Remnant Magazine by John Powell

REMNANT october 2011 Vol. 1 No. 7

JOIN THE R EVOLUTION

The Christian magazine for the rest of us.

victory is a not a method

MAN

the fellowship of

christâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sufferings

GOD in Disguise

2 |

Remnant

www.remnantmagazine.com

compassion.com/youcan

victory is a not a method

october 2011 Volume 1 | Number 7

MAN

the fellowship of

christâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 13sufferings

REGULAR FEATURES: Questions of Jesus

Portraits of Christ

17 God in

The Last Word 22 What Must I Do to be saved?

Disguise

REMNANT JOIN THE R EVOLUTION

JOHN POWELL Publisher | Art Director | Webmaster john@remnantmagazine.com Find this issue and more at www.RemnantMagazine.com Also visit my sister site: www.JesusCaresAboutYou.net Access on your mobile phone: www.JesusCaresAboutYou.param.mobi

JesusCares_4u Dedicated to my sons Brandon and Caleb, to my Mom and mentor in the faith, and to

Jesus Christ

in whose name I cast this bread upon the water. www.remnantmagazine.com

give your Bible a workout

B1BLE

see page

Challenge Day

take 30-day the challenge! Follow this plan to read the entire Bible in 1 month.

Beginnings

BUILDING A NATION

Poetry and Wisdom

Prophets

New Testament

Genesis 1-11

1 Samuel 1-8

Psalms 1-8; Proverbs 1

Isaiah 1-8

Matthew 1-7

Genesis 12-20

1 Samuel 9-15

Psalms 9-16; Proverbs 2

Isaiah 9-16

Matthew 8-14

Genesis 21-28

1 Samuel 16-24

Psalms 17-22; Proverbs 3

Isaiah 17-24

Matthew 15-20

Genesis 29-36

1 Samuel 25-31

Psalms 23-29; Proverbs 4

Isaiah 25-32

Matthew 21-28

Genesis 37-45

2 Samuel 1-10

Psalms 30-34; Proverbs 5

Isaiah 33-39

Mark 1-8

Genesis 46-50

2 Samuel 11-18

Psalms 35-37; Proverbs 6

Isaiah 40-48

Mark 9-16

Exodus 1-11

2 Samuel 19-24

Psalms 38-41; Proverbs 7

Isaiah 49-57

Luke 1-6

Exodus 12-18

1 Kings 1-11

Psalms 42-46; Proverbs 8

Isaiah 58-66

Luke 7-12

Exodus 19-24

1 Kings 12-16

Psalms 47-50; Proverbs 9

Jeremiah 1-6

Luke 13-18

Exodus 25-31

1 Kings 17-22

Psalms 51-57; Proverbs 10

Jeremiah 7-12

Luke 19-24

Exodus 32-40

2 Kings 1-10

Psalms 58-64; Proverbs 11

Jeremiah 13-20

John 1-6

Leviticus 1-10

2 Kings 11-17

Jeremiah 21-26

John 7-12

Leviticus 11-20

2 Kings 18-25

Jeremiah 27-31

John 13-21

Leviticus 21-27

1 Chronicles 1-9

Psalms 73-77; Proverbs 14

Jeremiah 32-38

Acts 1-7

Numbers 1-10

1 Chronicles 10-16

Psalms 78-83; Proverbs 15

Jeremiah 39-45

Acts 8-14

Numbers 11-17

1 Chronicles 17-22

Psalms 84-89; Proverbs 16

Jeremiah 46-49

Acts 15-21

Numbers 18-27

1 Chronicles 23-29

Psalms 90-92; Proverbs 17

Jeremiah 50-52

Acts 22-28

INSPIRE

IGNITE

Psalms 65-68; Proverbs 12 Psalms 69-72; Proverbs 13

EMPOWER

Remnant

| 3

questions of

jesus

Who do you say that I am? (Matthew 16:15)

b y john powell

his great question is one that must be answered by each one of us. It’s not just a question, it is also an invitation. It is a fork in the road. How you answer this question will affect the direction your life takes. When God chose to reveal himself, He did so through a human body. The voice that called forth Lazarus was a human one. The hand that touched the leper was the calloused hand of a carpenter. The feet upon which the adulterous woman wept were coated in the dust of Galilee. And Jesus’ tears came from a heart more broken than yours or mine will ever be. While Jesus was a great teacher, His seemingly outrageous claims and statements eliminate the option of considering Him only as a good teacher. He must be Lord, or just simply a lunatic. There is no middle ground with Christ. You can laugh at Him, ridicule Him, hate Him. But one thing you cannot do is ignore Him. This question, “Who do you say that I am?”, is not a question that Jesus will only ask you once, and then be done. If you are lost, Jesus will repeatedly call out the question to you as He searches the thickets and brambles for you, His lost one, until you answer in unison with Peter, “You are the Christ, the son of God.” But if you are already in the sheepfold and you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ, I can assure you there will come another time in your life when Christ will pose this question to you again. It will be another fork in the road. It will be a test of your faith. You will recall that John the Baptist was the one sent by God to be a voice in the wilderness, the prophet who went before Jesus to prepare His way and announce the coming Kingdom. John pointed out that the One coming after him was the One Who would be preferred above himself. It was John who revealed to us that great mystery of God’s Purpose in seven simple words: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). John’s ministry reached its height when Jesus came down to the river Jordan to be baptized. There John saw the heavens opened, saw the Spirit of God descending upon Jesus like a dove, and heard a Voice saying, “This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.” With evidence like this it is difficult to doubt; and so, with great authority and conviction, John said, “I saw, and bare re-

