Thank you for all your positive comments and feedback. We will be starting daily devos and worship at Genesis 1, 3 chapters a day very soon.
Until then, I wanted to leave you with some encouragement that has really gotten me through the last 6+ months.
Praying for all who read this….love all y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
Until then, I wanted to leave you with some encouragement that has really gotten me through the last 6+ months.
Praying for all who read this….love all y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
July 12th Pray, Read, Worship
This is the last chapter of the Revelation and The New Testament. What a journey this has been since April 1st. WOW!!! Congratulations if you have stayed with us the whole time.
I’D LIKE YOUR INPUT ON WHAT TO DO NEXT….
1. Start in Genesis and go back to 3 chapters a day till we finish the Bible….
2. Video messages
3. Children’s messages—kinda like an online VBS?
4. Something else…..
All of these have been rolling around in my mind. I’d really like your input….I’m going to be on the tractor tomorrow all day cutting hay and it will give me time to pray.
Thank you so much for reading and sharing these devos.
Thank you so much for all your support of Chambers Family Ministries.
Y’all are a tremendous blessing to me….
Read Revelation 22
Revelation 22 is a continuation of Revelation 21’s description of the New Jerusalem.
Revelation 22:1-5
22 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
The source of the river of water of life was the throne of God and of the Lamb. God is the source of all life. Circumstances of life may be sin but the giving of life is holy from God. This pure water of life is symbolic of the eternal life we receive through Christ Jesus. He used this analogy of living water with the Samaritan woman at the well. Some Bible Scholars believe this is a literal return to the Garden of Eden. There are definitely many similarities but a big difference in that there were four rivers in Eden, only one here in the New Jerusalem.
Certainly there is a return to there being no more curse as it was before Adam and Eve sinned. After their fall, they were prohibited from eating of the Tree of Life. Now in the New Jerusalem, we can freely eat of it and live forever.
Why would we need “healing of nations” in Verse 2 if there is no more sickness in Heaven? This phrase is referring to the purity of health and strength given from the water and the tree. We have never tasted or taken anything like this in our lifetime.
“No more curse” in Verse 3 tells us many things:
1. What we lost at the fall of man
2. There is nothing accursed in the New Jerusalem
3. What the rest of our eternal lives will be like. The curse of sin will be gone forever.
“His servants shall serve Him” in Verse 3 also indicates what we will be doing in eternity. Certainly we will be praising The Lord, but we will also be serving Him. Just like praising and worshipping the Lord in this life prepares us for Heaven, serving the Lord in this life will prepare us for Heaven also.
Can you even imagine what it will be like to see Jesus face to face? We will get to in the New Jerusalem. “His name shall be IN their foreheads”, not on, indicates that we will receive perfect knowledge in the New Jerusalem.
Verse 5 reinforces Revelation 21 where we learned there will be no sun, moon, or need for a light because the Lamb is the light. “They shall reign forever and ever” denotes how we will be living as kings in this heavenly home forever.
Revelation 22:6
6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
“faithful and true” tells us this is not an imaginary dream land. This is real and it’s what we have to look forward to. It was not only told about here in Revelation, but the Holy Prophets prophesied about this place as well. “Shortly be done” tells us that time itself is nearing its conclusion. How can we say that since it’s been almost 2000 years since John wrote this?
2 Peter 3:8
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
The Lord doesn’t operate on our view of time.
Revelation 22:7
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
When Jesus comes, it will happen suddenly. No warning like we received years ago with the Eclipse. “Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book” indicates two things: 1. We will be blessed for preserving this book. 2. We will be blessed for obeying this book….living our lives in light of the knowledge of Revelation.
Revelation 22:8-9
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
What should our reaction be to the visions and prophecy of Revelation? Like John we should be compelled to worship. But unlike John, we must be careful to worship God and God alone….not the church, not the preacher, not anything else but God. The first commandment is “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” The Greatest Commandment is “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Do we?
Revelation 22:10
10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
Daniel was told to seal up what he had seen.
Daniel 12:4
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
However John is told to keep it open. Why? “The time is at hand.” In Daniel’s time(Old Testament) it wasn’t time yet. Now it is. This is a mandate to not keep the knowledge of the Gospel to ourselves and message that our time is short. We must spread the word while we still have time.
Revelation 22:11
11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
Our response to the Word of God(Verse 10) is indicative of our character….and our character determines our destiny. Jesus will come so quickly and suddenly that we won’t have time to change then. What we are is what we will be.
Revelation 22:12
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
The Lord is mindful of everything we do for Him now. At the Judgment Seat of Christ we will receive our rewards for the work we have done for Jesus in this life.
Revelation 22:13
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
This verse is not out of place as some might think. Jesus says it purposefully after talking about work because He wants us to remember, whatever He starts, He finishes. Whatever good work He begins in us, He will complete in us.
Philippians 1:6
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Revelation 22:14
14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Are we truly saved, or do we just give lip service to our salvation. If we are truly saved, then we will follow His commandments. And if we are truly saved, we will have a right(access) to the Tree of Life and the New Jerusalem.
Revelation 22:15
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
In contrast to those who are truly saved and keep the commandments of God, are those who are not saved and do not keep the commandments of God. They will not be in the New Jerusalem.
Revelation 22:16
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
“root” of David indicates Jesus is David’s Creator
“offspring of David” indicates how Jesus was David’s descendant
“bright and morning star” indicates how Jesus is the Messiah, the light of Salvation to all. The Morning star announces that morning is coming. Jesus is saying here that the dawn of the End of Time is near.
Revelation 22:17
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
The Holy Spirit invites us to come to salvation
The Bride of Christ(Christians) are to invite others to come to salvation.
Those that hear the Gospel are to invite others to come to salvation
Those that are seeking are invited to come.
Everybody(Whosoever will) is invited to come.
Revelation 22:18-19
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
This is a clear warning not to tamper with Revelation or any part of the Word of God for any reason whatsoever. Why would someone want to tamper with the Word of God? For selfish reasons and for evil.
Revelation 22:20
20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The cry of creation is for Jesus to come back. Are we joining in that cry? Why has He delayed His coming 2000 years?
2 Peter 3:9
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
The Lord is patient and doesn’t want anybody to perish. Instead, He wants all to repent and join Him in Heaven forever.
Revelation 22:21
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Did The Lord tell us of all the coming judgments in Revelation? Yes. But what He wants us to take away is His grace that has made possible our eternal life with Him.
Are we a recipient of that grace?
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
This is the last chapter of the Revelation and The New Testament. What a journey this has been since April 1st. WOW!!! Congratulations if you have stayed with us the whole time.
I’D LIKE YOUR INPUT ON WHAT TO DO NEXT….
1. Start in Genesis and go back to 3 chapters a day till we finish the Bible….
2. Video messages
3. Children’s messages—kinda like an online VBS?
4. Something else…..
All of these have been rolling around in my mind. I’d really like your input….I’m going to be on the tractor tomorrow all day cutting hay and it will give me time to pray.
Thank you so much for reading and sharing these devos.
Thank you so much for all your support of Chambers Family Ministries.
Y’all are a tremendous blessing to me….
Read Revelation 22
Revelation 22 is a continuation of Revelation 21’s description of the New Jerusalem.
Revelation 22:1-5
22 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
The source of the river of water of life was the throne of God and of the Lamb. God is the source of all life. Circumstances of life may be sin but the giving of life is holy from God. This pure water of life is symbolic of the eternal life we receive through Christ Jesus. He used this analogy of living water with the Samaritan woman at the well. Some Bible Scholars believe this is a literal return to the Garden of Eden. There are definitely many similarities but a big difference in that there were four rivers in Eden, only one here in the New Jerusalem.
Certainly there is a return to there being no more curse as it was before Adam and Eve sinned. After their fall, they were prohibited from eating of the Tree of Life. Now in the New Jerusalem, we can freely eat of it and live forever.
Why would we need “healing of nations” in Verse 2 if there is no more sickness in Heaven? This phrase is referring to the purity of health and strength given from the water and the tree. We have never tasted or taken anything like this in our lifetime.
“No more curse” in Verse 3 tells us many things:
1. What we lost at the fall of man
2. There is nothing accursed in the New Jerusalem
3. What the rest of our eternal lives will be like. The curse of sin will be gone forever.
“His servants shall serve Him” in Verse 3 also indicates what we will be doing in eternity. Certainly we will be praising The Lord, but we will also be serving Him. Just like praising and worshipping the Lord in this life prepares us for Heaven, serving the Lord in this life will prepare us for Heaven also.
Can you even imagine what it will be like to see Jesus face to face? We will get to in the New Jerusalem. “His name shall be IN their foreheads”, not on, indicates that we will receive perfect knowledge in the New Jerusalem.
Verse 5 reinforces Revelation 21 where we learned there will be no sun, moon, or need for a light because the Lamb is the light. “They shall reign forever and ever” denotes how we will be living as kings in this heavenly home forever.
Revelation 22:6
6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
“faithful and true” tells us this is not an imaginary dream land. This is real and it’s what we have to look forward to. It was not only told about here in Revelation, but the Holy Prophets prophesied about this place as well. “Shortly be done” tells us that time itself is nearing its conclusion. How can we say that since it’s been almost 2000 years since John wrote this?
2 Peter 3:8
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
The Lord doesn’t operate on our view of time.
Revelation 22:7
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
When Jesus comes, it will happen suddenly. No warning like we received years ago with the Eclipse. “Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book” indicates two things: 1. We will be blessed for preserving this book. 2. We will be blessed for obeying this book….living our lives in light of the knowledge of Revelation.
Revelation 22:8-9
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
What should our reaction be to the visions and prophecy of Revelation? Like John we should be compelled to worship. But unlike John, we must be careful to worship God and God alone….not the church, not the preacher, not anything else but God. The first commandment is “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” The Greatest Commandment is “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Do we?
Revelation 22:10
10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
Daniel was told to seal up what he had seen.
Daniel 12:4
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
However John is told to keep it open. Why? “The time is at hand.” In Daniel’s time(Old Testament) it wasn’t time yet. Now it is. This is a mandate to not keep the knowledge of the Gospel to ourselves and message that our time is short. We must spread the word while we still have time.
Revelation 22:11
11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
Our response to the Word of God(Verse 10) is indicative of our character….and our character determines our destiny. Jesus will come so quickly and suddenly that we won’t have time to change then. What we are is what we will be.
Revelation 22:12
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
The Lord is mindful of everything we do for Him now. At the Judgment Seat of Christ we will receive our rewards for the work we have done for Jesus in this life.
Revelation 22:13
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
This verse is not out of place as some might think. Jesus says it purposefully after talking about work because He wants us to remember, whatever He starts, He finishes. Whatever good work He begins in us, He will complete in us.
Philippians 1:6
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Revelation 22:14
14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Are we truly saved, or do we just give lip service to our salvation. If we are truly saved, then we will follow His commandments. And if we are truly saved, we will have a right(access) to the Tree of Life and the New Jerusalem.
Revelation 22:15
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
In contrast to those who are truly saved and keep the commandments of God, are those who are not saved and do not keep the commandments of God. They will not be in the New Jerusalem.
Revelation 22:16
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
“root” of David indicates Jesus is David’s Creator
“offspring of David” indicates how Jesus was David’s descendant
“bright and morning star” indicates how Jesus is the Messiah, the light of Salvation to all. The Morning star announces that morning is coming. Jesus is saying here that the dawn of the End of Time is near.
Revelation 22:17
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
The Holy Spirit invites us to come to salvation
The Bride of Christ(Christians) are to invite others to come to salvation.
Those that hear the Gospel are to invite others to come to salvation
Those that are seeking are invited to come.
Everybody(Whosoever will) is invited to come.
Revelation 22:18-19
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
This is a clear warning not to tamper with Revelation or any part of the Word of God for any reason whatsoever. Why would someone want to tamper with the Word of God? For selfish reasons and for evil.
Revelation 22:20
20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The cry of creation is for Jesus to come back. Are we joining in that cry? Why has He delayed His coming 2000 years?
2 Peter 3:9
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
The Lord is patient and doesn’t want anybody to perish. Instead, He wants all to repent and join Him in Heaven forever.
Revelation 22:21
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Did The Lord tell us of all the coming judgments in Revelation? Yes. But what He wants us to take away is His grace that has made possible our eternal life with Him.
Are we a recipient of that grace?
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
July 11th Pray, Read, Worship
I’ll be preaching on Sunday morning, 10AM, at Indian Mound UMC. Would love to have you join us.
Read Revelation 21
Revelation 21:1
21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Heaven is a literal place. It is not just a state of mind, it is not wishful thinking, it is not relative to whatever religion you believe. Heaven is a real, literal place just like Cumberland Furnace, Tennessee, USA is.
Here in Revelation 21, our eternal, heavenly home in the New Jerusalem is a brand new place that Jesus has prepared for us.
John 14:2-3
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
TIMEOUT: Jesus is the author of creation…..John says that nothing was made that was not created by Him. So if this beautiful Earth that we live on was created by Him in 6 days, just think how beautiful Heaven must be if He has been working on it for 2000 years!!!
Second thing to understand…. “the first heaven and first earth were passed away;” Everything that we’ve collected in our years on Earth…it will all pass away. Don’t get too attached to your accumulations because every single bit of it will be gone when we get to the New Heaven in Revelation 21. This is why Jesus told us….
Matthew 6:19-20
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
In Heaven, we will get to see many of these treasures we’ve “laid up in Heaven” for the very first time. We will get to meet all the people in Heaven today because of the support we gave to Missions, Vacation Bible School, etc. We will get to meet the people in Heaven because we took time to invite their best friend to church, they got saved, and in turn, the newly saved person invited this other person to church and they got saved.
TIMEOUT: How big is your treasure chest in Heaven? Do you have any treasures in Heaven? Lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven because those here on Earth will surely pass away.
Revelation 21:2
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
As with all of Revelation, John was an eyewitness to the beauty and authenticity of the New Jerusalem. The image of a bride adorned for her husband is particularly interesting:
1. Weddings never take place in the morning because of all the time it takes to get everything just perfect and ready….hence the almost 2000 years that it’s taken Jesus to prepare it for us.
2. At weddings, everything has to be perfect…the music, the flowers, the venue…but especially the bride….her dress, her make-up, her hair. In the exact same way, Jesus Christ is telling us here that nothing will be out of place….everything will be perfect in Heaven.
Revelation 21:3
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Do you know how sometimes you go to a concert or worship service and you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit so thick, you could almost just reach out and touch it? Do you remember how awesome this feeling is? How you can remember it for days/weeks/months/years? How you never want it to end? That’s what it’s going to feel like in Heaven, only magnified a million times a million times a million more.
Revelation 21:4
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Things that won’t be in Heaven:
1. Tears & crying—This refers to not only the tears & crying from the Great White Throne Judgment in the previous chapter, but also to tears brought about by other things. Think about everything that has ever brought a tear to your eye….death, disobedience of a child, divorce, dissolving of a relationship, etc.
2. Sorrow—Think of all the things that have ever made you sad…disappointment, discouragement, disapproval, etc.
3. Pain—Think of all the pain you have ever experienced:
a. Physical pain—aches of all kinds
b. Emotional pain—depression
c. Financial pain—lack of money or resources
d. Spiritual pain—separation from God or hindrance/grievance of the Holy Spirt.
4. Former things
a. Stress
b. Worry
c. Politics
d. School
e. Work
Revelation 21:5
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Everything will be new in Heaven…including our glorified bodies. No wrinkles, gray hair, varicose veins, glasses, contacts, walking sticks, crutches, wheelchairs, hearing aids, or weight problems. Our mansion will be brand new, never lived in. Our robes will be brand new, never worn.
True & Faithful give testimony to the validity of what John is writing.
Revelation 21:6
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
“It is done” says to us that even though this was a vision of the future John was seeing, we can trust the authenticity and accuracy of this vision as if it has already taken place. Jesus has never broken a promise. We stand on His promises every day of our lives.
“Alpha & Omega, the beginning and the end,” gives testimony to the power and ability of Jesus to accomplish this.
“Athirst of the fountain of the water of life” refers to those of us who are thirsty or desirous of such a paradise.
“freely” refers to what it will cost us. Jesus paid it all, so we could enjoy this for free.
Revelation 21:7
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
How do we overcome?
Revelation 12:11
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
We can only overcome through the blood of Jesus Christ and our testimony/fruits that it was an authentic salvation….not just lip-service.
“Inherit….son” shows the nature of our relationship with God. He is our Father and only wants the absolute best for us. We are not second class citizens with Him. Once we accept Christ as our Saviour, we are entitled to all the inheritance of God as if we are His children.
Psalm 50:10
10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
Our relationship with God entitles us to these benefits….not our works, attitudes, giving, or anything else.
Revelation 21:8
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Verse 8 tells us specific people who won’t be in Heaven.
1. The fearful—People who are scared of taking a stand for Jesus Christ. Fearful of confessing Him as Lord and Saviour of their lives.
Romans 10:9
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Matthew 10:32-33
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
2. The unbelieving—People who never do believe in Jesus Christ to forgive them of their sins. Either they think Christianity is a fairy tale or that there is more than 1 way to Heaven.
John 3:16
16 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.
Acts 16:30-31
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
3. The abominable
a. Homosexuals
Leviticus 18:22
22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
b. Psychics and people that read horoscopes
Deuteronomy 17:3-4
3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;
4 And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:
c. Those who consult fortunetellers or spirits.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12
10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.
11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
d. Those that are compulsive liars.
Proverbs 12:22
22 Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.
e. Those whose hearts are full of pride
Proverbs 16:5
5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.
f. Those who cheat in business
Proverbs 20:10
10 Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the LORD.
4. Murderers—People who take the life of another person, born or unborn, whether they are actually the ones pulling the trigger or consenting unto the death. When abortion was made legal in the USA, it did not make it right with God.
Exodus 20:13
13 Thou shalt not kill.
5. Whoremongers—People who engage in sex outside the bonds of holy matrimony. This includes prostitution, pornography, pedophiles, and those who are shacking up and living together outside of marriage.
Exodus 20:14
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
6. Sorcerers—Not just those who engage in sorcery, but the Greek word is the same as pharmacy. In other words, no drug addicts, drug pushers, and drug dealers in Heaven.
Malachi 3:5
5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
7. Idolaters—Those that put anything ahead of Christ in their lives. Anybody that has allowed anything to become more important or take priority over a relationship with Jesus.
Exodus 20:3
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
8. Liars—Those who habitually, perpetually, and compulsively do not tell the truth.
Exodus 20:16
16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Does that mean if you have ever committed one of these sins, then you will be going to hell? No.
There’s only one unpardonable sin….blasphemy of the Holy Ghost.
Mark 3:29
29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.
This means there is forgiveness available for any and all other sins…including those listed in Revelation 21:8
Paul gives a similar list of sins in 1 Corinthians 16, but notice what he says afterwards…
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were(emphasis added) some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
If you were one of these in your past, and have had your sins forgiven by Christ, then currently you ARE washed, sanctified, justified, and forgiven.
If you have previously engaged in the sins of Revelation 21:8 but have since been forgiven, you are good to go. But if you are currently involved in any of those sins and you are unrepentant and have not asked for forgiveness, the Bible says there is no more sacrifice for your sins and you are in danger of eternal damnation.
Hebrews 10:26
26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
God is not going to make a special exception to His rules for you. Make no mistake, there will be none of the people listed in Revelation 21:8 in Heaven.
Revelation 21:8
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
They were all sentenced in the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20 where they experienced death for the second time(1st physical, 2nd spiritual) as they were cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.
Revelation 21:9-10
9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
This is the first of two invitations we receive in the last two chapters of the Bible to “come” and experience the joys of eternity in Heaven for ourselves. Heaven is not an exclusive club in the sense that only certain ones are invited. Everyone is invited to “come”, but unfortunately few accept the invitation. The New Jerusalem was built in Heaven where Jesus prepared it for us.
Revelation 21:11-12
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
In the Old Testament, the Glory of God resided in the Temple.
Today, the Glory of God resides in us.
In the New Jerusalem, the Glory of God will reside with us permanently.
St. Peter is not the greeter at the pearly gates like some jokes suggest. Instead, an angel is on guard at each gate. Each gate is named for one of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Revelation 21:13
13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
The New Jerusalem is for people from all over the world, not just here in North America.
Revelation 21:14
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Usually, a foundation is underground and can’t be seen. But in the New Jerusalem, the foundations are clearly seen in order to remind us of the security of this beautiful place.
Revelation 21:15-16
15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
By saying the length, breadth, and height of the New Jerusalem are equal, this causes many to believe Heaven is shaped like a cube or pyramid. 12,000 furlongs is right at 1500 miles. Roughly from Maine, south to Florida, west to Colorado and that high. This makes the ground floor of the New Jerusalem more than 2.25 million square miles which would provide enough living space for more people than have ever lived in the history of the world. Whether these numbers are symbolic as some suggest or literal as I believe, the New Jerusalem is big enough to hold everyone who has ever accepted Christ as Saviour.
Revelation 21:17-18
17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
The wall is 144 cubits or 200 feet thick. Why is there a wall in Heaven? Remember it is a secure place where we will never live in fear of violence of any sort. Today we use wood, metal, and sheetrock as building materials. In the New Jerusalem, Jesus used only the finest most precious metal we know of….pure gold.
Revelation 21:19-20
19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
As if the jasper wall and the gold of the city weren’t beautiful enough, Jesus flavored up the foundations with gorgeous gemstones, which once reflected through the glory of God, shine in indescribably beautiful colors.
The Jasper is crystal clear, the Sapphire and Jacinth are blue, the Chalcedony is greenish blue, the Emerald is deep green, the Sardonyx which is white with brown streaks, the Sardius is blood red, the Chrysolyte is yellow, the Beryl is green, the Topaz is yellow green, the Chrysoprasus is apple green, and the Amethyst is purple.
Revelation 21:21
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
Today, women wear pearls around in necklaces and earrings. In the New Jerusalem, the pearls are so big that the gates are carved out of a single pearl. Verse 21 is where we get the well-known reference to the streets of Heaven being gold.
Revelation 21:22
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
In the Old Testament, the temple was where the presence of God dwelt. Today, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. There will be no need for a temple in the New Jerusalem because the presence of God will be everywhere and therefore He will be worshipped everywhere, not just in one central location. No geographical boundaries will hinder us from worshipping The Father and The Son.
Revelation 21:23
23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
There will be no sun by day or moon by night in the New Jerusalem. Why? Time will be no more and the radiant glory of God The Father and God The Son will provide all the illumination needed.
Revelation 21:24-26
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
Remember Jesus said the Gospel would have to be preached in all nations before He would return. In the New Jerusalem, these nations of saved people will dwell. Again, this shows the inclusiveness of the New Jerusalem.
“No night” in Verse 25 again shows how there will be no more time in the New Jerusalem. By the gates never being shut this means that no one who is supposed to get in will be left out.
Revelation 21:27
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Verse 27 reminds us the safety of the New Jerusalem, who will not be in the New Jerusalem, who will be in the New Jerusalem, and what is the litmus test for entrance.
To enter the New Jerusalem, your name must be written down in the Lamb’s book of life. This is the registry of the Redeemed.
Is your name written down?
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
I’ll be preaching on Sunday morning, 10AM, at Indian Mound UMC. Would love to have you join us.
Read Revelation 21
Revelation 21:1
21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Heaven is a literal place. It is not just a state of mind, it is not wishful thinking, it is not relative to whatever religion you believe. Heaven is a real, literal place just like Cumberland Furnace, Tennessee, USA is.
Here in Revelation 21, our eternal, heavenly home in the New Jerusalem is a brand new place that Jesus has prepared for us.
John 14:2-3
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
TIMEOUT: Jesus is the author of creation…..John says that nothing was made that was not created by Him. So if this beautiful Earth that we live on was created by Him in 6 days, just think how beautiful Heaven must be if He has been working on it for 2000 years!!!
Second thing to understand…. “the first heaven and first earth were passed away;” Everything that we’ve collected in our years on Earth…it will all pass away. Don’t get too attached to your accumulations because every single bit of it will be gone when we get to the New Heaven in Revelation 21. This is why Jesus told us….
Matthew 6:19-20
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
In Heaven, we will get to see many of these treasures we’ve “laid up in Heaven” for the very first time. We will get to meet all the people in Heaven today because of the support we gave to Missions, Vacation Bible School, etc. We will get to meet the people in Heaven because we took time to invite their best friend to church, they got saved, and in turn, the newly saved person invited this other person to church and they got saved.
TIMEOUT: How big is your treasure chest in Heaven? Do you have any treasures in Heaven? Lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven because those here on Earth will surely pass away.
Revelation 21:2
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
As with all of Revelation, John was an eyewitness to the beauty and authenticity of the New Jerusalem. The image of a bride adorned for her husband is particularly interesting:
1. Weddings never take place in the morning because of all the time it takes to get everything just perfect and ready….hence the almost 2000 years that it’s taken Jesus to prepare it for us.
2. At weddings, everything has to be perfect…the music, the flowers, the venue…but especially the bride….her dress, her make-up, her hair. In the exact same way, Jesus Christ is telling us here that nothing will be out of place….everything will be perfect in Heaven.
Revelation 21:3
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Do you know how sometimes you go to a concert or worship service and you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit so thick, you could almost just reach out and touch it? Do you remember how awesome this feeling is? How you can remember it for days/weeks/months/years? How you never want it to end? That’s what it’s going to feel like in Heaven, only magnified a million times a million times a million more.
Revelation 21:4
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Things that won’t be in Heaven:
1. Tears & crying—This refers to not only the tears & crying from the Great White Throne Judgment in the previous chapter, but also to tears brought about by other things. Think about everything that has ever brought a tear to your eye….death, disobedience of a child, divorce, dissolving of a relationship, etc.
2. Sorrow—Think of all the things that have ever made you sad…disappointment, discouragement, disapproval, etc.
3. Pain—Think of all the pain you have ever experienced:
a. Physical pain—aches of all kinds
b. Emotional pain—depression
c. Financial pain—lack of money or resources
d. Spiritual pain—separation from God or hindrance/grievance of the Holy Spirt.
4. Former things
a. Stress
b. Worry
c. Politics
d. School
e. Work
Revelation 21:5
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Everything will be new in Heaven…including our glorified bodies. No wrinkles, gray hair, varicose veins, glasses, contacts, walking sticks, crutches, wheelchairs, hearing aids, or weight problems. Our mansion will be brand new, never lived in. Our robes will be brand new, never worn.
True & Faithful give testimony to the validity of what John is writing.
Revelation 21:6
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
“It is done” says to us that even though this was a vision of the future John was seeing, we can trust the authenticity and accuracy of this vision as if it has already taken place. Jesus has never broken a promise. We stand on His promises every day of our lives.
“Alpha & Omega, the beginning and the end,” gives testimony to the power and ability of Jesus to accomplish this.
“Athirst of the fountain of the water of life” refers to those of us who are thirsty or desirous of such a paradise.
“freely” refers to what it will cost us. Jesus paid it all, so we could enjoy this for free.
Revelation 21:7
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
How do we overcome?
Revelation 12:11
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
We can only overcome through the blood of Jesus Christ and our testimony/fruits that it was an authentic salvation….not just lip-service.
“Inherit….son” shows the nature of our relationship with God. He is our Father and only wants the absolute best for us. We are not second class citizens with Him. Once we accept Christ as our Saviour, we are entitled to all the inheritance of God as if we are His children.
Psalm 50:10
10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
Our relationship with God entitles us to these benefits….not our works, attitudes, giving, or anything else.
Revelation 21:8
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Verse 8 tells us specific people who won’t be in Heaven.
1. The fearful—People who are scared of taking a stand for Jesus Christ. Fearful of confessing Him as Lord and Saviour of their lives.
Romans 10:9
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Matthew 10:32-33
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
2. The unbelieving—People who never do believe in Jesus Christ to forgive them of their sins. Either they think Christianity is a fairy tale or that there is more than 1 way to Heaven.
John 3:16
16 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.
Acts 16:30-31
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
3. The abominable
a. Homosexuals
Leviticus 18:22
22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
b. Psychics and people that read horoscopes
Deuteronomy 17:3-4
3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;
4 And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:
c. Those who consult fortunetellers or spirits.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12
10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.
11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
d. Those that are compulsive liars.
Proverbs 12:22
22 Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.
e. Those whose hearts are full of pride
Proverbs 16:5
5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.
f. Those who cheat in business
Proverbs 20:10
10 Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the LORD.
4. Murderers—People who take the life of another person, born or unborn, whether they are actually the ones pulling the trigger or consenting unto the death. When abortion was made legal in the USA, it did not make it right with God.
Exodus 20:13
13 Thou shalt not kill.
5. Whoremongers—People who engage in sex outside the bonds of holy matrimony. This includes prostitution, pornography, pedophiles, and those who are shacking up and living together outside of marriage.
Exodus 20:14
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
6. Sorcerers—Not just those who engage in sorcery, but the Greek word is the same as pharmacy. In other words, no drug addicts, drug pushers, and drug dealers in Heaven.
Malachi 3:5
5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
7. Idolaters—Those that put anything ahead of Christ in their lives. Anybody that has allowed anything to become more important or take priority over a relationship with Jesus.
Exodus 20:3
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
8. Liars—Those who habitually, perpetually, and compulsively do not tell the truth.
Exodus 20:16
16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Does that mean if you have ever committed one of these sins, then you will be going to hell? No.
There’s only one unpardonable sin….blasphemy of the Holy Ghost.
Mark 3:29
29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.
This means there is forgiveness available for any and all other sins…including those listed in Revelation 21:8
Paul gives a similar list of sins in 1 Corinthians 16, but notice what he says afterwards…
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were(emphasis added) some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
If you were one of these in your past, and have had your sins forgiven by Christ, then currently you ARE washed, sanctified, justified, and forgiven.
If you have previously engaged in the sins of Revelation 21:8 but have since been forgiven, you are good to go. But if you are currently involved in any of those sins and you are unrepentant and have not asked for forgiveness, the Bible says there is no more sacrifice for your sins and you are in danger of eternal damnation.
Hebrews 10:26
26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
God is not going to make a special exception to His rules for you. Make no mistake, there will be none of the people listed in Revelation 21:8 in Heaven.
Revelation 21:8
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
They were all sentenced in the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20 where they experienced death for the second time(1st physical, 2nd spiritual) as they were cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.
Revelation 21:9-10
9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
This is the first of two invitations we receive in the last two chapters of the Bible to “come” and experience the joys of eternity in Heaven for ourselves. Heaven is not an exclusive club in the sense that only certain ones are invited. Everyone is invited to “come”, but unfortunately few accept the invitation. The New Jerusalem was built in Heaven where Jesus prepared it for us.
Revelation 21:11-12
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
In the Old Testament, the Glory of God resided in the Temple.
Today, the Glory of God resides in us.
In the New Jerusalem, the Glory of God will reside with us permanently.
St. Peter is not the greeter at the pearly gates like some jokes suggest. Instead, an angel is on guard at each gate. Each gate is named for one of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Revelation 21:13
13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
The New Jerusalem is for people from all over the world, not just here in North America.
Revelation 21:14
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Usually, a foundation is underground and can’t be seen. But in the New Jerusalem, the foundations are clearly seen in order to remind us of the security of this beautiful place.
Revelation 21:15-16
15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
By saying the length, breadth, and height of the New Jerusalem are equal, this causes many to believe Heaven is shaped like a cube or pyramid. 12,000 furlongs is right at 1500 miles. Roughly from Maine, south to Florida, west to Colorado and that high. This makes the ground floor of the New Jerusalem more than 2.25 million square miles which would provide enough living space for more people than have ever lived in the history of the world. Whether these numbers are symbolic as some suggest or literal as I believe, the New Jerusalem is big enough to hold everyone who has ever accepted Christ as Saviour.
Revelation 21:17-18
17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
The wall is 144 cubits or 200 feet thick. Why is there a wall in Heaven? Remember it is a secure place where we will never live in fear of violence of any sort. Today we use wood, metal, and sheetrock as building materials. In the New Jerusalem, Jesus used only the finest most precious metal we know of….pure gold.
Revelation 21:19-20
19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
As if the jasper wall and the gold of the city weren’t beautiful enough, Jesus flavored up the foundations with gorgeous gemstones, which once reflected through the glory of God, shine in indescribably beautiful colors.
The Jasper is crystal clear, the Sapphire and Jacinth are blue, the Chalcedony is greenish blue, the Emerald is deep green, the Sardonyx which is white with brown streaks, the Sardius is blood red, the Chrysolyte is yellow, the Beryl is green, the Topaz is yellow green, the Chrysoprasus is apple green, and the Amethyst is purple.
Revelation 21:21
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
Today, women wear pearls around in necklaces and earrings. In the New Jerusalem, the pearls are so big that the gates are carved out of a single pearl. Verse 21 is where we get the well-known reference to the streets of Heaven being gold.
Revelation 21:22
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
In the Old Testament, the temple was where the presence of God dwelt. Today, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. There will be no need for a temple in the New Jerusalem because the presence of God will be everywhere and therefore He will be worshipped everywhere, not just in one central location. No geographical boundaries will hinder us from worshipping The Father and The Son.
Revelation 21:23
23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
There will be no sun by day or moon by night in the New Jerusalem. Why? Time will be no more and the radiant glory of God The Father and God The Son will provide all the illumination needed.
Revelation 21:24-26
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
Remember Jesus said the Gospel would have to be preached in all nations before He would return. In the New Jerusalem, these nations of saved people will dwell. Again, this shows the inclusiveness of the New Jerusalem.
“No night” in Verse 25 again shows how there will be no more time in the New Jerusalem. By the gates never being shut this means that no one who is supposed to get in will be left out.
Revelation 21:27
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Verse 27 reminds us the safety of the New Jerusalem, who will not be in the New Jerusalem, who will be in the New Jerusalem, and what is the litmus test for entrance.
To enter the New Jerusalem, your name must be written down in the Lamb’s book of life. This is the registry of the Redeemed.
Is your name written down?
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
July 10th Pray, Read, Worship
Please share this devo with as many people as possible.
THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT OF REVELATION
Revelation 20:11-15
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Before we dive deep into the Great White Throne Judgment today, you need to know the exact context and timeline in which these events we just read about are taking place. The Great White Throne Judgment is the very last event that will take place before we Christians are ushered into our eternal heavenly home in the New Jerusalem also known as Heaven, as described in the next chapter Revelation 21. All the other events of Revelation take place before the Great White Throne Judgment.
The great falling away, which I personally believe we are living in right now, has taken place,
The rapture has occurred. Now you know the rapture is where in the twinkling of an eye, cemeteries are going to look like a plowed up fields as the dead in Christ will rise up out of their graves and then we which are still alive and remain will be caught up together with them to meet The Lord Jesus in the air and we will receive our glorified, perfected, immortal, heavenly bodies. But as wonderful as the rapture of the church will be for the Christian, it will be that horrible and more for those that are left behind to endure the Great Tribulation which occurs next. The Rapture of the church will be the single biggest news event in the history of the world…bigger than World War II, Bigger than the Day the Atomic Bomb was dropped, Bigger than September 11. On the day of the rapture, every Christian alive at that point in time just disappears.
Think about this just a second….research says that about a third of the world’s population are Christians….I personally think that number is high, but lets just go with it. Based on that number, that means that one third of the commercial airplane pilots in the world are Christians. So if the Federal Aviation Administration is correct that at any given time there are 6000 airplanes in the air all over the globe…then that means there will be 2000 airplanes to crash all across the planet at that very moment in time. 2000 planes to crash at the same time.
One third of all the loans in all the banks all over the world will be defaulted on causing a crash in the world economy unlike anything we’ve ever even remotely experienced.
One third of all the police officers will be gone so looting and violence will take place even more than it is today as criminals run rampant.
One third of all the firefighters will be gone and there won’t be enough man power to fight all the fires as meals that are being cooked burn up on the stove and burn the house down because the cook was raptured away and there was no one there to turn the stove or the oven off.
911 will be overloaded from all the calls…yet nobody will be able to respond to your desperate plea for help because the roads are blocked with all the wrecked vehicles and there’s not enough manpower to cover the incidents.
One third of all the doctors will be gone as people will literally die on the operating table because their surgeon was raptured away.
Power plants will shut down because one third of all the workers will be gone from their jobs and very quickly malfunctions will occur and there will be nobody there to fix it.
Water treatment plants will pollute the water instead of purify it because there’s nobody there to test and control the chemicals.
The internet and computers will crash because there’s nobody there to maintain the servers
Phones will quit working because there’s nobody there to maintain the system
Factories will shut down because one third of their workforce disappeared….
And this is just the beginning….the very first moments of the 7 year Great Tribulation prophesied about in the Revelation.
Then…..All the judgments and all the plagues we have talked about in Revelation are going to fall on this planet…I’m talking things like earthquakes so big that every mountain and every island are moved out of place, stars, comets, and meteors falling from the sky and slamming into planet Earth, fire and brimstone falling from Heaven, 25% of the rest of the world dying by way of hunger, violence, and beasts devouring them. All the grass will dry up. A third of the sea creatures will die because a third part of the sea will turn to blood. It’s going to be unimaginably horrible
And in the middle of all this turmoil and chaos there is going to be an incredibly charming, powerful man rise to prominence in the world by the name of antichrist….and it is going to be his goal to bring the world together from the rapture and judgments and be worshipped by the remaining people here on Earth. He’s going to fool all the Jewish people into thinking he’s the real messiah. He’s going to allow them to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem and reinstitute the sacrificial system. He’s going to be so slick that he actually works out a peace deal over in the middle east between the Jews and the Arabs. And in the middle of that 7 year tribulation, antichrist is going to march into the temple in Jerusalem, sit on the throne in the holy of holies, broadcast his image all over the world and whoever will not worship him and receive his mark will be martyred.
And after that occurs, things are going from bad to worse real fast during the last three and a half years of the Great Tribulation. You’ve heard of Armageddon….this is when it takes place. The world war to end all world wars. Anti-christ and his armies will march in to Jerusalem from the west. All the great throngs of oriental armies from China and India and Japan will march in from the East. Armies will march in from the north and from the south and oh what a battle it’s going to be.
And just when it seems that God’s few people that are left are about to be annihilated, there’s going to be an invasion from Heaven as Jesus Christ Himself returns and those of us that were raptured 7 years earlier are going to be with Him….arrayed for battle. We’ve already enjoyed the marriage supper of the lamb and now it’s time to fight.
Jesus the Christ will descend from Heaven on a great white horse, He’ll step foot on the Mount of Olives, there will be a great Earthquake, He will walk into the battle, speak a word and it will all be over. PRAISE GOD!!!
Then the Bible says The Lord Jesus will gather the rest of His people that are hiding out, we’ll march back up the temple mount, into Jerusalem by way of the Eastern Gate and The Lord Jesus Christ will sit down on the throne and He will reign for 1000 years and we’ll get to reign with Him. Man oh man what a time that’s going to be.
And after that 1000 year reign and all the other events of Revelation take place, we’ll be ready for the Great White Throne Judgment here in Revelation 20:11-15….the very last event that will happen before we reach our final, eternal, destiny in the New Jerusalem.
There’s one more thing I want you to understand before we get started on the Great White Throne Judgment. Make no mistake….both Christians and Non-Christians will stand one day in judgment.
Hebrews 9:27
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
But don’t confuse what we’re talking about here…..the Great White Throne Judgment for the lost with the Judgment Seat of Christ for the Christian….those are two totally different things.
2 Corinthians 5:10
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad
At the Judgment Seat of Christ….we Christians will receive our rewards for our service….the things we did on Earth. But this is a far different judgment from what will take place for the unbeliever at The Great White Throne where we are judged for our sins.
Now let’s dive deep into Revelation Chapter 20 Verse 11 and see what we can learn about this Great White Throne Judgment. “And I saw a great white throne…” Stop right there. That word “great” in Verse 11 tells us the first thing we need to know….the power of the Great White Throne Judgment.
This is the final authority.
This is the high court of all high courts.
There is no appeal from the Great White Throne Judgment
There is no hiring a big city lawyer to argue your case and get you off
There is no crying to your Mom and Dad to bail you out
There is no place to go run and hide
There is no postponement of the trial to a later date
There are no plea bargains
The Great White Throne Judgment is more powerful than the supreme court here in the United States. More Powerful than an international tribunal. More powerful than any court in any country on the face of the Earth.
The word “white” tells us about the purity of the throne. The purity of the throne.
This is a holy and righteous judgment
There are no bribes
There are no crooked lawyers
There are no back room deals
There are no false witnesses
As I said before, there are no plea bargains.
Everything that takes place in this judgment is holy, righteous, true, correct, and pure.
But what makes this great white throne judgment powerful and pure is not the position of the great white throne, but the person who sits on the throne. And as we know from scripture, that person is The Lord Jesus Christ.
John 5:22
22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
Romans 2:16
16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
And this Jesus Christ that is sitting on the Great White Throne Judgment is not going to be the meek and mild Jesus that walked on the Earth some 2000 years ago. This is not the little baby in the manger. This is not Jesus walking on the sea shore and sitting in the grass singing Kum By Yah. No sir ree….look how John describes Jesus
Revelation 1:13-15
13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
Look how He goes on to further describe Jesus in Revelation 19
Revelation 19:12-13
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
My friend….if you stand before The Great White Throne Judgment, you’re not being judged by another human being just like yourself with the only difference being they are in a black robe and you’re not….Nope….You are standing before Jesus Christ, The Son of God, in His Holy, Heavenly glory….Pure white hair, as white as snow….Eyes like flames of fire, feet like brass, a voice so loud that when He talks your blown away by the one of the loudest sounds you’ve ever heard, and He’s clothed in a pure white robe.
Jesus is omnipotent….He knows everything about everybody that has ever happened….nothing can be kept a secret from Him.
Luke 8:17
17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
Ecclesiastes 12:14
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
You may think that nobody will ever find out about that filthy pornographic crap you’re looking at on the internet. You may think nobody will ever figure out how you lied, cheated, stole, gambled, drank, got high, snuck into somebody’s bedroom, or hacked into their Facebook. But the Bible tells us something completely different.
Numbers 32:23
23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.
Every single sin that has ever been committed, if it has not been forgiven by Jesus Christ, it will have to be accounted for here at The Great White Throne Judgment.
We’ve looked at the power of the Great White throne Judgment
We’ve talked about the purity of the great white throne judgment
We’ve talked about the person on the great white throne, Jesus Christ….and He is omnipotent.
Now lets look at the people present at the Great White Throne Judgment.
Revelation 20:12
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God;
Lets stop right there. Here’s the second best news you are going to hear today. If you are a saved by grace, child of God, you will not have to stand before the Lord Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment. It is only for those who are spiritually dead….those who have rejected Jesus Christ, God’s Son, as Lord and Savior of their lives. The Bible says It’s for the fearful, the unbelieving, the whoremongers, the homosexuals, the murderers, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars.
It’s for everybody since the beginning of time that has rejected God. If you are standing there before the Great White Throne Judgment, you’ll be standing there with Cain, with the people in the days of Noah, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, Judas, King Agrippa, Adolph Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, serial killers, mass murderers, and terrorists….but there’s also going to be preachers, priests, popes, Sunday School Teachers, Deacons, Deacon’s wives, little old men, little old women, and anybody else that has rejected God in their lifetime.
Now here’s something you may not have thought about because I didn’t think about it until I started getting deep studying this passage of scripture. Although the Great White Throne Judgment is not for the Christian…. I believe the Bible is clear that we will be present when it takes place. You say, Brother Phillip, how can you say that? Let me tell you how I can say it. It’s real simple
2 Corinthians 5:8
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
If The Lord Jesus is on the Great White Throne, and if the Bible says we are present with Him after we die, then I think there’s no room for discussion or doubt….we will be present at the Great White Throne although we won’t be participants.
OK then….So what will be happening to the participants at the Great White Throne Judgment? Go back and look at Revelation 20:12
Revelation 20:12
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
The Bible says that the Books, plural, will be opened. This means that there will be more than one book….and I believe those books will be The Bible, which is our guidebook for how we should have lived our lives….the book of record of our deeds, which is how we actually lived our lives….and then of course the Lamb’s book of life which has the record of whether we’ve ever asked Jesus Christ into our heart or not. The participants at the Great White Throne Judgment are going to be judged by these books….and then look really carefully at the last 4 words of Verse 12…..they will also be judged….according to their works.
Everybody who stands before the great white throne judgment will have to answer for every single sin they committed over the course of their lifetime. Everything you said that you shouldn’t have said, everything you looked at that you shouldn’t have looked at, everything you drank that you shouldn’t have drank, everything you did that you shouldn’t have done…you are going to have to answer for every one of those sins….
So what will happen next….the verdict will be rendered. GUILTY. GUILTY. GUILTY…..and then the Bible says that many will start to argue and plead with Jesus.
Matthew 7:22-23
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Do you see that line, I never knew you….it doesn’t say I once knew you, but not anymore, It doesn’t say I used to know you….It doesn’t say I might have known you…no it says, I never knew you….you may have done all those good things in my name…..you may have even walked the isle, prayed the prayer, filled out the card, and got wet….but there wasn’t a real change in your life, so therefore, I NEVER KNEW YOU….and now it’s time for the sentence….depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Verses 14 and 15 of Revelation 20 say…
Revelation 20:14-15
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
I want to make sure you fully understand this friends….just like when a Christian dies, their soul is immediately ushered into the presence of the Lord….The Bible is clear, when a non-Christian dies, their soul is immediately ushered into hell…..and here at the Great White Throne Judgment, the souls of these people in hell are resurrected with their body to stand before Christ, and then after the great white throne judgment, they experience the second death and are cast body, soul, and all into the lake of fire.
John 5:29
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
I can’t even fathom having to stand in line and wait my turn at the Great White Throne judgment, much less standing before the Holy Lord Jesus Christ. I mean, just standing there in line, you would see everybody before you being judged, sentenced, and sent to the Lake of Fire….and you know your number is going to be called soon and that’s going to be your fate as well. I would be absolutely mortified, terrified, petrified, and horrified.
Can you even begin to imagine all the wailing, and screaming, and hollering, and crying that will be going on at this time?
Luke 13:28
28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
But friends, I’m going to throw a curve ball at you here, I don’t think the lost will be the only ones weeping at the Great White Throne Judgment. I believe you and I will be weeping there as well. Because how in the world can we stand there at the Great White Throne Judgment and not weep while watching people that we had the opportunity to share the Gospel with be cast into the lake of fire forever because they rejected Jesus Christ. I can’t imagine what it will be like to see friends and family members being thrown into the lake of Fire…or worse yet….how bad is it going to be to see friends, family, co-workers, and classmates be thrown into the lake of fire…and to know that we had opportunity after opportunity to share the Gospel with them, but we didn’t do it. As we see their helpless faces being cast into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels…..how sorrowful and upset will we be because we know we should have shared the Gospel with them.
Now I bet I know what you’re thinking….Phillip, there’s no way that could be true because The Bible says there will be no more tears in Heaven. Well yes and no….
Revelation 7:17
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
If the Bible says God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes….then that must mean there were some tears to wipe away….would you agree? You can’t wipe away any tears from my eyes right now because there are no tears in my eyes…..There had to be tears cried, if there were tears to be wiped away.
Oh yes Phillip….but over there in Revelation 21 it says there will be no more crying…..well let’s take a look and see what it says…
Revelation 21:4
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes….THERE WE GO AGAIN WIPING AWAY TEARS; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Now remember, Revelation 21 happens after The Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20….Revelation 21 is when we are ushered into our eternal heavenly home in the new Jerusalem….and what’s going to happen is that God is going to wipe away all the tears we cried at the Great White Throne Judgment….and from then on in the New Jerusalem, there will be no more death, sorrow, or crying anymore….for the former things are passed away. Oh Hallelujah!!! What a wonderful place it’s going to be.
The question of the day my friends is this…..will you be in Heaven with me one day or are you going to have to stand before Jesus Christ at The Great White Throne Judgment? There’s only one way to get to Heaven and that’s by God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
John 14:6
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 3:16
16 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.
Friend, the only way to have this everlasting life in Heaven….the only way to miss hell and to miss being a participant in the Great White Throne Judgment is to admit you are a sinner in need of a Savior.
Romans 3:23
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
All the men, all the women, all the boys, all the girls, every person, from every country, on every continent on the face of the Earth has sinned…..doesn’t matter your position or status….doesn’t matter how much money you have in the bank…every single one of us has sinned.
1 John 1:8
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Step number one to missing the Great White Throne Judgment is to admit you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Step number two is to believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins. And then Step Number 3, Confess Jesus as Lord and Savior of Your life and repent of your sins.
Romans 10:9
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
My friend, if you’ve never received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life….if this devo has made you realize that what you got wasn’t really real….you just walked, prayed, wrote something down, and got wet….then I’m asking you, I’m begging you, I’m pleading with you….give your heart to Jesus right now before you have to become a participant in the Great White Throne Judgment….because if you make it to there….there’ll be no turning back….there’ll be no appeals….there will be no begging and pleading for mercy because it will be too late.
And for the rest of us…..after reading this devo and realizing the horrific crime it is to reject Jesus Christ….who in your life do you need to share the Gospel with before the sun goes down today? Which co-worker do you need to talk to? Which family member to you need to sit down with? Which friend do you need to call on the phone? Whoever it is….start praying for them right now….God will do His part, if we’ll do our part….and I don’t know about you, but there’s no way in the world I want anybody I know to ever become a participant in the Great White Throne Judgment….amen?
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Please share this devo with as many people as possible.
THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT OF REVELATION
Revelation 20:11-15
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Before we dive deep into the Great White Throne Judgment today, you need to know the exact context and timeline in which these events we just read about are taking place. The Great White Throne Judgment is the very last event that will take place before we Christians are ushered into our eternal heavenly home in the New Jerusalem also known as Heaven, as described in the next chapter Revelation 21. All the other events of Revelation take place before the Great White Throne Judgment.
The great falling away, which I personally believe we are living in right now, has taken place,
The rapture has occurred. Now you know the rapture is where in the twinkling of an eye, cemeteries are going to look like a plowed up fields as the dead in Christ will rise up out of their graves and then we which are still alive and remain will be caught up together with them to meet The Lord Jesus in the air and we will receive our glorified, perfected, immortal, heavenly bodies. But as wonderful as the rapture of the church will be for the Christian, it will be that horrible and more for those that are left behind to endure the Great Tribulation which occurs next. The Rapture of the church will be the single biggest news event in the history of the world…bigger than World War II, Bigger than the Day the Atomic Bomb was dropped, Bigger than September 11. On the day of the rapture, every Christian alive at that point in time just disappears.
Think about this just a second….research says that about a third of the world’s population are Christians….I personally think that number is high, but lets just go with it. Based on that number, that means that one third of the commercial airplane pilots in the world are Christians. So if the Federal Aviation Administration is correct that at any given time there are 6000 airplanes in the air all over the globe…then that means there will be 2000 airplanes to crash all across the planet at that very moment in time. 2000 planes to crash at the same time.
One third of all the loans in all the banks all over the world will be defaulted on causing a crash in the world economy unlike anything we’ve ever even remotely experienced.
One third of all the police officers will be gone so looting and violence will take place even more than it is today as criminals run rampant.
One third of all the firefighters will be gone and there won’t be enough man power to fight all the fires as meals that are being cooked burn up on the stove and burn the house down because the cook was raptured away and there was no one there to turn the stove or the oven off.
911 will be overloaded from all the calls…yet nobody will be able to respond to your desperate plea for help because the roads are blocked with all the wrecked vehicles and there’s not enough manpower to cover the incidents.
One third of all the doctors will be gone as people will literally die on the operating table because their surgeon was raptured away.
Power plants will shut down because one third of all the workers will be gone from their jobs and very quickly malfunctions will occur and there will be nobody there to fix it.
Water treatment plants will pollute the water instead of purify it because there’s nobody there to test and control the chemicals.
The internet and computers will crash because there’s nobody there to maintain the servers
Phones will quit working because there’s nobody there to maintain the system
Factories will shut down because one third of their workforce disappeared….
And this is just the beginning….the very first moments of the 7 year Great Tribulation prophesied about in the Revelation.
Then…..All the judgments and all the plagues we have talked about in Revelation are going to fall on this planet…I’m talking things like earthquakes so big that every mountain and every island are moved out of place, stars, comets, and meteors falling from the sky and slamming into planet Earth, fire and brimstone falling from Heaven, 25% of the rest of the world dying by way of hunger, violence, and beasts devouring them. All the grass will dry up. A third of the sea creatures will die because a third part of the sea will turn to blood. It’s going to be unimaginably horrible
And in the middle of all this turmoil and chaos there is going to be an incredibly charming, powerful man rise to prominence in the world by the name of antichrist….and it is going to be his goal to bring the world together from the rapture and judgments and be worshipped by the remaining people here on Earth. He’s going to fool all the Jewish people into thinking he’s the real messiah. He’s going to allow them to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem and reinstitute the sacrificial system. He’s going to be so slick that he actually works out a peace deal over in the middle east between the Jews and the Arabs. And in the middle of that 7 year tribulation, antichrist is going to march into the temple in Jerusalem, sit on the throne in the holy of holies, broadcast his image all over the world and whoever will not worship him and receive his mark will be martyred.
And after that occurs, things are going from bad to worse real fast during the last three and a half years of the Great Tribulation. You’ve heard of Armageddon….this is when it takes place. The world war to end all world wars. Anti-christ and his armies will march in to Jerusalem from the west. All the great throngs of oriental armies from China and India and Japan will march in from the East. Armies will march in from the north and from the south and oh what a battle it’s going to be.
And just when it seems that God’s few people that are left are about to be annihilated, there’s going to be an invasion from Heaven as Jesus Christ Himself returns and those of us that were raptured 7 years earlier are going to be with Him….arrayed for battle. We’ve already enjoyed the marriage supper of the lamb and now it’s time to fight.
Jesus the Christ will descend from Heaven on a great white horse, He’ll step foot on the Mount of Olives, there will be a great Earthquake, He will walk into the battle, speak a word and it will all be over. PRAISE GOD!!!
Then the Bible says The Lord Jesus will gather the rest of His people that are hiding out, we’ll march back up the temple mount, into Jerusalem by way of the Eastern Gate and The Lord Jesus Christ will sit down on the throne and He will reign for 1000 years and we’ll get to reign with Him. Man oh man what a time that’s going to be.
And after that 1000 year reign and all the other events of Revelation take place, we’ll be ready for the Great White Throne Judgment here in Revelation 20:11-15….the very last event that will happen before we reach our final, eternal, destiny in the New Jerusalem.
There’s one more thing I want you to understand before we get started on the Great White Throne Judgment. Make no mistake….both Christians and Non-Christians will stand one day in judgment.
Hebrews 9:27
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
But don’t confuse what we’re talking about here…..the Great White Throne Judgment for the lost with the Judgment Seat of Christ for the Christian….those are two totally different things.
2 Corinthians 5:10
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad
At the Judgment Seat of Christ….we Christians will receive our rewards for our service….the things we did on Earth. But this is a far different judgment from what will take place for the unbeliever at The Great White Throne where we are judged for our sins.
Now let’s dive deep into Revelation Chapter 20 Verse 11 and see what we can learn about this Great White Throne Judgment. “And I saw a great white throne…” Stop right there. That word “great” in Verse 11 tells us the first thing we need to know….the power of the Great White Throne Judgment.
This is the final authority.
This is the high court of all high courts.
There is no appeal from the Great White Throne Judgment
There is no hiring a big city lawyer to argue your case and get you off
There is no crying to your Mom and Dad to bail you out
There is no place to go run and hide
There is no postponement of the trial to a later date
There are no plea bargains
The Great White Throne Judgment is more powerful than the supreme court here in the United States. More Powerful than an international tribunal. More powerful than any court in any country on the face of the Earth.
The word “white” tells us about the purity of the throne. The purity of the throne.
This is a holy and righteous judgment
There are no bribes
There are no crooked lawyers
There are no back room deals
There are no false witnesses
As I said before, there are no plea bargains.
Everything that takes place in this judgment is holy, righteous, true, correct, and pure.
But what makes this great white throne judgment powerful and pure is not the position of the great white throne, but the person who sits on the throne. And as we know from scripture, that person is The Lord Jesus Christ.
John 5:22
22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
Romans 2:16
16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
And this Jesus Christ that is sitting on the Great White Throne Judgment is not going to be the meek and mild Jesus that walked on the Earth some 2000 years ago. This is not the little baby in the manger. This is not Jesus walking on the sea shore and sitting in the grass singing Kum By Yah. No sir ree….look how John describes Jesus
Revelation 1:13-15
13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
Look how He goes on to further describe Jesus in Revelation 19
Revelation 19:12-13
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
My friend….if you stand before The Great White Throne Judgment, you’re not being judged by another human being just like yourself with the only difference being they are in a black robe and you’re not….Nope….You are standing before Jesus Christ, The Son of God, in His Holy, Heavenly glory….Pure white hair, as white as snow….Eyes like flames of fire, feet like brass, a voice so loud that when He talks your blown away by the one of the loudest sounds you’ve ever heard, and He’s clothed in a pure white robe.
Jesus is omnipotent….He knows everything about everybody that has ever happened….nothing can be kept a secret from Him.
Luke 8:17
17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
Ecclesiastes 12:14
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
You may think that nobody will ever find out about that filthy pornographic crap you’re looking at on the internet. You may think nobody will ever figure out how you lied, cheated, stole, gambled, drank, got high, snuck into somebody’s bedroom, or hacked into their Facebook. But the Bible tells us something completely different.
Numbers 32:23
23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.
Every single sin that has ever been committed, if it has not been forgiven by Jesus Christ, it will have to be accounted for here at The Great White Throne Judgment.
We’ve looked at the power of the Great White throne Judgment
We’ve talked about the purity of the great white throne judgment
We’ve talked about the person on the great white throne, Jesus Christ….and He is omnipotent.
Now lets look at the people present at the Great White Throne Judgment.
Revelation 20:12
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God;
Lets stop right there. Here’s the second best news you are going to hear today. If you are a saved by grace, child of God, you will not have to stand before the Lord Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment. It is only for those who are spiritually dead….those who have rejected Jesus Christ, God’s Son, as Lord and Savior of their lives. The Bible says It’s for the fearful, the unbelieving, the whoremongers, the homosexuals, the murderers, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars.
It’s for everybody since the beginning of time that has rejected God. If you are standing there before the Great White Throne Judgment, you’ll be standing there with Cain, with the people in the days of Noah, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, Judas, King Agrippa, Adolph Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, serial killers, mass murderers, and terrorists….but there’s also going to be preachers, priests, popes, Sunday School Teachers, Deacons, Deacon’s wives, little old men, little old women, and anybody else that has rejected God in their lifetime.
Now here’s something you may not have thought about because I didn’t think about it until I started getting deep studying this passage of scripture. Although the Great White Throne Judgment is not for the Christian…. I believe the Bible is clear that we will be present when it takes place. You say, Brother Phillip, how can you say that? Let me tell you how I can say it. It’s real simple
2 Corinthians 5:8
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
If The Lord Jesus is on the Great White Throne, and if the Bible says we are present with Him after we die, then I think there’s no room for discussion or doubt….we will be present at the Great White Throne although we won’t be participants.
OK then….So what will be happening to the participants at the Great White Throne Judgment? Go back and look at Revelation 20:12
Revelation 20:12
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
The Bible says that the Books, plural, will be opened. This means that there will be more than one book….and I believe those books will be The Bible, which is our guidebook for how we should have lived our lives….the book of record of our deeds, which is how we actually lived our lives….and then of course the Lamb’s book of life which has the record of whether we’ve ever asked Jesus Christ into our heart or not. The participants at the Great White Throne Judgment are going to be judged by these books….and then look really carefully at the last 4 words of Verse 12…..they will also be judged….according to their works.
Everybody who stands before the great white throne judgment will have to answer for every single sin they committed over the course of their lifetime. Everything you said that you shouldn’t have said, everything you looked at that you shouldn’t have looked at, everything you drank that you shouldn’t have drank, everything you did that you shouldn’t have done…you are going to have to answer for every one of those sins….
So what will happen next….the verdict will be rendered. GUILTY. GUILTY. GUILTY…..and then the Bible says that many will start to argue and plead with Jesus.
Matthew 7:22-23
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Do you see that line, I never knew you….it doesn’t say I once knew you, but not anymore, It doesn’t say I used to know you….It doesn’t say I might have known you…no it says, I never knew you….you may have done all those good things in my name…..you may have even walked the isle, prayed the prayer, filled out the card, and got wet….but there wasn’t a real change in your life, so therefore, I NEVER KNEW YOU….and now it’s time for the sentence….depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Verses 14 and 15 of Revelation 20 say…
Revelation 20:14-15
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
I want to make sure you fully understand this friends….just like when a Christian dies, their soul is immediately ushered into the presence of the Lord….The Bible is clear, when a non-Christian dies, their soul is immediately ushered into hell…..and here at the Great White Throne Judgment, the souls of these people in hell are resurrected with their body to stand before Christ, and then after the great white throne judgment, they experience the second death and are cast body, soul, and all into the lake of fire.
John 5:29
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
I can’t even fathom having to stand in line and wait my turn at the Great White Throne judgment, much less standing before the Holy Lord Jesus Christ. I mean, just standing there in line, you would see everybody before you being judged, sentenced, and sent to the Lake of Fire….and you know your number is going to be called soon and that’s going to be your fate as well. I would be absolutely mortified, terrified, petrified, and horrified.
Can you even begin to imagine all the wailing, and screaming, and hollering, and crying that will be going on at this time?
Luke 13:28
28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
But friends, I’m going to throw a curve ball at you here, I don’t think the lost will be the only ones weeping at the Great White Throne Judgment. I believe you and I will be weeping there as well. Because how in the world can we stand there at the Great White Throne Judgment and not weep while watching people that we had the opportunity to share the Gospel with be cast into the lake of fire forever because they rejected Jesus Christ. I can’t imagine what it will be like to see friends and family members being thrown into the lake of Fire…or worse yet….how bad is it going to be to see friends, family, co-workers, and classmates be thrown into the lake of fire…and to know that we had opportunity after opportunity to share the Gospel with them, but we didn’t do it. As we see their helpless faces being cast into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels…..how sorrowful and upset will we be because we know we should have shared the Gospel with them.
Now I bet I know what you’re thinking….Phillip, there’s no way that could be true because The Bible says there will be no more tears in Heaven. Well yes and no….
Revelation 7:17
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
If the Bible says God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes….then that must mean there were some tears to wipe away….would you agree? You can’t wipe away any tears from my eyes right now because there are no tears in my eyes…..There had to be tears cried, if there were tears to be wiped away.
Oh yes Phillip….but over there in Revelation 21 it says there will be no more crying…..well let’s take a look and see what it says…
Revelation 21:4
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes….THERE WE GO AGAIN WIPING AWAY TEARS; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Now remember, Revelation 21 happens after The Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20….Revelation 21 is when we are ushered into our eternal heavenly home in the new Jerusalem….and what’s going to happen is that God is going to wipe away all the tears we cried at the Great White Throne Judgment….and from then on in the New Jerusalem, there will be no more death, sorrow, or crying anymore….for the former things are passed away. Oh Hallelujah!!! What a wonderful place it’s going to be.
The question of the day my friends is this…..will you be in Heaven with me one day or are you going to have to stand before Jesus Christ at The Great White Throne Judgment? There’s only one way to get to Heaven and that’s by God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
John 14:6
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 3:16
16 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.
Friend, the only way to have this everlasting life in Heaven….the only way to miss hell and to miss being a participant in the Great White Throne Judgment is to admit you are a sinner in need of a Savior.
Romans 3:23
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
All the men, all the women, all the boys, all the girls, every person, from every country, on every continent on the face of the Earth has sinned…..doesn’t matter your position or status….doesn’t matter how much money you have in the bank…every single one of us has sinned.
1 John 1:8
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Step number one to missing the Great White Throne Judgment is to admit you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Step number two is to believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins. And then Step Number 3, Confess Jesus as Lord and Savior of Your life and repent of your sins.
Romans 10:9
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
My friend, if you’ve never received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life….if this devo has made you realize that what you got wasn’t really real….you just walked, prayed, wrote something down, and got wet….then I’m asking you, I’m begging you, I’m pleading with you….give your heart to Jesus right now before you have to become a participant in the Great White Throne Judgment….because if you make it to there….there’ll be no turning back….there’ll be no appeals….there will be no begging and pleading for mercy because it will be too late.
And for the rest of us…..after reading this devo and realizing the horrific crime it is to reject Jesus Christ….who in your life do you need to share the Gospel with before the sun goes down today? Which co-worker do you need to talk to? Which family member to you need to sit down with? Which friend do you need to call on the phone? Whoever it is….start praying for them right now….God will do His part, if we’ll do our part….and I don’t know about you, but there’s no way in the world I want anybody I know to ever become a participant in the Great White Throne Judgment….amen?
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
July 9th Pray, Read, Worship
We are going to divide Revelation 20 into 2 parts because the last 5 verses(tomorrow’s devo) deserve our full attention.
Until then…..
Read Revelation 20:1-10
Revelation 20:1-10
20 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Some Bible scholars believe the angel in Verse 1 is Jesus.
Revelation 1:18
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
But I believe it’s the angel in Revelation 9
Revelation 9:1
9 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
Here’s why….hell, the lake of fire, and the abyss are three different places.
Hell or as some Bible scholars translate Hades, is where lost people go when they die. It is not permanent.
The Lake of Fire is where lost people go after the judgment….it is permanent.
John 5:29
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
The Abyss or Bottomless Pit housed the locusts from Revelation 9 and the Anti-Christ in Chapters 11 & 17.
Regardless of who it is, Jesus or the angel, we know that Jesus had the key to the bottomless pit and is in complete control.
In Verse 2, Satan is cast into the bottomless pit for 1000 years. First, Satan was cast out of Heaven to the Earth….now he has been cast out of Earth into the Abyss.
In Verse 3, a seal is put on the bottomless pit. Remember, what doors(opportunities) Jesus shuts, nobody can open….and what doors Jesus opens, nobody can shut.
The phrase 1000 years takes place 6 times in the first 7 verses of Revelation 20. The 1000 years is also known as the millennium. A definitive period of time when Christ and His followers will reign over the nations of the Earth and Israel will be blessed. Reigning during this time will be Christ and His Bride, Old Testament Saints, and the martyrs from the Great Tribulation.
2 Timothy 2:12
12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
The millennial kingdom will be a worldwide display of Christ’s glory. All of nature will be set free from the curse at the Fall of Man.
Romans 8:19-22
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
This is the final fulfillment of The Lord’s Prayer when we pray “Thy Kingdom come.” This will be a wonderful time to be on Earth. We will be sharing in Christ’s glorious life, reigning as kings and priests. A complete and total Utopia.
As Verse 6 says, we will not have to experience the second death which occurs after the Great White Throne Judgment.
During the millennium, mankind’s life span will be long.
Isaiah 65:20
20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
But unfortunately, not all of the children born during the millennium will be born again and follow Christ….because once Satan is loosed at the end of the millennium(Verse 7), he is able to gather a great army to lead one last revolt against The Lord(Verse
.
Why? Why not end things at the beginning of the millennium? Most Bible scholars believe this is to prove that man’s heart is inherently wicked…even in a utopian society. That we can only be saved/changed through the grace of God. A perfect environment cannot produce a perfect heart.
Jerusalem is the target of the revolt as Satan gathers his army from “the four quarters of the Earth.” The Lord deals with this revolt very quickly by sending fire out of Heaven. Then, finally, in Verse 10, Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire permanently where he will be tormented without rest, forever.
Next….The Great White Throne Judgment….the last event in human history. Do you realize all of us will stand in judgment after the end of our lives?
Hebrews 9:27
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
What exactly will happen?
How will we be judged?
What will be judged by?
Where will we be judged?
Who is the judge?
When does it take place?
Who will be present?
What will the outcome be?
Are you prepared?
Who do you know that needs to hear about this?
Make sure you don’t miss tomorrow’s devo…..
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
We are going to divide Revelation 20 into 2 parts because the last 5 verses(tomorrow’s devo) deserve our full attention.
Until then…..
Read Revelation 20:1-10
Revelation 20:1-10
20 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Some Bible scholars believe the angel in Verse 1 is Jesus.
Revelation 1:18
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
But I believe it’s the angel in Revelation 9
Revelation 9:1
9 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
Here’s why….hell, the lake of fire, and the abyss are three different places.
Hell or as some Bible scholars translate Hades, is where lost people go when they die. It is not permanent.
The Lake of Fire is where lost people go after the judgment….it is permanent.
John 5:29
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
The Abyss or Bottomless Pit housed the locusts from Revelation 9 and the Anti-Christ in Chapters 11 & 17.
Regardless of who it is, Jesus or the angel, we know that Jesus had the key to the bottomless pit and is in complete control.
In Verse 2, Satan is cast into the bottomless pit for 1000 years. First, Satan was cast out of Heaven to the Earth….now he has been cast out of Earth into the Abyss.
In Verse 3, a seal is put on the bottomless pit. Remember, what doors(opportunities) Jesus shuts, nobody can open….and what doors Jesus opens, nobody can shut.
The phrase 1000 years takes place 6 times in the first 7 verses of Revelation 20. The 1000 years is also known as the millennium. A definitive period of time when Christ and His followers will reign over the nations of the Earth and Israel will be blessed. Reigning during this time will be Christ and His Bride, Old Testament Saints, and the martyrs from the Great Tribulation.
2 Timothy 2:12
12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
The millennial kingdom will be a worldwide display of Christ’s glory. All of nature will be set free from the curse at the Fall of Man.
Romans 8:19-22
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
This is the final fulfillment of The Lord’s Prayer when we pray “Thy Kingdom come.” This will be a wonderful time to be on Earth. We will be sharing in Christ’s glorious life, reigning as kings and priests. A complete and total Utopia.
As Verse 6 says, we will not have to experience the second death which occurs after the Great White Throne Judgment.
During the millennium, mankind’s life span will be long.
Isaiah 65:20
20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
But unfortunately, not all of the children born during the millennium will be born again and follow Christ….because once Satan is loosed at the end of the millennium(Verse 7), he is able to gather a great army to lead one last revolt against The Lord(Verse
Why? Why not end things at the beginning of the millennium? Most Bible scholars believe this is to prove that man’s heart is inherently wicked…even in a utopian society. That we can only be saved/changed through the grace of God. A perfect environment cannot produce a perfect heart.
Jerusalem is the target of the revolt as Satan gathers his army from “the four quarters of the Earth.” The Lord deals with this revolt very quickly by sending fire out of Heaven. Then, finally, in Verse 10, Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire permanently where he will be tormented without rest, forever.
Next….The Great White Throne Judgment….the last event in human history. Do you realize all of us will stand in judgment after the end of our lives?
Hebrews 9:27
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
What exactly will happen?
How will we be judged?
What will be judged by?
Where will we be judged?
Who is the judge?
When does it take place?
Who will be present?
What will the outcome be?
Are you prepared?
Who do you know that needs to hear about this?
Make sure you don’t miss tomorrow’s devo…..
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
July 8th Pray, Read, Worship
3 of the most important events in the entire Bible are contained in today’s devo:
The Marriage Supper of The Lamb
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
The Battle of Armageddon
Don’t skip over today’s devo…..
Read Revelation 19
The False Religious System & Anti-Christ’s Political/Economic System have fallen in Chapters 17 & 18. In Revelation 18:20, a command was given:
Revelation 18:20
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
The first 5 Verses of Revelation 19 are a response to that command.
Revelation 19:1-5
19 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
3 And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
This is the Hallelujah Chorus of Heaven which was part of the inspiration for Handel’s Messiah. The more we understand what God has done for us, the more we will want to praise Him.
Salvation: What all have we been saved from? Eternal torment & torture in hell separated from Christ. Hell on Earth during the Great Tribulation. Effects of drugs, alcohol, and other addictions. Are we truly thankful for our Salvation?
Glory: Who gave us salvation? Who has done all these wondrous works for us? It wasn’t us. We could not accomplish any of this in our own power.
Honor: Do we respect God with the way we conduct ourselves? Honor/Respect keeps our relationship in the proper prospective/order.
Power: Do we use the Power God has given us for His glory and honor or do we use it to fulfill our own selfish desires? At this point in history, everything we do will be to bring praise to God. We might as well get started now practicing praising Him!!
“True and righteous are his judgments.” Again, we are not rejoicing that anyone is fallen. Instead, we are rejoicing at the truth, justice, and righteousness of God. This is a welcome sight after the injustice and unrighteousness we have seen even in our lifetimes.
“avenged the blood of his servants.” We must remember…
Romans 12:19
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
“smoke rose up for ever and ever”. This is a reminder of what happens when we disobey God. Much like the scars in Jesus hands are a reminder of what He did for us.
In Verse 4, you and I get in on the action as the “four and twenty” elders(the redeemed) begin to praise God along with the four beasts. Remember how the four beasts show the attributes of God.
Revelation 4:6-8
6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Their eyes show us how God is omnipotent and sees everything.
Luke 8:17
17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
The lion is symbolic of God’s power
The calf is symbolic of God’s faithfulness
The man is symbolic of God’s intelligence
The Eagle is symbolic of God’s sovereignty.
“Rest not day and night” gives us another attribute of God….He never sleeps.
So if the redeemed are the four and twenty elders, who is the “great voice of much people in heaven” in Verse Revelation 19:1? They must be those that have been martyred for their faith and those that have come out of the Great Tribulation.
Revelation 7:13-14
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Combine the distinctions between the Tribulation Saints and the Redeemed with the verbiage at the end of Revelation 19:5, “both small and great” and some people use this to say there are classes in Heaven. There are no classes at all in the New Jerusalem(Revelation 21-22). However, there are clear distinctions between us at this point in Heaven based on WHEN we were saved.
The Marriage Supper of The Lamb
Revelation 19:6-10
6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Verse 6 is the second time we see “Lord God” in Revelation 19. What’s the distinction between being our Saviour and our Lord? Is Christ both your Saviour and your Lord or just your Saviour or neither?
A Jewish wedding consisted of three parts: The engagement, the presentation, and the ceremony. Before the presentation, the groom goes and gets his bride so she can get ready for the ceremony. This occurs for us at the rapture of the church. As a reminder, after the rapture takes place, we experience the judgment seat of Christ where we receive our white linen wedding garment. At most weddings, the focus is on the bride and what she is wearing. But here, the focus will be on the Groom, the Lamb, The Lord Jesus Christ.
So if we are the bride and Jesus is the groom, who are the invitees or guests to the marriage supper that are invited? Old Testament & Tribulation saints
Verse 10 reminds us to only worship God. The spirit(theme) of Old Testament Prophecy and New Testament Preaching is the Gospel of Jesus.
Many Bible scholars carefully remind us not to get bogged down in details of the visions in Revelation 19 but to remember that Jesus triumphs victoriously over evil.
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
Revelation 19:11-16
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
In Revelation 6, the rider on the white horse was anti-Christ. But here, its Jesus Christ who is also called Faithful and True…a complete contrast to Babylon that was faithless and deceitful. He is called faithful because He has never broken a promise. True because everything He has said and will say is the truth.
At the rapture(1 Thessalonians 4), He came in the air. But here, He comes to Earth.
Eyes like fire is the same as what John saw in Revelation 1….penetrating eyes that see everything. The many crowns are ours from the Judgment Seat of Christ that we cast at His feet. The vesture dipped in blood is not Jesus blood. That was shed on Calvary. Instead, it is the blood of His enemies that He has conquered. By calling Jesus “The Word of God”, John was telling us how Jesus is the express image of the invisible God.
We will be coming back with Jesus on white horses of our own, but not to fight because we are unarmed. We have nothing in and of ourselves to fight against the enemy. Jesus wins the fight by simply speaking a word in Verse 15. His victory and judgment are fierce and swift.
Jesus will be wearing a banner across His robe and down His thigh which will declare His absolute sovereignty over all human rulers….King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
The Battle of Armageddon
Revelation 19:17-21
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
The “supper of the great God” is a huge contrast to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb….celebration vs. devastation. Jesus is so certain of His victory, that before it takes place, He has an angel to call all the buzzards to the battle. If Christ’s victory is that certain, why don’t we act like it?
All the presidents, kings, and armies of the world will be gathered together in the Valley of Megiddo to make war against Jesus. The leaders will be taken out first….Anti-Christ and the False Prophet will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Then everyone else is slain.
Question: Have you made your preparations to be at The Marriage Supper of The Lamb? No way in the world I want to miss it!!
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
3 of the most important events in the entire Bible are contained in today’s devo:
The Marriage Supper of The Lamb
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
The Battle of Armageddon
Don’t skip over today’s devo…..
Read Revelation 19
The False Religious System & Anti-Christ’s Political/Economic System have fallen in Chapters 17 & 18. In Revelation 18:20, a command was given:
Revelation 18:20
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
The first 5 Verses of Revelation 19 are a response to that command.
Revelation 19:1-5
19 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
3 And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
This is the Hallelujah Chorus of Heaven which was part of the inspiration for Handel’s Messiah. The more we understand what God has done for us, the more we will want to praise Him.
Salvation: What all have we been saved from? Eternal torment & torture in hell separated from Christ. Hell on Earth during the Great Tribulation. Effects of drugs, alcohol, and other addictions. Are we truly thankful for our Salvation?
Glory: Who gave us salvation? Who has done all these wondrous works for us? It wasn’t us. We could not accomplish any of this in our own power.
Honor: Do we respect God with the way we conduct ourselves? Honor/Respect keeps our relationship in the proper prospective/order.
Power: Do we use the Power God has given us for His glory and honor or do we use it to fulfill our own selfish desires? At this point in history, everything we do will be to bring praise to God. We might as well get started now practicing praising Him!!
“True and righteous are his judgments.” Again, we are not rejoicing that anyone is fallen. Instead, we are rejoicing at the truth, justice, and righteousness of God. This is a welcome sight after the injustice and unrighteousness we have seen even in our lifetimes.
“avenged the blood of his servants.” We must remember…
Romans 12:19
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
“smoke rose up for ever and ever”. This is a reminder of what happens when we disobey God. Much like the scars in Jesus hands are a reminder of what He did for us.
In Verse 4, you and I get in on the action as the “four and twenty” elders(the redeemed) begin to praise God along with the four beasts. Remember how the four beasts show the attributes of God.
Revelation 4:6-8
6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Their eyes show us how God is omnipotent and sees everything.
Luke 8:17
17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
The lion is symbolic of God’s power
The calf is symbolic of God’s faithfulness
The man is symbolic of God’s intelligence
The Eagle is symbolic of God’s sovereignty.
“Rest not day and night” gives us another attribute of God….He never sleeps.
So if the redeemed are the four and twenty elders, who is the “great voice of much people in heaven” in Verse Revelation 19:1? They must be those that have been martyred for their faith and those that have come out of the Great Tribulation.
Revelation 7:13-14
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Combine the distinctions between the Tribulation Saints and the Redeemed with the verbiage at the end of Revelation 19:5, “both small and great” and some people use this to say there are classes in Heaven. There are no classes at all in the New Jerusalem(Revelation 21-22). However, there are clear distinctions between us at this point in Heaven based on WHEN we were saved.
The Marriage Supper of The Lamb
Revelation 19:6-10
6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Verse 6 is the second time we see “Lord God” in Revelation 19. What’s the distinction between being our Saviour and our Lord? Is Christ both your Saviour and your Lord or just your Saviour or neither?
A Jewish wedding consisted of three parts: The engagement, the presentation, and the ceremony. Before the presentation, the groom goes and gets his bride so she can get ready for the ceremony. This occurs for us at the rapture of the church. As a reminder, after the rapture takes place, we experience the judgment seat of Christ where we receive our white linen wedding garment. At most weddings, the focus is on the bride and what she is wearing. But here, the focus will be on the Groom, the Lamb, The Lord Jesus Christ.
So if we are the bride and Jesus is the groom, who are the invitees or guests to the marriage supper that are invited? Old Testament & Tribulation saints
Verse 10 reminds us to only worship God. The spirit(theme) of Old Testament Prophecy and New Testament Preaching is the Gospel of Jesus.
Many Bible scholars carefully remind us not to get bogged down in details of the visions in Revelation 19 but to remember that Jesus triumphs victoriously over evil.
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
Revelation 19:11-16
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
In Revelation 6, the rider on the white horse was anti-Christ. But here, its Jesus Christ who is also called Faithful and True…a complete contrast to Babylon that was faithless and deceitful. He is called faithful because He has never broken a promise. True because everything He has said and will say is the truth.
At the rapture(1 Thessalonians 4), He came in the air. But here, He comes to Earth.
Eyes like fire is the same as what John saw in Revelation 1….penetrating eyes that see everything. The many crowns are ours from the Judgment Seat of Christ that we cast at His feet. The vesture dipped in blood is not Jesus blood. That was shed on Calvary. Instead, it is the blood of His enemies that He has conquered. By calling Jesus “The Word of God”, John was telling us how Jesus is the express image of the invisible God.
We will be coming back with Jesus on white horses of our own, but not to fight because we are unarmed. We have nothing in and of ourselves to fight against the enemy. Jesus wins the fight by simply speaking a word in Verse 15. His victory and judgment are fierce and swift.
Jesus will be wearing a banner across His robe and down His thigh which will declare His absolute sovereignty over all human rulers….King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
The Battle of Armageddon
Revelation 19:17-21
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
The “supper of the great God” is a huge contrast to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb….celebration vs. devastation. Jesus is so certain of His victory, that before it takes place, He has an angel to call all the buzzards to the battle. If Christ’s victory is that certain, why don’t we act like it?
All the presidents, kings, and armies of the world will be gathered together in the Valley of Megiddo to make war against Jesus. The leaders will be taken out first….Anti-Christ and the False Prophet will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Then everyone else is slain.
Question: Have you made your preparations to be at The Marriage Supper of The Lamb? No way in the world I want to miss it!!
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
July 7th Pray, Read, Worship
Yesterday was an incredible day as we delivered 1015 pounds of pork to the Tennessee Baptist Boys Ranch in Millington. They were super appreciative to all of us…..both the boys and the house parents. Friends….we made a big difference in their lives yesterday….you’ve probably seen the other pictures by now.
Did you see any other meat in the freezer? I didn’t either. They were good on fruits/veggies/toiletries…..but they needed meat in a big way.
After we toured the home where George and Denise Miller serve as house parents, we received a tour of the ranch….saw their cows, horses, goats, chickens, hay, and more. I heard of all they have going on….and then I heard some incredible wisdom from the Farm Manager/Vice President….Jeff Epps…. “Phillip….on this ranch, we aren’t raising cows, we are raising boys.” Pretty strong stuff right there.
George showed me how it’s their goal to lead each boy to faith in Christ, disciple them, and give them skills to make a living the rest of their life by the time they leave the ranch. They have a welding shop, wood shop, maintenance shop, and more.
My heart was full when we left yesterday….as always, I received way way more than I gave.
