced [Greek word "apostacion"], only separated.)".
Please note that Jesus does not use the word for "writing of Divorcement" in this statement. That word is only used by the Pharisees to try and trick Jesus. But Jesus does not fall for the bait. Instead He targets their sinful practice of separating from their current wife to go date and marry some other woman. It is a sin because there is no writing of divorcement... the current marriage contract was never ended, and thus they were ignoring Moses!
See word used in Mat 19:7
"They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement (apostacion), and to put her away (separate)?"
So I want to encourage you divorced Christians.... you have a new day, a new start from the Lord, whether you remain single for now, as I am, or whether you remarry. Just know there is no condemnation of those who follow the Spirit of God instead of the flesh (Rom 8:1.)
And to all you dear Christians who are separated, I was there. I know the heartache. I understand the confusion, the desire to be with someone new. But I urge you, please do not date or attempt to plan a new marriage when you are still just "apoluo", separated. For Jesus' sake, and only if the marriage is truly unsaveable, then please obtain a legal "apostacion" writing of divorce from your local government. Divorce is not a nice thing or a thing to be taken lightly, or a thing to be performed on a whim. It is a necessary tool sometimes, when a serious problem occurs and one spouse breaks the covenant through adultery or abandonment or abuse. Even the Lord Himself has had to use divorce when dealing with an unfaithful spouse (The Ancient Nation of Israel became an adultress whom God promised to redeem- Jer. 3:8; Isa 50; Hos 1.).
Jesus emphasized that the ideal of Genesis ch. 1 and ch.2 still stands as the Christ-honouring standard between one man and one woman, for life!
Mat 19:5
And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Mat 19:6
Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
To all those who are separated who were abandoned or cheated on... I understand you. I felt the same kinds of feelings since I was also abandoned by my exwife, who had rejected God's Word. God healed me from brokenness and abandonment. I pray He will heal you as well. But running into someone else's arms while separated is confusion, and harmful. Only God can detangle your situation, not a new lover. Be patient and let the Lord work His perfect will in your life. Wait on the Lord. Receive the HONEY of the SPIRIT's LAW in your life... the law of the Spirit of Life (Rom 8:2)! God breaths new LIFE into you!!!! After the divorce, you have new freedom to HEAL and spend time with JESUS. And if someone new happens to appear in your life, down the road, you have a chance at a NEW marriage in Christ! Why? Because your divorce ended the previous contract and you are no longer just "separated".
God bless
Pastor Curtis
May 21 2019 2:25pm EST
PS The Lord suddenly moved me to write this blog entry today... and it just so happens to be on the day I was married, 14 years ago. God has since healed me after the divorce and made me a whole man, complete in Christ and there IS LIFE after being abandoned. There is life after the loss of divorce. 10 years after divorce, I can truly attest to that. So just cling to Jesus and let Him protect and guide you.
FOR MORE on this topic, listen to this study on Divorce and Remarriage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSctWjChhVA&list=PLcdRbY7K0PbnKabDfglzzBi17TdcZvpvA&index=14&t=0s
If you are only here to debate, please know that you are free to hold your own views of Scripture, but you will never win an internet debate on these topics. Trust me I know. You are free to agree or disagree but don't expect others to change their convictions for a stranger on the internet. Just sayin.... If you happen to disagree with my study, that's ok. I just ask that you please be respectful in your comments. No one has the whole understanding of all things, only the Lord Himself. I am simply offering up here some truth, as The Holy Spirit has revealed it to me, to those who have endured the loss of a broken marriage covenant. The goal here is encouragement and healing and hope for the future. Thank you!
:)
Ok so now that I have stated that disclaimer, let's continue:
Rom 8:1-2 KJV
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
There is life after loss. I want you dear Christians who are divorced (but never wanted it to be this way) to drink in these deep truths from Romans 8:1-2.
There is no condemnation on you. You are in the Spirit of God. Not the flesh. Stay close to Jesus and do not let those who throw the law of sin and death at you discourage you. The law has been changed.... and is in perfect harmony with Mosaic Law. The Law of sin and death is satisfied in the Law of the Spirit of Life. You are free and without condemnation in Christ. Let that minister to you. Let the Spirit of God minister these words to you.