4 |

Remnant

cord, that this is the Son of God” (John 1:34). John knew his purpose had been fulfilled, and with great eagerness he handed the reins over to the One he had so faithfully proclaimed. He had prepared the way, and now the One he had been preparing everyone for had arrived. Shortly thereafter, John was arrested and put into prison. His work was complete. His sun was setting. And just as He had said, Jesus was increasing and John was decreasing. But oh, what a decrease! The ministry was finished, the crowds were gone, and John was left alone in prison with only a few disciples who came to visit him. There will come a time in your life when your faith will be tested up to the edge of the breaking point. Like John, you will be stripped of everything precious to you. Your ministry. Your work. Your possessions. Your friends. Your family. Not that you will actually physically lose them. Perhaps you may. But there will be a time when things will just not be same, and what you held dear for so long will no longer matter. You will ponder the meaning of it all and everything, even your core beliefs and faith, will come under the magnifying glass. Like John the Baptist, you will be sitting alone in your prison, stripped of everything but your thoughts. You will be reduced to nothing but Christ. And I can hear the voice of Jesus coming from the shadows, whispering over and over to you, “Who do you say that I am?” I can hear the hints of doubt in the words of John in response to Christ’s searing question: “Are you the One, or do we look for another?” (Matthew 11:3). What about you? What will your response be? R

In this series, “Questions of Jesus,” we will take a closer look at some of the questions Jesus asked those who followed Him. Then, and now, He never asks a question He does not already know the answer to. He simply asks to see if we know the answer, and to cause us to look deeper inside ourselves. www.remnantmagazine.com

B 1 BLE Challenge Day

take 30-day the challenge! Follow this plan to read the entire Bible in 1 month.

Beginnings

BUILDING A NATION

Poetry andWisdom

Prophets

New Testament

Genesis 1-11

1 Samuel 1-8

Psalms 1-8; Proverbs 1

Isaiah 1-8

Matthew 1-7

Genesis 12-20

1 Samuel 9-15

Psalms 9-16; Proverbs 2

Isaiah 9-16

Matthew 8-14

Genesis 21-28

1 Samuel 16-24

Psalms 17-22; Proverbs 3

Isaiah 17-24

Matthew 15-20

Genesis 29-36

1 Samuel 25-31

Psalms 23-29; Proverbs 4

Isaiah 25-32

Matthew 21-28

Genesis 37-45

2 Samuel 1-10

Psalms 30-34; Proverbs 5

Isaiah 33-39

Mark 1-8

Genesis 46-50

2 Samuel 11-18

Psalms 35-37; Proverbs 6

Isaiah 40-48

Mark 9-16

Exodus 1-11

2 Samuel 19-24

Psalms 38-41; Proverbs 7

Isaiah 49-57

Luke 1-6

Exodus 12-18

1 Kings 1-11

Psalms 42-46; Proverbs 8

Isaiah 58-66

Luke 7-12

Exodus 19-24

1 Kings 12-16

Psalms 47-50; Proverbs 9

Jeremiah 1-6

Luke 13-18

Exodus 25-31

1 Kings 17-22

Psalms 51-57; Proverbs 10

Jeremiah 7-12

Luke 19-24

Exodus 32-40

2 Kings 1-10

Psalms 58-64; Proverbs 11

Jeremiah 13-20

John 1-6

Leviticus 1-10

2 Kings 11-17

Psalms 65-68; Proverbs 12

Jeremiah 21-26

John 7-12

Leviticus 11-20

2 Kings 18-25

Psalms 69-72; Proverbs 13

Jeremiah 27-31

John 13-21

Leviticus 21-27

1 Chronicles 1-9

Psalms 73-77; Proverbs 14

Jeremiah 32-38

Acts 1-7

Numbers 1-10

1 Chronicles 10-16

Psalms 78-83; Proverbs 15

Jeremiah 39-45

Acts 8-14

Numbers 11-17

1 Chronicles 17-22

Psalms 84-89; Proverbs 16

Jeremiah 46-49

Acts 15-21

Numbers 18-27

1 Chronicles 23-29

Psalms 90-92; Proverbs 17

Jeremiah 50-52

Acts 22-28

Numbers 28-36

2 Chronicles 1-9

Psalms 93-100; Proverbs 18

Lamentations 1-5

Romans 1-8

Deuteronomy 1-10

2 Chronicles 10-20

Psalms 101-106; Proverbs 19

Ezekiel 1-11

Romans 9-16

Deuteronomy 11-20

2 Chronicles 21-28

Psalms 107-110; Proverbs 20

Ezekiel 12-20

1 Corinthians 1-8

Deuteronomy 21-26

2 Chronicles 29-36

Psalms 111-118; Proverbs 21

Ezekiel 21-28

1 Corinthians 9-16

Deuteronomy 27-34

Ezra 1-10

Psalm 119:1-88; Proverbs 22

Ezekiel 29-39

2 Corinthians 1-13

Joshua 1-12

Nehemiah 1-13

Psalm 119:89-176; Proverbs 23

Ezekiel 40-48

Galatians; Ephesians

Joshua 13-21

Esther 1-10

Psalms 120-134; Proverbs 24

Daniel 1-6

Phil; Col; 1,2 Thess

Joshua 22-24

Job 1-3

Psalms 135-139; Proverbs 25

Daniel 7-12

1,2 Tim; Titus; Philemon

Judges 1-8

Job 4-14

Psalms 140-145; Proverbs 26

Hosea

Hebrews

Judges 9-12

Job 15-21

Psalms 146-150; Proverbs 27

Joel; Amos; Obadiah

James; 1,2 Peter

Judges 13-16

Job 22-31

Ecclesiastes 1-6; Proverbs 28

Jonah; Micah; Nahum

1,2,3 John; Jude

Judges 17-21

Job 32-37

Ecclesiastes 7-12; Proverbs 29

Habak; Zeph; Haggai

Revelation 1-11

Ruth 1-4

Job 38-42

Song of Songs 1-8; Proverbs 30-31

Zechariah; Malachi

Revelation 12-22

see reverse Download THE READING PLANside for other options using this flexible plan

other options letyou Read the bible in 2 months or up to 5 months.

www.jesuscaresaboutyou.net/pdfs/biblereading.pdf www.remnantmagazine.com

Remnant

| 5

Son as the Sum of All Things then we are giving Christ the preeminence. We are entering into the very heart, mind, thought, intent, purpose, and pl that Christ Himself would fill all things, that His glory would be reflected in all thi When we begin looking to the

6 |

Remnant

www.remnantmagazine.com

lan of God

ings.