Thank you for helping make it possible. We received another $400 yesterday to process another hog for the Children’s Home and Boy’s Ranch. As a reminder, I’m doing my part for free….just need your help paying for processing and hog. You can give through Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com or feel free to mail your contribution to:
Chambers Family Ministries
c/o Phillip Chambers
5288 Chambers Road
Cumberland Furnace, TN 37051
Thanks to everybody who has partnered already and thanks in advance to those of you who wish to continue helping us make a difference in the lives of those in need.
Now for today’s devo…..
Read Revelation 18
In Revelation 17, we talked about the Great Whore and how although the Bible does not specifically say who she is, she clearly represents a false religious system. Any system of religion that takes worship away from Christ alone. She is referred to as Babylon, not so much to delineate a specific place or location such as Rome or Iraq, but to reference the Tower of Babel, and all the false religions since the beginning of time.
Chapter 18 tells us of the Fall of Babylon and as we will see, here it is a double reference to the false religious system & the world economic & political system set up by Anti-Christ.
John heard 4 voices give 4 important announcements in Revelation 18.
The Voice of Condemnation
Revelation 18:1-3
18 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
This is no ordinary angel, but a great one that illuminated the whole earth.
Habakkuk 2:14
14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of theLORD, as the waters cover the sea.
“is fallen, is fallen” in Verse 2 shows us the dual judgment of both the false religious system and the political/economic system set up by Anti-Christ.
The church is the habitation of God.
Ephesians 2:22
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
In Verse 2, Babylon is shown as the habitation of satan. The reference of satan as a bird runs parallel with Jesus Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13.
Matthew 13:4
4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up
Matthew 13:19
19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
The anti-Christ’s political and economic system has intoxicated “all nations” & “kings” of the world with all the riches and pleasures is has to offer. This is congruent with what Paul said in 2 Timothy 3
2 Timothy 3:1-5
3 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
This is a great reminder to heed the warning John gave is in 1 John 2
1 John 2:15-17
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
The world system satisfies the desires of the people who follow the beast and reject the Lamb. But worldly things never permanently satisfy or last. The love of pleasures and possessions is a form or idolatry which is demonic in its origin and destructive in its outcome.
The Voice of Separation
Revelation 18:4-8
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
As followers of Christ, we must separate ourselves from that which is worldly and anti-God. This has been true since the beginning of time.
Abraham was ordered to get out of his country.
Genesis 12:1
12 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Lot was ordered out of Sodom. The Jewish nation was separated from Egypt. We are told to be in this world but not of this world.
2 Corinthians 6:14
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
John 17:14
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
1 Peter 2:9
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
We are given two reasons for this separation in Revelation 18:4
Revelation 18:4
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
So we won’t be partakers of her sins nor receive her punishment for them.
“double unto her double” again reinforces the idea of a two-fold judgment on the false religious system and the anti-Christ’s political/economic system. In addition to the idolatry that Babylon caused all nations and kings to commit, she also is guilty of pride. Verse 7 says she “glorified herself” as a “queen”.
As followers of Christ, we must not delay in separation from the evil system of satan because Verse 8 says God’s judgment will come quickly…in one day. In one day, the entire world economic system will collapse.
The Voice of Lamentation
Revelation 18:9-19
9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16 And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
These 11 verses show how sad and despondent the merchants, employees, and government officials on Earth will be as the entire world political and economic system collapses. “Bewail” in Verse 9 denotes more than silent sorrow. This will be loud, visible mourning for the loss of money. They are not sorry for what happened as much as they are sorry for the effect it will have on them.
Much of the merchandise listed in Verses 12-13 are similar to merchandise today….gold, silver, vessels, wheat, animals. But what about “slaves”? This can be a reference to the human trafficking going on now but it can also be a reference to how sports teams buy/sell/trade athletes and how many businesses try to own the lives of their employees. Or it could be a reference to how people who have taken the mark of the beast will be enslaved to anti-Christ.
The Voice of Celebration
Revelation 18:20-24
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
As opposed to the lamentations of the merchants, employees, and government officials, the residents of Heaven will be celebrating the fall of Babylon. Why? Because of God’s righteous judgment and power.
The phrase “no more” or “any more” is found 6 times in these 5 verses. This shows the permanence of this judgment and how all these luxuries of the economic system will not happen again. Music, manufacturing, work and weddings will all come to an end.
Note this voice of celebration should not cause us to rejoice that sinners are judged. Divine judgment should break our hearts knowing that lost sinners are condemned to eternal punishment in hell.
The celebration is for how Christ prevailed in His righteousness.
So let me ask you these questions…..
Are you a citizen of Heaven or Babylon?
Can you rejoice because your name is written in Heaven?
This is the perfect time to get out of Babylon and get into the Family of God.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Yesterday was an incredible day as we delivered 1015 pounds of pork to the Tennessee Baptist Boys Ranch in Millington. They were super appreciative to all of us…..both the boys and the house parents. Friends….we made a big difference in their lives yesterday….you’ve probably seen the other pictures by now.
Did you see any other meat in the freezer? I didn’t either. They were good on fruits/veggies/toiletries…..bu
After we toured the home where George and Denise Miller serve as house parents, we received a tour of the ranch….saw their cows, horses, goats, chickens, hay, and more. I heard of all they have going on….and then I heard some incredible wisdom from the Farm Manager/Vice President….Jeff Epps…. “Phillip….on this ranch, we aren’t raising cows, we are raising boys.” Pretty strong stuff right there.
George showed me how it’s their goal to lead each boy to faith in Christ, disciple them, and give them skills to make a living the rest of their life by the time they leave the ranch. They have a welding shop, wood shop, maintenance shop, and more.
My heart was full when we left yesterday….as always, I received way way more than I gave.
Thank you for helping make it possible. We received another $400 yesterday to process another hog for the Children’s Home and Boy’s Ranch. As a reminder, I’m doing my part for free….just need your help paying for processing and hog. You can give through Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Chambers Family Ministries
c/o Phillip Chambers
5288 Chambers Road
Cumberland Furnace, TN 37051
Thanks to everybody who has partnered already and thanks in advance to those of you who wish to continue helping us make a difference in the lives of those in need.
Now for today’s devo…..
Read Revelation 18
In Revelation 17, we talked about the Great Whore and how although the Bible does not specifically say who she is, she clearly represents a false religious system. Any system of religion that takes worship away from Christ alone. She is referred to as Babylon, not so much to delineate a specific place or location such as Rome or Iraq, but to reference the Tower of Babel, and all the false religions since the beginning of time.
Chapter 18 tells us of the Fall of Babylon and as we will see, here it is a double reference to the false religious system & the world economic & political system set up by Anti-Christ.
John heard 4 voices give 4 important announcements in Revelation 18.
The Voice of Condemnation
Revelation 18:1-3
18 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
This is no ordinary angel, but a great one that illuminated the whole earth.
Habakkuk 2:14
14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of theLORD, as the waters cover the sea.
“is fallen, is fallen” in Verse 2 shows us the dual judgment of both the false religious system and the political/economic system set up by Anti-Christ.
The church is the habitation of God.
Ephesians 2:22
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
In Verse 2, Babylon is shown as the habitation of satan. The reference of satan as a bird runs parallel with Jesus Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13.
Matthew 13:4
4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up
Matthew 13:19
19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
The anti-Christ’s political and economic system has intoxicated “all nations” & “kings” of the world with all the riches and pleasures is has to offer. This is congruent with what Paul said in 2 Timothy 3
2 Timothy 3:1-5
3 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
This is a great reminder to heed the warning John gave is in 1 John 2
1 John 2:15-17
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
The world system satisfies the desires of the people who follow the beast and reject the Lamb. But worldly things never permanently satisfy or last. The love of pleasures and possessions is a form or idolatry which is demonic in its origin and destructive in its outcome.
The Voice of Separation
Revelation 18:4-8
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
As followers of Christ, we must separate ourselves from that which is worldly and anti-God. This has been true since the beginning of time.
Abraham was ordered to get out of his country.
Genesis 12:1
12 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Lot was ordered out of Sodom. The Jewish nation was separated from Egypt. We are told to be in this world but not of this world.
2 Corinthians 6:14
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
John 17:14
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
1 Peter 2:9
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
We are given two reasons for this separation in Revelation 18:4
Revelation 18:4
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
So we won’t be partakers of her sins nor receive her punishment for them.
“double unto her double” again reinforces the idea of a two-fold judgment on the false religious system and the anti-Christ’s political/economic system. In addition to the idolatry that Babylon caused all nations and kings to commit, she also is guilty of pride. Verse 7 says she “glorified herself” as a “queen”.
As followers of Christ, we must not delay in separation from the evil system of satan because Verse 8 says God’s judgment will come quickly…in one day. In one day, the entire world economic system will collapse.
The Voice of Lamentation
Revelation 18:9-19
9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16 And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
These 11 verses show how sad and despondent the merchants, employees, and government officials on Earth will be as the entire world political and economic system collapses. “Bewail” in Verse 9 denotes more than silent sorrow. This will be loud, visible mourning for the loss of money. They are not sorry for what happened as much as they are sorry for the effect it will have on them.
Much of the merchandise listed in Verses 12-13 are similar to merchandise today….gold, silver, vessels, wheat, animals. But what about “slaves”? This can be a reference to the human trafficking going on now but it can also be a reference to how sports teams buy/sell/trade athletes and how many businesses try to own the lives of their employees. Or it could be a reference to how people who have taken the mark of the beast will be enslaved to anti-Christ.
The Voice of Celebration
Revelation 18:20-24
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
As opposed to the lamentations of the merchants, employees, and government officials, the residents of Heaven will be celebrating the fall of Babylon. Why? Because of God’s righteous judgment and power.
The phrase “no more” or “any more” is found 6 times in these 5 verses. This shows the permanence of this judgment and how all these luxuries of the economic system will not happen again. Music, manufacturing, work and weddings will all come to an end.
Note this voice of celebration should not cause us to rejoice that sinners are judged. Divine judgment should break our hearts knowing that lost sinners are condemned to eternal punishment in hell.
The celebration is for how Christ prevailed in His righteousness.
So let me ask you these questions…..
Are you a citizen of Heaven or Babylon?
Can you rejoice because your name is written in Heaven?
This is the perfect time to get out of Babylon and get into the Family of God.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
July 6th Pray, Read, Worship
**WONDERFUL NEWS:** We had 1 young man pray to receive Christ as His Saviour at Indian Mound on Sunday. This 12 year old boy was absolutely precious. I can’t divulge all he said to me in confidence, but I’m telling you….this young man blessed my old heart. Never gets old seeing people come to Christ.
We are delivering the fresh pork to the boys ranch on Monday. I can’t wait to show you pics. Thank you so much for all your prayers and support of Chambers Family Ministries. You are a tremendous encouragement to me.
Now for today’s devo….
Read Revelation 17
Revelation 17 is full of symbolism. Why? Because just as there had to be a person ready to fill the role of anti-Christ and the false prophet in each generation, there also has to be something to take on the role of the great whore and other symbols in this chapter. Therefore, God is not specific in who the anti-Christ or false prophet are nor is He specific on what the great whore is.
**Revelation 17:1**
***17 **And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:*
Four important things to notice out of Verse 1:
1. The invitation. One of the seven angels verbally invited John to come see the judgment of the great whore. There are lots of people in the church today who say we do not need to give invitations of any sort. However, the Bible is full of verbal invitations such as this.
# Matthew 4:19
***19 **And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.*
# Isaiah 1:18
***18 **Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.*
Plus we are commanded to compel people to come to Christ.
# Luke 14:23
***23 **And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.*
2. Let’s define whore: A promiscuous or immoral woman. God intended for us to have sex, but having sex with a whore is not His plan for us. Couple that with the analogies all over scripture where worshipping in other religions is considered adultery against God, and you get the great whore of Revelation 17 as a FALSE RELIGIOUS SYSTEM.
3. Many waters is symbolic of the power and reach of this false religious system.
4. This false religious system may be in place today, but rest assured, it will not stand for eternity. It too will be judged one day.
# Revelation 17:2
***2 **With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.*
The false religious system has reached all the way to the top of society by infiltrating kings and presidents. The words “fornication, drunk,” and “wine” are not referring to alcohol and sex but how the people of Earth are being swept into the intoxication and sin of a false religious system. When someone is intoxicated they are not thinking clearly. And likewise, people are not thinking clearly when they follow this false religious system.
# Revelation 17:3
***3 **So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.*
At the beginning of the Bible in Genesis 2, humanity was pure and dwelt in a lovely garden. By the end of the Bible, we have an impure whore in the wilderness. This is what sin does…it starts small and gets bigger and bigger.
# James 1:14-15
***14 **But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.*
***15 **Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.*
The beast that the woman is sitting on is the anti-Christ. We know this from previous chapters.
# Revelation 12:3
***3 **And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.*
# Revelation 13:1
***13 **And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.*
Remember the anti-Christ will spew all kinds of blasphemy against God, Jesus, and Christians. Do you see how current events are greasing the skids for his upcoming blasphemy?
Notice the position of the woman and the beast….
# Revelation 17:3
***3 **So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.*
The whore/woman is being held up by the beast. In other words, the anti-Christ is helping to hold up this false religion to fulfill his evil purposes.
# Revelation 17:4
***4 **And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:*
The whore appeared nice on the outside, but inside was full of wickedness. This is how sin does us today. On the outside, it appears to be wonderful. But on the inside, it is evil and horrible. The appearance of the false religious system was enticing the people of the world to commit fornication/adultery against God….i.e. worship the anti-Christ instead of Christ. The great whore does not do this on a small scale, but on a huge/large/world-wide scale.
# Revelation 17:5
***5 **And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.*
This verse is a very important clue to the identity of the false religion. Names in scripture are very important. They often reveal the character of someone.
Earlier in Revelation, the 144,000 Virgin Jewish Evangelists had the name of God written on their foreheads so they could be easily identified.
# Revelation 14:1
***14 **And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.*
Here, the great whore has this name on her forehead so we can identify her.
In the New Testament, a mystery is a hidden spiritual truth. This shows the nature of how God intends to mask her identity.
Babylon. The origin of the name Babylon is Babel. Babel means “gate of God.” As we know, the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 was man’s first attempt to approach God in a wrong/false way.
Mother—someone who parents or nurtures another person to adulthood. Therefore this Great Whore is the original one that all the other false religions of the world come from. The false Babylonian religious system is the mother of all the false religious systems of today.
# Revelation 17:6
***6 **And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.*
The harlot/whore obviously loves to murder Christians. This is showing how the false religions of the world today murder Christians such as the 34 who were killed on Palm Sunday in Egypt a few years back. Drunken is showing how the false religions don’t know when to stop. There is never enough. They just keep on and keep on and keep on.
Great admiration could better be translated great astonishment.
# Revelation 17:7
***7 **And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.*
The Lord will reveal insights of scripture to us.
Do we pray for insight before we read?
# Jeremiah 33:3
***3 **Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.*
# Revelation 17:8
***8 **The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.*
Verse 8 is further confirmation to the identity of the beast as the anti-Christ. As we learned in Revelation 13, the anti-Christ will stage a resurrection during the Great Tribulation in order to get the people of Earth who have rejected the authentic Christ to worship him.
# Revelation 13:3
***3 **And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.*
# Revelation 17:9
***9 **And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.*
This is a reference to Rome because Rome is the city of 7 hills. This verse causes many to believe that the anti-Christ will come out of one of the present day countries associated with the ancient Roman Empire.
# Revelation 17:10
***10 **And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.*
The five past kingdoms would be Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. The present kingdom is Rome, and the one yet to come will be the political alliance/kingdom of the anti-Christ.
# Revelation 17:11
***11 **And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.*
This is another reference to the staging of anti-Christ’s resurrection and to the reviving of the Roman Empire territory during the Great Tribulation.
# Revelation 17:12-13
***12 **And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.*
***13 **These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.*
The ten kings are the political rulers of these territories who during the Great Tribulation enable the anti-Christ to rise to power and are even willing to yield their authority to him.(Similar to how we yield our authority today at the UN/NATO/etc.)
# Revelation 17:14
***14 **These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.*
This verse is a reference to the pending Battle of Armageddon where anti-Christ and the kings of the Earth wage war against Christ. But hallelujah, Christ prevails. We will be with Christ at this battle. What is the significance of the words called, chosen, and faithful?
1. Called…..The Holy Spirit calls us to salvation. We can’t be saved of our own will.
2. Chosen….God has chosen us to be His children.
3. Faithful….again, Heaven is not the default destination for everybody. Only the faithful to Christ make it there.
# Revelation 17:15
***15 **And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.*
This again reinforces the far reaching grasp of the false religious system.
# Revelation 17:16
***16 **And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.*
Once anti-Christ gets what he wants from the false religious system(power), he will turn on it and destroy it.
# Revelation 17:17
***17 **For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.*
This is a reminder of how God allows evil to take place in order to fulfill His purposes.
# Revelation 17:18
***18 **And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.*
So Who/What is Great Whore? Based on Revelation 17, some Bible scholars believe it to be the Roman Catholic Church. Others believe it to be any/all the false religious systems of the world. Any system that takes worship away from Christ alone.
Bottom line, when viewing the world today through the lens of The Scriptures, including Revelation 17, it is clear to see how things are lining up for Revelation End Time events to take place.
Are you ready?
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
**WONDERFUL NEWS:** We had 1 young man pray to receive Christ as His Saviour at Indian Mound on Sunday. This 12 year old boy was absolutely precious. I can’t divulge all he said to me in confidence, but I’m telling you….this young man blessed my old heart. Never gets old seeing people come to Christ.
We are delivering the fresh pork to the boys ranch on Monday. I can’t wait to show you pics. Thank you so much for all your prayers and support of Chambers Family Ministries. You are a tremendous encouragement to me.
Now for today’s devo….
Read Revelation 17
Revelation 17 is full of symbolism. Why? Because just as there had to be a person ready to fill the role of anti-Christ and the false prophet in each generation, there also has to be something to take on the role of the great whore and other symbols in this chapter. Therefore, God is not specific in who the anti-Christ or false prophet are nor is He specific on what the great whore is.
**Revelation 17:1**
***17 **And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:*
Four important things to notice out of Verse 1:
1. The invitation. One of the seven angels verbally invited John to come see the judgment of the great whore. There are lots of people in the church today who say we do not need to give invitations of any sort. However, the Bible is full of verbal invitations such as this.
# Matthew 4:19
***19 **And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.*
# Isaiah 1:18
***18 **Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.*
Plus we are commanded to compel people to come to Christ.
# Luke 14:23
***23 **And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.*
2. Let’s define whore: A promiscuous or immoral woman. God intended for us to have sex, but having sex with a whore is not His plan for us. Couple that with the analogies all over scripture where worshipping in other religions is considered adultery against God, and you get the great whore of Revelation 17 as a FALSE RELIGIOUS SYSTEM.
3. Many waters is symbolic of the power and reach of this false religious system.
4. This false religious system may be in place today, but rest assured, it will not stand for eternity. It too will be judged one day.
# Revelation 17:2
***2 **With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.*
The false religious system has reached all the way to the top of society by infiltrating kings and presidents. The words “fornication, drunk,” and “wine” are not referring to alcohol and sex but how the people of Earth are being swept into the intoxication and sin of a false religious system. When someone is intoxicated they are not thinking clearly. And likewise, people are not thinking clearly when they follow this false religious system.
# Revelation 17:3
***3 **So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.*
At the beginning of the Bible in Genesis 2, humanity was pure and dwelt in a lovely garden. By the end of the Bible, we have an impure whore in the wilderness. This is what sin does…it starts small and gets bigger and bigger.
# James 1:14-15
***14 **But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.*
***15 **Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.*
The beast that the woman is sitting on is the anti-Christ. We know this from previous chapters.
# Revelation 12:3
***3 **And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.*
# Revelation 13:1
***13 **And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.*
Remember the anti-Christ will spew all kinds of blasphemy against God, Jesus, and Christians. Do you see how current events are greasing the skids for his upcoming blasphemy?
Notice the position of the woman and the beast….
# Revelation 17:3
***3 **So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.*
The whore/woman is being held up by the beast. In other words, the anti-Christ is helping to hold up this false religion to fulfill his evil purposes.
# Revelation 17:4
***4 **And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:*
The whore appeared nice on the outside, but inside was full of wickedness. This is how sin does us today. On the outside, it appears to be wonderful. But on the inside, it is evil and horrible. The appearance of the false religious system was enticing the people of the world to commit fornication/adultery against God….i.e. worship the anti-Christ instead of Christ. The great whore does not do this on a small scale, but on a huge/large/world-wide scale.
# Revelation 17:5
***5 **And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.*
This verse is a very important clue to the identity of the false religion. Names in scripture are very important. They often reveal the character of someone.
Earlier in Revelation, the 144,000 Virgin Jewish Evangelists had the name of God written on their foreheads so they could be easily identified.
# Revelation 14:1
***14 **And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.*
Here, the great whore has this name on her forehead so we can identify her.
In the New Testament, a mystery is a hidden spiritual truth. This shows the nature of how God intends to mask her identity.
Babylon. The origin of the name Babylon is Babel. Babel means “gate of God.” As we know, the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 was man’s first attempt to approach God in a wrong/false way.
Mother—someone who parents or nurtures another person to adulthood. Therefore this Great Whore is the original one that all the other false religions of the world come from. The false Babylonian religious system is the mother of all the false religious systems of today.
# Revelation 17:6
***6 **And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.*
The harlot/whore obviously loves to murder Christians. This is showing how the false religions of the world today murder Christians such as the 34 who were killed on Palm Sunday in Egypt a few years back. Drunken is showing how the false religions don’t know when to stop. There is never enough. They just keep on and keep on and keep on.
Great admiration could better be translated great astonishment.
# Revelation 17:7
***7 **And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.*
The Lord will reveal insights of scripture to us.
Do we pray for insight before we read?
# Jeremiah 33:3
***3 **Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.*
# Revelation 17:8
***8 **The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.*
Verse 8 is further confirmation to the identity of the beast as the anti-Christ. As we learned in Revelation 13, the anti-Christ will stage a resurrection during the Great Tribulation in order to get the people of Earth who have rejected the authentic Christ to worship him.
# Revelation 13:3
***3 **And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.*
# Revelation 17:9
***9 **And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.*
This is a reference to Rome because Rome is the city of 7 hills. This verse causes many to believe that the anti-Christ will come out of one of the present day countries associated with the ancient Roman Empire.
# Revelation 17:10
***10 **And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.*
The five past kingdoms would be Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. The present kingdom is Rome, and the one yet to come will be the political alliance/kingdom of the anti-Christ.
# Revelation 17:11
***11 **And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.*
This is another reference to the staging of anti-Christ’s resurrection and to the reviving of the Roman Empire territory during the Great Tribulation.
# Revelation 17:12-13
***12 **And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.*
***13 **These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.*
The ten kings are the political rulers of these territories who during the Great Tribulation enable the anti-Christ to rise to power and are even willing to yield their authority to him.(Similar to how we yield our authority today at the UN/NATO/etc.)
# Revelation 17:14
***14 **These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.*
This verse is a reference to the pending Battle of Armageddon where anti-Christ and the kings of the Earth wage war against Christ. But hallelujah, Christ prevails. We will be with Christ at this battle. What is the significance of the words called, chosen, and faithful?
1. Called…..The Holy Spirit calls us to salvation. We can’t be saved of our own will.
2. Chosen….God has chosen us to be His children.
3. Faithful….again, Heaven is not the default destination for everybody. Only the faithful to Christ make it there.
# Revelation 17:15
***15 **And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.*
This again reinforces the far reaching grasp of the false religious system.
# Revelation 17:16
***16 **And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.*
Once anti-Christ gets what he wants from the false religious system(power), he will turn on it and destroy it.
# Revelation 17:17
***17 **For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.*
This is a reminder of how God allows evil to take place in order to fulfill His purposes.
# Revelation 17:18
***18 **And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.*
So Who/What is Great Whore? Based on Revelation 17, some Bible scholars believe it to be the Roman Catholic Church. Others believe it to be any/all the false religious systems of the world. Any system that takes worship away from Christ alone.
Bottom line, when viewing the world today through the lens of The Scriptures, including Revelation 17, it is clear to see how things are lining up for Revelation End Time events to take place.
Are you ready?
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
July 5th Pray, Read, Worship
WONDERFUL NEWS: I had the privilege of speaking at Albert Williams’ memorial on Saturday. Albert was Dianna Marie Traylor’s father. As always, I gave a Gospel invitation at the end of the service. 9 of Albert’s family and friends looked up at me indicating that they received the Gospel and trusted Jesus alone for salvation. PRAISE THE LORD!!!
Now for today’s devo….
Read Revelation 16
Revelation 16:1
16 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth
The voice in the temple that John heard is the voice of God himself as He instructs the 7 angels to pour out His final vials or bowls of wrath upon the Earth. Angels perform many different functions such as strengthening us, encouraging us, guarding us, and escorting followers of Jesus Christ to Heaven when they die. Here these 7 angels have another function as they are exacting the wrath of God on the Earth. Now you may be wondering, why is God angry? Why is He requiring His wrath to be poured out on Planet Earth and those that have taken the mark of the beast?
The God we serve is not just loving, compassionate, merciful, caring, patient, and kind. He is also just and because of His justice, He is angry at the sin in the world and the adultery we choose against Him when we choose to sin instead of an intimate relationship with Him…..In addition, He’s angry at the anti-christ here in Revelation that is trying to sway believers away. Listen this is not a popular message to preach today. Most of your TV preachers want to preach about God’s love, God’s mercy, and God’s Grace….make no mistake friends, I may be the chief of sinners and I’m ever so thankful for God’s unconditional love, His never-ending mercy, and His Amazing Grace.
But as a preacher of the Gospel who is committed to preaching the whole truth and nothing but the truth, as a preacher that is committed to preaching the whole council of the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, I must also preach to you about God’s justice and wrath that He’s going to pour out on sinful man here in Revelation 16.
God is just and requires a payment or atonement for our sins and I’m so thankful that Jesus paid my debt that He did not owe because I had a debt that I could not pay. Sin left a terrible stain on my life, He washed it white as snow, made me righteous, and because of that, I get to miss out and all of His wrath including what happens at Great White Throne in Revelation 20 and what happens here at the end of the 7 Year Tribulation in Revelation 16.
Now its time for the first vial of wrath to be poured out. Verse 2.
Revelation 16:2
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
This verse may have sounded familiar to you as something similar had happened before during the plagues The Lord sent to convince Pharaoh to let His people go out of slavery. If you remember, in Exodus Chapter 9. the Egyptians had boils on their skin, but the children of Israel didn’t get any. Here, the same thing is happening again. Those that received the mark of the beast are also receiving the boils, but those that did not are protected.
Now there’s lots of discussion as to what these boils actually were….was it leprosy, was it some other skin disorder…..we don’t know friend….but what we do know is that the Bible describes it as noisome….which you would think means loud….but if you look up its definition, it actually means offensive to the senses, especially the sense of smell. So these sores smelled terribly bad and The Bible also describes these boils as grievous which means very severe or serious.
So think about the worst smell you’ve ever smelled in your life….for me, it would be an old rotten, decomposing, dead cow that I run up on out in the woods some where…..smells so bad it almost takes your breath away and makes you throw up…..
That’s what was appearing on the skin of those that had taken the mark of the beast and there was no washing it off, no taking medicine, no cutting it out, no getting rid of it, and no getting away from it. The terrible stench stayed with you constantly.
Now look at the 2nd plague that’s going to happen….Verse 3.
Revelation 16:3
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
In the trumpet judgments back in Revelation 8, the 2nd angel cast as it were a great mountain of fire into the ocean and The Bible says a third of the sea turned to blood, a third of the sea creatures died, and a third part of the ships in the sea were destroyed. Here, in Revelation 16, the judgment is complete and the entire sea became as blood. Think about this…..you know how when you go to the beach, there’s usually a breeze blowing and the fresh air coming in off the sea and it makes you breathe deep and inhale as much of that fresh air as you possibly can?
No more of that…..terrible stench….not only that….scientists will tell you that the ocean is a vital part of the Earth’s ecosystem. Much of our rain comes from clouds that pick up water over the ocean and then head inland….this plague of the entirety of the world’s oceans turning to blood gets all of the earth’s ecosystem completely out of whack.
This is Just the beginning….Verse 4
Revelation 16:4
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
Now this judgment of water turning into blood moves inland from the saltwater to the freshwater, and all our rivers….the Cumberland River, the Tennessee River, the Red River, the Mississippi River….all our creeks, Yellow Creek, Grices Creek, East Fork Creek, and even our ponds and wells….all that water becomes as blood, and so now, there is nothing to drink, cook with, or wash with and all the fish, crawdads, minnows, salamanders, frogs, and other water creatures die.
What was the significance of these two judgments? We find out in Verse 5, 6, & 7.
Revelation 16:5-7
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
You see, God is not only a just God, He’s a fair God and over and over in scriptures He tells us that we are going to reap what we sow. Do you remember in the book of Esther how Haaman was going to have Mordecai killed by hanging on this gigantic gallows he had built….and instead Haaman ended up being the one killed by hanging on those very same gallows? Do you remember how in the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den, the men that tricked the king to throw Daniel in the lion’s den, well they ended up getting thrown in there themselves and devoured after the angel of The Lord kept Daniel safe all night.
Well here in Revelation 16, God is avenging the blood of all the people that have been martyred for their faith in Him….and He’s doing it by turning the water into blood.
Revelation 6:9-10
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
The Lord may or may not judge the evil people have done while they are still on this Earth, but just like you can stand on the Promise of God in Philippians 4:13 which says I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me, Philippians 4:19 which says My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory, Romans 8:28 that says all things work together for good for them that love the Lord and who are the called according to His purpose, you can stand on the promise of Psalm 37:1
Psalm 37:1
37 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
Romans 12:19
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
But friend, all the water on Earth turning to blood, and stinking sores on those that have taken the mark of the beast is just the beginning of The Lord’s final judgments here in Revelation 16….there’s 4 more to go. Look at Verse 8.
Revelation 16:8
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
Anybody ever had a sunburn? Remember how bad it hurts? Well jack that up a notch or so to 3rd degree, 2nd degree, 1st degree burns, and even worse if you can imagine. That’s the amount of pain that will be inflicted on the inhabitants of Earth that have taken the mark of the beast and bowed down to worship His image.
Now you would think when something like this happens, they would holler UNCLE….STOP….YOU WIN….but NOOOOOO, look what The Bible says in Verse 9.
Revelation 16:9
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Instead of repentance toward the Lord, these men who had taken the mark of the beast blasphemed the name of God and refused to turn from their wicked, sinful ways. Unfortunately we see some of the same things happen today. When The Lord tries to get your attention, He will do so with blessing, and if that doesn’t work, then He will do so with burden. I’ve been there….I’ve been on the receiving end of the Lord’s chastisement It’s not a fun place to be and I don’t ever want to be there again. Friend, if you are mad at God today, get over it, repent, learn your lesson and repent before it gets any worse.
And oh does it ever get worse in Verse 10
Revelation 16:10
10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain
Again a very similar plague as to what The Lord did in Egypt. In the Exodus Chapter 10, plague #9, The Lord sent darkness over the Egyptians, no light whatsoever, but in the houses of the children or Israel, there was light. Similar here….in the houses and lands of those who had taken the mark of the beast….there was total darkness….now on the surface, that might not seem bad to you….but follow me here….you remember how the Earth’s ecosystem is already messed up by the waters of the world being turned into blood?
Well in a very similar fashion, it takes sunlight for photosynthesis to occur and for plants to take the Carbon Dioxide we exhale and turn it into life giving oxygen that we can inhale. With this total darkness, photosynthesis will not be able to occur, the air will begin to get stuffy, oxygen levels will get lower and lower and lower, and it will become very hard to breathe…..and yet again, the people will refuse to repent and instead, blasphemed God.
Revelation 16:11
11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
There’s 2 more judgments to go…this next one is very interesting….Verse 12
Revelation 16:12
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
The Euphrates River is the Eastern Boundary of the Promised Land. Its also one of the original Rivers of the Garden of Eden in Genesis Chapter 2…1800 miles long, ¾ of a mile wide, and 30 feet deep in some places. There’s Dams all up and down the Euphrates river today, yet In an instant, this great river is going to completely dry up…..why? To make way for the throngs of oriental armies from China, India, and Japan to make their way to the valley of Meggido for the war to end all wars….the battle of Armageddon.
Now don’t miss the significance of these next two verses….they seem really weird on the surface, but they are very significant.
Revelation 16:13-14
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Remember who the dragon is….Satan…..the beast is the Anti-Christ, and then we also have the false prophet. John witnesses these 3 unclean spirits come out of them and these unclean spirits are literally going to work deceptive miracles all over the world in order to seduce and entice the rulers of the world to descend onto Jerusalem for the Battle of Armageddon. Every world leader is going to be there….our President, Canadian Prime Minister, Egyptian Prime Minister, England, Ireland, etc etc etc….they all are descending on Jerusalem and they are not even going to know why they are coming…..Satan is actually tricking them not into battling Israel and Jerusalem, but instead to wage war on the Almighty God of Heaven that is causing all of these plagues to fall on the inhabitants of Earth who have taken the mark of the beast. Can’t you just see in your mind’s eye all of this taking place?
Jesus gives a brief interlude in Verse 15
Revelation 16:15
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
A thief comes quickly and when you least expect it….and although we know what’s about to happen because we’ve read the back of this book and we win….these people on Earth at this time don’t have a clue what’s going to happen as they have been deceived by the great deceiver himself, Satan. We know the Lord is about to return….we know He’s going to win. We know He’s going to rule and reign 1000 years…..but these people here don’t have a clue what’s going to happen….All they know is that for some strange reason, they are being drawn to the valley of Meggido
Revelation 16:16
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Once they are there, the 7th and final angel appears to pour out the final vial of God’s Wrath upon the Earth….Wrath has been poured on men, on the sea, on the land, on the sun, and now on the air.
Revelation 16:17
17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
This is the voice of God Himself…..remember one of the last things Jesus said on the cross….”It is finished”….now the very last thing being said here at the final judgment….it is done.
As soon as those words are uttered….all the laws that govern nature today break loose.
Revelation 16:18
18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
This will be the Largest Earthquake ever in the history of the world…..currently, the largest recorded Earthquake is a 9.5 in Chilie in 1960….this Earthquake in Revelation 16 will make that feel like a tremor.
How big is it?
Revelation 16:19
19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
All the cities of the nations were leveled. All the tall buildings and skyscrapers of Earth fall down to the ground….can you imagine Nashville flattened? Even buildings in Clarksville like the F & M Bank building, the Courts Building, and others at Austin Peay, completely leveled….and it doesn’t stop there.
Revelation 16:20
20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Every island….not some, all of them, disappeared. Hawaii, gone. The Philippines, gone. Japan, gone, Marshall Islands gone….and the mountains were not found. The Smokey mountains in East TN….gone. The rocky Mountains in Colorado, gone. The Himalayas in Asia….gone….flat as the Great Plains….and it doesn’t stop there.
Revelation 16:21
21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
According to biblical weights and measures, the talents referred to here weighed approximately 100 pounds….can you imagine 100 pound hailstones falling out of the sky…I’ve seen how much damage golf ball sized hail can do….this would bring total destruction to the Earth….yet once again, the men and women of Earth refuse to repent and cry out to God for mercy, instead they curse and blaspheme His great and holy name because of these righteous judgments and plagues.
Do you want anybody you know to experience Revelation 16? Of course not.
So what are you doing about it? Who are you inviting to church? Who are you sharing The Gospel with?
Friends….this deal is wrapping up and Revelation 16 will be here before you know it.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
WONDERFUL NEWS: I had the privilege of speaking at Albert Williams’ memorial on Saturday. Albert was Dianna Marie Traylor’s father. As always, I gave a Gospel invitation at the end of the service. 9 of Albert’s family and friends looked up at me indicating that they received the Gospel and trusted Jesus alone for salvation. PRAISE THE LORD!!!
Now for today’s devo….
Read Revelation 16
Revelation 16:1
16 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth
The voice in the temple that John heard is the voice of God himself as He instructs the 7 angels to pour out His final vials or bowls of wrath upon the Earth. Angels perform many different functions such as strengthening us, encouraging us, guarding us, and escorting followers of Jesus Christ to Heaven when they die. Here these 7 angels have another function as they are exacting the wrath of God on the Earth. Now you may be wondering, why is God angry? Why is He requiring His wrath to be poured out on Planet Earth and those that have taken the mark of the beast?
The God we serve is not just loving, compassionate, merciful, caring, patient, and kind. He is also just and because of His justice, He is angry at the sin in the world and the adultery we choose against Him when we choose to sin instead of an intimate relationship with Him…..In addition, He’s angry at the anti-christ here in Revelation that is trying to sway believers away. Listen this is not a popular message to preach today. Most of your TV preachers want to preach about God’s love, God’s mercy, and God’s Grace….make no mistake friends, I may be the chief of sinners and I’m ever so thankful for God’s unconditional love, His never-ending mercy, and His Amazing Grace.
But as a preacher of the Gospel who is committed to preaching the whole truth and nothing but the truth, as a preacher that is committed to preaching the whole council of the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, I must also preach to you about God’s justice and wrath that He’s going to pour out on sinful man here in Revelation 16.
God is just and requires a payment or atonement for our sins and I’m so thankful that Jesus paid my debt that He did not owe because I had a debt that I could not pay. Sin left a terrible stain on my life, He washed it white as snow, made me righteous, and because of that, I get to miss out and all of His wrath including what happens at Great White Throne in Revelation 20 and what happens here at the end of the 7 Year Tribulation in Revelation 16.
Now its time for the first vial of wrath to be poured out. Verse 2.
Revelation 16:2
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
This verse may have sounded familiar to you as something similar had happened before during the plagues The Lord sent to convince Pharaoh to let His people go out of slavery. If you remember, in Exodus Chapter 9. the Egyptians had boils on their skin, but the children of Israel didn’t get any. Here, the same thing is happening again. Those that received the mark of the beast are also receiving the boils, but those that did not are protected.
Now there’s lots of discussion as to what these boils actually were….was it leprosy, was it some other skin disorder…..we don’t know friend….but what we do know is that the Bible describes it as noisome….which you would think means loud….but if you look up its definition, it actually means offensive to the senses, especially the sense of smell. So these sores smelled terribly bad and The Bible also describes these boils as grievous which means very severe or serious.
So think about the worst smell you’ve ever smelled in your life….for me, it would be an old rotten, decomposing, dead cow that I run up on out in the woods some where…..smells so bad it almost takes your breath away and makes you throw up…..
That’s what was appearing on the skin of those that had taken the mark of the beast and there was no washing it off, no taking medicine, no cutting it out, no getting rid of it, and no getting away from it. The terrible stench stayed with you constantly.
Now look at the 2nd plague that’s going to happen….Verse 3.
Revelation 16:3
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
In the trumpet judgments back in Revelation 8, the 2nd angel cast as it were a great mountain of fire into the ocean and The Bible says a third of the sea turned to blood, a third of the sea creatures died, and a third part of the ships in the sea were destroyed. Here, in Revelation 16, the judgment is complete and the entire sea became as blood. Think about this…..you know how when you go to the beach, there’s usually a breeze blowing and the fresh air coming in off the sea and it makes you breathe deep and inhale as much of that fresh air as you possibly can?
No more of that…..terrible stench….not only that….scientists will tell you that the ocean is a vital part of the Earth’s ecosystem. Much of our rain comes from clouds that pick up water over the ocean and then head inland….this plague of the entirety of the world’s oceans turning to blood gets all of the earth’s ecosystem completely out of whack.
This is Just the beginning….Verse 4
Revelation 16:4
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
Now this judgment of water turning into blood moves inland from the saltwater to the freshwater, and all our rivers….the Cumberland River, the Tennessee River, the Red River, the Mississippi River….all our creeks, Yellow Creek, Grices Creek, East Fork Creek, and even our ponds and wells….all that water becomes as blood, and so now, there is nothing to drink, cook with, or wash with and all the fish, crawdads, minnows, salamanders, frogs, and other water creatures die.
What was the significance of these two judgments? We find out in Verse 5, 6, & 7.
Revelation 16:5-7
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
You see, God is not only a just God, He’s a fair God and over and over in scriptures He tells us that we are going to reap what we sow. Do you remember in the book of Esther how Haaman was going to have Mordecai killed by hanging on this gigantic gallows he had built….and instead Haaman ended up being the one killed by hanging on those very same gallows? Do you remember how in the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den, the men that tricked the king to throw Daniel in the lion’s den, well they ended up getting thrown in there themselves and devoured after the angel of The Lord kept Daniel safe all night.
Well here in Revelation 16, God is avenging the blood of all the people that have been martyred for their faith in Him….and He’s doing it by turning the water into blood.
Revelation 6:9-10
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
The Lord may or may not judge the evil people have done while they are still on this Earth, but just like you can stand on the Promise of God in Philippians 4:13 which says I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me, Philippians 4:19 which says My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory, Romans 8:28 that says all things work together for good for them that love the Lord and who are the called according to His purpose, you can stand on the promise of Psalm 37:1
Psalm 37:1
37 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
Romans 12:19
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
But friend, all the water on Earth turning to blood, and stinking sores on those that have taken the mark of the beast is just the beginning of The Lord’s final judgments here in Revelation 16….there’s 4 more to go. Look at Verse 8.
Revelation 16:8
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
Anybody ever had a sunburn? Remember how bad it hurts? Well jack that up a notch or so to 3rd degree, 2nd degree, 1st degree burns, and even worse if you can imagine. That’s the amount of pain that will be inflicted on the inhabitants of Earth that have taken the mark of the beast and bowed down to worship His image.
Now you would think when something like this happens, they would holler UNCLE….STOP….YOU WIN….but NOOOOOO, look what The Bible says in Verse 9.
Revelation 16:9
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Instead of repentance toward the Lord, these men who had taken the mark of the beast blasphemed the name of God and refused to turn from their wicked, sinful ways. Unfortunately we see some of the same things happen today. When The Lord tries to get your attention, He will do so with blessing, and if that doesn’t work, then He will do so with burden. I’ve been there….I’ve been on the receiving end of the Lord’s chastisement It’s not a fun place to be and I don’t ever want to be there again. Friend, if you are mad at God today, get over it, repent, learn your lesson and repent before it gets any worse.
And oh does it ever get worse in Verse 10
Revelation 16:10
10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain
Again a very similar plague as to what The Lord did in Egypt. In the Exodus Chapter 10, plague #9, The Lord sent darkness over the Egyptians, no light whatsoever, but in the houses of the children or Israel, there was light. Similar here….in the houses and lands of those who had taken the mark of the beast….there was total darkness….now on the surface, that might not seem bad to you….but follow me here….you remember how the Earth’s ecosystem is already messed up by the waters of the world being turned into blood?
Well in a very similar fashion, it takes sunlight for photosynthesis to occur and for plants to take the Carbon Dioxide we exhale and turn it into life giving oxygen that we can inhale. With this total darkness, photosynthesis will not be able to occur, the air will begin to get stuffy, oxygen levels will get lower and lower and lower, and it will become very hard to breathe…..and yet again, the people will refuse to repent and instead, blasphemed God.
Revelation 16:11
11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
There’s 2 more judgments to go…this next one is very interesting….Verse 12
Revelation 16:12
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
The Euphrates River is the Eastern Boundary of the Promised Land. Its also one of the original Rivers of the Garden of Eden in Genesis Chapter 2…1800 miles long, ¾ of a mile wide, and 30 feet deep in some places. There’s Dams all up and down the Euphrates river today, yet In an instant, this great river is going to completely dry up…..why? To make way for the throngs of oriental armies from China, India, and Japan to make their way to the valley of Meggido for the war to end all wars….the battle of Armageddon.
Now don’t miss the significance of these next two verses….they seem really weird on the surface, but they are very significant.
Revelation 16:13-14
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Remember who the dragon is….Satan…..the beast is the Anti-Christ, and then we also have the false prophet. John witnesses these 3 unclean spirits come out of them and these unclean spirits are literally going to work deceptive miracles all over the world in order to seduce and entice the rulers of the world to descend onto Jerusalem for the Battle of Armageddon. Every world leader is going to be there….our President, Canadian Prime Minister, Egyptian Prime Minister, England, Ireland, etc etc etc….they all are descending on Jerusalem and they are not even going to know why they are coming…..Satan is actually tricking them not into battling Israel and Jerusalem, but instead to wage war on the Almighty God of Heaven that is causing all of these plagues to fall on the inhabitants of Earth who have taken the mark of the beast. Can’t you just see in your mind’s eye all of this taking place?
Jesus gives a brief interlude in Verse 15
Revelation 16:15
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
A thief comes quickly and when you least expect it….and although we know what’s about to happen because we’ve read the back of this book and we win….these people on Earth at this time don’t have a clue what’s going to happen as they have been deceived by the great deceiver himself, Satan. We know the Lord is about to return….we know He’s going to win. We know He’s going to rule and reign 1000 years…..but these people here don’t have a clue what’s going to happen….All they know is that for some strange reason, they are being drawn to the valley of Meggido
Revelation 16:16
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Once they are there, the 7th and final angel appears to pour out the final vial of God’s Wrath upon the Earth….Wrath has been poured on men, on the sea, on the land, on the sun, and now on the air.
Revelation 16:17
17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
This is the voice of God Himself…..remember one of the last things Jesus said on the cross….”It is finished”….now the very last thing being said here at the final judgment….it is done.
As soon as those words are uttered….all the laws that govern nature today break loose.
Revelation 16:18
18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
This will be the Largest Earthquake ever in the history of the world…..currently, the largest recorded Earthquake is a 9.5 in Chilie in 1960….this Earthquake in Revelation 16 will make that feel like a tremor.
How big is it?
Revelation 16:19
19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
All the cities of the nations were leveled. All the tall buildings and skyscrapers of Earth fall down to the ground….can you imagine Nashville flattened? Even buildings in Clarksville like the F & M Bank building, the Courts Building, and others at Austin Peay, completely leveled….and it doesn’t stop there.
Revelation 16:20
20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Every island….not some, all of them, disappeared. Hawaii, gone. The Philippines, gone. Japan, gone, Marshall Islands gone….and the mountains were not found. The Smokey mountains in East TN….gone. The rocky Mountains in Colorado, gone. The Himalayas in Asia….gone….flat as the Great Plains….and it doesn’t stop there.
Revelation 16:21
21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
According to biblical weights and measures, the talents referred to here weighed approximately 100 pounds….can you imagine 100 pound hailstones falling out of the sky…I’ve seen how much damage golf ball sized hail can do….this would bring total destruction to the Earth….yet once again, the men and women of Earth refuse to repent and cry out to God for mercy, instead they curse and blaspheme His great and holy name because of these righteous judgments and plagues.
Do you want anybody you know to experience Revelation 16? Of course not.
So what are you doing about it? Who are you inviting to church? Who are you sharing The Gospel with?
Friends….this deal is wrapping up and Revelation 16 will be here before you know it.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
July 4th Pray, Read, Worship
WONDERFUL NEWS #1: I had the privilege of speaking at Tony Street’s funeral yesterday. As always, I gave a Gospel invitation at the end of the service. 13 of Tony’s family and friends looked up at me indicating that they received the Gospel and trusted Jesus alone for salvation. PRAISE THE LORD!!!
WONDERFUL NEWS #2: Because of your generosity, Chambers Family Ministries delivered 152 pounds of sausage to some happy folks at Loaves and Fishes in Clarksville yesterday. Man alive they sure were proud to get it. In addition, we picked up 1015 pounds of fresh pork for the Tennessee Baptist Boy’s Ranch that we plan to deliver on Monday. The pic of the freezer is a picture of just PART of that fresh pork. What a blessing this is going to be to those young men.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for partnering with me in this ministry. You guys are amazing!!!
WONDERFUL NEWS #3: I’ll be back preaching at Indian Mound United Methodist Church this Sunday at 10AM. Would love for you to join us. The Lord has given me a special message just for this week after what happened last Sunday when The Holy Ghost fell and we had 4 saved.
Now for today’s devo….
Read Revelation 15
Revelation 15
15 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
Revelation 1 was an introduction to Revelation and John’s vision of Christ.
Revelation 2-3 were the letters to the churches.
Revelation 4-5 took place in the throne room of Heaven where The Lamb, Jesus, took the scroll out of the Hand of God to show what the future would hold.
Revelation 6-7 are the Seal Judgments
Revelation 8-11 are the Trumpet Judgments
Revelation 12-14 is a pageant of the conflict between Good and Evil.
Revelation 15 is a brief praise Interlude before the 7 last plagues or Vial Judgments.
We must remember there is going to be lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of praise in Heaven. God inhabits the praises of His people.
There is much in Revelation 15 we have already studied:
Angels are created beings that accomplish specific tasks for God.
The last plagues contain the full, unfiltered wrath of God.
The Sea of Glass mingled with fire is a picture of the throne room of Heaven from Revelation 4
Those that did not receive the mark of the beast were martyred and received the ultimate victory from Christ.
If you have always wanted to play music, know that in Heaven you will be able to as we all will receive harps with which to praise God.
But what is the Song of Moses & the Song of the Lamb that they were singing?
The Song of Moses is the oldest song in recorded history. It is the first song in the Bible, written just after the victory over the Red Sea.
Exodus 15:1-21
15 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto theLORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.
5 The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone.
6 Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, OLORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
7 And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.
8 And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.
10 Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
12 Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.
13 Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.
14 The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina.
15 Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.
16 Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.
17 Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O LORD, which thy hands have established.
18 The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.
19 For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.
20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
21 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
The Song of Moses in Exodus 15 recounts the victory God gave over Pharaoh and points toward the future victory to be given in the conquering of Canaan. It is also prophetic in its Messianic language using words such as “salvation”(Verse 2) and “redeemed”(Verse 12).
In Revelation 15, those who have won the victory during the Great Tribulation will sing The Song of Moses as a tribute to the Deliverance at the Red Sea and the Song of the Lamb which will be a tribute to the Deliverance at the Great Tribulation.
This “old” song(the oldest recorded) and this new song(The Song of the Lamb) are also symbolic of how we should be singing both old and new songs now during worship as we will be singing both old and new songs during the Praise Services of Heaven.
Colossians 3:16
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:19
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Since we are going to be praising The Lord forever in Heaven, let’s get started today praising Him. Most of us are off work today…use some of this extra time today to just sit down and thank/praise The Lord. You can praise Him for what He’s done in your life….for who He is….and you can even praise Him in advance for what He’s going to do.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
WONDERFUL NEWS #1: I had the privilege of speaking at Tony Street’s funeral yesterday. As always, I gave a Gospel invitation at the end of the service. 13 of Tony’s family and friends looked up at me indicating that they received the Gospel and trusted Jesus alone for salvation. PRAISE THE LORD!!!
WONDERFUL NEWS #2: Because of your generosity, Chambers Family Ministries delivered 152 pounds of sausage to some happy folks at Loaves and Fishes in Clarksville yesterday. Man alive they sure were proud to get it. In addition, we picked up 1015 pounds of fresh pork for the Tennessee Baptist Boy’s Ranch that we plan to deliver on Monday. The pic of the freezer is a picture of just PART of that fresh pork. What a blessing this is going to be to those young men.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for partnering with me in this ministry. You guys are amazing!!!
WONDERFUL NEWS #3: I’ll be back preaching at Indian Mound United Methodist Church this Sunday at 10AM. Would love for you to join us. The Lord has given me a special message just for this week after what happened last Sunday when The Holy Ghost fell and we had 4 saved.
Now for today’s devo….
Read Revelation 15
Revelation 15
15 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
Revelation 1 was an introduction to Revelation and John’s vision of Christ.
Revelation 2-3 were the letters to the churches.
Revelation 4-5 took place in the throne room of Heaven where The Lamb, Jesus, took the scroll out of the Hand of God to show what the future would hold.
Revelation 6-7 are the Seal Judgments
Revelation 8-11 are the Trumpet Judgments
Revelation 12-14 is a pageant of the conflict between Good and Evil.
Revelation 15 is a brief praise Interlude before the 7 last plagues or Vial Judgments.
We must remember there is going to be lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of praise in Heaven. God inhabits the praises of His people.
There is much in Revelation 15 we have already studied:
Angels are created beings that accomplish specific tasks for God.
The last plagues contain the full, unfiltered wrath of God.
The Sea of Glass mingled with fire is a picture of the throne room of Heaven from Revelation 4
Those that did not receive the mark of the beast were martyred and received the ultimate victory from Christ.
If you have always wanted to play music, know that in Heaven you will be able to as we all will receive harps with which to praise God.
But what is the Song of Moses & the Song of the Lamb that they were singing?
The Song of Moses is the oldest song in recorded history. It is the first song in the Bible, written just after the victory over the Red Sea.
Exodus 15:1-21
15 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto theLORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.
5 The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone.
6 Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, OLORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
7 And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.
8 And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.
10 Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
12 Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.
13 Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.
14 The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina.
15 Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.
16 Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.
17 Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O LORD, which thy hands have established.
18 The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.
19 For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.
20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
21 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
The Song of Moses in Exodus 15 recounts the victory God gave over Pharaoh and points toward the future victory to be given in the conquering of Canaan. It is also prophetic in its Messianic language using words such as “salvation”(Verse 2) and “redeemed”(Verse 12).
In Revelation 15, those who have won the victory during the Great Tribulation will sing The Song of Moses as a tribute to the Deliverance at the Red Sea and the Song of the Lamb which will be a tribute to the Deliverance at the Great Tribulation.
This “old” song(the oldest recorded) and this new song(The Song of the Lamb) are also symbolic of how we should be singing both old and new songs now during worship as we will be singing both old and new songs during the Praise Services of Heaven.
Colossians 3:16
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:19
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Since we are going to be praising The Lord forever in Heaven, let’s get started today praising Him. Most of us are off work today…use some of this extra time today to just sit down and thank/praise The Lord. You can praise Him for what He’s done in your life….for who He is….and you can even praise Him in advance for what He’s going to do.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
July 3rd Pray, Read, Worship
WONDERFUL NEWS #1: I had a former church member call me at 6PM Thursday. His grandmother in Colorado had just been put on hospice. She had heard me preach twice and wanted to talk with me. I called, had a good visit, and ended up leading her to faith in Jesus Christ!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!! Hallelujah!!! I couldn’t help but think about what my good buddy David Steppe says…..God’s not trying to keep people out of Heaven….He’s not willing that any should perish but wants all to come to repentance. So thankful for the privilege of leading her to Christ.
WONDERFUL NEWS #2: Because of your generosity, I delivered 152 pounds of sausage each to Bethesda Mission in Erin and The Good Samaratian Center in Dover. Brother Richard Neal and Brother William Gray were tickled pink to receive this fresh pork sausage. It is much needed for the food baskets they are handing out right now. I’ll be delivering 152 more pounds to Loaves and Fishes in Clarksville on Friday as well as 5 whole processed hogs to the Tennessee Baptist Boy’s Ranch on Monday.
I have more hogs if you want to donate more fresh pork to these fine organizations. The need is great! As I’ve said, I’m donating the feed, time, delivery, etc. I just need help with the processing and hogs. Around $400 total per hog. You can donate through PayPal or Google Pay at chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com or you can send a donation by mail to:
Chambers Family Ministries
c/o Phillip Chambers
5288 Chambers Road
Cumberland Furnace, TN 37051
Thank you for all your help. We are making a big difference!!!
WONDERFUL NEWS #3: I’ll be back preaching at Indian Mound United Methodist Church this Sunday at 10AM. Would love for you to join us. The Lord has given me a special message just for this week after what happened last Sunday when The Holy Ghost fell and we had 4 saved.
Now for today’s devo….
Read Revelation 14
Revelation 14:1
14 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
Who is the lamb? Jesus Christ.
John 1:29
29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
What/Where is Mount Sion? That is a source of much discussion among scholars of Revelation. There are two Mount Sion’s in scripture. The earthly Mount Zion is the capital city of David, Jerusalem. The Heavenly Mount Zion is where Christ is enthroned, the New Jerusalem.
Here’s the scripture basis for the earthly Mt. Zion
Psalm 2:6
6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Psalm 48:2
2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.
Psalm 132:11-13
11 The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
12 If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.
13 For the Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.
Isaiah 2:1-3
2 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of theLord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Here’s the scripture basis for the heavenly Mt. Zion
Hebrews 12:22
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Remember what we are reading in Revelation 14 is a scene in the future. If we view this as earthly, then this vision occurs after the Second Coming, during the Millennium(1000 years) when Christ reigns over the world in peace from Jerusalem. If we view it as Heavenly, then this vision is a glimpse just before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ as He prepares for his coronation and the establishment of His kingdom.
Revelation 14:1
14 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
Who are the 144,000? They are the 144,000 Virgin Jewish Evangelists that we met in Revelation 7.
Revelation 7:3-4
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
Remember the 144,000 are charged with making Christ known during the Great Tribulation.
Revelation 14:2
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
Whose voice sounds loud like the voice of many waters? Jesus
Revelation 1:15
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
Where is thunder located? The throne room of Heaven.
Revelation 4:5
5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
What about the harps? We learned in Revelation 5 that the Redeemed(24 elders) are all given harps to play in Heaven.
Revelation 5:8-9
8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Revelation 14:3
3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
We met the beasts & elders in Revelation 4.
Revelation 4:6-11
6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Based on the similarities between Revelation 4 & Revelation 14, I personally believe Revelation 14 is a glimpse into the Heavenly Mt. Zion.
What is the significance of the new song that no man could learn except for the 144,000? Just like we have a new song(different from angels) to sing based on the experience of salvation, redemption, and making Christ known today, the 144,000 will have a new song(different from us and the angels) based on the experience of making Christ known during the Great Tribulation.
Quick Question: What songs are they singing in Heaven? New Songs. Hence the reason we need to learn new songs today in our worship.
Revelation 14:4-5
4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
The 144,000 Jewish Evangelists were virgins physically and spiritually. They were completely dedicated to God physically in that they had not been with a woman sexually.
1 Corinthians 7:1-2
7 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
1 Corinthians 7:28
28 But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you.
1 Corinthians 7:32-34
32 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.
34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
But they were also completely dedicated to God spiritually in that they had not followed Satan, Anti-Christ, the False Prophet or any other god.
Hosea 1:2
2 The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord.
Revelation 14:4-5
4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
Do we follow the Lamb(Jesus) wherever He tells us to go? Where/what has He told you to do that you disobeyed?
“Redeemed from among men” shows that these 144,000 still had to accept Christ’s sacrifice on the cross to be saved.
“Firstfruits” shows that these 144,000 were the very finest. But it also indicates that there is a harvest to come….i.e. the people they evangelized during the Great Tribulation.
“In the mouth was found no guile” indicates that while others may have lied to get what they needed during the Great Tribulation, these 144,000 didn’t. They fully relied on God to protect & provide for them.
6 different angels appear in the remainder of Revelation 14. What is an angel? An angel is a being, created by God, which can take on different forms and perform different functions as instructed by God(protection, deliver a message, etc.).
For the purposes of tonight’s lesson, we need to know that there are such things as guardian angels and that angels are strong.
Matthew 18:10
10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
2 Kings 19:35
35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
One angel killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night. That’s more people than what was killed when the atomic bomb was dropped on Japan in August of 1945.
Revelation 14:6-7
6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Right now, angels are not allowed to preach. But it will get so rough during the last part of the Great Tribulation, that it will take the strength of an angel to preach.
Preaching is how people are told to be saved.
1 Corinthians 1:21
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
What are your feelings about preaching? Is it important to you?
The patience of God is amazing. Think about how many times the people of Earth have rejected Christ by this point in history.
a. Before the Great Tribulation
b. By the 2 witnesses
c. By the 144,000 Virgin Jewish Evangelists
d. By all the judgments
Yet despite all this rejection, God is giving the people of Earth one last chance before He unleashes His full wrath. Do we have that kind of patience with people? Are we thankful for God’s patience with us?
The Gospel is everlasting….both in a positive and negative standpoint. Positive, if you accept Christ, you will be saved forever. Negative, if you reject Christ you will be doomed forever.
The Gospel is for everybody. Not just for a select few like the Jews. The Gospel is for everybody on the Earth.
We are instructed in many scriptures to fear or respect God.
Deuteronomy 6:24
24 And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear theLord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
How do we fear or show respect to God?
How do we disrespect God?
We are also instructed in many scriptures to give glory to God.
Romans 15:6
6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 6:20
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Peter 4:16
16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
In what ways do we glorify God? In what ways do we take glory away from Him?
We are instructed in many scriptures to worship God.
Exodus 34:14
14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
Matthew 4:10
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
John 4:24
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Do we truly worship God? What happens when we talk or move around unnecessarily during worship? It distracts and disrupts others from worshipping.
We have many reasons to worship God, but one of the main reasons is because He created us. We wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for Him.
Revelation 14:8
8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
In scripture, Babylon refers to both a specific place and an evil empire. Here, the word is used to describe all God’s enemies. God is ultimately going to win. This should give us a lot of confidence to continue following Him.
Just like we commit fornication when we cheat on our spouse, we also commit fornication when we cheat on God.
The word “made” shows how the Government was against Christianity. How is this happening today?
Revelation 14:9-10
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
The word “if” in verse 9 indicates that we have the choice whether to worship God or not. Have you made that choice? Have others you love and are close to made that choice? Just like all choices we make, there are consequences for worshipping or not worshipping God.
Verse 10 focuses on some of the negative consequences
1. They will experience the full wrath of God “without mixture”….there will be no mercy and grace mixed in.
2. Where do we find fire & brimstone in scripture? In hell.
Mark 9:43
43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Mark 9:45
45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Mark 9:47
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
In my opinion, one of the worst parts of hell is the torment…specifically the torment mentioned here in Revelation 14:10 and in Luke 16 that we will see the people in Heaven and no there is no way for us to get there.
Luke 16:22-26
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
I’m convinced that if more people knew how bad hell truly was, they would do everything they possibly could to avoid it.
Revelation 14:11
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Verse 11 continues with the description of hell from Verse 10.
There is a thick, choking, eye burning smoke in hell.
Psalm 37:20
20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
Torment is defined as severe physical or mental suffering. The word their before torment shows that it is a personal torment. “No rest day nor night” in hell is the complete opposite of Heaven where Jesus promises to give us rest.
Matthew 11:28
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
“who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of this name” shows that these people made a conscious choice of the beast over Christ and because of their choice, now they will suffer the consequences.
Hell is a hard concept for some people. Yes God is love, but God is also holy and just. In His love, He gave the people of Revelation 14 numerous times to repent, but they still chose to follow anti-christ briefly rather than Christ eternally. (God’s patience runs out) They chose to escape temporary persecution and instead suffer eternally.
Revelation 14:12-13
12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
Patience or longsuffering is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. We must be patient as a follower of Christ. He is rarely early, but He is never late. We must not lose our faith in Christ because of impatience.
Question: What situation have you got ahead of God because of your impatience?
You’ve always heard it said “You can’t take it with you” in terms of our money and stuff when we die. However, there is something we can take to Heaven. Our works. How? Through the crowns we will receive at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
2 Timothy 4:8
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Revelation 4:10-11
10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Question: What are you taking with you to Heaven? Do you ever think about it?
Revelation 14:14-16
14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
In this case the “harvest” is not referring to lost souls being saved. Instead it is referring to judgment. Remember God the Father has given the responsibility for all judgment to His Son, Jesus.
John 5:22
22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
Again, how differently do you think people would live their lives if they knew and understood that one day they would have to stand before Christ in judgment?
Hebrews 9:27
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
As in the parable of the wheat and the tares, Christ allows both good and evil to grow together. Then at harvest he separates or judges them.
Matthew 13:30
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Revelation 14:17-20
17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
John 15 tells us that Christ is the vine and we are the branches. But this is not the vine of Christ. Instead, this is the vine of the Earth which shall one day be judged. Why the analogy to grapes? Because grapes make wine and wine can intoxicate us like sin does.
In Isaiah, Lamentations, and Joel, a winepress is used to symbolize God’s judgment. That is the symbolism here also. Imagine how the pressure on the grapes in the winepress. That is another great analogy for judgment and hell.
Verse 20 is saying that the blood of the men that were judged was 4 ft high and 180 miles long. Some think this is a foretelling of the battle of Armageddon.
Blood is the price of sin.
Hebrews 9:22
22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Do you want to pay for your sin with your blood or Christ’s blood?
Do you know someone in danger of the judgment of God? Please start praying for them right now and beg God for an opportunity to share with them.
LETS MAKE A DEAL: If you won’t share the Gospel with them, would you at least let me have the opportunity to share with them? Your loved one might just end up like the Grandmother in Colorado I led to The Lord.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
July 2nd Pray, Read, Worship
In today’s devo, we meet the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet. The question I’m most asked about these two individuals is this…..is the Anti-Christ alive today?
HERE’S THE ANSWER….
Since nobody knows when the end of Time is except God The Father, Satan must have someone ready to fulfill the roles of the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet in each generation.
For example…the role of Anti-Christ might have been fulfilled by Hitler if the end of time were in the 1930’s.
So….YES….there is someone alive today that could fulfill the roles of the Anti-Christ and The False Prophet. Are they the actual ones? Only God knows.
Very Important: The best way to interpret scripture is with scripture. We will do that a lot in today’s devo.
Revelation 13:1
13 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Chapter 13 introduces us to Satan’s two evil accomplices. The beast that comes out of the sea aka the Anti-Christ and the beast that comes out of the Earth aka the False Prophet. Together with Satan, they form an unholy trinity that tries to overthrow the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
The sea is symbolic of Gentile nations.
Revelation 17:15
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
The sea is also symbolic of opposition to God
Isaiah 57:20-21
20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
Beast refers to the cruel nature of the human being who will rule the world by the power of Satan. The beast will be the epitome of the enemies of God.
Seven heads refers to seven mountains
Revelation 17:18
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
Since Rome was built on seven hills, many Bible scholars interpret this reference to mean the Anti-Christ will come from one of the countries associated with the former Roman Empire.
The ten horns represent ten kingdoms. The 10 crowns represent political power
Revelation 17:12
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
Daniel 7:24
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
Many Bible scholars interpret this to mean the beast(anti-christ) will head a revived Roman Empire before taking over as world dictator. All nations will no doubt admire and thank him for the peace he achieved, little realizing the sorrow and destruction he is to bring to the world.
Daniel 9:27
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Upon his heads the name of blasphemy means that he boldly stands against God.
Revelation 13:2
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
The three animals named in Revelation 13:2 remind us of the four beasts Daniel saw.
Daniel 7:3-7
3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
The lion is Babylon
The bear is Media-Persia
The Leopard is Greece
And the terrible beast is the anti-christ
The final world empire will be rooted in all the previous empires and unite in one their evil and power.
The dragon gave him his power, his seat, and great authority shows that the anti-christ is being empowered by Satan.
Revelation 13:3
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ made him unique from anybody that ever lived. Christianity spread like wildfire immediately after His resurrection. In the same way, anti-christ will either stage his death and resurrection in order to gain international fame throughout the Earth or some Bible scholars believe God will allow Satan to actually bring anti-christ back to life after a mortal wound. Either way, anti-christ’s “resurrection” will set him apart from the rest of the world.
Revelation 13:4
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Satan has desired worship for a long time. Remember, this was the reason he was thrown out of Heaven….his desire to be on the same level as God. He attempted to get the world to worship him through the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4.
Matthew 4:8-9
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
People will also worship anti-christ in awe and wonder because of the power he displays.
Revelation 13:5
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
The anti-christ will be a great orator but his power will be limited by God to 42 months, aka the last half of the great tribulation.
Revelation 13:6
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
The anti-christ speeches will be filled with blasphemies toward God, His name, His tabernacle(Heaven), and the people in Heaven. Since Satan was recently expelled from Heaven(Revelation 12:9), this is no surprise.
Revelation 13:7
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
God will permit anti-christ to war against his people. And as we’ve learned previously, many will be martyred. In addition, anti-christ will have dominion over all kindreds, tongues, nations….aka the whole world.
Revelation 13:8
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
The remaining population of Earth will be divided into two parts: Those that follow God and worship Him, and those that follow Satan and worship him. If you are following Satan, your name is not in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and therefore you will not be permitted to enter Heaven.
Revelation 20:15
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:27
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Revelation 13:9-10
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
These last two verses were meant as an encouragement to the saints to have faith and patience. Because whatever Satan does to them will eventually happen to him. And as we know this is true because we’ve read the back of the book and WE WIN!!
Revelation 13:11
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
We learn from three other scriptures that this beast is the false prophet of Revelation.
Revelation 16:13
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Revelation 19:20
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Revelation 20:10
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Remember the word beast is used to describe the cruel nature of the Anti-Christ & the False Prophet. This completes the Satanic Trinity. Satan is the counterfeit father(I will be like the Most High Isaiah 14:14), Anti-Christ is the counterfeit Christ, and the False Prophet is the counterfeit Holy Spirit.
The horns on the False Prophet indicate he has authority. But the absence of a crown on these horns indicate it’s not political authority. He will have the character of a lamb, but the voice of a dragon. In other words, he will be conduct himself meekly, but his words will be evil.
Revelation 13:12
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
One of the functions of The Holy Spirit is to lead people to worship Christ.
John 16:14
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
In the same way, the False Prophet will lead people to glorify & worship the Anti-Christ.
It’s important to note that Jesus specifically warned us about False Prophets.
Matthew 7:15
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Matthew 24:11
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Matthew 24:24
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Are there false prophets today? Yes The Bible says so.
1 John 4:1
4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Peter 2:1
2 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
Why do people say the False Prophet must be a Jew? Because he came from the Earth. But most bible scholars dismiss that he is a Jew. Most believe him to be a Gentile because this is the age of the Gentiles.
In today’s devo, we meet the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet. The question I’m most asked about these two individuals is this…..is the Anti-Christ alive today?
HERE’S THE ANSWER….
Since nobody knows when the end of Time is except God The Father, Satan must have someone ready to fulfill the roles of the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet in each generation.
For example…the role of Anti-Christ might have been fulfilled by Hitler if the end of time were in the 1930’s.
So….YES….there is someone alive today that could fulfill the roles of the Anti-Christ and The False Prophet. Are they the actual ones? Only God knows.
Very Important: The best way to interpret scripture is with scripture. We will do that a lot in today’s devo.
Revelation 13:1
13 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Chapter 13 introduces us to Satan’s two evil accomplices. The beast that comes out of the sea aka the Anti-Christ and the beast that comes out of the Earth aka the False Prophet. Together with Satan, they form an unholy trinity that tries to overthrow the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
The sea is symbolic of Gentile nations.
Revelation 17:15
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
The sea is also symbolic of opposition to God
Isaiah 57:20-21
20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
Beast refers to the cruel nature of the human being who will rule the world by the power of Satan. The beast will be the epitome of the enemies of God.
Seven heads refers to seven mountains
Revelation 17:18
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
Since Rome was built on seven hills, many Bible scholars interpret this reference to mean the Anti-Christ will come from one of the countries associated with the former Roman Empire.
The ten horns represent ten kingdoms. The 10 crowns represent political power
Revelation 17:12
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
Daniel 7:24
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
Many Bible scholars interpret this to mean the beast(anti-christ) will head a revived Roman Empire before taking over as world dictator. All nations will no doubt admire and thank him for the peace he achieved, little realizing the sorrow and destruction he is to bring to the world.
Daniel 9:27
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Upon his heads the name of blasphemy means that he boldly stands against God.
Revelation 13:2
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
The three animals named in Revelation 13:2 remind us of the four beasts Daniel saw.
Daniel 7:3-7
3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
The lion is Babylon
The bear is Media-Persia
The Leopard is Greece
And the terrible beast is the anti-christ
The final world empire will be rooted in all the previous empires and unite in one their evil and power.
The dragon gave him his power, his seat, and great authority shows that the anti-christ is being empowered by Satan.
Revelation 13:3
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ made him unique from anybody that ever lived. Christianity spread like wildfire immediately after His resurrection. In the same way, anti-christ will either stage his death and resurrection in order to gain international fame throughout the Earth or some Bible scholars believe God will allow Satan to actually bring anti-christ back to life after a mortal wound. Either way, anti-christ’s “resurrection” will set him apart from the rest of the world.
Revelation 13:4
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Satan has desired worship for a long time. Remember, this was the reason he was thrown out of Heaven….his desire to be on the same level as God. He attempted to get the world to worship him through the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4.
Matthew 4:8-9
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
People will also worship anti-christ in awe and wonder because of the power he displays.
Revelation 13:5
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
The anti-christ will be a great orator but his power will be limited by God to 42 months, aka the last half of the great tribulation.
Revelation 13:6
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
The anti-christ speeches will be filled with blasphemies toward God, His name, His tabernacle(Heaven), and the people in Heaven. Since Satan was recently expelled from Heaven(Revelation 12:9), this is no surprise.
Revelation 13:7
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
God will permit anti-christ to war against his people. And as we’ve learned previously, many will be martyred. In addition, anti-christ will have dominion over all kindreds, tongues, nations….aka the whole world.
Revelation 13:8
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
The remaining population of Earth will be divided into two parts: Those that follow God and worship Him, and those that follow Satan and worship him. If you are following Satan, your name is not in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and therefore you will not be permitted to enter Heaven.
Revelation 20:15
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:27
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Revelation 13:9-10
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
These last two verses were meant as an encouragement to the saints to have faith and patience. Because whatever Satan does to them will eventually happen to him. And as we know this is true because we’ve read the back of the book and WE WIN!!
Revelation 13:11
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
We learn from three other scriptures that this beast is the false prophet of Revelation.
Revelation 16:13
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Revelation 19:20
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Revelation 20:10
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Remember the word beast is used to describe the cruel nature of the Anti-Christ & the False Prophet. This completes the Satanic Trinity. Satan is the counterfeit father(I will be like the Most High Isaiah 14:14), Anti-Christ is the counterfeit Christ, and the False Prophet is the counterfeit Holy Spirit.
The horns on the False Prophet indicate he has authority. But the absence of a crown on these horns indicate it’s not political authority. He will have the character of a lamb, but the voice of a dragon. In other words, he will be conduct himself meekly, but his words will be evil.
Revelation 13:12
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
One of the functions of The Holy Spirit is to lead people to worship Christ.
John 16:14
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
In the same way, the False Prophet will lead people to glorify & worship the Anti-Christ.
It’s important to note that Jesus specifically warned us about False Prophets.
Matthew 7:15
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Matthew 24:11
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Matthew 24:24
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Are there false prophets today? Yes The Bible says so.
1 John 4:1
4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Peter 2:1
2 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
Why do people say the False Prophet must be a Jew? Because he came from the Earth. But most bible scholars dismiss that he is a Jew. Most believe him to be a Gentile because this is the age of the Gentiles.
July 1st Pray, Read, Worship
This may be my favorite devo so far….so much relevant and deep stuff in Revelation 12 that will BLOW YOU AWAY!!! Please please read and don’t skip over it.
But first….I’ve got to tell you about yesterday. Yesterday was an incredible day!!! Maybe I’ve seen people as grateful as the folks at The Dickson County Help Center and the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home were yesterday….but if I have, I honestly can’t remember it. These people were so very very appreciative.
At The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, they were blown away by the amount of meat and super excited about the ribs and pork burger. One house dad was especially thrilled about the ribs….he said he had been looking for the last 2 months for a fresh rack to smoke for his kids and there were none to be found.
Here’s what blessed me so much and broke my heart at the same time……I need to give you the context so you will understand. The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home is not like a dormitory….no….its instead a group of several houses located on the property….almost like a neighborhood. The children stay in houses like they would normally. No more than 8 children to a house plus the house parents. Each house has its own kitchen, fridge, everything like mine and your house. It’s designed to keep things as normal as possible for these children that have been in bad situations.
The house parents can shop for groceries at the grocery store, but they only have a very very small amount of money to do that with. Instead they are encouraged to shop for free at the Commissary on the property of the Children’s Home where people like me and you have donated food, toiletries, etc.
When we put the pork in the two freezers yesterday….my heart melted. There were two freezers where they kept their meat….big signs on the freezers that let me know these were their meat freezers….and in those two freezers, there was a grand total of 4 pork loins. That was it. Nothing else. No beef, no fish, no other meat whatsoever.
Now maybe there was another freezer….I don’t know. I didn’t see any others.
And surely each house had some meat in their own freezers…again, I’m not sure…I didn’t ask.
What I do know is this…..WE….that’s right….WE…you and I together…helped provide almost 600 pounds of meat in two freezers yesterday that only had 4 pork loins in them. See why I said my heart was blessed and broken at the same time?
It didn’t stop there….when we stopped by The Dickson County Help Center yesterday…those ladies practically threw a parade….they just kept coming out with HUGE smiles on their faces thanking me and Caroline.
One of the ladies told me that when the Pandemic hit, they went up to giving 150 food baskets a week. When the stimulus checks went out, that number went down, but its climbing back up close to 150 again. We provided 152 pounds of sausage yesterday….that will do for one week.
We prayed with folks at both the Children’s Home and Help Center and asked The Lord to do His thing and multiply the food, bless the in-come and the out-goes to make it happen.
We made a difference yesterday friends!!! And we still have the Bethesda Mission in Erin, Good Samaritan Center in Dover, and Loaves and Fishes in Clarksville to go…plus the Boys Ranch in Millington next week.
I don’t know about you, but it would be fine with me to just keep this thing going!!!! I honestly don’t know if we scratched the surface on the needs yesterday. I’ve got more hogs and I certainly think we need to be looking at keeping that going….but there’s more….no doubt there’s more to do than just the meat.
I’m making all this a matter of prayer and I want to ask you to do the same.
Would you prayerfully consider financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries and the work we do? We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com . Or you can mail your support to:
Chambers Family Ministries
c/o Phillip Chambers
5288 Chambers Road
Cumberland Furnace, TN 37051
Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Now for today’s devo…..
Read Revelation 12
Context: The 7th trumpet sounded in Revelation 11:15 and it will usher in the 7 vial/bowl judgments of Revelation 15 & 16. In the meantime, we will see a heavenly pageant portraying the battle between good and evil.
Revelation 12:1-2
12 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
Because we find out later on that this woman gives birth to Jesus, she can only be the Nation of Israel. This is also noted by the 12 stars on her head….one for each tribe. The sun and moon under her feet contextually agrees with Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37. In Isaiah 66, Israel is described as travailing in birth.
Genesis 37:9
9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
Isaiah 66:7
7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.
Now let’s focus on the last 4 words of Revelation 12:2, “pained to be delivered”. The battle to kill the Messiah didn’t start at the birth of Jesus. It started at the Fall of Man in Genesis 3. Throughout Old Testament history, Satan tried to disrupt the birth of the Messiah. His goal was to stop the royal bloodline. Satan has always tried to destroy Israel and the ancestors of the Messiah. The most well-known anti-Semitic agents of Satan in the Old Testament would be Pharaoh, Haman, and Nebuchadnezzar. Satan is also the leader of the modern day anti-Semitic movement.
But do you realize just how close Satan came to accomplishing his goal? At one point in history, there was just 1 ancestor of the Messiah alive.
2 Kings 11:1-3
11 And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.
2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.
3 And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.
Bottom line: Since the Fall of Man, Satan has actively been trying to disrupt and prevent the coming of the Messiah and even now, he is still trying to kill the Jews.
Revelation 12:3
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
We know from Revelation 12:9 that this is Satan. The word “great” talks about Satan’s power. He is not more powerful than God, but He is more powerful than us. He is nothing for us to mess around with. Red is the color of killing/death/murder. Satan is a murderer and he is out to murder us.
Revelation 6:4
4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
John 8:44
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
The seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns are symbolic of the power and control Satan has over the kingdoms of this world.
2 Corinthians 4:4
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Aren’t you glad this world is not all there is? It makes me even more desirous to see and experience the new Heaven and new Earth that Christ is preparing for us(Rev. 21).
Revelation 12:4
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
Revelation 12:9
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
These two verses, in part, are where we lay claim to our belief that Lucifer(Satan), was a beautiful angel, the worship leader in heaven. When he rebelled against God and was cast out of Heaven, 1/3 of the angels followed him and thus became his demons/minions/evil assistants.
Would you allow me to give you some more proof of the belief that Satan was a beautiful angel, the worship leader in Heaven, and was cast out of Heaven because of His pride?
Isaiah 14:12-15
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Luke 10:18
18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Ezekiel 28:12-19
12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
Its very important for us to know the background of Satan so we can know how he operates. He was worship leader in Heaven, so he often tries to get into a church through music. How many churches do you know that fuss and fight over the music?
He was cast out of Heaven because of his pride. Therefore pride causes a lot of problems in the church/kingdom of God. He had a “multitude of merchandise”(Verse 16). Having more stuff will cause us to rely on it instead of God.
There is so much application for today in these scriptures!!!!
Back to Revelation 12:4 & 9
Revelation 12:4
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
Revelation 12:9
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
As Verse 4 says, Satan tried to get Jesus killed as soon as He was born.
Matthew 2:16
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.
As Verse 9 says, Satan is the great deceiver. His temptations look like they will thrill us, but instead they will kill us. They fascinate, but they assassinate. It’s a fantasy that you will have a stress free, happier life with another spouse, another house, another job, another car. Our joy can’t come from these things….true joy only comes from the joy-giver….Jesus.
Revelation 12:5
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
As we know, the man child is Jesus and one day, He will rule all the nations of the world for 1000 years(Revelation 19). The colon, “:”, at the end of the word iron, is the 33 years of Jesus’ life. That’s how our lives are but a vapor in the eyes of God.
James 4:14
14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
After His resurrection when Jesus ascended, He went back to His place at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven.
Mark 16:19
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
Luke 22:69
69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
Revelation 12:6
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
As bad as anti-Semitism is now, during 3.5 years of the Great Tribulation, it will be unleashed even greater than before. But God has prepared a place of safety for the Jews and they will be protected.
Where is this place? Some say we don’t know. Others say it is Petra in Jordan. Two important clues….Moab is a mountainous region in Jordan. This area of land will not be taken over by the Anti-Christ during the Great Tribulation.
Isaiah 16:3-5
3 Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth.
4 Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.
5 And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.
Daniel 11:41
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.
There are people today who go to Petra and put New Testaments in Ziploc bags in hopes that the Jewish people of the Great Tribulation will find them and convert to Christ.
But Revelation 12:6 also has significance for us today.
Revelation 12:6
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
This shows that we are also provided for, spiritually protected, and secure in Christ. Satan will still fight us, but he cannot harm us spiritually.
Revelation 12:7-8
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
Lucifer(Satan)’s sin brought war to Heaven. Sin replaces peace with war. These verses fulfil the prophecy in Daniel 12:1.
Daniel 12:1
12 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Michael is one of the chief angels in Heaven. He led this war against Satan and won. Satan is a defeated foe.
Jesus may have been born on a silent night, but nothing was silent in Heaven when He was born. Not only were angels singing, but angels were fighting Satan and his demons.
Like then, there is a spiritual war raging around us between good and evil. Whether we realize it or not, we are soldiers in the battle.
2 Timothy 2:3-4
3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
Yes, the angels of God are fighting the forces of Satan, but you and I are also signed up. The worst thing we can do is take a knife to a gun fight….we must have the right spiritual weapons.