God has given me new healing and life in Christ by His Spirit, after being abandoned/separated, and then later on after the divorce was finalized. There is new freedom for me in Christ. Ten years after divorce, I am a changed, healed and restored single man. I am not tied to my past. I no longer have a wife. I am free in Christ. Free from condemnation. Free to move into a new future in Christ as He leads me.
Divorced Christians, there is no condemnation on you if you are walking daily by the Spirit of God. You are free. Breathe it in. You are not tied to a dead past, a broken covenant. You are free. Even if you did sin, sin is confessed and brought under the blood. Repentance is made, and a new lifestyle is created in Christ. And possibly a new marriage too.
But in order to embrace this freedom we must understand some difficult passages of scripture that some translations do not do justice to.
I feel it is necessary to bring some clarity on this topic.
SO in order to embrace this LIFE after LOSS
There are two different words being used in Matthew ch.19:
1. v9 "put away" meaning physical separation/dismissal and
2. v7 "writing of divorcement" meaning a legal divorce decree.
Mat 19:7
They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
Mat 19:9 KJV
And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
WORDS:
"put away" is Strongs# G630: "Apoluo"
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G630&t=KJV
Thayers Dictionary:
to set free:
to bid depart, send away
to let go free, to release;
used of divorce, to dismiss from the house, to repudiate:
writing of divorcement is defined as
Strongs # G647 https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G647&t=KJV
apostásion, ap-os-tas'-ee-on; neuter of a (presumed) adjective from a derivative of G868; properly, something separative, i.e. (specially) divorce:—(writing of) divorcement.
PUT AWAY means separation or dismissal. Please note that this word is used to DISMISS the crowds that were following Jesus at various points.
SEE:
Mat 14:22
And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent G630 ➔ the multitudes away. G630
Now, obviously Jesus did not "divorce" the crowds. He sent them away. So the thrust of this word's meaning is on the physical separation between individuals, whether they be crowds leaving Jesus or a wife leaving the house of her husband.
But when combined with APOSTACION, then APOLUO can also mean divorce. But a person who is unmarried cannot commit adultery - they would require a spouse first before they would be able to cheat on them. Hopefully this never would occur, but the point stands.
For singles, sexual immorality is the sin of fornication. For married people, adultery is the sin. So note above that Jesus only uses the word for dismissal or separation in verse 9. It is not the complete package.
If the woman was truly divorced, then she could not be an adulteress! If the man was divorced, then he could not be an adulterer. But because they are not divorced, only "put away" (separated), then their marriage still stands and any external attempts at a new marriage are considered adulterous in that context. In short, Jesus was pointing out that the Jews had forsaken Moses' law.... and that a separation is not final without a divorce. And a woman cannot remarry without that writing of divorcement.
So apoluo refers to the PHYSICAL aspect... the literal, physical separation of husband and wife. This means they are no longer living in the same house together.
And apostacion is the LEGAL aspect, that recognizes and finalizes that the convenant has indeed been broken and the contract has ended.
Note that Jesus does not use this word apostacion in His statement in v9. Some newer translations muddle the two words together and translate "apostacion" and "apoluo" BOTH as "divorce", but this is not accurate. The writer used two DIFFERENT words for a reason. That reason is because both have significance. You NEED both words in order for a divorce to be valid. This is why I am using the old King James Bible for this particular study, because this version properly differentiates between the two words and helps keep the understanding that Moses gave in Deut. 24:1-4.
It is the "writing of divorcement" which ends a marriage contact and allows the wife to marry someone new, according to Moses. Jesus never disputes this. Jesus instead takes the Jews to task on separating from their wives (putting away) without divorcing them... and then marrying a new wife. Jesus said that is adultery. He does not promote divorce, but He also does not deny its validity in ending a marriage covenant. He is in complete agreement with Moses on this. All Scripture is inspired by God from the Old Testament to the New. There are no contradictions of doctrine between Moses and Jesus.
But Jesus does emphasize the original intent of God for marriage in Gen ch. 1 and 2 for the husband and wife to be joined together and to be one flesh. Jesus was brilliant in explaining Moses without contradicting him. This whole discussion with the pharisees was meant to be a trap for Jesus, but Jesus handles it with wisdom. But today I am afraid many divorced Christians are being held in bondage by legalists who want us to believe that divorce does not end a marriage. But Scripture tells us that this just isn't the case.