www.remnantmagazine.com

Remnant

| 7

IGNITE

victory is a not a method

MAN

b y C H I P B RO G D E N

8 |

Remnant

www,remnantmagazine.com

veryone who looks does not see. Everyone who hears does not listen. What are we looking for? What is it that we need to see? What would God reveal to us? There is but one desire of God for us, and that is that we may see Christ. God does not reveal one hundred, one thousand, or one million things to us. He is pleased to give us His Son, and He delights for us to look only to Him. Not even the things He gives, but to Him who is the Gift. We may pray for revelation into a great many matters, but only one thing is important to God, that is, that we may have revelation into the Son. If we know the Son, if we possess the Son, if we see the Son, we know and possess and see all that God has and is, for He has deposited all of Himself into His Son, and all of His Son He deposited into us. As we progress we begin to ask for and seek spiritual “things” in order to have a victorious Christian life. We learn to do this from watching what everyone else is doing. We seek many blessings from God. We pray many prayers and make many requests. Sometimes it seems we are given what we ask for, and sometimes it seems we are unchanged. So we struggle on, always searching for something out in space a thousand miles away that will change us from being defeated to being victorious. The whole problem is that we view victory as something out in the twilight zone of the Spirit, while we are struggling along here on Planet Earth, toiling and sweating as we wrestle and fight against a powerful adversary. To us, victory is something we do not have, something we cannot see, something we are not experiencing, something that we must search for and diligently seek out until we find it. The routine of daily life becomes old. We hope to find the victory we seek in a new book, or a tape, or a teaching, or a ministry, or a church, or a group, or a video, or a seminar, or a special speaker, or a website, or a special discipline, or a spiritual regimen. We go through them one by one, and some of them even seem to work short-term, but eventually they will sit on the shelf in the recesses of our mind, collecting dust and never being put into practice beyond the initial excitement of having learned a new thing or riding the wave of the latest spiritual fad. God does not give us a thing called victory. Instead, He gives us His Son to be our Victory. Christ www.remnantmagazine.com

is Victory. It is not a question of going forth to war in the name of Jesus and claiming the victory in advance. May I say that Victory does not depend upon whether you “claim” anything or not. Victory is a Man! Overcoming is entering into Victory Himself, being clothed with Victory, sharing in the Life of One Who overcame. Thus, our victory is bound up in the Lord Himself. It is not a separate grace or gift which He grants to certain ones who learn some principles of spiritual warfare. People are looking for a technique or method by which they may work out a victory on behalf of Christ. Not surprisingly everyone has their own way of waging warfare. Some emphasize intercessory prayer, and believe the secret is in getting hundreds of people praying for the same thing. Others lean towards praise and worship. Some stress binding and loosing. Others believe the key is in locating and naming certain spirits which supposedly control different parts of the world. Still others think there must be some prophetic act to be performed or declaration to be made. Here is the problem with virtually all of these things: they are just that - THINGS - methods, techniques, teachings, strategies, but they are not Christ. Victory is not this, that, or the other. It is not some spiritual thing. Victory is a God-Man. The one in Christ is seated with Him in the heavenly places. If we see ourselves in Him then we cannot help but understand that since the battle is already won, and Victory is ours, then we do not need a method or a technique designed to “get” a victory which we already possess. The problem with a spiritual warfare “method” is it deceives us into thinking we have something with which we may overcome the enemy. We do not. If yours is a “method”, then the method will fail. There are no methods for Salvation, for Christ is Way. He does not show us the way, He is Way. Similarly, Christ is not present with us in order to show us a way to victory. He is Victory. If we have any hope of overcoming by taking a little piece of Christ and incorporating it into our spiritual warfare program then we have failed before we have begun. We must realize that our grounds and basis for victory is Christ. The many schemes, plans, formulas, and strategies that we devise in order to gain some sort of advantage over the enemy are but wood, hay, and stubble. Why do we seek such methods?

Remnant

| 9

God does not give us victory, God places us into Christ as our Victory. Since w Everything we ARE is swallowed up and eclipsed and surpassed by everything HE IS. nothing. But since I am in Christ, Who is God’s Everything, His overcoming is my o

Because we have not seen ourselves seated with Christ in the heavenly realm. Winning the War but Losing the Battle Let us look at some spiritual warfare methods. There is a distinctive amongst these methods, that is, darkness is glorified, darkness is talked about, darkness is exalted. Such teachings are, for the most part, enemy-oriented. Where is the revelation of Christ? It is not to be found. Instead, we are often told to seek revelation into satan, the demons, the works of darkness, and how we may overcome them. For instance, we have been told that we must discern the names of the principalities and powers over certain areas in order to bind, rebuke, and cast them out. How does this method glorify darkness? It does it by getting people to seek revelation into other “things” apart from Christ. When we engage in this pursuit we are no longer praying for the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ, we are instead praying for the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of satan. Since God does not reveal anything to us apart from His Son, from whence comes the “revelation” of satan? As Christians we use a lot of spiritual phraseology without understanding what it really means. For instance, we say, “The battle is already won.” What does this mean? If we take it for what it says, it means that there is no fighting left to do, and we are already victorious. It means either victory has been handed to us, or we have already fought the battle and won. Both of these have, in fact, been done for us in Christ. We have been handed a victory, and we have also already fought a battle in which we obtained the victory. On the one hand, we did nothing at all for it, and on the other hand we have already fought the battle: yet not we ourselves, but through Christ. Since Christ overcomes, and I am in Him, I overcome as though I fought the battle myself. This ought to be good news to us. But for the most part our Christian experience is more along 10 |