2 Corinthians 10:4
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
And we must put on our armor.
Ephesians 6:11-13
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Are you prepared for the battle? Did you even realize there was a battle going on? Although there are individual attacks and skirmishes taking place, remember our Captain, Jesus Christ has won the war. We’ve read the back of the book and WE WIN!!
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 30th Pray, Read, Worship
I’m picking up the meat for the Help Center in Dickson and Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes in Brentwood and Chattanooga today. I’ll hopefully have pictures in tomorrow’s devo of us delivering the fresh pork to them.
I just want you to know….you all are a tremendous encouragement to me. I can’t even put it into words. Over the weekend and yesterday, Chambers Family Ministries received another $655 toward the hog processing which brings our total to $4867 received to help send much needed fresh pork to the Tennessee Baptist Boys Ranch, The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes in Brentwood & Chattanooga, Bethesda Mission in Erin, The Good Samaritan Center in Dover, and The Help Center in Dickson. As I’ve told you before….I’m not taking a penny out of this….I’m donating the feed, time, place, delivery, equipment, and gas for everything on my end. All your donations help pay for the hogs and processing. If you donate more, we will do more pork for them.
Let’s just keep this thing going!!!! The Lord never ceases to amaze me!!!
One more quick thought before we jump into the devo….I received this text from a friend early this morning.
Phillip….today is the halfway mark of 2020…you make it today, you got it kicked for the year.
You know friends….in a lot of ways, the first 6 months of 2020 has seemed like 6 years to me….but my friend is right. I received a lot of encouragement from his text and I hope it blesses you too.
Now let’s get in the devo….my 2ndfavorite chapter in all of Revelation…..
Read Revelation 11
Revelation 11:1-2
11 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
The temple here in Revelation 11 is the temple that the antichrist builds for the Jewish people in the first half of the Great Tribulation(42 months).
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Some people believe the temple is the church. But it couldn’t be because the Gentiles(us) are left out.
Measuring something reflects ownership. Although Anti-Christ built the temple for the Jews in Jerusalem, Jesus owns everything. “holy city” in Verse 2 indicates this is in Jerusalem. “measure….them that worship therin” in Verse 1 shows how we belong to The Lord and are accountable for the way we live our lives.
QUESTION: Considering the way you live your life….how are you measuring up?
Revelation 11:3-6
3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
During the first half of the Great Tribulation, The Lord will send 2 witnesses to prophecy for Him during this time.
Who are these two witnesses? We don’t know for sure because they are not named.
I personally believe(as many other Bible scholars do) that these two witnesses are Elijah & Moses. Here’s why: In Verse 6, it says they have the “power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy”. Who prayed and caused it not to rain for 3.5 years in scripture? Elijah
James 5:17
17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
Verse 5 says that fire proceeds out of their mouth. Who was able to call down fire from Heaven? Elijah
1 Kings 18:36-38
36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
2 Kings 1:10
10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
It was prophesied by Malachi that Elijah would come back to Earth before the Second Coming.
Malachi 4:5
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
Who in the Bible turned water into blood and caused plagues to come upon the Earth? Moses.
Who was present with Jesus at the transfiguration? Moses & Elijah.
Matthew 17:1-3
17 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
Regardless of who these two witnesses are, they will have incredible supernatural power. Whoever tries to harm them, in the exact same way that person shall be harmed.
Why two witnesses? According to scripture, we must have two witnesses to establish truth.
Deuteronomy 19:15
15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.
Matthew 18:16
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Jesus also sent His disciples out two by two to preach.
Mark 6:7, 12
7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;
12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
Why? Because preaching and pastoring is a hard job and we need help.
But don’t miss this about the two witnesses. Two is a very small number, but with the power of God on your side, two is plenty to get a great work done for The Lord.
QUESTION: What great work could you and someone else be doing for The Lord? I’m giving away fresh pork.
Revelation 11:3 says the two witnesses were clothed in sackcloth What’s the significance? Sackcloth is what people would wear when they were mourning. These two witnesses were in mourning over the state of the church and Christ in the world at this time.
How do we feel about the state of Christ and His church in the world at this time? Does it cause us to mourn? It definitely makes me sad.
Verses 3 & 6 refers to these two witnesses as prophets. What was the role of prophets in the Bible? Yes they foretold future events…but specifically they were calling people to repent and return to God or else this future event would take place.
That’s what is going on here with Moses and Elijah. They are calling on the people that are still alive during the Great Tribulation to repent of their wickedness and trust Christ alone for salvation or else great judgment will fall upon them.
We will see later on in Verse 10 how this message was received.
Revelation 11:7
7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
God is not going to allow those of us working for Him to be killed until we complete the job He has called us to do.
Notice that no mention is made of these two witnesses having any fear though the whole world was against them. Knowing what we know about Christ, why do we have fear?
Revelation 11:8
8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
These two prophets will not even be given a proper burial. Their dead bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem. How do we know it is Jerusalem? Because that is where Jesus was crucified. Jesus suffered more in the city of Jerusalem than any other place in the world. Why does John refer to Jerusalem spiritually as Sodom and Egypt?
Sodom because of the wickedness that was now in the world.
Egypt because of the idolatry and evil that was taking place.
Revelation 11:9-10
9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
The events of verses 9 & 10 could only take place with the technology we have in place now. This could not have happened in my Grandparents generation. This should be a clear sign that we are very near to the rapture of the church and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
The people of Earth will be happy that Moses and Elijah are dead. So happy that they will send gifts to each other like it was Christmas. Some call this the Anti-Christmas. Why are they so happy? Because Moses and Elijah “tormented” them. Now let’s analyze that carefully. How were they tormented? Moses and Elijah simply spoke the truth and the conviction of their sin tormented the people of Earth.
The same thing happens today. We tell the truth about sin, people come under conviction, and next thing you know….they hate us for speaking the truth instead of getting right with God.
1 John 3:13
13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
The dead bodies of the prophets in the street of Jerusalem was prophesied by the Psalmist.
Psalm 79:1-3
79 O god, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.
2 The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.
3 Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them.
Revelation 11:11-13
11 And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The same TV Cameras that are live streaming video of the dead bodies of Moses and Elijah on the streets of Jerusalem will now be showing the world the incredible power of God. After 3.5 days, Moses and Elijah come back to life through the power of God.
God and only God gives life.
Genesis 2:7
7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Why will the people of Earth have great fear at the resurrection of Moses & Elijah? The guilt of their sin. Guilt brings fear.
As if the miracle of coming back to life was not great enough, in Verse 12, Moses and Elijah then ascend up to Heaven in a cloud while the world is watching. Again…this could not have taken place in my grandparents generation….only through the technology we have today could the whole world be watching this.
I’m telling you my friends….we are extremely close to the Rapture of the church.
As if that miracle wasn’t enough, a great earthquake takes place that destroys one tenth of the city & kills 7000 men. The people of Earth give glory to God for what He did, but no mention is given of them repenting.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
I’m picking up the meat for the Help Center in Dickson and Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes in Brentwood and Chattanooga today. I’ll hopefully have pictures in tomorrow’s devo of us delivering the fresh pork to them.
I just want you to know….you all are a tremendous encouragement to me. I can’t even put it into words. Over the weekend and yesterday, Chambers Family Ministries received another $655 toward the hog processing which brings our total to $4867 received to help send much needed fresh pork to the Tennessee Baptist Boys Ranch, The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes in Brentwood & Chattanooga, Bethesda Mission in Erin, The Good Samaritan Center in Dover, and The Help Center in Dickson. As I’ve told you before….I’m not taking a penny out of this….I’m donating the feed, time, place, delivery, equipment, and gas for everything on my end. All your donations help pay for the hogs and processing. If you donate more, we will do more pork for them.
Let’s just keep this thing going!!!! The Lord never ceases to amaze me!!!
One more quick thought before we jump into the devo….I received this text from a friend early this morning.
Phillip….today is the halfway mark of 2020…you make it today, you got it kicked for the year.
You know friends….in a lot of ways, the first 6 months of 2020 has seemed like 6 years to me….but my friend is right. I received a lot of encouragement from his text and I hope it blesses you too.
Now let’s get in the devo….my 2ndfavorite chapter in all of Revelation…..
Read Revelation 11
Revelation 11:1-2
11 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
The temple here in Revelation 11 is the temple that the antichrist builds for the Jewish people in the first half of the Great Tribulation(42 months).
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Some people believe the temple is the church. But it couldn’t be because the Gentiles(us) are left out.
Measuring something reflects ownership. Although Anti-Christ built the temple for the Jews in Jerusalem, Jesus owns everything. “holy city” in Verse 2 indicates this is in Jerusalem. “measure….them that worship therin” in Verse 1 shows how we belong to The Lord and are accountable for the way we live our lives.
QUESTION: Considering the way you live your life….how are you measuring up?
Revelation 11:3-6
3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
During the first half of the Great Tribulation, The Lord will send 2 witnesses to prophecy for Him during this time.
Who are these two witnesses? We don’t know for sure because they are not named.
I personally believe(as many other Bible scholars do) that these two witnesses are Elijah & Moses. Here’s why: In Verse 6, it says they have the “power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy”. Who prayed and caused it not to rain for 3.5 years in scripture? Elijah
James 5:17
17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
Verse 5 says that fire proceeds out of their mouth. Who was able to call down fire from Heaven? Elijah
1 Kings 18:36-38
36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
2 Kings 1:10
10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
It was prophesied by Malachi that Elijah would come back to Earth before the Second Coming.
Malachi 4:5
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
Who in the Bible turned water into blood and caused plagues to come upon the Earth? Moses.
Who was present with Jesus at the transfiguration? Moses & Elijah.
Matthew 17:1-3
17 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
Regardless of who these two witnesses are, they will have incredible supernatural power. Whoever tries to harm them, in the exact same way that person shall be harmed.
Why two witnesses? According to scripture, we must have two witnesses to establish truth.
Deuteronomy 19:15
15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.
Matthew 18:16
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Jesus also sent His disciples out two by two to preach.
Mark 6:7, 12
7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;
12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
Why? Because preaching and pastoring is a hard job and we need help.
But don’t miss this about the two witnesses. Two is a very small number, but with the power of God on your side, two is plenty to get a great work done for The Lord.
QUESTION: What great work could you and someone else be doing for The Lord? I’m giving away fresh pork.
Revelation 11:3 says the two witnesses were clothed in sackcloth What’s the significance? Sackcloth is what people would wear when they were mourning. These two witnesses were in mourning over the state of the church and Christ in the world at this time.
How do we feel about the state of Christ and His church in the world at this time? Does it cause us to mourn? It definitely makes me sad.
Verses 3 & 6 refers to these two witnesses as prophets. What was the role of prophets in the Bible? Yes they foretold future events…but specifically they were calling people to repent and return to God or else this future event would take place.
That’s what is going on here with Moses and Elijah. They are calling on the people that are still alive during the Great Tribulation to repent of their wickedness and trust Christ alone for salvation or else great judgment will fall upon them.
We will see later on in Verse 10 how this message was received.
Revelation 11:7
7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
God is not going to allow those of us working for Him to be killed until we complete the job He has called us to do.
Notice that no mention is made of these two witnesses having any fear though the whole world was against them. Knowing what we know about Christ, why do we have fear?
Revelation 11:8
8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
These two prophets will not even be given a proper burial. Their dead bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem. How do we know it is Jerusalem? Because that is where Jesus was crucified. Jesus suffered more in the city of Jerusalem than any other place in the world. Why does John refer to Jerusalem spiritually as Sodom and Egypt?
Sodom because of the wickedness that was now in the world.
Egypt because of the idolatry and evil that was taking place.
Revelation 11:9-10
9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
The events of verses 9 & 10 could only take place with the technology we have in place now. This could not have happened in my Grandparents generation. This should be a clear sign that we are very near to the rapture of the church and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
The people of Earth will be happy that Moses and Elijah are dead. So happy that they will send gifts to each other like it was Christmas. Some call this the Anti-Christmas. Why are they so happy? Because Moses and Elijah “tormented” them. Now let’s analyze that carefully. How were they tormented? Moses and Elijah simply spoke the truth and the conviction of their sin tormented the people of Earth.
The same thing happens today. We tell the truth about sin, people come under conviction, and next thing you know….they hate us for speaking the truth instead of getting right with God.
1 John 3:13
13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
The dead bodies of the prophets in the street of Jerusalem was prophesied by the Psalmist.
Psalm 79:1-3
79 O god, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.
2 The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.
3 Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them.
Revelation 11:11-13
11 And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The same TV Cameras that are live streaming video of the dead bodies of Moses and Elijah on the streets of Jerusalem will now be showing the world the incredible power of God. After 3.5 days, Moses and Elijah come back to life through the power of God.
God and only God gives life.
Genesis 2:7
7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Why will the people of Earth have great fear at the resurrection of Moses & Elijah? The guilt of their sin. Guilt brings fear.
As if the miracle of coming back to life was not great enough, in Verse 12, Moses and Elijah then ascend up to Heaven in a cloud while the world is watching. Again…this could not have taken place in my grandparents generation….only through the technology we have today could the whole world be watching this.
I’m telling you my friends….we are extremely close to the Rapture of the church.
As if that miracle wasn’t enough, a great earthquake takes place that destroys one tenth of the city & kills 7000 men. The people of Earth give glory to God for what He did, but no mention is given of them repenting.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 29th Pray, Read, Worship
Thank you so much for your prayers and support. Praise The Lord we had 4 people saved Sunday at Indian Mound United Methodist Church. It was a beautiful sight!! Lots of tears flowing. The Holy Spirit was thick and moving. It was a very good day.
We received more money for the hogs, but honestly, I walked in from church, put the money in the safe and crashed….I AM SO WORE OUT!!! I’ve been going from daylight till after dark for a while now on cows, hogs, chickens, hay, and more….hence the reason there haven’t been any worship songs recorded. I’ve gotten back in to the house too late at night and Abigail was already in bed.
My plans are to record a bunch of songs Monday to do us for a while….so if you have a request you want to hear….please post a comment below or message me and I’ll do my best to get it in.
Friends….you are a tremendous blessing to me in a sea of discouragement and negativity. I’m doing the hard work on these devos each day for the following reasons:
1. The Lord told me to
2. Because its good for me spiritually to have to study and go deep in The Word.
3. Because you are reading each day. If you weren’t reading, it would be very difficult to keep going. Thank you for reading….thank you for allowing these devos to minister to you each and every day.
I love all of yall in the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Read Revelation 10
Revelation 10 occurs during the time between the 6th trumpet and the 7th trumpet.
Revelation 10:1-4
10 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:
2 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
Who is this mighty angel? Some scholars believe it is Jesus Christ Himself.
The proof:
1. “clothed with a cloud” Verse 1. God manifested Himself by a cloud several places in scripture
Exodus 13:21
21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
Exodus 19:9
9 And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.
Psalm 104:3
3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
Acts 1:9
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Revelation 1:7
7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
The cloud helps to veil the glory of God. It is too great for mankind to behold.
2. The Rainbow—a rainbow was present around the throne.
Revelation 4:3
3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
This also shows that the covenant God made with man in Genesis to never destroy the Earth by flood again is still on His mind thousands of years later.
Genesis 9:11-13
11 And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
God keeps every promise He makes. What has He promised you that you are waiting on?
3. Face as the sun—Same description as Revelation 1
Revelation 1:16
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
4. Feet like fire—Same description as Revelation 1
Revelation 1:15
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
Fire purifies precious metals and makes them pure. All the ways of Jesus are pure.
5. The “little book”—Jesus was the only one worthy to hold the book(scroll)
Revelation 5:5
5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
Why is the book now little? Because most of its contents have been revealed already
6. Posture—one foot on the sea and one on the Earth. It all belongs to God
Zechariah 14:9
9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
Psalm 95:5
5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
This shows His ownership over the entire world.
7. Loud voice as thunder.
Revelation 4:5
5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Why is The Lord’s voice loud? To drown out everything that is distracting us from Him.
8. Jesus made appearances in Old Testament as an angel.
Exodus 3:2
2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
Judges 6:12
12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
Reason why it might not be Jesus…translation for mighty angel is same as strong angel from earlier in Revelation.
Revelation 5:2
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
What did the angel say that John was told not to write? Evidently it’s not important for us to know now. Some things will always be a mystery to us.
Deuteronomy 29:29
29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
The important thing is not to focus on the secret, but on The Saviour.
Revelation 10:5-6
5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:
Was it necessary for The Lord to sware? Isn’t everything The Lord says truth? Yes, but it is not without precedent in scripture for The Lord to sware.
Acts 2:30
30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
Hebrews 6:13
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
Verse 6 signifies the end of time, “There should be time no longer.” The time for repentance is up. God has been delaying His judgments, but the delay is over.
Revelation 10:7-10
7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
10 And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
What is the significance of “eating” the book? Many places in scripture, God’s Word is described as food.
Matthew 4:4
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
1 Peter 2:2
2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
1 Corinthians 3:1-2
3 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
Psalm 119:103
103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Jeremiah speaks about eating the words of God.
Jeremiah 15:16
16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, OLORD God of hosts.
What is the significance of the honey and bitter tastes? Honey shows how God’s judgment is sweet to the saved, but turns our stomach to think of what He’s going to do to unrepentant mankind. We should not be happy as to what is going to happen to them.
Revelation 10:11
11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
This verse placed at this spot in scripture shows how we must preach the whole counsel of God…the good and the bad, the bitter and the sweet, not just what tickles people’s ears.
Acts 20:27
27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
Challenge for the day: Don’t just hear God’s Word….digest it also….let it sink into your soul and affect every aspect of your life….just like the food we eat.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Thank you so much for your prayers and support. Praise The Lord we had 4 people saved Sunday at Indian Mound United Methodist Church. It was a beautiful sight!! Lots of tears flowing. The Holy Spirit was thick and moving. It was a very good day.
We received more money for the hogs, but honestly, I walked in from church, put the money in the safe and crashed….I AM SO WORE OUT!!! I’ve been going from daylight till after dark for a while now on cows, hogs, chickens, hay, and more….hence the reason there haven’t been any worship songs recorded. I’ve gotten back in to the house too late at night and Abigail was already in bed.
My plans are to record a bunch of songs Monday to do us for a while….so if you have a request you want to hear….please post a comment below or message me and I’ll do my best to get it in.
Friends….you are a tremendous blessing to me in a sea of discouragement and negativity. I’m doing the hard work on these devos each day for the following reasons:
1. The Lord told me to
2. Because its good for me spiritually to have to study and go deep in The Word.
3. Because you are reading each day. If you weren’t reading, it would be very difficult to keep going. Thank you for reading….thank you for allowing these devos to minister to you each and every day.
I love all of yall in the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Read Revelation 10
Revelation 10 occurs during the time between the 6th trumpet and the 7th trumpet.
Revelation 10:1-4
10 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:
2 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
Who is this mighty angel? Some scholars believe it is Jesus Christ Himself.
The proof:
1. “clothed with a cloud” Verse 1. God manifested Himself by a cloud several places in scripture
Exodus 13:21
21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
Exodus 19:9
9 And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.
Psalm 104:3
3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
Acts 1:9
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Revelation 1:7
7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
The cloud helps to veil the glory of God. It is too great for mankind to behold.
2. The Rainbow—a rainbow was present around the throne.
Revelation 4:3
3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
This also shows that the covenant God made with man in Genesis to never destroy the Earth by flood again is still on His mind thousands of years later.
Genesis 9:11-13
11 And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
God keeps every promise He makes. What has He promised you that you are waiting on?
3. Face as the sun—Same description as Revelation 1
Revelation 1:16
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
4. Feet like fire—Same description as Revelation 1
Revelation 1:15
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
Fire purifies precious metals and makes them pure. All the ways of Jesus are pure.
5. The “little book”—Jesus was the only one worthy to hold the book(scroll)
Revelation 5:5
5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
Why is the book now little? Because most of its contents have been revealed already
6. Posture—one foot on the sea and one on the Earth. It all belongs to God
Zechariah 14:9
9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
Psalm 95:5
5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
This shows His ownership over the entire world.
7. Loud voice as thunder.
Revelation 4:5
5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Why is The Lord’s voice loud? To drown out everything that is distracting us from Him.
8. Jesus made appearances in Old Testament as an angel.
Exodus 3:2
2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
Judges 6:12
12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
Reason why it might not be Jesus…translation for mighty angel is same as strong angel from earlier in Revelation.
Revelation 5:2
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
What did the angel say that John was told not to write? Evidently it’s not important for us to know now. Some things will always be a mystery to us.
Deuteronomy 29:29
29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
The important thing is not to focus on the secret, but on The Saviour.
Revelation 10:5-6
5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:
Was it necessary for The Lord to sware? Isn’t everything The Lord says truth? Yes, but it is not without precedent in scripture for The Lord to sware.
Acts 2:30
30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
Hebrews 6:13
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
Verse 6 signifies the end of time, “There should be time no longer.” The time for repentance is up. God has been delaying His judgments, but the delay is over.
Revelation 10:7-10
7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
10 And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
What is the significance of “eating” the book? Many places in scripture, God’s Word is described as food.
Matthew 4:4
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
1 Peter 2:2
2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
1 Corinthians 3:1-2
3 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
Psalm 119:103
103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Jeremiah speaks about eating the words of God.
Jeremiah 15:16
16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, OLORD God of hosts.
What is the significance of the honey and bitter tastes? Honey shows how God’s judgment is sweet to the saved, but turns our stomach to think of what He’s going to do to unrepentant mankind. We should not be happy as to what is going to happen to them.
Revelation 10:11
11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
This verse placed at this spot in scripture shows how we must preach the whole counsel of God…the good and the bad, the bitter and the sweet, not just what tickles people’s ears.
Acts 20:27
27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
Challenge for the day: Don’t just hear God’s Word….digest it also….let it sink into your soul and affect every aspect of your life….just like the food we eat.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 28th Pray, Read, Worship
Read Revelation 9
It will be easier for us to examine this chapter in two pieces rather than verse by verse.
Revelation 9:1-12
***9 *And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
***2 *And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
***3 *And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
***4 *And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
***5 *And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
***6 *And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
***7 *And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
***8 *And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
***9 *And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
***10 *And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
***11 *And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
***12 *One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
The words “him in Verse 1 and “he” in Verse 2 tell us that the “star” in Verse 1 is not a planet or piece of a extra-terrestrial body but rather a person. We don’t know exactly who the “star” is, but more than likely it is Satan.
Jesus speaks of this in…
Luke 10:18
***18 *And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Notice that the end of Verse 1 says, “to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.” Who has the key to hell? Jesus.
Revelation 1:18
***18 *I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
This shows us that Jesus is in complete control of what is about to happen and that He is using this judgment to accomplish His will on Earth. God is always in control….even as coronavirus totals are rising.
In Verse 2, when the bottomless pit is opened, smoke comes out which darkens the sun and pollutes the air. This smoke is compared to the smoke from a furnace. Jesus compares hell to a furnace.
Matthew 13:42
***42 *And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
In verse 3, John says that out of the smoke came “locusts”. While this could be literal, since the “star” in Verse 1 was symbolic, “locusts” needs to be translated symbolic as well. I believe the “locusts” are actually the demons of hell. Again locusts here in Revelation runs this parallel to the Egyptian plagues from Exodus as the other trumpet judgments.
Verse 3 also shows how the locusts were given power. Again, they did not have power on their own. Jesus gave them power to accomplish His judgment.
Verse 4 shows how they were commanded to stay away from the people that had the seal of God on their heads and attack those who did not have it.
Verse 5 shows that this attack had a restraint…they couldn’t kill people and it would only last 5 months(the typical lifespan of a locust). Again, God is in complete control. Verse 5 also describes the torment as a sting of a scorpion. Ever been stung by wasp? A scorpion sting is even worse.
Verse 6 shows how men will desire to die to escape this torment, but will not be allowed to. Again, God is in complete control. As I’ve heard my two time cancer surviving mother say many times…..There are some things worse than death!
Verses 7-10 is a visual description of the demons.
Verse 11 gives us the name of the leader of the demons…Abaddon, or Apollyon. Their meaning or definition is destroyer. Satan wants to destroy us. He wants to destroy people, churches, ministries, anything and everything.
Verse 12 tells us that the 5thtrumpet judgment is over and now it’s time to go to number 6.
Revelation 9:13-21
***13 *And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
***14 *Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
***15 *And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
***16 *And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
***17 *And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
***18 *By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
***19 *For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
***20 *And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
***21 *Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
In Verse 14, the 4 “angels found in the great river Euphrates” are not real angels because real angels cannot be bound. Again, these “angels” are demons that Jesus has control over.
In Verse 15, they are loosed for a specific time and purpose(hour, day, month, year, to slay a third part of men). Since a ¼ of all mankind has already been killed in Revelation 6, this means that over HALF of mankind left behind from the Rapture will be killed by this point of the Great Tribulation.
In Verse 16, we learn the army of men to do this numbers 200 million. Is that possible? China bragged of a 200 million man army in the past. Certainly it is possible by combining opposing armies from the Eastern part of the world.
But the focus is not on the number of men in the army, but on the horses in the army. Some people believe this description perfectly describes modern tanks….”out of their mouths issued fire, smoke, and brimstone.”
Verse 19 says “their power is in their mouth”. This reminds us how powerful our words are and what they can do to others.
Unfortunately, after all this torment and death, the remaining people of earth refuse to repent. What sins are specifically listed in Verse 20 & 21? Putting anything as a higher priority than God to include gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood. Murder, sorceries, fornication, and stealing.
Is this going on today? Absolutely…and it is just paving the way for these to be more prevalent during the Great Tribulation.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Revelation 9
It will be easier for us to examine this chapter in two pieces rather than verse by verse.
Revelation 9:1-12
***9 *And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
***2 *And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
***3 *And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
***4 *And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
***5 *And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
***6 *And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
***7 *And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
***8 *And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
***9 *And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
***10 *And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
***11 *And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
***12 *One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
The words “him in Verse 1 and “he” in Verse 2 tell us that the “star” in Verse 1 is not a planet or piece of a extra-terrestrial body but rather a person. We don’t know exactly who the “star” is, but more than likely it is Satan.
Jesus speaks of this in…
Luke 10:18
***18 *And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Notice that the end of Verse 1 says, “to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.” Who has the key to hell? Jesus.
Revelation 1:18
***18 *I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
This shows us that Jesus is in complete control of what is about to happen and that He is using this judgment to accomplish His will on Earth. God is always in control….even as coronavirus totals are rising.
In Verse 2, when the bottomless pit is opened, smoke comes out which darkens the sun and pollutes the air. This smoke is compared to the smoke from a furnace. Jesus compares hell to a furnace.
Matthew 13:42
***42 *And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
In verse 3, John says that out of the smoke came “locusts”. While this could be literal, since the “star” in Verse 1 was symbolic, “locusts” needs to be translated symbolic as well. I believe the “locusts” are actually the demons of hell. Again locusts here in Revelation runs this parallel to the Egyptian plagues from Exodus as the other trumpet judgments.
Verse 3 also shows how the locusts were given power. Again, they did not have power on their own. Jesus gave them power to accomplish His judgment.
Verse 4 shows how they were commanded to stay away from the people that had the seal of God on their heads and attack those who did not have it.
Verse 5 shows that this attack had a restraint…they couldn’t kill people and it would only last 5 months(the typical lifespan of a locust). Again, God is in complete control. Verse 5 also describes the torment as a sting of a scorpion. Ever been stung by wasp? A scorpion sting is even worse.
Verse 6 shows how men will desire to die to escape this torment, but will not be allowed to. Again, God is in complete control. As I’ve heard my two time cancer surviving mother say many times…..There are some things worse than death!
Verses 7-10 is a visual description of the demons.
Verse 11 gives us the name of the leader of the demons…Abaddon, or Apollyon. Their meaning or definition is destroyer. Satan wants to destroy us. He wants to destroy people, churches, ministries, anything and everything.
Verse 12 tells us that the 5thtrumpet judgment is over and now it’s time to go to number 6.
Revelation 9:13-21
***13 *And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
***14 *Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
***15 *And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
***16 *And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
***17 *And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
***18 *By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
***19 *For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
***20 *And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
***21 *Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
In Verse 14, the 4 “angels found in the great river Euphrates” are not real angels because real angels cannot be bound. Again, these “angels” are demons that Jesus has control over.
In Verse 15, they are loosed for a specific time and purpose(hour, day, month, year, to slay a third part of men). Since a ¼ of all mankind has already been killed in Revelation 6, this means that over HALF of mankind left behind from the Rapture will be killed by this point of the Great Tribulation.
In Verse 16, we learn the army of men to do this numbers 200 million. Is that possible? China bragged of a 200 million man army in the past. Certainly it is possible by combining opposing armies from the Eastern part of the world.
But the focus is not on the number of men in the army, but on the horses in the army. Some people believe this description perfectly describes modern tanks….”out of their mouths issued fire, smoke, and brimstone.”
Verse 19 says “their power is in their mouth”. This reminds us how powerful our words are and what they can do to others.
Unfortunately, after all this torment and death, the remaining people of earth refuse to repent. What sins are specifically listed in Verse 20 & 21? Putting anything as a higher priority than God to include gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood. Murder, sorceries, fornication, and stealing.
Is this going on today? Absolutely…and it is just paving the way for these to be more prevalent during the Great Tribulation.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 27th Pray, Read, Worship
This is probably our best and my favorite devotion of Revelation so far….PLEASE READ.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT #1: I will be preaching this Sunday and the next few Sunday’s at Indian Mound United Methodist Church, 200 Rorie Hollow Road in Indian Mound. This Sunday’s service begins at 10AM. I’ve been told they will be changing times to 11AM in the near future….I’ll keep you posted on that. I won’t be at Indian Mound UMC on the last Sunday in July as that is Homecoming at Locust Grove and I’m going to be there to hear my dear friend’s the Barnett’s in concert. I still will be playing the piano for Locust Grove at 9AM each Sunday. Would love for you to worship with me at either location.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT #2: We delivered the hogs to the processors today. Was tickled to have Caroline and Elayna helping me(See Pic below). I took a step of faith and did 12 hogs instead of 10 Total. We received another $700 today which brings our total to $4212 received to help send much needed fresh pork to the Tennessee Baptist Boys Ranch, The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes in Brentwood & Chattanooga, Bethesda Mission in Erin, The Good Samaritan Center in Dover, and The Help Center in Dickson. We need $4800 now to make this happen with 12 hogs. As I’ve told you before….I’m not taking a penny out of this….I’m donating the feed, time, place, delivery, equipment, and gas for everything on my end. All your donations help pay for the hogs and processing. If you donate more, we will do more pork for them.
Thank you to everyone who has helped us in this endeavor to provide much needed pork to needy children and families. You are a tremendous blessing to me and The Kingdom of God.
Now for today’s devo…..
Read Revelation 8
Review & Context: We are currently studying the judgments of the Great Tribulation. The seal judgments are now over. It’s time for the trumpet judgments to begin. You will notice that from the seals to the trumpets, the intensity of the judgments increase. You may also notice how the trumpet judgments parallel the plagues that God sent on the land of Egypt in the book of Exodus. The trumpet judgments are released during the first half of the Great Tribulation.
These judgments are prophesied in the Old Testament by the Prophet Zephaniah.
Zephaniah 1:14-18
***14 *The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
***15 *That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
***16 *A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.
***17 *And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.
***18 *Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
Revelation 8:1
***8 *And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
The hosts of Heaven had just worshipped The Father and the Lamb with a tremendous volume of praise.
Revelation 7:10-12
***10 *And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
***11 *And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
***12 *Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
But when the Lamb opened the seventh seal, heaven was silent for about thirty minutes. Why was this? Nobody knows for sure but here are some hypothesis:
1) Everyone was awestruck to see God’s plan unfold
2) Everyone was surprised that the seventh seal opened up seven more judgments
3) Some say this is proof that men get to Heaven before women since there is silence.(I’M ONLY KIDDING….that’s an old preacher joke)
During this silence, the seven angels were given seven trumpets.
Revelation 8:2
***2 *And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
As a Jew, trumpets were very significant to John. According to Numbers 10, trumpets had 3 important uses. First, to call the people together as they did for the law at Mt. Sinai.
Numbers 10:2
***2 *Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps.
Second for announcing war like before the battle of Jericho.
Numbers 10:9
***9 *And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.
Third for announcing special times such as the rapture of the church when the trump of God will sound.
Numbers 10:10
***10 *Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the Lord your God.
The voice of Jesus sounded like a trumpet to John and he was summoned to Heaven with a trumpet in Chapter 4.
Revelation 8:3-4
***3 *And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
***4 *And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.
In the Old Testament Tabernacle & Temple, the golden altar stood before the veil that entered into the holy of holies and was used for burning incense. Burning incense on this altar was a picture of prayer ascending to God.
Psalm 141:2
***2 *Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
So here in Verses 3 & 4, we are in Heaven, on the receiving end of the prayers from Earth. The “prayers of saints” is not some special group in Heaven that arrived at sainthood. All God’s children are saints.
2 Corinthians 1:1
***1 *Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:
2 Corinthians 13:13
***13 *All the saints salute you.
In addition, there is no scriptural evidence that people in Heaven pray for people on Earth, nor is there scriptural evidence that our prayers go to Heaven through them. We pray to God the Father, through God the Son, Jesus.
Revelation 8:5
***5 *And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
So what is the connection here between our prayers & the judgment of the Earth during the Great Tribulation? The answer is found in the Lord’s Prayer. “Thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven.” The purpose of prayer is not to get man’s will done in Heaven, but to get God’s will done on Earth. God’s will for the Earth is taking place and this is in part a result of our prayers to Him. This shows how serious business true prayer is.
QUESTION: Do you take the business of prayer seriously?
The first four trumpet judgments, foretold in Revelation 8, are “natural” in that they affect the land, the sea, the freshwater, and the stars, sun, & moon.
Revelation 8:6-7
***6 *And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
***7 *The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
This is parallel to the 7thplague in Egypt and it was also foretold by the prophet Joel.
Joel 2:30
***30 *And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
With a third of the trees being burnt up, oxygen supplies will be depleted as well as fruit/nuts for man to eat. With all the grass being burnt up, there will be nothing for animals to eat. This will greatly affect the balance of nature and the food supply. It will be a very hard time in which to live.
Revelation 8:8-9
***8 *And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
***9 *And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
Turning water into blood is parallel with the 1st plague. “As it were a great mountain” doesn’t mean an actual mountain, but that the fiery object was like a great mountain.
Oceans comprise 75% of the Earth’s surface. The pollution of water and the death of so many creatures will greatly affect the ecological balance of life in the oceans.
As of January 2018, there were 53,732 Ocean ships in the world according to the Maritime Knowledge Center. This means 17,910 ships will be destroyed at once. This is far worse than the potential for airplanes being destroyed at the Rapture(2000). This will be a tremendous negative effect on trade as so much of the world’s goods are transported by ship.
Revelation 8:10-11
***10 *And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
***11 *And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
The last judgment was on the saltwater, this one is on the freshwater…..specifically the source of the world’s drinking water. One third will become so bitter that many people will die from the water. If it affects mankind this way, what will it do to the fish that live in the water and the vegetation that lives close to these waters? The thought process is that as the star enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it will come apart and strike waters all over the world.
Revelation 8:12
***12 *And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
Again, this was prophesied by the prophet Joel.
Joel 2:1-2
***2 *Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
***2 *A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
The darkness here is parallel to the 9th plague in Egypt. With one-third of sunlight gone, there will be less energy available to support life. There will be vast temperature changes that will affect both human and animal life. It is also believed that crime and violence will increase as it naturally increases at night anyway.
John 3:20
***20 *For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Revelation 8:13
***13 *And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
In other words, if you think this is bad, you haven’t seen anything yet. “inhabiters of the earth” doesn’t just mean the people living on Earth…it goes deeper than that, signifying the people that live for the things of Earth instead of the things of Heaven.
My friends….in Revelation 8, we have begun to peel back some of the details of just how bad things will be on Earth during the Great Tribulation. The COVID-19 Quarantine will be like a birthday party compared to what’s coming in the Great Tribulation.
Notice that the church is nowhere to be found on Earth during this. Why? Because we have already been raptured away. So the obvious question becomes…. Have you made your arrangements to be caught away in the Rapture and miss out on all this devastation and destruction in The Great Tribulation?
If you haven’t….you better….please message me and I’ll tell you how.
If you are not sure if you have….please message me and I’ll help you get sure.
For the rest of us….our challenge for the day….remember the serious business of prayer. Prayer is way more than what we do before meals and bed….we Christians need to be taking our responsibility very seriously as we are helping bring God’s will to Earth through our prayers.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 26th Pray, Read, Worship
We received another $170 toward our goal of sending 10 processed hogs to the Tennessee Baptist Boys Ranch, The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes in Brentwood & Chattanooga, Bethesda Mission in Erin, The Good Samaritan Center in Dover, and The Help Center in Dickson. This brings our total to $3512 out of $4000 needed. Thank you to everyone who has helped us in this endeavor to provide much needed pork to needy children and families. You are a tremendous blessing to me and The Kingdom of God.
Now for today’s devo…..
Read Revelation 7
Revelation 7:1-3
7 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
Angels are special beings, created by God, to accomplish His will. We have references in scripture of angels delivering messages, fighting battles, praising God, etc.
Here, the four angels are holding back God’s Judgment on Earth(represented by the wind). This is the quiet before the storm. Six seals have been opened in Chapter 6. The seventh seal will be open in Chapter 8. But something very important must happen before the seventh seal is opened.
What is the significance of the seal of the living God? In Scripture, a seal shows ownership and protection. The tomb of Jesus was sealed by Pilate showing it was protected by the Romans. Later on in Revelation, when we see people take the mark of the beast, that shows they are owned by the beast.
Today, we are sealed with The Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 1:13
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Ephesians 4:30
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
When we accept Christ as our Savior, immediately the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us and among other things, He protects our souls and shows The Lord’s ownership.
But here in Revelation 7, remember the Holy Spirit is gone from Earth. He left when the Church left at the Rapture. So something else must be used to seal God’s followers during this time.
In Verse 3, The Angel from the east commands the other 4 angels to not let any judgment take place until all of the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads. Not on, as in something that can be taken off….but in as in something that is permanently implanted in us…just as The Holy Spirit is.
The seal, is the name of God.
Revelation 14:1
14 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
So just like the beast has his mark(666), the servants of God will have their mark which is the name of the Father. Unlike today where people can fool others into thinking they are followers of God….there will be no fooling here in the Great Tribulation.
Revelation 7:4
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
“tribes of the children of Israel” tells us that these specific people with the seals are Jewish, not Gentiles. That is very significant as we will discuss later on.
144,000 is viewed by many in many different ways.
1. The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe this is how many will be in Heaven.
2. Some believe this number is symbolic to mean completeness. In other words, the complete number of all the servants of God will be sealed.
3. Others(including myself) believe this is a literal number as the literal names of the tribes are given in the following verses.
So what is the significance of these 144,000 Jews? Let’s first discuss the original purpose of the Jewish people. They were God’s chosen people….chosen to make Him known to the rest of the world.
2 Samuel 7:23
23 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?
1 Chronicles 17:20-21
20 O Lord, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
21 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be his own people, to make thee a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before thy people whom thou hast redeemed out of Egypt?
So these 144,000 Jews are charged with making The Father and The Son known throughout the world during the Great Tribulation. This follows right along with the parallel of Matthew 24.
Matthew 24:14
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
So to whom do these 144,000 Jewish Evangelists make the Father and the Son known? The Gentiles as we will see beginning in Verse 9.
But before that, there is a list of who the 144,000 are and where they come from.
Revelation 7:5-8
5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
Is there significance to this list or is it just another listing of names and numbers in scripture? Many Bible scholars believe it is important for the following reasons.
1. It departs from traditional listings of the tribes of Israel by listing the tribe of Juda first. Why? Because this is the tribe from which the Messianic line came.
2. The Tribe of Dan was left out and replaced with the tribe of Levi. Why? Because the tribe of Dan had given themselves over to idolatry. Levi was the tribe from which the line of priests came.
3. The tribe of Ephraim was left out and replaced with his father, Joseph. Why is this? Again, many scholars believe it is because they had given themselves over to idolatry.
So what does this mean for us today? We can forfeit our inheritance(our rewards, not our salvation) by disobeying God.
QUESTION: Do you really want to forfeit your inheritance(rewards) in Heaven by disobeying God today? Is it really worth it?
Revelation 7:9-17
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
This great multitude from all nations and people are the Gentiles reached by the 144,000 Jewish Evangelists during the Great Tribulation. How do we know? First, Verse 14 tells us. But we also know from Verse 9 which says they stood. This means they can’t be the church(24 elders) because the church is sitting.
Revelation 4:4
4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
They also can’t be the church because John didn’t know who they were. If they were the church, he would have recognized them from earlier.
What else do we know about this great multitude of Gentiles? They must have been killed for their faith because they are in Heaven now with God. This goes back to our discussion previously as to how hard it will be to accept Christ during the Great Tribulation. Here’s the deal….if you won’t accept Christ now when there is little to no fear for your life….what makes you think you will accept Christ in the Great Tribulation when it’s a 100% fact you will be martyred for your faith?
We know from later on in Revelation 13 that followers of Christ will not be able to buy or sell because they won’t have the mark of the beast.
Revelation 13:16-18
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Verse 16 of Revelation 7 implies they were hungry and thirsty on Earth which means they couldn’t purchase food or even water. By saying “the sun light on them or any heat” shows they lost their homes and had to live outside. This part has happened recently where the Christians were forced out of Syria and Iraq by ISIS into tent cities. So in addition to all of this trouble, they will also lose their life. See how hard it will be to accept Christ?
Verse 9 indicates these Gentiles as victors through the white robe and palm branches.
Verse 10 shows us how these Gentiles were thanking God for delivering them from the Great Tribulation.
Verse 17 shows how He is giving them food and drink now and wiping away all their tears from the persecution.
So the bottom line is to receive Christ now so you don’t have to endure all of the persecution of the Great Tribulation.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
We received another $170 toward our goal of sending 10 processed hogs to the Tennessee Baptist Boys Ranch, The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes in Brentwood & Chattanooga, Bethesda Mission in Erin, The Good Samaritan Center in Dover, and The Help Center in Dickson. This brings our total to $3512 out of $4000 needed. Thank you to everyone who has helped us in this endeavor to provide much needed pork to needy children and families. You are a tremendous blessing to me and The Kingdom of God.
Now for today’s devo…..
Read Revelation 7
Revelation 7:1-3
7 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
Angels are special beings, created by God, to accomplish His will. We have references in scripture of angels delivering messages, fighting battles, praising God, etc.
Here, the four angels are holding back God’s Judgment on Earth(represented by the wind). This is the quiet before the storm. Six seals have been opened in Chapter 6. The seventh seal will be open in Chapter 8. But something very important must happen before the seventh seal is opened.
What is the significance of the seal of the living God? In Scripture, a seal shows ownership and protection. The tomb of Jesus was sealed by Pilate showing it was protected by the Romans. Later on in Revelation, when we see people take the mark of the beast, that shows they are owned by the beast.
Today, we are sealed with The Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 1:13
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Ephesians 4:30
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
When we accept Christ as our Savior, immediately the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us and among other things, He protects our souls and shows The Lord’s ownership.
But here in Revelation 7, remember the Holy Spirit is gone from Earth. He left when the Church left at the Rapture. So something else must be used to seal God’s followers during this time.
In Verse 3, The Angel from the east commands the other 4 angels to not let any judgment take place until all of the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads. Not on, as in something that can be taken off….but in as in something that is permanently implanted in us…just as The Holy Spirit is.
The seal, is the name of God.
Revelation 14:1
14 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
So just like the beast has his mark(666), the servants of God will have their mark which is the name of the Father. Unlike today where people can fool others into thinking they are followers of God….there will be no fooling here in the Great Tribulation.
Revelation 7:4
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
“tribes of the children of Israel” tells us that these specific people with the seals are Jewish, not Gentiles. That is very significant as we will discuss later on.
144,000 is viewed by many in many different ways.
1. The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe this is how many will be in Heaven.
2. Some believe this number is symbolic to mean completeness. In other words, the complete number of all the servants of God will be sealed.
3. Others(including myself) believe this is a literal number as the literal names of the tribes are given in the following verses.
So what is the significance of these 144,000 Jews? Let’s first discuss the original purpose of the Jewish people. They were God’s chosen people….chosen to make Him known to the rest of the world.
2 Samuel 7:23
23 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?
1 Chronicles 17:20-21
20 O Lord, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
21 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be his own people, to make thee a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before thy people whom thou hast redeemed out of Egypt?
So these 144,000 Jews are charged with making The Father and The Son known throughout the world during the Great Tribulation. This follows right along with the parallel of Matthew 24.
Matthew 24:14
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
So to whom do these 144,000 Jewish Evangelists make the Father and the Son known? The Gentiles as we will see beginning in Verse 9.
But before that, there is a list of who the 144,000 are and where they come from.
Revelation 7:5-8
5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
Is there significance to this list or is it just another listing of names and numbers in scripture? Many Bible scholars believe it is important for the following reasons.
1. It departs from traditional listings of the tribes of Israel by listing the tribe of Juda first. Why? Because this is the tribe from which the Messianic line came.
2. The Tribe of Dan was left out and replaced with the tribe of Levi. Why? Because the tribe of Dan had given themselves over to idolatry. Levi was the tribe from which the line of priests came.
3. The tribe of Ephraim was left out and replaced with his father, Joseph. Why is this? Again, many scholars believe it is because they had given themselves over to idolatry.
So what does this mean for us today? We can forfeit our inheritance(our rewards, not our salvation) by disobeying God.
QUESTION: Do you really want to forfeit your inheritance(rewards) in Heaven by disobeying God today? Is it really worth it?
Revelation 7:9-17
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
This great multitude from all nations and people are the Gentiles reached by the 144,000 Jewish Evangelists during the Great Tribulation. How do we know? First, Verse 14 tells us. But we also know from Verse 9 which says they stood. This means they can’t be the church(24 elders) because the church is sitting.
Revelation 4:4
4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
They also can’t be the church because John didn’t know who they were. If they were the church, he would have recognized them from earlier.
What else do we know about this great multitude of Gentiles? They must have been killed for their faith because they are in Heaven now with God. This goes back to our discussion previously as to how hard it will be to accept Christ during the Great Tribulation. Here’s the deal….if you won’t accept Christ now when there is little to no fear for your life….what makes you think you will accept Christ in the Great Tribulation when it’s a 100% fact you will be martyred for your faith?
We know from later on in Revelation 13 that followers of Christ will not be able to buy or sell because they won’t have the mark of the beast.
Revelation 13:16-18
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Verse 16 of Revelation 7 implies they were hungry and thirsty on Earth which means they couldn’t purchase food or even water. By saying “the sun light on them or any heat” shows they lost their homes and had to live outside. This part has happened recently where the Christians were forced out of Syria and Iraq by ISIS into tent cities. So in addition to all of this trouble, they will also lose their life. See how hard it will be to accept Christ?
Verse 9 indicates these Gentiles as victors through the white robe and palm branches.
Verse 10 shows us how these Gentiles were thanking God for delivering them from the Great Tribulation.
Verse 17 shows how He is giving them food and drink now and wiping away all their tears from the persecution.
So the bottom line is to receive Christ now so you don’t have to endure all of the persecution of the Great Tribulation.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 25th Pray, Read, Worship
We received another $500 toward our goal of sending 10 processed hogs to the Tennessee Baptist Boys Ranch, The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes in Brentwood & Chattanooga, Bethesda Mission in Erin, The Good Samaritan Center in Dover, and The Help Center in Dickson. This brings our total to $3342 out of $4000 needed. Thank you to everyone who has helped us in this endeavor to provide much needed pork to needy children and families. You are a tremendous blessing to me and The Kingdom of God.
Now for today’s devo…..
Read Revelation 6
To fully understand Revelation Chapter 6, we must remember the context in which it was written.
1. We know that the rapture of the church has already taken place. Why? Because of the four and twenty elders in Revelation chapters 4 & 5 who represent the church.
2. We know that Revelation 6 is a prophecy about the future. And what happens after the rapture of the church? The Great Tribulation. So Revelation 6 is a prophecy about The Great Tribulation.
Revelation 6:1-2
6 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
In Chapters 4-5, we remember that only Jesus was found worthy to open the seals of the book containing future events. In Verse 1, Jesus opens the first seal and one of the four beasts(which represent the attributes of God), told John to come and see what was going to happen.
Verse 2 is one of the most mis-interpreted verses of scripture in the Bible. On the surface, after reading Verse 2, who do you think the rider of the horse is? Jesus.
But lets dig deeper…..
Contextually, we know Jesus doesn’t come to Earth at this point in time. Instead, He waits until the Second Coming which happens at the end of the Great Tribulation.
Second, we know that Jesus’ weapon was not a bow, it was a sword.
Third, this bow had no arrows with it.
Fourth, if we were dig into the original language, the word for crown is “Stephanas” which means the victor’s crown. The crown Jesus wears is called “diadema” which means the kingly crown.
So….who then is the rider on the white horse? The Anti-Christ!
Further proof….the best way to interpret scripture is with scripture. The events in Revelation 6, run parallel to The Olivet Discourse of Christ in Matthew 24.
Matthew 24:3-8
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
What does Jesus say comes first? False Christs.
The Anti-Christ is Satan’s greatest work of deception…and here in Revelation 6:2, he does a good job. First, Anti-Christ appears on a white horse. White horses were reserved for victory horses because they were too easily spotted in battle. Second, he has a crown, and in our quickness and carelessness, we fail to recognize it’s not the Christ crown. Third, we know Christ will conquer all, but again, contextually this is out of place.
So in layman’s terms, what exactly is taking place? After the rapture of the church, chaos ensues on Earth. Out of this chaos, Anti-Christ arises, signs a peace treaty with the Jews(Daniel 9:27) and attempts to conquer the world peacefully so they will bow down and worship him.
Do you see how all the attempts for peace in the Middle East are lining up towards what we are reading in Revelation 6?
Revelation 6:3-4
3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
Although Anti-Christ’s conquest begins in peace, it is short-lived as war ensures on Earth. The remaining people of Earth begin to kill each other after the rapture. Remember how crazy things were during the quarantine? That is nothing compared to how it will be after the rapture of the church.
Who gave the power to Anti-Christ? The Lord did. So in the midst of chaos, God is still in control and He is using Anti-Christ to bring about His judgment on the Earth.
Revelation 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
Black is often connected with famine. During/after war, a great famine ensures. Why? Because the food supply and chain is interrupted. A penny was a day’s wages in Bible times.
Matthew 20:2
2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
A measure of wheat/three measures of barley would be sufficient for one day’s nourishment. So food would become so high that people would work all day just to eat and there would not be money for anything else. Have we seen the price of food go up recently? YES WE HAVE!!!
Revelation 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Death claims the physical body. Hell claims the soul. Because of the war, famine, and pestilences(beasts), 25% of the world’s population will be killed.
Revelation 6:9-11
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
In Old Testament Times, the altar was where sacrifices were made. Here, John is seeing the souls of everyone that was a follower of Christ who sacrificed their life so far in the Great Tribulation. Many would lose their life for being a witness for Christ. It would seem that the enemy is winning. However, we know Christ is in control and He will avenge their blood at the appointed time.
Revelation 6:12-17
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
At the opening of the 6th seal, a great earthquake takes place. Again, this goes right in line contextually with Matthew 24. This Earthquake would be so huge that every mountain and island in the world is moved out of their place.
Nature would become out of balance. The Sun would go black, the moon would turn red. Meteors, Asteroids, & Comets will slam into Earth. The stars will all be out of sorts. The sky as we know it, will change all together.
And instead of running to God for forgiveness or mercy, the rulers of earth run to holes in the ground to try and hide from the wrath of Jesus Christ. Instead of running to God in faith, they are running from Him in fear. This is proof that judgment by itself does not change the human heart.
“The day will come when the most expensive piece of real estate on Earth will be a hole in the ground.” Vance Havner
Challenge for the day: Think about how current events are “greasing the skids” and “lining things up” for what will take place in the upcoming Great Tribulation.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
We received another $500 toward our goal of sending 10 processed hogs to the Tennessee Baptist Boys Ranch, The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes in Brentwood & Chattanooga, Bethesda Mission in Erin, The Good Samaritan Center in Dover, and The Help Center in Dickson. This brings our total to $3342 out of $4000 needed. Thank you to everyone who has helped us in this endeavor to provide much needed pork to needy children and families. You are a tremendous blessing to me and The Kingdom of God.
Now for today’s devo…..
Read Revelation 6
To fully understand Revelation Chapter 6, we must remember the context in which it was written.
1. We know that the rapture of the church has already taken place. Why? Because of the four and twenty elders in Revelation chapters 4 & 5 who represent the church.
2. We know that Revelation 6 is a prophecy about the future. And what happens after the rapture of the church? The Great Tribulation. So Revelation 6 is a prophecy about The Great Tribulation.
Revelation 6:1-2
6 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
In Chapters 4-5, we remember that only Jesus was found worthy to open the seals of the book containing future events. In Verse 1, Jesus opens the first seal and one of the four beasts(which represent the attributes of God), told John to come and see what was going to happen.
Verse 2 is one of the most mis-interpreted verses of scripture in the Bible. On the surface, after reading Verse 2, who do you think the rider of the horse is? Jesus.
But lets dig deeper…..
Contextually, we know Jesus doesn’t come to Earth at this point in time. Instead, He waits until the Second Coming which happens at the end of the Great Tribulation.
Second, we know that Jesus’ weapon was not a bow, it was a sword.
Third, this bow had no arrows with it.
Fourth, if we were dig into the original language, the word for crown is “Stephanas” which means the victor’s crown. The crown Jesus wears is called “diadema” which means the kingly crown.
So….who then is the rider on the white horse? The Anti-Christ!
Further proof….the best way to interpret scripture is with scripture. The events in Revelation 6, run parallel to The Olivet Discourse of Christ in Matthew 24.
Matthew 24:3-8
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
What does Jesus say comes first? False Christs.
The Anti-Christ is Satan’s greatest work of deception…and here in Revelation 6:2, he does a good job. First, Anti-Christ appears on a white horse. White horses were reserved for victory horses because they were too easily spotted in battle. Second, he has a crown, and in our quickness and carelessness, we fail to recognize it’s not the Christ crown. Third, we know Christ will conquer all, but again, contextually this is out of place.
So in layman’s terms, what exactly is taking place? After the rapture of the church, chaos ensues on Earth. Out of this chaos, Anti-Christ arises, signs a peace treaty with the Jews(Daniel 9:27) and attempts to conquer the world peacefully so they will bow down and worship him.
Do you see how all the attempts for peace in the Middle East are lining up towards what we are reading in Revelation 6?
Revelation 6:3-4
3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
Although Anti-Christ’s conquest begins in peace, it is short-lived as war ensures on Earth. The remaining people of Earth begin to kill each other after the rapture. Remember how crazy things were during the quarantine? That is nothing compared to how it will be after the rapture of the church.
Who gave the power to Anti-Christ? The Lord did. So in the midst of chaos, God is still in control and He is using Anti-Christ to bring about His judgment on the Earth.
Revelation 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
Black is often connected with famine. During/after war, a great famine ensures. Why? Because the food supply and chain is interrupted. A penny was a day’s wages in Bible times.
Matthew 20:2
2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
A measure of wheat/three measures of barley would be sufficient for one day’s nourishment. So food would become so high that people would work all day just to eat and there would not be money for anything else. Have we seen the price of food go up recently? YES WE HAVE!!!
Revelation 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Death claims the physical body. Hell claims the soul. Because of the war, famine, and pestilences(beasts), 25% of the world’s population will be killed.
Revelation 6:9-11
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
In Old Testament Times, the altar was where sacrifices were made. Here, John is seeing the souls of everyone that was a follower of Christ who sacrificed their life so far in the Great Tribulation. Many would lose their life for being a witness for Christ. It would seem that the enemy is winning. However, we know Christ is in control and He will avenge their blood at the appointed time.
Revelation 6:12-17
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
At the opening of the 6th seal, a great earthquake takes place. Again, this goes right in line contextually with Matthew 24. This Earthquake would be so huge that every mountain and island in the world is moved out of their place.
Nature would become out of balance. The Sun would go black, the moon would turn red. Meteors, Asteroids, & Comets will slam into Earth. The stars will all be out of sorts. The sky as we know it, will change all together.
And instead of running to God for forgiveness or mercy, the rulers of earth run to holes in the ground to try and hide from the wrath of Jesus Christ. Instead of running to God in faith, they are running from Him in fear. This is proof that judgment by itself does not change the human heart.
“The day will come when the most expensive piece of real estate on Earth will be a hole in the ground.” Vance Havner
Challenge for the day: Think about how current events are “greasing the skids” and “lining things up” for what will take place in the upcoming Great Tribulation.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 24th Pray, Read, Worship
We received another $200 toward our goal of sending 10 processed hogs to the Tennessee Baptist Boys Ranch, The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes in Brentwood & Chattanooga, Bethesda Mission in Erin, The Good Samaritan Center in Dover, and The Help Center in Dickson. This brings our total to $2842 out of $4000 needed. Thank you to everyone who has helped us in this endeavor to provide much needed pork to needy children and families. You are a tremendous blessing to me and The Kingdom of God.
Now for today’s devo…..
Read Revelation 5
Chapter 5 is a continuation of Chapter 4’s glimpse into the throne room of Heaven. Books in this time period were written on what we call scrolls today. This book in Revelation 5:1 contains the full account of what God has in store for this wicked world.
The authority of this book is shown by it being in God’s right hand. Once a book is printed, there is no going back and changing it. In the same manner, there is no changing the great tribulation that God has in store for this planet and those who reject Him.
Revelation 5:1
5 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
The seven seals show just how secret and secure the contents of this book are. This is much like the Nuclear Launch codes today. As each seal is broken, more of the future is revealed.
Revelation 5:2
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
Imagine this strong angel as circus announcer asking all over, trying to find somebody with the strength to open the seals in the book so the future can be revealed.
Revelation 5:3
3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon
This gives us the impression that many tried to open it, but no one could.
None in Heaven….not the angels, as majestic, powerful, and strong as they are.
None in Earth…not the most intelligent person on the planet. No magician. No Preacher. Not the strongest person on Earth. Not the strongest animal. None under the Earth…none of the fallen angels and not even Satan himself. Under the Earth is also used as a theory that hell is located in the center of the earth.
Revelation 5:4
4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
As we would, John wanted to see and know what the future held. He was greatly dismayed when he could not find out. Like John, The more we see of God, the more we will want to know about Him.
Revelation 5:5
5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
“One of the elders” refers to one of the redeemed. The Lord has revealed to His church who is worthy to open the book. We have experienced something that no other creature has experienced in redemption.
“The Lion of the tribe of Judah, The Root of David” is referring to Jesus. Lion symbolizes his power and authority. Root of David shows how He came from the lineage of King David. Jesus proved Himself worthy by living a perfect life, dying on the cross, and conquering death by rising again.
DON’T MISS THIS POINT: Only Jesus can be trusted with the world’s future!!!
Revelation 5:6
6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Jesus as a Lamb is symbolic of His submission to God’s will. In the Old Testament, lambs were sacrificed for the sins of the people. Jesus Christ The Lamb was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all mankind and now no more sacrifices were needed. “As it had been slain” shows that Jesus still today carries the scars from His crucifixion and He will keep these scars for all eternity as a reminder of what He did for us on Calvary.
If Jesus feels the need to keep His scars, why are we so quick to try to erase our past scars? They serve to remind us of how Jesus brought us through.
The seven horns symbolize strength and power. Although Christ was a sacrificial lamb, He was in no ways weak. The seven eyes show how He knows exactly what was going on the whole time the trial/crucifixion was happening. Jesus was in control even though to the world, things appeared completely out of His control.
The Seven Spirits of God show how Jesus had the Holy Spirit with Him.
“In the midst of the throne…four beasts…elders” shows Jesus proximity to God. He is nearer than all. Thus He is the mediator between God and man.
1 Timothy 2:5
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Revelation 5:7
7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
Christ didn’t take the book from God’s hand by trickery or force. Instead He prevailed to do it. He prevailed by His worthiness, authority, and the appointment(will) of God The Father.
It is the delight and desire of Christ to reveal to man the will of God the Father.
Luke 10:22
22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.
Revelation 5:8
8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
It brought joy to Heaven for Christ to prevail and be able to open the book. What was the object of the worship? The Lamb(Jesus Christ). Christ should always be who/what we worship. Not the preacher, not the church, not the denomination or anything else.
If you have always wanted to play an instrument, you will get to in Heaven as all the redeemed play harps. The golden vials full of the prayers of saints show how our prayers carry on and linger. Prayers and Praise should always go together.
Revelation 5:9-12
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
We’ve already discussed why The Lamb is worthy. He prevailed. He lived a perfect life, overcame temptation, gave His life, won the battle, He defeated Satan at Calvary. He rose from the dead. He conquered death, hell, and grave.
But what is He worthy of? There are some things that Jesus, the Lamb, is worthy of, and we may or may not be giving it to Him properly.
Jesus is worthy to receive power—authority over us. Who rules you? Some say spouse…..some say parents….some say boss…..some say government…..but Jesus is the ultimate authority…by Him that Kings, presidents, rule and reign. Hopefully you can see what kind of mess we make when we don’t let Him rule our lives. Have you let Jesus rule your life? Have you let Him have authority over your life?
What about freedom? Yes we have free will to choose. We are not robots. Our freedom was bought with a price, so we must submit to His authority. Here’s the good news….if we do, we will be successful!
Jesus is worthy to receive riches…our tithes and offerings. We hear all the time about worthy causes. There are lots of good causes out there…..but what could be more worthy than giving back to Jesus?
Jesus is worthy to receive wisdom. He already has wisdom, so in Revelation 5:12, this is referring to our wisdom….our intellect working on His behalf. Are we thinking about ways we can be more effective for Him?
One thing I loved about Yellow Creek while I was pastor there, we were not afraid to try things that are out of the box….car shows, back to school splashes, catfish round-up, youth deer hunter classic, etc. Are you thinking about people you can invite to church? Are you thinking about ways you can get them to church? This is what Revelation 5:12 means when it says Jesus is worthy to receive our wisdom.
Jesus is worthy to receive strength……are you exerting effort on His behalf? He’s worthy for us to work for. We spend lots of effort playing sports and doing other things. That’s what we are supposed to do also for The Lamb…exert effort…giving Him our strength. He’s worthy to receive it.
Worthy to receive honor….respect…some of us do not respect The Lamb, Jesus, like we are supposed to. We have a very casual attitude. Jesus deserves and demands our respect.
Jesus is worthy to receive glory…..our praise….if you want to bring a little heaven to earth, start praising Him. It’s what we are going to be doing for all eternity in Heaven. We have lots to praise Him for.
Jesus is worthy to receive our blessing……we are all the time asking God for His blessings on our life…..but we are supposed to be blessing The Lord with our lives.
Where has this devo hit you today?
Have some of us not been giving Jesus the power or authority over our life?
Have some of us not been giving Jesus our riches….our money?
Have some of us not been giving The Lamb our wisdom or using the intelligence He gave us to think about ways we can be more effective for Him?
Have some of us not been giving The Lamb our strength….oh we will give our money….we’ll pray, but don’t ask us to work or exert any effort.
Have we been giving The Lamb the honor He’s worthy of….the respect He deserves?
Have we been giving The Lamb the glory or praise He is worthy of? We are quick to complain, but instead of complaining, we should be praising.
Challenge: Give everything to The Lamb(Jesus Christ) that He is worthy to receive today.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
We received another $200 toward our goal of sending 10 processed hogs to the Tennessee Baptist Boys Ranch, The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes in Brentwood & Chattanooga, Bethesda Mission in Erin, The Good Samaritan Center in Dover, and The Help Center in Dickson. This brings our total to $2842 out of $4000 needed. Thank you to everyone who has helped us in this endeavor to provide much needed pork to needy children and families. You are a tremendous blessing to me and The Kingdom of God.
Now for today’s devo…..
Read Revelation 5
Chapter 5 is a continuation of Chapter 4’s glimpse into the throne room of Heaven. Books in this time period were written on what we call scrolls today. This book in Revelation 5:1 contains the full account of what God has in store for this wicked world.
The authority of this book is shown by it being in God’s right hand. Once a book is printed, there is no going back and changing it. In the same manner, there is no changing the great tribulation that God has in store for this planet and those who reject Him.
Revelation 5:1
5 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
The seven seals show just how secret and secure the contents of this book are. This is much like the Nuclear Launch codes today. As each seal is broken, more of the future is revealed.
Revelation 5:2
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
Imagine this strong angel as circus announcer asking all over, trying to find somebody with the strength to open the seals in the book so the future can be revealed.
Revelation 5:3
3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon
This gives us the impression that many tried to open it, but no one could.
None in Heaven….not the angels, as majestic, powerful, and strong as they are.
None in Earth…not the most intelligent person on the planet. No magician. No Preacher. Not the strongest person on Earth. Not the strongest animal. None under the Earth…none of the fallen angels and not even Satan himself. Under the Earth is also used as a theory that hell is located in the center of the earth.
Revelation 5:4
4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
As we would, John wanted to see and know what the future held. He was greatly dismayed when he could not find out. Like John, The more we see of God, the more we will want to know about Him.
Revelation 5:5
5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
“One of the elders” refers to one of the redeemed. The Lord has revealed to His church who is worthy to open the book. We have experienced something that no other creature has experienced in redemption.
“The Lion of the tribe of Judah, The Root of David” is referring to Jesus. Lion symbolizes his power and authority. Root of David shows how He came from the lineage of King David. Jesus proved Himself worthy by living a perfect life, dying on the cross, and conquering death by rising again.
DON’T MISS THIS POINT: Only Jesus can be trusted with the world’s future!!!
Revelation 5:6
6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Jesus as a Lamb is symbolic of His submission to God’s will. In the Old Testament, lambs were sacrificed for the sins of the people. Jesus Christ The Lamb was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all mankind and now no more sacrifices were needed. “As it had been slain” shows that Jesus still today carries the scars from His crucifixion and He will keep these scars for all eternity as a reminder of what He did for us on Calvary.
If Jesus feels the need to keep His scars, why are we so quick to try to erase our past scars? They serve to remind us of how Jesus brought us through.
The seven horns symbolize strength and power. Although Christ was a sacrificial lamb, He was in no ways weak. The seven eyes show how He knows exactly what was going on the whole time the trial/crucifixion was happening. Jesus was in control even though to the world, things appeared completely out of His control.
The Seven Spirits of God show how Jesus had the Holy Spirit with Him.
“In the midst of the throne…four beasts…elders” shows Jesus proximity to God. He is nearer than all. Thus He is the mediator between God and man.
1 Timothy 2:5
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Revelation 5:7
7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
Christ didn’t take the book from God’s hand by trickery or force. Instead He prevailed to do it. He prevailed by His worthiness, authority, and the appointment(will) of God The Father.
It is the delight and desire of Christ to reveal to man the will of God the Father.
Luke 10:22
22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.
Revelation 5:8
8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
It brought joy to Heaven for Christ to prevail and be able to open the book. What was the object of the worship? The Lamb(Jesus Christ). Christ should always be who/what we worship. Not the preacher, not the church, not the denomination or anything else.
If you have always wanted to play an instrument, you will get to in Heaven as all the redeemed play harps. The golden vials full of the prayers of saints show how our prayers carry on and linger. Prayers and Praise should always go together.
Revelation 5:9-12
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
We’ve already discussed why The Lamb is worthy. He prevailed. He lived a perfect life, overcame temptation, gave His life, won the battle, He defeated Satan at Calvary. He rose from the dead. He conquered death, hell, and grave.
But what is He worthy of? There are some things that Jesus, the Lamb, is worthy of, and we may or may not be giving it to Him properly.
Jesus is worthy to receive power—authority over us. Who rules you? Some say spouse…..some say parents….some say boss…..some say government…..but Jesus is the ultimate authority…by Him that Kings, presidents, rule and reign. Hopefully you can see what kind of mess we make when we don’t let Him rule our lives. Have you let Jesus rule your life? Have you let Him have authority over your life?
What about freedom? Yes we have free will to choose. We are not robots. Our freedom was bought with a price, so we must submit to His authority. Here’s the good news….if we do, we will be successful!
Jesus is worthy to receive riches…our tithes and offerings. We hear all the time about worthy causes. There are lots of good causes out there…..but what could be more worthy than giving back to Jesus?
Jesus is worthy to receive wisdom. He already has wisdom, so in Revelation 5:12, this is referring to our wisdom….our intellect working on His behalf. Are we thinking about ways we can be more effective for Him?
One thing I loved about Yellow Creek while I was pastor there, we were not afraid to try things that are out of the box….car shows, back to school splashes, catfish round-up, youth deer hunter classic, etc. Are you thinking about people you can invite to church? Are you thinking about ways you can get them to church? This is what Revelation 5:12 means when it says Jesus is worthy to receive our wisdom.
Jesus is worthy to receive strength……are you exerting effort on His behalf? He’s worthy for us to work for. We spend lots of effort playing sports and doing other things. That’s what we are supposed to do also for The Lamb…exert effort…giving Him our strength. He’s worthy to receive it.
Worthy to receive honor….respect…some of us do not respect The Lamb, Jesus, like we are supposed to. We have a very casual attitude. Jesus deserves and demands our respect.
Jesus is worthy to receive glory…..our praise….if you want to bring a little heaven to earth, start praising Him. It’s what we are going to be doing for all eternity in Heaven. We have lots to praise Him for.
Jesus is worthy to receive our blessing……we are all the time asking God for His blessings on our life…..but we are supposed to be blessing The Lord with our lives.
Where has this devo hit you today?
Have some of us not been giving Jesus the power or authority over our life?
Have some of us not been giving Jesus our riches….our money?
Have some of us not been giving The Lamb our wisdom or using the intelligence He gave us to think about ways we can be more effective for Him?
Have some of us not been giving The Lamb our strength….oh we will give our money….we’ll pray, but don’t ask us to work or exert any effort.
Have we been giving The Lamb the honor He’s worthy of….the respect He deserves?
Have we been giving The Lamb the glory or praise He is worthy of? We are quick to complain, but instead of complaining, we should be praising.
Challenge: Give everything to The Lamb(Jesus Christ) that He is worthy to receive today.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 23rd Pray, Read, Worship
Received the following from a faithful reader yesterday……
Hey Bro. Phillip! Thank you again for these daily devotionals. They sure have been speaking and working on several people I’ve been sharing them with, including myself. A few weeks back you challenged us to listen to contemporary music if we enjoyed traditional hymns and vice versa. I kind of shrugged it off thinking ‘’I’ve tried listening to it and I don’t care for it much’’ but slowly started keeping way.fm playing in my truck. Before I knew it, I’d replaced the old country and rock and roll station on Pandora to Casting Crowns. Man oh man you were right! By keeping Christian music playing instead of the drinking/partying country music I was used to listening to while I worked and especially while I mow, has sure helped keep my mind on the right track and not wandering down roads that it shouldn’t be on. Typically when I’m mowing and doing things that don’t require a tremendous amount of thought, I think WAY too much of the future and what it holds. Along with my mind falling back into my past and the demons it has held. It’s amazing at how when you’re listening to people sing Gods praises how hard it is to have sinful thoughts. Thank you again for your time spent on your ministry. I’ll continue praying for you!
AMEN and AMEN!!! This is why I do what I do my friends….thank you for helping me to make a difference in the lives of people every single day.
Now for today’s devo…..
Read Revelation 4
Chapters 4 & 5 give us a glimpse into the Throne Room of Heaven. The word “throne” is mentioned 14 times in Chapter 4, 46 times in Revelation. Why is this significant? God is always in control. No matter what, He is on the throne. The universe is not spinning out of control. He is orchestrating everything.
If Christ would have showed the events of the Great Tribulation first, most would be scared to death. But by showing the Throne Room in Heaven first, we are reassured that God is on the throne and in complete control.
Revelation 4:1
4 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
John was an eyewitness to Chapter 4. This was not something He was told as in Chapters 2 & 3. What John was witnessing is a glimpse of the future.
Many Bible Scholars believe Revelation 4 is symbolic of the Rapture of the church with the Door of Heaven opened, the voice, and the trumpet.
1 Corinthians 15:52
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Revelation 4:2
2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
“In the Spirit” means the Holy Spirit gave John this vision. All understanding of scripture comes from The Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:20-21
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
The “One” on the throne is God the Father.
Revelation 4:3
3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
The Jasper stone here is much like a clear diamond. The Sardine stone is the Ruby. These were the first and last gemstones in the High Priests Breastplate(Exodus 28)
The Rainbow is not like the half circle we see today. It is a completed circle because nothing is incomplete in Heaven. The Rainbow is symbolic of God’s promise(Genesis 9)
So try to imagine this sight…a clear diamond with a beautiful red ruby, a rainbow, and the green emerald. WOW!!!! I am so looking forward to seeing this with my own eyes one day.
Revelation 4:4
4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
Most believe the 24 elders are symbolic of all the redeemed in Heaven. This is based on their clothing(white raiment) and crowns. This would be the redeemed of the Old Testament(12 Tribes of Israel) and New Testament(12 Apostles).
Revelation 4:5
5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Thunderings and lightings has a double meaning here. #1 is the Voice of God.
Exodus 20:18
18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
But it is also symbolic of the coming storm of the Great Tribulation….just like we see thunder and lightning before a storm comes up here.
The Seven Lamps of Fire is the Holy Spirit. Seven is the number of completion.
Revelation 4:6
6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
Glass was very rare in Bible times and clear glass was non-existent. Imagine this crystal clear water reflecting the colors of the Rainbow, Ruby, and Emerald around the throne. Another breathtaking sight.
The Four Beasts are symbolic of the attributes of God. Their eyes show us how God is omnipotent and sees everything.
Luke 8:17
17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
Revelation 4:7
7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
The lion is symbolic of God’s power
The calf is symbolic of God’s faithfulness
The man is symbolic of God’s intelligence
The Eagle is symbolic of God’s sovereignty.
Revelation 4:8
8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Another attribute of God is that He never sleeps.
The job of these beasts was to worship God.
We focus a lot on witnessing for Christ and working for Christ. Why don’t we focus as much on worshipping Christ? This is what we are going to be doing forever. We might as well get started now. Worship is so very important. I hope you sing along with my worship song each day and don’t just listen to me. These recordings were NEVER meant to be a Phillip Chambers solo. I only do one cut….mistakes and all….they are simply meant to facilitate worship.
Revelation 4:9
9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
Not only does God never sleep, but He never will die.
Glory, honor, and thanks are three key components of worship.
Glory….praise
Honor…respect
Thanks…what He’s done for us
Revelation 4:10
10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
This occurs after the Judgment Seat of Christ. We receive our crowns(rewards), then we cast them at the feet of Jesus in worship because He and He alone is worthy of our praise.
Revelation 4:11
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Everything in Heaven and Earth praises God because He is their Creator. How does nature praise God?
We were not created for our own pleasure. We were created for God’s pleasure.
Are you bringing God pleasure by the way you are living your life?
Challenge: Worship God all day long today….don’t just sing our worship song….but praise The Lord all day long….it’s what we are going to be doing for all eternity. Might as well get a head start now!!!
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Received the following from a faithful reader yesterday……
Hey Bro. Phillip! Thank you again for these daily devotionals. They sure have been speaking and working on several people I’ve been sharing them with, including myself. A few weeks back you challenged us to listen to contemporary music if we enjoyed traditional hymns and vice versa. I kind of shrugged it off thinking ‘’I’ve tried listening to it and I don’t care for it much’’ but slowly started keeping way.fm playing in my truck. Before I knew it, I’d replaced the old country and rock and roll station on Pandora to Casting Crowns. Man oh man you were right! By keeping Christian music playing instead of the drinking/partying country music I was used to listening to while I worked and especially while I mow, has sure helped keep my mind on the right track and not wandering down roads that it shouldn’t be on. Typically when I’m mowing and doing things that don’t require a tremendous amount of thought, I think WAY too much of the future and what it holds. Along with my mind falling back into my past and the demons it has held. It’s amazing at how when you’re listening to people sing Gods praises how hard it is to have sinful thoughts. Thank you again for your time spent on your ministry. I’ll continue praying for you!
AMEN and AMEN!!! This is why I do what I do my friends….thank you for helping me to make a difference in the lives of people every single day.
Now for today’s devo…..
Read Revelation 4
Chapters 4 & 5 give us a glimpse into the Throne Room of Heaven. The word “throne” is mentioned 14 times in Chapter 4, 46 times in Revelation. Why is this significant? God is always in control. No matter what, He is on the throne. The universe is not spinning out of control. He is orchestrating everything.
If Christ would have showed the events of the Great Tribulation first, most would be scared to death. But by showing the Throne Room in Heaven first, we are reassured that God is on the throne and in complete control.
Revelation 4:1
4 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
John was an eyewitness to Chapter 4. This was not something He was told as in Chapters 2 & 3. What John was witnessing is a glimpse of the future.
Many Bible Scholars believe Revelation 4 is symbolic of the Rapture of the church with the Door of Heaven opened, the voice, and the trumpet.
1 Corinthians 15:52
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Revelation 4:2
2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
“In the Spirit” means the Holy Spirit gave John this vision. All understanding of scripture comes from The Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:20-21
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
The “One” on the throne is God the Father.
Revelation 4:3
3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
The Jasper stone here is much like a clear diamond. The Sardine stone is the Ruby. These were the first and last gemstones in the High Priests Breastplate(Exodus 28)
The Rainbow is not like the half circle we see today. It is a completed circle because nothing is incomplete in Heaven. The Rainbow is symbolic of God’s promise(Genesis 9)
So try to imagine this sight…a clear diamond with a beautiful red ruby, a rainbow, and the green emerald. WOW!!!! I am so looking forward to seeing this with my own eyes one day.
Revelation 4:4
4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
Most believe the 24 elders are symbolic of all the redeemed in Heaven. This is based on their clothing(white raiment) and crowns. This would be the redeemed of the Old Testament(12 Tribes of Israel) and New Testament(12 Apostles).
Revelation 4:5
5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Thunderings and lightings has a double meaning here. #1 is the Voice of God.
Exodus 20:18
18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
But it is also symbolic of the coming storm of the Great Tribulation….just like we see thunder and lightning before a storm comes up here.
The Seven Lamps of Fire is the Holy Spirit. Seven is the number of completion.
Revelation 4:6
6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
Glass was very rare in Bible times and clear glass was non-existent. Imagine this crystal clear water reflecting the colors of the Rainbow, Ruby, and Emerald around the throne. Another breathtaking sight.
The Four Beasts are symbolic of the attributes of God. Their eyes show us how God is omnipotent and sees everything.
Luke 8:17
17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
Revelation 4:7
7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
The lion is symbolic of God’s power
The calf is symbolic of God’s faithfulness
The man is symbolic of God’s intelligence
The Eagle is symbolic of God’s sovereignty.
Revelation 4:8
8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Another attribute of God is that He never sleeps.
The job of these beasts was to worship God.
We focus a lot on witnessing for Christ and working for Christ. Why don’t we focus as much on worshipping Christ? This is what we are going to be doing forever. We might as well get started now. Worship is so very important. I hope you sing along with my worship song each day and don’t just listen to me. These recordings were NEVER meant to be a Phillip Chambers solo. I only do one cut….mistakes and all….they are simply meant to facilitate worship.
Revelation 4:9
9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
Not only does God never sleep, but He never will die.
Glory, honor, and thanks are three key components of worship.
Glory….praise
Honor…respect
Thanks…what He’s done for us
Revelation 4:10
10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
This occurs after the Judgment Seat of Christ. We receive our crowns(rewards), then we cast them at the feet of Jesus in worship because He and He alone is worthy of our praise.
Revelation 4:11
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Everything in Heaven and Earth praises God because He is their Creator. How does nature praise God?
We were not created for our own pleasure. We were created for God’s pleasure.
Are you bringing God pleasure by the way you are living your life?
Challenge: Worship God all day long today….don’t just sing our worship song….but praise The Lord all day long….it’s what we are going to be doing for all eternity. Might as well get a head start now!!!
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 22nd Pray, Read, Worship
Read Revelation 3
Revelation 3:1
3 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
As we know from Chapter 1, the seven Spirits of God are the Holy Spirit. What is the significance of mentioning the Holy Spirit? Many churches try to grow through programs. But unless the Holy Spirit is present, true growth will not take place.
The way we conduct ourselves can grieve the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 4:30
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
This will also hinder the growth of a church. What are some things churches do to grieve the Holy Spirit?
The seven stars in Chapter 3, Verse 1 is referring to the angels of the churches and how God is in control of the Pastors. Sometimes, the Pastor is the problem hindering growth and God will move them around. How can a Pastor hinder the growth of a church?
“hast a name that thou livest, and art dead” is referring to the people in the church being hypocrites. The Bible gives strong language against hypocrites.
Job 27:8
8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?
Matthew 23:14-15
14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
Why such strong language against hypocrites? Because in my opinion, hypocrites are the single greatest barrier to people coming to faith in Christ.
Revelation 3:2
2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
“Be watchful” has a two fold meaning. First, to be on the lookout for sin in our lives and not be asleep at the wheel.
Matthew 26:41
41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Secondly, to be watchful for the Rapture & Second Coming of Christ.
Matthew 25:13
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
1 Thessalonians 5:6
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
“Strengthen the things which remain” talks about how the need is not necessarily a new program, but to take care of what The Lord has blessed you with. If we don’t, the things The Lord has blessed us with will die.
Revelation 3:3
3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
The Bible does not say Remember what you received and heard….it says, remember HOW you received and heard. In what condition were you before you received Christ? How did you get saved? Who told you?
“Come on thee as a thief” shows the suddenness with which Christ will rapture His church away and return. Many people live like God is going to give them a 2 minute warning as in football. But that is simply not how it works.
1 Corinthians 15:52
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Revelation 3:4
4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
Despite the hypocrites in Sardis, there was still a faithful remnant. The Lord will hold back punishment on a place for the sake of the faithful remnant. The Lord was willing to save Sodom and Gomorrah if there were just 10 faithful people there.
Genesis 18:32
32 And he said, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.
Could this be why The Lord has not allowed America to be destroyed yet? I believe so with all my heart!!
Revelation 3:5
5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
“blot out his name out of the book of life” does not mean we can lose our salvation. Our names have been in the book since before the beginning of time. They are only blotted out when we reject Christ.
Revelation 17:8
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
This is another way we know that babies are in Heaven. Their name has been in the book of life since the foundation of the world….they never had a chance to reject Christ….therefore, they are in Heaven waiting on us to get there.
“Confess His name before my Father, and before His angels” refers to what Jesus will or will not do for us depending on whether we have accepted or rejected Him.
Matthew 10:32-33
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
Revelation 3:7
7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
Jesus is completely holy. What does it mean to be holy? To be completely dedicated or consecrated to God.
Jesus is completely true. Nothing in or about Him is false or a lie.