Deuteronomy 24:1-2 New King James Version (NKJV)
1“When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house,
2 when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife,
So note here that Moses says the same thing.... the putting away must be accompanied by a legal document declaring the end of the first marriage BEFORE the woman can remarry. Remarriage is never forbidden by Jesus OR Moses... only the idea of marrying a separated, NON-divorced wife.
So back to Matthew 19.
Separation= apoluo - and is translated as "put away" or "dismiss" in the KJV Bible.
Divorce = apostacion - and is translated as a "writing of divorcement". This is what completes and ends a marriage contract in Mosaic law, and it also protected women who were dismissed by their husbands. The Bill of Divorce protected the woman from false claims of her being an adulteress. In the Old Testament, adultery was punishable by death.... that means a divorce would have been UNNECESSARY!
So that bill of divorce proved the wife was not an adultress, and thus not worthy of death. She was then free and marry someone new. See Deut. ch. 24:1-4 for details.
Mat 19:9 KJV (with comments by Pastor Curtis)
"And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away ("put away" = "apoluo" meaning primarily to separate or to dismiss) his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery (Adultery is a sin committed only when it involves married persons, thus this couple has not been legally divorced yet, they are merely separated!): and whoso marrieth her which is put away (Separated) doth commit adultery (because she is not divorced [Greek word "apostacion"], only separated.)".
Please note that Jesus does not use the word for "writing of Divorcement" in this statement. That word is only used by the Pharisees to try and trick Jesus. But Jesus does not fall for the bait. Instead He targets their sinful practice of separating from their current wife to go date and marry some other woman. It is a sin because there is no writing of divorcement... the current marriage contract was never ended, and thus they were ignoring Moses!
See word used in Mat 19:7
"They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement (apostacion), and to put her away (separate)?"
So I want to encourage you divorced Christians.... you have a new day, a new start from the Lord, whether you remain single for now, as I am, or whether you remarry. Just know there is no condemnation of those who follow the Spirit of God instead of the flesh (Rom 8:1.)
And to all you dear Christians who are separated, I was there. I know the heartache. I understand the confusion, the desire to be with someone new. But I urge you, please do not date or attempt to plan a new marriage when you are still just "apoluo", separated. For Jesus' sake, and only if the marriage is truly unsaveable, then please obtain a legal "apostacion" writing of divorce from your local government. Divorce is not a nice thing or a thing to be taken lightly, or a thing to be performed on a whim. It is a necessary tool sometimes, when a serious problem occurs and one spouse breaks the covenant through adultery or abandonment or abuse. Even the Lord Himself has had to use divorce when dealing with an unfaithful spouse (The Ancient Nation of Israel became an adultress whom God promised to redeem- Jer. 3:8; Isa 50; Hos 1.).
Jesus emphasized that the ideal of Genesis ch. 1 and ch.2 still stands as the Christ-honouring standard between one man and one woman, for life!
Mat 19:5
And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Mat 19:6
Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
To all those who are separated who were abandoned or cheated on... I understand you. I felt the same kinds of feelings since I was also abandoned by my exwife, who had rejected God's Word. God healed me from brokenness and abandonment. I pray He will heal you as well. But running into someone else's arms while separated is confusion, and harmful. Only God can detangle your situation, not a new lover. Be patient and let the Lord work His perfect will in your life. Wait on the Lord. Receive the HONEY of the SPIRIT's LAW in your life... the law of the Spirit of Life (Rom 8:2)! God breaths new LIFE into you!!!! After the divorce, you have new freedom to HEAL and spend time with JESUS. And if someone new happens to appear in your life, down the road, you have a chance at a NEW marriage in Christ! Why? Because your divorce ended the previous contract and you are no longer just "separated".
God bless
Pastor Curtis
May 21 2019 2:25pm EST
PS The Lord suddenly moved me to write this blog entry today... and it just so happens to be on the day I was married, 14 years ago. God has since healed me after the divorce and made me a whole man, complete in Christ and there IS LIFE after being abandoned. There is life after the loss of divorce. 10 years after divorce, I can truly attest to that. So just cling to Jesus and let Him protect and guide you.