Remnant

of the lines of winning the war but losing the battle. Some have accepted this situation as inevitable so long as they live on the earth. They do not see victory on this side of heaven. They want to believe that Christ has really overcome the devil and destroyed all the works of the enemy, but then they look at their own failures and defeats and wonder why they are losing the battles if they have already won the war. Well, that is a good question. Here is another question to consider: if the war is already won, why are we still fighting battles at all? Why wrestle when we can stand? Can you see the difference between wrestling for a victory that I do not have, and standing in a Victory that is mine already? How can we see the difference in our experience? It is quite easy to mark where we are and see if we are living and walking in the truth. When we fight according to the flesh we have no choice but to wrestle. But when the enemy is spiritual, we wrestle by STANDING, not by fighting. If I see victory as something that I have to wrestle the devil for then I will be under great stress of spirit, soul, and body, looking for the devil under every rock and in every dark corner. At the slightest discomfort or annoyance I will presume the adversary is out to get me again. I will become obsessed with darkness, demons, and devils. The more you swat at a hornet the more likely you are to be stung. And sure enough, the more attention I pay to the devil, the more diligent he is to harass me. I will experience lots of failures and very few victories. Whatever victory I do experience is fleeting and brief. Just when I think I have bound the devil he gets loosed again, and I am in for yet another round. Around and around we go. He goes, and comes, and goes, and comes. I resist, he flees, and comes again. My dreams bother me by night and flashing thoughts disturb me by day. Since I am fighting the devil I have to take time out to “come against” every single thought. I have to answer every single accusation. The tiniest temptations become huge weights. I have little joy, no peace, no real confidence. Only fear: fear of failing, fear of giving ground to the devil, fear of what he might throw at me next. This is what many people call spiritual warfare. It www.remnantmagazine.com

we are one with Him, it is nevermore a question of our ability, gifts, talents, or power. . Today, in Christ, I overcome: but not because I am anything. On the contrary I am overcoming. If the Head overcomes, so does the Body which is joined to the Head.

is not. What I have described is wrestling as a flesh and blood person who is following flesh and blood rules. Victory is a Man, Not a Method When God is pleased to reveal His Son to us, we will learn that Victory is not a thing, but a Person; that Victory is not an experience, but a Man; that God does not give me a thing called victory, but has given me His Son in the place of victory in order to be my Victory. Then Victory will never be futuretense and far-away, but Ever Present and Now. For Victory is Christ. And Victory lives within you. Thus, Victory has nothing to do with the devil, and everything to do with Christ. Since most Christians have more faith, assurance and reverence for the devil than they do for the Lord Jesus, it is easy to see why so many are defeated. God revealed His Son to me only after I had failed as a pastor, when my church was closed, when I had thrown away all my books and tapes and magazines and notes on spiritual warfare and was left with nothing but Christ. I had looked for victory in spiritual warfare by focusing my attention on the devil, but God never taught me anything about spiritual warfare, nor did He reveal anything to me about the devil. He taught me concerning His Son. God did not show me how to be victorious, He merely revealed His Son to me as Victory. Having done this, it was sufficient to make me victorious. I remember the day when it happened. I was sitting in my backyard one morning with my Scripture translations opened to Ephesians and two texts before me. The first was: “And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, Which www,remnantmagazine.com

is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all” (Ephesians 1:19-23). I was thankful for this passage, but it did not register much with me. Praise the Lord that Christ is risen from the dead and is exalted far above every principality and power, demon and devil. This I can agree with. This I can believe in. But I found no comfort for me in my particular battle. I did not doubt the Lord Jesus’ victory, I doubted MY victory. So I did not understand the significance of the first passage until I read the second passage before me: “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). Now I had read Ephesians through probably one hundred times, but something arrested my attention on that day. A beam of light struck me and the words seemed to leap up from off the page and slap me in the face. I stopped for a moment and read the first passage again, then the second passage. “...He raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named... And raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Together, together, together, together... For the first time in my life, I saw Christ, sitting at God’s right hand. And I saw myself seated with Him. His victory is my victory. TOGETHER we were raised from the dead, TOGETHER we were set at the right hand of God in the heavenlies, TOGETHER we were seated far above ALL principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named! I began to laugh at my own stupidity. What is there left for me to do now that I am far above all these things? What is left for me to fight? I can find nothing to do now except to simply abide in Christ and allow Him to be my Victory, just as I allow Him

Remnant

| 11

to be my Salvation. I did not come to this conclusion after years of study. I did not learn it from any Bible teacher. It came to me from out of the clear blue sky. There it was, right there in the Bible. How could I have missed this? I missed it because my eyes had looked, but had not seen. I had scanned over the verses with my eyes and memorized them, but they never struck me to the ground. They never took up residence within me. They were letters in a book, good letters, wonderful words, but nothing that lived or breathed in me. I did not see Christ in the Book until that moment. I looked up from where I was sitting, and I do not think I was in the Spirit, and I do not think I had a vision, but it was as though I could see beyond the sky and all the way up into Heaven. Everything from the Cross through the Throne was spread before me. Now that I could clearly see myself seated with Christ everything fell into place. For if I was seated with Him, I had to have been raised with Him! And if I was raised with Him, I had to have died with Him! And if I died with Him, I had to have been crucified with Him! Everything opened up before me in an instant. Whether I saw it in my mind’s eye or with my heart I am not sure, but I saw Christ on the cross, and me crucified with Him (Galatians 2:20). I saw myself buried with Him by baptism into death (Romans 6:3). I saw myself raised with Him to newness of life (Romans 6:4). I saw myself ascended with Him, and seated with Him in heavenly places. I saw it backwards and forwards, upside down and rightside up. But I did not have the words to describe it. Even today I have a hard time explaining it. All I can say is, “I saw it.” It sounds so plain and uninteresting that way, because I do not claim to have seen an actual vision, yet it was indeed a seeing. It was definitely a perceiving. I finally realized that victory over the enemy would never be a problem ever again. From that day onward I understood that my victory was secured by Christ Himself, and there was nothing left for me to do or to obtain but to receive His finished work and accept His Victory as my victory. As surely as Christ does not struggle with the devil, as certain as His overcoming is, so certain is my overcoming with Him. I thank and praise God that today Christ is Victory. Christ is Rest from Our Labor By revelation I understood that we may “stand therefore” only when we have learned to sit with Christ, that it is more about rest and faith, and less 12 |