The Key of David refers to Jesus ability to open & close the door of salvation to people. Once open, nobody can shut it. Once closed, nobody can open it.
Matthew 9:13b
13 …… for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
1 Corinthians 12:3
3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
Revelation 3:8
8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
The open door in Verse 8 can refer to a ministry opportunity. Though the gates of hell come against the church, it will prevail.
Matthew 16:18
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Even though we have little strength to keep the ministry opportunity open, The Lord will keep it open for us if we keep His word and do not deny His name.
Revelation 3:9
9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
In this verse, Christ tells the church in Philadelphia that He would make their enemies subject to them.
Psalm 23:5
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Who were the enemies of the church? People who claimed to be Jews, but were not. Our lineage and heritage does not make us a Christian. People may be born Jewish or Catholic, but they are not born Christian.
Who are some of the greatest enemies of the church today? People who claim to be Christians but are not!!!
Revelation 3:10
10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Who’s patience is it? Jesus. Christ is patient with the world when it comes to salvation. He gives us chance after chance, opportunity after opportunity.
“Keep thee from the hour of temptation” can have multiple meanings. Some believe it means to strengthen the church during trials and trouble. However, I believe it is yet more proof that we Christians will be raptured away so we don’t have to endure the Great Tribulation of Revelation 4-19.
Matthew 24:21-22
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
Revelation 3:11
11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Where are we given crowns in scripture? At The Judgment Seat of Christ. This verse tells us to keep doing what we are doing for Christ until He comes. Otherwise, we will feel the loss of a crown at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Revelation 3:12
12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
In Revelation 21, we are ushered into our eternal heavenly home in the New Jerusalem. We will never leave from there for all eternity. Everything will be new there.
As a pillar, we are not there to support the temple; But as a monument to the grace of God upon mankind. This monument will never be removed as some monuments have been done recently. Upon the monument will be inscriptions, as is the normal practice.
“Name of my God”…who we served.
“Name of the city of my God”…where we ended up…
“My new name”….the Captain we followed and took orders from.
Revelation 3:14
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
Jesus is the truth and He always speaks the truth whether people like it or agree with it. Jesus was about to tell the church of Laodicea what their problem was whether they believed it or not. It is our job not to stick our heads in the sand about problems but to agree with God, acknowledge them, and then work on correcting them.
As a God called Preacher, This is part of my job….
2 Timothy 4:2
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
Its also part of our job as Christians….
Galatians 6:1
6 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Likewise, we must be willing to accept rebuke from others when we deserve it.
Ecclesiastes 7:5
5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.
“The beginning of the creation of God” in Revelation 3:14 does not mean that Jesus was the first thing God created. It means that Jesus was the agent of God’s creation. We know this is true from John 1.
John 1:1-3
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
I also infer that “Amen” and “beginning” in Revelation 3:14 refers to how Jesus knows not only our beginning, but also our ending.
Hebrews 12:2
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;
If Jesus can see through time all the way to our end, and if we know He only wants what’s best for us….
Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Then why do we have such a hard time trusting Him?
Revelation 3:15
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Jesus was known in His ministry to use object lessons. In John 15, it is believed that Jesus and the disciples were walking by a vine on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane. In Matthew 24, it is believed He and the disciples were walking by a fig tree. The same is true here in Revelation 3:15. Laodicea was known for its luke-warm water among other things. Water flowed down to the town from the mountains and was also brought in from hot springs. By the time either got to Laodicea, they were both luke-warm.
In the exact same way, Jesus was telling the church they were just like their water…neither cold or hot and He would prefer them to either be cold or hot.
The results of being luke-warm were devastating….
Revelation 3:16
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Why would Jesus prefer you to be cold rather than luke-warm? Because it is easier for a sinner to see their sin than someone who thinks they are a Christian, but in name only.
The luke-warm Christian is comfortable, complacent, and does not realize his need. If he were cold, at least he would feel cold!!
Revelation 3:17
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
How do you refresh a luke-warm cup of coffee? Pour some hot coffee in there. How do you refresh a luke-warm glass of tea? Pour some iced tea in there. In a similar fashion, the church in Laodicea needed a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to get them on fire for God again. But they thought they didn’t need anything because they were “rich, and increased with goods”.
This is a perfect picture of the church in America today. Because of this, The Lord views the American church as wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. We often view our success by worldly standards(bank accounts/buildings) than by spiritual standards(souls saved/lives changed/disciples made).
What was the solution for the church in Laodicea? What’s the solution for the church in America?
Revelation 3:18
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
The Laodicean church needed some tribulation(fire) to draw them back to The Lord. Nothing will set us on fire again as to when we are at the end of our rope, nothing can help us but The Lord, and He does.
1 Peter 1:7
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Instead of striving for and deriving satisfaction from material things, the Laodicean church needed their eyes opened to the eternal value of spiritual blessings.
Revelation 3:19
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Jesus will rebuke and chasten us for being lukewarm spiritually. Why? Not to punish us, but to bring us closer to an on fire relationship with Him. We can avoid God’s discipline by drawing near to Him in confession, service, worship, and studying His word.
Revelation 3:20
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Jesus is a gentleman. He will not break into your heart. He only comes in if we let Him in. He was knocking on the door of the hearts in the Laodecian church asking to come into their fellowship. But they were too busy pursuing other things to let Him in.
How about you? Are we too busy to let God into our fellowship?
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Revelation 3
Revelation 3:1
3 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
As we know from Chapter 1, the seven Spirits of God are the Holy Spirit. What is the significance of mentioning the Holy Spirit? Many churches try to grow through programs. But unless the Holy Spirit is present, true growth will not take place.
The way we conduct ourselves can grieve the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 4:30
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
This will also hinder the growth of a church. What are some things churches do to grieve the Holy Spirit?
The seven stars in Chapter 3, Verse 1 is referring to the angels of the churches and how God is in control of the Pastors. Sometimes, the Pastor is the problem hindering growth and God will move them around. How can a Pastor hinder the growth of a church?
“hast a name that thou livest, and art dead” is referring to the people in the church being hypocrites. The Bible gives strong language against hypocrites.
Job 27:8
8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?
Matthew 23:14-15
14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
Why such strong language against hypocrites? Because in my opinion, hypocrites are the single greatest barrier to people coming to faith in Christ.
Revelation 3:2
2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
“Be watchful” has a two fold meaning. First, to be on the lookout for sin in our lives and not be asleep at the wheel.
Matthew 26:41
41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Secondly, to be watchful for the Rapture & Second Coming of Christ.
Matthew 25:13
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
1 Thessalonians 5:6
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
“Strengthen the things which remain” talks about how the need is not necessarily a new program, but to take care of what The Lord has blessed you with. If we don’t, the things The Lord has blessed us with will die.
Revelation 3:3
3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
The Bible does not say Remember what you received and heard….it says, remember HOW you received and heard. In what condition were you before you received Christ? How did you get saved? Who told you?
“Come on thee as a thief” shows the suddenness with which Christ will rapture His church away and return. Many people live like God is going to give them a 2 minute warning as in football. But that is simply not how it works.
1 Corinthians 15:52
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Revelation 3:4
4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
Despite the hypocrites in Sardis, there was still a faithful remnant. The Lord will hold back punishment on a place for the sake of the faithful remnant. The Lord was willing to save Sodom and Gomorrah if there were just 10 faithful people there.
Genesis 18:32
32 And he said, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.
Could this be why The Lord has not allowed America to be destroyed yet? I believe so with all my heart!!
Revelation 3:5
5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
“blot out his name out of the book of life” does not mean we can lose our salvation. Our names have been in the book since before the beginning of time. They are only blotted out when we reject Christ.
Revelation 17:8
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
This is another way we know that babies are in Heaven. Their name has been in the book of life since the foundation of the world….they never had a chance to reject Christ….therefore, they are in Heaven waiting on us to get there.
“Confess His name before my Father, and before His angels” refers to what Jesus will or will not do for us depending on whether we have accepted or rejected Him.
Matthew 10:32-33
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
Revelation 3:7
7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
Jesus is completely holy. What does it mean to be holy? To be completely dedicated or consecrated to God.
Jesus is completely true. Nothing in or about Him is false or a lie.
The Key of David refers to Jesus ability to open & close the door of salvation to people. Once open, nobody can shut it. Once closed, nobody can open it.
Matthew 9:13b
13 …… for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
1 Corinthians 12:3
3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
Revelation 3:8
8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
The open door in Verse 8 can refer to a ministry opportunity. Though the gates of hell come against the church, it will prevail.
Matthew 16:18
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Even though we have little strength to keep the ministry opportunity open, The Lord will keep it open for us if we keep His word and do not deny His name.
Revelation 3:9
9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
In this verse, Christ tells the church in Philadelphia that He would make their enemies subject to them.
Psalm 23:5
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Who were the enemies of the church? People who claimed to be Jews, but were not. Our lineage and heritage does not make us a Christian. People may be born Jewish or Catholic, but they are not born Christian.
Who are some of the greatest enemies of the church today? People who claim to be Christians but are not!!!
Revelation 3:10
10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Who’s patience is it? Jesus. Christ is patient with the world when it comes to salvation. He gives us chance after chance, opportunity after opportunity.
“Keep thee from the hour of temptation” can have multiple meanings. Some believe it means to strengthen the church during trials and trouble. However, I believe it is yet more proof that we Christians will be raptured away so we don’t have to endure the Great Tribulation of Revelation 4-19.
Matthew 24:21-22
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
Revelation 3:11
11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Where are we given crowns in scripture? At The Judgment Seat of Christ. This verse tells us to keep doing what we are doing for Christ until He comes. Otherwise, we will feel the loss of a crown at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Revelation 3:12
12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
In Revelation 21, we are ushered into our eternal heavenly home in the New Jerusalem. We will never leave from there for all eternity. Everything will be new there.
As a pillar, we are not there to support the temple; But as a monument to the grace of God upon mankind. This monument will never be removed as some monuments have been done recently. Upon the monument will be inscriptions, as is the normal practice.
“Name of my God”…who we served.
“Name of the city of my God”…where we ended up…
“My new name”….the Captain we followed and took orders from.
Revelation 3:14
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
Jesus is the truth and He always speaks the truth whether people like it or agree with it. Jesus was about to tell the church of Laodicea what their problem was whether they believed it or not. It is our job not to stick our heads in the sand about problems but to agree with God, acknowledge them, and then work on correcting them.
As a God called Preacher, This is part of my job….
2 Timothy 4:2
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
Its also part of our job as Christians….
Galatians 6:1
6 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Likewise, we must be willing to accept rebuke from others when we deserve it.
Ecclesiastes 7:5
5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.
“The beginning of the creation of God” in Revelation 3:14 does not mean that Jesus was the first thing God created. It means that Jesus was the agent of God’s creation. We know this is true from John 1.
John 1:1-3
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
I also infer that “Amen” and “beginning” in Revelation 3:14 refers to how Jesus knows not only our beginning, but also our ending.
Hebrews 12:2
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;
If Jesus can see through time all the way to our end, and if we know He only wants what’s best for us….
Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Then why do we have such a hard time trusting Him?
Revelation 3:15
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Jesus was known in His ministry to use object lessons. In John 15, it is believed that Jesus and the disciples were walking by a vine on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane. In Matthew 24, it is believed He and the disciples were walking by a fig tree. The same is true here in Revelation 3:15. Laodicea was known for its luke-warm water among other things. Water flowed down to the town from the mountains and was also brought in from hot springs. By the time either got to Laodicea, they were both luke-warm.
In the exact same way, Jesus was telling the church they were just like their water…neither cold or hot and He would prefer them to either be cold or hot.
The results of being luke-warm were devastating….
Revelation 3:16
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Why would Jesus prefer you to be cold rather than luke-warm? Because it is easier for a sinner to see their sin than someone who thinks they are a Christian, but in name only.
The luke-warm Christian is comfortable, complacent, and does not realize his need. If he were cold, at least he would feel cold!!
Revelation 3:17
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
How do you refresh a luke-warm cup of coffee? Pour some hot coffee in there. How do you refresh a luke-warm glass of tea? Pour some iced tea in there. In a similar fashion, the church in Laodicea needed a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to get them on fire for God again. But they thought they didn’t need anything because they were “rich, and increased with goods”.
This is a perfect picture of the church in America today. Because of this, The Lord views the American church as wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. We often view our success by worldly standards(bank accounts/buildings) than by spiritual standards(souls saved/lives changed/disciples made).
What was the solution for the church in Laodicea? What’s the solution for the church in America?
Revelation 3:18
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
The Laodicean church needed some tribulation(fire) to draw them back to The Lord. Nothing will set us on fire again as to when we are at the end of our rope, nothing can help us but The Lord, and He does.
1 Peter 1:7
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Instead of striving for and deriving satisfaction from material things, the Laodicean church needed their eyes opened to the eternal value of spiritual blessings.
Revelation 3:19
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Jesus will rebuke and chasten us for being lukewarm spiritually. Why? Not to punish us, but to bring us closer to an on fire relationship with Him. We can avoid God’s discipline by drawing near to Him in confession, service, worship, and studying His word.
Revelation 3:20
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Jesus is a gentleman. He will not break into your heart. He only comes in if we let Him in. He was knocking on the door of the hearts in the Laodecian church asking to come into their fellowship. But they were too busy pursuing other things to let Him in.
How about you? Are we too busy to let God into our fellowship?
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 21st Pray, Read, Worship
We received another $200 toward our goal of sending 10 processed hogs to the Tennessee Baptist Boys Ranch, The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes in Brentwood & Chattanooga, Bethesda Mission in Erin, The Good Samaritan Center in Dover, and The Help Center in Dickson. This brings our total to $2642 out of $4000 needed. Thank you to everyone who has helped us in this endeavor to provide much needed pork to needy children and families. You are a tremendous blessing to me and The Kingdom of God.
As a reminder….
Each hog will provide between 160-200 pounds of meat. I’m doing all the work on my end for free to include providing the feed, etc. I just need you to help me out with everything else.
If you would be willing to donate toward the $4000 we need to raise in order to provide these children and others with fresh pork, please Private Message me, go to Google Pay or Paypal(chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com ) and donate, or send your contribution to:
Chambers Family Ministries
5288 Chambers Road
Cumberland Furnace, TN 37051
I will give you full disclosure on how much we raise….and if we raise more than $4000, we will do more hogs or other things to help these fine organizations out. Like I said, I do not want to make a penny off of this.
Thanks again for your faithful support of Chambers Family Ministries and the kingdom work we are seeking to accomplish.
Now for our devo…
Read Revelation 2
After commending the church in Ephesus in Verses 2 & 3, Jesus gives a complaint against them in Verse 4 & 5
Revelation 2:4-5
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
The church in Ephesus was so busy doing work for the Kingdom, they had forgotten why they were doing the work in the first place. Jesus was calling them to repent and go back to their first love quickly or else He was going to come and remove their candlestick from His presence. They would still have a candlestick….they would still have a church…but Jesus wouldn’t be in the middle of it anymore because He isn’t the first love or the top priority of people in the church.
Have you ever seen this happen to a church?
Are any of us in this boat today?
Have we lost focus of our first love?
What is our first love?
If we realize we have turned away from our first love, we must act quickly to repent and return. Time is too short for us to be messing around.
Revelation 2:6
6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
Before we can understand Verse 6, we need to know what God hates. We find that in Proverbs 6.
Proverbs 6:16-19
16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
We don’t know much about the Nicolaitanes…but here’s what we do know:
1. They loved the position of power they had in the church.
2. They hated Christian doctrine, theology, and deeds.
3. They set up divisions in the church between “clergy” and “laity”. This was never intended to be so.
These actions helped to sow discord and division among the church. From the very beginning, The Lord has wanted His church to dwell together in unity not division.
Psalm 133:1
133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Mark 3:25
25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
Revelation 2:7
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” could be translated….PAY ATTENTION to what I’m saying. We do well to pay attention to what The Bible tells us to do. “To him that overcometh” shows us that the Christian walk is a race and we should never, ever give up or give in.
2 Timothy 4:7-8
7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Just as the Holy Spirit revealed to Paul that there would be a reward for the way He lived his life, Jesus tells us in Revelation 2:7 that there will be a reward for us as well. “will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”
Revelation 2:8
8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
As before, first and last denotes this message is coming straight from Jesus Christ. Jesus gives us life and He knows when we will die. We must remember that we are not going to live on this Earth forever.
Psalm 90:12
12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
What have you done in your life so far that will count for Christ?
What do you want to do with the rest of your life that will count for Christ?
Revelation 2:9
9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
“I know thy works”….as before, Jesus tells the church in Smyrna that He knows the work they are doing for Him. Nothing done for the Lord goes unnoticed by Him….including giving as little as a cup of water in His name.
Mark 9:41
41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
Not only does Jesus know the works we do, but He also knows the tribulation or persecution we experience. Again, there is a reward for it.
Matthew 5:10
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
What tribulation, persecution, or sufferings do we endure today in the USA?
What do other believers in other parts of the world endure?
Not only does Jesus know our works and tribulation, He also knows our social status and how much money we have in the bank. In the case of the Smyrna church, He knew their poverty as the world saw it. But in the eyes of Jesus, they were rich.
James 2:5
5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
Blasphemy is the act of showing contempt or lack of reverence for God. The believers in Smyrna were being talked bad about by people who said they were Jews, but in reality were followers of Satan.
There’s lots of important things here. Many Jews think they are going to Heaven because they were born into a Jewish family. Same for Catholics. This is not true. Each and every one of us must make our own decision for Christ.
Secondly, we must realize that Satan is real. He is not figurative. The fact that some pastors/churches/denominations won’t recognize Satan does not make him a fairy tale.
Thirdly, we must realize that Satan is our enemy, not those who are persecuting us and not those we are in conflict with.
Revelation 2:10
10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Jesus encourages the believers in Smyrna to not be afraid of the sufferings. They may harm their earthly life, but their spiritual life is safe and secure with Christ.
Psalm 56:11
11 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
Psalm 118:6
6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
Jesus tells the church in Smyrna that some of them will be cast into prison and be tried. 10 days denotes that this suffering will be temporary. It will have a beginning and an end. It will not last forever.
By being faithful unto death, the Smyrna believers would be proving their faith in Christ was genuine. And for that genuine faith, they would receive the crown of life.
Revelation 2:11
11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
Very important: Notice that unlike the church in Ephesus, there was no rebuke or complaint to the church in Smyrna. Why? Evidently their suffering kept their faith pure. Instead of wishing we had no suffering, we should be thanking God for it and what it accomplishes in our lives…purifying our faith.
Revelation 2:12
12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
Obviously we know from this verse and the letters to the previous two churches that this is Jesus speaking. But what is the significance of the designation “hath the sharp sword with two edges”? This is referring to The Word of God.
The two edged sword shows the two fold purpose of the Word of God: To purify believers from the world & to convict the world for sin. It is the sword of salvation to the believer & the sword of death to the unbeliever.
Revelation 2:13
13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
As before with the church in Ephesus, a commendation is given before a condemnation. An affirmation before an accusation. As before with both Ephesus & Smyrna, Jesus says He knows their works, but this time He goes a step further and says, “and where thou dwellest.” Jesus not only knows the geographical identity of each church, He also knows the social & cultural climate of the area. Culturally, the church in Pergamos was surrounded by lots of different beliefs that were adverse to the Christian. Are there lots of different beliefs here in the USA that can be adverse to Christians? You better believe it!!
“even where Satan’s seat is” can refer to a couple of different things. Obviously it could refer to the temple for the god Asclepius since his symbol was a serpent.
But I submit it could also refer to the devil having infiltrated the church in Pergamos. He tries to infiltrate every church in order to stir up trouble. He comes into the church through the youngest and weakest members. We must be on the lookout to protect and strengthen the youngest & weakest members of our church family.
Revelation 2:14
14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
The church in Pergamos had compromised. They had allowed people in their church that held to the doctrine of Balaam. The Doctrine of Balaam led Christians away from God.
Numbers 31:16
16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.
In essence, the Christians in Pergamos became neighbors with the cults in the area and worshipped their way on occasion. This is the same thing we see today as compromise.
What are some things we can compromise on?
What are things we cannot compromise on?
Has the church in the USA Compromised like the church in Pergamos?
“eat things sacrificed unto idols” This was forbidden by God.
Exodus 34:14-15
14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
15 Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;
“commit fornication” refers to among other things, intermarriage of religions.
Revelation 2:17
17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
What was manna?
Hidden manna is the spiritual nourishment we receive.
John 6:49-51
49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
The meaning of the white stone is unknown to most Bible scholars.
But the principle of receiving a new name in Heaven is not.
Isaiah 62:2
2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.
In Bible times, our name represents our character. Once we receive Jesus as Saviour, we receive a new character inside of us.
Revelation 2:19
19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
Are the greatest days of our Christian lives ahead of us?
Are the greatest days of our church ahead of us?
Revelation 2:20
20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
It is doubtful that this woman in the church was named Jezebel. More than likely, this is symbolic of how evil she was. Jezebel is one of if not the most evil woman in scripture. She tried to lead Israel away from God and toward her own idols. She threatened The Lord’s Prophet. Jezebel was strong/sincere in her beliefs, but she was sincerely wrong.
So what’s the significance? The church in Thyratia was allowing an evil woman to teach wrong doctrine, threaten the preacher, seduce to idolatry and/or fornication, and commit other sins as if it was no big deal.
I’m learning more and more that churches are just like my herd of cattle. We can have a wild cow on our place….one that won’t come up to eat….one that runs the other way when we try to get up the herd and leads other cows away….one that bullies the other cows around…..and as soon as we round up that wild cow, get rid of her and think we’ve got our herd calmed down….next thing you know…another cow steps up and takes the wild cow’s place.
Well churches are the same way….I’m convinced each church has a Jezebel….a wild cow…..a woman that tries to rule the roost like here in Revelation 2:20 and doesn’t see anything wrong with it.
Revelation 2:21
21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
This verse clearly shows that God gives us the freedom to choose to accept or reject Him. We are not predestined to that. This also shows the mercy of God that He would give such an evil person as Jezebel the opportunity to repent. But this also shows that God’s mercy/patience with us is for a definite period of time. It doesn’t last forever.
Revelation 2:22
22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
“I will” shows that what is going to happen is definite….not probable
“cast her” shows the power of Christ.
“them” shows that it takes 2 to commit adultery
“great tribulation”—hell is a horrible place. If everyone knew how bad hell was, they would repent immediately.
The last phrase, “repent of their deeds” shows that true repentance is not just being sorry, we have to stop doing what we are doing.
Revelation 2:23
23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
Our actions have consequences toward our children.
Numbers 14:18
18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
God was going to use the punishment of adulterers in Thyratia as an example and warning to the other churches.
Revelation 2:24
24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.
If we are following God, we don’t have to worry about God punishing us.
Revelation 2:25
25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
Praise The Lord, Jesus is coming back!!!
Revelation 2:26
26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
After the Second Coming, we will get to rule and reign with Christ.
Revelation 20:6
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
2 Timothy 2:12
12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
Revelation 2:27
27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
This verse is referring to the power of Christ’s judgment over evil.
Revelation 2:28
28 And I will give him the morning star.
The morning star appears just before dawn, when night is coldest and darkest. Christ, The Morning Star, will come back when this world is at its coldest and darkest. Personally, I don’t see how this world could get much colder and darker.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
We received another $200 toward our goal of sending 10 processed hogs to the Tennessee Baptist Boys Ranch, The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes in Brentwood & Chattanooga, Bethesda Mission in Erin, The Good Samaritan Center in Dover, and The Help Center in Dickson. This brings our total to $2642 out of $4000 needed. Thank you to everyone who has helped us in this endeavor to provide much needed pork to needy children and families. You are a tremendous blessing to me and The Kingdom of God.
As a reminder….
Each hog will provide between 160-200 pounds of meat. I’m doing all the work on my end for free to include providing the feed, etc. I just need you to help me out with everything else.
If you would be willing to donate toward the $4000 we need to raise in order to provide these children and others with fresh pork, please Private Message me, go to Google Pay or Paypal(chambersfamilyministrie
Chambers Family Ministries
5288 Chambers Road
Cumberland Furnace, TN 37051
I will give you full disclosure on how much we raise….and if we raise more than $4000, we will do more hogs or other things to help these fine organizations out. Like I said, I do not want to make a penny off of this.
Thanks again for your faithful support of Chambers Family Ministries and the kingdom work we are seeking to accomplish.
Now for our devo…
Read Revelation 2
After commending the church in Ephesus in Verses 2 & 3, Jesus gives a complaint against them in Verse 4 & 5
Revelation 2:4-5
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
The church in Ephesus was so busy doing work for the Kingdom, they had forgotten why they were doing the work in the first place. Jesus was calling them to repent and go back to their first love quickly or else He was going to come and remove their candlestick from His presence. They would still have a candlestick….they would still have a church…but Jesus wouldn’t be in the middle of it anymore because He isn’t the first love or the top priority of people in the church.
Have you ever seen this happen to a church?
Are any of us in this boat today?
Have we lost focus of our first love?
What is our first love?
If we realize we have turned away from our first love, we must act quickly to repent and return. Time is too short for us to be messing around.
Revelation 2:6
6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
Before we can understand Verse 6, we need to know what God hates. We find that in Proverbs 6.
Proverbs 6:16-19
16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
We don’t know much about the Nicolaitanes…but here’s what we do know:
1. They loved the position of power they had in the church.
2. They hated Christian doctrine, theology, and deeds.
3. They set up divisions in the church between “clergy” and “laity”. This was never intended to be so.
These actions helped to sow discord and division among the church. From the very beginning, The Lord has wanted His church to dwell together in unity not division.
Psalm 133:1
133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Mark 3:25
25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
Revelation 2:7
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” could be translated….PAY ATTENTION to what I’m saying. We do well to pay attention to what The Bible tells us to do. “To him that overcometh” shows us that the Christian walk is a race and we should never, ever give up or give in.
2 Timothy 4:7-8
7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Just as the Holy Spirit revealed to Paul that there would be a reward for the way He lived his life, Jesus tells us in Revelation 2:7 that there will be a reward for us as well. “will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”
Revelation 2:8
8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
As before, first and last denotes this message is coming straight from Jesus Christ. Jesus gives us life and He knows when we will die. We must remember that we are not going to live on this Earth forever.
Psalm 90:12
12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
What have you done in your life so far that will count for Christ?
What do you want to do with the rest of your life that will count for Christ?
Revelation 2:9
9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
“I know thy works”….as before, Jesus tells the church in Smyrna that He knows the work they are doing for Him. Nothing done for the Lord goes unnoticed by Him….including giving as little as a cup of water in His name.
Mark 9:41
41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
Not only does Jesus know the works we do, but He also knows the tribulation or persecution we experience. Again, there is a reward for it.
Matthew 5:10
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
What tribulation, persecution, or sufferings do we endure today in the USA?
What do other believers in other parts of the world endure?
Not only does Jesus know our works and tribulation, He also knows our social status and how much money we have in the bank. In the case of the Smyrna church, He knew their poverty as the world saw it. But in the eyes of Jesus, they were rich.
James 2:5
5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
Blasphemy is the act of showing contempt or lack of reverence for God. The believers in Smyrna were being talked bad about by people who said they were Jews, but in reality were followers of Satan.
There’s lots of important things here. Many Jews think they are going to Heaven because they were born into a Jewish family. Same for Catholics. This is not true. Each and every one of us must make our own decision for Christ.
Secondly, we must realize that Satan is real. He is not figurative. The fact that some pastors/churches/denominations won’t recognize Satan does not make him a fairy tale.
Thirdly, we must realize that Satan is our enemy, not those who are persecuting us and not those we are in conflict with.
Revelation 2:10
10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Jesus encourages the believers in Smyrna to not be afraid of the sufferings. They may harm their earthly life, but their spiritual life is safe and secure with Christ.
Psalm 56:11
11 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
Psalm 118:6
6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
Jesus tells the church in Smyrna that some of them will be cast into prison and be tried. 10 days denotes that this suffering will be temporary. It will have a beginning and an end. It will not last forever.
By being faithful unto death, the Smyrna believers would be proving their faith in Christ was genuine. And for that genuine faith, they would receive the crown of life.
Revelation 2:11
11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
Very important: Notice that unlike the church in Ephesus, there was no rebuke or complaint to the church in Smyrna. Why? Evidently their suffering kept their faith pure. Instead of wishing we had no suffering, we should be thanking God for it and what it accomplishes in our lives…purifying our faith.
Revelation 2:12
12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
Obviously we know from this verse and the letters to the previous two churches that this is Jesus speaking. But what is the significance of the designation “hath the sharp sword with two edges”? This is referring to The Word of God.
The two edged sword shows the two fold purpose of the Word of God: To purify believers from the world & to convict the world for sin. It is the sword of salvation to the believer & the sword of death to the unbeliever.
Revelation 2:13
13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
As before with the church in Ephesus, a commendation is given before a condemnation. An affirmation before an accusation. As before with both Ephesus & Smyrna, Jesus says He knows their works, but this time He goes a step further and says, “and where thou dwellest.” Jesus not only knows the geographical identity of each church, He also knows the social & cultural climate of the area. Culturally, the church in Pergamos was surrounded by lots of different beliefs that were adverse to the Christian. Are there lots of different beliefs here in the USA that can be adverse to Christians? You better believe it!!
“even where Satan’s seat is” can refer to a couple of different things. Obviously it could refer to the temple for the god Asclepius since his symbol was a serpent.
But I submit it could also refer to the devil having infiltrated the church in Pergamos. He tries to infiltrate every church in order to stir up trouble. He comes into the church through the youngest and weakest members. We must be on the lookout to protect and strengthen the youngest & weakest members of our church family.
Revelation 2:14
14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
The church in Pergamos had compromised. They had allowed people in their church that held to the doctrine of Balaam. The Doctrine of Balaam led Christians away from God.
Numbers 31:16
16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.
In essence, the Christians in Pergamos became neighbors with the cults in the area and worshipped their way on occasion. This is the same thing we see today as compromise.
What are some things we can compromise on?
What are things we cannot compromise on?
Has the church in the USA Compromised like the church in Pergamos?
“eat things sacrificed unto idols” This was forbidden by God.
Exodus 34:14-15
14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
15 Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;
“commit fornication” refers to among other things, intermarriage of religions.
Revelation 2:17
17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
What was manna?
Hidden manna is the spiritual nourishment we receive.
John 6:49-51
49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
The meaning of the white stone is unknown to most Bible scholars.
But the principle of receiving a new name in Heaven is not.
Isaiah 62:2
2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.
In Bible times, our name represents our character. Once we receive Jesus as Saviour, we receive a new character inside of us.
Revelation 2:19
19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
Are the greatest days of our Christian lives ahead of us?
Are the greatest days of our church ahead of us?
Revelation 2:20
20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
It is doubtful that this woman in the church was named Jezebel. More than likely, this is symbolic of how evil she was. Jezebel is one of if not the most evil woman in scripture. She tried to lead Israel away from God and toward her own idols. She threatened The Lord’s Prophet. Jezebel was strong/sincere in her beliefs, but she was sincerely wrong.
So what’s the significance? The church in Thyratia was allowing an evil woman to teach wrong doctrine, threaten the preacher, seduce to idolatry and/or fornication, and commit other sins as if it was no big deal.
I’m learning more and more that churches are just like my herd of cattle. We can have a wild cow on our place….one that won’t come up to eat….one that runs the other way when we try to get up the herd and leads other cows away….one that bullies the other cows around…..and as soon as we round up that wild cow, get rid of her and think we’ve got our herd calmed down….next thing you know…another cow steps up and takes the wild cow’s place.
Well churches are the same way….I’m convinced each church has a Jezebel….a wild cow…..a woman that tries to rule the roost like here in Revelation 2:20 and doesn’t see anything wrong with it.
Revelation 2:21
21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
This verse clearly shows that God gives us the freedom to choose to accept or reject Him. We are not predestined to that. This also shows the mercy of God that He would give such an evil person as Jezebel the opportunity to repent. But this also shows that God’s mercy/patience with us is for a definite period of time. It doesn’t last forever.
Revelation 2:22
22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
“I will” shows that what is going to happen is definite….not probable
“cast her” shows the power of Christ.
“them” shows that it takes 2 to commit adultery
“great tribulation”—hell is a horrible place. If everyone knew how bad hell was, they would repent immediately.
The last phrase, “repent of their deeds” shows that true repentance is not just being sorry, we have to stop doing what we are doing.
Revelation 2:23
23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
Our actions have consequences toward our children.
Numbers 14:18
18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
God was going to use the punishment of adulterers in Thyratia as an example and warning to the other churches.
Revelation 2:24
24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.
If we are following God, we don’t have to worry about God punishing us.
Revelation 2:25
25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
Praise The Lord, Jesus is coming back!!!
Revelation 2:26
26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
After the Second Coming, we will get to rule and reign with Christ.
Revelation 20:6
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
2 Timothy 2:12
12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
Revelation 2:27
27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
This verse is referring to the power of Christ’s judgment over evil.
Revelation 2:28
28 And I will give him the morning star.
The morning star appears just before dawn, when night is coldest and darkest. Christ, The Morning Star, will come back when this world is at its coldest and darkest. Personally, I don’t see how this world could get much colder and darker.
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 20th Pray, Read, Worship
We are going to do something a little bit different for our Revelation Devotions. Because of the importance, relevance, and application of this book of the Bible in light of current events….we are just going to overview 1 chapter per day of Revelation instead of 3. This way we can take our time and hopefully unpack everything exactly as The Lord wants us to.
Buckle your seatbelts and get ready….here we go!!!
Read Revelation 1
Many preachers call Revelation “John’s Revelation” because Revelation was written by The Apostle John. Although John may have been holding the pen….The Bible makes it clear in Revelation 1:1 that this is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Why is this important? Well notice the order in which The Revelation came in Verse 1….God, to Jesus, to His angel, to John…..This shows us that Jesus Christ is the ONLY mediator between us and God the Father. There’s no other way to God except by going through Jesus Christ….if you are trying to get through or get to Heaven any other way besides Jesus Christ….its completely futile.
Revelation 1:1 says these things “must shortly come to pass.” Why doesn’t Revelation make things crystal clear and give us a specific timetable? Here’s why….It’s because we have a tendency to procrastinate and if Revelation was absolutely clear and we knew the precise moment we were going to die or the precise moment when the rapture was going to take place, then we would all be procrastinating and living our lives like a bunch of heathens until the very last possible minute for us to repent. Is that how God wants us to live our lives? Absolutely not…We don’t know what the next year, the next month, the next day, or even what the next hour holds for us. We are all only one heartbeat away from Heaven or hell. So with that in mind, we shouldn’t put off repentance and getting our hearts right with Christ any longer. We’re not guaranteed another breath, we need to get our hearts right with God, RIGHT NOW.
In Verse 2 we learn that John was an eyewitness to Jesus, His life, His ministry, and His testimony. This eyewitness account that we have firsthand from John in Revelation is better than any DNA or other scientific test that could ever be performed….if you don’t believe me….just look at the uproar over the video taped evidence in these latest police killings. The video tapes allow us all to be “eyewitnesses” to the killings of George Floyd and Rashard Brooks. So know that what we are reading in Revelation is not second hand, third hand, fourth hand info….not at all…its first hand from the man who witnessed everything happen.
In Revelation 1:3, we learn that we will be blessed for reading Revelation….We’ll be blessed for hearing Revelation preached….And that we’ll also be blessed for keeping the commandments which are written in Revelation. That should be reason enough right there to study and learn more about Revelation.
In Revelation 1:4, John greeted the 7 churches with grace and peace. As we have said in earlier devos, how much better would our world be if we extended grace and peace to our family, grace and peace to our friends, grace and peace to our co-workers, grace and peace to our classmates, grace and peace to our church, and to everybody else we came in contact with.
Revelation 1:4 also says that Jesus is….that’s present tense….He was….that’s past tense….and He is to come….that’s future tense. Jesus always has been and always will be. There’s never been a moment of time in which Jesus was not present and in authority. As The Bible says in Hebrews 13, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
In Revelation 1:5, we read about how Jesus was a faithful witness for His Father while here on Earth….in other words, Jesus helped to make God the Father known to the rest of mankind. If we are to follow His example…that means we are to make God the Father known to others we come in contact with.
We also read in Revelation 1:5 how Jesus was the first begotten of the dead meaning that He was the only person who was dead who never eventually died again. Lazarus….eventually died again. The Widow of Nain’s son….eventually died again….Jairus’ daughter…she eventually died again….but not Jesus. He is the only person who was dead that never died again. First begotten of the dead also means that Jesus was the only person who ever raised Himself from the dead by His own power and how that exact same power is what will raise me and you from the dead one day.
Revelation 1:5 also says that Jesus is the prince of the Kings of the Earth. This means that by Him all authority is given in Heaven and Earth. Every president who ever was or will be, every prime minister and every dictator is accountable to Him whether they realize it or not.
Finally, Revelation 1:5 says that Jesus loved us and because of His love for us, He washed away our sins with His own blood. I’ve been getting really greasy lately working on my hay roller. You can’t just use regular soap and water to get out the grease….gotta use something that will cut it like Go-Jo or something else. In a MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH more significant and important way….ONLY the blood of Jesus can wash away the stain of sin on mine and your lives.
When The Bible says Jesus has made me and you to be kings and priests in Revelation 1:6, that means that we are made like a king by the power we can harness through prayer. Jesus made us priests by giving us direct access to this power though prayer and not having to always track down the preacher to pray for us. We have direct access and can come before the throne anyplace at anytime in any circumstance.
Revelation 1:7 is a prophecy about the return of Jesus Christ. Revelation begins and ends with a prophecy about Christ’s return. The Lord’s return is going to be the most public event in the history of the world. As The Bible says here, every eye shall see him including those who’ve never given their hearts to Him…those people who have never given their hearts to Christ are going to realize on the day of His return that they have really messed up by not asking Jesus Christ to save them of their sins.
In Revelation 1:8, Jesus gives evidence to His power and oneness with God by saying “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, which is and which was and which is to come.” Without Jesus, we have nothing in our life that will last eternally. Without Jesus we have nothing in our lives that can save us from our sin. Without Jesus life would not be worth the living. Without Jesus we couldn’t make the next mile, the next minute, or even the next moment.
In Revelation 1:9, when Jesus says He’s our brother, He’s giving evidence to the unique relationship we Christians have with other believers all over the world. It’s no coincidence that our worship song today is The Family of God. This song captures what we have as brothers and sisters and Christ that other folks simply don’t. If you ever move away from home and into a new community….you will find really quickly that your closest friends at your new place will be the people you meet at church. There’s an instant connection there that you simply can’t replicate or duplicate anywhere else.
Revelation 1:9 also reveals to us that John wrote Revelation while exiled on the island of Patmos for preaching The Word of The Lord. This is a very important lesson for all of us….unfortunately it’s a lesson that doesn’t get preached very much in the churches of America. Yes…there are a lot of blessings and benefits that come with giving your heart to Christ…but make no mistake….there’s also going to be persecutions and problems to come your way. You may miss out on a promotion at work because you’re not drinking buddies with the boss. You may miss out on a new position with your company because you won’t sleep around. You may have to go through and egregious IRS audit and identity theft. You may be like Christians all over the world who have been put in jail and even killed for preaching the Gospel of Christ.
All 12 of Jesus Apostles plus Paul were put to death for their faith except for John who wrote the book we are reading today. If these men, who were closer to Jesus than anybody who’s ever walked the planet…if they had to endure persecution and problems, don’t you think it’s fair to say that we’ll have to endure hard times as well? My friend, those preaching the prosperity Gospel will sell a bunch a books, get the best slots on the TV, and pack out churches by the thousands…but I’m telling you, they are doing the Word of God an injustice unless they preach the whole truth and nothing but the truth and the whole truth is that sooner or later….persecutions and problems are coming our way….but PRAISE GOD, we have a friend that sticks closer than a brother to us through those persecutions and problems, we have a refuge, we have a strength, we have a very present help in these times of trouble and His name is Jesus Christ….amen!!
Revelation 1:10 says that John was “in the Spirit”…..what does that mean? That means that the Holy Spirit was ministering to John in a special way. When this happens to me, I call it being in the groove or being in the zone. It’s the same thing as these athletes who get in a zone and can’t miss a shot….in the exact same way, when I’m in the Spirit, I feel so close to God that I could almost reach out and touch Him. I love it when this happens because when it does, the message and the music just flows off my fingertips onto the keyboard.
This happened to me yesterday…..I went to my music room to just play the piano and worship….not to record….not to practice….just to worship….next thing you know, I got to playing and singing songs about Heaven….Look What I’ve Traded For A Mansion, While Ages Roll, I’m Bound For That City, When I’ve Traveled My Last Mile, Look What’s Waiting For Me, Hallelujah Square, The Lights of Home, The Far Side Banks of Jordan….I got to thinking about all the people in my life that have already crossed over to Heaven and will be waiting on me when I get there….My grandparents AJ & Pearl Chambers…Homer & Zelma Burney, singers I used to sing with…Martin Spurgeon, Bubba Sugg, Gene Bumpus, Bud & Evelyn Stephens, Ross Jackson, Freeman and Edna Earhart, Ted Newberry, etc., and before I knew what was happening, I was crying so hard I couldn’t make out a word. The Holy Spirit was ministering to me in such a special way….Heaven came down to my music room….I wish I could have bottled it up to share with you the experience was so powerful.
When was John in the Sprit? Revelation 1:10 says it was on the Lord’s day. The first day of the week….Sunday. Sunday is not just any other day….Sunday is not to be treated like the other 6 days of the week. Sunday is the Lord’s day and He expects us to treat this day as such by resting from our labors.
Verse 10 goes on to say that John “heard behind” him “a great voice, as of a trumpet.” Why did John say this voice sounded like a trumpet? Because it alarmed him! Think about it….John was exiled on the Isle of Patmos…that means he was all alone…by himself….hadn’t had any interaction with another living soul for Lord knows how long, and all of a sudden he hears this voice behind him and it alarmed him just like somebody sneaking up behind me and you and blowing a trumpet.
In Verse 11, the voice says that He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last….a clear reference to Jesus himself and then He tells John to write down what He was about to see and send it to the seven churches in Asia and then He proceeds to call all 7 of these churches by name. In the exact same way that Jesus knew the names of these churches, He knows the name of mine and your churches today. He knows what we’ve got going on. He knows what we’ve been doing for Him. He knows our strengths, He knows our weaknesses. He knows the things we should be praised for and He knows the things we need to repent of.
In Verse 12, John turns to see the voice that spoke to Him. I totally understand this. You and I would do the exact same thing. If we’d been on an island all by ourselves for goodness knows how long and then all of a sudden we hear a voice, you better believe we’d turn around and see who it was. And when John turns around, lo and behold He sees seven golden candlesticks…and Verse 13 goes on to say that in the midst of the seven candlesticks was one like unto the Son of man
We learn later on in Verse 20 that the 7 Candlesticks are representatives of the seven churches. Now this is important…pay attention…the church is not the candle, it’s the candleSTICK….in other words, we’re not the light of the World…but we are the one’s charged with the responsibility of shining the light to the evil and dark world around us. It’s also important to note that these candlesticks were made out of pure gold and in the same manner, God wants me and you, the church today, to be pure, spotless, and blameless in our service to Him not fussing, fighting, and feuding with ourselves.
In the midst of these seven candlesticks, John sees the Son of Man, Jesus Christ. Now there are two more important things to note here…#1 John would easily recognize Jesus because he’d spent three years with him during his earthy ministry. #2 is that just like Jesus was in the midst of the seven churches in Revelation, He’s also in the midst of our churches today.
Matthew 18:20
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
John sees Jesus in the midst of the candlesticks and Jesus is clothed in a long robe which is symbolic of his righteousness. How He is without sin. Jesus is also wearing a golden girdle or the garment of the high priest. Praise the Lord, Jesus took on the role of High Priest and made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, once for all on the cruel cross of Calvary. Look at Hebrews 4:14-15
Hebrews 4:14-15
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Revelation 1:14 goes on to describe Jesus’ head and hairs were white like wool, as white as snow. This indicates his divine nature and his wisdom.
Revelation 1:14 describes Jesus’ eyes as a flame of fire. In other words, his eyes were piercing and penetrating. He sees all we do…and that’s important to note because all of us at some time or another have been guilty of doing something we shouldn’t be doing and we think we got away with it because nobody saw us….but that’s not exactly true…because somebody did see us….Jesus. He knows every move we make, He knows every thought we think, He knows everything there is to know about us. His eyes are piercing and penetrating…they see everything that we do.
Verse 15 describes Jesus’ feet as fine brass which means they are strong and steadfast. And then it goes on to describe his voice in a different way this time “as the sound of many waters.” You ever heard a rushing stream of water? You ever noticed how loud it is? I can lie in my house in my bed and know after a big rain whether the creek behind my house is up or not by listening to the sound of the water.
Friends….let me bring this down to 21’st Century language and application for us today. Jesus is trying His best to speak LOUDLY to us today to repent before its everlasting too late. He’s speaking loudly through His Word. He’s speaking loudly through Men of God. He’s speaking loudly through His creation, trying to get our attention to turn from our wicked ways before the judgment takes place and unfortunately, many of us have still tuned Him out.
Revelation 1:16 says that out of the Lord’s mouth is coming a sharp, two-edged sword. My friends, when we read and hear the Word of God, it will convict us of what we’re doing wrong. We’ll get uncomfortable and that still small voice inside of us won’t rest until we make the change we need to make.
Verse 16 goes onto say that his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. In other words, it was too bright for John to behold….and so John, in Verse 17, fell at his feet as a dead man because he was so overwhelmed to be in the presence of the Glorified, Holy, Son of God. And what did Jesus do in verse 17 when John fell over dead? UMMM UMMM UMMM this is about to get good…..Jesus laid His right hand on John….He touched him and He said, Fear not.
Hallelujah friends…when we get overwhelmed because we’ve got more month than money, Jesus longs to reach down, touch our situation and say fear not.
When we get overwhelmed because we went to the doctor and they gave us a bad report…Jesus longs to reach down, touch our situation and say fear not.
When we get overwhelmed because we can’t get everything done at work that we’re supposed to get done….Jesus longs to reach down, touch our situation and say fear not.
When we get overwhelmed because the kids are running around screaming, the house is a wreck, the dishes are piled up in the sink and there’s not enough groceries in the pantry….Jesus longs to reach down, touch our situation and say fear not.
When we get overwhelmed because of all the assignments we’ve got to complete at school in order to pass a class….Jesus longs to reach down, touch our situation and say fear not.
When we get overwhelmed because of the Coronavirus, the riots, the election, and everything else going on in America, Jesus longs to reach down, touch our situation and say, Fear not.
At the end of Verse 17 and through the rest of Verse 18, Jesus reiterates his divine nature by declaring He’s the first and the last, I am he that liveth, and was dead and behold I am alive forevermore, Amen and have the keys of hell and death. If you have your Bible handy, get your pen and circle those two words in Verse 18, was dead. Can’t nobody else make that declaration. Was dead Can’t nobody else say that about their religion. Was dead. You want to know why? Because Mohammed IS DEAD. Buddha IS DEAD. Confucius IS DEAD. Socrates IS DEAD. But not Jesus….He WAS DEAD and now He’s alive forevermore!!! AMEN.
And He holds the keys of hell and death. The key to my truck holds the power to my truck. My truck won’t run, my truck won’t pull, my truck is just about useless you have the key to it….and in the exact same way Jesus holds the key and has the power over hell and death and He’s standing ready to use that power to deliver us from hell and death if we’ll simply put our full faith and our trust in Him today.
In Verse 19, Jesus reminds John to write down everything which He’s seen already and everything He’s going to see in the future because He wants this special message delivered to the churches.
Whew…..we’ve covered a lot…..but friend we’ve not even scratched the surface of everything in Revelation. Can’t you see the application? The voice of many waters? How Jesus is literally SCREAMING to all of us today that His return is imminent? The persecution that happened to John and the persecution that is coming our way for being a follower of Jesus?
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
We are going to do something a little bit different for our Revelation Devotions. Because of the importance, relevance, and application of this book of the Bible in light of current events….we are just going to overview 1 chapter per day of Revelation instead of 3. This way we can take our time and hopefully unpack everything exactly as The Lord wants us to.
Buckle your seatbelts and get ready….here we go!!!
Read Revelation 1
Many preachers call Revelation “John’s Revelation” because Revelation was written by The Apostle John. Although John may have been holding the pen….The Bible makes it clear in Revelation 1:1 that this is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Why is this important? Well notice the order in which The Revelation came in Verse 1….God, to Jesus, to His angel, to John…..This shows us that Jesus Christ is the ONLY mediator between us and God the Father. There’s no other way to God except by going through Jesus Christ….if you are trying to get through or get to Heaven any other way besides Jesus Christ….its completely futile.
Revelation 1:1 says these things “must shortly come to pass.” Why doesn’t Revelation make things crystal clear and give us a specific timetable? Here’s why….It’s because we have a tendency to procrastinate and if Revelation was absolutely clear and we knew the precise moment we were going to die or the precise moment when the rapture was going to take place, then we would all be procrastinating and living our lives like a bunch of heathens until the very last possible minute for us to repent. Is that how God wants us to live our lives? Absolutely not…We don’t know what the next year, the next month, the next day, or even what the next hour holds for us. We are all only one heartbeat away from Heaven or hell. So with that in mind, we shouldn’t put off repentance and getting our hearts right with Christ any longer. We’re not guaranteed another breath, we need to get our hearts right with God, RIGHT NOW.
In Verse 2 we learn that John was an eyewitness to Jesus, His life, His ministry, and His testimony. This eyewitness account that we have firsthand from John in Revelation is better than any DNA or other scientific test that could ever be performed….if you don’t believe me….just look at the uproar over the video taped evidence in these latest police killings. The video tapes allow us all to be “eyewitnesses” to the killings of George Floyd and Rashard Brooks. So know that what we are reading in Revelation is not second hand, third hand, fourth hand info….not at all…its first hand from the man who witnessed everything happen.
In Revelation 1:3, we learn that we will be blessed for reading Revelation….We’ll be blessed for hearing Revelation preached….And that we’ll also be blessed for keeping the commandments which are written in Revelation. That should be reason enough right there to study and learn more about Revelation.
In Revelation 1:4, John greeted the 7 churches with grace and peace. As we have said in earlier devos, how much better would our world be if we extended grace and peace to our family, grace and peace to our friends, grace and peace to our co-workers, grace and peace to our classmates, grace and peace to our church, and to everybody else we came in contact with.
Revelation 1:4 also says that Jesus is….that’s present tense….He was….that’s past tense….and He is to come….that’s future tense. Jesus always has been and always will be. There’s never been a moment of time in which Jesus was not present and in authority. As The Bible says in Hebrews 13, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
In Revelation 1:5, we read about how Jesus was a faithful witness for His Father while here on Earth….in other words, Jesus helped to make God the Father known to the rest of mankind. If we are to follow His example…that means we are to make God the Father known to others we come in contact with.
We also read in Revelation 1:5 how Jesus was the first begotten of the dead meaning that He was the only person who was dead who never eventually died again. Lazarus….eventually died again. The Widow of Nain’s son….eventually died again….Jairus’ daughter…she eventually died again….but not Jesus. He is the only person who was dead that never died again. First begotten of the dead also means that Jesus was the only person who ever raised Himself from the dead by His own power and how that exact same power is what will raise me and you from the dead one day.
Revelation 1:5 also says that Jesus is the prince of the Kings of the Earth. This means that by Him all authority is given in Heaven and Earth. Every president who ever was or will be, every prime minister and every dictator is accountable to Him whether they realize it or not.
Finally, Revelation 1:5 says that Jesus loved us and because of His love for us, He washed away our sins with His own blood. I’ve been getting really greasy lately working on my hay roller. You can’t just use regular soap and water to get out the grease….gotta use something that will cut it like Go-Jo or something else. In a MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH more significant and important way….ONLY the blood of Jesus can wash away the stain of sin on mine and your lives.
When The Bible says Jesus has made me and you to be kings and priests in Revelation 1:6, that means that we are made like a king by the power we can harness through prayer. Jesus made us priests by giving us direct access to this power though prayer and not having to always track down the preacher to pray for us. We have direct access and can come before the throne anyplace at anytime in any circumstance.
Revelation 1:7 is a prophecy about the return of Jesus Christ. Revelation begins and ends with a prophecy about Christ’s return. The Lord’s return is going to be the most public event in the history of the world. As The Bible says here, every eye shall see him including those who’ve never given their hearts to Him…those people who have never given their hearts to Christ are going to realize on the day of His return that they have really messed up by not asking Jesus Christ to save them of their sins.
In Revelation 1:8, Jesus gives evidence to His power and oneness with God by saying “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, which is and which was and which is to come.” Without Jesus, we have nothing in our life that will last eternally. Without Jesus we have nothing in our lives that can save us from our sin. Without Jesus life would not be worth the living. Without Jesus we couldn’t make the next mile, the next minute, or even the next moment.
In Revelation 1:9, when Jesus says He’s our brother, He’s giving evidence to the unique relationship we Christians have with other believers all over the world. It’s no coincidence that our worship song today is The Family of God. This song captures what we have as brothers and sisters and Christ that other folks simply don’t. If you ever move away from home and into a new community….you will find really quickly that your closest friends at your new place will be the people you meet at church. There’s an instant connection there that you simply can’t replicate or duplicate anywhere else.
Revelation 1:9 also reveals to us that John wrote Revelation while exiled on the island of Patmos for preaching The Word of The Lord. This is a very important lesson for all of us….unfortunately it’s a lesson that doesn’t get preached very much in the churches of America. Yes…there are a lot of blessings and benefits that come with giving your heart to Christ…but make no mistake….there’s also going to be persecutions and problems to come your way. You may miss out on a promotion at work because you’re not drinking buddies with the boss. You may miss out on a new position with your company because you won’t sleep around. You may have to go through and egregious IRS audit and identity theft. You may be like Christians all over the world who have been put in jail and even killed for preaching the Gospel of Christ.
All 12 of Jesus Apostles plus Paul were put to death for their faith except for John who wrote the book we are reading today. If these men, who were closer to Jesus than anybody who’s ever walked the planet…if they had to endure persecution and problems, don’t you think it’s fair to say that we’ll have to endure hard times as well? My friend, those preaching the prosperity Gospel will sell a bunch a books, get the best slots on the TV, and pack out churches by the thousands…but I’m telling you, they are doing the Word of God an injustice unless they preach the whole truth and nothing but the truth and the whole truth is that sooner or later….persecutions and problems are coming our way….but PRAISE GOD, we have a friend that sticks closer than a brother to us through those persecutions and problems, we have a refuge, we have a strength, we have a very present help in these times of trouble and His name is Jesus Christ….amen!!
Revelation 1:10 says that John was “in the Spirit”…..what does that mean? That means that the Holy Spirit was ministering to John in a special way. When this happens to me, I call it being in the groove or being in the zone. It’s the same thing as these athletes who get in a zone and can’t miss a shot….in the exact same way, when I’m in the Spirit, I feel so close to God that I could almost reach out and touch Him. I love it when this happens because when it does, the message and the music just flows off my fingertips onto the keyboard.
This happened to me yesterday…..I went to my music room to just play the piano and worship….not to record….not to practice….just to worship….next thing you know, I got to playing and singing songs about Heaven….Look What I’ve Traded For A Mansion, While Ages Roll, I’m Bound For That City, When I’ve Traveled My Last Mile, Look What’s Waiting For Me, Hallelujah Square, The Lights of Home, The Far Side Banks of Jordan….I got to thinking about all the people in my life that have already crossed over to Heaven and will be waiting on me when I get there….My grandparents AJ & Pearl Chambers…Homer & Zelma Burney, singers I used to sing with…Martin Spurgeon, Bubba Sugg, Gene Bumpus, Bud & Evelyn Stephens, Ross Jackson, Freeman and Edna Earhart, Ted Newberry, etc., and before I knew what was happening, I was crying so hard I couldn’t make out a word. The Holy Spirit was ministering to me in such a special way….Heaven came down to my music room….I wish I could have bottled it up to share with you the experience was so powerful.
When was John in the Sprit? Revelation 1:10 says it was on the Lord’s day. The first day of the week….Sunday. Sunday is not just any other day….Sunday is not to be treated like the other 6 days of the week. Sunday is the Lord’s day and He expects us to treat this day as such by resting from our labors.
Verse 10 goes on to say that John “heard behind” him “a great voice, as of a trumpet.” Why did John say this voice sounded like a trumpet? Because it alarmed him! Think about it….John was exiled on the Isle of Patmos…that means he was all alone…by himself….hadn’t had any interaction with another living soul for Lord knows how long, and all of a sudden he hears this voice behind him and it alarmed him just like somebody sneaking up behind me and you and blowing a trumpet.
In Verse 11, the voice says that He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last….a clear reference to Jesus himself and then He tells John to write down what He was about to see and send it to the seven churches in Asia and then He proceeds to call all 7 of these churches by name. In the exact same way that Jesus knew the names of these churches, He knows the name of mine and your churches today. He knows what we’ve got going on. He knows what we’ve been doing for Him. He knows our strengths, He knows our weaknesses. He knows the things we should be praised for and He knows the things we need to repent of.
In Verse 12, John turns to see the voice that spoke to Him. I totally understand this. You and I would do the exact same thing. If we’d been on an island all by ourselves for goodness knows how long and then all of a sudden we hear a voice, you better believe we’d turn around and see who it was. And when John turns around, lo and behold He sees seven golden candlesticks…and Verse 13 goes on to say that in the midst of the seven candlesticks was one like unto the Son of man
We learn later on in Verse 20 that the 7 Candlesticks are representatives of the seven churches. Now this is important…pay attention…the church is not the candle, it’s the candleSTICK….in other words, we’re not the light of the World…but we are the one’s charged with the responsibility of shining the light to the evil and dark world around us. It’s also important to note that these candlesticks were made out of pure gold and in the same manner, God wants me and you, the church today, to be pure, spotless, and blameless in our service to Him not fussing, fighting, and feuding with ourselves.
In the midst of these seven candlesticks, John sees the Son of Man, Jesus Christ. Now there are two more important things to note here…#1 John would easily recognize Jesus because he’d spent three years with him during his earthy ministry. #2 is that just like Jesus was in the midst of the seven churches in Revelation, He’s also in the midst of our churches today.
Matthew 18:20
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
John sees Jesus in the midst of the candlesticks and Jesus is clothed in a long robe which is symbolic of his righteousness. How He is without sin. Jesus is also wearing a golden girdle or the garment of the high priest. Praise the Lord, Jesus took on the role of High Priest and made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, once for all on the cruel cross of Calvary. Look at Hebrews 4:14-15
Hebrews 4:14-15
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Revelation 1:14 goes on to describe Jesus’ head and hairs were white like wool, as white as snow. This indicates his divine nature and his wisdom.
Revelation 1:14 describes Jesus’ eyes as a flame of fire. In other words, his eyes were piercing and penetrating. He sees all we do…and that’s important to note because all of us at some time or another have been guilty of doing something we shouldn’t be doing and we think we got away with it because nobody saw us….but that’s not exactly true…because somebody did see us….Jesus. He knows every move we make, He knows every thought we think, He knows everything there is to know about us. His eyes are piercing and penetrating…they see everything that we do.
Verse 15 describes Jesus’ feet as fine brass which means they are strong and steadfast. And then it goes on to describe his voice in a different way this time “as the sound of many waters.” You ever heard a rushing stream of water? You ever noticed how loud it is? I can lie in my house in my bed and know after a big rain whether the creek behind my house is up or not by listening to the sound of the water.
Friends….let me bring this down to 21’st Century language and application for us today. Jesus is trying His best to speak LOUDLY to us today to repent before its everlasting too late. He’s speaking loudly through His Word. He’s speaking loudly through Men of God. He’s speaking loudly through His creation, trying to get our attention to turn from our wicked ways before the judgment takes place and unfortunately, many of us have still tuned Him out.
Revelation 1:16 says that out of the Lord’s mouth is coming a sharp, two-edged sword. My friends, when we read and hear the Word of God, it will convict us of what we’re doing wrong. We’ll get uncomfortable and that still small voice inside of us won’t rest until we make the change we need to make.
Verse 16 goes onto say that his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. In other words, it was too bright for John to behold….and so John, in Verse 17, fell at his feet as a dead man because he was so overwhelmed to be in the presence of the Glorified, Holy, Son of God. And what did Jesus do in verse 17 when John fell over dead? UMMM UMMM UMMM this is about to get good…..Jesus laid His right hand on John….He touched him and He said, Fear not.
Hallelujah friends…when we get overwhelmed because we’ve got more month than money, Jesus longs to reach down, touch our situation and say fear not.
When we get overwhelmed because we went to the doctor and they gave us a bad report…Jesus longs to reach down, touch our situation and say fear not.
When we get overwhelmed because we can’t get everything done at work that we’re supposed to get done….Jesus longs to reach down, touch our situation and say fear not.
When we get overwhelmed because the kids are running around screaming, the house is a wreck, the dishes are piled up in the sink and there’s not enough groceries in the pantry….Jesus longs to reach down, touch our situation and say fear not.
When we get overwhelmed because of all the assignments we’ve got to complete at school in order to pass a class….Jesus longs to reach down, touch our situation and say fear not.
When we get overwhelmed because of the Coronavirus, the riots, the election, and everything else going on in America, Jesus longs to reach down, touch our situation and say, Fear not.
At the end of Verse 17 and through the rest of Verse 18, Jesus reiterates his divine nature by declaring He’s the first and the last, I am he that liveth, and was dead and behold I am alive forevermore, Amen and have the keys of hell and death. If you have your Bible handy, get your pen and circle those two words in Verse 18, was dead. Can’t nobody else make that declaration. Was dead Can’t nobody else say that about their religion. Was dead. You want to know why? Because Mohammed IS DEAD. Buddha IS DEAD. Confucius IS DEAD. Socrates IS DEAD. But not Jesus….He WAS DEAD and now He’s alive forevermore!!! AMEN.
And He holds the keys of hell and death. The key to my truck holds the power to my truck. My truck won’t run, my truck won’t pull, my truck is just about useless you have the key to it….and in the exact same way Jesus holds the key and has the power over hell and death and He’s standing ready to use that power to deliver us from hell and death if we’ll simply put our full faith and our trust in Him today.
In Verse 19, Jesus reminds John to write down everything which He’s seen already and everything He’s going to see in the future because He wants this special message delivered to the churches.
Whew…..we’ve covered a lot…..but friend we’ve not even scratched the surface of everything in Revelation. Can’t you see the application? The voice of many waters? How Jesus is literally SCREAMING to all of us today that His return is imminent? The persecution that happened to John and the persecution that is coming our way for being a follower of Jesus?
Thanks for joining me on this devo….please share this on Facebook and via text with all your friends.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 19th Pray, Read, Worship
Tomorrow begins our long awaited study of Revelation. Please make plans to follow along each day and share the devos with your friends.
But let’s not skip over these two short but important books of the Bible we are going over today. If they weren’t important, they wouldn’t be in there….remember ALL scripture is given by God and is profitable for us…..
Read 3 John & Jude
Everybody that knows me knows that one of my best friends in the whole world is Allen Guyer. Allen is the Pastor of Riverview Baptist Church in Savannah, TN and man alive they have got it going on. I’m so happy for what The Lord is doing there and I’m even more thankful for Allen’s influence on my life over the last 21+ years we’ve known each other.
Allen has taught me a lot over the years….but one thing that stands out is how Allen prays scripture over situations. For example….when faced with a decision, Allen will pray James 1:5
James 1:5
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
As a minister, I am all the time getting called to pray for/about sickness. This person is sick with that. This person has a test coming up…..etc. Allen has taught me to pray 3 John 2 over these situations.
3 John 2
2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
I believe this is a good model for us all to follow when it comes to praying for those who are sick.
This Sunday is Father’s Day….3 John 4 speaks my heart about being a Father.
3 John 4
4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
Question: Are we bringing joy to our Heavenly Father by the way we live our lives?
In Verse 5, John commends Gaius for being a faithful worker with what he does for the Kingdom of God.
Are you a faithful worker for the kingdom? Can your Pastor rely on you? When you are going to be gone, do you give plenty of notice or better yet find somebody to do your job? Whatever it is you are doing for the kingdom of God….be faithful at it….be consistent….be steady….don’t be hot one minute and cold the next….be someone your Pastor can rely on.
John then boldly calls out a man named Diotrephes. Why? Because Diotrephes wanted to control the church himself instead of following the Lord. Churches today are full of Diotrephes who want to exercise some level of control over a congregation. Maybe they don’t have control at home…maybe they don’t have control at work….and maybe when they are given a little power at church…it all goes to their head and they just go slap crazy….I’ve seen that scenario.
Or maybe they are the big cheese and control everything in their life and the lives of everybody around them….I’ve seen that scenario also.
Either way….this type of conduct is not to be tolerated in the local church. If it’s a church, it belongs to God and He’s in control. If your Diotrephes wants to control things….you have a club and not a church.
Now be forewarned….when you try to take control away from your Diotrephes at your church….they will talk all sorts of bad about you(Verse 10)….they will mount up a group of people on their side of the argument and try to throw you out of the church for questioning their authority(Verse 10). I wish I could say I haven’t seen this happen…but unfortunately, it’s a story that has repeated itself again and again in churches everywhere.
In Verse 11, we are reminded that we face a choice each day….follow what is evil or follow what is good. It’s our choice….we can only make the choice for ourselves. Nobody else can make it for us. We will do well if we choose to follow good. We will do bad if we choose to follow evil. Sounds simple enough….so why don’t more people choose to follow that which is good?
Great question…..
We then get to the book of Jude….written by Jesus half-brother(the earthly son of Mary and Joseph). Jude Verse 1 speaks of how Jesus preserves us. When you preserve food, you keep it from spoiling…from becoming rotten and not fit to use. That’s exactly what Jesus does with us….His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness keeps me and you from spoiling…from rotting….and not being fit to use in the Kingdom of God.
Thank you Jesus for preserving me.
Jude Verse 3 says that we must contend for the faith. A lot of people believe that once they accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour, they are gaining passage on a cruise ship for the rest of their lives. Nothing could be further from the truth. Instead of life on a cruise ship….it’s more like life on a battle ship….and for far too long, Christians have been laying down and letting the world run over us instead of standing up and contending for our faith.
Look….I totally get it….contending for the faith is hard….and sometimes you just want/need a break because you don’t have any fight left in you….I get that…..but to totally allow people to continue running over us….nope….not gonna happen here. I’m going to keep standing up for what is right and what is wrong according to the Word of God.
Will you join me and contend for our faith? Our Christian way of life in America is under a brutal attack.
What is a common characteristic of those who are battling against Christians and our way of living? Verse 10….they speak evil of us yet they don’t really know who a true Christian is. I’ve definitely found this to be true over the last 6 months of my life. The vast majority of the people speaking evil about me have never talked to me and do not know the truth of what they are speaking about. This is how it works on a cultural level also….those battling against us culturally usually have never spoken with us…view us as evil and narrow-minded….and they want to keep it that way because it fits their story and their narrative better.
Jude 22 is another one of my Top 10 Favorite Verses in the Bible….and when I started Yellow Creek…I shared with Brother William Gray what The Lord was doing in my heart and he gave me this verse. It’s how I have strived to live personally and professional since then…..have compassion on folks and make a difference in their lives.
I remember the story of a little boy walking on the beach. Tens of thousands of starfish had washed up in the night and the little boy was throwing them back in the ocean one by one. An adult man came by and said, “Son what are you doing?” The little boy said, “I’m throwing these starfish back in the ocean”. The adult man said, “Son, there’s millions of starfish washed up here on the beach. You are not going to make any difference just throwing back 1 or 2 like you are…now run along and play.” The little boy grabbed a star fish in his hand, slung it back into the ocean and said, “I made a difference for that one.”
That’s me….That’s how I want to be….I may not flatten the curve or make a big dent in the whole grand scheme of things….but if I can have compassion on people and make a difference in the few people’s lives that I touch….then I count that a success.
Challenge for the Day: Have compassion on just 1 person today and try to make a difference in that 1 person’s life. If we will all do this….hundreds of lives will be made better today….thousands by the end of the week….tens of thousands by the end of the month….millions by the end of the year.
But it all starts with that 1 person The Lord puts in front of you today….have compassion on that 1 person and make a difference in that 1 person’s life.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
We received another $100 today toward our hog processing for the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, Bethesda Mission, The Good Samaritan Center, and The Help Center. This brings our total to $2542 out of $4000 needed. Thank you to everyone who has helped us in this endeavor to provide much needed pork to needy children and families. You are a tremendous blessing to me and The Kingdom of God.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Tomorrow begins our long awaited study of Revelation. Please make plans to follow along each day and share the devos with your friends.
But let’s not skip over these two short but important books of the Bible we are going over today. If they weren’t important, they wouldn’t be in there….remember ALL scripture is given by God and is profitable for us…..
Read 3 John & Jude
Everybody that knows me knows that one of my best friends in the whole world is Allen Guyer. Allen is the Pastor of Riverview Baptist Church in Savannah, TN and man alive they have got it going on. I’m so happy for what The Lord is doing there and I’m even more thankful for Allen’s influence on my life over the last 21+ years we’ve known each other.
Allen has taught me a lot over the years….but one thing that stands out is how Allen prays scripture over situations. For example….when faced with a decision, Allen will pray James 1:5
James 1:5
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
As a minister, I am all the time getting called to pray for/about sickness. This person is sick with that. This person has a test coming up…..etc. Allen has taught me to pray 3 John 2 over these situations.
3 John 2
2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
I believe this is a good model for us all to follow when it comes to praying for those who are sick.
This Sunday is Father’s Day….3 John 4 speaks my heart about being a Father.
3 John 4
4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
Question: Are we bringing joy to our Heavenly Father by the way we live our lives?
In Verse 5, John commends Gaius for being a faithful worker with what he does for the Kingdom of God.
Are you a faithful worker for the kingdom? Can your Pastor rely on you? When you are going to be gone, do you give plenty of notice or better yet find somebody to do your job? Whatever it is you are doing for the kingdom of God….be faithful at it….be consistent….be steady….don’t be hot one minute and cold the next….be someone your Pastor can rely on.
John then boldly calls out a man named Diotrephes. Why? Because Diotrephes wanted to control the church himself instead of following the Lord. Churches today are full of Diotrephes who want to exercise some level of control over a congregation. Maybe they don’t have control at home…maybe they don’t have control at work….and maybe when they are given a little power at church…it all goes to their head and they just go slap crazy….I’ve seen that scenario.
Or maybe they are the big cheese and control everything in their life and the lives of everybody around them….I’ve seen that scenario also.
Either way….this type of conduct is not to be tolerated in the local church. If it’s a church, it belongs to God and He’s in control. If your Diotrephes wants to control things….you have a club and not a church.
Now be forewarned….when you try to take control away from your Diotrephes at your church….they will talk all sorts of bad about you(Verse 10)….they will mount up a group of people on their side of the argument and try to throw you out of the church for questioning their authority(Verse 10). I wish I could say I haven’t seen this happen…but unfortunately, it’s a story that has repeated itself again and again in churches everywhere.
In Verse 11, we are reminded that we face a choice each day….follow what is evil or follow what is good. It’s our choice….we can only make the choice for ourselves. Nobody else can make it for us. We will do well if we choose to follow good. We will do bad if we choose to follow evil. Sounds simple enough….so why don’t more people choose to follow that which is good?
Great question…..
We then get to the book of Jude….written by Jesus half-brother(the earthly son of Mary and Joseph). Jude Verse 1 speaks of how Jesus preserves us. When you preserve food, you keep it from spoiling…from becoming rotten and not fit to use. That’s exactly what Jesus does with us….His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness keeps me and you from spoiling…from rotting….and not being fit to use in the Kingdom of God.
Thank you Jesus for preserving me.
Jude Verse 3 says that we must contend for the faith. A lot of people believe that once they accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour, they are gaining passage on a cruise ship for the rest of their lives. Nothing could be further from the truth. Instead of life on a cruise ship….it’s more like life on a battle ship….and for far too long, Christians have been laying down and letting the world run over us instead of standing up and contending for our faith.
Look….I totally get it….contending for the faith is hard….and sometimes you just want/need a break because you don’t have any fight left in you….I get that…..but to totally allow people to continue running over us….nope….not gonna happen here. I’m going to keep standing up for what is right and what is wrong according to the Word of God.
Will you join me and contend for our faith? Our Christian way of life in America is under a brutal attack.
What is a common characteristic of those who are battling against Christians and our way of living? Verse 10….they speak evil of us yet they don’t really know who a true Christian is. I’ve definitely found this to be true over the last 6 months of my life. The vast majority of the people speaking evil about me have never talked to me and do not know the truth of what they are speaking about. This is how it works on a cultural level also….those battling against us culturally usually have never spoken with us…view us as evil and narrow-minded….and they want to keep it that way because it fits their story and their narrative better.
Jude 22 is another one of my Top 10 Favorite Verses in the Bible….and when I started Yellow Creek…I shared with Brother William Gray what The Lord was doing in my heart and he gave me this verse. It’s how I have strived to live personally and professional since then…..have compassion on folks and make a difference in their lives.
I remember the story of a little boy walking on the beach. Tens of thousands of starfish had washed up in the night and the little boy was throwing them back in the ocean one by one. An adult man came by and said, “Son what are you doing?” The little boy said, “I’m throwing these starfish back in the ocean”. The adult man said, “Son, there’s millions of starfish washed up here on the beach. You are not going to make any difference just throwing back 1 or 2 like you are…now run along and play.” The little boy grabbed a star fish in his hand, slung it back into the ocean and said, “I made a difference for that one.”
That’s me….That’s how I want to be….I may not flatten the curve or make a big dent in the whole grand scheme of things….but if I can have compassion on people and make a difference in the few people’s lives that I touch….then I count that a success.
Challenge for the Day: Have compassion on just 1 person today and try to make a difference in that 1 person’s life. If we will all do this….hundreds of lives will be made better today….thousands by the end of the week….tens of thousands by the end of the month….millions by the end of the year.
But it all starts with that 1 person The Lord puts in front of you today….have compassion on that 1 person and make a difference in that 1 person’s life.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
We received another $100 today toward our hog processing for the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, Bethesda Mission, The Good Samaritan Center, and The Help Center. This brings our total to $2542 out of $4000 needed. Thank you to everyone who has helped us in this endeavor to provide much needed pork to needy children and families. You are a tremendous blessing to me and The Kingdom of God.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 18th Pray, Read, Worship
Announcement #1: Today we will be overviewing 3 chapters as always…..1 John 4-5 & 2 John. Tomorrow we will do only 2 chapters, 3 John & Jude so that we can focus exclusively on Revelation once we begin our study there. Please spread the word to your friends and family about our Revelation Devos coming up….my friends if there has ever been a time to study Revelation…now is the time.
Announcement #2: We received another $242 today toward our hog processing for the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, Bethesda Mission, The Good Samaritan Center, and The Help Center. This brings our total to $2442 out of $4000 needed. Thank you to everyone who has helped us in this endeavor to provide much needed pork to needy children and families. You are a tremendous blessing to me and The Kingdom of God.
As a reminder….
It’s going to be around $400 total per hog and we are doing 10 so far….5 for the Boy’s Ranch in Millington…1 for Brentwood Children’s Home…1 for Chattanooga Children’s Home…1 for Bethesda Mission…1 for Good Samaritan Center….and 1 for the Help Center. That will be around $4000. Each hog will provide between 160-200 pounds of meat.
Like I said…I’m going to do all the work on my end for free to include providing the feed, etc. I just need you to help me out with everything else.
If you would be willing to donate toward the $4000 we need to raise in order to provide these children and others with fresh pork, please Private Message me, go to Google Pay or Paypal(chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com ) and donate, or send your contribution to:
Chambers Family Ministries
5288 Chambers Road
Cumberland Furnace, TN 37051
I will give you full disclosure on how much we raise….and if we raise more than $4000, we will do more hogs or other things to help these fine organizations out. Like I said, I do not want to make a penny off of this.
Thanks again for your faithful support of Chambers Family Ministries and the kingdom work we are seeking to accomplish.
Now for our devo…
Read 1 John 4-5, 2 John
Right off the bat, 1 John 4 dives off into something that makes most Christians very uncomfortable. Spiritual warfare….specifically demons. Are demons real? Absolutely they are. Have you ever encountered one face to face? I can’t speak for you, but I believe I have….on more than one occasion. Because of privacy and the other people involved, I’m not going to share specifics….but I will say this….notice I said I believe I have….in other words I don’t know for sure.
Since my last encounter with what I believe to be a demon-possessed person, I’ve learned something very important based on 1 John 4:2-3….every spirit that confesses Christ is of God and every one that doesn’t is not. I have learned that whenever we are in a situation where we believe we are dealing directly with a demon, ask them to confess Jesus Christ is come in the flesh based on 1 John 4:2-3. If they confess it, you are not dealing with a demon. If they don’t….you are. I plan to do this if I ever think I’m in the presence of a demon possessed person again.
What made me think I was in the presence of a demon possessed person? They were acting in evil ways that were extremely unusual and non-typical. Unlike anything I had ever experienced before and certainly not normal. In fact, demon possession is the only plausible explanation for what I encountered. Make no mistake….if we believe the Bible, demon possession for the unsaved person and demon oppression for the saved person is very real. Remember….we wrestle not with flesh and blood.
I’m very thankful for 1 John 4:2-3 that gives me guidance for how to know what I’m dealing with.
Do demons scare us? Well I can tell you that the encounters I had rattled my cage for sure….but I wasn’t completely terrified. Why? 1 John 4:4…..greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. The God I serve….who lives inside of me….is GREATER than the devil or any of his demons. I have nothing to fear with Jesus on my side.
The rest of 1 John 4 speak of God and love….some of the highlights….
Love one another(Verse 7)
If you don’t love one another, you are not a follower of Jesus(Verse 8)
God is love(Verse 8)
God showed the ultimate picture of love when He sent Jesus to die for our sins(Verse 9)
Why should we love one another? Because God loves us(Verse 11)
Perfect love casts out fear(Verse 18)
God loved us first(Verse 19)
If you say you love God but hate your fellow man, you are a liar(Verse 20)
I want to unpack a little bit more about the ultimate picture of love that God gave us when He sent Jesus to die for our sins. I used to think that God was a mean God….how in the world could He not be mean if He made His son to die.
But then something happened to me that totally changed my perspective….I became a father. And once I became a father, I realized that God wasn’t a mean God at all….in fact it was the exact opposite….He’s has more love than you can possibly imagine. Here’s what I mean.
If someone called me and needed help, I’d do my best to help them any way I could. But if someone called me and said, Phillip….I need a heart transplant and Caroline is a perfect match. I need you to sacrifice Caroline’s life by giving me her heart so I can live. She will have to die, but I will live.
Listen here buddy….no way in the world I’m going to do that for you. I don’t love anybody that much.
But God loves me and you that much because that’s exactly what He did for us with Jesus. There was no other way for us to be saved and forgiven…..and so God sent Jesus to die….why? BECAUSE HE LOVES US!! Wow wow wow wow.
So what’s the evidence or proof that you love God? 1 John 5:2….you keep His commandments.
The first commandment The Bible gives us after salvation is to be baptized….and here in 1 John 5:6-8, we see the importance of baptism and how it is a witness to the world that we are a follower of Christ.
1 John 5:14-15 speaks of praying inside the will of God and how if we are praying inside God’s will, it’s a guarantee He will answer us. Lord…please keep me inside your will. I’ve been outside of it in my past and I don’t want to be there again.
1 John concludes with a short and unusual verse….little children, keep yourselves from idols, amen. Sounds odd because we don’t really worship little figurines on the shelf like what happened in Bible times….but unpack that a little bit further….what is an idol? Anything that we give a higher priority to than God…..so with that in mind….1 John 5:21 is very important….keep yourselves from anything you make a higher priority in your life than God. AMEN!!!
2 John opens with rejoicing over people walking in right way. John wrote this letter to a church that he either visited or pastored…..and now he’s heard that after he left….the people of this church are continuing to walk in truth. This gave John great cause for rejoicing….and it gives God great cause for rejoicing when His children walk in the way they are supposed to.
2 John goes on to remind us to keep the commandments and watch out for false teachers and those possessed with demons.
Challenge for the day: Show God your love for Him by keeping His commandments.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Announcement #1: Today we will be overviewing 3 chapters as always…..1 John 4-5 & 2 John. Tomorrow we will do only 2 chapters, 3 John & Jude so that we can focus exclusively on Revelation once we begin our study there. Please spread the word to your friends and family about our Revelation Devos coming up….my friends if there has ever been a time to study Revelation…now is the time.
Announcement #2: We received another $242 today toward our hog processing for the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, Bethesda Mission, The Good Samaritan Center, and The Help Center. This brings our total to $2442 out of $4000 needed. Thank you to everyone who has helped us in this endeavor to provide much needed pork to needy children and families. You are a tremendous blessing to me and The Kingdom of God.
As a reminder….
It’s going to be around $400 total per hog and we are doing 10 so far….5 for the Boy’s Ranch in Millington…1 for Brentwood Children’s Home…1 for Chattanooga Children’s Home…1 for Bethesda Mission…1 for Good Samaritan Center….and 1 for the Help Center. That will be around $4000. Each hog will provide between 160-200 pounds of meat.
Like I said…I’m going to do all the work on my end for free to include providing the feed, etc. I just need you to help me out with everything else.
If you would be willing to donate toward the $4000 we need to raise in order to provide these children and others with fresh pork, please Private Message me, go to Google Pay or Paypal(chambersfamilyministrie
Chambers Family Ministries
5288 Chambers Road
Cumberland Furnace, TN 37051
I will give you full disclosure on how much we raise….and if we raise more than $4000, we will do more hogs or other things to help these fine organizations out. Like I said, I do not want to make a penny off of this.
Thanks again for your faithful support of Chambers Family Ministries and the kingdom work we are seeking to accomplish.
Now for our devo…
Read 1 John 4-5, 2 John
Right off the bat, 1 John 4 dives off into something that makes most Christians very uncomfortable. Spiritual warfare….specifically demons. Are demons real? Absolutely they are. Have you ever encountered one face to face? I can’t speak for you, but I believe I have….on more than one occasion. Because of privacy and the other people involved, I’m not going to share specifics….but I will say this….notice I said I believe I have….in other words I don’t know for sure.
Since my last encounter with what I believe to be a demon-possessed person, I’ve learned something very important based on 1 John 4:2-3….every spirit that confesses Christ is of God and every one that doesn’t is not. I have learned that whenever we are in a situation where we believe we are dealing directly with a demon, ask them to confess Jesus Christ is come in the flesh based on 1 John 4:2-3. If they confess it, you are not dealing with a demon. If they don’t….you are. I plan to do this if I ever think I’m in the presence of a demon possessed person again.
What made me think I was in the presence of a demon possessed person? They were acting in evil ways that were extremely unusual and non-typical. Unlike anything I had ever experienced before and certainly not normal. In fact, demon possession is the only plausible explanation for what I encountered. Make no mistake….if we believe the Bible, demon possession for the unsaved person and demon oppression for the saved person is very real. Remember….we wrestle not with flesh and blood.