FOR MORE on this topic, listen to this study on Divorce and Remarriage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSctWjChhVA&list=PLcdRbY7K0PbnKabDfglzzBi17TdcZvpvA&index=14&t=0s
Sunday, May 19, 2019
The Paradox of Holy Isolation within Christian Community
Discipleship is a journey of being singled out by the Lord. There will always be this reality known as holy isolation - being set apart for the Lord's pleasure and use. Jesus Himself took part in community, yet was isolated by the Spirit of God for the Father's use.
John 16:32
Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
And we follow in Jesus' footsteps.
2 Timothy 2:19-21 New King James Version (NKJV)
19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.
21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Note that seal is that the "Lord knows those who are His." This automatically means that God also knows who AREN"T His, at least, not yet. But for those who ARE HIS, they get that seal. That will lead simultaneously to holy community as well as holy isolation. However, in my years I have discovered that holy isolation is a much longer, more nuanced process that we don't recognize right away. As young Christians, we often get involved in holy community right away, one of the Lord's local churches. This is a good thing! Then, within that context, as with what happened to me, the Lord slowly sets you apart for His pleasure. You are not absent from the community. But mysteriously, you begin to sense you are not with anyone other than the Lord. Yet you ARE INDEED with other believers faithfully and consistently. THAT is how I have experienced holy isolation.
This isolation is not a physical or literal isolation, but it is spiritual in nature. You are saved by Grace through Faith in Christ. (Eph 2:8) And He connects you to the Body by joining you in with one of the body parts, (one of the local churches.) (1 Cor.12)
I am well connected in the community as a pastor and a manager (bivocational ministry). I am a son and a friend. Yet there is this sense -this spiritual reality- of holy isolation I have become very well acquainted with. I am with others, in my proper God-given roles. I love them, bless them, work with them in church, work with them in the marketplace. I love my natural family and spend time with them as often as possible.
Yet I am somehow set apart. And I feel it. This is a good thing.
There was the time I came out of my hermit shell, and finally started attending a church again - Church On The GO. That was almost 19 years ago... I did it alone, when my family had (at the time) fallen into a Christian hermit mindset. By the power and grace of the Holy Spirit, I was the first in my family to emerge from my shell.
There was the time my CLOSE family (we love each other dearly to this day) finally chose to attend a church again (Praise God), yet ultimately chose a different church than the one I was attending... despite the fact that I was already well established in this one. I am at peace with this as I now see multiple reasons why the Lord allowed my natural family to go to a different church. (One of the main reasons is that God is sanctifying me, setting me apart for HIMSELF.)
There was the time I was abandoned by my non-believing ex-wife. Abandonment led to divorce. God worked all things for good and used it as part of my sanctification process.
There were times when I would lose contact with friends who moved away or had removed themselves from the community. Again, the Lord is setting me apart.
There was the time my dad went home to glory last year and left the rest of us behind (He knew Jesus and is now rejoicing with God in heaven!). I am still here, because God set me apart for God's pleasure and work.
There are those who used to talk to me all the time, and now they tend to minimize their interactions with me in person. Again, no one is to blame here, since no one has wronged anyone else. Certainly, if I had done something wrong, no one has brought it to my attention, or else I would have apologized immediately. So what gives? Why not reply to me?
Well, it's just the Lord working holy isolation and discipleship in my life. God is teaching me not to take these avoidances personally. Instead, God is teaching me by His Spirit to see it as SANCTIFICATION. I am at the local church for God's delight and God's will, not for popularity.
There were times in more recent years when some of my friends and colleagues (Christian and non-Christian) in various marketplace spheres have suddenly blocked me on social media after years of pleasant online interactions. I know these dear people and love them in Jesus. But my human mind could not understand such a bizarre twist of events.
I did not discover the blocks until later, but when I did, it hurt my feelings. I didn't understand why I was "blocked" by them on the social media website.... because I had done nothing to deserve it (and those individuals had NEVER told me otherwise). And I didn't want to confront anyone because I prefer to avoid conflict when it is not needed - plus I did not want to make the other persons feel awkward. After all, it is just a silly social media site. Nothing major.
So there is no one to blame. But my mind still needed answers.
In all these cases, I was initially attempting to make sense of these seemingly senseless situations. I was puzzled. I want to find reasons with my human mind. I kept approaching things from the lower view, the human perspective. THEN..... the Lord called me to HIS perspective, a HIGHER VIEW.