Remnant

about fighting and struggling. Seeing myself in Christ for the first time was like walking out of one room and into another, closing the door behind me. I got a glimpse into another world that was beyond me. Finally I saw the inconsistency of claiming Christ as my “victory”, or even asking Christ to give me the “victory”, and then battling my way through life as if I still had to do something to earn it. Because if Victory is MINE then there is nothing left to do but praise God for it and live out of it. There is no higher place in the universe than to be seated with Christ in the heavenly places. Indeed, since Christ is larger than the universe, then to be seated with Christ is to be above and beyond all time and space and dimension as we know it. To be seated with Christ is to overcome as He has overcome. It is entering into His victory. It is not a fight to obtain victory, but a sitting down having already been made victorious. It is rest, but it is not “rest” in the sense that we do nothing. It means we have rested from our labors and now we work according to His power which works in us and through us. God does not give us victory, God places us into Christ as our Victory. Since we are one with Him, it is nevermore a question of our ability, gifts, talents, or power. Everything we ARE is swallowed up and eclipsed and surpassed by everything HE IS. Today, in Christ, I overcome: but not because I am anything. On the contrary I am nothing. But since I am in Christ, Who is God’s Everything, His overcoming is my overcoming. If the Head overcomes, so does the Body which is joined to the Head. If the Vine overcomes, so do the branches which are joined to the Vine. Can you see this? Take the weakest member and put it in union with the Head and they will go the way the Head goes. Take the weakest branch and put it in union with the Vine and it will go the way the Vine goes. When we begin looking to the Son as the Sum of All Things then we are giving Christ the preeminence. We are entering into the very heart, mind, thought, intent, purpose, and plan of God - that Christ Himself would fill all things, that His glory would be reflected in all things. If our way is a method, then the method gets the attention, and the man who created the method gets the credit, and the people who put the method into practice get the glory. But if my “method” is Christ, then Christ gets all the attention, Christ gets all the credit, and Christ gets all the glory. In this way Christ is magnified, the heart of God is satisfied, and we ourselves are attuned to His Will in Christ. R

www.remnantmagazine.com

TIMES SQUARE

CHURCH

“A GREAT MULTITUDE OF ALL NATIONS AND KINDREDS AND PEOPLES AND LANGUAGES” (REV. 7:9).

tscnyc.org

VOL V / ISSUE 2 / FEB 09

THE FELLOWSHIP OF CHRIST’S SUFFERING by Carter Conlon “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 5:8–11). These verses are part of a letter the apostle Peter wrote to warn and encourage Christians of his day. History reveals they were on the brink of being persecuted and plunged into unbelievable pain and suffering. The Holy Spirit knew that Nero would ascend to the throne as the next Roman Emperor, so He anointed Peter to write this epistle to give confidence to the believers. Nero would be the catalyst for intense persecution that resulted in the death of many Christians during his reign. n DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

Peter was accustomed to suffering. He had his own particular “dark night of the soul,” when he denied Christ three times and then went out and wept bitterly. Jesus had warned him of his coming denial and encouraged him. Jesus said to him, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not” (Luke 22:31–32). After the resurrection, www.remnantmagazine.com

Jesus restored Peter’s faith. This allowed him to overcome his defeat and prepared him to comfort those heading for troubled times. n SATAN AT THE LAST SUPPER

The same evening Jesus encouraged Peter, he had been sharing a meal with His disciples. He had broken the bread which signified the kind of suffering and death He would undergo.

Judas wanted to profit from this relationship with Jesus, not suffer with Him. “Now Jesus was in great anguish of spirit, and he exclaimed, ‘The truth is, one of you will betray me!’ The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean. One of Jesus’ disciples, the one Jesus loved, was sitting next to Jesus at the table. Simon Peter motioned to him to ask who would do this terrible thing. Leaning toward Jesus, he asked, ‘Lord, who is it?’ Jesus said, ‘It is the one to whom I give the bread dipped in the sauce.’ And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him” (John 13:21–27 NLT).

Now Satan was at the Last Supper that night, circling the table like a roaring lion. It is at night when lion’s usually hunt. It is in darkness the devil as a roaring lion found somebody to devour. He overheard the discussion of Christ’s coming suffering and as he prowled, he looked for a heart he could possess. He found it in the person of Judas Iscariot. Judas was an opportunist who continually looked ahead to see how God would prosper his life. It is no surprise then that he handled the money bag, because Judas wanted to profit from this relationship with Jesus, not suffer with Him. In that divine and intimate moment when Jesus reached over and gave Judas a piece of the bread, it was God’s love and mercy being extended to him as if to say, “I am offering you a chance to walk with me. I am going to be rejected and abused by man. I am going to Calvary. There is going to be wrath poured out in that place, and I will be seemingly triumphed over. But I am offering you an opportunity to go with me and be given for others.” Judas was not interested in this pathway. He was not interested in talk about a cross, about rejection, or about being triumphed over, even if it was only for a season. This was the problem: Judas accepted the bread and what it ultimately represented with a deceptive heart. In doing so he opened up a way for Satan to enter into him. Satan, as a hungry lion on the hunt had been looking for a way to break the unity shared by Christ

Remnant

| 13

TIMES SQUARE

CHURCH tscnyc.org

THE FELLOWSHIP OF CHRIST’S SUFFERING

and His disciples. The unity which Psalm 133 says, commands a blessing from the head right down to the borders of the garment. n THE WEAK LINK

In Judas, Satan had found the weak link he was looking for, a hypocrite. Judas gave the appearance of following Christ, but his heart was far from Him. Many times we have seen this repeated in the professing church of Jesus Christ. People take the bread and cup of communion, but have no interest in moving with the Holy Spirit’s leading. They are there strictly for personal gain. When their selfish purposes are not fulfilled, the enemy gets a hold of them, and there is a roaring of unrest in their soul. When Jesus looked at Judas, He spoke directly to the devil when He said, “That thou doest, do quickly” (John 13:27). Judas rose from the table and went into pitch blackness with the same unrest in his spirit, to demand money in exchange for betraying Jesus. He leaves the house of truth for the house of the Pharisees, the temple of hypocrites. What a sad contrast!

Himself.” They belligerently called to Him to come down from the cross if He was the Christ, promising to follow Him. They were glorying in the death of Christ because they would now be able to put Him out of their consciousness once and for all. Now they would be free to go back to their dead religion. In reality, Jesus was surrounded by Satan himself. Satan had stalked and beguiled the multitude and infused his darkened thinking into their hearts. Like the Pharisees, Satan gloated and declared that the victory had been won; the prey was in his teeth. But the devil did not realize that death would not triumph.