I’m very thankful for 1 John 4:2-3 that gives me guidance for how to know what I’m dealing with.
Do demons scare us? Well I can tell you that the encounters I had rattled my cage for sure….but I wasn’t completely terrified. Why? 1 John 4:4…..greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. The God I serve….who lives inside of me….is GREATER than the devil or any of his demons. I have nothing to fear with Jesus on my side.
The rest of 1 John 4 speak of God and love….some of the highlights….
Love one another(Verse 7)
If you don’t love one another, you are not a follower of Jesus(Verse 8)
God is love(Verse 8)
God showed the ultimate picture of love when He sent Jesus to die for our sins(Verse 9)
Why should we love one another? Because God loves us(Verse 11)
Perfect love casts out fear(Verse 18)
God loved us first(Verse 19)
If you say you love God but hate your fellow man, you are a liar(Verse 20)
I want to unpack a little bit more about the ultimate picture of love that God gave us when He sent Jesus to die for our sins. I used to think that God was a mean God….how in the world could He not be mean if He made His son to die.
But then something happened to me that totally changed my perspective….I became a father. And once I became a father, I realized that God wasn’t a mean God at all….in fact it was the exact opposite….He’s has more love than you can possibly imagine. Here’s what I mean.
If someone called me and needed help, I’d do my best to help them any way I could. But if someone called me and said, Phillip….I need a heart transplant and Caroline is a perfect match. I need you to sacrifice Caroline’s life by giving me her heart so I can live. She will have to die, but I will live.
Listen here buddy….no way in the world I’m going to do that for you. I don’t love anybody that much.
But God loves me and you that much because that’s exactly what He did for us with Jesus. There was no other way for us to be saved and forgiven…..and so God sent Jesus to die….why? BECAUSE HE LOVES US!! Wow wow wow wow.
So what’s the evidence or proof that you love God? 1 John 5:2….you keep His commandments.
The first commandment The Bible gives us after salvation is to be baptized….and here in 1 John 5:6-8, we see the importance of baptism and how it is a witness to the world that we are a follower of Christ.
1 John 5:14-15 speaks of praying inside the will of God and how if we are praying inside God’s will, it’s a guarantee He will answer us. Lord…please keep me inside your will. I’ve been outside of it in my past and I don’t want to be there again.
1 John concludes with a short and unusual verse….little children, keep yourselves from idols, amen. Sounds odd because we don’t really worship little figurines on the shelf like what happened in Bible times….but unpack that a little bit further….what is an idol? Anything that we give a higher priority to than God…..so with that in mind….1 John 5:21 is very important….keep yourselves from anything you make a higher priority in your life than God. AMEN!!!
2 John opens with rejoicing over people walking in right way. John wrote this letter to a church that he either visited or pastored…..and now he’s heard that after he left….the people of this church are continuing to walk in truth. This gave John great cause for rejoicing….and it gives God great cause for rejoicing when His children walk in the way they are supposed to.
2 John goes on to remind us to keep the commandments and watch out for false teachers and those possessed with demons.
Challenge for the day: Show God your love for Him by keeping His commandments.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 17th Pray, Read, Worship
Read 1 John 1-3
Right off the bat in 1 John 1:1, we see that Jesus is eternal…He’s been present since the beginning. His story didn’t start in Bethlehem when He was born….
Then we read that John had heard Jesus’ teachings first hand….He saw His miracles first hand….and He even touched Him with his own hands.
Don’t know about you…..but this gets my attention that it’s time to pay attention…..
Verse 3 shows us that followers of Jesus are INCLUSIVE and not exclusive….true followers of Jesus want people to join their fellowship….not keep it all to themselves. Are you actively seeking people to join your fellowship? When is the last time you invited someone to church?
Verse 6 says that if we say we are followers of Jesus but walk in sin and darkness, then we are liars and there is not truth in us. In other words friends….we can’t just talk the talk…we also must walk the walk. Are you a talker or a walker?
Verse 8 is for those who look upon themselves as perfect and without sin….they are deceived and likewise they are lying. Now you are probably saying….Phillip…does anybody really think they don’t have any sin in their lives? Oh yes yes yes. I got chewed out one time by a sweet little old senior adult woman for confessing my sins behind the pulpit….that I was setting a bad example for all the young people in the church.
Certainly, I’m not trying to make light or encourage people to sin….what I am trying to do is show people that sin is going to happen….we don’t need to sweep it under the rug….we must deal with it and move on.
Speaking of dealing with it….Verse 9 is another one of my Top 10 favorite verses, if we will confess our sins to Christ, He is faithful to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.
I’m so thankful Verse 9 doesn’t say….if we will confess our sins AND give all our money….or if we will confess our sins AND do anything else….no…we simply must confess our sins to Christ in repentance…and when we do…its not a hope so, maybe so, He might, He might not….no…The Bible says He is 100% faithful to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I firmly believe that we can’t appreciate The Lord’s faithful forgiveness unless we have been left unforgiven by someone holding a grudge against us. I am so very very very thankful for The Lord’s faithful forgiveness of ALL my sins. I could never thank Him enough.
John 2:1 shows us our goal in life is to live without sin….but knowing that we can never attain that, The Lord reassures us by saying we have an advocate with God The Father when we do sin…Jesus. And Verse 2 lets us know that Jesus is not just our advocate….but He will be the advocate for anybody and everybody in the whole world….regardless of race or country of origin….if we will just ask Him to be.
1 John 2:4-11 is more walk the walk and not just talk the talk….What does walking the walk look like?
Keep the commandments(Verse 3)
Loving your brother(Verse 10)
1 John 2:15-17 tells us not to love the things of this world….the things of the world will pass away and never satisfy us. But Jesus will never pass away and He always satisfies us.
The rest of 1 John 2 warns us of false teachers and people who claim that Jesus Christ is not the Son of God. We may not see many folks like this in the circles that we run in…but rest assured my friend….this world is FULL of false teachers and others who would have us to believe that Jesus was just a good man and not the GOD MAN.
The beginning of 1 John 3 is a reminder that our self-worth does not come from our possessions, but our position as a child of God. We are precious to Him.
1 John 3:11 is another reminder to love one another…..what have you done lately to love your fellow man? This past Sunday night, I had to go to Wal-Mart. Upon leaving Wal-Mart, I saw a homeless guy holding up a sign. I was heading to Burger King to grab a whopper for supper….so I just did the 2 for $6 deal and got the homeless guy a whopper and a bottle of water. I wish you could have seen the look on his face when I drove back by and gave it to him. I prayed with him and before I could pull off, he had opened the bottle of water, took a drink and was devouring the sandwich. That’s what loving your fellow man looks like.
1 John 3:16 is a reminder to lay down our lives for our brothers….this does not necessarily mean death…but preferences….I could have gotten home 5 minutes quicker Sunday night and $5 richer if I hadn’t helped that homeless guy. But ultimately, the 5 minutes and $5 paled in comparison to the joy I received watching Him devour that food.
How can you lay down your life for your fellow man?
Verse 18 is more walk the walk and not just talk the talk….don’t just talk about loving your fellow man….but do it also.
Challenge for the day….don’t just talk the talk about loving your fellow man….find a way to walk the walk….put feet to your faith….and actually show the love of Christ to others.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read 1 John 1-3
Right off the bat in 1 John 1:1, we see that Jesus is eternal…He’s been present since the beginning. His story didn’t start in Bethlehem when He was born….
Then we read that John had heard Jesus’ teachings first hand….He saw His miracles first hand….and He even touched Him with his own hands.
Don’t know about you…..but this gets my attention that it’s time to pay attention…..
Verse 3 shows us that followers of Jesus are INCLUSIVE and not exclusive….true followers of Jesus want people to join their fellowship….not keep it all to themselves. Are you actively seeking people to join your fellowship? When is the last time you invited someone to church?
Verse 6 says that if we say we are followers of Jesus but walk in sin and darkness, then we are liars and there is not truth in us. In other words friends….we can’t just talk the talk…we also must walk the walk. Are you a talker or a walker?
Verse 8 is for those who look upon themselves as perfect and without sin….they are deceived and likewise they are lying. Now you are probably saying….Phillip…does anybody really think they don’t have any sin in their lives? Oh yes yes yes. I got chewed out one time by a sweet little old senior adult woman for confessing my sins behind the pulpit….that I was setting a bad example for all the young people in the church.
Certainly, I’m not trying to make light or encourage people to sin….what I am trying to do is show people that sin is going to happen….we don’t need to sweep it under the rug….we must deal with it and move on.
Speaking of dealing with it….Verse 9 is another one of my Top 10 favorite verses, if we will confess our sins to Christ, He is faithful to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.
I’m so thankful Verse 9 doesn’t say….if we will confess our sins AND give all our money….or if we will confess our sins AND do anything else….no…we simply must confess our sins to Christ in repentance…and when we do…its not a hope so, maybe so, He might, He might not….no…The Bible says He is 100% faithful to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I firmly believe that we can’t appreciate The Lord’s faithful forgiveness unless we have been left unforgiven by someone holding a grudge against us. I am so very very very thankful for The Lord’s faithful forgiveness of ALL my sins. I could never thank Him enough.
John 2:1 shows us our goal in life is to live without sin….but knowing that we can never attain that, The Lord reassures us by saying we have an advocate with God The Father when we do sin…Jesus. And Verse 2 lets us know that Jesus is not just our advocate….but He will be the advocate for anybody and everybody in the whole world….regardless of race or country of origin….if we will just ask Him to be.
1 John 2:4-11 is more walk the walk and not just talk the talk….What does walking the walk look like?
Keep the commandments(Verse 3)
Loving your brother(Verse 10)
1 John 2:15-17 tells us not to love the things of this world….the things of the world will pass away and never satisfy us. But Jesus will never pass away and He always satisfies us.
The rest of 1 John 2 warns us of false teachers and people who claim that Jesus Christ is not the Son of God. We may not see many folks like this in the circles that we run in…but rest assured my friend….this world is FULL of false teachers and others who would have us to believe that Jesus was just a good man and not the GOD MAN.
The beginning of 1 John 3 is a reminder that our self-worth does not come from our possessions, but our position as a child of God. We are precious to Him.
1 John 3:11 is another reminder to love one another…..what have you done lately to love your fellow man? This past Sunday night, I had to go to Wal-Mart. Upon leaving Wal-Mart, I saw a homeless guy holding up a sign. I was heading to Burger King to grab a whopper for supper….so I just did the 2 for $6 deal and got the homeless guy a whopper and a bottle of water. I wish you could have seen the look on his face when I drove back by and gave it to him. I prayed with him and before I could pull off, he had opened the bottle of water, took a drink and was devouring the sandwich. That’s what loving your fellow man looks like.
1 John 3:16 is a reminder to lay down our lives for our brothers….this does not necessarily mean death…but preferences….I could have gotten home 5 minutes quicker Sunday night and $5 richer if I hadn’t helped that homeless guy. But ultimately, the 5 minutes and $5 paled in comparison to the joy I received watching Him devour that food.
How can you lay down your life for your fellow man?
Verse 18 is more walk the walk and not just talk the talk….don’t just talk about loving your fellow man….but do it also.
Challenge for the day….don’t just talk the talk about loving your fellow man….find a way to walk the walk….put feet to your faith….and actually show the love of Christ to others.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 16th Pray, Read, Worship
Praise Report #1: Check out the comment we received yesterday from a reader of the devos…
Hey brother Phillip. I want to tell you how much your daily song videos have helped me in strengthening my walk with Christ. When you talked about your hay roller and how you and Brandon got dirty in grease and dust. That meant a lot to me. It taught me how I need to take more time out of my days ahead to witness and share the love of Christ to others. Because we might be the only ones that ever show Christ to them. I just want to thank you and may God bless you in what you are doing I am praying for you brother!
Praise Report #2: We have received $2200 of the $4000 needed to process these 10 hogs for the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, Bethesda Mission, The Good Samaritan Center, and The Help Center. As I said yesterday….I’ll keep you posted each day on what we receive and if we receive more than the $4000, we will do more meat for these fine organizations.
Both of these praise reports warm my heart!!!
Thank you so much for coming alongside us and partnering with us….you are a huge blessing to me as we are taking the life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ to families everywhere by whatever means necessary!
Read 2 Peter 1-3
Do you consider your faith in Jesus Christ precious? I’m afraid many of us treat it very casually. But here in 2 Peter 1:1, Peter reminds us that our faith in Christ should be very PRECIOUS to us.
2 Peter 1:2 is a reminder that God is not in the addition business….no…He’s in the multiplication business. We humans can merely add….but God….through His incredible power….MULTIPLIES. He multiplies our blessings….our finances…and yes even our problems when we disobey Him and He wants to get our attention.
2 Peter 1:5-7 gives us Character qualities that all of us Christians need to work on…
Virtue
Knowledge
Temperance
Patience
Godliness
Brotherly kindness
Love
How are you doing in these character traits? Which ones do you need to work on?
2 Peter 1:12-15 shows us an important reason to go to church and read our Bibles…..so we will remember what we have been taught. It is human nature to forget things….So by going to church and staying in the Word….we can remember important things we have been taught….like these character traits. Beware of what I call “know it all” Christians. I’ve met and pastored several in my day….but scripturally, there is no such thing.
In 2 Peter 1:16-18, Peter gives testimony of what he personally witnessed on the Mount of Transfiguration when He heard God the Father say “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased.” Sure is hard to argue with eyewitness testimony.
2 Peter 2:4-8 is a pretty “in-your-face” passage….if God didn’t spare the angels that sinned with Lucifer…if He didn’t spare the violent people in the days of Noah….if He didn’t spare the wicked people of Sodom and Gomorrah….then what in the world makes you think that your sin will go unpunished. WOW!! Chew on that for a little while.
But there’s a flip side to that….God did spare the righteous in all these situations….He didn’t cast out all angels….only the wicked ones….He didn’t destroy all mankind at the flood….He saved Noah and His family….He didn’t destroy everyone in Sodom and Gomorrah….He spared Lot and His family.
Likewise….even though EVERYBODY around us may be doing wicked things….we can rest assured that God can and does notice our obedience to Him.
Are you aware that The Bible says plainly and clearly what punishment awaits these rioters and looters that are destroying cities all over the USA? Yes it does….2 Peter 2:13
2 Peter 2:13
13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;
These rioters are going to receive the reward of unrighteousness. Can’t get any clearer than that.
2 Peter 3:3-4 shows an important sign of the end times….people doubting that Jesus will return and that any of these signs are new or even real.
2 Peter 3:8 shows us that God has no concept of time….Many have used this verse to say that The Lord’s day in Genesis 1 was longer than 24 hours….but that takes the passage completely out of context. What 2 Peter 3:8 is trying to say is that God has no concept of time. What seems like a long time to us is nothing to Him.
2 Peter 3:9 is one of my Top 10 favorite verses….the Lord is patient and not willing that anybody would perish…but that all would come to repentance and knowledge of Him. I am so thankful that The Lord is working hard to get everybody into Heaven instead of keeping folks out.
2 Peter 3:10 tells us that the day of the Lord will happen unexpectedly….just like when someone breaks into your house.
2 Peter 3:14 is a command to live a holy life until The Lord returns.
2 Peter 3:17 lets us know it is possible to backslide. But instead of backsliding, we are to do what Verse 18 says….grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Are you growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord? If not….then my friend….I hate to break it to you…but The Bible says you are backsliding.
I’ve backslidden plenty in my days….and for my part….I don’t want to backslide anymore. So I’m going to do the best I can to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Will you join me?
It’s easy to say Yes….but remember…in order to grow in grace and knowledge….we are asking that we be put into situations where we are going to need grace and knowledge that we don’t have….learning experiences. Just like there is no Easter Sunday without the cross on Good Friday…there’s not growing in grace and knowledge without a tough situation from which we can learn.
So let me ask it again…will you join me in growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Praise Report #1: Check out the comment we received yesterday from a reader of the devos…
Hey brother Phillip. I want to tell you how much your daily song videos have helped me in strengthening my walk with Christ. When you talked about your hay roller and how you and Brandon got dirty in grease and dust. That meant a lot to me. It taught me how I need to take more time out of my days ahead to witness and share the love of Christ to others. Because we might be the only ones that ever show Christ to them. I just want to thank you and may God bless you in what you are doing I am praying for you brother!
Praise Report #2: We have received $2200 of the $4000 needed to process these 10 hogs for the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, Bethesda Mission, The Good Samaritan Center, and The Help Center. As I said yesterday….I’ll keep you posted each day on what we receive and if we receive more than the $4000, we will do more meat for these fine organizations.
Both of these praise reports warm my heart!!!
Thank you so much for coming alongside us and partnering with us….you are a huge blessing to me as we are taking the life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ to families everywhere by whatever means necessary!
Read 2 Peter 1-3
Do you consider your faith in Jesus Christ precious? I’m afraid many of us treat it very casually. But here in 2 Peter 1:1, Peter reminds us that our faith in Christ should be very PRECIOUS to us.
2 Peter 1:2 is a reminder that God is not in the addition business….no…He’s in the multiplication business. We humans can merely add….but God….through His incredible power….MULTIPLIES. He multiplies our blessings….our finances…and yes even our problems when we disobey Him and He wants to get our attention.
2 Peter 1:5-7 gives us Character qualities that all of us Christians need to work on…
Virtue
Knowledge
Temperance
Patience
Godliness
Brotherly kindness
Love
How are you doing in these character traits? Which ones do you need to work on?
2 Peter 1:12-15 shows us an important reason to go to church and read our Bibles…..so we will remember what we have been taught. It is human nature to forget things….So by going to church and staying in the Word….we can remember important things we have been taught….like these character traits. Beware of what I call “know it all” Christians. I’ve met and pastored several in my day….but scripturally, there is no such thing.
In 2 Peter 1:16-18, Peter gives testimony of what he personally witnessed on the Mount of Transfiguration when He heard God the Father say “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased.” Sure is hard to argue with eyewitness testimony.
2 Peter 2:4-8 is a pretty “in-your-face” passage….if God didn’t spare the angels that sinned with Lucifer…if He didn’t spare the violent people in the days of Noah….if He didn’t spare the wicked people of Sodom and Gomorrah….then what in the world makes you think that your sin will go unpunished. WOW!! Chew on that for a little while.
But there’s a flip side to that….God did spare the righteous in all these situations….He didn’t cast out all angels….only the wicked ones….He didn’t destroy all mankind at the flood….He saved Noah and His family….He didn’t destroy everyone in Sodom and Gomorrah….He spared Lot and His family.
Likewise….even though EVERYBODY around us may be doing wicked things….we can rest assured that God can and does notice our obedience to Him.
Are you aware that The Bible says plainly and clearly what punishment awaits these rioters and looters that are destroying cities all over the USA? Yes it does….2 Peter 2:13
2 Peter 2:13
13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;
These rioters are going to receive the reward of unrighteousness. Can’t get any clearer than that.
2 Peter 3:3-4 shows an important sign of the end times….people doubting that Jesus will return and that any of these signs are new or even real.
2 Peter 3:8 shows us that God has no concept of time….Many have used this verse to say that The Lord’s day in Genesis 1 was longer than 24 hours….but that takes the passage completely out of context. What 2 Peter 3:8 is trying to say is that God has no concept of time. What seems like a long time to us is nothing to Him.
2 Peter 3:9 is one of my Top 10 favorite verses….the Lord is patient and not willing that anybody would perish…but that all would come to repentance and knowledge of Him. I am so thankful that The Lord is working hard to get everybody into Heaven instead of keeping folks out.
2 Peter 3:10 tells us that the day of the Lord will happen unexpectedly….just like when someone breaks into your house.
2 Peter 3:14 is a command to live a holy life until The Lord returns.
2 Peter 3:17 lets us know it is possible to backslide. But instead of backsliding, we are to do what Verse 18 says….grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Are you growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord? If not….then my friend….I hate to break it to you…but The Bible says you are backsliding.
I’ve backslidden plenty in my days….and for my part….I don’t want to backslide anymore. So I’m going to do the best I can to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Will you join me?
It’s easy to say Yes….but remember…in order to grow in grace and knowledge….we are asking that we be put into situations where we are going to need grace and knowledge that we don’t have….learning experiences. Just like there is no Easter Sunday without the cross on Good Friday…there’s not growing in grace and knowledge without a tough situation from which we can learn.
So let me ask it again…will you join me in growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 15th Pray, Read, Worship
Read 1 Peter 3-5
Contextually, we know from 2 Corinthians 6:14 that a believer in Jesus Christ is not supposed to marry an unbeliever. But what happens if you did? And what happens if you were both unbelievers when you got married, but the wife gets saved later on into the marriage?
1 Peter 3:1-2 tells you what to do ladies….don’t try to “nag” your husband to Jesus….instead live your life in such a way that your husband will want to become a follower of Jesus.
1 Peter 3:3-5 says for you to be more concerned about your inner beauty than your outer beauty. As my Father says about his cows….Pretty is as pretty does….there’s a good application there for humans also.
1 Peter 3:7 speaks to the men to honor their wives….take care of them….don’t be rough with them and treat them like a dog. If a man doesn’t honor his wife….if he’s rough with her….what happens? The Bible says here that his prayers will be hindered.
1 Peter 3:8 commands us to live in unity….my oh my how Peter would be disappointed in the USA today.
1 Peter 3:8 says we are to also have compassion on one another.
The Lord has laid something on my heart when it comes to having compassion on others and I need your help to make this a reality. I’m helping a LOCAL farmer move some hogs. This farmer got caught up in the Covid-19 deal where the meat processing plants were shut down. I’m selling these hogs to some of my beef customers to help him out.
Well other day I was praying and The Lord clearly told me….Phillip, you need to give some of that meat to people in need…and the places that he laid on my heart were The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, The Good Samaritan Center in Dover, Bethesda Mission in Erin, and The Help Center in Dickson.
So I called up all 4 of these places and they were ecstatic….but I’ve got to be honest…the Children’s home really really got to me. I was originally planning on 3 hogs for the Children’s Home….one for the Millington location, one for the Brentwood Campus, and one for Chattanooga….but after talking to the leadership there, they let me know that they have a HUGE need at the boys ranch in Millington. 24 growing young men plus the house families fed three times a day. Knowing that each hog yields between 160-200 pounds of meat, I asked them how much they could use in Millington and he said they’d burn through 1000 pounds of pork pretty quick.
So here’s what Chambers Family Ministries is going to do….we are going to take care of the hogs for free. I’m going to feed and water them on my land each day. I’m going to deliver them to the processor for free. I’m going to pick up the meat for free and I’m going to deliver the meat to the Children’s Homes and other places for free. I’m not going to make a dime on this endeavor.
But I need you to help me pay for the hog and the processing. It’s going to be around $400 total per hog and we are doing 10 so far….5 for the Boy’s Ranch in Millington…1 for Brentwood Children’s Home…1 for Chattanooga Children’s Home…1 for Bethesda Mission…1 for Good Samaritan Center….and 1 for the Help Center. That will be around $4000.
Like I said…I’m going to do all the work on my end for free to include providing the feed, etc. I just need you to help me out with everything else.
If you would be willing to donate toward the $4000 we need to raise in order to show compassion on these children and others, please Private Message me, go to Google Pay or Paypal(chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com ) and donate, or send your contribution to:
Chambers Family Ministries
5288 Chambers Road
Cumberland Furnace, TN 37051
I will give you full disclosure on how much we raise….and if we raise more than $4000, we will do more hogs or other things to help these fine organizations out. Like I said, I do not want to make a penny off of this.
Bottom line….The Bible here in 1 Peter 3:8 and many other places says for us to have compassion on one another….this pork/hogs is how The Lord laid it on my heart to do and I’d love for you to come alongside us and help out. I’ll share pictures with you and maybe even you could help me deliver the meat.
Can I count on your to partner with me to send between 1600-2000 pounds of meat to those in need?
1 Peter 3:9 says not to render evil for evil….we should paste this on billboards all over the USA. The violence and looting going on in America is not the way to make restitution for what happened to George Floyd in Minnesota.
1 Peter 3:10 says that if you want to have good days…don’t talk bad about folks. Why? Because it always gets back to them and when it does….you’ll have a bad day!!!
1 Peter 3:15 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible….it says to always be ready to give your testimony to others. If someone were to come up to you right now and ask when you got saved….would you be able to tell them? Could you share what your life was like before you met Christ and what it’s been like since?
1 Peter 3:19 is one of the most controversial verses in the entire Bible….some people interpret Verse 19 to say that between Christ’s death and resurrection, He preached the Gospel to all the people in Old Testament times that had died without Him…..other Bible Scholars believe Jesus went to hell and shared the Gospel there with the fallen angels….I don’t know exactly what this verse means. But I do know that Jesus has patience and compassion on everyone…not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance and salvation through Him.
1 Peter 3:22 tells us where Jesus is now….He’s in Heaven with God the Father. He’s not dead…He’s not in the grave….Jesus is alive and well in Heaven with His Father.
1 Peter 4:4 is a very important word to people who get saved as adults….your friends will think it strange when you no longer go to the same places and do the same things you used to do with them. In fact, they might even talk bad about you….but don’t let that worry you….just use it as an opportunity to share your newfound faith in Jesus Christ with them.
1 Peter 4:8 says that love covers a multitude of sins….in other words….when we truly love someone…instead of keeping a checklist of everything they do wrong and constantly reminding them of it….we are to look over and forget those sins….we are to cover those sins with our love.
1 Peter 4:10 encourages us to use whatever talents The Lord gives us to minister to other people. I use the musical talents The Lord gives me….my mom uses the cooking talents The Lord gives her…each one of us has different talents to different degrees…regardless…we are to use what we are given to minister to others in Jesus name.
1 Peter 4:12 reminds us to not think it odd or strange when we suffer persecution because of being a follower of Jesus. Nope….The Bible is clear that ALL who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer.
The beginning of 1 Peter 5 is a reminder to Pastors to feed the flock of God and be looking after them as an Under Shepherd to the Chief Shepherd.
1 Peter 5:7 is one of my Top 5 Favorite verses in the entire Bible….cast all your cares on Jesus because He cares for us. I’m so thankful I can hand off my worries and cares to Jesus and He will take care of things for me….that’s one of the biggest blessings in my life. I have done this many many many times.
1 Peter 5:8 speaks of how the devil is on the hunt for us…he’s looking for us to devour us….let me just put this in plain old country English….if you are not bothered by the devil….then it’s because you are not a threat to him. But when you take a step forward to serve the Lord….get ready because Satan will unleash his demons on us to discourage and devour us from sharing the Gospel with the world.
To those of us laboring for Jesus….our rest will not come until we get to Heaven with Him. Until then, be ready for persecution and attacks from the devil….it’s a guarantee it’s going to come. But Hallelujah that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read 1 Peter 3-5
Contextually, we know from 2 Corinthians 6:14 that a believer in Jesus Christ is not supposed to marry an unbeliever. But what happens if you did? And what happens if you were both unbelievers when you got married, but the wife gets saved later on into the marriage?
1 Peter 3:1-2 tells you what to do ladies….don’t try to “nag” your husband to Jesus….instead live your life in such a way that your husband will want to become a follower of Jesus.
1 Peter 3:3-5 says for you to be more concerned about your inner beauty than your outer beauty. As my Father says about his cows….Pretty is as pretty does….there’s a good application there for humans also.
1 Peter 3:7 speaks to the men to honor their wives….take care of them….don’t be rough with them and treat them like a dog. If a man doesn’t honor his wife….if he’s rough with her….what happens? The Bible says here that his prayers will be hindered.
1 Peter 3:8 commands us to live in unity….my oh my how Peter would be disappointed in the USA today.
1 Peter 3:8 says we are to also have compassion on one another.
The Lord has laid something on my heart when it comes to having compassion on others and I need your help to make this a reality. I’m helping a LOCAL farmer move some hogs. This farmer got caught up in the Covid-19 deal where the meat processing plants were shut down. I’m selling these hogs to some of my beef customers to help him out.
Well other day I was praying and The Lord clearly told me….Phillip, you need to give some of that meat to people in need…and the places that he laid on my heart were The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, The Good Samaritan Center in Dover, Bethesda Mission in Erin, and The Help Center in Dickson.
So I called up all 4 of these places and they were ecstatic….but I’ve got to be honest…the Children’s home really really got to me. I was originally planning on 3 hogs for the Children’s Home….one for the Millington location, one for the Brentwood Campus, and one for Chattanooga….but after talking to the leadership there, they let me know that they have a HUGE need at the boys ranch in Millington. 24 growing young men plus the house families fed three times a day. Knowing that each hog yields between 160-200 pounds of meat, I asked them how much they could use in Millington and he said they’d burn through 1000 pounds of pork pretty quick.
So here’s what Chambers Family Ministries is going to do….we are going to take care of the hogs for free. I’m going to feed and water them on my land each day. I’m going to deliver them to the processor for free. I’m going to pick up the meat for free and I’m going to deliver the meat to the Children’s Homes and other places for free. I’m not going to make a dime on this endeavor.
But I need you to help me pay for the hog and the processing. It’s going to be around $400 total per hog and we are doing 10 so far….5 for the Boy’s Ranch in Millington…1 for Brentwood Children’s Home…1 for Chattanooga Children’s Home…1 for Bethesda Mission…1 for Good Samaritan Center….and 1 for the Help Center. That will be around $4000.
Like I said…I’m going to do all the work on my end for free to include providing the feed, etc. I just need you to help me out with everything else.
If you would be willing to donate toward the $4000 we need to raise in order to show compassion on these children and others, please Private Message me, go to Google Pay or Paypal(chambersfamilyministrie
Chambers Family Ministries
5288 Chambers Road
Cumberland Furnace, TN 37051
I will give you full disclosure on how much we raise….and if we raise more than $4000, we will do more hogs or other things to help these fine organizations out. Like I said, I do not want to make a penny off of this.
Bottom line….The Bible here in 1 Peter 3:8 and many other places says for us to have compassion on one another….this pork/hogs is how The Lord laid it on my heart to do and I’d love for you to come alongside us and help out. I’ll share pictures with you and maybe even you could help me deliver the meat.
Can I count on your to partner with me to send between 1600-2000 pounds of meat to those in need?
1 Peter 3:9 says not to render evil for evil….we should paste this on billboards all over the USA. The violence and looting going on in America is not the way to make restitution for what happened to George Floyd in Minnesota.
1 Peter 3:10 says that if you want to have good days…don’t talk bad about folks. Why? Because it always gets back to them and when it does….you’ll have a bad day!!!
1 Peter 3:15 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible….it says to always be ready to give your testimony to others. If someone were to come up to you right now and ask when you got saved….would you be able to tell them? Could you share what your life was like before you met Christ and what it’s been like since?
1 Peter 3:19 is one of the most controversial verses in the entire Bible….some people interpret Verse 19 to say that between Christ’s death and resurrection, He preached the Gospel to all the people in Old Testament times that had died without Him…..other Bible Scholars believe Jesus went to hell and shared the Gospel there with the fallen angels….I don’t know exactly what this verse means. But I do know that Jesus has patience and compassion on everyone…not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance and salvation through Him.
1 Peter 3:22 tells us where Jesus is now….He’s in Heaven with God the Father. He’s not dead…He’s not in the grave….Jesus is alive and well in Heaven with His Father.
1 Peter 4:4 is a very important word to people who get saved as adults….your friends will think it strange when you no longer go to the same places and do the same things you used to do with them. In fact, they might even talk bad about you….but don’t let that worry you….just use it as an opportunity to share your newfound faith in Jesus Christ with them.
1 Peter 4:8 says that love covers a multitude of sins….in other words….when we truly love someone…instead of keeping a checklist of everything they do wrong and constantly reminding them of it….we are to look over and forget those sins….we are to cover those sins with our love.
1 Peter 4:10 encourages us to use whatever talents The Lord gives us to minister to other people. I use the musical talents The Lord gives me….my mom uses the cooking talents The Lord gives her…each one of us has different talents to different degrees…regardless…we are to use what we are given to minister to others in Jesus name.
1 Peter 4:12 reminds us to not think it odd or strange when we suffer persecution because of being a follower of Jesus. Nope….The Bible is clear that ALL who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer.
The beginning of 1 Peter 5 is a reminder to Pastors to feed the flock of God and be looking after them as an Under Shepherd to the Chief Shepherd.
1 Peter 5:7 is one of my Top 5 Favorite verses in the entire Bible….cast all your cares on Jesus because He cares for us. I’m so thankful I can hand off my worries and cares to Jesus and He will take care of things for me….that’s one of the biggest blessings in my life. I have done this many many many times.
1 Peter 5:8 speaks of how the devil is on the hunt for us…he’s looking for us to devour us….let me just put this in plain old country English….if you are not bothered by the devil….then it’s because you are not a threat to him. But when you take a step forward to serve the Lord….get ready because Satan will unleash his demons on us to discourage and devour us from sharing the Gospel with the world.
To those of us laboring for Jesus….our rest will not come until we get to Heaven with Him. Until then, be ready for persecution and attacks from the devil….it’s a guarantee it’s going to come. But Hallelujah that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 14th Pray, Read, Worship
Read James 5, 1 Peter 1-2
James 5:4 speaks of not defrauding the people that work for you. I cherish being generous with those who work for me….The Lord always blesses me with enough when I am….plus the folks that are working for me are eager to return and help again. Being generous is definitely a quality of a follower of Jesus Christ….nowhere is stinginess mentioned in the Bible in a positive light.
James 5:7 says to be patient unto the coming of the Lord…..I struggle with this really bad because I would be tickled pink if The Lord came back RIGHT NOW. One of my favorite songs of all time is “What A Beautiful Day For The Lord To Come Again” written by my buddy Aaron Wilburn…made popular by The Happy Goodmans….and recently re-recorded by my dear friends The Kingdom Heirs. When I’m on the raking tractor like I was today, I always have my earbuds in listening to music or preaching…and when “What A Beautiful Day For The Lord To Come Again” comes on….I’ll look around and wish for today to be the day. I can’t see how it can be much longer….it’s only by the patience, mercy, and grace of God that He’s not sent Jesus back to bring us home to Heaven already.
James 5:9 is a reminder not to hold a grudge against folks. Holding a grudge makes you a miserable person. I’ve heard it described as you drinking the poison and hoping the other person dies. Holding a grudge literally poisons your soul and makes you miserable.
James 5:12 says to be a person of your word….let your yes be yes. Back when I was in the radio business, I did the majority of my business on a handshake and I loved it that way. I still try to do as much farming business as I can on a handshake and by my word.
James 5:14 is one of the places in scripture where we get anointing the sick with oil. My friend, your church may not practice this…but I’m telling you….James 5:14 works. I’ve seen dozens of people healed through the laying on of hands, anointing with oil, and the prayers of faith.
TIMEOUT: I’d love to pray with/for you if you have a prayer request. Please private message or text me and I’ll get back to you personally as quickly as I possibly can.
James 5:16 is one of my favorite verses in all of scripture. It says to confess your faults(sins) to one another and to pray for one another so you can be healed…the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Let me tell you how much this verse means to me and share with you something I encourage you to do. I used to have a prayer partner that when he or I either one would get in a tempting spot and need prayer, we would simply text “516” to each other…516 standing for James 5:16. Whenever I received that message from him, I would stop what I was doing immediately and pray for him….and he would do the same for me when I messaged him “516”. If you don’t have a prayer/accountability partner you can do this with….please let me encourage you to find one.
I also want to encourage you to have a trusted accountability person that you can confess your sins to and pray with. I’m so thankful for these people in my life and heaven only knows the difference they have made for me.
James 5:20 shows the seriousness of sharing the Gospel….when we share the Gospel with someone and they accept Christ, that person is saved from death. So literally….sharing the Gospel with lost folks is a life and death situation.
Who have you shared the Gospel with this week?
1 Peter 1:3 says we are to bless God….how do we bless God? Well think about it just for a second….how do your children bless you? By obeying you and doing things that make you proud of them. And that’s exactly how we will bless God…by obeying Him and doing things that please Him.
How are you doing at blessing God?
1 Peter 1:3 also says that we have a lively or living hope in Jesus Christ….something we can stand firm on and not a hope so/maybe so salvation.
1 Peter 1:5 speaks of how Jesus Christ keeps or sustains us. You ever thought about all it takes to sustain someone….to keep them going? It takes a lot to sustain a herd of cows….that’s why I’m so busy cutting hay right now…..I’ll need 400 rolls to get through the winter….and even more so…it takes a whole lot to keep us humans going. But praise The Lord it’s not too much for Christ to accomplish. Jesus is our sustainer.
1 Peter 1:6 is a reminder that our hard times are only a season of life and not a sentence. I cling to this promise from God’s Word almost every day….it’s a season not a life sentence.
1 Peter 1:7 says that the trials of our faith are more precious than gold….how can that be? Because they give us something money can’t buy….a stronger faith in Jesus Christ….deliverance through hard trials gives us stronger faith for what we will face next in life….that’s priceless….can’t be bought or sold at Wal-Mart.
1 Peter 1:8 speaks of how we love Jesus although we’ve never seen Him. I remember the first time I laid eyes on both Caroline and Abigail. A love swelled up in me that I’d never experienced before. But with Jesus….I’ve never laid my eyes on Him….yet I love Him dearly. Makes me long for the day that I’ll see my Jesus face to face!! What a day…what a glorious day that will be!!
1 Peter 1:13 is a call to guard our minds…..remember me saying earlier that I wear earbuds and listen to Christian music and preaching while I’m raking hay? You want to know why? Because if I didn’t….my mind would wander to places it doesn’t need to go. Listening to Christian music and preaching helps me to guard my mind. I strongly encourage you to download lots of Christian music on your phone and to listen extensively to Christian radio stations in your area.
1 Peter 1:15-16 calls us to live a holy life. How holy a life do you live? I’ve got plenty of work to do in my life. Not near where I want to be.
1 Peter 1:18-19 reminds us that our salvation did not come from silver or gold, but by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. What a gift we were given!!!
1 Peter 1:22 is another reminder to love our fellow man.
1 Peter 1:24-25 contrasts the beauty of the Earth with the power of the Word of God….the grass will wither and the flower will fade away, but the Word of the Lord will endure forever. AMEN!!
1 Peter 2:3 begs a question for us to answer….have you ever tasted grace?
As long as I live, I will never forget the story I’m about to relay to you. Just before my brother Brandon got married, he applied for some life insurance. They found blood in his urine. He went to the doctor and they did a scope….not expecting to find anything. Instead, they found a polyp, took it out, and Brandon surprisingly had to stay in the hospital overnight.
I was in a sales meeting at the radio station when I got the word….I immediately got my stuff together and headed to the hospital. I had to make a call to an advertising agency in Louisiana on the way and by the providence of God, I got my precious sweet client on the phone. The owner of this agency was a godly woman, prayer warrior to the highest degree. When she picked up the phone, I told her about my brother before we talked any business. I’ll never forget what Mrs. Carolyn said…..she said, “Phillip, I’m going to assume your brother is a clean living guy like yourself.” I said “Yes mam he is.” And then she said, “And I assume your brother got saved at a young age probably like you did.” And I said “Yes mam that is correct.” Then Mrs. Carolyn said this….”Phillip…because of your clean living, y’all have never really tasted the grace of God in your life like say a recovering alcoholic or drug addict has. This is an opportunity for you to taste the grace of God and I’m telling you my friend, it is a sweet thing.”
Boy oh boy was Mrs. Carolyn right….not only did we taste the grace of God when everything turned out OK with Brandon….but I have tasted it many many times and for many many things since. If you’ve ever tasted the Lord’s grace….you understand what I’m saying. If you haven’t…I don’t wish anything bad on you…but I do certainly wish that you could get a taste of The Lord’s grace in your life.
1 Peter 2:11 encourages us to abstain from fleshly lusts because they create a war inside your soul.
1 Peter 2:12 is a reminder that we are the only Bible lost people read….it encourages us to live our lives in such a way that it will cause lost people to become desirous of a relationship with Christ.
1 Peter 2:13-17 tells us to obey the laws of our land and honor those in authority over us…..this means we are to honor the office….whether we agree with the person holding the office or not.
1 Peter 2:21-23 reminds us that Jesus didn’t fight back when He was persecuted. And Verse 24 goes on to share how Jesus bore our sins on the cross so that we who were dead in our sins could be made alive by the stripes that were put on Him.
Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross for me….You did something for me that I could never do for myself….and I hope I never ever take for granted what you did for me on the cross.
Challenge for the Day: Go to church…worship The Lord…and thank Him for dying on the cross for your sins.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read James 5, 1 Peter 1-2
James 5:4 speaks of not defrauding the people that work for you. I cherish being generous with those who work for me….The Lord always blesses me with enough when I am….plus the folks that are working for me are eager to return and help again. Being generous is definitely a quality of a follower of Jesus Christ….nowhere is stinginess mentioned in the Bible in a positive light.
James 5:7 says to be patient unto the coming of the Lord…..I struggle with this really bad because I would be tickled pink if The Lord came back RIGHT NOW. One of my favorite songs of all time is “What A Beautiful Day For The Lord To Come Again” written by my buddy Aaron Wilburn…made popular by The Happy Goodmans….and recently re-recorded by my dear friends The Kingdom Heirs. When I’m on the raking tractor like I was today, I always have my earbuds in listening to music or preaching…and when “What A Beautiful Day For The Lord To Come Again” comes on….I’ll look around and wish for today to be the day. I can’t see how it can be much longer….it’s only by the patience, mercy, and grace of God that He’s not sent Jesus back to bring us home to Heaven already.
James 5:9 is a reminder not to hold a grudge against folks. Holding a grudge makes you a miserable person. I’ve heard it described as you drinking the poison and hoping the other person dies. Holding a grudge literally poisons your soul and makes you miserable.
James 5:12 says to be a person of your word….let your yes be yes. Back when I was in the radio business, I did the majority of my business on a handshake and I loved it that way. I still try to do as much farming business as I can on a handshake and by my word.
James 5:14 is one of the places in scripture where we get anointing the sick with oil. My friend, your church may not practice this…but I’m telling you….James 5:14 works. I’ve seen dozens of people healed through the laying on of hands, anointing with oil, and the prayers of faith.
TIMEOUT: I’d love to pray with/for you if you have a prayer request. Please private message or text me and I’ll get back to you personally as quickly as I possibly can.
James 5:16 is one of my favorite verses in all of scripture. It says to confess your faults(sins) to one another and to pray for one another so you can be healed…the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Let me tell you how much this verse means to me and share with you something I encourage you to do. I used to have a prayer partner that when he or I either one would get in a tempting spot and need prayer, we would simply text “516” to each other…516 standing for James 5:16. Whenever I received that message from him, I would stop what I was doing immediately and pray for him….and he would do the same for me when I messaged him “516”. If you don’t have a prayer/accountability partner you can do this with….please let me encourage you to find one.
I also want to encourage you to have a trusted accountability person that you can confess your sins to and pray with. I’m so thankful for these people in my life and heaven only knows the difference they have made for me.
James 5:20 shows the seriousness of sharing the Gospel….when we share the Gospel with someone and they accept Christ, that person is saved from death. So literally….sharing the Gospel with lost folks is a life and death situation.
Who have you shared the Gospel with this week?
1 Peter 1:3 says we are to bless God….how do we bless God? Well think about it just for a second….how do your children bless you? By obeying you and doing things that make you proud of them. And that’s exactly how we will bless God…by obeying Him and doing things that please Him.
How are you doing at blessing God?
1 Peter 1:3 also says that we have a lively or living hope in Jesus Christ….something we can stand firm on and not a hope so/maybe so salvation.
1 Peter 1:5 speaks of how Jesus Christ keeps or sustains us. You ever thought about all it takes to sustain someone….to keep them going? It takes a lot to sustain a herd of cows….that’s why I’m so busy cutting hay right now…..I’ll need 400 rolls to get through the winter….and even more so…it takes a whole lot to keep us humans going. But praise The Lord it’s not too much for Christ to accomplish. Jesus is our sustainer.
1 Peter 1:6 is a reminder that our hard times are only a season of life and not a sentence. I cling to this promise from God’s Word almost every day….it’s a season not a life sentence.
1 Peter 1:7 says that the trials of our faith are more precious than gold….how can that be? Because they give us something money can’t buy….a stronger faith in Jesus Christ….deliverance through hard trials gives us stronger faith for what we will face next in life….that’s priceless….can’t be bought or sold at Wal-Mart.
1 Peter 1:8 speaks of how we love Jesus although we’ve never seen Him. I remember the first time I laid eyes on both Caroline and Abigail. A love swelled up in me that I’d never experienced before. But with Jesus….I’ve never laid my eyes on Him….yet I love Him dearly. Makes me long for the day that I’ll see my Jesus face to face!! What a day…what a glorious day that will be!!
1 Peter 1:13 is a call to guard our minds…..remember me saying earlier that I wear earbuds and listen to Christian music and preaching while I’m raking hay? You want to know why? Because if I didn’t….my mind would wander to places it doesn’t need to go. Listening to Christian music and preaching helps me to guard my mind. I strongly encourage you to download lots of Christian music on your phone and to listen extensively to Christian radio stations in your area.
1 Peter 1:15-16 calls us to live a holy life. How holy a life do you live? I’ve got plenty of work to do in my life. Not near where I want to be.
1 Peter 1:18-19 reminds us that our salvation did not come from silver or gold, but by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. What a gift we were given!!!
1 Peter 1:22 is another reminder to love our fellow man.
1 Peter 1:24-25 contrasts the beauty of the Earth with the power of the Word of God….the grass will wither and the flower will fade away, but the Word of the Lord will endure forever. AMEN!!
1 Peter 2:3 begs a question for us to answer….have you ever tasted grace?
As long as I live, I will never forget the story I’m about to relay to you. Just before my brother Brandon got married, he applied for some life insurance. They found blood in his urine. He went to the doctor and they did a scope….not expecting to find anything. Instead, they found a polyp, took it out, and Brandon surprisingly had to stay in the hospital overnight.
I was in a sales meeting at the radio station when I got the word….I immediately got my stuff together and headed to the hospital. I had to make a call to an advertising agency in Louisiana on the way and by the providence of God, I got my precious sweet client on the phone. The owner of this agency was a godly woman, prayer warrior to the highest degree. When she picked up the phone, I told her about my brother before we talked any business. I’ll never forget what Mrs. Carolyn said…..she said, “Phillip, I’m going to assume your brother is a clean living guy like yourself.” I said “Yes mam he is.” And then she said, “And I assume your brother got saved at a young age probably like you did.” And I said “Yes mam that is correct.” Then Mrs. Carolyn said this….”Phillip…because of your clean living, y’all have never really tasted the grace of God in your life like say a recovering alcoholic or drug addict has. This is an opportunity for you to taste the grace of God and I’m telling you my friend, it is a sweet thing.”
Boy oh boy was Mrs. Carolyn right….not only did we taste the grace of God when everything turned out OK with Brandon….but I have tasted it many many times and for many many things since. If you’ve ever tasted the Lord’s grace….you understand what I’m saying. If you haven’t…I don’t wish anything bad on you…but I do certainly wish that you could get a taste of The Lord’s grace in your life.
1 Peter 2:11 encourages us to abstain from fleshly lusts because they create a war inside your soul.
1 Peter 2:12 is a reminder that we are the only Bible lost people read….it encourages us to live our lives in such a way that it will cause lost people to become desirous of a relationship with Christ.
1 Peter 2:13-17 tells us to obey the laws of our land and honor those in authority over us…..this means we are to honor the office….whether we agree with the person holding the office or not.
1 Peter 2:21-23 reminds us that Jesus didn’t fight back when He was persecuted. And Verse 24 goes on to share how Jesus bore our sins on the cross so that we who were dead in our sins could be made alive by the stripes that were put on Him.
Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross for me….You did something for me that I could never do for myself….and I hope I never ever take for granted what you did for me on the cross.
Challenge for the Day: Go to church…worship The Lord…and thank Him for dying on the cross for your sins.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 13th Pray, Read, Worship
Read James 2-4
James 2:1-9 has a two-fold meaning that is so applicable today. First, I believe contextually this was written to church leaders who were catering to rich people that put a lot in the offering at church. I base this on the word “assembly” in Verse 2. We are to respect everyone at church and not play favorites if at all possible. If the church is just for a select few, then there will only be a select few going. This is why I never wanted to know who gave what when I was pastoring. Never wanted that temptation there.
The second meaning is pretty obvious in today’s culture….respect of persons…in other words, there is no black and white in The Lord’s eyes. We are all one race…the human race…and we are to treat all of our fellow humans equally regardless of skin color. I so wish everyone would grasp the teachings of The Bible on this….my heart breaks over the division that’s in our country today.
Verse 10 shows that we are all the same level of guilty in the eyes of God….Verse 10 says if we keep the whole law and just offend in one point, we are guilty of all. In other words, in God’s eyes…my sin is the same as any murderer on death row. This is another concept that I wish we could grasp….the degrees or levels of sin that we speak about today is all man-made because in God’s eyes, we are all the same degree of sinners in need of salvation.
James 2:14-18 speaks of how our works are evidence that we truly have faith in Christ. There are two sides of the coin here…..if we say we have faith, but don’t have works….our faith is in vain. But if we are relying on our works to get us to God, that path doesn’t work either.
So here’s the question….what are the works in your life that give evidence of your faith? For discussion purposes only, I’ll share some of mine just to help you find yours…
Bible reading and prayer time each day
Quick to help my neighbors
Tither plus love offerings to Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, Good News Club, Hope Pregnancy Center, Bethel Colony of Mercy
Share food with those in need
Now don’t misunderstand what I’m saying….you can’t do these 5 things and get to heaven. But if you have a true relationship with Christ….you will want to do these 5 things and more because of your love for Him. Regardless of what you may think about me….I want you to know one thing about Phillip Chambers…..I love Jesus!!! He’s my best friend…I talk to Him all day long…and He’s a tremendous help to me.
I love James 2:19…..to those who say “I believe in God” when asked about their faith….James’ response was, “The devils also believe.” In other words…believing in God is not enough. We must place our faith in Him to save us.
James 3 opens with an admonishment to control our tongues. I love the analogy of how a small rudder on a boat can turn the entire ship in one direction or the other….and likewise our small tongue can take our whole body in good places or bad. Verse 5 says that our little tongue can start a great fire of trouble for us….AMEN….James then goes on to say how every other animal….beast, birds, snakes, fish….doesn’t have a tongue that gets them in trouble by talking. But we humans do and it can get us into a whole heap of trouble. I know mine has me.
James 4 opens with how many of us don’t get our prayers answered because we are not praying in conjunction with the will of God for our lives. So what are we to do? Verse 7….we are to submit ourselves to God and when we do, He will draw near to us. We are to humble ourselves before God(Verse 10) and allow Him to raise us up.
Verse 11 tells us to not speak evil against our fellow man….this includes politics. I’m so tired of Democrats and Republicans both talking bad about each other. Completely against God’s will.
James 4 ends with caution about making future plans….Verse 14 says, who knows what will happen tomorrow? I think we can all say a big AMEN to this verse with what we’ve lived through the last 3+ months with the quarantine. None of us saw it coming and it definitely changed all our plans.
So what are we to do? Verse 15….make our plans like this…”If the Lord will, we will do this or that.” I’ve definitely learned my lesson on that.
James 4 wraps up with Verse 17….”Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” This speaks of the sins of omission. You see there are sins we commit….commit murder, commit adultery….but there are also sins because we omit something…..for example…we see a brother in need and we don’t help out. We neglect to pray for someone. We don’t tithe.
Sins of omission are on the exact same level as sins of commission.
Challenge for the day: Put feet to your faith today….if you see a brother or sister in need….help them. Send a love offering to one of the organizations I give to or any other number of places that The Lord may lead you. Pray for a friend in need.
Why do we need to do this? Because our faith without works is dead!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read James 2-4
James 2:1-9 has a two-fold meaning that is so applicable today. First, I believe contextually this was written to church leaders who were catering to rich people that put a lot in the offering at church. I base this on the word “assembly” in Verse 2. We are to respect everyone at church and not play favorites if at all possible. If the church is just for a select few, then there will only be a select few going. This is why I never wanted to know who gave what when I was pastoring. Never wanted that temptation there.
The second meaning is pretty obvious in today’s culture….respect of persons…in other words, there is no black and white in The Lord’s eyes. We are all one race…the human race…and we are to treat all of our fellow humans equally regardless of skin color. I so wish everyone would grasp the teachings of The Bible on this….my heart breaks over the division that’s in our country today.
Verse 10 shows that we are all the same level of guilty in the eyes of God….Verse 10 says if we keep the whole law and just offend in one point, we are guilty of all. In other words, in God’s eyes…my sin is the same as any murderer on death row. This is another concept that I wish we could grasp….the degrees or levels of sin that we speak about today is all man-made because in God’s eyes, we are all the same degree of sinners in need of salvation.
James 2:14-18 speaks of how our works are evidence that we truly have faith in Christ. There are two sides of the coin here…..if we say we have faith, but don’t have works….our faith is in vain. But if we are relying on our works to get us to God, that path doesn’t work either.
So here’s the question….what are the works in your life that give evidence of your faith? For discussion purposes only, I’ll share some of mine just to help you find yours…
Bible reading and prayer time each day
Quick to help my neighbors
Tither plus love offerings to Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, Good News Club, Hope Pregnancy Center, Bethel Colony of Mercy
Share food with those in need
Now don’t misunderstand what I’m saying….you can’t do these 5 things and get to heaven. But if you have a true relationship with Christ….you will want to do these 5 things and more because of your love for Him. Regardless of what you may think about me….I want you to know one thing about Phillip Chambers…..I love Jesus!!! He’s my best friend…I talk to Him all day long…and He’s a tremendous help to me.
I love James 2:19…..to those who say “I believe in God” when asked about their faith….James’ response was, “The devils also believe.” In other words…believing in God is not enough. We must place our faith in Him to save us.
James 3 opens with an admonishment to control our tongues. I love the analogy of how a small rudder on a boat can turn the entire ship in one direction or the other….and likewise our small tongue can take our whole body in good places or bad. Verse 5 says that our little tongue can start a great fire of trouble for us….AMEN….James then goes on to say how every other animal….beast, birds, snakes, fish….doesn’t have a tongue that gets them in trouble by talking. But we humans do and it can get us into a whole heap of trouble. I know mine has me.
James 4 opens with how many of us don’t get our prayers answered because we are not praying in conjunction with the will of God for our lives. So what are we to do? Verse 7….we are to submit ourselves to God and when we do, He will draw near to us. We are to humble ourselves before God(Verse 10) and allow Him to raise us up.
Verse 11 tells us to not speak evil against our fellow man….this includes politics. I’m so tired of Democrats and Republicans both talking bad about each other. Completely against God’s will.
James 4 ends with caution about making future plans….Verse 14 says, who knows what will happen tomorrow? I think we can all say a big AMEN to this verse with what we’ve lived through the last 3+ months with the quarantine. None of us saw it coming and it definitely changed all our plans.
So what are we to do? Verse 15….make our plans like this…”If the Lord will, we will do this or that.” I’ve definitely learned my lesson on that.
James 4 wraps up with Verse 17….”Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” This speaks of the sins of omission. You see there are sins we commit….commit murder, commit adultery….but there are also sins because we omit something…..for example…we see a brother in need and we don’t help out. We neglect to pray for someone. We don’t tithe.
Sins of omission are on the exact same level as sins of commission.
Challenge for the day: Put feet to your faith today….if you see a brother or sister in need….help them. Send a love offering to one of the organizations I give to or any other number of places that The Lord may lead you. Pray for a friend in need.
Why do we need to do this? Because our faith without works is dead!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 12th Pray, Read, Worship
Read Hebrews 12-13, James 1
Many people want to lose weight physically….well here in Hebrews 12:1, we find that we also need to lose weight spiritually. What weight is The Bible referring to here? The sin in our lives that weighs us down and keeps us from running the race of our lives in the way God wants us to.
I want you to notice a particular phrase in Verse 1…”the sin which doth so easily beset us.” In other words…it’s not hard to sin. We don’t have to be looking for sin to fall into sin. Sin EASILY happens to everybody. Remember this before you talk/gossip about somebody….the same thing could easily be happening to you.
Hebrews 12:2 is a key life verse for me….how should we live our lives? By looking at Jesus….follow His example….He came to Earth and lived a perfect life….if we follow what He did, we will be just fine.
When I get tired of life and the way people treat me….I do what Hebrews 12:3 says….I consider Jesus and what He went through. He had it far far worse than I do.
Hebrews 12:5-11 are hard but important verses for us all to remember. Ever heard the term “tough love”? Well this is where tough love comes from in the Bible. These verses speak of how God will chasten his children when we mess up. Why? Not for his pleasure, but for our benefit or profit.
For example….if I saw one of my girls when they were little about to put their hand on a hot stove, I would tell them to stop. If they did it again, I would spank them to get their attention so they don’t do it again. That is an example of chastening for their benefit. And it’s exactly what The Lord does to us. We have His Word(The Bible) which tells us what we should and should not do….and when we disobey, He will chasten us so that we won’t get hurt again.
This is the key point to remember…..The Lord doesn’t have rules out there just arbitrarily. ALL OF HIS TEACHINGS ARE FOR OUR BENEFIT. So when we read a “thou shall not….” In The Bible….it’s only for our benefit that He’s telling us that. And when we are chastened for disobeying, its 100% for our benefit.
Hebrews 12:14 warns against bitterness springing up in us. What happens when we become bitter against someone? Verse 14 says it….TROUBLE. So if you find yourself becoming bitter….pull up the root of bitterness and throw it away.
Speaking of throwing away the root of bitterness….let me connect that with Hebrews 12:29. I’ve been very transparent here about the bitterness in my heart that I’ve been dealing with. Well I’ve spent a lot of time on the tractor praying about it. And The Lord very clearly told me what to do…4 words…”Give it to me.”
So OK….I got that message…give it to Him….but how exactly. I know I can pray about it…but I needed something a little more tangible when it came to giving my bitterness and negative emotions over to Him.
I then thought about how The Bible says Jesus is a spring of living water….and I thought about writing the names of the people I’m struggling with on a rock and throwing it in the creek. But I knew that if I really wanted to, I could probably go find that rock again.
So I kept praying and praying….and The Lord led me to Hebrews 12:29..for our God is a consuming fire. So I went to Lowe’s and bought a fire pit. Here’s my plan…..I will write the names down of the people and emotions I’m struggling with…then give them to The Lord by putting them in the fire while praying. I’m hoping to do a FB Live video of it so you can watch with me and hold me accountable.
Now look….there’s nothing sacred about writing your bitterness down on paper and burning it….I can and have given it to The Lord already through prayer. What I’m doing now is symbolism for myself…to help me see and comprehend that I have truly given my bitterness and negative emotions over to God AND THERE’S NO TAKING THEM BACK. I want to personally thank those of you reading this for your compassion, support, and prayers for me on this journey.
Hebrews 13:1 admonishes us to continue loving our fellow man.
Does Hebrews 13:1 say to let brotherly love continue to all those that look the same as you? NO
Does Hebrews 13:1 say to let brotherly love continue to all those who live in the same area as you do? No
Does Hebrews 13:1 say to let brotherly love continue to all those that agree with you? NO
The Bible simply says to let brotherly love continue….to all men….period.
Hebrews 13:2 lets us know that angels are walking among us and we are unaware of their presence. I want to tell you a true story that I have firsthand knowledge of having spoken directly to the man this happened to. Many of you will remember Jap Smith…the founder of Shiloh Bar-B-Q in this area. Jap was a family friend that I dearly loved. In his later years, Jap was bushhogging the steep hill down there by Shiloh Bar-B-Q. Somehow or another, the tractor and bushhog got caught in a bind. Jap got off the tractor to see what was up and next thing you know Jap is caught in the bind…wedged between the tractor and bushhog…with no escape and no cell phone and there toward the bottom of the hill where you can’t be seen from the road.
Next thing you know, two black men are walking down the hill toward Jap. They get him out of the bind with the tractor and bushhog….take him up to the top of the hill and call an ambulance. Before the ambulance gets there they strangely leave.
As Jap was telling me this story while sitting underneath the front cover of Shiloh-Bar-B-Q….I quoted Hebrews 13:2 to him and said, “Jap, those two men were angels that rescued you brother.” I’ll never forget Jap’s immediate response, “Phillip, I don’t know if those men were really angels or not, but I can tell you they were angels to me!”
Hebrews 13:3 tells us to remember those that are in prison. There’s a church in Illinois that sends every prisoner in the state of Illinois a Christmas package each year. I think that’s an awesome idea.
Hebrews 13:5 is a reminder that The Lord will never leave us or forsake us….again…no exceptions here.
Does The Bible say The Lord will never leave us except when we mess up on our own? No
Hebrews 13:5 makes it abundantly clear that The Lord will never never never never ever ever ever ever leave us….no matter the circumstances.
By knowing The Lord is always with us, We can confidently affirm Hebrews 13:6, “I will not fear what man shall do to me.” There’s no need to fear because The Lord is on our side.
I love Hebrews 13:8….Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Times change
Technology changes
Styles change
People change
But Jesus never changes….in fact, Jesus will be the only consistent part of your life. That’s why He’s often referred to as our anchor…..our rock. He never changes.
What does the term “sacrifice of praise” in Hebrews 13:15? Well if I’m sacrificing something, it means I’m giving up something and its costing me something. So connect the dots….does our praise cost us something? I’m afraid that all too often we will go to church and sing and praise The Lord IF WE DON’T HAVE SOMETHING ELSE WE’D RATHER DO. But that’s not what The Lord is saying here. He’s saying that our praise to Him should come first….it may cost us time….it may cost us something else. But that’s just fine. If we sacrifice, it will definitely be more meaningful to us and to Him.
In Hebrews 13:18, the writer asks the church to pray for them…..if a Bible author can ask for prayer, then we shouldn’t be ashamed or embarrassed to ask for prayer either. In fact, I’ll take it a step further and BEG you to pray for me each day. I can promise you that prayer is what has sustained me over the last several years.
We then get to the book of James….5 short but very POWERFUL chapters packed full of wisdom for biblical living.
Right off the bat in James 1:2, The Bible says to be joyful when we fall into trouble. Joyful? Are you kidding me? Joyful? Yes…joyful….why joyful? Verse 3….when our faith is tried, it teaches us patience….and once we learn patience….Verse 4….we become content with what we have and want for nothing.
I gotta be honest….I’m still working on James 1:2 in my personal life. I’m not hardly there yet where I count it joy when trouble comes my way. I’m working on it…but not hardly there yet.
I’ve prayed James 1:5 for myself and others literally hundreds of times….when I don’t know what to do in a situation….whether it’s how to fix something or how to respond to something….I pray James 1:5 over myself and ask The Lord for wisdom. He’s never yet failed giving it to me.
James 1:12 says that we will be blessed for enduring temptation and not giving in….it’s a promise from The Lord.
James 1:13 tells us that God doesn’t tempt us. Make no mistake, The Lord TESTS us all the time….but God never tempts us. That’s the devil that does that.
James 1:15 shows the progress of sin in our lives….it starts with a thought….that moves to an action….that ends in our death. Hence the reason we are to cut off sin at the very beginning….in our minds…if at all possible.
James 1:17 reminds us that all blessings come from The Lord….every good thing we receive is a blessing sent to us by God. Therefore, we should be constantly thanking Him for our blessings.
James 1:19….again, another verse I’m working on….be swift to hear…slow to speak, and slow to get angry. There’s a reason The Lord gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth….that is so we can listen more than we speak….again, I’m working on that…..and when we hear something that causes us to be angry….we need to slow down and think about it before we act.
Abigail’s volleyball coach has the 24 hour rule. She will talk to parents about things they are upset with that happen in a game….decisions they disagree with….playing time issues…etc….but she will talk to them ONLY after 24 hours have passed and everybody has had time to cool down. I think that is good counsel for all of us.
James 1:22 tells us to do what The Bible says….not just listen to it. In other words….as I’ve said many times…The Word of God is not just for information but also for our TRANSFORMATION. We need to put into practice what The Word of God tells us to do.
James 1:26 tells us to watch what both we and others say. I’ve heard that the tongue is the dipper of the heart. In other words….you know how we use a dipper to dip out soup from the pot into our bowl….. if potato soup is in the pot, you dip out potato soup….if vegetable soup is in the pot, you’ll dip out vegetable soup. Well in the same way….the tongue is the dipper of our hearts….and whatever is in our hearts….that’s what the tongue brings to the surface…..whether it be good or bad.
So if you hear stuff coming out your mouth that you don’t like….it’s a heart problem my friend.
James 1:27 is our admonishment to take care of orphans and widows. I’ve got some news coming up about that in the near future. A really really cool way Chambers Family Ministries is going to help out some orphans and I’d like you to partner with me.
My challenge for today….be a doer of the word and not a hearer only….whatever from this devo has pricked your heart….put it into practice today.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Hebrews 12-13, James 1
Many people want to lose weight physically….well here in Hebrews 12:1, we find that we also need to lose weight spiritually. What weight is The Bible referring to here? The sin in our lives that weighs us down and keeps us from running the race of our lives in the way God wants us to.
I want you to notice a particular phrase in Verse 1…”the sin which doth so easily beset us.” In other words…it’s not hard to sin. We don’t have to be looking for sin to fall into sin. Sin EASILY happens to everybody. Remember this before you talk/gossip about somebody….the same thing could easily be happening to you.
Hebrews 12:2 is a key life verse for me….how should we live our lives? By looking at Jesus….follow His example….He came to Earth and lived a perfect life….if we follow what He did, we will be just fine.
When I get tired of life and the way people treat me….I do what Hebrews 12:3 says….I consider Jesus and what He went through. He had it far far worse than I do.
Hebrews 12:5-11 are hard but important verses for us all to remember. Ever heard the term “tough love”? Well this is where tough love comes from in the Bible. These verses speak of how God will chasten his children when we mess up. Why? Not for his pleasure, but for our benefit or profit.
For example….if I saw one of my girls when they were little about to put their hand on a hot stove, I would tell them to stop. If they did it again, I would spank them to get their attention so they don’t do it again. That is an example of chastening for their benefit. And it’s exactly what The Lord does to us. We have His Word(The Bible) which tells us what we should and should not do….and when we disobey, He will chasten us so that we won’t get hurt again.
This is the key point to remember…..The Lord doesn’t have rules out there just arbitrarily. ALL OF HIS TEACHINGS ARE FOR OUR BENEFIT. So when we read a “thou shall not….” In The Bible….it’s only for our benefit that He’s telling us that. And when we are chastened for disobeying, its 100% for our benefit.
Hebrews 12:14 warns against bitterness springing up in us. What happens when we become bitter against someone? Verse 14 says it….TROUBLE. So if you find yourself becoming bitter….pull up the root of bitterness and throw it away.
Speaking of throwing away the root of bitterness….let me connect that with Hebrews 12:29. I’ve been very transparent here about the bitterness in my heart that I’ve been dealing with. Well I’ve spent a lot of time on the tractor praying about it. And The Lord very clearly told me what to do…4 words…”Give it to me.”
So OK….I got that message…give it to Him….but how exactly. I know I can pray about it…but I needed something a little more tangible when it came to giving my bitterness and negative emotions over to Him.
I then thought about how The Bible says Jesus is a spring of living water….and I thought about writing the names of the people I’m struggling with on a rock and throwing it in the creek. But I knew that if I really wanted to, I could probably go find that rock again.
So I kept praying and praying….and The Lord led me to Hebrews 12:29..for our God is a consuming fire. So I went to Lowe’s and bought a fire pit. Here’s my plan…..I will write the names down of the people and emotions I’m struggling with…then give them to The Lord by putting them in the fire while praying. I’m hoping to do a FB Live video of it so you can watch with me and hold me accountable.
Now look….there’s nothing sacred about writing your bitterness down on paper and burning it….I can and have given it to The Lord already through prayer. What I’m doing now is symbolism for myself…to help me see and comprehend that I have truly given my bitterness and negative emotions over to God AND THERE’S NO TAKING THEM BACK. I want to personally thank those of you reading this for your compassion, support, and prayers for me on this journey.
Hebrews 13:1 admonishes us to continue loving our fellow man.
Does Hebrews 13:1 say to let brotherly love continue to all those that look the same as you? NO
Does Hebrews 13:1 say to let brotherly love continue to all those who live in the same area as you do? No
Does Hebrews 13:1 say to let brotherly love continue to all those that agree with you? NO
The Bible simply says to let brotherly love continue….to all men….period.
Hebrews 13:2 lets us know that angels are walking among us and we are unaware of their presence. I want to tell you a true story that I have firsthand knowledge of having spoken directly to the man this happened to. Many of you will remember Jap Smith…the founder of Shiloh Bar-B-Q in this area. Jap was a family friend that I dearly loved. In his later years, Jap was bushhogging the steep hill down there by Shiloh Bar-B-Q. Somehow or another, the tractor and bushhog got caught in a bind. Jap got off the tractor to see what was up and next thing you know Jap is caught in the bind…wedged between the tractor and bushhog…with no escape and no cell phone and there toward the bottom of the hill where you can’t be seen from the road.
Next thing you know, two black men are walking down the hill toward Jap. They get him out of the bind with the tractor and bushhog….take him up to the top of the hill and call an ambulance. Before the ambulance gets there they strangely leave.
As Jap was telling me this story while sitting underneath the front cover of Shiloh-Bar-B-Q….I quoted Hebrews 13:2 to him and said, “Jap, those two men were angels that rescued you brother.” I’ll never forget Jap’s immediate response, “Phillip, I don’t know if those men were really angels or not, but I can tell you they were angels to me!”
Hebrews 13:3 tells us to remember those that are in prison. There’s a church in Illinois that sends every prisoner in the state of Illinois a Christmas package each year. I think that’s an awesome idea.
Hebrews 13:5 is a reminder that The Lord will never leave us or forsake us….again…no exceptions here.
Does The Bible say The Lord will never leave us except when we mess up on our own? No
Hebrews 13:5 makes it abundantly clear that The Lord will never never never never ever ever ever ever leave us….no matter the circumstances.
By knowing The Lord is always with us, We can confidently affirm Hebrews 13:6, “I will not fear what man shall do to me.” There’s no need to fear because The Lord is on our side.
I love Hebrews 13:8….Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Times change
Technology changes
Styles change
People change
But Jesus never changes….in fact, Jesus will be the only consistent part of your life. That’s why He’s often referred to as our anchor…..our rock. He never changes.
What does the term “sacrifice of praise” in Hebrews 13:15? Well if I’m sacrificing something, it means I’m giving up something and its costing me something. So connect the dots….does our praise cost us something? I’m afraid that all too often we will go to church and sing and praise The Lord IF WE DON’T HAVE SOMETHING ELSE WE’D RATHER DO. But that’s not what The Lord is saying here. He’s saying that our praise to Him should come first….it may cost us time….it may cost us something else. But that’s just fine. If we sacrifice, it will definitely be more meaningful to us and to Him.
In Hebrews 13:18, the writer asks the church to pray for them…..if a Bible author can ask for prayer, then we shouldn’t be ashamed or embarrassed to ask for prayer either. In fact, I’ll take it a step further and BEG you to pray for me each day. I can promise you that prayer is what has sustained me over the last several years.
We then get to the book of James….5 short but very POWERFUL chapters packed full of wisdom for biblical living.
Right off the bat in James 1:2, The Bible says to be joyful when we fall into trouble. Joyful? Are you kidding me? Joyful? Yes…joyful….why joyful? Verse 3….when our faith is tried, it teaches us patience….and once we learn patience….Verse 4….we become content with what we have and want for nothing.
I gotta be honest….I’m still working on James 1:2 in my personal life. I’m not hardly there yet where I count it joy when trouble comes my way. I’m working on it…but not hardly there yet.
I’ve prayed James 1:5 for myself and others literally hundreds of times….when I don’t know what to do in a situation….whether it’s how to fix something or how to respond to something….I pray James 1:5 over myself and ask The Lord for wisdom. He’s never yet failed giving it to me.
James 1:12 says that we will be blessed for enduring temptation and not giving in….it’s a promise from The Lord.
James 1:13 tells us that God doesn’t tempt us. Make no mistake, The Lord TESTS us all the time….but God never tempts us. That’s the devil that does that.
James 1:15 shows the progress of sin in our lives….it starts with a thought….that moves to an action….that ends in our death. Hence the reason we are to cut off sin at the very beginning….in our minds…if at all possible.
James 1:17 reminds us that all blessings come from The Lord….every good thing we receive is a blessing sent to us by God. Therefore, we should be constantly thanking Him for our blessings.
James 1:19….again, another verse I’m working on….be swift to hear…slow to speak, and slow to get angry. There’s a reason The Lord gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth….that is so we can listen more than we speak….again, I’m working on that…..and when we hear something that causes us to be angry….we need to slow down and think about it before we act.
Abigail’s volleyball coach has the 24 hour rule. She will talk to parents about things they are upset with that happen in a game….decisions they disagree with….playing time issues…etc….but she will talk to them ONLY after 24 hours have passed and everybody has had time to cool down. I think that is good counsel for all of us.
James 1:22 tells us to do what The Bible says….not just listen to it. In other words….as I’ve said many times…The Word of God is not just for information but also for our TRANSFORMATION. We need to put into practice what The Word of God tells us to do.
James 1:26 tells us to watch what both we and others say. I’ve heard that the tongue is the dipper of the heart. In other words….you know how we use a dipper to dip out soup from the pot into our bowl….. if potato soup is in the pot, you dip out potato soup….if vegetable soup is in the pot, you’ll dip out vegetable soup. Well in the same way….the tongue is the dipper of our hearts….and whatever is in our hearts….that’s what the tongue brings to the surface…..whether it be good or bad.
So if you hear stuff coming out your mouth that you don’t like….it’s a heart problem my friend.
James 1:27 is our admonishment to take care of orphans and widows. I’ve got some news coming up about that in the near future. A really really cool way Chambers Family Ministries is going to help out some orphans and I’d like you to partner with me.
My challenge for today….be a doer of the word and not a hearer only….whatever from this devo has pricked your heart….put it into practice today.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 11th Pray, Read, Worship
Received word yesterday of even more people receiving the Word of God through the sharing of these devotionals. Like the ripples from a stone thrown in a pond, the ripple effect of God’s Word will never return void. Thank you for joining me in sharing the Gospel. Please continue to share these devos with your friends every chance you get.
Two simple clicks…..click share then click post….two simple clicks may just change someone’s life.
Read Hebrews 9-11
The first part of Hebrews 9 gives us a history of Old Testament Worship. It speaks of the Tabernacle, the Holy of Holies, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Mercy Seat……what was the purpose of all this? Remember the Old Testament points to the coming of Christ….all of these were symbols used to point people toward the future sacrifice Jesus would make for us on the cross.
Hebrews 9:11 is the pivot where we see how all this is revealed in Christ….Christ came as our High Priest…and instead of offering the blood of calves and goats, He offered His own blood as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.
I love Hebrews 9:13-14….it says the blood of bulls and goats only purifies the flesh….but the blood of Christ will purify our souls….WOW!!!
Hebrews 9:18-22 speaks of the importance of blood….without the shedding of blood, the testaments or covenants of The Bible would not be in effect. In the Old Testament, it was the blood of bulls and goats. But in the New Testament, it is the blood of Christ. Pay attention to Verse 22….without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. In Old Testament times….a sheep/lamb/goat/calf had to shed its blood for our sins…..In the New Testament, Christ shed His blood once for all for our sins.
Please notice Hebrews 9:22….its appointed unto men once to die, but AFTER this the judgment. Underline the word after in your Bible if you are reading along with me. So many people believe Christ to be judgmental of us….looking at what we are doing…the sins we commit…nit-picking everything we do and judging us.
Make no mistake….one day Christ will judge us….but that doesn’t take place until AFTER we die. Until then….Christ is not judging us….but instead loving us…caring for us…nurturing us. Once I got a hold of that 5 letter word AFTER and realized that Christ is not sitting on a faraway throne in Heaven judging and nit-picking every little move I make….it gave me such a release and freedom to live my life in the light of His love for me.
Hebrews 10 opens with how the law in the Old Testament fell short….how it could never purge away our sins once for all as the shedding of Christ’s blood did for us. Hebrews 10:9 says that Christ took away the first covenant so He could establish the second. Put yourselves in the context of the people when Hebrews was written….their entire lives they had offered sacrifices and now they are saying…nope…you don’t have to do that anymore. I can see where it would be very difficult for them to understand and why there would be such a need to explain things in details like the writer of Hebrews is doing here.
The best thing I know to compare it to is the day and time we are living in now. Friends….I’m very afraid our “normal life” before Coronavirus will never return or be the same….and just as the people in the book of Hebrews had to figure out the new normal from the Old Testament to the New Testament….you and I are having to figure out the new normal to our lives as well.
I love Hebrews 10:11-12….man alive it speaks to the power of Christ. In Verse 11, it talks about the Old Testament priests and how they would have to stand all day long killing animal after animal as a sacrifice for every person that walked through the door. Can you imagine how much of a bloody, hard job that would have been? Standing on your feet all day and cutting the throats of animals. Animals bawling, blood, stench everywhere.
But then Christ comes in….offers His life once…and instead of standing all day, Jesus then goes and sits down at the right hand of God. That’s what I call POWER!!!
Every Christian ought to shout when you read Hebrews 10:17….their sins and iniquities will I(The Lord) remember no more. PRAISE THE LORD!!!
You may have never heard this story but its 100% true and I have a bunch of witnesses. I once had to break up a fight at Yellow Creek….it was in the old building on Bryant Hollow Road….the fight wasn’t between two kids….it wasn’t two teenage boys….wasn’t even two young adults. Nope….the fight was between TWO WOMEN IN THE SENIOR ADULT CLASS!!!! And you know what the fight was over? Something that happened back when they were in grade school together.
I’ve heard Daddy say many times….Son, I can forgive people fairly easily because The Lord has forgiven me, but I haven’t figured out how to forget about what they did to me.
That’s human nature….two senior adult women remembering an indiscretion from decades ago. A wise man being honest with his son about how he can forgive because of Christ’s forgiveness, but he honestly struggles to forget.
But that’s not the nature of Jesus….once we are forgiven, He remembers them no more.
Have you ever done something really bad(in your opinion) in the past and you keep asking The Lord to forgive you over and over and over and over….there’s no need to do that friend…..once you are forgiven and you ask again, The Lord is literally saying to you, “I don’t know what sin you are talking about.”
WELL GLORY!!!! That ought to make the deadest person reading this shout!!!
Hebrews 10:23 is a reminder to hold fast to the teachings of our faith and don’t waiver from them when hard times come.
Hebrews 10:24 admonishes us to encourage one another. Did you encourage someone yesterday? I did. I sent encouragement to a parent telling them they were doing a great job raising their children. How about you?
Hebrews 10:25….Hebrews 10:25….Hebrews 10:25…my oh my….it tells us not to miss church…especially as we see the end of time approaching. I AM 100% CONVINCED THAT CORONAVIRUS WAS USED BY THE DEVIL TO SHUT DOWN CHURCHES!! Why? Because even the devil can see that the end is drawing near. He knows his time is short….and those 2 months we were out were 2 months we will never get back.
My friends….it’s time we all get back in the house of The Lord for worship.
I heard a friend say this past weekend…..”We should have had all the high school graduations at Wal-Mart and Lowes cause everyone is there already and evidently the rules against big crowds don’t apply to them.”
I was in full agreement….and I would add….we need to be having church there also. If we can go to Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, Rural King, the grocery store….we can go to church too.
Don’t get me wrong, we need to be safe and prudent…but we definitely need to be assembling together.
Hebrews 10:31….it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. I’m so thankful I’ve made my arrangements for Heaven so I can miss out on the Great White Throne Judgment referred to here. Man alive it’s going to be HORRIBLE for the people that participate in it.
Hebrews 10:36 was written for me…..for you have need of patience. Yes I do Lord….I have need of patience.
Hebrews Chapter 11 is commonly referred to as the Hall of Faith. You’ve heard of the Hall of Fame….there’s a baseball Hall of Fame where they honor the best of the best baseball players of all time….there’s a football Hall of Fame where they honor the best of the best football players of all time…there’s a Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame where they honor the best of the best in Southern Gospel Music….well here in Hebrews 11, the people in scripture who exercised the most faith are recognized as examples for us to follow.
Read Hebrews 11 carefully and view each person as an example of strong faith for us to follow and emulate.
Why is this so important? Hebrews 11:6….without faith it is impossible to please God. Unless we have faith in God, His ability, His power, and His perfect plan for our lives….unless we have faith in Him, we will never please Him.
My challenge for the day…..when times get hard today….when a struggle or trial comes up….don’t throw in the towel…don’t waiver in your faith….instead….do like the members of the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11….when in a struggle, hold on tighter to your faith in God than ever before. I’m starting to learn this lesson….and man alive it’s making a big difference in my life. I know it will yours also!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Received word yesterday of even more people receiving the Word of God through the sharing of these devotionals. Like the ripples from a stone thrown in a pond, the ripple effect of God’s Word will never return void. Thank you for joining me in sharing the Gospel. Please continue to share these devos with your friends every chance you get.
Two simple clicks…..click share then click post….two simple clicks may just change someone’s life.
Read Hebrews 9-11
The first part of Hebrews 9 gives us a history of Old Testament Worship. It speaks of the Tabernacle, the Holy of Holies, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Mercy Seat……what was the purpose of all this? Remember the Old Testament points to the coming of Christ….all of these were symbols used to point people toward the future sacrifice Jesus would make for us on the cross.
Hebrews 9:11 is the pivot where we see how all this is revealed in Christ….Christ came as our High Priest…and instead of offering the blood of calves and goats, He offered His own blood as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.
I love Hebrews 9:13-14….it says the blood of bulls and goats only purifies the flesh….but the blood of Christ will purify our souls….WOW!!!
Hebrews 9:18-22 speaks of the importance of blood….without the shedding of blood, the testaments or covenants of The Bible would not be in effect. In the Old Testament, it was the blood of bulls and goats. But in the New Testament, it is the blood of Christ. Pay attention to Verse 22….without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. In Old Testament times….a sheep/lamb/goat/calf had to shed its blood for our sins…..In the New Testament, Christ shed His blood once for all for our sins.
Please notice Hebrews 9:22….its appointed unto men once to die, but AFTER this the judgment. Underline the word after in your Bible if you are reading along with me. So many people believe Christ to be judgmental of us….looking at what we are doing…the sins we commit…nit-picking everything we do and judging us.
Make no mistake….one day Christ will judge us….but that doesn’t take place until AFTER we die. Until then….Christ is not judging us….but instead loving us…caring for us…nurturing us. Once I got a hold of that 5 letter word AFTER and realized that Christ is not sitting on a faraway throne in Heaven judging and nit-picking every little move I make….it gave me such a release and freedom to live my life in the light of His love for me.