And from this elevated perspective the Lord reminded me of this passage from 2 Timothy... the Lord knows those who are His. He "sanctifies" them (sets them apart). PRAISE GOD that God took these negative or bizzare events and used them to work SANCTIFICATION and DISCIPLESHIP in me!.... It means that I AM HIS! This truly warms my heart and delights my spirit in ways I cannot fully express in words.
PLUS the Holy Spirit has encouraged me to adopt the thinking of Jesus and make it my own statement IN CHRIST:
"Christian friends, colleagues, students, family and spouse may leave me alone, but I am NOT ALONE, for the Heavenly Father is WITH ME through the SPIRIT Christ Jesus!"
And also keep in mind that I do NOT feel lonely because of these things... as I am well connected to the FATHER GOD. And He continues to faithfully connect me to the community both in church and in the marketplace and in my own personal family. This is not a pity party, but a CELEBRATION of sanctification! This sanctification is a life long process and I have only come part way on that journey. The path continues and I know the Lord will continue to lovingly guide me and walk with me and talk with me and sanctify me even more. I look forward to it.
SO.... be encouraged. Ask the Lord to take you to HIS HIGHER perspective. (Read Isa. 55:10-11)
Holy Spirit led Isolation and Holy Spirit-led Community complete each other. It is the seal of Christian discipleship.
It's like the pillars of a building. They are all in one room, yet standing apart from each other.
Rev. 3:12 says:
He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
We disciples of Christ on earth are currently in PILLAR TRAINING. We are being taught by the Holy Spirit how to be a reliable, faithful part of God's holy temple, the people of God. We are PILLARS IN TRAINING.
Pillars, by nature, are stable, faithful, and strong, as the Lord has made us to be. But like those pillars, there is still this feeling of isolation that simply comes with the territory of holiness and discipleship. The pillars are needed. But they cannot all be standing in one spot, or else the whole roof falls in. Thus, the pillars are united in purpose, united within community, and yet still isolated individually and set apart for God's purposes. Each pillar must hold up a different part of the same roof.
You cannot stand on your own. One pillar cannot bear the whole load. All the pillars are needed. And you need the power of the Holy Spirit and the direction of the Word of God.
So you cannot stand alone.... But you also cannot do what others are specifically and geographically called to do. Jesus has a special mission for you, a local calling and a ministry hand-picked by the Holy Spirit, for each individual believer. And you carry out this ministry in RELATIONSHIP to Christ. Me, I am a bivocational minister. I am called to Newmarket, ON. with a special anointing to teach the Word of God and to work in local retail as a manager. My passion for the retail workplace is just as strong as my passion to work in the church. They are two equal parts to one holy calling from the Lord. But that's my individual calling. What is yours? How has God called you individually, within the context of holy community?
1 Cor 7:17 says:
"But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches."
When one follows Christ as a disciple, it is an individual journey. Yet you will meet up with others on their journey as well and such meetings will usually happen on a regular basis. There will be congregating, worshiping, prayers together, joint Bible studies, sermons, fellowship, rejoicing, and ministering to others in the Body. There will be friendships and acquaintances. There is love and relationship in the Body.
Yet the isolation remains. And it is a genuine seal or token that you are the Lord's.
Holy isolation within community cannot be faked or forged. It is the Lord alone that causes such a process to develop. Holy isolation does not arise from following rules. It arises from following the Lord by relationship and obedience.
You are one of His chosen vessels. And if any would repent of sin and call on the Name of Jesus, they too can be saved. They can become a vessel of honour. They can experience both Christian community and holy isolation simultaneously. This is my walk with the Lord thus far. And it is beautiful. Every time someone distances themselves from me in person or on facebook, it does hurt a little. BUT then I remind myself that this is what discipleship is like... God forms you into His beautiful and holy image through a LIVING relationship to CHRIST.... in spiritual isolation WITHIN the context of spiritual community in the local churches. Isolation and community are two sides to the same coin. They are the two sides of the scales and balance each other out. They are both holy and both good. Holy isolation is always the product of Christ setting you apart from the world, and even from other family and friends. But it is NOT to be confused with being a hermit who deliberately avoids attending church and never interacts with the world. Holy isolation is not a human endeavour. It's the Lord's hand in your life.