Like a strong male lion emerging from the tall grass, Jesus cried out with a powerful roar.

The Pharisees, who claimed to know God, were well-read in the Old Testament and frequented the temple. Yet, when God appeared in their midst as a man and challenged them to change their direction, these same leaders constantly questioned Him. I can imagine Judas walking into their midst and saying, “Give me money. God wants me to be wealthy. In fact, that is the reason I came to God in the first place.”

“The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us? For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him” (Psalm 12:3–5).

n SATAN AT THE CROSS

n A GREATER LION

“They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion” (Psalm 22:13). These Pharisees were the same religious leaders who stood at the cross roaring at Christ, mocking Him and saying, “He saved others, but He has no power to save 14 |

Remnant

Mark 15:37–39 says of Jesus on the cross, “[He] cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain [two] from the top to the bottom. And when the centurion, which stood over against him,

saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.” Like a strong male lion emerging from the tall grass, Jesus cried out with a powerful roar as if saying to Satan and his minions, “You thought you had finished me, but you do not realize you are dealing with the Lion of the tribe of Judah! You thought you had me in the grip of your jaws and that your voice was the loudest. You forgot I am God and I will always have the last word.” At that very moment, the earth shook, the rocks split, and the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. Even the centurion standing watch over the crucifixion, who had seen a lot of people die, exclaimed, “truly this man was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39). Jesus roared out against sin, death, and hell and devoured it. He rose from the grave and gave the spoils of victory unto man. “When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men” (Ephesians 4:8). Jesus gives those who receive Him a spirit of power, a new heart and a sound mind. He gave you and me an assured future and a Word that can triumph over any power of evil. n THROW DOWN THE LION

This triumph can be seen in the Old Testament when a lion came against David as a young boy while he was tending his father’s sheep. David said, “I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him” (1 Samuel 17:35). Remember, he was only a boy in his teens who found himself in a vulnerable position with a roaring lion standing right in front of him. The word smote means to throw down. It is amazing how God supernaturally gave David power to take hold of the lion, throw it down and kill it. You may be a young person but if the Spirit of God is with you, He will give you power to look the devil in the eye and defeat him. You www.remnantmagazine.com

TIMES SQUARE tscnyc.org

may have asked yourself, “How will I stand in this generation?” You will stand in the same way everybody has stood in the past, in the power and might of God. He will give you His Holy Spirit and you will be able to stand against your enemies. God will give you the power to overcome the roar of the devil’s accusatory and condemning voice. Hallelujah! Again, in the book of Judges, we read as Samson went down to the Philistine camp, a young lion burst out of its hiding place with a roar and attacked him. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson and he tore the lion apart as if it were a small goat. Days later, he passed by the carcass of the lion and saw that bees had made a hive with honey in the comb. He took the honey and fed his family with it. In the same way, you do not have to worry about the future. The very thing you think is going to destroy you will actually give you life as you turn and go God’s way. You have the same Holy Spirit David and Samson had. You have the power to lay hold of the enemy, and not be in terror or panic because of him.

Do not be given to intimidation from Satan, a defeated lion. n STAND AS PILLARS

For those of you who have walked with the Lord a long time, you may still face some of your greatest battles. When Daniel was an older man, he was betrayed and thrown into the lions’ den. He came out alive, untouched and unharmed by the lions. You too will have the same victory in your trials. When the king lamented and called out to Daniel in www.remnantmagazine.com

CHURCH

THE FELLOWSHIP OF CHRIST’S SUFFERING

the morning, Daniel answered, “God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths.” There comes a point when, like Daniel, you have been through enough to know not to listen to the roar of the enemy. God has your heart and you can trust His Word.

You and I are not on the losing side, we are on the victory side. I want to encourage you to hold firm to your position in Christ. Don’t let fear get hold of you and become a source of discouragement to those who are watching your life. Stand as pillars; do not be given to intimidation from Satan, a defeated lion. Keep your confidence in God, and let your quietness and strength be a testimony to others. n LOOK THE LION IN THE FACE

I quoted the apostle Peter in the beginning of this message where he said to be sober and vigilant, because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walks about seeking whom he may devour. In other words, he walks about looking to infuse his thinking into the heart of an unsuspecting person, the way he did with Judas. You have a chance to be the church in your generation. You have an opportunity to stand in the power of God, look the lion in the face, and say, “In spite of your roaring, I have authority over you in the name of Jesus Christ.”

desire, you will have your prayer answered, and God will be able to reveal Himself through you to a needy and dying world. In Psalm 56:2–3, David says, “Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” In verse 6, it says, “They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.” This is exactly how a lion hunts. But what set David apart from other men is he knew where his help came from. In verse 9, David said, “When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.” This is the same God who through His Son, Jesus Christ, said on the cross: “It is finished,” and He literally meant the battle was over. You and I are not on the losing side, we are on the victory side. You will not be triumphed over. Walk with God, and you will see a supernatural provision in the coming days. Your security is not in your 401K, but in John 3:16.

Today, you need to say, “God, fill me with the Holy Spirit. I want power to go with you even into the place of the suffering. I want your power to reach the poor, and the power to give myself for the lost.” If this is your heart’s

Remnant

| 15

TIMES SQUARE

CHURCH

THE FELLOWSHIP OF CHRIST’S SUFFERING

CARTER CONLON Carter Conlon is senior pastor of Times Square Church, where he has been on the pastoral staff since 1994.

February 10 through 12, the congregation of Times Square Church will be fasting for the full three days. We will have prayer services from 7:00 to 9:00 in our sanctuary every night of the fast. We invite you to join with us via live web stream at tscnyc.org. We will be appealing to the mercy of God for our society and our city. People from all walks of life will be interceding for those they touch shoulders with every day. In 2 Chronicles 5:13, when the glory of God came powerfully into the temple, the people were gathered together with one voice, singing one song. They praised the Lord, saying, “He is good; for his mercy endureth for ever…” The Lord had given King David and King Solomon the pattern of this song saying, in essence, that this is how He wanted to be known. I think you will agree that our country today needs the mercy of God clearly shown through Christ Jesus on Calvary. Will you pray with us? Let’s believe God together for one last great ingathering of souls before He comes again. Send us your prayer needs by completing the prayer request form on our website at tscnyc.org and we will stand in agreement with you each night.