Hebrews 10 opens with how the law in the Old Testament fell short….how it could never purge away our sins once for all as the shedding of Christ’s blood did for us. Hebrews 10:9 says that Christ took away the first covenant so He could establish the second. Put yourselves in the context of the people when Hebrews was written….their entire lives they had offered sacrifices and now they are saying…nope…you don’t have to do that anymore. I can see where it would be very difficult for them to understand and why there would be such a need to explain things in details like the writer of Hebrews is doing here.
The best thing I know to compare it to is the day and time we are living in now. Friends….I’m very afraid our “normal life” before Coronavirus will never return or be the same….and just as the people in the book of Hebrews had to figure out the new normal from the Old Testament to the New Testament….you and I are having to figure out the new normal to our lives as well.
I love Hebrews 10:11-12….man alive it speaks to the power of Christ. In Verse 11, it talks about the Old Testament priests and how they would have to stand all day long killing animal after animal as a sacrifice for every person that walked through the door. Can you imagine how much of a bloody, hard job that would have been? Standing on your feet all day and cutting the throats of animals. Animals bawling, blood, stench everywhere.
But then Christ comes in….offers His life once…and instead of standing all day, Jesus then goes and sits down at the right hand of God. That’s what I call POWER!!!
Every Christian ought to shout when you read Hebrews 10:17….their sins and iniquities will I(The Lord) remember no more. PRAISE THE LORD!!!
You may have never heard this story but its 100% true and I have a bunch of witnesses. I once had to break up a fight at Yellow Creek….it was in the old building on Bryant Hollow Road….the fight wasn’t between two kids….it wasn’t two teenage boys….wasn’t even two young adults. Nope….the fight was between TWO WOMEN IN THE SENIOR ADULT CLASS!!!! And you know what the fight was over? Something that happened back when they were in grade school together.
I’ve heard Daddy say many times….Son, I can forgive people fairly easily because The Lord has forgiven me, but I haven’t figured out how to forget about what they did to me.
That’s human nature….two senior adult women remembering an indiscretion from decades ago. A wise man being honest with his son about how he can forgive because of Christ’s forgiveness, but he honestly struggles to forget.
But that’s not the nature of Jesus….once we are forgiven, He remembers them no more.
Have you ever done something really bad(in your opinion) in the past and you keep asking The Lord to forgive you over and over and over and over….there’s no need to do that friend…..once you are forgiven and you ask again, The Lord is literally saying to you, “I don’t know what sin you are talking about.”
WELL GLORY!!!! That ought to make the deadest person reading this shout!!!
Hebrews 10:23 is a reminder to hold fast to the teachings of our faith and don’t waiver from them when hard times come.
Hebrews 10:24 admonishes us to encourage one another. Did you encourage someone yesterday? I did. I sent encouragement to a parent telling them they were doing a great job raising their children. How about you?
Hebrews 10:25….Hebrews 10:25….Hebrews 10:25…my oh my….it tells us not to miss church…especially as we see the end of time approaching. I AM 100% CONVINCED THAT CORONAVIRUS WAS USED BY THE DEVIL TO SHUT DOWN CHURCHES!! Why? Because even the devil can see that the end is drawing near. He knows his time is short….and those 2 months we were out were 2 months we will never get back.
My friends….it’s time we all get back in the house of The Lord for worship.
I heard a friend say this past weekend…..”We should have had all the high school graduations at Wal-Mart and Lowes cause everyone is there already and evidently the rules against big crowds don’t apply to them.”
I was in full agreement….and I would add….we need to be having church there also. If we can go to Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, Rural King, the grocery store….we can go to church too.
Don’t get me wrong, we need to be safe and prudent…but we definitely need to be assembling together.
Hebrews 10:31….it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. I’m so thankful I’ve made my arrangements for Heaven so I can miss out on the Great White Throne Judgment referred to here. Man alive it’s going to be HORRIBLE for the people that participate in it.
Hebrews 10:36 was written for me…..for you have need of patience. Yes I do Lord….I have need of patience.
Hebrews Chapter 11 is commonly referred to as the Hall of Faith. You’ve heard of the Hall of Fame….there’s a baseball Hall of Fame where they honor the best of the best baseball players of all time….there’s a football Hall of Fame where they honor the best of the best football players of all time…there’s a Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame where they honor the best of the best in Southern Gospel Music….well here in Hebrews 11, the people in scripture who exercised the most faith are recognized as examples for us to follow.
Read Hebrews 11 carefully and view each person as an example of strong faith for us to follow and emulate.
Why is this so important? Hebrews 11:6….without faith it is impossible to please God. Unless we have faith in God, His ability, His power, and His perfect plan for our lives….unless we have faith in Him, we will never please Him.
My challenge for the day…..when times get hard today….when a struggle or trial comes up….don’t throw in the towel…don’t waiver in your faith….instead….do like the members of the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11….when in a struggle, hold on tighter to your faith in God than ever before. I’m starting to learn this lesson….and man alive it’s making a big difference in my life. I know it will yours also!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 10th Pray, Read, Worship
Read Hebrews 6-8
Hebrews 6:6 is often taken out of context and used as “proof” that one can lose their salvation. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just like we can do nothing to earn our salvation, we can do nothing to void it.
Hebrews 6:6 is saying that it is impossible to walk away from Christ if we have truly been saved.
Bottom line is this….I’M SO THANKFUL MY SALVATION IS NOT DEPENDENT ON ME AND INSTEAD IS 100% DEPENDENT ON JESUS!!! If my salvation was left up to me, I guarantee I would mess it up. But thankfully it’s not….it’s all on Jesus and it’s impossible for Him to mess it up. PRAISE THE LORD!!!
Hebrews 6:9 talks about “things that accompany salvation.” Friends….when I got saved at age 10….I honestly thought getting saved meant getting your
ticket punched to heaven when you die and that was it. But that’s not all there is to salvation by a long shot….there are lots of blessings that
“accompany our salvation”.
Blessings like…..
Help when we need it
Peace
Joy
Hope
Fullness
Friendship
Guidance
Counsel
Comfort
And I could go on and on and on and on.
The blessings that accompany salvation are a big reason I accepted the call to preach. Once I realized just how awesome and incredible salvation really is….I wanted everybody I knew to get in on all those blessings. My friend, you’ll never find or experience anything better than salvation through Jesus Christ. Not even close.
Hebrews 6:12 is an admonishment not to be lazy. May I be completely honest with you? There’s a LOT of lazy people in this world….A WHOLE LOT!!!
Especially young people…..a lot of young people want a check but they don’t want the work that comes with the check. They spend more time trying to figure out how to get out of work than they would if they would just do the work.
I had my heart refreshed on Tuesday….I met 4 of the hardest working, not lazy at all young men I’ve ever met. I had these 4 young men recommended to me by a good friend that worked them on his farm. These young men helped me, Caroline, Abigail, and Elayna Martinez unload and stack 1600 square bales….a hard 10 hour day(including the rain breaks). Never once did these young men complain…..in fact, check out the smiles on their faces in the pic after that long, exhausting day.
You see….when God says He’ll supply all our needs….that doesn’t mean money magically shows up in the bank….no no no….it means that God will
provide the opportunities for us to make the money we need to survive. We have to do our part, not be lazy, and work for it.
Are you a lazy person? From the beginning of scripture in the Garden of Eden….man is supposed to be working….not lazy.
Hebrews 6:15 speaks of how Abraham patiently endured until God’s promise was fulfilled. We live in a microwave society today. I can have a meal ready to eat in a matter of minutes if I want. In fact….I’m about to let you in on a “family secret”……have you ever had one of my mother’s famous chocolate pies? My mother….Nancy Chambers….makes them in the microwave!!!!!!
Our society lives and breathes instant gratification today….we want it right now.
That’s not how God works at all…..He is never late….but He is rarely early. So remember, just like Abraham, we are more than likely going to
have to patiently endure life until God’s promises are fulfilled to us.
Are you willing to patiently endure? Really doesn’t matter if you are willing or not….you might as well prepare yourself and get ready for it.
Hebrews 6:19 speaks of hope in Jesus Christ being the anchor of our souls. I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. It breaks my heart every time I
hear of a person committing suicide. I’ve been to that low point friend….multiple times since 2012…..if you remember last year when that
Pastor on the West Coast committed suicide….I became enthralled with him….I had his picture saved on my phone….I read everything I could
about him…I understood the secret pain he was going through…I was going through secret pain myself at the time…..and I totally understood his
desire to be released from the pain.
So what made me different? What kept me from ending it all last year and earlier this year when a huge part of my life fell apart and was
intentionally destroyed? I’ll tell why I’m still here friends….HOPE IN JESUS CHRIST. Hope in Christ is my anchor that keeps me steady when the
storms of life are raging around me. Hope in Jesus Christ is one of those benefits I was talking about that “accompany our salvation.” I’m so very
very thankful for the anchor of hope we have in Christ.
It’s my prayer that hope in Jesus Christ becomes your anchor.
In Hebrews 7, Christ is compared to Melchisedec….a high priest in Abraham’s day….and Christ is found to be greater than even the greatest
high priest.
Hebrews 7:19 reveals that laws cannot make people perfect….no no no…only Jesus can. I love what the late, great Dr. Adrian Rogers would say….you can’t legislate morality. Laws against immoral activities do not have the power to keep trouble from happening….only Jesus can.
For example….these “gun-free zones” you hear about in other parts of the country. “Gun-free zones” will not prevent criminals from committing crimes with guns…..only a change of heart through Jesus Christ has the power to do that.
I love the phrase “save to the uttermost” in Verse 25….this means that Christ saves us completely from ALL our sins….past, present, and future.
He leaves nothing undone….He saves us COMPLETELY.
Hebrews 7 wraps up with a contrast between Jesus and the high priests…..a high priest had to make a sacrifice for himself and then one for the people
and this had to be done on a continual basis. In Verse 27, we learn that Jesus brought the Old Testament sacrificial system to an end by offering
Himself as the sacrifice on the cross ONCE FOR ALL….no more sacrifices needed.
Hebrews 8 gives us the bottom line about the comparison between Jesus and the Old Testament High Priests….Jesus is far better
Hebrews 8 says the same goes for the New Covenant that Jesus established with us. Far better than the old.
I love Hebrews 8:12 which tell us the Lord is full of mercy toward us and remembers our sins no more.
Just yesterday….I found out about somebody who is still holding a grudge against me over something that happened 4 years ago that I went to their
house and apologized in person for. This person continues to run me down any chance they get. People like them cause me to be so very very thankful for Christ that remembers my iniquities against Him NO MORE!!!! Thank you for loving me like that Jesus.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 9th Pray, Read, Worship
I received word yesterday that folks in North Carolina are enjoying our devos and worship songs each day from their friend that shares these on Facebook.
PRAISE THE LORD for reaching even more people with The Life-Changing Gospel of Jesus Christ!!
Would you help me reach even more by sharing this devo each day on Facebook?
Thank you so much for partnering with me to spread the Good News of Jesus!!!
Read Hebrews 3-5
Hebrews 3:1 tells us to consider Jesus….the word consider means to think about carefully.
Do you ever really think about Jesus? What life must have been like for Him? How it felt to be rejected? How hard it was to go from Heaven to Earth? How He looked at situations? How He loved people?
I’d like to challenge you to take some time to consider Jesus today….not just casually….but carefully consider and think about who the man Jesus is.
I love Hebrews 3:13….it says we are to encourage one another daily. I know you are bound to enjoy when someone encourages you…..have you ever thought about returning the favor and intentionally encouraging somebody else today? I like to encourage my girls each day….and I also love to encourage complete strangers when I meet them.
Challenge #2: Encourage someone you come in contact with today.
Hebrews 3:19 speaks of the Hebrews who missed out on the Promised Land because of their unbelief. Here’s a tough, tough question for us…..how many blessings have we missed out on BECAUSE OF OUR UNBELIEF. If God’s chosen people missed out on blessings because of their unbelief, then my friend if definitely will happen to us also. I don’t want to miss out on anything because of me and my unbelief.
The first part of Hebrews 4 speaks of the rest we will receive in Heaven and how many people miss this rest in Heaven because they don’t believe in Jesus…..they have heard the Gospel….but they don’t believe it and therefore they miss out on rest. Again…this is another blessing we can miss out on because of unbelief.
I love love love Hebrews 4:12….one of my favorite verses in the Bible. It speaks of the power of the Word of God. One time, I literally preached an ENTIRE message of nothing but the Words of Jesus. Not a single word that I said….all the words of Jesus. Why? Because The Word of God is way more powerful than anything I could ever say or come up with. This is why it is so important for us to read our Bibles every single day. It will change us and cut us to the heart if we will heed what it says.
Ever tried to hide something or keep something a secret? Hebrews 4:13 reminds us that ALL THINGS are seen by God….there’s no keeping a secret from Him.
Hebrews 4:15 brings me a lot of comfort….it tells me that Jesus faced every king of temptation that you and I face….therefore He can sympathize with us and understand what we are going through.
Let me give you an example….I seriously doubt President Trump has ever had to pick up square bales of hay to make a living….but I have just this week. The President and I live in two different worlds….mine is not better than his and his is not better than mine….just two different worlds….I doubt he understands many of the struggles I face.
But Jesus….oh my Jesus….He understands what it’s like to work hard for a living. He knows what it’s like to be tempted by food like I am regularly….He knows what it’s like to be angry….He knows what it’s like to have people you thought were your friends turn their back on you….He knows what it’s like to be talked about and made fun of….He knows what it’s like to be misunderstood. Hebrews 4:15 is our proof that Jesus experienced and understands everything we go through.
So because of that….Verse 16….we can go to Jesus in prayer and find HELP IN OUR TIMES OF NEED.
We can’t get through to President Trump tonight for help.
But we can get through to Jesus RIGHT NOW for help….and the help Jesus gives us is far better than any help that any President could ever give us….
I’m so thankful that I can go boldly to Jesus any and every time I need help.
But may I ask a question….do you go to Jesus first when you need help? Jesus is not a last resort….He should be our first line of attack and defense.
Before we ever picked up the first bale of hay….we gathered together and prayed for safety and provision. Jesus came through as He always does.
We are not supposed to start something….then once a problem creeps up pray….no no no….pray first….pray during….and pray afterwards giving thanks.
Hebrews 5 speaks of Jesus as a High Priest. In Jewish society, the High Priest was the one who made the sacrifice of atonement once a year on behalf of the nation. Jesus became the ultimate High Priest as He offered Himself as a sacrifice for us….and His sacrifice was once for all….no more sacrifices had to be made after Jesus’ sacrifice.
The last part of Hebrews 5….beginning with Verse 11 speaks of the difference between immature Christians who are still feeding on milk vs. more mature Christians who feast on the meat of the Word of God.
What about you? Are you feasting on milk or meat? Milk is fine if you are a new Christian….but if you have been saved for a while now….it’s time to grow up, get off the milk, and get on the meat.
After all….just like a ribeye steak is so much more enjoyable than formula milk from a bottle….the meat in the Word of God will do things to you that milk simply won’t. Once I tasted the meat in the Word of God….I wanted everybody I met to have some of it because nothing else will satisfy me now.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
I received word yesterday that folks in North Carolina are enjoying our devos and worship songs each day from their friend that shares these on Facebook.
PRAISE THE LORD for reaching even more people with The Life-Changing Gospel of Jesus Christ!!
Would you help me reach even more by sharing this devo each day on Facebook?
Thank you so much for partnering with me to spread the Good News of Jesus!!!
Read Hebrews 3-5
Hebrews 3:1 tells us to consider Jesus….the word consider means to think about carefully.
Do you ever really think about Jesus? What life must have been like for Him? How it felt to be rejected? How hard it was to go from Heaven to Earth? How He looked at situations? How He loved people?
I’d like to challenge you to take some time to consider Jesus today….not just casually….but carefully consider and think about who the man Jesus is.
I love Hebrews 3:13….it says we are to encourage one another daily. I know you are bound to enjoy when someone encourages you…..have you ever thought about returning the favor and intentionally encouraging somebody else today? I like to encourage my girls each day….and I also love to encourage complete strangers when I meet them.
Challenge #2: Encourage someone you come in contact with today.
Hebrews 3:19 speaks of the Hebrews who missed out on the Promised Land because of their unbelief. Here’s a tough, tough question for us…..how many blessings have we missed out on BECAUSE OF OUR UNBELIEF. If God’s chosen people missed out on blessings because of their unbelief, then my friend if definitely will happen to us also. I don’t want to miss out on anything because of me and my unbelief.
The first part of Hebrews 4 speaks of the rest we will receive in Heaven and how many people miss this rest in Heaven because they don’t believe in Jesus…..they have heard the Gospel….but they don’t believe it and therefore they miss out on rest. Again…this is another blessing we can miss out on because of unbelief.
I love love love Hebrews 4:12….one of my favorite verses in the Bible. It speaks of the power of the Word of God. One time, I literally preached an ENTIRE message of nothing but the Words of Jesus. Not a single word that I said….all the words of Jesus. Why? Because The Word of God is way more powerful than anything I could ever say or come up with. This is why it is so important for us to read our Bibles every single day. It will change us and cut us to the heart if we will heed what it says.
Ever tried to hide something or keep something a secret? Hebrews 4:13 reminds us that ALL THINGS are seen by God….there’s no keeping a secret from Him.
Hebrews 4:15 brings me a lot of comfort….it tells me that Jesus faced every king of temptation that you and I face….therefore He can sympathize with us and understand what we are going through.
Let me give you an example….I seriously doubt President Trump has ever had to pick up square bales of hay to make a living….but I have just this week. The President and I live in two different worlds….mine is not better than his and his is not better than mine….just two different worlds….I doubt he understands many of the struggles I face.
But Jesus….oh my Jesus….He understands what it’s like to work hard for a living. He knows what it’s like to be tempted by food like I am regularly….He knows what it’s like to be angry….He knows what it’s like to have people you thought were your friends turn their back on you….He knows what it’s like to be talked about and made fun of….He knows what it’s like to be misunderstood. Hebrews 4:15 is our proof that Jesus experienced and understands everything we go through.
So because of that….Verse 16….we can go to Jesus in prayer and find HELP IN OUR TIMES OF NEED.
We can’t get through to President Trump tonight for help.
But we can get through to Jesus RIGHT NOW for help….and the help Jesus gives us is far better than any help that any President could ever give us….
I’m so thankful that I can go boldly to Jesus any and every time I need help.
But may I ask a question….do you go to Jesus first when you need help? Jesus is not a last resort….He should be our first line of attack and defense.
Before we ever picked up the first bale of hay….we gathered together and prayed for safety and provision. Jesus came through as He always does.
We are not supposed to start something….then once a problem creeps up pray….no no no….pray first….pray during….and pray afterwards giving thanks.
Hebrews 5 speaks of Jesus as a High Priest. In Jewish society, the High Priest was the one who made the sacrifice of atonement once a year on behalf of the nation. Jesus became the ultimate High Priest as He offered Himself as a sacrifice for us….and His sacrifice was once for all….no more sacrifices had to be made after Jesus’ sacrifice.
The last part of Hebrews 5….beginning with Verse 11 speaks of the difference between immature Christians who are still feeding on milk vs. more mature Christians who feast on the meat of the Word of God.
What about you? Are you feasting on milk or meat? Milk is fine if you are a new Christian….but if you have been saved for a while now….it’s time to grow up, get off the milk, and get on the meat.
After all….just like a ribeye steak is so much more enjoyable than formula milk from a bottle….the meat in the Word of God will do things to you that milk simply won’t. Once I tasted the meat in the Word of God….I wanted everybody I met to have some of it because nothing else will satisfy me now.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 8th Pray, Read, Worship
Read Philemon, Hebrews 1-2
In Philemon 1:5, Paul commends Philemon for the reputation he has for his faith and loving his fellow man.
May I ask a very personal and pointed question right off the bat? What kind of reputation do you have in the community? It would be so nice if more of us had a reputation like Philemon.
Verse 7 states that Philemon makes others around him feel better.
Here’s another personal and pointed question….are others happier to see you coming or leaving? I want to be the person that people are happy to see coming rather than leaving.
Beginning in Verse 8, we get the whole gist of the book of Philemon. Philemon had a slave named Onesimus that ran away to Rome where of all people he met Paul….and what happened….Paul led him to Christ. Now Paul is telling Onesimus to go home and is writing this letter to Philemon to encourage him to receive Onesimus back as a brother in Christ rather than punishing him for running away.
Verse 15…..I love it….Onesimus departed for a season that thou(Philemon) should receive him forever(as a brother in Christ)….in other words….if he hadn’t run away from you, he might not ever have become a Christian. My oh my how God works out everything for good!!!
Then we get to Hebrews….a very deep and important book of the Bible. Bible Scholars are unsure who wrote Hebrews because the name of the author is not given in the text. Whomever it was….no doubt they were under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit when they wrote it.
In the opening of Hebrews 1, Jesus is compared to the angels and found to be greater.
In Verse 7, The Bible says that The Lord’s ministers are to be flames of fire. May I ask a question? Is your Pastor on fire for Jesus? A true God called minister has an unquenchable fire burning inside of Him to tell others about Christ.
Verse 10 reaffirms that God is the creator of the universe. Verses 11 and 12 says that although the things of Earth grow old and wither away, God never does. He is always the same. I was recently in the hayfield working 1600 square bales. I’m not the hay man at 43 that I was at 18. But Praise The Lord….God is the same God for me today that He was when I was 18!!!
In Hebrews 2:1 is an admonishment to all of us not to forget what we’ve been taught and begin to backslide in our faith.
Another personal and pointed question here….are you as close to God as you once were? If we are not, it means that we have backslidden to some degree. My goal is to always be as close to God as I have ever been.
Hebrews 2:3 is a reminder that we will not escape judgment and hell if we neglect salvation in Jesus Christ. There is no other way around it. Period.
Hebrews 2:6 is a quote of Psalm 8….what is man that thou art mindful of him? Have you ever thought why in the world would God care about little ole me? There’s billions of people on the planet and God knows me and cares about me. WOW!!! The President doesn’t know me….The Governor doesn’t know me….the Chief Justice on the Supreme Court doesn’t know me….but The God of the Universe does…WOW!!!!
Hebrews 2:9 speaks of how Jesus left Heaven and came to earth so He could “taste death for every man.” In other words, because of Jesus death on the cross….you and I don’t have to experience the death of our souls because of sin. THANK YOU JESUS!!!
I love Hebrews 2:14….through Jesus death, He “destroyed” the devil. YEAH!!! GO JESUS!!! THANK YOU AGAIN!!!
Hebrews 2 ends in Verse 18 by saying because Jesus came in human flesh and was tempted as we are, He is able to help us with our temptations today.
Although these three chapters are short….they are packed with reasons to thank and Praise The Lord. So here’s my challenge to all of us today….Be thankful today….all day long….seriously all day long…just call out things to The Lord that you are thankful for…..go deep into places and things you might not ever have thought about before…..ask The Holy Spirit to show you things you need to be thankful to Jesus for.
All day long….be thankful and maintain and attitude of gratitude.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com. Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip
Read Philemon, Hebrews 1-2
In Philemon 1:5, Paul commends Philemon for the reputation he has for his faith and loving his fellow man.
May I ask a very personal and pointed question right off the bat? What kind of reputation do you have in the community? It would be so nice if more of us had a reputation like Philemon.
Verse 7 states that Philemon makes others around him feel better.
Here’s another personal and pointed question….are others happier to see you coming or leaving? I want to be the person that people are happy to see coming rather than leaving.
Beginning in Verse 8, we get the whole gist of the book of Philemon. Philemon had a slave named Onesimus that ran away to Rome where of all people he met Paul….and what happened….Paul led him to Christ. Now Paul is telling Onesimus to go home and is writing this letter to Philemon to encourage him to receive Onesimus back as a brother in Christ rather than punishing him for running away.
Verse 15…..I love it….Onesimus departed for a season that thou(Philemon) should receive him forever(as a brother in Christ)….in other words….if he hadn’t run away from you, he might not ever have become a Christian. My oh my how God works out everything for good!!!
Then we get to Hebrews….a very deep and important book of the Bible. Bible Scholars are unsure who wrote Hebrews because the name of the author is not given in the text. Whomever it was….no doubt they were under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit when they wrote it.
In the opening of Hebrews 1, Jesus is compared to the angels and found to be greater.
In Verse 7, The Bible says that The Lord’s ministers are to be flames of fire. May I ask a question? Is your Pastor on fire for Jesus? A true God called minister has an unquenchable fire burning inside of Him to tell others about Christ.
Verse 10 reaffirms that God is the creator of the universe. Verses 11 and 12 says that although the things of Earth grow old and wither away, God never does. He is always the same. I was recently in the hayfield working 1600 square bales. I’m not the hay man at 43 that I was at 18. But Praise The Lord….God is the same God for me today that He was when I was 18!!!
In Hebrews 2:1 is an admonishment to all of us not to forget what we’ve been taught and begin to backslide in our faith.
Another personal and pointed question here….are you as close to God as you once were? If we are not, it means that we have backslidden to some degree. My goal is to always be as close to God as I have ever been.
Hebrews 2:3 is a reminder that we will not escape judgment and hell if we neglect salvation in Jesus Christ. There is no other way around it. Period.
Hebrews 2:6 is a quote of Psalm 8….what is man that thou art mindful of him? Have you ever thought why in the world would God care about little ole me? There’s billions of people on the planet and God knows me and cares about me. WOW!!! The President doesn’t know me….The Governor doesn’t know me….the Chief Justice on the Supreme Court doesn’t know me….but The God of the Universe does…WOW!!!!
Hebrews 2:9 speaks of how Jesus left Heaven and came to earth so He could “taste death for every man.” In other words, because of Jesus death on the cross….you and I don’t have to experience the death of our souls because of sin. THANK YOU JESUS!!!
I love Hebrews 2:14….through Jesus death, He “destroyed” the devil. YEAH!!! GO JESUS!!! THANK YOU AGAIN!!!
Hebrews 2 ends in Verse 18 by saying because Jesus came in human flesh and was tempted as we are, He is able to help us with our temptations today.
Although these three chapters are short….they are packed with reasons to thank and Praise The Lord. So here’s my challenge to all of us today….Be thankful today….all day long….seriously all day long…just call out things to The Lord that you are thankful for…..go deep into places and things you might not ever have thought about before…..ask The Holy Spirit to show you things you need to be thankful to Jesus for.
All day long….be thankful and maintain and attitude of gratitude.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip
June 7th Pray, Read, Worship
Read Titus 1-3
Titus 1:2 states that God cannot lie….I’ve met plenty of people that would rather climb a telephone pole and tell you a lie than stand on the ground and tell you the truth….but not God….He is incapable of lying. So when you read something in God’s Word….The Bible….and you wonder if it’s true and applies to you…the answer is YES.
Titus 1:5-9 reiterates the qualifications for leaders in the church….same as 1 Timothy 3.
In Titus 1:11, Paul was condemning pastors who were in the ministry for the money. A true, called man of God is not in it for the income, but for the outcome.
In Titus 1:16, Paul was rebuking people that profess to know God with their mouths, but deny knowing Him by their lifestyle. Hmmmm…..sounds like a lot of folks today if you ask me. I’ve even been guilty of this at times…..and to be honest….I’ve not experienced any worse feeling than denying my Lord in some way, shape, form, or fashion….even if it was unintentional.
Titus 2 moves from qualifications for leaders in the church, to right conduct for members of the church. Verse 2 is for the men…Verse 3-5 is for the women….and it specifically tells the older women to teach the younger women how to love their husbands, love their children, keep the house, etc.
Ladies….how are you doing on that?
Verse 13 encourages us to always be looking for the return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. How often does the thought of Jesus’ return cross your mind?
Titus 3 tells us to obey the government that is ruling over us….and to not speak evil of them. This is very very hard when you see stuff you disagree with….especially on Facebook. I’ve personally decided to only use my social media for things that edify Christ and not as a platform to complain about government.
Titus 3:9 tells us to avoid foolish questions because they are not profitable. We could be using our time to do better things.
Notice Titus 3:11….it says the heretic is condemned of himself……Jesus does not condemn anybody to hell. We condemn ourselves by rejecting Him.
Challenge for the day: live our lives in such a way that we do not deny Christ by our lifestyle.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com. Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Titus 1-3
Titus 1:2 states that God cannot lie….I’ve met plenty of people that would rather climb a telephone pole and tell you a lie than stand on the ground and tell you the truth….but not God….He is incapable of lying. So when you read something in God’s Word….The Bible….and you wonder if it’s true and applies to you…the answer is YES.
Titus 1:5-9 reiterates the qualifications for leaders in the church….same as 1 Timothy 3.
In Titus 1:11, Paul was condemning pastors who were in the ministry for the money. A true, called man of God is not in it for the income, but for the outcome.
In Titus 1:16, Paul was rebuking people that profess to know God with their mouths, but deny knowing Him by their lifestyle. Hmmmm…..sounds like a lot of folks today if you ask me. I’ve even been guilty of this at times…..and to be honest….I’ve not experienced any worse feeling than denying my Lord in some way, shape, form, or fashion….even if it was unintentional.
Titus 2 moves from qualifications for leaders in the church, to right conduct for members of the church. Verse 2 is for the men…Verse 3-5 is for the women….and it specifically tells the older women to teach the younger women how to love their husbands, love their children, keep the house, etc.
Ladies….how are you doing on that?
Verse 13 encourages us to always be looking for the return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. How often does the thought of Jesus’ return cross your mind?
Titus 3 tells us to obey the government that is ruling over us….and to not speak evil of them. This is very very hard when you see stuff you disagree with….especially on Facebook. I’ve personally decided to only use my social media for things that edify Christ and not as a platform to complain about government.
Titus 3:9 tells us to avoid foolish questions because they are not profitable. We could be using our time to do better things.
Notice Titus 3:11….it says the heretic is condemned of himself……Jesus does not condemn anybody to hell. We condemn ourselves by rejecting Him.
Challenge for the day: live our lives in such a way that we do not deny Christ by our lifestyle.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 6th Pray, Read, Worship
I want to open up with an apology for not posting a worship song yesterday. Here’s what happened…its hay season and I left the house before the girls got up and didn’t get back in till Abigail was already asleep. I’m sorry….I’m about to go record several so we will be good for the next few days. Please know that I love all of y’all so much and I’m doing the best that I can during this EXTREMELY busy time of year for me on the farm.
Now for the devo….
Read 2 Timothy 2-4
2 Timothy 2:1 encourages us to be STRONG Christians….not weak. Do you consider yourself a strong or weak Christian? I’ll never forget when I went to El Salvador on a mission trip the first time. Before arriving, I thought I would meet a bunch of week, primitive Christians. Oh no no no no no….what I met in El Salvador was some of the strongest Christians I’d ever met in my life. Why were the Christians in El Salvador so strong? Because Jesus is all they had….and that caused their faith to be much much stronger than any of us on the trip.
So let me ask the question again….do you consider yourself a strong or weak Christian? Do you fully rely on The Lord? We can only be strong Christians when we are fully relying on The Lord.
2 Timothy 2:2 emphasizes the importance of discipleship….teaching others the ways of Christ.
I was thinking about this late yesterday evening while Caroline and I were hauling hay. In fact, I thought about making another video about it, but we got a flat tire on the hay wagon.
Follow me here….cutting, raking, and rolling the hay is harvesting the hay. This would be the same as someone getting saved in spiritual terms. But once we roll the hay, do we just leave it sitting there in the field? No….we have to pick it up and haul it home in order for it to be useful. This is the spiritual equivalent of discipleship. Discipleship is a very important part of the process…..just like my rolled hay is of little use sitting in the field…..a Christian is of little use sitting on the sideline…..the harvest of the hay is not the end…..and neither is salvation the end for the Christian….there’s still work to do….I’ve gotta haul the hay home….and there’s still work to do spiritually after salvation….we’ve got to help others learn the ways of Christ so they too can become harvesters one day.
I hope that analogy makes sense to you. It made all the sense in the world to me yesterday on the tractor.
So let me ask another question….what are you doing to help others in your family grow in their faith? To become disciples? Are you encouraging them to read their Bibles? Are you taking them to church? Sunday School? Salvation is not the end….it is just the beginning of the process.
2 Timothy 2:3 encourages us to endure hardness…..in other words….hard times are going to come for the Christian. Life is not a bed of roses after salvation….in fact…it’s probably going to be harder than ever…..it certainly has been for me.
I’d like to share something very personal here that helps me through hard times. There’s a man in our community named Leroy Collier. You may have met Leroy at Country Diner or Palmyra Market. He hangs out at these two places all the time. Good guy and good guitar player. We used to play together in the same group many many years ago. Before Leroy’s back problems, he worked at Trane. One day at work, The Lord gave him a song. He slipped behind his machine and wrote these words down.
So many times in this life I’ve questioned
I’ve asked the Lord, why must this be?
Then He shows me the many times I’ve been delivered
And He opens my eyes so I can see.
God never said that life would be easy
But He promised He’d go with me all the way
He has always been there when I need Him
And in His footsteps I will walk every day.
Now that I’ve learned to place my trust in Jesus
There is nothing in this world I have to fear
Though the storms of life are raging
His presence to me, is so near.
God never said that life would be easy
But He promised He’d go with me all the way
He has always been there when I need Him
And in His footsteps I will walk every day.
A simple song with a simple melody…just 3 chords….but my oh my….such powerful words that have helped me tremendously during the hard times of my life.
Hard times are going to come my friend….what are we to do? Endure and not quit.
2 Timothy 2:9 ought to make every Christian shout…..Paul says he is in bonds as a prisoner but the word of God cannot be bound. I’m thinking about what we just went through with the quarantine. The government may have shut down our churches for a couple months….but the word of God wasn’t stopped. We just had to find new ways to share….like these daily devos on Facebook.
2 Timothy 2:15 is an admonishment for us all to be students of the word of God. Do you consider yourself a student of the Bible? Are you trying to learn more? It should be the goal of all Christians to learn more and more each day from God’s word.
2 Timothy 3:1-9 is about the last days…..it could just as easily have been written in today’s newspaper about the day we are living in now. The last days will be characterized by….
Selfishness
Children disobedient to parents
Homosexuality
False accusers
Despisers of things that are good
Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God
Having a form of godliness(religion), but denying the power of God.
If this doesn’t cause you to believe we are in the last days, I honestly do not know what will. Like I’ve said before my friend….I’m not looking for any more signs of the times….I’m just listening for the shout and the trumpet….we are that close.
I remind myself of 2 Timothy 3:11 quite often….In the beginning of the verse, Paul lists some of the hardships he has gone through….but then he caps off the verse with this statement….but out of them ALL The Lord delivered me. ALL….EVERY SINGLE ONE. I remind myself of that when I get scared. If The Lord will deliver Paul out of ALL his hard times….He will do the same for me. Not all hard times except this one or that one….nope…..ALL hard times….The Lord will deliver me out of them ALL.
Now notice the Bible didn’t say He would deliver us from them….no…we still will have to go through them…..The Lord will deliver us through or out of them….not from them. Big big difference.
Notice the context….verse 12…ALL that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Again….ALL….not ALL except me….nope….ALL that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution…that includes me and you…It should be no surprise when we are come upon hard times. In fact….we should expect it.
Here’s another important ALL in 2 Timothy 3….Verse 16…..ALL scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
Did it say ALL except the Old Testament? No
Did it say ALL except the minor prophets? No
Did it say ALL except the parts we don’t understand? No
Did it say ALL except the parts we don’t like? No
The Bible says ALL scripture is given by God and useful to us. This is why we are supposed to study the entire Bible….not just the bits and pieces we like and can understand.
2 Timothy 4:2 was my call to preach….this verse kept going over and over in my mind….Preach the word….it also says to be ready to preach at any time….
2 Timothy 4:3-4 says in the last times people won’t endure sound doctrine and they will turn their ears away from the truth….that’s another clear sign that we are living in the last days if you ask me.
2 Timothy 4:5 says to do the work of an evangelist….in other words….share about Jesus and offer people an invitation to follow Him as we have. Evangelism is not for just a select few….we are all supposed to be evangelists.
Wendell Shelton has asked me to use 2 Timothy 4:6-8 at his funeral…..it would be so nice for this to be said about any of us….I’ve fought a good fight, I’ve finished my course(life) and I have kept the faith. Would you like those words to be spoken about you at your funeral?
Don’t skip over 2 Timothy 4:11…..Paul says to bring Mark with him when he comes….for he is profitable to me for the ministry. This is the same Mark that Paul got in conflict with Barnabas over back in the book of Acts. Now, Paul and Mark have been restored.
Who do you need to have a relationship restored with? The Lord can restore that relationship just like He did Paul and Mark here.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail. Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
I want to open up with an apology for not posting a worship song yesterday. Here’s what happened…its hay season and I left the house before the girls got up and didn’t get back in till Abigail was already asleep. I’m sorry….I’m about to go record several so we will be good for the next few days. Please know that I love all of y’all so much and I’m doing the best that I can during this EXTREMELY busy time of year for me on the farm.
Now for the devo….
Read 2 Timothy 2-4
2 Timothy 2:1 encourages us to be STRONG Christians….not weak. Do you consider yourself a strong or weak Christian? I’ll never forget when I went to El Salvador on a mission trip the first time. Before arriving, I thought I would meet a bunch of week, primitive Christians. Oh no no no no no….what I met in El Salvador was some of the strongest Christians I’d ever met in my life. Why were the Christians in El Salvador so strong? Because Jesus is all they had….and that caused their faith to be much much stronger than any of us on the trip.
So let me ask the question again….do you consider yourself a strong or weak Christian? Do you fully rely on The Lord? We can only be strong Christians when we are fully relying on The Lord.
2 Timothy 2:2 emphasizes the importance of discipleship….teaching others the ways of Christ.
I was thinking about this late yesterday evening while Caroline and I were hauling hay. In fact, I thought about making another video about it, but we got a flat tire on the hay wagon.
Follow me here….cutting, raking, and rolling the hay is harvesting the hay. This would be the same as someone getting saved in spiritual terms. But once we roll the hay, do we just leave it sitting there in the field? No….we have to pick it up and haul it home in order for it to be useful. This is the spiritual equivalent of discipleship. Discipleship is a very important part of the process…..just like my rolled hay is of little use sitting in the field…..a Christian is of little use sitting on the sideline…..the harvest of the hay is not the end…..and neither is salvation the end for the Christian….there’s still work to do….I’ve gotta haul the hay home….and there’s still work to do spiritually after salvation….we’ve got to help others learn the ways of Christ so they too can become harvesters one day.
I hope that analogy makes sense to you. It made all the sense in the world to me yesterday on the tractor.
So let me ask another question….what are you doing to help others in your family grow in their faith? To become disciples? Are you encouraging them to read their Bibles? Are you taking them to church? Sunday School? Salvation is not the end….it is just the beginning of the process.
2 Timothy 2:3 encourages us to endure hardness…..in other words….hard times are going to come for the Christian. Life is not a bed of roses after salvation….in fact…it’s probably going to be harder than ever…..it certainly has been for me.
I’d like to share something very personal here that helps me through hard times. There’s a man in our community named Leroy Collier. You may have met Leroy at Country Diner or Palmyra Market. He hangs out at these two places all the time. Good guy and good guitar player. We used to play together in the same group many many years ago. Before Leroy’s back problems, he worked at Trane. One day at work, The Lord gave him a song. He slipped behind his machine and wrote these words down.
So many times in this life I’ve questioned
I’ve asked the Lord, why must this be?
Then He shows me the many times I’ve been delivered
And He opens my eyes so I can see.
God never said that life would be easy
But He promised He’d go with me all the way
He has always been there when I need Him
And in His footsteps I will walk every day.
Now that I’ve learned to place my trust in Jesus
There is nothing in this world I have to fear
Though the storms of life are raging
His presence to me, is so near.
God never said that life would be easy
But He promised He’d go with me all the way
He has always been there when I need Him
And in His footsteps I will walk every day.
A simple song with a simple melody…just 3 chords….but my oh my….such powerful words that have helped me tremendously during the hard times of my life.
Hard times are going to come my friend….what are we to do? Endure and not quit.
2 Timothy 2:9 ought to make every Christian shout…..Paul says he is in bonds as a prisoner but the word of God cannot be bound. I’m thinking about what we just went through with the quarantine. The government may have shut down our churches for a couple months….but the word of God wasn’t stopped. We just had to find new ways to share….like these daily devos on Facebook.
2 Timothy 2:15 is an admonishment for us all to be students of the word of God. Do you consider yourself a student of the Bible? Are you trying to learn more? It should be the goal of all Christians to learn more and more each day from God’s word.
2 Timothy 3:1-9 is about the last days…..it could just as easily have been written in today’s newspaper about the day we are living in now. The last days will be characterized by….
Selfishness
Children disobedient to parents
Homosexuality
False accusers
Despisers of things that are good
Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God
Having a form of godliness(religion), but denying the power of God.
If this doesn’t cause you to believe we are in the last days, I honestly do not know what will. Like I’ve said before my friend….I’m not looking for any more signs of the times….I’m just listening for the shout and the trumpet….we are that close.
I remind myself of 2 Timothy 3:11 quite often….In the beginning of the verse, Paul lists some of the hardships he has gone through….but then he caps off the verse with this statement….but out of them ALL The Lord delivered me. ALL….EVERY SINGLE ONE. I remind myself of that when I get scared. If The Lord will deliver Paul out of ALL his hard times….He will do the same for me. Not all hard times except this one or that one….nope…..ALL hard times….The Lord will deliver me out of them ALL.
Now notice the Bible didn’t say He would deliver us from them….no…we still will have to go through them…..The Lord will deliver us through or out of them….not from them. Big big difference.
Notice the context….verse 12…ALL that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Again….ALL….not ALL except me….nope….ALL that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution…that includes me and you…It should be no surprise when we are come upon hard times. In fact….we should expect it.
Here’s another important ALL in 2 Timothy 3….Verse 16…..ALL scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
Did it say ALL except the Old Testament? No
Did it say ALL except the minor prophets? No
Did it say ALL except the parts we don’t understand? No
Did it say ALL except the parts we don’t like? No
The Bible says ALL scripture is given by God and useful to us. This is why we are supposed to study the entire Bible….not just the bits and pieces we like and can understand.
2 Timothy 4:2 was my call to preach….this verse kept going over and over in my mind….Preach the word….it also says to be ready to preach at any time….
2 Timothy 4:3-4 says in the last times people won’t endure sound doctrine and they will turn their ears away from the truth….that’s another clear sign that we are living in the last days if you ask me.
2 Timothy 4:5 says to do the work of an evangelist….in other words….share about Jesus and offer people an invitation to follow Him as we have. Evangelism is not for just a select few….we are all supposed to be evangelists.
Wendell Shelton has asked me to use 2 Timothy 4:6-8 at his funeral…..it would be so nice for this to be said about any of us….I’ve fought a good fight, I’ve finished my course(life) and I have kept the faith. Would you like those words to be spoken about you at your funeral?
Don’t skip over 2 Timothy 4:11…..Paul says to bring Mark with him when he comes….for he is profitable to me for the ministry. This is the same Mark that Paul got in conflict with Barnabas over back in the book of Acts. Now, Paul and Mark have been restored.
Who do you need to have a relationship restored with? The Lord can restore that relationship just like He did Paul and Mark here.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 5th Pray, Read, Worship
I’d like to open up with a praise today….I think I’ve stumbled onto something here with my video messages from the tractor/hay field on Facebook. Over 6100 people have watched the first one….over 1900 have watched the one from yesterday. Even other churches in our area are posting videos of their leaders on their tractor sharing the Word….Hallelujah!!! The Word of God is being spread and lives are being changed.
Now just to be clear….this wasn’t something I cooked up….this was just me following the nudge of The Holy Spirit….nothing rehearsed or planned….just following The Lord’s leadership and not giving myself any time to talk myself out of it….just going for it.
That’s a good model for all of us when we feel the nudge of The Holy Spirit telling us to do something….don’t try to talk ourselves out of it….don’t try to find a million excuses not to….just go for it.
Then sit back and watch The Lord bless it.
Read 1 Timothy 5-6, 2 Timothy 1
2 Timothy 5 opens with how we are to treat those around us…..older men as our fathers….older women as our mothers….younger men as our brothers….younger women as our sisters.
Do we respect those around us as we should?
Verses 3-6 challenges us to take care of the widows…..no coincidence we have these verses today. The Lord has been stirring something in me about taking care of widows. I’ll let you know when I have a clear direction on it. This is just affirmation to me that I’m moving in the right direction.
You know that’s how The Bible works….there’s a reason it’s called the Living Word of God. Hundreds if not thousands of times whatever I read in the morning applies to what happens that day or what happened the day before. It’s no coincidence at all. The Bible is more relevant today than any news media outlet out there.
Verse 8 is a sharp/strong verse….but very true…..if you have people in your own family that you don’t take care of….you are publicly denying that you are a Christian. YIKES!!!
Verses 17-18 are how we should treat our Pastors…..they are worthy of double honor….twice the honor we would give anyone else…..we should not try to keep them poor, but generously provide for all their needs.
Verse 21 challenges the church to not prefer one person over another or be partial to anybody….treat everybody as equals. If you cater to only a select few in your church….that’s all you will have in attendance before long….a select few.
1 Timothy 6:1 tells us to honor our employers….why? So as we don’t blaspheme the name of God. How many people have been turned away from the faith by “Christians” who bad mouth their bosses?
There’s more everyday wisdom in 1 Timothy 6:7 than you could hold in a 100 car choo choo train.
WE BROUGHT NOTHING INTO THIS WORLD AND IT’S CERTAIN WE CAN TAKE NOTHING OUT.
Amen and amen….what’s the point? Be content with what you have….the more money you have, the more stuff you have….the more trouble you have….I can testify to that personally.
That brings us to 1 Timothy 6:10 which is one of the most misquoted verses in the entire Bible…..for the LOVE OF money is the root of all evil.
So many people say money is the root of all evil….nope…..money is not evil….we have to have money to pay bills, live on, etc.
What is evil is the LOVE OF money….when we love our money…when we love making money more than we love our Lord….that my friends will cause us all a bunch of trouble and sorrow.
Here’s the question…..what do you love more? Your money or Your Lord…..now I know you are gonna say….well of course I love my Lord more….good deal….then show me your checkbook…..or better yet….take a look at your own checkbook…..it will tell you if you are telling the truth or not.
Are you tithing?
Are you giving money over and above your tithe to Christian causes?
Are you spending money on worthless things?
I’ll never forget a story told to me by Jeff Steele. About 20 years ago, a non-profit Christian radio station in North Carolina or West Virginia one called him to come help with their share-a-thon…..this particular Christian station raised money from listeners to stay on the air rather than sold commercials.
So Jeff is there….and during the share-a-thon….The Lord gives him a word to share.
Jeff gets on the radio and says….This station needs help every month to keep sending out Christian music. I want to challenge all the listeners to this station that are paying extra for the movie channels on cable like HBO….call the cable company and cancel those movie channels that air filth and junk at night and instead give that money to The Lord and help this station stay on the air.
The calls start pouring in….so much so that the local cable company called the radio station and asked them to stop. I think that was awesome.
No joke….look and see if you are spending extra money on junk like that each month….that money can sure be put to work for The Lord. Like I’ve told you before….even though I don’t have a steady paycheck coming in….I’ve not stopped my monthly support of ministries such as the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, Hope Pregnancy Center, The Good News Club, etc. I’d rather do without some things and make sure those ministries keep going than have all the money in the world and those ministries fold.
1 Timothy 6:11 reminds us to flee pursuing money just for money’s sake and instead follow righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness. Those are way better than money. They will bring you way more happiness and fulfillment in life than money will.
1 Timothy 6:17 is an admonishment to those that have money not to place your trust in money….but instead trust God that gives us all things to enjoy.
You see friend….you can’t put a price on a beautiful sunset….a peaceful stream….a gorgeous flower….and all the other aspects of The Lord’s creation He’s given us to freely enjoy.
Challenge: Take some time away from your daily chores today and spend time in The Lord’s creation….enjoying what He’s richly given you to enjoy.
In 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul is remembering Timothy’s grandmother and mother who helped shape and mold him in the faith. Do you have parents and grandparents that helped to shape and mold you….I sure do.
But here’s the million dollar question….are you being the kind of parent and grandparent that shapes and molds your child’s faith like Timothy’s mom and grandmother did? I want to be that type of parent to Caroline and Abigail
2 Timothy 1:7 is another rich and powerful verse….The Lord has not given us the Spirit of fear….but of power, love and of a sound mind.
May I be completely honest with you? All the mess we are in right now has its basis in fear.
Covid-19….fear of dying or fear of getting sick
Protests and riots…fear of being mistreated or seeing others mistreated
Our world is in the grips of fear….and that did not come from The Lord….He does not give us the Spirit of fear. Instead….He gives us a spirit of love….oh my oh my how much do we Christians need to be spreading the Love of Jesus in our world today.
2 Timothy 1:9 shows that The Lord doesn’t call us to service because of our ability….no….He calls us because of his purpose for our life. A wise preacher once told me that God doesn’t want or need your ability….He wants and needs your availability. Big difference.
Our challenge for today….make yourself available to The Lord…and when you feel the nudge of The Holy Spirit telling you to do something…don’t hesitate….just do it….you never know….you may stumble onto something that will touch many people like what The Lord did with me and my tractor.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com . Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
I’d like to open up with a praise today….I think I’ve stumbled onto something here with my video messages from the tractor/hay field on Facebook. Over 6100 people have watched the first one….over 1900 have watched the one from yesterday. Even other churches in our area are posting videos of their leaders on their tractor sharing the Word….Hallelujah!!! The Word of God is being spread and lives are being changed.
Now just to be clear….this wasn’t something I cooked up….this was just me following the nudge of The Holy Spirit….nothing rehearsed or planned….just following The Lord’s leadership and not giving myself any time to talk myself out of it….just going for it.
That’s a good model for all of us when we feel the nudge of The Holy Spirit telling us to do something….don’t try to talk ourselves out of it….don’t try to find a million excuses not to….just go for it.
Then sit back and watch The Lord bless it.
Read 1 Timothy 5-6, 2 Timothy 1
2 Timothy 5 opens with how we are to treat those around us…..older men as our fathers….older women as our mothers….younger men as our brothers….younger women as our sisters.
Do we respect those around us as we should?
Verses 3-6 challenges us to take care of the widows…..no coincidence we have these verses today. The Lord has been stirring something in me about taking care of widows. I’ll let you know when I have a clear direction on it. This is just affirmation to me that I’m moving in the right direction.
You know that’s how The Bible works….there’s a reason it’s called the Living Word of God. Hundreds if not thousands of times whatever I read in the morning applies to what happens that day or what happened the day before. It’s no coincidence at all. The Bible is more relevant today than any news media outlet out there.
Verse 8 is a sharp/strong verse….but very true…..if you have people in your own family that you don’t take care of….you are publicly denying that you are a Christian. YIKES!!!
Verses 17-18 are how we should treat our Pastors…..they are worthy of double honor….twice the honor we would give anyone else…..we should not try to keep them poor, but generously provide for all their needs.
Verse 21 challenges the church to not prefer one person over another or be partial to anybody….treat everybody as equals. If you cater to only a select few in your church….that’s all you will have in attendance before long….a select few.
1 Timothy 6:1 tells us to honor our employers….why? So as we don’t blaspheme the name of God. How many people have been turned away from the faith by “Christians” who bad mouth their bosses?
There’s more everyday wisdom in 1 Timothy 6:7 than you could hold in a 100 car choo choo train.
WE BROUGHT NOTHING INTO THIS WORLD AND IT’S CERTAIN WE CAN TAKE NOTHING OUT.
Amen and amen….what’s the point? Be content with what you have….the more money you have, the more stuff you have….the more trouble you have….I can testify to that personally.
That brings us to 1 Timothy 6:10 which is one of the most misquoted verses in the entire Bible…..for the LOVE OF money is the root of all evil.
So many people say money is the root of all evil….nope…..money is not evil….we have to have money to pay bills, live on, etc.
What is evil is the LOVE OF money….when we love our money…when we love making money more than we love our Lord….that my friends will cause us all a bunch of trouble and sorrow.
Here’s the question…..what do you love more? Your money or Your Lord…..now I know you are gonna say….well of course I love my Lord more….good deal….then show me your checkbook…..or better yet….take a look at your own checkbook…..it will tell you if you are telling the truth or not.
Are you tithing?
Are you giving money over and above your tithe to Christian causes?
Are you spending money on worthless things?
I’ll never forget a story told to me by Jeff Steele. About 20 years ago, a non-profit Christian radio station in North Carolina or West Virginia one called him to come help with their share-a-thon…..this particular Christian station raised money from listeners to stay on the air rather than sold commercials.
So Jeff is there….and during the share-a-thon….The Lord gives him a word to share.
Jeff gets on the radio and says….This station needs help every month to keep sending out Christian music. I want to challenge all the listeners to this station that are paying extra for the movie channels on cable like HBO….call the cable company and cancel those movie channels that air filth and junk at night and instead give that money to The Lord and help this station stay on the air.
The calls start pouring in….so much so that the local cable company called the radio station and asked them to stop. I think that was awesome.
No joke….look and see if you are spending extra money on junk like that each month….that money can sure be put to work for The Lord. Like I’ve told you before….even though I don’t have a steady paycheck coming in….I’ve not stopped my monthly support of ministries such as the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, Hope Pregnancy Center, The Good News Club, etc. I’d rather do without some things and make sure those ministries keep going than have all the money in the world and those ministries fold.
1 Timothy 6:11 reminds us to flee pursuing money just for money’s sake and instead follow righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness. Those are way better than money. They will bring you way more happiness and fulfillment in life than money will.
1 Timothy 6:17 is an admonishment to those that have money not to place your trust in money….but instead trust God that gives us all things to enjoy.
You see friend….you can’t put a price on a beautiful sunset….a peaceful stream….a gorgeous flower….and all the other aspects of The Lord’s creation He’s given us to freely enjoy.
Challenge: Take some time away from your daily chores today and spend time in The Lord’s creation….enjoying what He’s richly given you to enjoy.
In 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul is remembering Timothy’s grandmother and mother who helped shape and mold him in the faith. Do you have parents and grandparents that helped to shape and mold you….I sure do.
But here’s the million dollar question….are you being the kind of parent and grandparent that shapes and molds your child’s faith like Timothy’s mom and grandmother did? I want to be that type of parent to Caroline and Abigail
2 Timothy 1:7 is another rich and powerful verse….The Lord has not given us the Spirit of fear….but of power, love and of a sound mind.
May I be completely honest with you? All the mess we are in right now has its basis in fear.
Covid-19….fear of dying or fear of getting sick
Protests and riots…fear of being mistreated or seeing others mistreated
Our world is in the grips of fear….and that did not come from The Lord….He does not give us the Spirit of fear. Instead….He gives us a spirit of love….oh my oh my how much do we Christians need to be spreading the Love of Jesus in our world today.
2 Timothy 1:9 shows that The Lord doesn’t call us to service because of our ability….no….He calls us because of his purpose for our life. A wise preacher once told me that God doesn’t want or need your ability….He wants and needs your availability. Big difference.
Our challenge for today….make yourself available to The Lord…and when you feel the nudge of The Holy Spirit telling you to do something…don’t hesitate….just do it….you never know….you may stumble onto something that will touch many people like what The Lord did with me and my tractor.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 4th Pray, Read, Worship
Read 1 Timothy 2-4
It is absolutely no coincidence at all that 1 Timothy 2:1-2 are the first verses in our devo today. These 2 verses tell us to pray and give thanks for those in authority over us so that we may live a quiet and peaceable life.
Hmmm….just gonna call this like it is…..maybe just maybe….could we be having all this violence in the country today because WE HAVE NOT BEEN PRAYING AND GIVING THANKS FOR OUR LEADERS AS WE SHOULD?
I know I’m guilty.
So let’s stop right now….don’t read any further….stop right now and pray and give thanks for our elected officials over us. From the President on down to your leaders in your county.
Did you pray? I’m not going any further till you do.
1 Timothy 2:4 says that God wants all men to be saved….I was recently at a funeral conducted by my friend David Steppe. David led the man to Christ the day before he passed away. David said something at that funeral that I’ll never forget as long as I live…..he said, “I’m so thankful The Lord is doing all He can to get folks into Heaven and not keep them out.” That right there is just plain old country logic…but its 100% true. The Lord wants all men to be saved….ALL people.
1 Timothy 2:5 reiterates there is only 1 way to God….and that is through Jesus Christ alone. I never have understood why people would pray to the Mother Mary or some other saint. The Bible is clear that Jesus Christ alone is the only way to God…..both in terms of our prayers and our eternal destination in Heaven.
1 Timothy 2:8 says that we are to pray everywhere. Where all have you prayed friends?
I’ve prayed at Wal-Mart
I’ve prayed at a car dealership
I prayed last night late up on a hay roller while changing a bearing literally covered in grease and dust from head to toe.
I’ve prayed in my fields
I’ve prayed in my bed
I’ve prayed in my chair
I’ve prayed in my truck
I’ve prayed at the table
I’ve prayed at a restaurant
I’ve prayed at a doctor’s office
I’ve prayed at a hospital
I’ve prayed at a construction site
I’ve prayed at school
I’ve prayed in a government office
I’ve prayed in church
I’ve prayed at the ball field
I’ve prayed in the barn
I’ve prayed while waiting in line
Do you get the point? Prayer is not limited to the church and our homes…..we are to be a people of prayer that pray everywhere.
How are you doing on that?
1 Timothy 3 lays out the qualifications for Pastors and Deacons or Elders in the church as well as their wives. The scriptures speak for themselves here…..
Pastors must be….
Blameless
Husband of one wife
Vigilant
Sober
Good behavior
Given to hospitality
Able to teach
Not given to wine
Not a fighter
Not greedy
Patient
Not covetous
A good ruler at home
Not full of pride
Good reputation in the community
Deacons must be all of these plus
Serious
Not gossips
Deacons wives must be all of these plus
Not talking bad about people
Faithful
May I be honest with you? I don’t know anybody that fulfills every single one of these responsibilities….myself included. I’m so thankful for God’s grace that is sufficient when I am weak in an area of my life.
So what’s the point of this passage if very few people if anybody can fulfill this entire list? Here’s how I interpret it…..Pastors/Deacons/Elders should never be chosen like a beauty or popularity contest. The Lord has a set of standards for us to go by and we should all be doing our best to follow those standards.
1 Timothy 4 warns against false teaching. How can we know if somebody is teaching false doctrine? Only if we know the truth. How can we know the truth? We need to study and read The Bible for ourselves.
Ever wondered why we pray before our meals? Read 1 Timothy 4:4-5
1 Timothy 4:7 says to not pay attention to old wives tales…but instead pay attention to scripture.
1 Timothy 4:8 says that living a godly life is more beneficial to us than exercising….and we all know how good exercising is for us.
1 Timothy 4:12 is a charge to young people to be the Christian example that we adults need to see.
1 Timothy 4:15 emphasizes the importance of meditation…thinking about….dwelling on what you read….allowing the Word of God to not only inform you but to also TRANSFORM you.
My challenge for us today….meditate on all we’ve read today….don’t just let it inform you….but meditate and allow the Words of God to TRANSFORM you.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com . Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read 1 Timothy 2-4
It is absolutely no coincidence at all that 1 Timothy 2:1-2 are the first verses in our devo today. These 2 verses tell us to pray and give thanks for those in authority over us so that we may live a quiet and peaceable life.
Hmmm….just gonna call this like it is…..maybe just maybe….could we be having all this violence in the country today because WE HAVE NOT BEEN PRAYING AND GIVING THANKS FOR OUR LEADERS AS WE SHOULD?
I know I’m guilty.
So let’s stop right now….don’t read any further….stop right now and pray and give thanks for our elected officials over us. From the President on down to your leaders in your county.
Did you pray? I’m not going any further till you do.
1 Timothy 2:4 says that God wants all men to be saved….I was recently at a funeral conducted by my friend David Steppe. David led the man to Christ the day before he passed away. David said something at that funeral that I’ll never forget as long as I live…..he said, “I’m so thankful The Lord is doing all He can to get folks into Heaven and not keep them out.” That right there is just plain old country logic…but its 100% true. The Lord wants all men to be saved….ALL people.
1 Timothy 2:5 reiterates there is only 1 way to God….and that is through Jesus Christ alone. I never have understood why people would pray to the Mother Mary or some other saint. The Bible is clear that Jesus Christ alone is the only way to God…..both in terms of our prayers and our eternal destination in Heaven.
1 Timothy 2:8 says that we are to pray everywhere. Where all have you prayed friends?
I’ve prayed at Wal-Mart
I’ve prayed at a car dealership
I prayed last night late up on a hay roller while changing a bearing literally covered in grease and dust from head to toe.
I’ve prayed in my fields
I’ve prayed in my bed
I’ve prayed in my chair
I’ve prayed in my truck
I’ve prayed at the table
I’ve prayed at a restaurant
I’ve prayed at a doctor’s office
I’ve prayed at a hospital
I’ve prayed at a construction site
I’ve prayed at school
I’ve prayed in a government office
I’ve prayed in church
I’ve prayed at the ball field
I’ve prayed in the barn
I’ve prayed while waiting in line
Do you get the point? Prayer is not limited to the church and our homes…..we are to be a people of prayer that pray everywhere.
How are you doing on that?
1 Timothy 3 lays out the qualifications for Pastors and Deacons or Elders in the church as well as their wives. The scriptures speak for themselves here…..
Pastors must be….
Blameless
Husband of one wife
Vigilant
Sober
Good behavior
Given to hospitality
Able to teach
Not given to wine
Not a fighter
Not greedy
Patient
Not covetous
A good ruler at home
Not full of pride
Good reputation in the community
Deacons must be all of these plus
Serious
Not gossips
Deacons wives must be all of these plus
Not talking bad about people
Faithful
May I be honest with you? I don’t know anybody that fulfills every single one of these responsibilities….myself included. I’m so thankful for God’s grace that is sufficient when I am weak in an area of my life.
So what’s the point of this passage if very few people if anybody can fulfill this entire list? Here’s how I interpret it…..Pastors/Deacons/Elders should never be chosen like a beauty or popularity contest. The Lord has a set of standards for us to go by and we should all be doing our best to follow those standards.
1 Timothy 4 warns against false teaching. How can we know if somebody is teaching false doctrine? Only if we know the truth. How can we know the truth? We need to study and read The Bible for ourselves.
Ever wondered why we pray before our meals? Read 1 Timothy 4:4-5
1 Timothy 4:7 says to not pay attention to old wives tales…but instead pay attention to scripture.
1 Timothy 4:8 says that living a godly life is more beneficial to us than exercising….and we all know how good exercising is for us.
1 Timothy 4:12 is a charge to young people to be the Christian example that we adults need to see.
1 Timothy 4:15 emphasizes the importance of meditation…thinking about….dwelling on what you read….allowing the Word of God to not only inform you but to also TRANSFORM you.
My challenge for us today….meditate on all we’ve read today….don’t just let it inform you….but meditate and allow the Words of God to TRANSFORM you.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 3rd Pray, Read, Worship
Received this testimony yesterday…..
Hey there brother phillip, a short while ago in one of your devotionals you had requested for us to hit the share status on our phones and such. So I thought you were so right on in this about reaching more people, so I started doing as you requested. I’m so happy to report that it is working very well as I’m getting in my fb notifications – people who are reading your devotionals and hitting the like notification. It’s working my brother. Just thought I would share this with you. I hope it uplifting to you. Praise The Lord!
Praise The Lord indeed!!! Help us spread the Word of God by sharing our devos each day.
You can also LIKE our new Facebook page, Chambers Family Ministries.
Read 2 Thessalonians 2-3, 1 Timothy 1
2 Thessalonians 2:3 MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT VERSE YOU READ TODAY……it says, “let no man deceive you by any means: for that day(the return of Christ) shall not come except there come a falling away first…..” This is what Bible Scholars refer to as the Great Falling Away….AND I BELIEVE WITH ALL MY HEART WE ARE LIVING IN IT RIGHT NOW! Surely you can see around us all the proof/evidence you need to believe we are in the Great Falling Away….and I’ll say this….if it’s not The Great Falling Away….I’d hate to see what it looks like.
My friend…we are in the last days….The Lord is giving us all one last chance to repent and get right with Him. Are you taking advantage of this opportunity?
The end of Verse 3 and Verse 4 is referring to the anti-Christ who will sit on the throne in the temple at Jerusalem during the Great Tribulation and demand that everyone in the world accept his mark(666) and worship him or else be martyred.
Verse 12 shows that we condemn ourselves by not believing in Christ. Christ doesn’t condemn us….we do it to ourselves by rejecting Him.
Verse 15 is an admonishment for us to not waiver on our faith…but to stand fast in our faith now more than ever.
In 2 Thessalonians 3:1, Paul specifically requests prayer so “the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified…” I’d like to ask you to pray that same thing for me. Much to my amazement, over 5000 people have viewed the message I gave on the tractor earlier this week. That was just something The Lord laid on my heart while cutting hay….wasn’t planned or anything like that. I’m praying for more opportunities such as that to open.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 is a reminder that The Lord is faithful….have you praised or thanked Him for His faithfulness to you today?
2 Thessalonians 3:10 is a very important verse that our country needs to listen to…..if any would not work, neither should he eat. Now dissect that very carefully…..the Bible DID NOT SAY if any cannot work. No no no….if someone cannot work, then The Bible is clear….you and I are to come alongside and help them.
But if someone would not work….in other words they could…but they just won’t. Then The Bible says to let them not eat.
There is a HUGE difference between would not work and cannot work. Please don’t misquote or misuse the Bible here.
As with everything in our lives….our world and our country would be a better place if we followed all the teachings of The Bible….including 2 Thessalonians 3:10.
In 1 Timothy 1:1, The Bible reminds us that Christ is our hope. Bottom line friends….if we don’t have Christ in our lives, we will not have hope. As my friend Arthur Rice with The Kingdom Heirs says, “The world believes we have a hopeless end….but we Christians actually have an endless hope in Jesus Christ.” I’m so thankful for my endless hope in Christ that is far better than a hopeless end without Him.
Then notice a particular word in 1 Timothy 1:2…..previously in all the other writings, Paul had prayed for grace and peace to all the churches….now, he’s praying for grace, MERCY, and peace to young Timothy. What’s mercy again….Mercy is not receiving punishment when punishment is deserved. Boy oh boy….we could all use that couldn’t we?
So one of my challenges today….I’ve been asking you to pray grace and peace over each name on your prayer list….today, take it up a notch and pray for grace, MERCY, and peace for each name on your prayer list.
In 1 Timothy 1:5, The Bible says that the end of all the commandments is to love ourselves and our fellow man with a pure heart. Wow…..no better cure for the ills of our world right now than for us to love one another.
1 Timothy 1:12 is my hearts cry today….I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful putting me into the ministry. Please make sure you don’t miss that line, “who hath enabled me”….everything I do is through the power of The Lord….not mine. How can you know if it’s your power of The Lord’s….easy….if it’s our own power, we will fail.
I love Verse 15….Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners….not to condemn….not to judge…not to hate….but to save sinners.
The obvious question is….save us from what. Most people would probably say hell….and that’s correct.
But I think there’s another appropriate answer also….Christ came to save us from OURSELVES. Just take a look at what OURSELVES has gotten our world into. Christ came to save us from OURSELVES by showing us the right way to live.
Now Verse 17 might not be important to you….but look at the context and hang with me just a minute. In Verses 12-16, Paul is reflecting on what he used to be before Christ….how God was patient with him….how God showed him grace and mercy….and what God has done for him since….that leads to Verse 17 which is a SPONTANEOUS PRAISE BREAK…..Paul interrupted regular programming and just started praising The Lord for how good He had been to Him.
You ever have a moment like that….where you get to thinking about your life, how patient God has been with you….how good God has been to you? If you do….more than likely….like Paul….you will just have to bust out in spontaneous praise as well. I know I have.
I pray you can have some time to reflect on the goodness, mercy, patience, and grace of God on your life today.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail.com . Thank you so much for all your love and support. You are a tremendous blessing to us!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Received this testimony yesterday…..
Hey there brother phillip, a short while ago in one of your devotionals you had requested for us to hit the share status on our phones and such. So I thought you were so right on in this about reaching more people, so I started doing as you requested. I’m so happy to report that it is working very well as I’m getting in my fb notifications – people who are reading your devotionals and hitting the like notification. It’s working my brother. Just thought I would share this with you. I hope it uplifting to you. Praise The Lord!
Praise The Lord indeed!!! Help us spread the Word of God by sharing our devos each day.
You can also LIKE our new Facebook page, Chambers Family Ministries.
Read 2 Thessalonians 2-3, 1 Timothy 1
2 Thessalonians 2:3 MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT VERSE YOU READ TODAY……it says, “let no man deceive you by any means: for that day(the return of Christ) shall not come except there come a falling away first…..” This is what Bible Scholars refer to as the Great Falling Away….AND I BELIEVE WITH ALL MY HEART WE ARE LIVING IN IT RIGHT NOW! Surely you can see around us all the proof/evidence you need to believe we are in the Great Falling Away….and I’ll say this….if it’s not The Great Falling Away….I’d hate to see what it looks like.
My friend…we are in the last days….The Lord is giving us all one last chance to repent and get right with Him. Are you taking advantage of this opportunity?
The end of Verse 3 and Verse 4 is referring to the anti-Christ who will sit on the throne in the temple at Jerusalem during the Great Tribulation and demand that everyone in the world accept his mark(666) and worship him or else be martyred.
Verse 12 shows that we condemn ourselves by not believing in Christ. Christ doesn’t condemn us….we do it to ourselves by rejecting Him.
Verse 15 is an admonishment for us to not waiver on our faith…but to stand fast in our faith now more than ever.
In 2 Thessalonians 3:1, Paul specifically requests prayer so “the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified…” I’d like to ask you to pray that same thing for me. Much to my amazement, over 5000 people have viewed the message I gave on the tractor earlier this week. That was just something The Lord laid on my heart while cutting hay….wasn’t planned or anything like that. I’m praying for more opportunities such as that to open.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 is a reminder that The Lord is faithful….have you praised or thanked Him for His faithfulness to you today?
2 Thessalonians 3:10 is a very important verse that our country needs to listen to…..if any would not work, neither should he eat. Now dissect that very carefully…..the Bible DID NOT SAY if any cannot work. No no no….if someone cannot work, then The Bible is clear….you and I are to come alongside and help them.
But if someone would not work….in other words they could…but they just won’t. Then The Bible says to let them not eat.
There is a HUGE difference between would not work and cannot work. Please don’t misquote or misuse the Bible here.
As with everything in our lives….our world and our country would be a better place if we followed all the teachings of The Bible….including 2 Thessalonians 3:10.
In 1 Timothy 1:1, The Bible reminds us that Christ is our hope. Bottom line friends….if we don’t have Christ in our lives, we will not have hope. As my friend Arthur Rice with The Kingdom Heirs says, “The world believes we have a hopeless end….but we Christians actually have an endless hope in Jesus Christ.” I’m so thankful for my endless hope in Christ that is far better than a hopeless end without Him.
Then notice a particular word in 1 Timothy 1:2…..previously in all the other writings, Paul had prayed for grace and peace to all the churches….now, he’s praying for grace, MERCY, and peace to young Timothy. What’s mercy again….Mercy is not receiving punishment when punishment is deserved. Boy oh boy….we could all use that couldn’t we?
So one of my challenges today….I’ve been asking you to pray grace and peace over each name on your prayer list….today, take it up a notch and pray for grace, MERCY, and peace for each name on your prayer list.
In 1 Timothy 1:5, The Bible says that the end of all the commandments is to love ourselves and our fellow man with a pure heart. Wow…..no better cure for the ills of our world right now than for us to love one another.
1 Timothy 1:12 is my hearts cry today….I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful putting me into the ministry. Please make sure you don’t miss that line, “who hath enabled me”….everything I do is through the power of The Lord….not mine. How can you know if it’s your power of The Lord’s….easy….if it’s our own power, we will fail.
I love Verse 15….Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners….not to condemn….not to judge…not to hate….but to save sinners.
The obvious question is….save us from what. Most people would probably say hell….and that’s correct.
But I think there’s another appropriate answer also….Christ came to save us from OURSELVES. Just take a look at what OURSELVES has gotten our world into. Christ came to save us from OURSELVES by showing us the right way to live.
Now Verse 17 might not be important to you….but look at the context and hang with me just a minute. In Verses 12-16, Paul is reflecting on what he used to be before Christ….how God was patient with him….how God showed him grace and mercy….and what God has done for him since….that leads to Verse 17 which is a SPONTANEOUS PRAISE BREAK…..Paul interrupted regular programming and just started praising The Lord for how good He had been to Him.
You ever have a moment like that….where you get to thinking about your life, how patient God has been with you….how good God has been to you? If you do….more than likely….like Paul….you will just have to bust out in spontaneous praise as well. I know I have.
I pray you can have some time to reflect on the goodness, mercy, patience, and grace of God on your life today.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! We now accept Google Pay and Paypal. Just select-send-enter chambersfamilyministries@gmail
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 2nd Pray, Read, Worship
Read 1 Thessalonians 4-5, 2 Thessalonians 1
In 1 Thessalonians 4:1, Paul encourages the church to not just listen to him….but to also do what he’s preaching about…..AMEN!!!
May I ask a question? Why do you listen to preaching? If we listen and don’t make the necessary adjustments in our lives, we are nothing more than smarter sinners.
Verse 7 speaks of living a life of holiness…..how are we doing living a life of holiness?
Verse 10 is so applicable for today…..Paul says the church is doing a great job of loving one another locally….but The Lord wants their brotherly love to increase more and more.
If you have watched the TV any over the last few days and seen the riots….you will see that the world definitely needs our love for one another to increase.
Verse 11….my oh my verse 11…..do your own business….in other words mind your own business. I guess I have been talked about more since January 1st this year than ever before in my life….and in a way, I get it. I was a very public pastor….I tried to be the community pastor….the pastor to everybody regardless of whether they were members of Yellow Creek or not….I was on Facebook 3 times a week or more preaching Jesus….always trying to help others in Jesus name….and I went through a divorce that I tried to keep private, but was not allowed to.
And all of a sudden, I’m gone. I’m no longer Pastoring….I’m no longer preaching. You no longer see me. You no longer can call or text me. I understand there was grieving and loss on your end….many of you told me about your grieving and loss….your pain….your hurt….and for my part in that….I am very very sorry. From the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry for any pain, grief, loss you went through as a result of what was happening in my personal life.
There was definitely grief, loss, and pain on my end too….and I’ll say without hesitation…my grieving my loss, and my pain was greater than yours. Much greater than yours. Much harder than yours. I’m not saying yours wasn’t great or hard…..but no doubt…mine was greater and harder.
Then the loads of untrue rumors started to fly….and people who have never spoken to me about my marriage or personal life are all of a sudden experts on everything Phillip Chambers. What hurt even worse were the people I thought were “friends”….who now are spreading completely untrue rumors and gossip about me. Talk talk talk talk talk….run that mouth….run that mouth…run that mouth.
All the time The Lord is telling me what He told Moses at the Red Sea….Exodus 14:14…The Lord shall fight for you and you shall hold your peace. So I did….I kept quiet….basically went into isolation and didn’t speak to anyone except my parents, my brother, my therapist, and my attorney. Was keeping quiet hard? You better believe it was. Oh how I wanted to go public and set the record straight.
And the pain kept piling on with every rumor that flew and continues to fly to this day.
What’s my point here? Listen closely.
The pain of divorce was unavoidable for me.
The pain of loss was unavoidable for me.
But the pain inflicted by the rumors and gossip and untrue tales about me could have all been avoided IF PEOPLE HAD MINDED THEIR OWN BUSINESS LIKE 1 THESSALONIANS 4:11 SAYS.
I want everybody reading this to pause….think….and put yourself in my shoes for a second.
Think about the pain of divorce….especially not having your two girls under the same roof with you every night now.
Think about the pain of loss…loss of income…loss of “friends”….loss of opportunities to tell folks about Jesus.
Then think about the pain of being the butt end of people’s gossip, slander, and talk.
Then before you open your mouth ever again about somebody else…..remember 1 Thessalonians 4:11…..remember your thoughts right now about me and what I went through…..and MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS.
Starting in Verse 13, Paul wants us to be informed about what will happen at the rapture of the church….this is one of my favorite sections in the whole Bible. When The Bible says asleep in Verse 13, its referring to the death of our physical bodies. Remember our souls are alive and well…..present with the Lord(2 Corinthians 5:8)….but our physical bodies are dead….asleep as the Bible says right here.
Look at Verse 14….it says even those which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him….in other words….when Jesus steps out on the clouds to call us home at the rapture….the souls of our loved ones that have already passed will be with Him….ready to receive their new, glorified, heavenly bodies once their old asleep bodies are resurrected.
Verse 16 says that at the rapture, the Lord will descend from Heaven….there will be a shout and a trumpet blast so loud that everyone on earth hears it….at that moment….the bodies of Christians that were asleep(dead) in the ground will come up out of the ground and start rising in the air toward Heaven.
Verse 17 says that once this happens, you and I and every other Christian on Earth at this time will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet The Lord in the air….and so shall we ever be with The Lord for all eternity!!!!!
Hallelujah!!! Praise The Lord!!! Come quickly and get us Lord!!!
Chapter 5 then is an encouragement to be ready for the rapture because no one knows when it’s going to take place.
Verse 2 says it will happen suddenly and unexpectedly like a thief breaking into your home.
Verse 6 of Chapter 5 encourages us to watch and be aware of The Lord’s return for us….
May I ask a question…..seriously….do you watch for The Lord’s return? Do you think about it? Does it ever cross your mind? Or do you just live life and not really pay it any attention?
Verse 13 of 1 Thessalonians 5 says to respect in love your Pastors and ministers. I’m so very thankful for my Pastor now….Brother Tim Ferrell. He’s a great man….a smart man….a good preacher that always delivers what The Lord gives Him to say….it always speaks to me….and most of all….I count him as a dear friend. I love you Brother Tim!!!!
Verses 14-22 is a list of things we should all be doing….
Warn them that are unruly(Verse 14)…..take the Gospel to everybody. Tell them of the Judgment that’s coming. I like something I’ve seen circulating on Facebook that says….if you think the world has gone crazy now, just wait till The Great Tribulation of Revelation comes.
Comfort the feebleminded(Verse 14)….don’t take advantage of feebleminded people….be their friends…honor and respect them.
Support the weak(Verse 14)….again…what satisfaction do you get out of taking advantage of weak people? Kinda like shooting a dead deer on the side of the road that had already been run over. No satisfaction there at all. We are to support and help those who are weak.
Be patient toward all men(Verse 14)….oh my I’m having to work on this one….and the only way to work on your patience is for God to send you people you have to be patient with. UGH….the quicker I learn the lesson the better.
Two wrongs don’t make a right(Verse 15)
Do what is good(Verse 15)
Rejoice evermore(Verse 16)….remember me talking about the parallel train tracks other day? We are to choose joy and rejoice in everything.
Pray without ceasing(Verse 17)….my prayer life is a continual conversation with God all day long.
In everything give thanks(Verse 18)….the Bible doesn’t say FOR everything give thanks….it says in or during everything give thanks. For example….I am not thankful for what I’ve gone through the last 5 months. But during this time I am thankful for The Lord’s provision in my life….I’m thankful that I’m a better father than I was to my girls….and I’m thankful that I’ve learned who my true friends were and who were the fakes. Do you see the difference between in everything give thanks like the Bible says and for everything give thanks? I’m not thankful FOR what’s happened….but during this tough time, IN this tough time….I’m still thankful.
Quench not the Spirit(Verse 19)….don’t try to meddle with what The Holy Spirit is doing. Man alive I’ve seen this happen so many times….and when it happens, you might as well do like Brother Jerry Spencer says and “Shut er down Nadine”.
I’ll never ever forget as long as I live…..10 plus years ago…maybe more….we were having a big Solid Gospel 105 Old Timers Day singing at the Dickson First United Methodist Church. 400+ people in attendance….the place was electric. We had just got through singing a big song….I think it was Midnight Cry, but I’m not sure about that….and man the Spirit was palpable.
Allen Guyer was leading the choir for me….and in my opinion….Allen is one of the best in the world at sensing the moving of The Holy Spirit…..Allen could tell the Spirit was moving and thick right now….so sensing the leading of The Holy Spirit….Allen asked for people in the crowd to give praise to The Lord by shouting out something they were thankful for.
Somebody shouted out forgiveness
Somebody shouted out their family
Somebody shouted out salvation
Man alive it was getting thick….remember The Bible says The Lord inhabits the praises of His people….we were praising The Lord and The Holy Spirit was thick.
Allen looked up to the balcony and said, “Somebody in the balcony give me something you are thankful for.”
And somebody…trying to be funny…..shouted “PIZZA”.
Pizza?
Really…..Pizza?
Yep….they just shouted out pizza.
And that totally quenched the Spirit in the room.
Now….let’s be fair….I’ve been guilty of quenching the Spirit before also in my lifetime. Not intentionally…but no doubt I’ve done it….and it’s a sickening feeling when you do.
Despise not people prophesying over you(Verse 20)….I used to despise people coming up to me as a young boy and saying “Boy you are gonna be a preacher or a politician one day.” In fact….that was a big reason I ran from the call as long as I did….but I shouldn’t have.
Prove(Test) all things and keep what you find to be good(Verse 21)….as President Reagan said, “Trust but verify”.
Abstain from all appearance of evil(Verse 22)….this is probably the hardest thing to do on the list because if I’ve learned anything over the last 5 months, people are going to think and say what they want to think and say regardless of what you think and say.
Verse 24 is a reminder of the faithfulness of The Lord.
Verse 25 is Paul asking the church to pray for them. It’s nothing to be ashamed of to ask people to pray for you. I want you praying for me and I need your prayers.
Then we get to 2 Thessalonians which Paul wrote for a purpose…..the people had taken his message from 1 Thessalonians the wrong way….when Paul said watch for the soon coming of The Lord in Chapter 5….the people literally quit their jobs and were watching the clouds for Jesus to return. So Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians to correct this error.
In Verse 3 of Chapter 1 we see that the faith and love of the church in Thessalonica was growing. That’s the goal for every church. Is the faith and love of your church growing?
In the rest of the chapter, Paul speaks about the persecution that has come their way and he caps it off in Verse 12….during your persecution, glorify the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…..how do you do that? Through His grace.
When we are going through hard times….do we bring glory to Jesus or do we run people off from Jesus by the way we conduct ourselves? That’s a good, thought provoking question right there.
Challenge for the day…..surely by now you know what it is….1 Thessalonians 4:11….mind your own business today.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read 1 Thessalonians 4-5, 2 Thessalonians 1
In 1 Thessalonians 4:1, Paul encourages the church to not just listen to him….but to also do what he’s preaching about…..AMEN!!!
May I ask a question? Why do you listen to preaching? If we listen and don’t make the necessary adjustments in our lives, we are nothing more than smarter sinners.
Verse 7 speaks of living a life of holiness…..how are we doing living a life of holiness?