Holy isolation happens when you re operating within your communities with other people as the Lord has placed you. You are faithfully operating in church and you are faithfully doing His calling in the marketplace. You aren't trying to hide. But God hides you nevertheless. He hides you in plain sight. This sense of holy isolation is PROOF that God loves you and is ALREADY preparing you and using you for a special purpose.
Holy isolation balances Christian community. The scales are balanced in Christ.
And singleness makes this process even more noticeable. Singleness, when focused on the things of the Lord (1 Cor. 7:32) lends itself beautifully to discipleship. No matter what your marital status is though, you all can be a disciple through FAITH in Christ, and OBEDIENCE to the Word of God and to the SPIRIT of God.
God bless!
Pastor Curtis
May 19 2019 Sunday 3:31PM EST
Saturday, May 4, 2019
Evidence for Passion/Enthusiasm
THINKING TIME (Based on Acts 18:24-27)
QUESTIONS:
A. Was Apollos ENTHUSIASTIC/PASSIONATE about his work (Preaching the Gospel), or was he INDIFFERENT? (see v25)
B. Knowing his understanding was incomplete in v25, Can his incomplete understanding be used as evidence against his enthusiasm/passion/conviction? (some people in the world think this way).
C. Would Apollos' growth in understanding and ability benefit more from ENTHUSIASM/PASSION in Jesus or from INDIFFERENCE?
See:
Acts 18:24-27 (NKJV)
Acts 18:24-27 (NKJV)
Ministry of Apollos
24 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
27 And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace;
The conclusion here is that passionate people are not perfect, but they ARE being perfected over time by grace! We will not reach full perfection until the resurrection, but we are still in the PROCESS of BEING perfected in Christ until that time!
Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
Be sure to reject the world's lie from the devil that you are not passionate about the work you do just because you are not perfect in it yet. We passionate Christians always try to follow the things of the Lord. And we try to work our best in the jobs we do in the marketplace, following Col. 3:23.
Colossians 3:23 (NKJV)
23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
And sometimes we honestly fail. Sometimes we have to learn a lesson more than once. But that is not evidence AGAINST your enthusiasm and passion.... that is evidence FOR it! It's that burning drive to "work unto the Lord" and to "get it right the next time" which reveals a person's level of passion/enthusiasm.
Look at Peter, who denied the Lord Three times. He was about as passionate as they come, yet he totally failed Jesus. But look at how Jesus restores Peter after the resurrection. Jesus rekindles that very same passion for God within Peter using a triple enunciation:
John 21:15-17 NKJV
15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Feed My lambs.
16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
Unpassionate/indifferent people give up after the slightest correction. They stop making mistakes because they stop altogether. They never grow or improve or overcome their own challenges because they don't care enough to do so. Sometimes they just stop and take a path of low resistance. They avoid the path that stimulates, even demands, growth. Peter went on to become a powerful minister of the Gospel but also made some more mistakes along the way, as we all do. But he kept learning from those mistakes, repenting, and pressing onward, accepting the Grace of God which makes us sufficient.
Dear Fellow passionate workers, Some people will hurl that hurtful lie at you and try to discourage you. They will say you are not passionate because you fail at times. And they conveniently forget their own shortcomings or overlook your strengths.
Don't let it phase you. Trust in the Lord with all your might, and keep humbly growing in ministry. Keep growing in the workplace. Keep growing in holy relationships. Be humble enough to accept correction in the workplace and in ministry. THAT'S passion. That is what "loving what you do" looks like. If you love who you serve (Jesus) and also what you do, you'll do anything to improve, and you'll keep trying. Passionate people press past their own honest mistakes until they get it RIGHT!
Some people think "passion" is a show of emotion, or an outward appearance or a set of words they say.
But it is not those things. Rather, godly passion/enthusiasm is consistent faithful action/obedience.
And even if no one else is paying attention, or noticing you, God is. He loves you, and APPROVES of your growth in Christ. Let His ability work His will in your life!
Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
So resist the urge to justify your passion to the doubters. God already knows that you love Him and care about what you do. Just focus on what He is doing in you to grow you and change you for the best!
And resist the urge to shrink away or give up. Even the most passionate workers can feel tremendous discouragement. So spend time in prayer with Jesus. Spend time in the Word of God. Let God speak TRUTH to your spirit and minister ENCOURAGEMENT to you where others sought to kill your godly passion with a lie.