Yours in Christ,

TIMES SQUARE CHURCH Times Square Church was founded in 1987 by Pastor David Wilkerson, author of “The Cross and the Switchblade.” It is an interdenominational church located in the heart of New York City.

Founding Pastor David Wilkerson

Senior Pastor Carter Conlon

Tel: 212-541-6300

Fax: 212-541-6415

Church Location: 237 West 51st Street Between Broadway & 8th Avenue

Mailing Address: 1657 Broadway, 4th Floor New York, NY 10019

Carter Conlon Senior Pastor

e-mail: info@timessquarechurch.org

WEEKLY SCHEDULE OF SERVICES

This message is an edited version of “The Fellowship of Christ’s Suffering,” a sermon given on October 12, 2008 in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in New York City. Other sermons are available by visiting our website at tscnyc.org. You can also write to: Times Square Church, Sermon Ministry, 1657 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. You are welcome to make additional copies of this sermon for free distribution to friends. However, for all other forms of reproduction or electronic transmission existing copyright laws apply. This sermon cannot be posted on any website or webpage without written permission from Times Square Church. Unless otherwise noted, all scripturereferences are from the King James Version.

16 |

Remnant

Sunday

10:00AM 3:00PM 6:00PM

Tuesday

7:00PM

Church Service

Thursday 7:00PM

Prayer Meeting

Friday

Church Service

7:00PM

tscnyc.org www.remnantmagazine.com

design: hybridstudios.com

Dear friend,

GOD in Disguise

EMPOWER

b y W AY N E J A C O B S E N

he disciples were with the physical presence of God, and were completely unaware of it. They knew he was a man of God, of course. Who could watch his miracles and listen to his wisdom without knowing that? On at least one occasion they identified him as the Messiah, but there was nothing in the firstcentury Jewish hope of the Messiah that said he would be God incarnate. They expected him to be a man, empowered by God as was Moses, David or Elijah. But the idea that God would take on human flesh and live that way on the earth would have been unthinkable. How could the holy God live among sinful people and engage them face-to-face? Their history told of such moments when God’s presence came to his people. Even the most righteous had fallen on their faces in fear and some of the most evil had died. They thought that’s what God wanted, but as we’ll see their response had far more to do with how sin reacted to God than how God wanted to be known. So God disguised himself, first as a baby in a manger, then as a young boy growing up in Nazareth and finally as a young man walking the hills of Galilee. No one had any idea God had come to live among them; and because of that no one cowered in fear or acted awkwardly with him. For the first time since he walked the garden with Adam and Eve, God was among people the way he had always wanted to be. Broken lives were drawn to him, not repelled. His followers were secure enough in his presence to be genuine, even when that revealed their lust for power or their arrogance over others. Now God could experience the relationship he’d always wanted with his people. Not even in the last day of his life before he was crucified had the disciples figured out who Jesus really was. Jesus said as much during the last meal he ate with them. “If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.” When the disciples questioned him on it, certain they had no idea who his Father was, he got even clearer: “Don’t you know me even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen

www.remnantmagazine.com www,remnantmagazine.com

me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:7-9). But now he wanted them to know. The disguise was about to come off. “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?” In a few hours he would be taken from them, tried, tortured and executed. The next time the disciples would see him he would be the resurrected Christ. There would be no hiding who he really was. How would the disciples treat him then? Would they resort to cowering away in terror of his majesty? Jesus didn’t want that realization to destroy the relationship he’d cultivated with them, but to make it grow even stronger. His words in the upper room were designed to help them move the relationship they had experienced with Jesus in the flesh to the Father they didn’t yet know, to the post-resurrected Christ, and to the Holy Spirit. Instead of being with them in the flesh, however, God would come and dwell within. But not only could the relationship continue there, Jesus told them it would be even better than they had already experienced with him. “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” Read those words again. Having just told them that he and the Father were one because the Father was in him, now he invites them into that same relationship. You will be in me and I will be in you. In these simple words Jesus reveals what God’s desire had been from the first day of creation-to invite men and women into the relationship that God has known with himself for all eternity. It is as if they could no longer keep to themselves the joy, love, glory and trust that they had always shared together. Their purpose in creating the world was to invite us as mere creation to share the wonder of that relationship. R

Remnant

| 17

it has been said that we can be that we are of no

hea

but, can we also become s that we are o

18 |

Remnant

www.remnantmagazine.com

ecome so earthly minded

avenly good.

so heavenly minded of no

earthly good?

become worldly minded.

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;mark 16:15

www.remnantmagazine.com

Remnant

| 19

portraits of christ

physician

b y john powell

Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself. (Luke 4:23).

he term Physician is a title Jesus gave to himself. It is used only once, and coincidentally, Luke is the only one who records the scene. The apostle Luke was himself a physician (Colossians 4:14). Medical practices and treatments in the days of Christ were crude and much of them ineffective. Luke often felt fustrated and helpless as he watched his patients suffer, and his attempts at making them well were largely unsuccessful. The miraculous healing touch of Christ had special meaning and significance to him. There were no sterile operating rooms, no medical technology, no anesthesia, and little research. Pain and disease were at times rampant, and the only weapons the typical physician had were a variety of herbs, spices, soothing oils, and perhaps wine and myrrh for pain. What was said of the woman with the issue of blood could have been said of almost anyone, “She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.” (Mark 5:26). It is no small wonder then that when the electrifying news of a Healer spread throughout the region, great innumberable crowds gathered to follow Christ as he traveled across the countryside. Jesus had great compassion upon the people and was touched my their sicknesses and infirmities. Matthew writes, “Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.” (15:30-31). Jesus didn’t just heal people of their illnesses only. He cared about the whole person, and he would forgive their sins, cast out demonic oppression, and give peace to troubled minds. The scriptural portrait of Jesus as a Physician reveals not only his healing power, but also his care and compassion toward those who are hurting. He