Verse 10 is so applicable for today…..Paul says the church is doing a great job of loving one another locally….but The Lord wants their brotherly love to increase more and more.
If you have watched the TV any over the last few days and seen the riots….you will see that the world definitely needs our love for one another to increase.
Verse 11….my oh my verse 11…..do your own business….in other words mind your own business. I guess I have been talked about more since January 1st this year than ever before in my life….and in a way, I get it. I was a very public pastor….I tried to be the community pastor….the pastor to everybody regardless of whether they were members of Yellow Creek or not….I was on Facebook 3 times a week or more preaching Jesus….always trying to help others in Jesus name….and I went through a divorce that I tried to keep private, but was not allowed to.
And all of a sudden, I’m gone. I’m no longer Pastoring….I’m no longer preaching. You no longer see me. You no longer can call or text me. I understand there was grieving and loss on your end….many of you told me about your grieving and loss….your pain….your hurt….and for my part in that….I am very very sorry. From the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry for any pain, grief, loss you went through as a result of what was happening in my personal life.
There was definitely grief, loss, and pain on my end too….and I’ll say without hesitation…my grieving my loss, and my pain was greater than yours. Much greater than yours. Much harder than yours. I’m not saying yours wasn’t great or hard…..but no doubt…mine was greater and harder.
Then the loads of untrue rumors started to fly….and people who have never spoken to me about my marriage or personal life are all of a sudden experts on everything Phillip Chambers. What hurt even worse were the people I thought were “friends”….who now are spreading completely untrue rumors and gossip about me. Talk talk talk talk talk….run that mouth….run that mouth…run that mouth.
All the time The Lord is telling me what He told Moses at the Red Sea….Exodus 14:14…The Lord shall fight for you and you shall hold your peace. So I did….I kept quiet….basically went into isolation and didn’t speak to anyone except my parents, my brother, my therapist, and my attorney. Was keeping quiet hard? You better believe it was. Oh how I wanted to go public and set the record straight.
And the pain kept piling on with every rumor that flew and continues to fly to this day.
What’s my point here? Listen closely.
The pain of divorce was unavoidable for me.
The pain of loss was unavoidable for me.
But the pain inflicted by the rumors and gossip and untrue tales about me could have all been avoided IF PEOPLE HAD MINDED THEIR OWN BUSINESS LIKE 1 THESSALONIANS 4:11 SAYS.
I want everybody reading this to pause….think….and put yourself in my shoes for a second.
Think about the pain of divorce….especially not having your two girls under the same roof with you every night now.
Think about the pain of loss…loss of income…loss of “friends”….loss of opportunities to tell folks about Jesus.
Then think about the pain of being the butt end of people’s gossip, slander, and talk.
Then before you open your mouth ever again about somebody else…..remember 1 Thessalonians 4:11…..remember your thoughts right now about me and what I went through…..and MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS.
Starting in Verse 13, Paul wants us to be informed about what will happen at the rapture of the church….this is one of my favorite sections in the whole Bible. When The Bible says asleep in Verse 13, its referring to the death of our physical bodies. Remember our souls are alive and well…..present with the Lord(2 Corinthians 5:8)….but our physical bodies are dead….asleep as the Bible says right here.
Look at Verse 14….it says even those which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him….in other words….when Jesus steps out on the clouds to call us home at the rapture….the souls of our loved ones that have already passed will be with Him….ready to receive their new, glorified, heavenly bodies once their old asleep bodies are resurrected.
Verse 16 says that at the rapture, the Lord will descend from Heaven….there will be a shout and a trumpet blast so loud that everyone on earth hears it….at that moment….the bodies of Christians that were asleep(dead) in the ground will come up out of the ground and start rising in the air toward Heaven.
Verse 17 says that once this happens, you and I and every other Christian on Earth at this time will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet The Lord in the air….and so shall we ever be with The Lord for all eternity!!!!!
Hallelujah!!! Praise The Lord!!! Come quickly and get us Lord!!!
Chapter 5 then is an encouragement to be ready for the rapture because no one knows when it’s going to take place.
Verse 2 says it will happen suddenly and unexpectedly like a thief breaking into your home.
Verse 6 of Chapter 5 encourages us to watch and be aware of The Lord’s return for us….
May I ask a question…..seriously….do you watch for The Lord’s return? Do you think about it? Does it ever cross your mind? Or do you just live life and not really pay it any attention?
Verse 13 of 1 Thessalonians 5 says to respect in love your Pastors and ministers. I’m so very thankful for my Pastor now….Brother Tim Ferrell. He’s a great man….a smart man….a good preacher that always delivers what The Lord gives Him to say….it always speaks to me….and most of all….I count him as a dear friend. I love you Brother Tim!!!!
Verses 14-22 is a list of things we should all be doing….
Warn them that are unruly(Verse 14)…..take the Gospel to everybody. Tell them of the Judgment that’s coming. I like something I’ve seen circulating on Facebook that says….if you think the world has gone crazy now, just wait till The Great Tribulation of Revelation comes.
Comfort the feebleminded(Verse 14)….don’t take advantage of feebleminded people….be their friends…honor and respect them.
Support the weak(Verse 14)….again…what satisfaction do you get out of taking advantage of weak people? Kinda like shooting a dead deer on the side of the road that had already been run over. No satisfaction there at all. We are to support and help those who are weak.
Be patient toward all men(Verse 14)….oh my I’m having to work on this one….and the only way to work on your patience is for God to send you people you have to be patient with. UGH….the quicker I learn the lesson the better.
Two wrongs don’t make a right(Verse 15)
Do what is good(Verse 15)
Rejoice evermore(Verse 16)….remember me talking about the parallel train tracks other day? We are to choose joy and rejoice in everything.
Pray without ceasing(Verse 17)….my prayer life is a continual conversation with God all day long.
In everything give thanks(Verse 18)….the Bible doesn’t say FOR everything give thanks….it says in or during everything give thanks. For example….I am not thankful for what I’ve gone through the last 5 months. But during this time I am thankful for The Lord’s provision in my life….I’m thankful that I’m a better father than I was to my girls….and I’m thankful that I’ve learned who my true friends were and who were the fakes. Do you see the difference between in everything give thanks like the Bible says and for everything give thanks? I’m not thankful FOR what’s happened….but during this tough time, IN this tough time….I’m still thankful.
Quench not the Spirit(Verse 19)….don’t try to meddle with what The Holy Spirit is doing. Man alive I’ve seen this happen so many times….and when it happens, you might as well do like Brother Jerry Spencer says and “Shut er down Nadine”.
I’ll never ever forget as long as I live…..10 plus years ago…maybe more….we were having a big Solid Gospel 105 Old Timers Day singing at the Dickson First United Methodist Church. 400+ people in attendance….the place was electric. We had just got through singing a big song….I think it was Midnight Cry, but I’m not sure about that….and man the Spirit was palpable.
Allen Guyer was leading the choir for me….and in my opinion….Allen is one of the best in the world at sensing the moving of The Holy Spirit…..Allen could tell the Spirit was moving and thick right now….so sensing the leading of The Holy Spirit….Allen asked for people in the crowd to give praise to The Lord by shouting out something they were thankful for.
Somebody shouted out forgiveness
Somebody shouted out their family
Somebody shouted out salvation
Man alive it was getting thick….remember The Bible says The Lord inhabits the praises of His people….we were praising The Lord and The Holy Spirit was thick.
Allen looked up to the balcony and said, “Somebody in the balcony give me something you are thankful for.”
And somebody…trying to be funny…..shouted “PIZZA”.
Pizza?
Really…..Pizza?
Yep….they just shouted out pizza.
And that totally quenched the Spirit in the room.
Now….let’s be fair….I’ve been guilty of quenching the Spirit before also in my lifetime. Not intentionally…but no doubt I’ve done it….and it’s a sickening feeling when you do.
Despise not people prophesying over you(Verse 20)….I used to despise people coming up to me as a young boy and saying “Boy you are gonna be a preacher or a politician one day.” In fact….that was a big reason I ran from the call as long as I did….but I shouldn’t have.
Prove(Test) all things and keep what you find to be good(Verse 21)….as President Reagan said, “Trust but verify”.
Abstain from all appearance of evil(Verse 22)….this is probably the hardest thing to do on the list because if I’ve learned anything over the last 5 months, people are going to think and say what they want to think and say regardless of what you think and say.
Verse 24 is a reminder of the faithfulness of The Lord.
Verse 25 is Paul asking the church to pray for them. It’s nothing to be ashamed of to ask people to pray for you. I want you praying for me and I need your prayers.
Then we get to 2 Thessalonians which Paul wrote for a purpose…..the people had taken his message from 1 Thessalonians the wrong way….when Paul said watch for the soon coming of The Lord in Chapter 5….the people literally quit their jobs and were watching the clouds for Jesus to return. So Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians to correct this error.
In Verse 3 of Chapter 1 we see that the faith and love of the church in Thessalonica was growing. That’s the goal for every church. Is the faith and love of your church growing?
In the rest of the chapter, Paul speaks about the persecution that has come their way and he caps it off in Verse 12….during your persecution, glorify the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…..how do you do that? Through His grace.
When we are going through hard times….do we bring glory to Jesus or do we run people off from Jesus by the way we conduct ourselves? That’s a good, thought provoking question right there.
Challenge for the day…..surely by now you know what it is….1 Thessalonians 4:11….mind your own business today.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
June 1st Pray, Read, Worship
Read 1 Thessalonians 1-3
In Verse 1, Paul mentions his two partners in ministry….Silvanus and Timotheus. Man was not meant to do life alone….In Genesis, The Lord made a wife to be Adam’s help meet….not helpmate….The Bible says help meet…..why help meet? Because her original design was to HELP MEET the needs of the man. When Jesus sent the disciples out to preach….He sent them out 2 by 2. Likewise….whatever it is we are doing….whether farming, teaching, sales, or ministry…we need partners to help us.
Remember even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.
Later on in Verse 1 we see more grace and peace prayed for the members of the Thessalonian church….hopefully we are getting the point by now.
Verse 3 is another very important verse….Paul says he remembers without ceasing their work and labor from the past. We currently live in a “what have you done for me lately” society that does not remember the past….loyalty is a very very precious commodity these days. People will throw you away at the drop of a hat…..in Verse 3, Paul is admonishing us to remember what folks have done in the past.
Let me give you a great example of this. My father kept score for Montgomery Central High School basketball teams for YEARS….and to my knowledge, for years he never got paid. Why did Dad do the job for free when others were getting paid to do “extra” work?
I’m about to tell you why….
Dad started keeping score while in high school at Montgomery Central….1959-1962. Every year at Christmas, the schools in Montgomery County would hold the Circle K basketball tournament in town. They would all split the gate and give each team a college scholarship. Dad’s senior year, none of the basketball players were going to college….so Coach Young….this is the elder Mr. Young….Jimmy’s dad….Sam’s granddad….Coach Young gave my dad the scholarship because Dad had kept score for him for 4 straight years.
My father was the first one from our family to ever go to college. He would have never been able to afford college unless it was for this scholarship.
So literally for decades….the 60’s, the 70’s, the 80’s, and into the 90’s….my dad kept score for Montgomery Central High School basketball for free because of what Coach Young did for him in 1962.
That’s what I call loyalty….that’s what The Bible is talking about here….remembering your work of faith and labor of love….remembering what folks had done in the past.
Are you a loyal person or a “what have you done for me lately” kind of person?
Verse 5 reveals that The Gospel is so much more than words….it’s also POWER. Have you ever experienced the POWER of the Gospel? Once you do, mere words will never satisfy you again.
In Verse 7, we learn the Thessalonian church were examples for all the area around them. Are you an example for all the folks around you? Are you the best example of a Christ follower in your area? I know I fail….but I’m honestly trying to be the best example I can be.
In 1 Thessalonians 2:2….Paul says they were bold to speak the Gospel to the Thessalonians with much contention.
I’m about to ask a hard question here…..what do you do when someone tries to ask a hard or trick question to you about Christianity? Do you clam up, shut down, and be quiet? That’s exactly what I used to do….but then I started being bold and answering them back….and you know what happened almost 100% of the time when I answered them back….they were the ones that clammed up, shut down, and got quiet….why? Because they were never used to a Christian contending with them.
Now don’t get me wrong….I don’t go looking for fights with people.
And don’t get me wrong on this either….it’s foolish to get into debates you know will go nowhere.
But I stopped backing down a long time ago from people that want to contend with me for my faith.
Let me give you a couple examples….
Last time a Jehovah ’s Witness came to my place, I answered the door….realized what was going on, looked at my clock, and let them make their spill. Once they got through, I said, “You’ve been talking _____ minutes and I’ve listened….now you have to listen to me for the same amount of time.”
They were in shock.
And you know what else….they haven’t been back.
I did the same thing to a Jewish guy one time when I was in the radio business. I was on a live remote….he worked at the place I was doing the remote….and literally for 30 minutes….this guy went on and on about how he was part of God’s chosen people and he just kept on and kept on and kept on.
Well I was there for a 2 hour live remote….so after he got through….I said….look here buddy, you have been talking to me about being a Jew for 30 minutes….now you are gonna sit right there and listen to me tell you about being a Christian for 30 minutes.
He turned white as a sheet.
I’m telling you friends…..don’t back down or back up for your faith…..now don’t look for fights….but if someone starts a contention with you….don’t walk away…be bold as Paul commands us here in 1 Thessalonians 2:2.
Preachers….Sunday school teachers….ministers….look at 1 Thessalonians 2:8….Paul says that the members of the church were “dear to him”. Are the members of your church, your Sunday School class dear to you? If they are not, it’s time to get out bro.
The flock I used to shepherd was dear to me….I’ve cried many tears over them….sacrificed a lot of time and sleep for them.
Many of them still are dear to me to this day….and I’m thankful for that.
1 Thessalonians 2:12 is another admonishment to not just talk the talk but to also walk the walk. How are you doing with that?
Verse 13 was another heart’s cry of mine when I was Pastoring…..I never wanted people to think it was my words I was sharing….I always wanted them to know that I was just the mail man….all the words were The Lord’s words.
1 Thessalonians 2:18 shows that Satan is actively working to hinder the ministry….he was doing this 2000 years ago and he’s still doing it today.
In 1 Thessalonians 3:1-7, Paul speaks of how thankful he was for the reports of the faith of the Thessalonian church after he left there. I can agree with this wholeheartedly. There are few greater feelings than hearing of how people continue to work and grow in The Lord after you leave them. There are also few greater sorrows than hearing how folks fall apart and seemingly lose their mind when you leave.
1 Thessalonians 3:9-10 shows the best way to thank someone….
It’s not buying them a gift
It’s not giving them something
It’s PRAYING for them.
The best thing you can ever do for me is to pray for me.
And the best thing I can ever do for you is to pray for you.
I’m gonna go do that right now.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read 1 Thessalonians 1-3
In Verse 1, Paul mentions his two partners in ministry….Silvanus and Timotheus. Man was not meant to do life alone….In Genesis, The Lord made a wife to be Adam’s help meet….not helpmate….The Bible says help meet…..why help meet? Because her original design was to HELP MEET the needs of the man. When Jesus sent the disciples out to preach….He sent them out 2 by 2. Likewise….whatever it is we are doing….whether farming, teaching, sales, or ministry…we need partners to help us.
Remember even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.
Later on in Verse 1 we see more grace and peace prayed for the members of the Thessalonian church….hopefully we are getting the point by now.
Verse 3 is another very important verse….Paul says he remembers without ceasing their work and labor from the past. We currently live in a “what have you done for me lately” society that does not remember the past….loyalty is a very very precious commodity these days. People will throw you away at the drop of a hat…..in Verse 3, Paul is admonishing us to remember what folks have done in the past.
Let me give you a great example of this. My father kept score for Montgomery Central High School basketball teams for YEARS….and to my knowledge, for years he never got paid. Why did Dad do the job for free when others were getting paid to do “extra” work?
I’m about to tell you why….
Dad started keeping score while in high school at Montgomery Central….1959-1962. Every year at Christmas, the schools in Montgomery County would hold the Circle K basketball tournament in town. They would all split the gate and give each team a college scholarship. Dad’s senior year, none of the basketball players were going to college….so Coach Young….this is the elder Mr. Young….Jimmy’s dad….Sam’s granddad….Coach Young gave my dad the scholarship because Dad had kept score for him for 4 straight years.
My father was the first one from our family to ever go to college. He would have never been able to afford college unless it was for this scholarship.
So literally for decades….the 60’s, the 70’s, the 80’s, and into the 90’s….my dad kept score for Montgomery Central High School basketball for free because of what Coach Young did for him in 1962.
That’s what I call loyalty….that’s what The Bible is talking about here….remembering your work of faith and labor of love….remembering what folks had done in the past.
Are you a loyal person or a “what have you done for me lately” kind of person?
Verse 5 reveals that The Gospel is so much more than words….it’s also POWER. Have you ever experienced the POWER of the Gospel? Once you do, mere words will never satisfy you again.
In Verse 7, we learn the Thessalonian church were examples for all the area around them. Are you an example for all the folks around you? Are you the best example of a Christ follower in your area? I know I fail….but I’m honestly trying to be the best example I can be.
In 1 Thessalonians 2:2….Paul says they were bold to speak the Gospel to the Thessalonians with much contention.
I’m about to ask a hard question here…..what do you do when someone tries to ask a hard or trick question to you about Christianity? Do you clam up, shut down, and be quiet? That’s exactly what I used to do….but then I started being bold and answering them back….and you know what happened almost 100% of the time when I answered them back….they were the ones that clammed up, shut down, and got quiet….why? Because they were never used to a Christian contending with them.
Now don’t get me wrong….I don’t go looking for fights with people.
And don’t get me wrong on this either….it’s foolish to get into debates you know will go nowhere.
But I stopped backing down a long time ago from people that want to contend with me for my faith.
Let me give you a couple examples….
Last time a Jehovah ’s Witness came to my place, I answered the door….realized what was going on, looked at my clock, and let them make their spill. Once they got through, I said, “You’ve been talking _____ minutes and I’ve listened….now you have to listen to me for the same amount of time.”
They were in shock.
And you know what else….they haven’t been back.
I did the same thing to a Jewish guy one time when I was in the radio business. I was on a live remote….he worked at the place I was doing the remote….and literally for 30 minutes….this guy went on and on about how he was part of God’s chosen people and he just kept on and kept on and kept on.
Well I was there for a 2 hour live remote….so after he got through….I said….look here buddy, you have been talking to me about being a Jew for 30 minutes….now you are gonna sit right there and listen to me tell you about being a Christian for 30 minutes.
He turned white as a sheet.
I’m telling you friends…..don’t back down or back up for your faith…..now don’t look for fights….but if someone starts a contention with you….don’t walk away…be bold as Paul commands us here in 1 Thessalonians 2:2.
Preachers….Sunday school teachers….ministers….look at 1 Thessalonians 2:8….Paul says that the members of the church were “dear to him”. Are the members of your church, your Sunday School class dear to you? If they are not, it’s time to get out bro.
The flock I used to shepherd was dear to me….I’ve cried many tears over them….sacrificed a lot of time and sleep for them.
Many of them still are dear to me to this day….and I’m thankful for that.
1 Thessalonians 2:12 is another admonishment to not just talk the talk but to also walk the walk. How are you doing with that?
Verse 13 was another heart’s cry of mine when I was Pastoring…..I never wanted people to think it was my words I was sharing….I always wanted them to know that I was just the mail man….all the words were The Lord’s words.
1 Thessalonians 2:18 shows that Satan is actively working to hinder the ministry….he was doing this 2000 years ago and he’s still doing it today.
In 1 Thessalonians 3:1-7, Paul speaks of how thankful he was for the reports of the faith of the Thessalonian church after he left there. I can agree with this wholeheartedly. There are few greater feelings than hearing of how people continue to work and grow in The Lord after you leave them. There are also few greater sorrows than hearing how folks fall apart and seemingly lose their mind when you leave.
1 Thessalonians 3:9-10 shows the best way to thank someone….
It’s not buying them a gift
It’s not giving them something
It’s PRAYING for them.
The best thing you can ever do for me is to pray for me.
And the best thing I can ever do for you is to pray for you.
I’m gonna go do that right now.
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 31st Pray, Read, Worship
Read Colossians 2-4
Colossians 2:2 reveals Paul’s prayer for his friends….
For them to be comforted….
For them to be knit together in love….
For them to have assurance of their salvation
For them to grow in the knowledge of God
That’s a good example for us to follow also when praying for our friends.
Colossians 2:6 is a very important verse that we need to heed also….its saying for us to actually do what we learn to do in church. May I be completely honest with you? For 26 years of my life, there was a huge disconnect between my everyday life and church. I thought church was what you did on Sunday morning 10-12 and it didn’t really impact my life Monday through Saturday. I truly believe there are lots of other people like this. There were people like this in Paul’s day….and in Verse 6 he’s saying to actually do what you’ve heard you should do as followers of Christ.
There’s a little 3 letter word in Verse 13 I’d like you to notice….it’s toward the end of the verse….ALL….having forgiven you ALL trespasses. When Jesus forgives our sin, He forgives ALL of it. Not all except your divorce….not all except your gluttony….not all except your doubt….ALL OF OUR SINS!!! Thank you so much Lord for your forgiveness!!!
In Colossians 3:1-2, we are told to seek after, love, and desire those things which are above. Are we seeking to do things with our lives that will count for eternity? We certainly should be if we are not.
Colossians 3:5-10 is a really good list of things we should not be doing….
Colossians 3:12-17 is a really good list of things we should be doing….
I want to focus on Colossians 3:23….whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not unto men. This is a favorite verse of many….and it’s a great reminder of who we are really working for. I’m not working for Chambers and Sons Farms to impress my Dad and Brother….I’m really working for The Lord and want to please Him above all else. How about you?
Pay close attention to Colossians 3:25….he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he has done; there is no respect of persons. There have been lots of people justifiably upset this week…..upset at the way George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis. Upset at the looting and rioting that is taking place in our country. One of the themes of the folks being upset is that injustice occurred….it seemed like the people are getting away with doing wrong. I understand those feelings. But make no mistake my friends….you may get away with doing wrong in this life….BUT YOU WILL DEFINITELY HAVE TO ANSWER FOR IT IN THE NEXT LIFE.
Colossians 4:1 charges employers to pay their employees fair and equal pay for equal work.
Colossians 4:2 says to pray continually and watch……watch for what? The soon return of Christ. I don’t see how it could be very much longer my friends.
Colossians 4:3 asks the church to pray for doors of opportunity to open for Paul to tell folks about Jesus. I’d like to ask you to pray this prayer for me…..that more doors of opportunity will open for me to tell folks about Jesus.
Colossians 4:6 says to let our speech be filled with grace….in other words…don’t talk roughly and bluntly to people.
Colossians 4:17 is marked in my Bible….it says, “Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it.”
The Lord gives each of us our place of ministry….The Lord gives each of us the people we minister to….I’m talking to all of us reading this….not just preachers….all of us have a ministry….all of us come in contact with people each day we can minister to….Colossians 4:17 is an encouragement to not neglect the opportunities The Lord lays in front of us….fulfill them.
Some of the biggest regrets in my life are opportunities I missed.
Our challenge for today….fulfill your ministry. Do exactly whatever it is The Lord is telling you to do with the people He puts in your way today.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Colossians 2-4
Colossians 2:2 reveals Paul’s prayer for his friends….
For them to be comforted….
For them to be knit together in love….
For them to have assurance of their salvation
For them to grow in the knowledge of God
That’s a good example for us to follow also when praying for our friends.
Colossians 2:6 is a very important verse that we need to heed also….its saying for us to actually do what we learn to do in church. May I be completely honest with you? For 26 years of my life, there was a huge disconnect between my everyday life and church. I thought church was what you did on Sunday morning 10-12 and it didn’t really impact my life Monday through Saturday. I truly believe there are lots of other people like this. There were people like this in Paul’s day….and in Verse 6 he’s saying to actually do what you’ve heard you should do as followers of Christ.
There’s a little 3 letter word in Verse 13 I’d like you to notice….it’s toward the end of the verse….ALL….having forgiven you ALL trespasses. When Jesus forgives our sin, He forgives ALL of it. Not all except your divorce….not all except your gluttony….not all except your doubt….ALL OF OUR SINS!!! Thank you so much Lord for your forgiveness!!!
In Colossians 3:1-2, we are told to seek after, love, and desire those things which are above. Are we seeking to do things with our lives that will count for eternity? We certainly should be if we are not.
Colossians 3:5-10 is a really good list of things we should not be doing….
Colossians 3:12-17 is a really good list of things we should be doing….
I want to focus on Colossians 3:23….whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not unto men. This is a favorite verse of many….and it’s a great reminder of who we are really working for. I’m not working for Chambers and Sons Farms to impress my Dad and Brother….I’m really working for The Lord and want to please Him above all else. How about you?
Pay close attention to Colossians 3:25….he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he has done; there is no respect of persons. There have been lots of people justifiably upset this week…..upset at the way George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis. Upset at the looting and rioting that is taking place in our country. One of the themes of the folks being upset is that injustice occurred….it seemed like the people are getting away with doing wrong. I understand those feelings. But make no mistake my friends….you may get away with doing wrong in this life….BUT YOU WILL DEFINITELY HAVE TO ANSWER FOR IT IN THE NEXT LIFE.
Colossians 4:1 charges employers to pay their employees fair and equal pay for equal work.
Colossians 4:2 says to pray continually and watch……watch for what? The soon return of Christ. I don’t see how it could be very much longer my friends.
Colossians 4:3 asks the church to pray for doors of opportunity to open for Paul to tell folks about Jesus. I’d like to ask you to pray this prayer for me…..that more doors of opportunity will open for me to tell folks about Jesus.
Colossians 4:6 says to let our speech be filled with grace….in other words…don’t talk roughly and bluntly to people.
Colossians 4:17 is marked in my Bible….it says, “Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it.”
The Lord gives each of us our place of ministry….The Lord gives each of us the people we minister to….I’m talking to all of us reading this….not just preachers….all of us have a ministry….all of us come in contact with people each day we can minister to….Colossians 4:17 is an encouragement to not neglect the opportunities The Lord lays in front of us….fulfill them.
Some of the biggest regrets in my life are opportunities I missed.
Our challenge for today….fulfill your ministry. Do exactly whatever it is The Lord is telling you to do with the people He puts in your way today.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 30th Pray, Read, Worship
Read Philippians 3-4. Colossians 1
Philippians 3:2 is King James language for beware of legalists in the church…..good advice for us all to hear. I call legalists the church police who are constantly looking for somebody to mess up so they can point it out. Legalists give the appearance of being godly….but they are far from it. The God I serve is full of grace and mercy….legalists are not. If you know some legalists in the church….watch out for them.
Verses 7-8 show that pursuing a life of “stuff” is worthless if you don’t have Christ….in fact, nothing was more important to Paul than his relationship with Christ….and the same should be said for us.
In Verse 9….Paul reiterates that we don’t gain righteousness through our works or keeping the law….instead we receive righteousness through faith alone in Christ alone. Mine and your righteousness is as filthy rags to the Holy God of Heaven….we can only be counted righteous if the righteousness of Jesus Christ is applied to our lives.
Philippians 3:13-14 are some more of my favorite verses in the Bible….some that I’ve clung too tightly over the last few months….forgetting those things which are behind me, reaching forward for those things before me, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Friends…we can’t live in the past….we can’t redo the past….we can’t change the past….all we can do is learn from our past and press forward to the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Are you living in the past?
Are you paralyzed by your past?
Leave it behind and move forward in Christ today.
Philippians 3:21 talks about the heavenly body we will receive after the rapture of the church….it’s going to be a perfect, glorious body….YES YES YES I’m ready for my new body!!!
In Philippians 4:2, Paul calls out two members of the Philippian church that were at odds with each other. As I said a while back when we first started the devos…..one of the biggest mistakes I ever made Pastoring was trying to mediate between church members that were at odds with one another. As I said before, 99% of the time, what happened is that the two divided parties ended up both getting upset at me and becoming friends with each other. In fact, just this past week, I heard about two people that absolutely couldn’t stand each other previously….but now are BFF’s because of their mutual dislike for me.
So in the future….if I ever pastor again….instead of mediating….I’m just gonna do like Paul did here….call them out on it and let the two of them work it out without me.
In Philippians 4:3, we once again see the important role women played in the early church….in fact, Paul was admonishing the men in Verse 3 to get off their hind ends and help the women in the ministry work. Some things never change do they!!!
Philippians 4:4 says to rejoice in the Lord always….like yesterday….no clause or clarification here….no if’s, and’s, but’s, or exceptions…..we are to rejoice in The Lord ALWAYS….and in everything.
I’ve got a long ways to go on this rejoicing always. How about you?
Philippians 4:5 says we are to be known as Christians for our moderation. Do you do things in moderation? Again….this is a personal struggle for me. I’m usually all in, head first in whatever I do. The Bible says we are to be known for our moderation and not our excessiveness.
Philippians 4:6 is one of the most quoted verses in the entire Bible….it says to be careful(anxious) for nothing…but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.
In other words….don’t worry about anything and pray about everything.
If you have time to worry about something….you have time to pray about something….and the prayer would be far more useful than any anxiousness that worry brings you.
Again my friends….I’ve got a long way to go on this. How about you?
Philippians 4:8 shows the importance of keeping our mind focused on the positive side of life. I just read a personal devo by Rick Warren’s wife, Kay, that really spoke to me about keeping your mind focused on the positives. Kay said that used to, she believed that life was a series of hills and valleys….we’d be up on the mountaintop with a positive experience one day and then down in the valley with a negative experience the next. This is how I felt…..up and down….up and down….in fact, I’ve been known to not enjoy my mountaintop experiences because I’m dreading the valley that’s coming.
But then Kay said something that has rocked my world this week…..Kay is convinced that instead of life being a series of hills and valleys….she’s convinced now that life is like a set of parallel train tracks….one track with positive aspects and one track with negative aspects….both tracks running side by side….parallel with each other through our lives…..and that in every situation….EVERY situation….we can find either the positive or the negative in it.
This one thought about our life being like parallel train tracks has turned my life on its ear this week…..I believe she is correct….biblically…based on Philippians 4:8, she’s right on the money…..so now I’m trying to look for the positive in whatever situation I’m in.
Philippians 4:11 is another verse I’m working hard on….learning that whatsoever state I’m in to be content. I struggle with contentment….I’m always wanting more….again….this is something I’ve got a long way to go on…..how about you?
Then we get to Philippians 4:13…..one of my top 5 favorite verses in the Bible….a verse that I repeat and quote to myself every time I’ve got a challenging situation in front of me…..I can do all things through Christ with strengthens me…..once again….no clause or clarification in this verse….no if’s, and’s, but’s, or exceptions….we can do all things through the strength of Jesus Christ.
Let this verse be a reminder to you when you get into a tough situation.
Philippians 4:19 is another favorite verse of mine that I’ve quoted to myself many times when I have more month than money….my God shall supply all my NEEDS according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus…..again…no if’s, and’s or but’s…..it’s a guarantee that God will supply all our NEEDS…not all our wants…not all our desires…..all our needs.
So if you think The Lord is not supplying a need….you need to look at your situation this way.
Either A….he’s already supplied and you’ve got to sell some of your stuff to get the need
Or
B….you don’t need it in the first place.
Needs and wants are two totally different things that I’m learning more and more about each day.
We need food, air, and water.
We want TV, internet, and electricity.
Again….no reason to worry for our needs to be supplied because this is a promise from God.
THANK YOU GOD FOR THIS PRECIOUS PROMISE TO SUPPLY ALL OUR NEEDS!!!
In Colossians 1:2….we find more grace and peace prayers for the members of the Colossian church. I’m about to get the hang of praying grace and peace over folks. How about you?
In Verse 4, we see that the Colossian church was known for its love for each other. How awesome would it be to have a church that was known for how much it loved one another. Can you think of a church like this?
Starting in Colossians 1:10….we see a litany of admonishments from Paul….
Don’t just talk the talk, but walk the walk(Verse 10)
Bear fruit for the Lord(Verse 10)
Grow in your knowledge of God(Verse 10)
Learn to be patient(Verse 11)
Learn to be joyful in all situations(Verse 11)
Give thanks in everything(Verse 12)
How are you doing with this list? Honestly….some I think I’m doing pretty good on(bearing fruit), and some I’m pretty bad at(patience).
Friends….The Bible is not a buffet where you can pick and choose your food….nope….we must take it all….so guess what I’m working on friends? Patience and joyfulness in every situation.
What do you need to work on?
Colossians 1:18 says something very important….Christ is the head of the church. I used to despise when people referred to Yellow Creek as Phillip Chambers’ church….it never was….Christ is the head of the church friends.
May I ask a question….who is the head of your church? The Pastor? The Deacons? The elders? Somebody with a strong personality? If you answered yes to any of these previous 4 answers….it’s not gonna work….only Christ is qualified to be the head of the church. We should take all our marching orders from Him.
Remember me talking a few devos ago about suicide and how suicide is a result of a lack of hope? Colossians 1:27 addresses that head on….Christ in us is our hope. If we have Christ living inside of us, we can always have hope….AMEN!
The hope of Christ is what we are to make known to the world….if the world knew and understood the hope we have in Christ….my oh my how this place would be different.
Our challenge for the day….share the hope you have in Christ with someone today….maybe on social media….maybe via text….maybe in person or by a phone call or email….I don’t care how my friends….I just know this…..the depressed world in which we live desperately needs to hear about the hope we have in Jesus Christ.
Will you help me share the hope of Christ today?
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Philippians 3-4. Colossians 1
Philippians 3:2 is King James language for beware of legalists in the church…..good advice for us all to hear. I call legalists the church police who are constantly looking for somebody to mess up so they can point it out. Legalists give the appearance of being godly….but they are far from it. The God I serve is full of grace and mercy….legalists are not. If you know some legalists in the church….watch out for them.
Verses 7-8 show that pursuing a life of “stuff” is worthless if you don’t have Christ….in fact, nothing was more important to Paul than his relationship with Christ….and the same should be said for us.
In Verse 9….Paul reiterates that we don’t gain righteousness through our works or keeping the law….instead we receive righteousness through faith alone in Christ alone. Mine and your righteousness is as filthy rags to the Holy God of Heaven….we can only be counted righteous if the righteousness of Jesus Christ is applied to our lives.
Philippians 3:13-14 are some more of my favorite verses in the Bible….some that I’ve clung too tightly over the last few months….forgetting those things which are behind me, reaching forward for those things before me, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Friends…we can’t live in the past….we can’t redo the past….we can’t change the past….all we can do is learn from our past and press forward to the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Are you living in the past?
Are you paralyzed by your past?
Leave it behind and move forward in Christ today.
Philippians 3:21 talks about the heavenly body we will receive after the rapture of the church….it’s going to be a perfect, glorious body….YES YES YES I’m ready for my new body!!!
In Philippians 4:2, Paul calls out two members of the Philippian church that were at odds with each other. As I said a while back when we first started the devos…..one of the biggest mistakes I ever made Pastoring was trying to mediate between church members that were at odds with one another. As I said before, 99% of the time, what happened is that the two divided parties ended up both getting upset at me and becoming friends with each other. In fact, just this past week, I heard about two people that absolutely couldn’t stand each other previously….but now are BFF’s because of their mutual dislike for me.
So in the future….if I ever pastor again….instead of mediating….I’m just gonna do like Paul did here….call them out on it and let the two of them work it out without me.
In Philippians 4:3, we once again see the important role women played in the early church….in fact, Paul was admonishing the men in Verse 3 to get off their hind ends and help the women in the ministry work. Some things never change do they!!!
Philippians 4:4 says to rejoice in the Lord always….like yesterday….no clause or clarification here….no if’s, and’s, but’s, or exceptions…..we are to rejoice in The Lord ALWAYS….and in everything.
I’ve got a long ways to go on this rejoicing always. How about you?
Philippians 4:5 says we are to be known as Christians for our moderation. Do you do things in moderation? Again….this is a personal struggle for me. I’m usually all in, head first in whatever I do. The Bible says we are to be known for our moderation and not our excessiveness.
Philippians 4:6 is one of the most quoted verses in the entire Bible….it says to be careful(anxious) for nothing…but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.
In other words….don’t worry about anything and pray about everything.
If you have time to worry about something….you have time to pray about something….and the prayer would be far more useful than any anxiousness that worry brings you.
Again my friends….I’ve got a long way to go on this. How about you?
Philippians 4:8 shows the importance of keeping our mind focused on the positive side of life. I just read a personal devo by Rick Warren’s wife, Kay, that really spoke to me about keeping your mind focused on the positives. Kay said that used to, she believed that life was a series of hills and valleys….we’d be up on the mountaintop with a positive experience one day and then down in the valley with a negative experience the next. This is how I felt…..up and down….up and down….in fact, I’ve been known to not enjoy my mountaintop experiences because I’m dreading the valley that’s coming.
But then Kay said something that has rocked my world this week…..Kay is convinced that instead of life being a series of hills and valleys….she’s convinced now that life is like a set of parallel train tracks….one track with positive aspects and one track with negative aspects….both tracks running side by side….parallel with each other through our lives…..and that in every situation….EVERY situation….we can find either the positive or the negative in it.
This one thought about our life being like parallel train tracks has turned my life on its ear this week…..I believe she is correct….biblically…based on Philippians 4:8, she’s right on the money…..so now I’m trying to look for the positive in whatever situation I’m in.
Philippians 4:11 is another verse I’m working hard on….learning that whatsoever state I’m in to be content. I struggle with contentment….I’m always wanting more….again….this is something I’ve got a long way to go on…..how about you?
Then we get to Philippians 4:13…..one of my top 5 favorite verses in the Bible….a verse that I repeat and quote to myself every time I’ve got a challenging situation in front of me…..I can do all things through Christ with strengthens me…..once again….no clause or clarification in this verse….no if’s, and’s, but’s, or exceptions….we can do all things through the strength of Jesus Christ.
Let this verse be a reminder to you when you get into a tough situation.
Philippians 4:19 is another favorite verse of mine that I’ve quoted to myself many times when I have more month than money….my God shall supply all my NEEDS according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus…..again…no if’s, and’s or but’s…..it’s a guarantee that God will supply all our NEEDS…not all our wants…not all our desires…..all our needs.
So if you think The Lord is not supplying a need….you need to look at your situation this way.
Either A….he’s already supplied and you’ve got to sell some of your stuff to get the need
Or
B….you don’t need it in the first place.
Needs and wants are two totally different things that I’m learning more and more about each day.
We need food, air, and water.
We want TV, internet, and electricity.
Again….no reason to worry for our needs to be supplied because this is a promise from God.
THANK YOU GOD FOR THIS PRECIOUS PROMISE TO SUPPLY ALL OUR NEEDS!!!
In Colossians 1:2….we find more grace and peace prayers for the members of the Colossian church. I’m about to get the hang of praying grace and peace over folks. How about you?
In Verse 4, we see that the Colossian church was known for its love for each other. How awesome would it be to have a church that was known for how much it loved one another. Can you think of a church like this?
Starting in Colossians 1:10….we see a litany of admonishments from Paul….
Don’t just talk the talk, but walk the walk(Verse 10)
Bear fruit for the Lord(Verse 10)
Grow in your knowledge of God(Verse 10)
Learn to be patient(Verse 11)
Learn to be joyful in all situations(Verse 11)
Give thanks in everything(Verse 12)
How are you doing with this list? Honestly….some I think I’m doing pretty good on(bearing fruit), and some I’m pretty bad at(patience).
Friends….The Bible is not a buffet where you can pick and choose your food….nope….we must take it all….so guess what I’m working on friends? Patience and joyfulness in every situation.
What do you need to work on?
Colossians 1:18 says something very important….Christ is the head of the church. I used to despise when people referred to Yellow Creek as Phillip Chambers’ church….it never was….Christ is the head of the church friends.
May I ask a question….who is the head of your church? The Pastor? The Deacons? The elders? Somebody with a strong personality? If you answered yes to any of these previous 4 answers….it’s not gonna work….only Christ is qualified to be the head of the church. We should take all our marching orders from Him.
Remember me talking a few devos ago about suicide and how suicide is a result of a lack of hope? Colossians 1:27 addresses that head on….Christ in us is our hope. If we have Christ living inside of us, we can always have hope….AMEN!
The hope of Christ is what we are to make known to the world….if the world knew and understood the hope we have in Christ….my oh my how this place would be different.
Our challenge for the day….share the hope you have in Christ with someone today….maybe on social media….maybe via text….maybe in person or by a phone call or email….I don’t care how my friends….I just know this…..the depressed world in which we live desperately needs to hear about the hope we have in Jesus Christ.
Will you help me share the hope of Christ today?
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 29th Pray, Read, Worship
Read Ephesians 6, Philippians 1-2
We come out of Ephesians 5 which was instructions for marriage and get into Ephesians 6 which is instructions for children and parents. Right off the bat, we children are told to obey our parents IN THE LORD….what does this mean? It doesn’t mean to obey our parents if we have to disobey God. We children are to obey our parents if what they are telling us to do lines up with what God tells us to do.
In addition, we children are to honor our parents….which means to respect them…..don’t have to always agree with them…but we can always respect them.
“The first commandment with promise” means this was the first of the 10 Commandments to have a promised blessing attached to it if we obey it….Commandments 1-3 are just that….commandments.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me
Thou shalt not make a graven image
Thou shalt not use The Lord’s name in vain
But commandment 4…honor thy father and thy mother comes with a promised blessing….that thy days may be long upon the earth. So if you want to live a long life….honor and respect your parents and The Lord will bless you for it.
Verse 4 gives us parents….especially the fathers…a strong command…..don’t intentionally make your children mad/angry….instead, bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Nurture means to care for and encourage the growth of….but what does that word admonition mean….it means to give warnings….you see friends, the Bible is full of warnings….if you do this, this will happen….if you don’t do this….this will happen. We must teach our children both the positive and negative about life….we must teach them that God is love….but sometimes that means tough love….sometimes that means The Lord will chastise us because He loves us so much.
Parents….how are you doing at encouraging the spiritual growth of your children? How are you doing at sharing the warnings of the Bible with your children? I’m not a perfect father by any means….but I’m telling you I’m gonna die trying to raise my daughters in the nurture and admonition of The Lord.
Verses 5-9 are about the servant/master relationship…..these same principles apply to the employee/employer relationship today. Employees….do your work as you are doing it for The Lord and not men(Verse 7). I heard Jentezen Franklin say this and I believe it is so true…..before the pandemic….unemployment was at historic lows and businesses were having such a hard time finding help. Jentezen said that Fortune 500 companies should be begging churches to set up in their foyer and recruit Christians to come work for them…..why? Because according to The Bible….Christians should be the absolute best employees out of all the employees in a company.
But is that what happens in reality? Nope….not at all….in fact….most business owners will tell you they cannot tell any difference at all between Christian and non-Christian employees….what a shame. We Christians should be the A#1 employees wherever we work.
Employers….respect and love your employees….don’t threaten them….and treat them like your Master in Heaven treats you(Verse 9). I always tried to do this….especially at church….I always tried to treat the staff like The Lord treats us.
Verses 10-18 speak about the armor of God….I want to share just a few highlights that strike me.
1. We are repeatedly told to put on the WHOLE armor of God. All of it….not just part of it….why all of it? Because if we don’t put it all on, that’s where the devil will attack us. Take a football player for example….let’s say he puts on all his pads, but doesn’t wear his helmet. What’s going to happen? He’s gonna get that head busted open. Make sure you put on ALL of The Lord’s armor.
2. Whose armor is it? The Lord’s armor….not ours. In and of ourselves, we can’t fight or beat the devil. It’s only through the power of God that we can have victory over Satan.
3. The only offensive weapon in the armor is the sword which is the Word of God. We must be armed with a daily dose of the Word of God in order to fight back when Satan attacks us.
We now jump into the book of Philippians….one of my Top 5 favorite books of the Bible….joy is an overwhelming theme of Philippians….that’s good….but do your realize that Philippians was written from prison? Most of us….if we were in prison…we wouldn’t be rejoicing….but Paul was….and if he can rejoice from prison…then we can rejoice in whatever circumstance we face also.
More prayer of grace and peace for people in Philippians 1:2….I know I sound like a broken record….but until I know you are getting it….I’m gonna keep repeating it….are you praying grace and peace for the names on your prayer lists? Grace and peace for your family? Grace and peace for your friends? Grace and peace for your fellow church members?
One thing Paul was thankful for was his fellowship with the believers at the church in Philippi(Verse 5). I can tell you one thing friends….this Sunday will be our first Sunday back together at Locust Grove where I’m a member now and playing the piano. I am so looking forward to seeing everybody in person and fellowshipping together….even if it is 6 feet apart and with a mask on.
Have you missed fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ?
I’ve really been holding on to Verse 6 for the last 5 months….He who began a good work in me will perform it until Jesus comes back…..there is no doubt in my mind that The Lord started the good work in my life….and I don’t see a clarification or clause in Philippians 1:6 that says He who began a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ unless you get a divorce….nope…no clarification or clause in there…..so I’m gonna keep working for Jesus in whatever capacity I can until The Lord returns.
In Philippians 1:12….Paul shares how The Gospel is being furthered as a result of him being in prison. First, in Verse 13, we learn that people in Cesar’s palace were coming to know Christ….and in Verse 14, we learn that Paul’s imprisonment had encouraged other believers to become more bold in sharing their faith.
Truly….good can come from bad things if God is involved in your life….it happened here with Paul and it will happen with you when bad things happen to you.
Philippians 1:15-18 is a very special passage to me personally…..you see friends, I’m the kind of guy that people either love or hate….there’s not a lot of middle ground with me. Thankfully, I have some folks that love me….but there’s a lot of people in this world that simply can’t stand me. I know that….I don’t like it….but I know it….and I’m doing my best to come to grips with it.
Paul was the same way….people either loved him or hated him…and in Verses 15 through 18 Paul admitted this by saying….some people preach Christ because they love me(good will)….and some preach Christ because they envy me, they have a quarrel with me(strife), they have a contention with me….and they want to make me feel worse by what they are doing rather than better.
I totally get that….I have experienced this in my past….and I’m experiencing it right now…..
So why is Verses 15-18 special to me? Verse 18….regardless of whether someone is preaching Christ because they love me or dislike me….either way Christ is preached, that made Paul happy, and I’m learning to rejoice in it also.
Philippians 1:21 is the cry of my heart….for me to live is Christ….but to die is gain…in other words….if for some reason The Lord were to call me home tonight….man alive….don’t cry for me friends cause I’ll be so much better off than I am right now.
In Philippians 2:2, Paul begs the church to be in unity with each other…then he takes it a step further in verses 3 and 4 and says to put the wants/needs of others ahead of yourself. BE UNSELFISH.
Why should we put others ahead of ourselves? Because that’s what Christ did for us….He put our wellbeing ahead of His own(Verses 5-8)
Verses 9-11 talk about the power of the name of Jesus. My friends….when we pray in Jesus name, there is power. When I have a problem….I will literally pray the name of Jesus over the situation….When I need help….I will literally speak the name of Jesus and ask for help. There’s no other name like the name of Jesus….it’s the only name that will get our prayers to Heaven….it’s the only name that we can be saved by.
And make no mistake….verse 10 makes it clear….if we don’t bow down and reverence the name of Jesus in this life….we will be forced to do so in the next at the judgment.
Verse 12 speaks of how we have to make our own decision about salvation….our parents and our Pastor can’t make it for us….we are responsible for ourselves.
Philippians 2:14 says to do all things without complaining.
SLOW DOWN AND READ THAT AGAIN…..
Philippians 2:14 says to do all things without complaining.
Some of you are professional complainers….I know many professional complainers….doesn’t matter how good something is….you always have to find something to complain about.
Do you realize that your complaining is not pleasing to God?
Philippians 2:14 does not say do all things except ___________ without complaining….again…no condition or clause in there….nope….Philippians 2:14 simply says to do ALL THINGS without complaining.
How you doing on that?
Philippians 2:21 says that all seek their own and not the things of Christ…..unfortunately this is also true today….most folks are seeking their way and their agenda rather than The Lord’s way and The Lord’s agenda…..when I was pastoring, there were a lot of things I would have personally done differently….but that wasn’t The Lord’s plan or way….so I put my personal thoughts and feelings aside and followed The Lord instead. It always works best that way.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Ephesians 6, Philippians 1-2
We come out of Ephesians 5 which was instructions for marriage and get into Ephesians 6 which is instructions for children and parents. Right off the bat, we children are told to obey our parents IN THE LORD….what does this mean? It doesn’t mean to obey our parents if we have to disobey God. We children are to obey our parents if what they are telling us to do lines up with what God tells us to do.
In addition, we children are to honor our parents….which means to respect them…..don’t have to always agree with them…but we can always respect them.
“The first commandment with promise” means this was the first of the 10 Commandments to have a promised blessing attached to it if we obey it….Commandments 1-3 are just that….commandments.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me
Thou shalt not make a graven image
Thou shalt not use The Lord’s name in vain
But commandment 4…honor thy father and thy mother comes with a promised blessing….that thy days may be long upon the earth. So if you want to live a long life….honor and respect your parents and The Lord will bless you for it.
Verse 4 gives us parents….especially the fathers…a strong command…..don’t intentionally make your children mad/angry….instead, bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Nurture means to care for and encourage the growth of….but what does that word admonition mean….it means to give warnings….you see friends, the Bible is full of warnings….if you do this, this will happen….if you don’t do this….this will happen. We must teach our children both the positive and negative about life….we must teach them that God is love….but sometimes that means tough love….sometimes that means The Lord will chastise us because He loves us so much.
Parents….how are you doing at encouraging the spiritual growth of your children? How are you doing at sharing the warnings of the Bible with your children? I’m not a perfect father by any means….but I’m telling you I’m gonna die trying to raise my daughters in the nurture and admonition of The Lord.
Verses 5-9 are about the servant/master relationship…..these same principles apply to the employee/employer relationship today. Employees….do your work as you are doing it for The Lord and not men(Verse 7). I heard Jentezen Franklin say this and I believe it is so true…..before the pandemic….unemployment was at historic lows and businesses were having such a hard time finding help. Jentezen said that Fortune 500 companies should be begging churches to set up in their foyer and recruit Christians to come work for them…..why? Because according to The Bible….Christians should be the absolute best employees out of all the employees in a company.
But is that what happens in reality? Nope….not at all….in fact….most business owners will tell you they cannot tell any difference at all between Christian and non-Christian employees….what a shame. We Christians should be the A#1 employees wherever we work.
Employers….respect and love your employees….don’t threaten them….and treat them like your Master in Heaven treats you(Verse 9). I always tried to do this….especially at church….I always tried to treat the staff like The Lord treats us.
Verses 10-18 speak about the armor of God….I want to share just a few highlights that strike me.
1. We are repeatedly told to put on the WHOLE armor of God. All of it….not just part of it….why all of it? Because if we don’t put it all on, that’s where the devil will attack us. Take a football player for example….let’s say he puts on all his pads, but doesn’t wear his helmet. What’s going to happen? He’s gonna get that head busted open. Make sure you put on ALL of The Lord’s armor.
2. Whose armor is it? The Lord’s armor….not ours. In and of ourselves, we can’t fight or beat the devil. It’s only through the power of God that we can have victory over Satan.
3. The only offensive weapon in the armor is the sword which is the Word of God. We must be armed with a daily dose of the Word of God in order to fight back when Satan attacks us.
We now jump into the book of Philippians….one of my Top 5 favorite books of the Bible….joy is an overwhelming theme of Philippians….that’s good….but do your realize that Philippians was written from prison? Most of us….if we were in prison…we wouldn’t be rejoicing….but Paul was….and if he can rejoice from prison…then we can rejoice in whatever circumstance we face also.
More prayer of grace and peace for people in Philippians 1:2….I know I sound like a broken record….but until I know you are getting it….I’m gonna keep repeating it….are you praying grace and peace for the names on your prayer lists? Grace and peace for your family? Grace and peace for your friends? Grace and peace for your fellow church members?
One thing Paul was thankful for was his fellowship with the believers at the church in Philippi(Verse 5). I can tell you one thing friends….this Sunday will be our first Sunday back together at Locust Grove where I’m a member now and playing the piano. I am so looking forward to seeing everybody in person and fellowshipping together….even if it is 6 feet apart and with a mask on.
Have you missed fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ?
I’ve really been holding on to Verse 6 for the last 5 months….He who began a good work in me will perform it until Jesus comes back…..there is no doubt in my mind that The Lord started the good work in my life….and I don’t see a clarification or clause in Philippians 1:6 that says He who began a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ unless you get a divorce….nope…no clarification or clause in there…..so I’m gonna keep working for Jesus in whatever capacity I can until The Lord returns.
In Philippians 1:12….Paul shares how The Gospel is being furthered as a result of him being in prison. First, in Verse 13, we learn that people in Cesar’s palace were coming to know Christ….and in Verse 14, we learn that Paul’s imprisonment had encouraged other believers to become more bold in sharing their faith.
Truly….good can come from bad things if God is involved in your life….it happened here with Paul and it will happen with you when bad things happen to you.
Philippians 1:15-18 is a very special passage to me personally…..you see friends, I’m the kind of guy that people either love or hate….there’s not a lot of middle ground with me. Thankfully, I have some folks that love me….but there’s a lot of people in this world that simply can’t stand me. I know that….I don’t like it….but I know it….and I’m doing my best to come to grips with it.
Paul was the same way….people either loved him or hated him…and in Verses 15 through 18 Paul admitted this by saying….some people preach Christ because they love me(good will)….and some preach Christ because they envy me, they have a quarrel with me(strife), they have a contention with me….and they want to make me feel worse by what they are doing rather than better.
I totally get that….I have experienced this in my past….and I’m experiencing it right now…..
So why is Verses 15-18 special to me? Verse 18….regardless of whether someone is preaching Christ because they love me or dislike me….either way Christ is preached, that made Paul happy, and I’m learning to rejoice in it also.
Philippians 1:21 is the cry of my heart….for me to live is Christ….but to die is gain…in other words….if for some reason The Lord were to call me home tonight….man alive….don’t cry for me friends cause I’ll be so much better off than I am right now.
In Philippians 2:2, Paul begs the church to be in unity with each other…then he takes it a step further in verses 3 and 4 and says to put the wants/needs of others ahead of yourself. BE UNSELFISH.
Why should we put others ahead of ourselves? Because that’s what Christ did for us….He put our wellbeing ahead of His own(Verses 5-8)
Verses 9-11 talk about the power of the name of Jesus. My friends….when we pray in Jesus name, there is power. When I have a problem….I will literally pray the name of Jesus over the situation….When I need help….I will literally speak the name of Jesus and ask for help. There’s no other name like the name of Jesus….it’s the only name that will get our prayers to Heaven….it’s the only name that we can be saved by.
And make no mistake….verse 10 makes it clear….if we don’t bow down and reverence the name of Jesus in this life….we will be forced to do so in the next at the judgment.
Verse 12 speaks of how we have to make our own decision about salvation….our parents and our Pastor can’t make it for us….we are responsible for ourselves.
Philippians 2:14 says to do all things without complaining.
SLOW DOWN AND READ THAT AGAIN…..
Philippians 2:14 says to do all things without complaining.
Some of you are professional complainers….I know many professional complainers….doesn’t matter how good something is….you always have to find something to complain about.
Do you realize that your complaining is not pleasing to God?
Philippians 2:14 does not say do all things except ___________ without complaining….again…no condition or clause in there….nope….Philippians 2:14 simply says to do ALL THINGS without complaining.
How you doing on that?
Philippians 2:21 says that all seek their own and not the things of Christ…..unfortunately this is also true today….most folks are seeking their way and their agenda rather than The Lord’s way and The Lord’s agenda…..when I was pastoring, there were a lot of things I would have personally done differently….but that wasn’t The Lord’s plan or way….so I put my personal thoughts and feelings aside and followed The Lord instead. It always works best that way.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 28th Pray, Read, Worship
Read Ephesians 3-5
In Verse 3, we learn how we can gain more knowledge about Jesus….through revelation…through The Lord revealing more of Himself to us each time we read.
I’ll never forget a dear saint of a preacher I used to know in West Tennessee….Rev. J. L. Campbell…a Pentecostal preacher….the last time I saw Brother Campbell 15+ years ago, he was working on his 114th time reading the Bible through cover to cover….THAT WAS NOT A TYPO….ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN TIMES…..and you know what he told me….he said, “Son, the Lord reveals something new to me every time I read it.” WOW!!!
So here’s what I’d like to do….I’d like us to stop right now and pray…..pray specifically for The Lord to reveal to us what He wants us to learn from Ephesians 3, 4, and 5 today.
Go ahead and pray….I’m not going any further till you do…..
You prayed? You asked The Lord for revelation?
Ok then….let’s keep going…..
Quick question….how can any of us be effective ministers of The Gospel? Ephesians 3:7 tells us….only through The Lord’s power….we will never be effective through our own power….and if you are trying to make things happen through your own power….just stop it….we will only be effective when The Lord uses His power through us.
Verse 9 is a reminder to us like John 1 that Jesus was the author of creation….All things were created by Jesus.
Verse 11 speaks of our eternal purpose…..you see I believe there is the perfect will of God for our lives and that there is also the permissive will of God for our lives. The perfect will of God is what He wants us to do….the permissive will of God is what He allows us to do….our eternal purpose will only be found in the perfect will of God for our lives.
I love the word access in Verse 12…..you know I can be a hard guy to get in touch with. I’ve changed my phone number on purpose since the divorce….and even now I don’t answer it the majority of the time. I’ll respond to texts and other messages a whole lot quicker than I will a phone call.
And if you think I’m hard to reach….try to get in touch with The President of the United States…..impossible for an average citizen like us…..
But praise The Lord….we have direct ACCESS to someone far more important than the President….I’m talking about God the Father in Heaven….and unlike me….He always is available to listen to us….and He always answers us. It’s not always been this way….we were only granted this direct access when Jesus died on the cross. I don’t know about you….but I’m very thankful to know that I have direct access to the throne room of Heaven through prayer in Jesus name.
Quick question….do you take advantage of/use this direct access very often? If not, why not?
Verse 14 talks about our position of prayer….now I know some of you reading this are providentially hindered from getting down on your knees to pray….but for those of us who are not….may I highly recommend getting down on your knees and making an altar to pray? My altar is here in my office….I like to bow down on my knees at my orange chair and pray.
Do I pray sometimes laying in the bed? Sure
Do I pray standing up or sitting down? All the time
But there’s just something about bowing down on my knees and praying. I honestly wish my knees were like some of the old timers….calloused from where I’d spent so much time on them in prayer.
If you are able….get down on your knees today and pray.
In Verses 17-19, The Lord wants us to realize, comprehend, and understand the width, length, depth, and height of The Lord’s love for us. Why? Because only when we try to grasp the extent of God’s love for us can we ever feel fulfilled in life.
I’ve got to be honest with you….I’ve struggled understanding God’s love for me because I don’t love me very much. I’m working on it….I promise I am….I’ve probably realized His love for me more in the last 5-6 months than I ever have in my life…..I hope you don’t have to go through what I’ve gone through to realize His love for you. I’ve always viewed God’s love as a performance based love….the more I do for Him….the more He will love me….but it’s not that way. The Lord doesn’t love me any less now that I’m not Pastoring than He did when I was Pastoring.
Although I don’t fully understand it….I sure am thankful that The Lord loves me…..here’s why. When you go through hell like I’ve been through where you get a public divorce and all kinds of untrue rumors start rolling about you….you find out who loves you and who doesn’t….and one of the worst feelings in the world is realizing that a friend you thought loved you…..doesn’t.
So that experience right there has made me appreciate the love of God even more than I ever have. I’m so thankful that His love is not based on performance, rumor, truth, or public image. His love for us is never ending and unconditional. Thank you God for loving me!!!
Verse 20 says that God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. I will agree with this statement. He is definitely able to do more for us than we can ask or imagine….I’ve experienced it….and I hope to experience it again one day.
Ephesians 4:1 is a pretty strong charge to start acting like a Christian if you are a Christian. It’s sad that The Bible even has to say this….but I can only imagine in Paul’s day the same thing was happening that happens today.
I sold my old wedding ring for gold other day….the man I sold it to is a long time buddy of mine that I’ve been witnessing to for years. He was telling me about a mutual friend that I didn’t know we have….and when he called the guy’s name, I said, “Yes….I baptized that man a few years ago.” You can imagine the sorrow in my heart when my buddy told me all the sinful things this man I baptized was doing while they were together.
What bothered me the most…..it’s making it even harder for me to witness to my buddy now that he thinks that’s what Christians act like. Friends…..if you are going to be a Christian….conduct yourself like one.
Verse 3 admonishes us to keep unity in our churches. The Bible says in Matthew and other places that a house, a nation, a family that is divided falls. I’ve lived that in my own life….unfortunately I’ve seen it take place in many churches, and I’m scared to death it’s going to happen in America very soon.
Unity doesn’t just happen….it takes work…..it’s an endeavor the Bible says. This means we must try and work hard to achieve unity….are you working hard for unity in your home? In your church? In this nation?
Verses 11-12 show the different talents/jobs/roles The Lord gives in the church. Not everybody is gifted to do the same thing….and that’s exactly like it’s supposed to be….I’m not gifted to work in the nursery….but likewise you may not be gifted to lead worship….that’s why it takes all of us working together for the ministry.
Verse 14 is a command to be strong enough in our faith that we don’t get tossed to and fro by silly and untrue doctrines that some people might try to push off on us.
Verse 15 says we are to speak the truth IN LOVE….unfortunately too many people just speak the truth and don’t do so in love. Why? I’m convinced it’s because they don’t know how to love. Like I’ve told you about preaching….content is the most important aspect….but delivery is a close second. We will be much more effective getting our message across in love than we will be in hate or anger. Nothing wrong with speaking the truth to someone….but make sure we speak it in love.
Ephesians 4:25 carries this further and says to quit lying to our neighbors….why in the world would you want to lie? It’s way harder to remember both the truth and the lie you told rather than just remembering the truth alone. I’ve had many a spouse tell me they could handle their husband’s addiction or unfaithfulness if they would just quit lying about it. If you are lying about something…The Bible is saying to stop it.
Verse 26 commands us to not let the sun go down on our anger with someone else. The book of Lamentations tells us that The Lord’s mercies are new to us every morning….and likewise our mercies for our friends and loved ones should be the same. Don’t hold a grudge.
When we do hold a grudge….when we do hold on to our anger….Verse 27 says we give place to the devil in our lives. This is true….and as the old saying says….if we give the devil an inch, he will become our ruler.
Ephesians 4:29 says to let no corrupt communication come out of our mouths….but only that which will edify(build up) and give grace to those who hear us.
Question….do your words always build up those who are listening to you? I wish I could say mine do…..I’m working on it….I really want to only speak things that will build up and give grace to others.
When we don’t…we are grieving the Holy Spirit that is living inside of us(Verse 30). The Holy Spirit lets me know when He’s grieved with me….and I know He does the same for you.
Verse 32 says we are to be kind to one another….do you know what it costs to be kind to others? NOTHING….not a dime….and not only that, we are to be compassionate and forgiving toward one another….why? Because God was compassionate and forgiving toward us.
Unfortunately, as I said yesterday…this world is packed full of unkind and mean people…..and many of them have infiltrated our churches…..and many in our churches lack compassion and a forgiving spirit. This is what The Lord commands us to be like…..kind, compassionate, and forgiving. How are you doing on that? I’ve got some work to do on me but I’m getting there.
Ephesians 5:16 is a challenge to not waste any time working for The Lord….sure we all need to have fun and rest now and then….but we are not called to a lifestyle of relaxation and rest….we are called to a lifestyle of work for the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 5:19 is a very important verse to me. You know I personally love the old hymns and Gospel music…..so you may be wondering why, when I’m leading worship….why do I always include some of the newer songs also? It’s because of Ephesians 5:19…..The Bible says we are to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs….Now don’t get me wrong….I will never sing a new song because its new….neither will I ever sing an old song because its old…I will only sing any song because it’s a good, lyrically sound song.
If you like the old hymns like me….do you ever listen to any new songs to see if they will minister to you? I’d like to encourage you to.
If you like the newer songs….do you ever listen to any of the older songs to see if they will minister to you? I’d like to encourage you to.
I’m convinced that we can all learn to love different styles and types of music if it’s done with quality and lyrically sound.
I quote Ephesians 5:22-33 at every wedding I perform….it’s our instructions for marriage. Wives are to submit to their husbands….and husbands are to love their wives like Christ loves us….I’m equal opportunity folks….the VAST MAJORITY of wives and husbands are lacking in this department today. Most people are selfish with their own agenda and if they don’t get their way, they pout and sulk….that’s just how it is.
I’m not going to say any more about this personally….except this one thing.
Remember what I said at the very beginning today….to pray and ask The Lord to reveal to us what He wants us to learn from these 3 chapters today…..well that applies to these verses here at the end of Ephesians 5 about the government of the marriage estate.
Again….I’d like to ask you to pray before you read Ephesians 5:22-33….ask The Lord to reveal to you where you are lacking as a wife or husband….then read Ephesians 5:22-33 and let The Holy Spirit work on you a while.
He will do more with you than I ever will.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Ephesians 3-5
In Verse 3, we learn how we can gain more knowledge about Jesus….through revelation…through The Lord revealing more of Himself to us each time we read.
I’ll never forget a dear saint of a preacher I used to know in West Tennessee….Rev. J. L. Campbell…a Pentecostal preacher….the last time I saw Brother Campbell 15+ years ago, he was working on his 114th time reading the Bible through cover to cover….THAT WAS NOT A TYPO….ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN TIMES…..and you know what he told me….he said, “Son, the Lord reveals something new to me every time I read it.” WOW!!!
So here’s what I’d like to do….I’d like us to stop right now and pray…..pray specifically for The Lord to reveal to us what He wants us to learn from Ephesians 3, 4, and 5 today.
Go ahead and pray….I’m not going any further till you do…..
You prayed? You asked The Lord for revelation?
Ok then….let’s keep going…..
Quick question….how can any of us be effective ministers of The Gospel? Ephesians 3:7 tells us….only through The Lord’s power….we will never be effective through our own power….and if you are trying to make things happen through your own power….just stop it….we will only be effective when The Lord uses His power through us.
Verse 9 is a reminder to us like John 1 that Jesus was the author of creation….All things were created by Jesus.
Verse 11 speaks of our eternal purpose…..you see I believe there is the perfect will of God for our lives and that there is also the permissive will of God for our lives. The perfect will of God is what He wants us to do….the permissive will of God is what He allows us to do….our eternal purpose will only be found in the perfect will of God for our lives.
I love the word access in Verse 12…..you know I can be a hard guy to get in touch with. I’ve changed my phone number on purpose since the divorce….and even now I don’t answer it the majority of the time. I’ll respond to texts and other messages a whole lot quicker than I will a phone call.
And if you think I’m hard to reach….try to get in touch with The President of the United States…..impossible for an average citizen like us…..
But praise The Lord….we have direct ACCESS to someone far more important than the President….I’m talking about God the Father in Heaven….and unlike me….He always is available to listen to us….and He always answers us. It’s not always been this way….we were only granted this direct access when Jesus died on the cross. I don’t know about you….but I’m very thankful to know that I have direct access to the throne room of Heaven through prayer in Jesus name.
Quick question….do you take advantage of/use this direct access very often? If not, why not?
Verse 14 talks about our position of prayer….now I know some of you reading this are providentially hindered from getting down on your knees to pray….but for those of us who are not….may I highly recommend getting down on your knees and making an altar to pray? My altar is here in my office….I like to bow down on my knees at my orange chair and pray.
Do I pray sometimes laying in the bed? Sure
Do I pray standing up or sitting down? All the time
But there’s just something about bowing down on my knees and praying. I honestly wish my knees were like some of the old timers….calloused from where I’d spent so much time on them in prayer.
If you are able….get down on your knees today and pray.
In Verses 17-19, The Lord wants us to realize, comprehend, and understand the width, length, depth, and height of The Lord’s love for us. Why? Because only when we try to grasp the extent of God’s love for us can we ever feel fulfilled in life.
I’ve got to be honest with you….I’ve struggled understanding God’s love for me because I don’t love me very much. I’m working on it….I promise I am….I’ve probably realized His love for me more in the last 5-6 months than I ever have in my life…..I hope you don’t have to go through what I’ve gone through to realize His love for you. I’ve always viewed God’s love as a performance based love….the more I do for Him….the more He will love me….but it’s not that way. The Lord doesn’t love me any less now that I’m not Pastoring than He did when I was Pastoring.
Although I don’t fully understand it….I sure am thankful that The Lord loves me…..here’s why. When you go through hell like I’ve been through where you get a public divorce and all kinds of untrue rumors start rolling about you….you find out who loves you and who doesn’t….and one of the worst feelings in the world is realizing that a friend you thought loved you…..doesn’t.
So that experience right there has made me appreciate the love of God even more than I ever have. I’m so thankful that His love is not based on performance, rumor, truth, or public image. His love for us is never ending and unconditional. Thank you God for loving me!!!
Verse 20 says that God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. I will agree with this statement. He is definitely able to do more for us than we can ask or imagine….I’ve experienced it….and I hope to experience it again one day.
Ephesians 4:1 is a pretty strong charge to start acting like a Christian if you are a Christian. It’s sad that The Bible even has to say this….but I can only imagine in Paul’s day the same thing was happening that happens today.
I sold my old wedding ring for gold other day….the man I sold it to is a long time buddy of mine that I’ve been witnessing to for years. He was telling me about a mutual friend that I didn’t know we have….and when he called the guy’s name, I said, “Yes….I baptized that man a few years ago.” You can imagine the sorrow in my heart when my buddy told me all the sinful things this man I baptized was doing while they were together.
What bothered me the most…..it’s making it even harder for me to witness to my buddy now that he thinks that’s what Christians act like. Friends…..if you are going to be a Christian….conduct yourself like one.
Verse 3 admonishes us to keep unity in our churches. The Bible says in Matthew and other places that a house, a nation, a family that is divided falls. I’ve lived that in my own life….unfortunately I’ve seen it take place in many churches, and I’m scared to death it’s going to happen in America very soon.
Unity doesn’t just happen….it takes work…..it’s an endeavor the Bible says. This means we must try and work hard to achieve unity….are you working hard for unity in your home? In your church? In this nation?
Verses 11-12 show the different talents/jobs/roles The Lord gives in the church. Not everybody is gifted to do the same thing….and that’s exactly like it’s supposed to be….I’m not gifted to work in the nursery….but likewise you may not be gifted to lead worship….that’s why it takes all of us working together for the ministry.
Verse 14 is a command to be strong enough in our faith that we don’t get tossed to and fro by silly and untrue doctrines that some people might try to push off on us.
Verse 15 says we are to speak the truth IN LOVE….unfortunately too many people just speak the truth and don’t do so in love. Why? I’m convinced it’s because they don’t know how to love. Like I’ve told you about preaching….content is the most important aspect….but delivery is a close second. We will be much more effective getting our message across in love than we will be in hate or anger. Nothing wrong with speaking the truth to someone….but make sure we speak it in love.
Ephesians 4:25 carries this further and says to quit lying to our neighbors….why in the world would you want to lie? It’s way harder to remember both the truth and the lie you told rather than just remembering the truth alone. I’ve had many a spouse tell me they could handle their husband’s addiction or unfaithfulness if they would just quit lying about it. If you are lying about something…The Bible is saying to stop it.
Verse 26 commands us to not let the sun go down on our anger with someone else. The book of Lamentations tells us that The Lord’s mercies are new to us every morning….and likewise our mercies for our friends and loved ones should be the same. Don’t hold a grudge.
When we do hold a grudge….when we do hold on to our anger….Verse 27 says we give place to the devil in our lives. This is true….and as the old saying says….if we give the devil an inch, he will become our ruler.
Ephesians 4:29 says to let no corrupt communication come out of our mouths….but only that which will edify(build up) and give grace to those who hear us.
Question….do your words always build up those who are listening to you? I wish I could say mine do…..I’m working on it….I really want to only speak things that will build up and give grace to others.
When we don’t…we are grieving the Holy Spirit that is living inside of us(Verse 30). The Holy Spirit lets me know when He’s grieved with me….and I know He does the same for you.
Verse 32 says we are to be kind to one another….do you know what it costs to be kind to others? NOTHING….not a dime….and not only that, we are to be compassionate and forgiving toward one another….why? Because God was compassionate and forgiving toward us.
Unfortunately, as I said yesterday…this world is packed full of unkind and mean people…..and many of them have infiltrated our churches…..and many in our churches lack compassion and a forgiving spirit. This is what The Lord commands us to be like…..kind, compassionate, and forgiving. How are you doing on that? I’ve got some work to do on me but I’m getting there.
Ephesians 5:16 is a challenge to not waste any time working for The Lord….sure we all need to have fun and rest now and then….but we are not called to a lifestyle of relaxation and rest….we are called to a lifestyle of work for the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 5:19 is a very important verse to me. You know I personally love the old hymns and Gospel music…..so you may be wondering why, when I’m leading worship….why do I always include some of the newer songs also? It’s because of Ephesians 5:19…..The Bible says we are to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs….Now don’t get me wrong….I will never sing a new song because its new….neither will I ever sing an old song because its old…I will only sing any song because it’s a good, lyrically sound song.
If you like the old hymns like me….do you ever listen to any new songs to see if they will minister to you? I’d like to encourage you to.
If you like the newer songs….do you ever listen to any of the older songs to see if they will minister to you? I’d like to encourage you to.
I’m convinced that we can all learn to love different styles and types of music if it’s done with quality and lyrically sound.
I quote Ephesians 5:22-33 at every wedding I perform….it’s our instructions for marriage. Wives are to submit to their husbands….and husbands are to love their wives like Christ loves us….I’m equal opportunity folks….the VAST MAJORITY of wives and husbands are lacking in this department today. Most people are selfish with their own agenda and if they don’t get their way, they pout and sulk….that’s just how it is.
I’m not going to say any more about this personally….except this one thing.
Remember what I said at the very beginning today….to pray and ask The Lord to reveal to us what He wants us to learn from these 3 chapters today…..well that applies to these verses here at the end of Ephesians 5 about the government of the marriage estate.
Again….I’d like to ask you to pray before you read Ephesians 5:22-33….ask The Lord to reveal to you where you are lacking as a wife or husband….then read Ephesians 5:22-33 and let The Holy Spirit work on you a while.
He will do more with you than I ever will.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 27th Pray, Read, Worship
Sorry this is late….I wasn’t feeling good last night and went to bed early…got up at regular time this morning but ended up laying back down. Thankfully whatever “it” was has passed and I’m feeling better now. Thank you for your patience with me. Love all yall!!
Read Galatians 6, Ephesians 1-2
Galatians 6:1 could be the subject of this entire devo today and we wouldn’t unpack everything The Lord has to say. This verse shows our responsibility as Christians to other fellow believers who fall into sin. RESTORATION in the spirit of MEEKNESS.
First….let’s talk about restoration….that means to bring back to its original form. Unfortunately, what I’ve seen and experienced the most is not biblical restoration but rather the shooting of our wounded.
There’s a man in our community that has the reputation for shooting all his sick cows and never calling the vet. Me and Dr. Pollard laugh about him all the time….every time I call Doc about a sick cow, he says, “Whatever you do, don’t call ____________ because he’ll just shoot em’” and we just belly laugh.
Unfortunately, this is what most people do to their sick/wounded/fallen brothers and sisters in Christ. Instead of the hard work that comes with restoration….nurturing…caring….and most of all TIME….folks just discard the person….treat them as disposable….and move on.
That’s not what The Lord said for us to do. A human life is not disposable….a human life is not to be discarded.
But wait a second Phillip….I thought in Psalm 23 it says that The Lord is the Restorer of souls….
That is correct my friend….He is….but we are the body of Christ….we are His hands and feet….and He uses us to help accomplish this restoration process.
Now….what is the first step to restoration…..the person has to admit they have a problem…..that they need help. Until they do that…..restoration can’t take place.
So….we don’t go in guns blazing on the person…..nope….The Bible says we need to go in a spirit of meekness….humbleness….realizing that but for the grace of God, there go I. The roles could just as easily be reversed and it be us that has fallen and not the other person.
Next time you see a fallen/wounded brother or sister in Christ…..pray for them and then seek to do what Galatians 6:1 says….restoration in a spirit of meekness.
Galatians 6:2 says we are to help bear one another’s burdens. Again…..folks point to Matthew 11:28-30 and say The Lord is the One that gives rest and ease from carrying the burden…..correct…..but as with Verse 1….we are the body of Christ….we are the ones The Lord uses to help carry those burdens for others.
How can we help carry one another’s burdens? The good news is it doesn’t require money or special talents that only a select few people have. Helping bear one another’s burdens requires something that all of us have an equal amount of…..TIME. The best way to help someone bear their burden is to be present with them and give of our TIME to them.
Just gonna rip the bandaid off here…..the reason most people don’t give of their time….SELFISHNESS. And that’s a shame if you ask me.
So if you see or know someone bearing a heavy burden….help them bear it by giving some of your time to them….maybe it’s a text….maybe it’s a call….maybe it’s an in-person visit. But I promise you….your time will definitely help the other person with their burden.
Galatians 6:7-8…..again….we could spend the whole devo on these verses right here….we reap what we sow….I think we will all agree with this principle….but there’s a couple things that go along with sowing and reaping that you may not realize……
WE WILL REAP LATER THAN WE SOW…..you never plant seeds today and reap a harvest tomorrow. It doesn’t work that way….so just because you think you are getting away with something today doesn’t mean you will be getting away with it a few months from now.
The same goes for good things….we may not see the results of good seeds immediately….in fact we rarely do…..but we gotta keep sowing good seeds….and not grow weary sowing good seeds(Verse 9), because eventually we will reap a harvest of the good seeds also.
WE WILL REAP MORE THAN WE SOW….1 grain of corn will yield a stalk of corn that contains 2-3 ears of corn, each of which contains hundreds of other grains of corn….a little bit of bad seed will get you a whole lot of trouble….but likewise a little bit of good seed will reap a bushel full of benefits also.
Galatians 6:10 says to do good to others…..I’m more convinced than ever that this world just has a bunch of mean people in it….besides what we see on TV….just think about all the mean people you come in contact with on a daily basis. That’s not how Jesus said to live….He says here to use every opportunity to do good to others.
How can you do good to someone today?
In Ephesians 1:3….Paul speaks of SPIRITUAL blessings….I love this term….you see The Lord blesses us with things that money cannot buy…..joy, health, friends, family, etc…..Thank You Lord for your blessings on me!!!
Ephesians 1:7 speaks of redemption again and it says the price of our redemption was the blood of Jesus…..WOW….what love Jesus gave to us by willingly shedding His blood so we could be free!!
Ephesians 1:10 is a description of the rapture of the church….the gathering together of the followers of Jesus in Heaven and Earth into one place with Christ……I’m so ready for the rapture….come quickly Lord Jesus and take us home!!! Today would be the PERFECT DAY!!!
Ephesians 1:13-14 once again speaks of the down payment The Lord gave us on His promise……The Holy Spirit….because of The Holy Spirit living inside of us….we can KNOW BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT that Jesus will do what He says He will do.
In Ephesians 1:17, Paul is praying for his brothers and sisters in the faith to learn more about Christ. Think about this just a second….how many times do we pray for someone to get saved….and then once they get saved….we stop praying for them. I am so guilty of that!!! So very guilty.
Ephesians 1:17 says we are to pray that they will continue to grow in their knowledge of Christ.
I’m stopping right now and praying for my daughters and others close to me to grow in their knowledge of Christ…..I’d encourage you to do the same.
Ephesians 1:22 reassures us that Jesus is always in control….ALWAYS….even when our life seems to be spinning out of control….Jesus is in control….even when the whole world seems to have gone crazy as it has right now….Jesus is in control.
Ephesians 2:1 tells of how we were dead in our sins before we received Christ as a Saviour…..dead without any hope of becoming alive again under our own power…..BUT JESUS gave us life through HIS power.
Speaking of power….Ephesians 2:2 refers to Satan as the prince of the power of the air….my oh my….I lived with this for 15 years when I was in the radio business. Our radio stations were all Christian stations….ministries of the air….and we went head to head with Satan every day. To prove my point….our engineer for our radio station was also the engineer for a country station in West Tennessee. He told me multiple times that we always had more problems with our station than he did the country station.
WHY? Because we were going head to head with Satan….our ministry of the air vs. his power of the air.
Ever been in church and hear the sound system squeal? That was Satan….the prince of the power of the air causing that to happen.
Ever been praying for someone on your phone and all of a sudden the phone loses service? That was Satan…the prince of the power of the air causing that to happen.
But make no mistake friends….GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN US THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD….Our Lord is greater than Satan….and although we will be attacked by Satan…we will not be destroyed.
Ephesians 2:4 talks of Jesus being rich in mercy….in other words….he is very quick to not give out punishment even though He has the power to do so. I am very thankful for The Lord’s mercy.
Ephesians 2:8-9 is another passage our whole devo could speak about….
We are saved by grace through faith….not of anything we do ourselves….we can’t earn our salvation…it’s a gift to us from God….when we give someone a gift….usually it costs us something but its free to the person we are giving it to….that’s how salvation works….it was free to us…but it cost Jesus His life. Then just to re-emphasize the point….The Bible says our salvation is not of works….we can’t work for it to earn it….cause if we could….then people could boast about their works.
Like I shared yesterday….from the great songwriter Mark Hall with Casting Crowns….
Not because of who I am
But because of what You’ve done
Not because of what I’ve done
But because of Who you are
Since the beginning of time….mankind has asked themselves the question….why am I here? The answer is found in Ephesians 2:10….we were created to do good works in the name of Jesus Christ.
Question….are you accomplishing what you were created to do? You don’t have to write a daily bible devo to accomplish what The Lord created you to do….that’s what He gave me to do….but you are totally different. How do you figure it out? Just start doing things and it will click when you find what you were created to do.
Ephesians 2:11-13 challenges us to REMEMBER what our lives were like before we came to salvation in Christ. This is hard for some of us that were saved as a young child….so I would encourage you to join me and imagine what your life would be like without Christ today….then thank Him for saving you and delivering you from that life.
Ephesians 2:14 tells of that barrier that was between us and God because of our sins….the middle wall of partition….and how Jesus tore that down and gives us peace with God through Him.
Ephesians 2:20 challenges us to remember those Christians who impacted our lives and got us where we are today….the building blocks of our faith….I’m thinking of my parents, my grandparents, Brother Vaughn Fults, Mrs. Yvonne Caudill(my Sunday School teacher), my piano teachers, etc.
Who are some of the building blocks of your faith?
Now take that a step further…..who can we be a building block for? In my case….who can I impact for the Kingdom like my parents, grandparents, preachers, Sunday school teachers, and others impacted me.
We have a responsibility to not just be takers…but to also be givers…and to leave a legacy of faith that those coming after us can build upon.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Sorry this is late….I wasn’t feeling good last night and went to bed early…got up at regular time this morning but ended up laying back down. Thankfully whatever “it” was has passed and I’m feeling better now. Thank you for your patience with me. Love all yall!!
