Thoughts on Christ and His Word

As I was reading through the story of Esther I was amazed at how she had learned to honor her parents even though the man who raised her wasn't even her real father - he was her uncle Mordecai who adopted her after her parents untimely death. She first honored her adoptive father by being obedient: "But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai's instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up." Esther 2:20 Obedience to a parent is the highest form of honor. As she grew older and became queen she continued to honor him, but not as a child who simply obeys orders, but as a mature person who knows how to negotiate and find common ground for the good of everyone. So when Mordecai wants her to go to the king and beg for mercy for the Jewish nation, she doesn't just rush in to the throne room (which could have cost her her life). "Then Esther sent this reply

I just returned from a trip to New Jersey to help our Great Commission church there. A certain situation had arisen there that was hurting the church. After consulting with the parties involved a solution to the problem was agreed upon and everyone agreed to bury the situation and seek love and unity. I couldn't help but notice that this positive outcome was a result of the church there in New Jersey being part of a greater association of like-minded believers, in this case Great Commission Latin America ( GCLA ). They humbly accepted me (and my partner Rodmey ) to come into their church and help restore a spirit of peace, love, and unity. What a blessing! Churches should not be religious islands acting completely independent from the rest of the body of Christ. This kind of independence is foreign to the New Testament, where we repeatedly see interdependent churches - churches working together for the gospel under the supervision of apostles. In 3 John we see what can happen to

"The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him." Ezra 7:6 - Ezra got everything he asked from the king because God's gracious hand was on Him. This phrase is repeated 3 times in chapters 7-8. As I read these verses I wondered, "Wouldn't it be great to have the gracious hand of the Lord on ME?" As I further meditated on this God began to show me that His hand is and has been on me. I was reminded of specific prayers I had made (recent ones and some 20 years ago) that God had been answering recently. As I was preparing to do the church-plant in Woodstock I prayed that God would move hearts and send people with me. He did - 50 people in total moved with me from Miami. About 12 years ago I began praying that God would give me apostolic duties, to help churches and church leaders to progress in their ministries. This began to happen last year as I got more involved in our Great Commission church in New Jersey. A

I read a bout two kings today - Uzziah and his son Jotham . King Uzziah was a great king who God used mightily. 2 Chronicles 26:5 says "As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success." God helped him build his kingdom making him famous throughout the region, giving him an strong army of over 307,000 soldiers, giving him wealth and power so that other countries paid him tribute year after year. But as often happens to people who gain wealth, power, and success, Uzziah got proud. 2 Chronicles 26:15-16 says "His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful. But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall." He began to sin against God who then gave him leprosy as his punishment. The King everyone wanted to be with, now became the King no one wanted to touch with a 10-foot pole. King Jotham , Uzziah's son began to rule. He was a good learner for he followed the Lord and gained fame and success, but he

Jehoshaphat was one of the great kings of Israel. He served God faithfully and did many good things for his people. The Bible says that "His heart was devoted to the ways of the LORD" 2 Chron. 17:6. But he had one major flaw - he loved the people of his own race (Jews) more than he loved the God of the Jews. The Kings of Israel (the northern kingdom) were wicked. They worshiped idols and violated every command of God they could find. One such evil king of Israel was Ahab. He and his wife Jezebel made up a special team of misfits - they murdered people, stole their property, promoted false religions, and killed the prophets of God. To this sort of people, Jehoshaphat decided to align himself. So one day when Ahab wants to go to war with another city, Jehoshaphat joins him. Jehoshaphat says to Ahab "I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will join you in the war." (2 Chron . 18:3) Despite the warning of a prophet of God, Jehoshaphat went with Ahab