20 |

Remnant

is our Great Physician who paid the price for our healing of body, and more importantly, our soul. He has born our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:3-5). Will you be made whole? If you could picture in your mind a battlefied littered with wounded, this would depict the scene around the Pool of Bethesda near the sheep market in Jerusalem. Hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of people have gathered around the pool hoping to receive a touch, praying for healing, begging that today would be their day. As Jesus walks among them, He sees a man that has been sick 38 long and grueling years. Jesus asks the man, “Will you be made whole?” (John 5:6). It’s an unusual question at first glance. You would think that a man who has been sick for so long would want to be healed. But Jesus didn’t ask him if he wanted to be healed. No, Jesus asked him if he wanted to be made whole. And there is a difference. Being healed involves the body only. But being made whole involves the body, soul, and spirit. There is a difference between salvation and a Savior, between healing and a Healer, between redemption and a Redeemer, and between deliverance and a Deliverer. The first is a thing. The second is a Person. Do you want only the things that Jesus can do for you, or do you want Jesus Himself? Do you want healing, or do you want to be made whole? A person who is healed will still eventually die. The person who is made whole will live eternally. R

In this series, “Portraits of Christ,” we will take a closer look at some of the many names of Jesus used throughout the Old and New Testaments. www.remnantmagazine.com

bible Promises When you need

healing Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”(James 5:14-16). Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise. (Jeremiah 17:14).

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5).

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. (Matthew 4:23-24).

And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: for she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. (Matthew 9:20-22).

For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 30:17).

Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases. (Psalm 103:1-3).

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24).

Visit the new JesusCaresAboutYou.net On your mobile device: jesuscaresaboutyou.param.mobi

Devotionals • Quick Studies Bible Promises • Heart to Heart Blog Psalms with Commentary and much more!

www.remnantmagazine.com

JesusCares_4U

Remnant

| 21

last word

The

INSPIRE

b y john powell

He has prepared a table for you You prepare a table before me. (Psalm 23:5)

ther than John 3:16, there is probably no scripture in the Bible more loved and quoted than Psalm 23. It’s been recited by dying men in their last moments on the battlefied, scribbled on the walls of prison cells, and framed and hung in hospital hallways. It’s words are precious to millions of people, even to those who do not claim to be religious. Buried within its lines we find a precious nugget of truth.

The Towers have Fallen, But Did We Miss the Message?

You prepare a table before me. This verse might not seem so special at first glance, unless you know a little about the life of a shepherd in biblical times. Judea is a semi-arid region with rocky desert-like terrain. Any patch of green pasture found along the countryside would have been the work of a shepherd. The shepherd would cultivate the hard soil, tear out the thorny underbrush, dig up rocks and remove stumps. Then he would plant seeds and irrigate the land until it became a lush green pasture. He would maintain his field every season, reseeding, removing poisonous plants, filling holes, and removing snakes. When our Shepherd tells us He has prepared a table before us, He is saying, “I will not lead you somewhere where I have not already been. I will not lead you to a place where I have not already prepared the way.” When Jesus leads us to the table He has prepared, when He makes us lie down in green pastures, He is saying, “Come and enjoy my finished work. There is nothing you need to do. Just come and rest. Come, and enter into the joy of the Lord.” R

A Message from David Wilkerson www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/1177 VISIT MY BLOG

Heart to Heart From God’s Heart to Your Heart

JesusCaresAboutYou.net/blog 22 |

Remnant

www.remnantmagazine.com

What must I do

to be saved?

his is the most important question in human existence and one whose answer is clearly outlined in scripture. In order to be saved we must first realize our true state of sinfulness before God and know that He alone can save us, cleanse us, and give us eternal life. Scripture tells us that Jesus is the only way and we can not have access to God through any other means. In fact, in John 14:6, Jesus plainly stated, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” God loves you! God loves you so much that he made a way for you, through the shed blood of his son so that you might be able to spend eternity with Him. “For God so loved the world that he gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have Everlasting Life” (John. 3:16). Man is a sinner, and sin has separated him from God! You may think you are a good person but being good is not enough! Every man has sinned and there is none that is righteous before God! “For there is not a just man upon Earth, that doeth good and sinneth not” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). “For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Jesus Christ is the only remedy for sin! Jesus Christ is the only remedy for sin. We can not be good enough to get into heaven, nor can our good works get us there. There was no other way for God to erase the effect of sin except by blood. The shedding of Christ’s blood indicated that the penalty for sin had been paid; a perfect sinless life had been sacrificed for the lives of all who have sinned. “. . .Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22) “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God . . .” (I Peter 3:18).

www.remnantmagazine.com

“Neither is there Salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). You must receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior To be saved, a man must confess that Jesus is Lord, while acknowledging in his heart that Christ must have full rule over his life. This confession of Christ as Lord assumes that it is Christ who will work and fulfill His own righteousness within man, as man is unable to attain righteousness of his own accord. Jesus calls this experience the “new birth.” He told Nicodemus: “. . . Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3). We invite you now to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name” (John 1:12). Pray this prayer and mean it with all your heart Dear Lord Jesus, I realize that I am a sinner and have broken your laws. I understand that my sin has separated me from you. I am sorry and I ask you to forgive me. I accept the fact that your son Jesus Christ died for me, was resurrected, and is alive today and hears my prayers. I now open my heart’s door and invite Jesus in to become my Lord and my Saviour. I give Him control and ask that He would rule and reign in my heart so that His perfect will would be accomplished in my life. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Congratulations! If you prayed this prayer in all sincerity, you are now a Child of God. However there are a few things that you need to do to follow up on your commitment. 1. Get baptized ( full immersion) in water as commanded by Christ 2. Tell someone else about your new faith in Christ (including us!) 3. Spend time with God each day through prayer and Bible reading 4. Seek fellowship with other followers of Jesus.

Remnant

| 23

Pray for

America

“We are becoming the type of nation we used to send missionaries to.” —william

b e n n e t t , f o r m e r s e c r e ta ry o f e d u c at i o n