Passionate/enthusiastic humble people WANT to learn the things of God more accurately, like Apollos did. Christ is perfecting us, making us more mature... more like Him! And this growth will be reflected at home, at work, at church, and anywhere else you go.
Eph. 4:15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ
God Bless!!
Pastor Curtis
1:10 am EST Sun May 5 2019
Friday, April 19, 2019
What Makes God's Everlasting Covenant Uniquely Unbreakable?
What Makes God's Everlasting Covenant Uniquely Unbreakable?
Today on Good Friday, let us remember the death and burial of Jesus prior to His resurrection. Let us briefly take a look at what caused Jesus to come to earth as a man in the first place. Why did He choose to die on a cross?
The reason was the Everlasting Covenant. Jesus was one of two parties involved with the agreement of this covenant. The other person is the Heavenly Father. The Father and the Son agreed to carry out this covenant long before the foundation of the earth.
That is why it is "everlasting". It's because, the Lamb (Jesus) was already planned to be "slain" before earth even existed!
Revelation 13:8b tells us about Jesus the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."
In this same Bible verse, The NOG (Names of God) Bible refers to Jesus as "the lamb who was slaughtered before the creation of the world."
The NLT refers to Jesus as "the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made."
This phrase "slain from the foundation of the world" is in reference to the Blood of the everlasting covenant (Hebrews 13:20) that God had already established with His Son Jesus long before Earth was created. The plan was in place from the beginning. All that had to be done was to enact that plan at the perfect time. Jesus did this very thing about 2000 years ago on the cross at Golgotha. Then He rose from the dead VICTORIOUS!
Now, in order to fully appreciate how powerful and awesome this covenant is, we need to first understand that covenants in general can be broken according to Scripture.
Here in this verse, we see an unnamed sinful human, sadly violating the trust of his love ones, thus breaking and nullifying his covenant with them.
He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him; He has broken his covenant.
Contrary to the beliefs of some, not all covenants are indestructible. They do carry terms within them that must be upheld. If one of those core terms is seriously violated, it breaks the covenant.
Even God sets terms in which His covenant with David may be broken:
Jeremiah 33:20-22 New King James Version (NKJV)
20 “Thus says the Lord: ‘If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season,
21 then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers.
But those terms of termination were set so high that mankind could not ever break God's covenant with the greatest Son of David (Jesus Christ). Only God has the power to end day and night... therefore only God has the power to break His covenant with the One He calls "David My Servant". But He uses this statement to inspire our trust in Him, that because we humans cannot stop day and night, God will DEFINITELY perform His covenant with Jesus Christ. Nothing can stop God from fulfilling this everlasting covenant. Indeed, nothing did stop God. It has been accomplished all through the Lord Jesus.
John 19:30
So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
This is what makes the everlasting covenant of Jesus Christ so powerful. He will never break His Word between Himself and the Father. He had the power to break it, but never did. He is not like a man that lies and breaks covenants. Oh many covenants have been broken by people tragically over the years. They violated the terms of their agreements. Those covenants are no more.
BUT....
Jesus does not lie. He is Truth. (John 14:6). He is One with the Father. (John 10:30) So when both parties of an agreement are of One Eternal Mind and One Eternal Spirit, then that covenant cannot be broken!
He did what He said He was going to do! He died and then rose on the third day!
Hebrews 8:6-8 New King James Version (NKJV)
6 But now He [Jesus] has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.
8 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—
Jesus is the trustworthy One whose covenant is unbreakable and eternal! Why? Because it was between the Father and the greatest Son of David - Jesus-... and the Heavenly Father and the Son are ONE! (John 10:30)
Hebrews 13:20-21
20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
This Good Friday, and Resurrection Sunday, take time to read and reflect on the power of God's Son Jesus. Slow down and meditate on what His work on the cross, and His resurrection accomplished: the Everlasting Covenant! And because of this, you can be forever included in the Family of God by the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ! If you have not yet, be sure to call on Jesus Christ for salvation. He is the ONLY DOOR to heaven and to salvation (John 10:9).
Romans 10:8-12 New King James Version (NKJV)
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
God bless!
11:42am EST Fri Apr 19 2019
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