Read Galatians 6, Ephesians 1-2
Galatians 6:1 could be the subject of this entire devo today and we wouldn’t unpack everything The Lord has to say. This verse shows our responsibility as Christians to other fellow believers who fall into sin. RESTORATION in the spirit of MEEKNESS.
First….let’s talk about restoration….that means to bring back to its original form. Unfortunately, what I’ve seen and experienced the most is not biblical restoration but rather the shooting of our wounded.
There’s a man in our community that has the reputation for shooting all his sick cows and never calling the vet. Me and Dr. Pollard laugh about him all the time….every time I call Doc about a sick cow, he says, “Whatever you do, don’t call ____________ because he’ll just shoot em’” and we just belly laugh.
Unfortunately, this is what most people do to their sick/wounded/fallen brothers and sisters in Christ. Instead of the hard work that comes with restoration….nurturing…caring…
That’s not what The Lord said for us to do. A human life is not disposable….a human life is not to be discarded.
But wait a second Phillip….I thought in Psalm 23 it says that The Lord is the Restorer of souls….
That is correct my friend….He is….but we are the body of Christ….we are His hands and feet….and He uses us to help accomplish this restoration process.
Now….what is the first step to restoration…..the person has to admit they have a problem…..that they need help. Until they do that…..restoration can’t take place.
So….we don’t go in guns blazing on the person…..nope….The Bible says we need to go in a spirit of meekness….humbleness….realizin
Next time you see a fallen/wounded brother or sister in Christ…..pray for them and then seek to do what Galatians 6:1 says….restoration in a spirit of meekness.
Galatians 6:2 says we are to help bear one another’s burdens. Again…..folks point to Matthew 11:28-30 and say The Lord is the One that gives rest and ease from carrying the burden…..correct…..but as with Verse 1….we are the body of Christ….we are the ones The Lord uses to help carry those burdens for others.
How can we help carry one another’s burdens? The good news is it doesn’t require money or special talents that only a select few people have. Helping bear one another’s burdens requires something that all of us have an equal amount of…..TIME. The best way to help someone bear their burden is to be present with them and give of our TIME to them.
Just gonna rip the bandaid off here…..the reason most people don’t give of their time….SELFISHNESS. And that’s a shame if you ask me.
So if you see or know someone bearing a heavy burden….help them bear it by giving some of your time to them….maybe it’s a text….maybe it’s a call….maybe it’s an in-person visit. But I promise you….your time will definitely help the other person with their burden.
Galatians 6:7-8…..again….we could spend the whole devo on these verses right here….we reap what we sow….I think we will all agree with this principle….but there’s a couple things that go along with sowing and reaping that you may not realize……
WE WILL REAP LATER THAN WE SOW…..you never plant seeds today and reap a harvest tomorrow. It doesn’t work that way….so just because you think you are getting away with something today doesn’t mean you will be getting away with it a few months from now.
The same goes for good things….we may not see the results of good seeds immediately….in fact we rarely do…..but we gotta keep sowing good seeds….and not grow weary sowing good seeds(Verse 9), because eventually we will reap a harvest of the good seeds also.
WE WILL REAP MORE THAN WE SOW….1 grain of corn will yield a stalk of corn that contains 2-3 ears of corn, each of which contains hundreds of other grains of corn….a little bit of bad seed will get you a whole lot of trouble….but likewise a little bit of good seed will reap a bushel full of benefits also.
Galatians 6:10 says to do good to others…..I’m more convinced than ever that this world just has a bunch of mean people in it….besides what we see on TV….just think about all the mean people you come in contact with on a daily basis. That’s not how Jesus said to live….He says here to use every opportunity to do good to others.
How can you do good to someone today?
In Ephesians 1:3….Paul speaks of SPIRITUAL blessings….I love this term….you see The Lord blesses us with things that money cannot buy…..joy, health, friends, family, etc…..Thank You Lord for your blessings on me!!!
Ephesians 1:7 speaks of redemption again and it says the price of our redemption was the blood of Jesus…..WOW….what love Jesus gave to us by willingly shedding His blood so we could be free!!
Ephesians 1:10 is a description of the rapture of the church….the gathering together of the followers of Jesus in Heaven and Earth into one place with Christ……I’m so ready for the rapture….come quickly Lord Jesus and take us home!!! Today would be the PERFECT DAY!!!
Ephesians 1:13-14 once again speaks of the down payment The Lord gave us on His promise……The Holy Spirit….because of The Holy Spirit living inside of us….we can KNOW BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT that Jesus will do what He says He will do.
In Ephesians 1:17, Paul is praying for his brothers and sisters in the faith to learn more about Christ. Think about this just a second….how many times do we pray for someone to get saved….and then once they get saved….we stop praying for them. I am so guilty of that!!! So very guilty.
Ephesians 1:17 says we are to pray that they will continue to grow in their knowledge of Christ.
I’m stopping right now and praying for my daughters and others close to me to grow in their knowledge of Christ…..I’d encourage you to do the same.
Ephesians 1:22 reassures us that Jesus is always in control….ALWAYS….even when our life seems to be spinning out of control….Jesus is in control….even when the whole world seems to have gone crazy as it has right now….Jesus is in control.
Ephesians 2:1 tells of how we were dead in our sins before we received Christ as a Saviour…..dead without any hope of becoming alive again under our own power…..BUT JESUS gave us life through HIS power.
Speaking of power….Ephesians 2:2 refers to Satan as the prince of the power of the air….my oh my….I lived with this for 15 years when I was in the radio business. Our radio stations were all Christian stations….ministries of the air….and we went head to head with Satan every day. To prove my point….our engineer for our radio station was also the engineer for a country station in West Tennessee. He told me multiple times that we always had more problems with our station than he did the country station.
WHY? Because we were going head to head with Satan….our ministry of the air vs. his power of the air.
Ever been in church and hear the sound system squeal? That was Satan….the prince of the power of the air causing that to happen.
Ever been praying for someone on your phone and all of a sudden the phone loses service? That was Satan…the prince of the power of the air causing that to happen.
But make no mistake friends….GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN US THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD….Our Lord is greater than Satan….and although we will be attacked by Satan…we will not be destroyed.
Ephesians 2:4 talks of Jesus being rich in mercy….in other words….he is very quick to not give out punishment even though He has the power to do so. I am very thankful for The Lord’s mercy.
Ephesians 2:8-9 is another passage our whole devo could speak about….
We are saved by grace through faith….not of anything we do ourselves….we can’t earn our salvation…it’s a gift to us from God….when we give someone a gift….usually it costs us something but its free to the person we are giving it to….that’s how salvation works….it was free to us…but it cost Jesus His life. Then just to re-emphasize the point….The Bible says our salvation is not of works….we can’t work for it to earn it….cause if we could….then people could boast about their works.
Like I shared yesterday….from the great songwriter Mark Hall with Casting Crowns….
Not because of who I am
But because of what You’ve done
Not because of what I’ve done
But because of Who you are
Since the beginning of time….mankind has asked themselves the question….why am I here? The answer is found in Ephesians 2:10….we were created to do good works in the name of Jesus Christ.
Question….are you accomplishing what you were created to do? You don’t have to write a daily bible devo to accomplish what The Lord created you to do….that’s what He gave me to do….but you are totally different. How do you figure it out? Just start doing things and it will click when you find what you were created to do.
Ephesians 2:11-13 challenges us to REMEMBER what our lives were like before we came to salvation in Christ. This is hard for some of us that were saved as a young child….so I would encourage you to join me and imagine what your life would be like without Christ today….then thank Him for saving you and delivering you from that life.
Ephesians 2:14 tells of that barrier that was between us and God because of our sins….the middle wall of partition….and how Jesus tore that down and gives us peace with God through Him.
Ephesians 2:20 challenges us to remember those Christians who impacted our lives and got us where we are today….the building blocks of our faith….I’m thinking of my parents, my grandparents, Brother Vaughn Fults, Mrs. Yvonne Caudill(my Sunday School teacher), my piano teachers, etc.
Who are some of the building blocks of your faith?
Now take that a step further…..who can we be a building block for? In my case….who can I impact for the Kingdom like my parents, grandparents, preachers, Sunday school teachers, and others impacted me.
We have a responsibility to not just be takers…but to also be givers…and to leave a legacy of faith that those coming after us can build upon.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 26th Pray, Read, Worship
Read Galatians 3-5
In Galatians 3:2-3 & 11, we see that the members of the church in Galatia had fallen into the same trap that many of us do…..after a few days/weeks/months of following Jesus….they had fallen back into legalism and following the law instead of living a life of faith. Man alive we do the same thing….I do the same thing….we think that our salvation and our walk is dependent on us and how much we do for Jesus. But it simply doesn’t work that way….why? Because it’s a bottomless pit….we could NEVER do enough to match what Jesus did for us….that’s why it’s a life of faith and not works.
If you are trying to earn the love and favor of Christ today….stop. As the song Who Am I says….
Not because of who I am
But because of what You’ve done
Not because of what I’ve done
But because of who You are
Verse 8 shows us how the Old Testament foreshadows the coming of Jesus Christ. I like how my good buddy Jeff LaBorg says it….The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.
Verse 13 is very personal to us….it shows how Jesus took on the curse of sin FOR US. Jesus was our substitute. That should have been me and you on the cross, but Jesus took our place FOR US. Gordon Jensen….the same man who wrote Redemption Draweth Nigh, wrote these powerful words…
I should have been crucified
I should have suffered and died
I should have hung on the cross in disgrace
But Jesus God’s Son took my place.
Verse 22 is a reminder that all of us are sinners….ALL of us….no exceptions….ALL of us.
May I ask a question….if we are ALL sinners….if we are ALL in the same boat….then why do some try to make like their sin isn’t as bad as others? Why do some act like they have no sin? We are ALL sinners in desperate need of a Saviour.
Verse 26 tells us how we became a child of God….through faith….not works…..through faith.
I’d like to call a timeout here….need to differentiate something here about being a child of God.
We are ALL God’s creation
But we are not all God’s children
Read that again….
We are ALL God’s creation
But we are not all God’s children
Every human being was created by God. We are all God’s creation.
But only those of us who have trusted Him in faith for our salvation are His children. Not everyone is God’s child.
This is a very important point that many miss….especially those that think everybody goes to Heaven. Everybody does not go to Heaven….only God’s children….those who have received Him by faith….only God’s children receive the inheritance of Heaven.
I love Verse 28!!! In today’s society….we have all kinds of ways that we are classified.
I’m classified as male, white, American, southern, conservative, Christian, middle aged, and who knows what else.
Others may be classified as black, Hispanic, female, liberal, young, old, mid-western, etc.
But The Lord doesn’t have any of those classifications in His Kingdom. PRAISE THE LORD….we are all One in Christ.
In Chapter 4 Verse 4, The Bible says that Jesus came in the fullness of time….at just the right time….at the perfect time.
Friend….The Lord’s timing is not our timing…but His timing is ALWAYS perfect. We may think it’s late….but it’s not….He’s always on time.
Yesterday…The Lord sent me a friend with some great advice at JUST THE RIGHT TIME I NEEDED IT. I was struggling yesterday morning to be honest with you….but The Lord sent this friend….who out of the blue gave me some words….and those words were exactly what I needed to hear. It helped me get through the rest of my day. I’m so thankful for this friend and for God’s perfect timing sending him my way.
In Verse 5 of chapter 4, we are introduced to a word….redeem. The word redeem means to gain possession of something in exchange for payment. For example….when we redeem a coupon….if it’s a 50 cent coupon….we gain the 50 cent discount by handing over the coupon.
Gather in here friends….Jesus redeemed me and you….He paid the price due for mine and your sin….and He paid it the only way it could be paid….with His life. WOW WOW WOW.
Thank you Lord for redeeming me!!!
Verse 6 shows the nature of our relationship with God….Abba is a KJV word for daddy. God wants to be our tender loving father….our daddy…not a stern, distant, dictator.
Do you view God as your Daddy?
Verse 7 reinforces the fact that once we become a child of God through faith…we become an heir of God. That’s pretty cool if you ask me…..you may think I have a pretty good deal being an heir to Owen and Nancy Chambers….I get to inherit this farm, equipment, quilts, etc.
But my inheritance is NOTHING compared to what all of us get to inherit by becoming a child of God. Have you ever thought about your inheritance in Heaven? How God the Father owns EVERYTHING!!!
Verse 15 of Chapter 4 gives us a clue that Paul had a disease or disorder of the eyes….this verse is one of the reasons that some Bible scholars try to place Paul’s thorn in the flesh as an eye disease. Again….I think The Lord left Paul’s thorn vague for a purpose….so that the principle of the thorn will apply to all of us as well.
Galatians 5:1 reminds us to not live in legalism….Christianity is not a checklist of do this, do that, etc. We can never do enough.
Galatians 5:9 reminds us once again that one bad apple will ruin the whole barrel
Galatians 5:14 boils all the law of the Old Testament down to one phrase…Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Here’s where we mess up with that….Here’s where I mess up with that….we don’t know how to love ourselves….I don’t for sure….in fact most days I don’t even like myself much less love myself….but how can we ever love others properly if we don’t love ourselves. I’m working on that and I hope you will also….work on loving yourself….give yourself some grace.
Verse 15 tells us what will happen if we don’t love our neighbors….if we bite and devour them….get ready…it will come back and the same thing will happen to us. As we will be reminded in our devo tomorrow….we reap what we sow.
Why do you think people feel the need to talk bad about others? Insecurity? I don’t know….but as someone that’s been on the receiving end of that a lot lately….I sure know I’m gonna be extra careful not to ever talk about others again because having people chew on you is just plain awful.
Verse 17 speaks of the constant war that goes on inside of us….the Spirit vs. the flesh….it’s a constant, never ending battle. I heard a guy ask a preacher one time…..preacher…the spirit and the flesh are always doing battle in me….what can I do to help the Spirit win over the flesh.
The wise preacher responded like this…..imagine the Spirit and the flesh are two of your dogs fighting with each other…..which dog will win the fight? The biggest dog of course. Well how does one dog get to be bigger than the other? He eats more. So if you want the Spirit to win out over the flesh….feed The Spirit more than you feed the flesh….feed The Spirit the Word of God, Christian music, preaching, teaching, and Bible Study. If you will feed The Spirit more than you feed the flesh, The Spirit will win the war inside of you.
Great advice!!!
Verses 22-23 show us the fruits or the results of having the Spirit inside of us. Love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
OK friends….you know where I’m going here….time for a fruit inspection.
Examine yourself…..
How’s the love in your life?
The peace
The patience
The gentleness
The goodness
The faith
The meekness
The temperance
If you are like me and find yourself lacking in some of those….ITS TIME TO FEED THE SPIRIT inside of you friend….time to feed the Spirit with the things I discussed above
My challenge for us today….FEED OUR SPIRITS.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Galatians 3-5
In Galatians 3:2-3 & 11, we see that the members of the church in Galatia had fallen into the same trap that many of us do…..after a few days/weeks/months of following Jesus….they had fallen back into legalism and following the law instead of living a life of faith. Man alive we do the same thing….I do the same thing….we think that our salvation and our walk is dependent on us and how much we do for Jesus. But it simply doesn’t work that way….why? Because it’s a bottomless pit….we could NEVER do enough to match what Jesus did for us….that’s why it’s a life of faith and not works.
If you are trying to earn the love and favor of Christ today….stop. As the song Who Am I says….
Not because of who I am
But because of what You’ve done
Not because of what I’ve done
But because of who You are
Verse 8 shows us how the Old Testament foreshadows the coming of Jesus Christ. I like how my good buddy Jeff LaBorg says it….The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.
Verse 13 is very personal to us….it shows how Jesus took on the curse of sin FOR US. Jesus was our substitute. That should have been me and you on the cross, but Jesus took our place FOR US. Gordon Jensen….the same man who wrote Redemption Draweth Nigh, wrote these powerful words…
I should have been crucified
I should have suffered and died
I should have hung on the cross in disgrace
But Jesus God’s Son took my place.
Verse 22 is a reminder that all of us are sinners….ALL of us….no exceptions….ALL of us.
May I ask a question….if we are ALL sinners….if we are ALL in the same boat….then why do some try to make like their sin isn’t as bad as others? Why do some act like they have no sin? We are ALL sinners in desperate need of a Saviour.
Verse 26 tells us how we became a child of God….through faith….not works…..through faith.
I’d like to call a timeout here….need to differentiate something here about being a child of God.
We are ALL God’s creation
But we are not all God’s children
Read that again….
We are ALL God’s creation
But we are not all God’s children
Every human being was created by God. We are all God’s creation.
But only those of us who have trusted Him in faith for our salvation are His children. Not everyone is God’s child.
This is a very important point that many miss….especially those that think everybody goes to Heaven. Everybody does not go to Heaven….only God’s children….those who have received Him by faith….only God’s children receive the inheritance of Heaven.
I love Verse 28!!! In today’s society….we have all kinds of ways that we are classified.
I’m classified as male, white, American, southern, conservative, Christian, middle aged, and who knows what else.
Others may be classified as black, Hispanic, female, liberal, young, old, mid-western, etc.
But The Lord doesn’t have any of those classifications in His Kingdom. PRAISE THE LORD….we are all One in Christ.
In Chapter 4 Verse 4, The Bible says that Jesus came in the fullness of time….at just the right time….at the perfect time.
Friend….The Lord’s timing is not our timing…but His timing is ALWAYS perfect. We may think it’s late….but it’s not….He’s always on time.
Yesterday…The Lord sent me a friend with some great advice at JUST THE RIGHT TIME I NEEDED IT. I was struggling yesterday morning to be honest with you….but The Lord sent this friend….who out of the blue gave me some words….and those words were exactly what I needed to hear. It helped me get through the rest of my day. I’m so thankful for this friend and for God’s perfect timing sending him my way.
In Verse 5 of chapter 4, we are introduced to a word….redeem. The word redeem means to gain possession of something in exchange for payment. For example….when we redeem a coupon….if it’s a 50 cent coupon….we gain the 50 cent discount by handing over the coupon.
Gather in here friends….Jesus redeemed me and you….He paid the price due for mine and your sin….and He paid it the only way it could be paid….with His life. WOW WOW WOW.
Thank you Lord for redeeming me!!!
Verse 6 shows the nature of our relationship with God….Abba is a KJV word for daddy. God wants to be our tender loving father….our daddy…not a stern, distant, dictator.
Do you view God as your Daddy?
Verse 7 reinforces the fact that once we become a child of God through faith…we become an heir of God. That’s pretty cool if you ask me…..you may think I have a pretty good deal being an heir to Owen and Nancy Chambers….I get to inherit this farm, equipment, quilts, etc.
But my inheritance is NOTHING compared to what all of us get to inherit by becoming a child of God. Have you ever thought about your inheritance in Heaven? How God the Father owns EVERYTHING!!!
Verse 15 of Chapter 4 gives us a clue that Paul had a disease or disorder of the eyes….this verse is one of the reasons that some Bible scholars try to place Paul’s thorn in the flesh as an eye disease. Again….I think The Lord left Paul’s thorn vague for a purpose….so that the principle of the thorn will apply to all of us as well.
Galatians 5:1 reminds us to not live in legalism….Christianity is not a checklist of do this, do that, etc. We can never do enough.
Galatians 5:9 reminds us once again that one bad apple will ruin the whole barrel
Galatians 5:14 boils all the law of the Old Testament down to one phrase…Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Here’s where we mess up with that….Here’s where I mess up with that….we don’t know how to love ourselves….I don’t for sure….in fact most days I don’t even like myself much less love myself….but how can we ever love others properly if we don’t love ourselves. I’m working on that and I hope you will also….work on loving yourself….give yourself some grace.
Verse 15 tells us what will happen if we don’t love our neighbors….if we bite and devour them….get ready…it will come back and the same thing will happen to us. As we will be reminded in our devo tomorrow….we reap what we sow.
Why do you think people feel the need to talk bad about others? Insecurity? I don’t know….but as someone that’s been on the receiving end of that a lot lately….I sure know I’m gonna be extra careful not to ever talk about others again because having people chew on you is just plain awful.
Verse 17 speaks of the constant war that goes on inside of us….the Spirit vs. the flesh….it’s a constant, never ending battle. I heard a guy ask a preacher one time…..preacher…the spirit and the flesh are always doing battle in me….what can I do to help the Spirit win over the flesh.
The wise preacher responded like this…..imagine the Spirit and the flesh are two of your dogs fighting with each other…..which dog will win the fight? The biggest dog of course. Well how does one dog get to be bigger than the other? He eats more. So if you want the Spirit to win out over the flesh….feed The Spirit more than you feed the flesh….feed The Spirit the Word of God, Christian music, preaching, teaching, and Bible Study. If you will feed The Spirit more than you feed the flesh, The Spirit will win the war inside of you.
Great advice!!!
Verses 22-23 show us the fruits or the results of having the Spirit inside of us. Love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
OK friends….you know where I’m going here….time for a fruit inspection.
Examine yourself…..
How’s the love in your life?
The peace
The patience
The gentleness
The goodness
The faith
The meekness
The temperance
If you are like me and find yourself lacking in some of those….ITS TIME TO FEED THE SPIRIT inside of you friend….time to feed the Spirit with the things I discussed above
My challenge for us today….FEED OUR SPIRITS.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 25th Pray, Read, Worship
Read 2 Corinthians 13, Galatians 1-2
Verse 5 of 2 Corinthians 13 gives us a pretty strong challenge….examine ourselves and test ourselves to see whether we are in the faith of Jesus Christ.
So how do we do this? How do we test ourselves and examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith?
Some would say go back to the day you were baptized…..while baptism is the first command The Lord gives us after salvation….it’s not the test we are to use to examine ourselves.
Some would say go back to the day you walked the isle….again….very important to publicly confess Christ as your Saviour…..but The Bible says that on Judgment day, many will say to Jesus, “Lord, Lord did we not…..”
So how are we to examine and test ourselves to see if we are in the faith? The Bible says we shall be known by our fruits(Matthew 7:16 & 20). So to test and examine your faith, you need to test and examine the fruits of your faith.
What kind of fruits are you bearing for the Kingdom of God?
Not trying to give away the devo for tomorrow….but Galatians 5 says….
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Are you bearing any of these fruits? Are people coming to Christ as a result of your life? Are you bearing any fruits at all?
On this Memorial Day 2020, we would do well to take some of the extra time we have today to examine and test our faith to see if it’s real. I don’t want to be in that number on Judgment Day that says, “Lord, Lord….there must be some mistake….”
Verse 10 of 2 Corinthians 13 says we are to use our words for edification and not destruction. Yesterday I received a very ugly Facebook Message from a fake account that has since been taken down. It was filled with lies and false accusations about me…I gotta admit….it took me off guard and stung….but then I got to thinking….what kind of hate filled person goes to the trouble of making a fake Facebook account, writing a long, lie filled, accusation filled message, sending it, then taking that fake Facebook profile offline. I have to admit….that’s a whole lot of trouble to go to just to try to ruin someone’s day and destroy them. Pathetic if you ask me.
Instead friends….our words should be used to build up people and encourage them….edification as The Bible says here in 2 Corinthians 13:10.
Women….I’d like to speak directly to you right now…..King Solomon in the book of Proverbs Chapter 14 says….”Every wise woman builds her house….but the foolish woman tears it down.” I have to believe that somewhere in Solomon’s 300 wives….he had one that was a nagger….one that was constantly berating him, being negative to him and putting him down.
Ladies….that is not how the Bible says you are to conduct yourself….if you are….if you are constantly berating and talking down to your husband….The Bible says you are foolish…..and don’t be surprised when your husband finally breaks because he can’t take your negativity, nagging, and berating any longer.
We men are not God….we are not super human….we will reach our breaking point ladies….we will reach the point we’ve had enough…..and that’s it.
Women….find a way to build up your significant other today.
Now….men….I’m equal opportunity….I want to speak to you directly here also. You are not more of a man when you talk down to your wife and kids….you are not more macho when you talk to them like you would a dog….The Bible says your wife is tender….and since many women’s love language is words of affirmation….we can make deposits in their love bank by offering them sincere compliments for edification….for building them up. The key word is sincere….don’t be fake….your wife can spot a fake a mile away….she knows when you are full of bull….be sincere.
Men….find a way to build up your significant other today.
In Galatians Chapter 1….again in Verse 3, Paul prays grace and peace for members of the church in Corinth. I’ve already prayed grace and peace over my entire prayer list for today….hopefully you have also.
In Galatians 1:4….we are reminded that Jesus GAVE his life….He wasn’t killed….He wasn’t murdered….He willingly gave His life….Jesus had the ability….He had the power to get Himself off that cross….make no mistake….if He had the power to raise from the dead….He could have come off the cross….but He didn’t…..why?
Look at the rest of Galatians 1:4….so He could deliver us from this present evil world…..Galatians 1:4 also says that we are sinners….Jesus loved us so much, that He gave His life on the cross so our sins could be forgiven and we could be delivered from the sinful life we were born in to the eternal life He has for us.
THANK YOU JESUS FOR GIVING YOUR LIFE FOR ME!!!
In Verse 6, Paul says that he marvels at how soon the people fell away from The Gospel after he left. Unfortunately, this still happens today. I’ve seen it many many times….a preacher will leave a church that is rocking and rolling for The Kingdom…..and the next thing you know….it’s like the people get amnesia and they fall away from what they were doing to rock and roll for the Kingdom. Sad
Galatians 1:10 asks a very pointed question….are we trying to please men or please God….then look what Paul says at the end of Verse 10….if I pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. In other words, Paul had people that didn’t want him preaching….people that didn’t want him telling others about Jesus.
I can identify with Paul….I have several people….lots of people who don’t want me serving The Lord anymore….this faceless person that sent the Facebook message yesterday for one….and many many others. Why do they not want me serving The Lord anymore? Honestly you’d have to ask them….I’ve got my suspicions….but only one has had the courage to tell me to my face.
Paul’s response in Galatians 1:10 is my response to anybody that does not want me to continue serving The Lord….I’m not trying to please men….I’m seeking to please God.
Evidently Paul believes his detractors don’t want him serving The Lord because of His past…..Paul lays out His colorful past in Verse 13-17……but you know what? Paul’s past didn’t matter to The Lord….and our past doesn’t matter to The Lord either. Our past is in the past….it’s been forgiven, forgotten, forever by the only One that matters….The Lord.
If people are trying to use your past as a reason for you not to serve The Lord…..you are in good company….they did the same thing to Paul….but like Paul….pay them no attention and keep telling people about Jesus.
Galatians 2:7 brings about a very good point…..come in close here….although the Gospel is clearly for everybody….not every preacher will “fit in” in every situation. Here….Paul was talking about how Peter was able to reach the Jews and Paul was able to reach the Gentiles.
Again….I can identify with this…..I’m a boot wearing country boy. I won’t fit in and be able to reach a bunch of high falutin’ folks….but put me in with a bunch of regular, plain ole folks and I’m right at home.
So what does this exactly say to us here in Galatians 2:7…..yes…we are to share the Gospel with everybody….but be real and identify the folks you identify more with. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at the time…..if we tried to reach the whole world at once…we would fail….but if we would all just focus on our area….if everyone would focus on their area….then the whole world would be reached rather quickly.
Nehemiah did this in the Old Testament when he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days….how did he do it? Everyone focused on the area around their house….this guy did his part….the next guy did his part….etc….until the whole wall was completed in record time.
Finding your place is a hard thing….it’s a process…according to Galatians Chapter 1….it took Paul YEARS…it may take us years….
But once we find our place….get to work….and if we will just all get to work….then I believe the entire world could hear The Gospel rather quickly.
Galatians 2:16 mentions a word we heard a while back from Paul….justified….remember the meaning? Just-if-I’d never sinned….well Galatians 2:16 shows us how we become justified? Not by keeping the law and living a perfect life….but only through faith in Jesus Christ.
Are you trying to be justified by your works? It doesn’t work. We can only be just-if-I’d never sinned through faith in Jesus Christ.
Verse 20 reinforces how Jesus gave Himself for us because He loved us….and it brings in a very good thought on this Memorial Day 2020 when we honor those who laid down their lives for us.
Just like Jesus laid down His life for us…we are to lay down our lives when we come to Christ….we are to surrender our will to Him….and live the rest of our lives in service to the One who laid down His life for us.
Will you lay down your life for Jesus today? Not physically….but your will vs. The Lord’s will?
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read 2 Corinthians 13, Galatians 1-2
Verse 5 of 2 Corinthians 13 gives us a pretty strong challenge….examine ourselves and test ourselves to see whether we are in the faith of Jesus Christ.
So how do we do this? How do we test ourselves and examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith?
Some would say go back to the day you were baptized…..while baptism is the first command The Lord gives us after salvation….it’s not the test we are to use to examine ourselves.
Some would say go back to the day you walked the isle….again….very important to publicly confess Christ as your Saviour…..but The Bible says that on Judgment day, many will say to Jesus, “Lord, Lord did we not…..”
So how are we to examine and test ourselves to see if we are in the faith? The Bible says we shall be known by our fruits(Matthew 7:16 & 20). So to test and examine your faith, you need to test and examine the fruits of your faith.
What kind of fruits are you bearing for the Kingdom of God?
Not trying to give away the devo for tomorrow….but Galatians 5 says….
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Are you bearing any of these fruits? Are people coming to Christ as a result of your life? Are you bearing any fruits at all?
On this Memorial Day 2020, we would do well to take some of the extra time we have today to examine and test our faith to see if it’s real. I don’t want to be in that number on Judgment Day that says, “Lord, Lord….there must be some mistake….”
Verse 10 of 2 Corinthians 13 says we are to use our words for edification and not destruction. Yesterday I received a very ugly Facebook Message from a fake account that has since been taken down. It was filled with lies and false accusations about me…I gotta admit….it took me off guard and stung….but then I got to thinking….what kind of hate filled person goes to the trouble of making a fake Facebook account, writing a long, lie filled, accusation filled message, sending it, then taking that fake Facebook profile offline. I have to admit….that’s a whole lot of trouble to go to just to try to ruin someone’s day and destroy them. Pathetic if you ask me.
Instead friends….our words should be used to build up people and encourage them….edification as The Bible says here in 2 Corinthians 13:10.
Women….I’d like to speak directly to you right now…..King Solomon in the book of Proverbs Chapter 14 says….”Every wise woman builds her house….but the foolish woman tears it down.” I have to believe that somewhere in Solomon’s 300 wives….he had one that was a nagger….one that was constantly berating him, being negative to him and putting him down.
Ladies….that is not how the Bible says you are to conduct yourself….if you are….if you are constantly berating and talking down to your husband….The Bible says you are foolish…..and don’t be surprised when your husband finally breaks because he can’t take your negativity, nagging, and berating any longer.
We men are not God….we are not super human….we will reach our breaking point ladies….we will reach the point we’ve had enough…..and that’s it.
Women….find a way to build up your significant other today.
Now….men….I’m equal opportunity….I want to speak to you directly here also. You are not more of a man when you talk down to your wife and kids….you are not more macho when you talk to them like you would a dog….The Bible says your wife is tender….and since many women’s love language is words of affirmation….we can make deposits in their love bank by offering them sincere compliments for edification….for building them up. The key word is sincere….don’t be fake….your wife can spot a fake a mile away….she knows when you are full of bull….be sincere.
Men….find a way to build up your significant other today.
In Galatians Chapter 1….again in Verse 3, Paul prays grace and peace for members of the church in Corinth. I’ve already prayed grace and peace over my entire prayer list for today….hopefully you have also.
In Galatians 1:4….we are reminded that Jesus GAVE his life….He wasn’t killed….He wasn’t murdered….He willingly gave His life….Jesus had the ability….He had the power to get Himself off that cross….make no mistake….if He had the power to raise from the dead….He could have come off the cross….but He didn’t…..why?
Look at the rest of Galatians 1:4….so He could deliver us from this present evil world…..Galatians 1:4 also says that we are sinners….Jesus loved us so much, that He gave His life on the cross so our sins could be forgiven and we could be delivered from the sinful life we were born in to the eternal life He has for us.
THANK YOU JESUS FOR GIVING YOUR LIFE FOR ME!!!
In Verse 6, Paul says that he marvels at how soon the people fell away from The Gospel after he left. Unfortunately, this still happens today. I’ve seen it many many times….a preacher will leave a church that is rocking and rolling for The Kingdom…..and the next thing you know….it’s like the people get amnesia and they fall away from what they were doing to rock and roll for the Kingdom. Sad
Galatians 1:10 asks a very pointed question….are we trying to please men or please God….then look what Paul says at the end of Verse 10….if I pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. In other words, Paul had people that didn’t want him preaching….people that didn’t want him telling others about Jesus.
I can identify with Paul….I have several people….lots of people who don’t want me serving The Lord anymore….this faceless person that sent the Facebook message yesterday for one….and many many others. Why do they not want me serving The Lord anymore? Honestly you’d have to ask them….I’ve got my suspicions….but only one has had the courage to tell me to my face.
Paul’s response in Galatians 1:10 is my response to anybody that does not want me to continue serving The Lord….I’m not trying to please men….I’m seeking to please God.
Evidently Paul believes his detractors don’t want him serving The Lord because of His past…..Paul lays out His colorful past in Verse 13-17……but you know what? Paul’s past didn’t matter to The Lord….and our past doesn’t matter to The Lord either. Our past is in the past….it’s been forgiven, forgotten, forever by the only One that matters….The Lord.
If people are trying to use your past as a reason for you not to serve The Lord…..you are in good company….they did the same thing to Paul….but like Paul….pay them no attention and keep telling people about Jesus.
Galatians 2:7 brings about a very good point…..come in close here….although the Gospel is clearly for everybody….not every preacher will “fit in” in every situation. Here….Paul was talking about how Peter was able to reach the Jews and Paul was able to reach the Gentiles.
Again….I can identify with this…..I’m a boot wearing country boy. I won’t fit in and be able to reach a bunch of high falutin’ folks….but put me in with a bunch of regular, plain ole folks and I’m right at home.
So what does this exactly say to us here in Galatians 2:7…..yes…we are to share the Gospel with everybody….but be real and identify the folks you identify more with. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at the time…..if we tried to reach the whole world at once…we would fail….but if we would all just focus on our area….if everyone would focus on their area….then the whole world would be reached rather quickly.
Nehemiah did this in the Old Testament when he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days….how did he do it? Everyone focused on the area around their house….this guy did his part….the next guy did his part….etc….until the whole wall was completed in record time.
Finding your place is a hard thing….it’s a process…according to Galatians Chapter 1….it took Paul YEARS…it may take us years….
But once we find our place….get to work….and if we will just all get to work….then I believe the entire world could hear The Gospel rather quickly.
Galatians 2:16 mentions a word we heard a while back from Paul….justified….remember the meaning? Just-if-I’d never sinned….well Galatians 2:16 shows us how we become justified? Not by keeping the law and living a perfect life….but only through faith in Jesus Christ.
Are you trying to be justified by your works? It doesn’t work. We can only be just-if-I’d never sinned through faith in Jesus Christ.
Verse 20 reinforces how Jesus gave Himself for us because He loved us….and it brings in a very good thought on this Memorial Day 2020 when we honor those who laid down their lives for us.
Just like Jesus laid down His life for us…we are to lay down our lives when we come to Christ….we are to surrender our will to Him….and live the rest of our lives in service to the One who laid down His life for us.
Will you lay down your life for Jesus today? Not physically….but your will vs. The Lord’s will?
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 24th Pray, Read, Worship
GREAT NEWS!!! We had 6 family members pray to receive Christ at the funeral of Barbara Black’s mother yesterday. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Even in death, Mawmaw or Aunt Janie as she was known, was making a difference in the lives of others. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!! I battled spiritual warfare all day yesterday….I knew something special was going to happen….your prayers made a difference. Thank you so very much.
Read 2 Corinthians 10-12
In Verse 1 of Chapter 10, Paul gives us two insights to the characteristics of a Christ follower….meekness and gentleness. Are you a gentle person? Do you treat others with gentleness? I’ve found that the majority of people in the world today are not gentle….they say I am what I am, like it or lump it. That’s not the example that Jesus set forth for us. He was gentle….and we should be also.
Verse 4 is exactly what I was talking about in my opening paragraph about the spiritual warfare going on yesterday before the funeral. For about 24 hours before the funeral, man alive I had all kinds of junk coming up and bothering me….trying to get me off kilter and off focus for the task at hand….making Jesus known at this funeral…..sure we were going to honor Barbara’s mother….that was a given….but I would not have done right if that’s all we did……in addition to honoring Barbara’s mother, I shared with the family where and how I find comfort when I’m walking through the valley of the shadow of death, how we can know Barbara’s mom is in Heaven, and then I offered them the opportunity to receive that same salvation and comfort that Barbara’s mother had….and as I told you earlier, 6 of Barbara’s family members received Christ yesterday….praise The Lord.
So what was the junk I went through 24 hours before the funeral…and even immediately before the funeral in the church? It was spiritual warfare from the devil….he knew there were going to be lost people at the funeral…he knew I was going to share Jesus with them…..he knew that he could lose big time yesterday….so he did all he could to stop it….and at the very least slow it down.
So how do we fight back with the devil…..Verse 4 of 2 Corinthians 10….our weapons aren’t carnal….in other words we don’t fight the devil with knives and guns…..our weapons are spiritual….specifically prayer and the Word of God….that’s why your prayers for me were SO IMPORTANT. They helped me stay focused on the task at hand….your prayers were the reason The Holy Spirit spoke through me yesterday…..how do I know it was The Holy Spirit and not me….because plenty of things came out of my mouth that were not on my notes and I had no idea where they came from….that can only be explained by The Holy Spirit.
So here’s the deal….just like you would never take a knife to a gun fight….we must remember the weapons we use to fight Satan….prayer and the Word of God.
Verse 12 says that we should not compare our walk with Christ to others…..my standard is not another human being’s walk….my standard is Jesus…..He set the example for us and that’s who we are to follow. Too many people today are in the comparison game and they say things like, “Well at least I don’t do what he does….” That’s a dead end road….our only comparison should be to the example that Christ set for us.
In chapter 11 Verse 3, The Bible brings up a very good point that trips up a lot of people today. Many folks today have a hard time grasping the SIMPLICITY of the Gospel….they think there has to be more to it….there has to be something we do to contribute to our salvation….it’s impossible for someone to love us as much as Jesus….
Salvation really is that simple….so simple that even a child can understand….and I’m so thankful for that.
Verse 14 shows us that Satan can transform himself into whatever he needs to in order to entice and tempt us. I’m telling you friends….Satan is nothing to mess around with. He is more powerful than we are and we would do well to only fight with Him through the power and prescribed methods Jesus laid out for us….prayer and the Word of God.
Verse 23 begins a section where we learn what Paul endured to bring us the Gospel of Jesus….
Whipped(stripes)
Prison
Death threats
Then we get a little more detail
5 times he received 39 lashes from a whip
3 times he was beaten with a rod
1 time he was stoned
3 times he was shipwrecked
1 time he spent 24 hours floating on the sea holding to a piece of wood
Paul was robbed
Paul was in serious or immediate danger by his own countrymen
Paul was in serious or immediate danger by people he didn’t know
Paul was in serious or immediate danger in the city, in the country, and on the water.
He got tired and weary
He suffered lots of pain
He suffered hunger
He suffered thirst
He was cold and even naked at times
And in addition to all of this….while going through all of this serious and immediate danger….he still had to take care of the churches each and every day.
I believe when I get to Heaven…..I know I want to see Jesus first thing…..and sure I want to reunite with my grandparents….but no doubt….I hope I get to see Paul and thank him for going through what he went through so I can have the scripture I’m reading today.
Most of us won’t go to church when we feel a little sick…..Here Paul went through more than any of us will go through in our lifetime.
I don’t know about you….but the example of Paul inspires me to keep going and not give out in my walk with Christ.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 is another one of my Top 5 passages in the Bible….its where we learn about Paul and his thorn in the flesh.
A few takeaways from this passage….
Why do we not know what Paul’s thorn was specifically? BECAUSE EACH OF US HAS A THORN AND EACH OF THEM ARE DIFFERENT. If the passage told us specifically what Paul’s thorn was, then we would think this passage only applied to that specific thing.
But by leaving it vague….we can take heart that what happened here with Paul applies to us also. Whatever our thorn is.
Why did Paul have the thorn? To keep him humble. That’s what our thorns do….they keep us from getting too big for our britches.
Paul asked The Lord 3 times to remove it…and The Lord said No….my grace is sufficient for you…my strength is made perfect in your weakness.
The Lord always knows what is best for us….and what was best for Paul(and us) is for us to experience the grace and strength of Christ rather than freedom from our thorn. We have to really trust The Lord when He doesn’t remove the thorns from our life. It’s in times like this that we get to taste His sweet grace and experience His incredible strength.
So instead of complaining about his thorn/weakness/sickness…..Paul glories in it so he can experience more of The Lord’s grace and strength…..Can I be honest with you? I’m not there yet….I’m not spiritually mature enough to glory over my thorn and my weakness….I’m working on it….but I’m not there yet.
Don’t get me wrong….I want to be more like Paul….I’m just not there yet.
Parents….in Verse 14….we are told to leave an inheritance for our children….not a bunch of debt for them to pay off upon our death.
WOW WOW WOW….I’m sure I’ve read 2 Corinthians 12:15 before….but I’ve never had it speak to me like it does right now….WOW WOW WOW….this is exactly where I’ve been the last several months(years) of my life….Paul says the more abundantly I love you, the less I feel loved from you.
That’s exactly where I am….it seems like the harder I tried loving people, the more I felt taken for granted and unloved in return.
Thank you Jesus for speaking to me today in a fresh way…..this is why I love your Word Jesus….You are always able to speak to me right where I am….THANK YOU JESUS….it makes me feel so good to know that You understand what I’ve been going through….giving love and feeling unloved in return.
What was Paul expecting to see when he visited the church in Corinth again….debates over theology, envyings(jealousy) among members, anger toward each other, strife(fighting with each other), backbitings, whisperings(gossip), and more.
Paul says this is not how we are supposed to be….but it’s how he expects them to be.
What about you and your church? What if Paul came to your church? Would he find you and your church doing what we are supposed to be doing? Or would he find jealousy, anger, fighting, and gossip?
Let me let you in on a little secret….we won’t ever have to worry about Paul coming back from the dead to visit our churches….but we do need to be concerned about Jesus….because He’ll be there every time we open the doors.
It breaks The Lord’s heart when He finds jealousy, anger, fighting, backbiting, and gossip in His house.
So let’s lay all that down friends and get down to the work He’s called us to do.
Amen.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! Our website is almost up and ready to go….will be sending you details soon. In the meantime, if you wish to send a donation, please send it to:
Chambers Family Ministries
c/o Phillip Chambers
5288 Chambers Road
Cumberland Furnace, TN 37051
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
GREAT NEWS!!! We had 6 family members pray to receive Christ at the funeral of Barbara Black’s mother yesterday. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Even in death, Mawmaw or Aunt Janie as she was known, was making a difference in the lives of others. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!! I battled spiritual warfare all day yesterday….I knew something special was going to happen….your prayers made a difference. Thank you so very much.
Read 2 Corinthians 10-12
In Verse 1 of Chapter 10, Paul gives us two insights to the characteristics of a Christ follower….meekness and gentleness. Are you a gentle person? Do you treat others with gentleness? I’ve found that the majority of people in the world today are not gentle….they say I am what I am, like it or lump it. That’s not the example that Jesus set forth for us. He was gentle….and we should be also.
Verse 4 is exactly what I was talking about in my opening paragraph about the spiritual warfare going on yesterday before the funeral. For about 24 hours before the funeral, man alive I had all kinds of junk coming up and bothering me….trying to get me off kilter and off focus for the task at hand….making Jesus known at this funeral…..sure we were going to honor Barbara’s mother….that was a given….but I would not have done right if that’s all we did……in addition to honoring Barbara’s mother, I shared with the family where and how I find comfort when I’m walking through the valley of the shadow of death, how we can know Barbara’s mom is in Heaven, and then I offered them the opportunity to receive that same salvation and comfort that Barbara’s mother had….and as I told you earlier, 6 of Barbara’s family members received Christ yesterday….praise The Lord.
So what was the junk I went through 24 hours before the funeral…and even immediately before the funeral in the church? It was spiritual warfare from the devil….he knew there were going to be lost people at the funeral…he knew I was going to share Jesus with them…..he knew that he could lose big time yesterday….so he did all he could to stop it….and at the very least slow it down.
So how do we fight back with the devil…..Verse 4 of 2 Corinthians 10….our weapons aren’t carnal….in other words we don’t fight the devil with knives and guns…..our weapons are spiritual….specifically prayer and the Word of God….that’s why your prayers for me were SO IMPORTANT. They helped me stay focused on the task at hand….your prayers were the reason The Holy Spirit spoke through me yesterday…..how do I know it was The Holy Spirit and not me….because plenty of things came out of my mouth that were not on my notes and I had no idea where they came from….that can only be explained by The Holy Spirit.
So here’s the deal….just like you would never take a knife to a gun fight….we must remember the weapons we use to fight Satan….prayer and the Word of God.
Verse 12 says that we should not compare our walk with Christ to others…..my standard is not another human being’s walk….my standard is Jesus…..He set the example for us and that’s who we are to follow. Too many people today are in the comparison game and they say things like, “Well at least I don’t do what he does….” That’s a dead end road….our only comparison should be to the example that Christ set for us.
In chapter 11 Verse 3, The Bible brings up a very good point that trips up a lot of people today. Many folks today have a hard time grasping the SIMPLICITY of the Gospel….they think there has to be more to it….there has to be something we do to contribute to our salvation….it’s impossible for someone to love us as much as Jesus….
Salvation really is that simple….so simple that even a child can understand….and I’m so thankful for that.
Verse 14 shows us that Satan can transform himself into whatever he needs to in order to entice and tempt us. I’m telling you friends….Satan is nothing to mess around with. He is more powerful than we are and we would do well to only fight with Him through the power and prescribed methods Jesus laid out for us….prayer and the Word of God.
Verse 23 begins a section where we learn what Paul endured to bring us the Gospel of Jesus….
Whipped(stripes)
Prison
Death threats
Then we get a little more detail
5 times he received 39 lashes from a whip
3 times he was beaten with a rod
1 time he was stoned
3 times he was shipwrecked
1 time he spent 24 hours floating on the sea holding to a piece of wood
Paul was robbed
Paul was in serious or immediate danger by his own countrymen
Paul was in serious or immediate danger by people he didn’t know
Paul was in serious or immediate danger in the city, in the country, and on the water.
He got tired and weary
He suffered lots of pain
He suffered hunger
He suffered thirst
He was cold and even naked at times
And in addition to all of this….while going through all of this serious and immediate danger….he still had to take care of the churches each and every day.
I believe when I get to Heaven…..I know I want to see Jesus first thing…..and sure I want to reunite with my grandparents….but no doubt….I hope I get to see Paul and thank him for going through what he went through so I can have the scripture I’m reading today.
Most of us won’t go to church when we feel a little sick…..Here Paul went through more than any of us will go through in our lifetime.
I don’t know about you….but the example of Paul inspires me to keep going and not give out in my walk with Christ.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 is another one of my Top 5 passages in the Bible….its where we learn about Paul and his thorn in the flesh.
A few takeaways from this passage….
Why do we not know what Paul’s thorn was specifically? BECAUSE EACH OF US HAS A THORN AND EACH OF THEM ARE DIFFERENT. If the passage told us specifically what Paul’s thorn was, then we would think this passage only applied to that specific thing.
But by leaving it vague….we can take heart that what happened here with Paul applies to us also. Whatever our thorn is.
Why did Paul have the thorn? To keep him humble. That’s what our thorns do….they keep us from getting too big for our britches.
Paul asked The Lord 3 times to remove it…and The Lord said No….my grace is sufficient for you…my strength is made perfect in your weakness.
The Lord always knows what is best for us….and what was best for Paul(and us) is for us to experience the grace and strength of Christ rather than freedom from our thorn. We have to really trust The Lord when He doesn’t remove the thorns from our life. It’s in times like this that we get to taste His sweet grace and experience His incredible strength.
So instead of complaining about his thorn/weakness/sickness…..Paul glories in it so he can experience more of The Lord’s grace and strength…..Can I be honest with you? I’m not there yet….I’m not spiritually mature enough to glory over my thorn and my weakness….I’m working on it….but I’m not there yet.
Don’t get me wrong….I want to be more like Paul….I’m just not there yet.
Parents….in Verse 14….we are told to leave an inheritance for our children….not a bunch of debt for them to pay off upon our death.
WOW WOW WOW….I’m sure I’ve read 2 Corinthians 12:15 before….but I’ve never had it speak to me like it does right now….WOW WOW WOW….this is exactly where I’ve been the last several months(years) of my life….Paul says the more abundantly I love you, the less I feel loved from you.
That’s exactly where I am….it seems like the harder I tried loving people, the more I felt taken for granted and unloved in return.
Thank you Jesus for speaking to me today in a fresh way…..this is why I love your Word Jesus….You are always able to speak to me right where I am….THANK YOU JESUS….it makes me feel so good to know that You understand what I’ve been going through….giving love and feeling unloved in return.
What was Paul expecting to see when he visited the church in Corinth again….debates over theology, envyings(jealousy) among members, anger toward each other, strife(fighting with each other), backbitings, whisperings(gossip), and more.
Paul says this is not how we are supposed to be….but it’s how he expects them to be.
What about you and your church? What if Paul came to your church? Would he find you and your church doing what we are supposed to be doing? Or would he find jealousy, anger, fighting, and gossip?
Let me let you in on a little secret….we won’t ever have to worry about Paul coming back from the dead to visit our churches….but we do need to be concerned about Jesus….because He’ll be there every time we open the doors.
It breaks The Lord’s heart when He finds jealousy, anger, fighting, backbiting, and gossip in His house.
So let’s lay all that down friends and get down to the work He’s called us to do.
Amen.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!! Our website is almost up and ready to go….will be sending you details soon. In the meantime, if you wish to send a donation, please send it to:
Chambers Family Ministries
c/o Phillip Chambers
5288 Chambers Road
Cumberland Furnace, TN 37051
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 23rd Pray, Read, Worship
I would appreciate your prayers today. I’m preaching a funeral at 1PM. I always give a Gospel invitation at funerals….but this family has specifically requested one which is even better. Please pray for The Lord to work through me to see many come to Christ.
SECOND: If you know someone NOT ON FACEBOOK that would like to receive these devos via text or email, please contact me with their info and I’ll be glad to send it out each day to them.
WE WANT AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO RECEIVE THE WORD
Read 2 Corinthians 7-9
Right off the bat, verse 1 of Chapter 7 says to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. Is there something in your life that you are doing that you know you ought not to be doing? The Lord is telling us right now to STOP IT. To rid ourselves of it. Much easier said than done….but nonetheless, it’s the commandment of God.
In Verse 4, Paul says he is exceeding joyful in tribulation. I wish I could say that….if I could, I’d be the most joyful man in this part of the country….so how was Paul joyful in tribulation? His joy didn’t come from circumstances….it came from Jesus….the abiding presence of Jesus Christ in His life. Too many times you and I look to our circumstances for joy instead of our Saviour.
Lord help me to look to You for my joy instead of what’s going on around me.
I can identify with Paul in Verse 5 when he says without were fightings, within were fears. In other words….everybody around him was fighting/disagreeing/offering their opinion….and that caused him to have great fear in his life. I truly believe fear is at a peak right now as there is so much disagreement all around us and people using social media and other avenues to give their unsolicited opinions.
So what comforted Paul from these fears? Look at Verse 6….this is good….
A friend showed up….Titus.
The presence of a friend brought Paul comfort.
Now….we need to look at this from 2 angles……
Angle #1……if we are dealing with fear….stop isolating ourselves….stop holing up, and hiding from the world. There’s probably no one more guilty of this than me. In fact, my attorney has fussed at me numerous times for isolating myself over the last few months. I understand her point that I don’t need to….but there’s another aspect to it…..not everybody we associate with brings comfort.
I’ve been AMBUSHED 3 different times since January 1 with conversations I never saw coming. I don’t mind having hard conversations with folks….I won’t shy away from them…..but just lay it out up front this is what we are going to deal with and not try to lay a trap/ambush/catch someone off guard here. That is not productive and never works for edification…..and it leads me to Angle #2….
Angle #2….our presence should bring comfort to our friends. Does it? If we are not bringing comfort but instead anxiety and stress, then we are not accomplishing what The Lord is telling us here.
Here’s my challenge for today….and as always….I’m taking this challenge myself….it’s a two-fold challenge:
1. Allow yourself to be comforted by a friend today.
2. Be a comfort to someone today by your presence.
Verse 9 talks about being sorrowful to repentance….this is the whole purpose of godly sorrow….not to bring shame….but to bring repentance that leads to a following of The Lord’s prescribed lifestyle for us.
Does the sorrow you experience lead to repentance?
Chapter 8 Verse 9 talks about what Jesus GAVE UP for me and you…..we are quick to talk about how Jesus gave His life on the cross for us…..I’m certainly thankful for that….but have you also thought about what He GAVE UP for me and you?
He was rich…..Jesus was the King of Glory….He had anything and everything He wanted….not a care in the world….no stress….no wants….no needs….pure joy and happiness in the presence of His Father in Heaven. Never experienced a cloudy day….never experienced rain….never experienced pain….never experienced disappointment….never had a broken heart.
Jesus was rich…..yet He left all of that and became poor….He came to Earth where He suffered loss, stress, want, cloudy days, rain, pain, disappointment, and a broken heart.
Why?
The rest of verse 9…..so that we could become rich and have eternal life in Heaven with Him where we can live without a care in the world…no stress….no wants….no needs….pure joy and happiness in the presence of The Father….never experience a cloudy day again….never experience rain again….never experience pain again….never experience disappointment again….never experience a broken heart again.
Jesus left Heaven so we could have Heaven one day.
WOW WOW WOW
Chapter 9 verse 6 is an important verse….he who sows sparingly will reap sparingly….and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully.
Obviously this principle applies to farming…..if you are stingy with your seed, your crop will be slim also.
But it also applies to the spiritual seed that we sow…..let me give you a very personal example. I no longer have a steady paycheck coming in…..you would think in that situation, I would hunker down and cut out everything unnecessary….and that’s exactly what I’ve done.
But there’s one thing I’ve refused to cut out….and that’s my monthly support of ministries that I wholeheartedly believe in….The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, Bethel Colony of Mercy, Hope Pregnancy Center, The Good News Club, and others.
Why have I refused to cut out my monthly support of these ministries? Because they are the places I sow my spiritual financial seed(this does not count my tithe….this is over and above my tithe)…and based on the Word of God, if I begin to sow this spiritual financial seed sparingly, I will reap financial seed sparingly. In other words….I’ll cut out my home phone before I cut out my support of these ministries….why? Because I believe if I ever cut them out, the financial blessings will stop coming. You see even though I don’t have a steady paycheck coming in right now….The Lord has provided for every one of my needs….I haven’t missed a meal or a payment.
How do you not miss a meal or a payment when you don’t have a steady paycheck coming in?
The provision and blessing of God on your life….
And how do you experience the provision and blessing of God on your life? You continue to sow bountifully even when everybody else says not to….I’d rather not have a home phone and give that money to these ministries than have a home phone, not give these ministries anything, and risk losing it all because I’m no longer sowing spiritual financial seeds bountifully.
You see…..Verse 7 says we are not to give grudgingly or out of obligation because God loves a cheerful giver. I don’t look at my tithe and these other ministries as money I have to give…..no no no….its money I GET to give….I have the privilege of partnering with them in ministry.
How are you doing when it comes to sowing spiritual financial seed?
I love the lyrics to this song by The Gaither Vocal Band….Give it away….
If you want more happy than your heart will hold
If you want to stand taller if the truth were told
Take whatever you have, and give it away
If you want less lonely and a lot more fun
And deep satisfaction when the day is done
Then throw your heart wide open and give it away
Challenge: Sow spiritual financial seeds bountifully into The Lord’s Kingdom today…
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
I would appreciate your prayers today. I’m preaching a funeral at 1PM. I always give a Gospel invitation at funerals….but this family has specifically requested one which is even better. Please pray for The Lord to work through me to see many come to Christ.
SECOND: If you know someone NOT ON FACEBOOK that would like to receive these devos via text or email, please contact me with their info and I’ll be glad to send it out each day to them.
WE WANT AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO RECEIVE THE WORD
Read 2 Corinthians 7-9
Right off the bat, verse 1 of Chapter 7 says to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. Is there something in your life that you are doing that you know you ought not to be doing? The Lord is telling us right now to STOP IT. To rid ourselves of it. Much easier said than done….but nonetheless, it’s the commandment of God.
In Verse 4, Paul says he is exceeding joyful in tribulation. I wish I could say that….if I could, I’d be the most joyful man in this part of the country….so how was Paul joyful in tribulation? His joy didn’t come from circumstances….it came from Jesus….the abiding presence of Jesus Christ in His life. Too many times you and I look to our circumstances for joy instead of our Saviour.
Lord help me to look to You for my joy instead of what’s going on around me.
I can identify with Paul in Verse 5 when he says without were fightings, within were fears. In other words….everybody around him was fighting/disagreeing/offering their opinion….and that caused him to have great fear in his life. I truly believe fear is at a peak right now as there is so much disagreement all around us and people using social media and other avenues to give their unsolicited opinions.
So what comforted Paul from these fears? Look at Verse 6….this is good….
A friend showed up….Titus.
The presence of a friend brought Paul comfort.
Now….we need to look at this from 2 angles……
Angle #1……if we are dealing with fear….stop isolating ourselves….stop holing up, and hiding from the world. There’s probably no one more guilty of this than me. In fact, my attorney has fussed at me numerous times for isolating myself over the last few months. I understand her point that I don’t need to….but there’s another aspect to it…..not everybody we associate with brings comfort.
I’ve been AMBUSHED 3 different times since January 1 with conversations I never saw coming. I don’t mind having hard conversations with folks….I won’t shy away from them…..but just lay it out up front this is what we are going to deal with and not try to lay a trap/ambush/catch someone off guard here. That is not productive and never works for edification…..and it leads me to Angle #2….
Angle #2….our presence should bring comfort to our friends. Does it? If we are not bringing comfort but instead anxiety and stress, then we are not accomplishing what The Lord is telling us here.
Here’s my challenge for today….and as always….I’m taking this challenge myself….it’s a two-fold challenge:
1. Allow yourself to be comforted by a friend today.
2. Be a comfort to someone today by your presence.
Verse 9 talks about being sorrowful to repentance….this is the whole purpose of godly sorrow….not to bring shame….but to bring repentance that leads to a following of The Lord’s prescribed lifestyle for us.
Does the sorrow you experience lead to repentance?
Chapter 8 Verse 9 talks about what Jesus GAVE UP for me and you…..we are quick to talk about how Jesus gave His life on the cross for us…..I’m certainly thankful for that….but have you also thought about what He GAVE UP for me and you?
He was rich…..Jesus was the King of Glory….He had anything and everything He wanted….not a care in the world….no stress….no wants….no needs….pure joy and happiness in the presence of His Father in Heaven. Never experienced a cloudy day….never experienced rain….never experienced pain….never experienced disappointment….never had a broken heart.
Jesus was rich…..yet He left all of that and became poor….He came to Earth where He suffered loss, stress, want, cloudy days, rain, pain, disappointment, and a broken heart.
Why?
The rest of verse 9…..so that we could become rich and have eternal life in Heaven with Him where we can live without a care in the world…no stress….no wants….no needs….pure joy and happiness in the presence of The Father….never experience a cloudy day again….never experience rain again….never experience pain again….never experience disappointment again….never experience a broken heart again.
Jesus left Heaven so we could have Heaven one day.
WOW WOW WOW
Chapter 9 verse 6 is an important verse….he who sows sparingly will reap sparingly….and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully.
Obviously this principle applies to farming…..if you are stingy with your seed, your crop will be slim also.
But it also applies to the spiritual seed that we sow…..let me give you a very personal example. I no longer have a steady paycheck coming in…..you would think in that situation, I would hunker down and cut out everything unnecessary….and that’s exactly what I’ve done.
But there’s one thing I’ve refused to cut out….and that’s my monthly support of ministries that I wholeheartedly believe in….The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, Bethel Colony of Mercy, Hope Pregnancy Center, The Good News Club, and others.
Why have I refused to cut out my monthly support of these ministries? Because they are the places I sow my spiritual financial seed(this does not count my tithe….this is over and above my tithe)…and based on the Word of God, if I begin to sow this spiritual financial seed sparingly, I will reap financial seed sparingly. In other words….I’ll cut out my home phone before I cut out my support of these ministries….why? Because I believe if I ever cut them out, the financial blessings will stop coming. You see even though I don’t have a steady paycheck coming in right now….The Lord has provided for every one of my needs….I haven’t missed a meal or a payment.
How do you not miss a meal or a payment when you don’t have a steady paycheck coming in?
The provision and blessing of God on your life….
And how do you experience the provision and blessing of God on your life? You continue to sow bountifully even when everybody else says not to….I’d rather not have a home phone and give that money to these ministries than have a home phone, not give these ministries anything, and risk losing it all because I’m no longer sowing spiritual financial seeds bountifully.
You see…..Verse 7 says we are not to give grudgingly or out of obligation because God loves a cheerful giver. I don’t look at my tithe and these other ministries as money I have to give…..no no no….its money I GET to give….I have the privilege of partnering with them in ministry.
How are you doing when it comes to sowing spiritual financial seed?
I love the lyrics to this song by The Gaither Vocal Band….Give it away….
If you want more happy than your heart will hold
If you want to stand taller if the truth were told
Take whatever you have, and give it away
If you want less lonely and a lot more fun
And deep satisfaction when the day is done
Then throw your heart wide open and give it away
Challenge: Sow spiritual financial seeds bountifully into The Lord’s Kingdom today…
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 22nd Pray, Read, Worship
Read 2 Corinthians 4-6
2 Corinthians 4:1 says “we have this ministry”….now most people only think of preachers/singers as having a ministry….but that is not biblically true. Every single one of us has a ministry in which we are tasked with making Jesus known to this world. Sure….some of our ministries or more public than others….and some will have a bigger impact numbers wise than others….but make no mistake….ALL OF US have a ministry.
Here’s where I have personally struggled with this…..
I’ve had a “public” ministry for most of my life….I started playing with a Gospel Singing group at the age of 11 and played till I was 26. During that time I became a Deacon in my church which allowed me to carry on deacon ministry after I came off the road….and of course then I became a worship leader and Pastor.
But even though I’ve had a “public” ministry to the masses….I am also called to have a private ministry 1 on 1 with those I come in contact with each day. For many years, I thought my only ministry was my public ministry…..but that was simply not the case. Just like you, I’m called to have my private ministry also…..the times I smile and encourage the person working the fast food window….the times I pray for a friend….the times I send a text of encouragement to someone that comes across my mind.
Every single one of us have a ministry….are you actively ministering to others?
Verse 3 tells us what happens when we don’t minister to others….if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. In other words….if we don’t minister to others, lost people will never hear about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We saw all the posts on Facebook yesterday about graduation…..one of my single biggest regrets in life is that I wasn’t a light for Jesus in high school. I have several friends from high school that have already passed away. I never shared the Gospel with any of them while in school. That’s a hard pill to swallow.
When we hide our light….when we don’t work in the ministry The Lord has given us….it affects lost people and their opportunity to hear about and respond to Jesus.
Verse 4 says that Satan blinds the minds of lost people….how does he do that? Simple….by causing them to think that other things are more important than Christ. Nothing wrong with playing ball…I loved playing ball in school….but it’s not more important than your relationship with Christ. Nothing wrong with hunting, fishing, camping, or being out on a boat. But it’s not more important than your relationship with Christ. The way Satan blinds people is to get them to think that something else is more important than Jesus. It’s our job to show them that it’s not.
I wish I could be more like Paul is in verses 8 and 9…..it says he was troubled on every side, but not stressed out. It says he was perplexed, but not in despair. Persecuted but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed.
Can I be honest….when things start caving in on me from every side….I get stressed out. When I can’t figure out a problem, I begin to despair. I’m a work in progress friends. A singer friend of mine texted me yesterday this line from a Joel Hemphill classic song….”He’s still workin’ on me….to make me what I ought to be.” I want to be more like Paul and not get stressed out when things start caving in on me.
Verse 17 says our light affliction will work a greater work of glory in us.
In a crazy sort of way, I had that happen yesterday. We sold a cow and calf and was getting them up to deliver. We got the calf, but missed out on the cow. We tried and tried and tried and tried and tried and tried to get the cow up but to no avail. So we left the calf in the barn, thinking the momma would come up later and we could get her in….NOPE.
All this time, Caroline was telling me….Daddy, put the calf in the cattle trailer and the momma will walk up in there to the baby.
No Caroline….a cow is not going to just walk up in a cattle trailer out in the middle of the field.
Well about 6 o’clock yesterday evening, when the momma still hadn’t come up, I decided to try Caroline’s suggestion….we put the calf in the front of the trailer and shut the cut gate. We left the back gates open and put a little sweet feed in the trailer.
You see where this is going don’t you…..
Yep….you guessed it….I pull the trailer out in the field….calf starts bawling on que….momma walks up…and with a little bit of “encouragement” from me and Caroline, she walks up in the trailer.
A miracle I’m telling you…..never seen it happen like that before. Cows don’t just walk up into cattle trailers out in an open field.
My light affliction yesterday trying and trying and trying to get that cow up….led to a greater work of glory yesterday evening when I saw God just show off and get that cow in the trailer for me.
You see friends….not only does Verse 17 apply to our light affliction here on Earth and the greater glory in Heaven….but it also applies to problems we have here on Earth and how God will show up to solve them. There were some other circumstances surrounding that cow yesterday that I’m not going to share….but I will share this….I needed to see The Lord manifest Himself with Caroline and that cow yesterday….that was a big reminder and encouragement to me in my walk yesterday. The Lord will do that same thing for all of us if we will just open our eyes to see what He is doing. Our temporary setback may be a setup for The Lord to do something in our lives that can only be explained by Him.
Look at the 3rd word in Verse 1 of Chapter 5….KNOW….for we know….not wishful thinking…not suppose…not wonder….we know for a fact that when we die, we have a home waiting for us in Heaven.
PRAISE THE LORD WE CAN KNOW AND NOT DOUBT!!! WE CAN KNOW AND NOT WONDER!!! WE CAN KNOW AND NOT WISH!!!
In verse 2, Paul admits his desire to go to Heaven….I have that same desire. On Sunday, our worship song will be Sweet Beulah Land…..the first lines penned by Squire Parsons are incredible….
I’m kind of homesick for a country
To which I’ve never been before.
Squire captured the cry of many believer’s hearts with those 13 words. We desire to leave the pain of Earth and go to the glory of Heaven.
The word naked in Verse 3 is very important….it reveals to us that those who experience the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20…the judgement for lost people….will be standing before Jesus Christ NAKED with nothing to hide them or their sins. OUCH. Not me….I’ve made my arrangements to miss that.
Verse 7 says we walk by faith and not by sight…..can I be honest….most of us want to see everything planned out all the way to the end before we take the next step….and we base that on the Bible where it says in Luke 14:28 we are to count the cost. I get that….but that’s not what the whole context of scripture says….The Bible in its entirety is a walk by faith….take the next step until The Lord tells you what to do next.
Abraham walked by faith
Hannah walked by faith
David walked by faith
Joseph walked by faith
We can’t know how everything is going to play out….we just have to take the next step in front of us by faith knowing that The Lord will work it all out….EVEN IF WE MAKE A MISTAKE AND TAKE THE WRONG STEP. You see that right there is where I get all bothered….I’ll get paralyzed in fear….scared that I’m going to make a wrong move or a wrong step…..and I won’t take a step….I’ll just stay where I am.
Listen to me…..GOD IS BIG ENOUGH TO FIX OUR MISTAKES….newsflash….we are going to make mistakes….we are going to take some wrong steps….that’s OK….The Lord is big enough to work all that out for our good.
My challenge to you today…take a step forward toward the vision God has given you for your life.
Walk by faith….take one step and trust The Lord to guide you to the next.
I guess I’ve quoted 2 Corinthians 5:8 at every funeral I’ve preached for a Christian….we are absent from the body and present with The Lord. When our Christian loved ones die….their bodies are left here on Earth and we bury those bodies in the ground. But their soul….the essence of who they are is not here anymore….its present with The Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven. My grandparents are not in the ground behind the Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church or in Robertson County Memorial Gardens in Springfield…..sure their bodies may be there….but their souls are with Jesus Christ right now in Heaven. What an incredible comfort that is to me.
Verse 11 says that knowing the terror of The Lord, we persuade men. Let me just put this in some plain English….knowing how bad hell is….knowing how bad the great white throne judgment is…I’m doing all I can to persuade….to encourage others to make their arrangements with Jesus to miss out on all that.
I’ve had a man look me in the eye, tell me he’s going to hell and that he’s OK with it. Obviously he doesn’t realize how bad it’s going to be or he would be doing everything he can to avoid it. I did my best to persuade him…but ultimately he has to make the decision for himself.
Verse 20 says we are ambassadors or representatives for Christ. What kind of ambassador are you for Christ? Do you cause people to want to be a follower of Christ or do you make people want to run from Him.
2 Corinthians 6:2 lets us know that today is the day a lost person should accept Christ. They should not wait till tomorrow. Today is the accepted day of salvation. Don’t procrastinate because someday there will be no tomorrow.
2 Corinthians 6:14 is my only litmus test for performing a wedding….are both the man and woman saved? Why is this my litmus test? Because of 2 Corinthians 6:14 that says don’t be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
But this doesn’t just apply to marriage….it also applies to business partnerships. When a Christian is yoked together with a non-Christian….LOTS OF TROUBLE is waiting for you in the future.
Verse 17 says that we are to be a separate people….in the world but not of the world. How are you doing on that?Thank you so much for reading these devos and your comments below. They are an encouragement to me.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read 2 Corinthians 4-6
2 Corinthians 4:1 says “we have this ministry”….now most people only think of preachers/singers as having a ministry….but that is not biblically true. Every single one of us has a ministry in which we are tasked with making Jesus known to this world. Sure….some of our ministries or more public than others….and some will have a bigger impact numbers wise than others….but make no mistake….ALL OF US have a ministry.
Here’s where I have personally struggled with this…..
I’ve had a “public” ministry for most of my life….I started playing with a Gospel Singing group at the age of 11 and played till I was 26. During that time I became a Deacon in my church which allowed me to carry on deacon ministry after I came off the road….and of course then I became a worship leader and Pastor.
But even though I’ve had a “public” ministry to the masses….I am also called to have a private ministry 1 on 1 with those I come in contact with each day. For many years, I thought my only ministry was my public ministry…..but that was simply not the case. Just like you, I’m called to have my private ministry also…..the times I smile and encourage the person working the fast food window….the times I pray for a friend….the times I send a text of encouragement to someone that comes across my mind.
Every single one of us have a ministry….are you actively ministering to others?
Verse 3 tells us what happens when we don’t minister to others….if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. In other words….if we don’t minister to others, lost people will never hear about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We saw all the posts on Facebook yesterday about graduation…..one of my single biggest regrets in life is that I wasn’t a light for Jesus in high school. I have several friends from high school that have already passed away. I never shared the Gospel with any of them while in school. That’s a hard pill to swallow.
When we hide our light….when we don’t work in the ministry The Lord has given us….it affects lost people and their opportunity to hear about and respond to Jesus.
Verse 4 says that Satan blinds the minds of lost people….how does he do that? Simple….by causing them to think that other things are more important than Christ. Nothing wrong with playing ball…I loved playing ball in school….but it’s not more important than your relationship with Christ. Nothing wrong with hunting, fishing, camping, or being out on a boat. But it’s not more important than your relationship with Christ. The way Satan blinds people is to get them to think that something else is more important than Jesus. It’s our job to show them that it’s not.
I wish I could be more like Paul is in verses 8 and 9…..it says he was troubled on every side, but not stressed out. It says he was perplexed, but not in despair. Persecuted but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed.
Can I be honest….when things start caving in on me from every side….I get stressed out. When I can’t figure out a problem, I begin to despair. I’m a work in progress friends. A singer friend of mine texted me yesterday this line from a Joel Hemphill classic song….”He’s still workin’ on me….to make me what I ought to be.” I want to be more like Paul and not get stressed out when things start caving in on me.
Verse 17 says our light affliction will work a greater work of glory in us.
In a crazy sort of way, I had that happen yesterday. We sold a cow and calf and was getting them up to deliver. We got the calf, but missed out on the cow. We tried and tried and tried and tried and tried and tried to get the cow up but to no avail. So we left the calf in the barn, thinking the momma would come up later and we could get her in….NOPE.
All this time, Caroline was telling me….Daddy, put the calf in the cattle trailer and the momma will walk up in there to the baby.
No Caroline….a cow is not going to just walk up in a cattle trailer out in the middle of the field.
Well about 6 o’clock yesterday evening, when the momma still hadn’t come up, I decided to try Caroline’s suggestion….we put the calf in the front of the trailer and shut the cut gate. We left the back gates open and put a little sweet feed in the trailer.
You see where this is going don’t you…..
Yep….you guessed it….I pull the trailer out in the field….calf starts bawling on que….momma walks up…and with a little bit of “encouragement” from me and Caroline, she walks up in the trailer.
A miracle I’m telling you…..never seen it happen like that before. Cows don’t just walk up into cattle trailers out in an open field.
My light affliction yesterday trying and trying and trying to get that cow up….led to a greater work of glory yesterday evening when I saw God just show off and get that cow in the trailer for me.
You see friends….not only does Verse 17 apply to our light affliction here on Earth and the greater glory in Heaven….but it also applies to problems we have here on Earth and how God will show up to solve them. There were some other circumstances surrounding that cow yesterday that I’m not going to share….but I will share this….I needed to see The Lord manifest Himself with Caroline and that cow yesterday….that was a big reminder and encouragement to me in my walk yesterday. The Lord will do that same thing for all of us if we will just open our eyes to see what He is doing. Our temporary setback may be a setup for The Lord to do something in our lives that can only be explained by Him.
Look at the 3rd word in Verse 1 of Chapter 5….KNOW….for we know….not wishful thinking…not suppose…not wonder….we know for a fact that when we die, we have a home waiting for us in Heaven.
PRAISE THE LORD WE CAN KNOW AND NOT DOUBT!!! WE CAN KNOW AND NOT WONDER!!! WE CAN KNOW AND NOT WISH!!!
In verse 2, Paul admits his desire to go to Heaven….I have that same desire. On Sunday, our worship song will be Sweet Beulah Land…..the first lines penned by Squire Parsons are incredible….
I’m kind of homesick for a country
To which I’ve never been before.
Squire captured the cry of many believer’s hearts with those 13 words. We desire to leave the pain of Earth and go to the glory of Heaven.
The word naked in Verse 3 is very important….it reveals to us that those who experience the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20…the judgement for lost people….will be standing before Jesus Christ NAKED with nothing to hide them or their sins. OUCH. Not me….I’ve made my arrangements to miss that.
Verse 7 says we walk by faith and not by sight…..can I be honest….most of us want to see everything planned out all the way to the end before we take the next step….and we base that on the Bible where it says in Luke 14:28 we are to count the cost. I get that….but that’s not what the whole context of scripture says….The Bible in its entirety is a walk by faith….take the next step until The Lord tells you what to do next.
Abraham walked by faith
Hannah walked by faith
David walked by faith
Joseph walked by faith
We can’t know how everything is going to play out….we just have to take the next step in front of us by faith knowing that The Lord will work it all out….EVEN IF WE MAKE A MISTAKE AND TAKE THE WRONG STEP. You see that right there is where I get all bothered….I’ll get paralyzed in fear….scared that I’m going to make a wrong move or a wrong step…..and I won’t take a step….I’ll just stay where I am.
Listen to me…..GOD IS BIG ENOUGH TO FIX OUR MISTAKES….newsflash….we are going to make mistakes….we are going to take some wrong steps….that’s OK….The Lord is big enough to work all that out for our good.
My challenge to you today…take a step forward toward the vision God has given you for your life.
Walk by faith….take one step and trust The Lord to guide you to the next.
I guess I’ve quoted 2 Corinthians 5:8 at every funeral I’ve preached for a Christian….we are absent from the body and present with The Lord. When our Christian loved ones die….their bodies are left here on Earth and we bury those bodies in the ground. But their soul….the essence of who they are is not here anymore….its present with The Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven. My grandparents are not in the ground behind the Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church or in Robertson County Memorial Gardens in Springfield…..sure their bodies may be there….but their souls are with Jesus Christ right now in Heaven. What an incredible comfort that is to me.
Verse 11 says that knowing the terror of The Lord, we persuade men. Let me just put this in some plain English….knowing how bad hell is….knowing how bad the great white throne judgment is…I’m doing all I can to persuade….to encourage others to make their arrangements with Jesus to miss out on all that.
I’ve had a man look me in the eye, tell me he’s going to hell and that he’s OK with it. Obviously he doesn’t realize how bad it’s going to be or he would be doing everything he can to avoid it. I did my best to persuade him…but ultimately he has to make the decision for himself.
Verse 20 says we are ambassadors or representatives for Christ. What kind of ambassador are you for Christ? Do you cause people to want to be a follower of Christ or do you make people want to run from Him.
2 Corinthians 6:2 lets us know that today is the day a lost person should accept Christ. They should not wait till tomorrow. Today is the accepted day of salvation. Don’t procrastinate because someday there will be no tomorrow.
2 Corinthians 6:14 is my only litmus test for performing a wedding….are both the man and woman saved? Why is this my litmus test? Because of 2 Corinthians 6:14 that says don’t be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
But this doesn’t just apply to marriage….it also applies to business partnerships. When a Christian is yoked together with a non-Christian….LOTS OF TROUBLE is waiting for you in the future.
Verse 17 says that we are to be a separate people….in the world but not of the world. How are you doing on that?Thank you so much for reading these devos and your comments below. They are an encouragement to me.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 21st Pray, Read, Worship
YOUR GENEROSITY HELPED US GIVE A MAN SOME FOOD TODAY….WISH YOU COULD’VE SEEN THE SMILE ON HIS FACE WHEN WE SHARED THE LOVE OF JESUS. WHAT A BLESSING!!
Read 2 Corinthians 1-3
Right off the bat, Paul says that it was God’s will for him to be an Apostle.
May I ask you a very direct question? Do you know what God’s will is for your life?
In order to know The Lord’s will for your life, you need The 3 C’s….
1. Conviction—deep down in your heart, do you feel a conviction that this is what you need to do.
2. Circumstances—without manipulating things….does the situation play out for you to do this?
3. Confirmation—without fishing for a compliment…do other people tell you, “You know you should do this you would be great at it.”
You need all 3 of the C’s to know it’s God’s will….can’t just be 1 or 2….must be all three.
Let me give you a personal example to illustrate….my own call to preach….I had the conviction in my heart since high school….but I ran from it and tried to fulfill that desire with anything else other than preaching….Gospel Singing, Christian Radio, Concert Promotion, Lay Speaking, Deacon, etc. Then the circumstances came up…..after starting Yellow Creek….Brother Dennis Jones took a 3 week Mission Trip to Africa that left me to preach for 3 Sunday’s in a row….During and after that mission trip….all kinds of people came up to me unsolicited and said, “You ever thought about being a preacher….etc”.
That’s how it worked for me….Conviction in my heart about preaching….circumstances of Brother Dennis leaving for 3 Sundays….confirmation from others about my call….yours will go in a similar fashion if it’s the will of God.
Then once you have all 3 of the C’s….you will actually need a 4th C….Courage….you see, to step out in God’s will for your life, courage and faith are required….you may even be like Elisha and burn/get rid of the stuff in your former life so there will be no going back.
Whether it’s a new job….a new career….a potential spouse….where to live…..where to go to school….anything in which you need to figure out God’s will for your life….look for the 3 C’s.
In Verse 2, Paul prays grace and peace for all those reading this letter. I challenged you at the beginning of 1 Corinthians to pray grace and peace for others….I started doing that….and one person in particular that I was praying for….man alive, did I ever notice a difference in them. Praying grace and peace over those you love is biblically based and it works!!!
In Verses 3-4 we are told to comfort and help those in similar situations that we have been through before. Again…let me give you another personal example. I’ve obviously never been through a divorce before…but I can’t tell you how much comfort I received from friends that reached out to me who had been through what I was going through. Man alive, I had some fantastic, open, and transparent conversations with both divorced men and women that helped me tremendously through the last 5 months.
I hope I can return the favor one day
I’ll give you an example of where I do return the favor….I’ve never had a parent, child, or sibling to die….but I have lost my grandparents…..grandparents that I dearly loved….so when I meet someone that has recently had a grandparent to die….I can comfort them by identifying with them and their feelings.
Let me give you another example….my mom has had breast cancer twice….I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen my busy mom get a phone call in the middle of whatever she was doing…..the voice on the other end tells my mom that they just got diagnosed with breast cancer….and immediately, my mom would put down whatever she was doing, go to her chair, sit down and start listening, crying, sharing, and comforting the woman on the other end.
This is how we are supposed to live our lives as followers of Jesus. I hope you are reaching out to those you can comfort…..if not….then you shouldn’t expect anybody to reach out when you need comforting cause we reap what we sow.
Verse 8 rebuffs the popular misnomer that God won’t give you more than you can handle….HOGWASH….He gives us more than we can handle ALL THE TIME….here Paul was given more than he could handle….so much that he despaired of life….he wanted to die.
Ever been there where you asked the Lord to just let you die in your sleep and not wake up? Yep…me too….the great Apostle Paul too….God gives us more than we can handle all the time…..
But He never gives us more than HE can handle. The Lord handled things for Paul. He’s handling things for me….and He will handle things for you too my friend.
Verse 9 just cuts to the truth about something else I’ve heard dozens of people say….. “I just don’t trust anybody other than myself to do this….” Well Verse 9 ways that we can’t even trust ourselves….and boy oh boy is that right….I can’t tell you how many times I’ve let myself down….how many times have I said, “Phillip….no more drinking cokes….” Only to order a coke next time I go through the drive through.
Friend….I totally get not trusting other people….totally get that….I trust fewer people in my life right now than I ever have…..but look here….we can’t trust ourselves either….we can only , truly, 100% trust in The Lord….He’s the only one…including ourselves….that will never let us down.
2 Corinthians 1:12 is the beginning of a theme today….keep our preaching and testimonies SIMPLE….I think way too many people try to overcomplicate preaching or giving our testimony….it’s not supposed to be hard and it’s not supposed to be complicated. It’s supposed to be simple. If you’ve never shared your testimony….would you please write it down today? Don’t try to overcomplicate things….keep it simple.
Verse 20 reminds us that God keeps every promise He’s ever made. AMEN AMEN AMEN AMEN!!!
Verse 22 gives us some very important info…..have you ever bought a house or car on credit? I have…and in each case….I had to give a down payment to show I was serious about the car or house and that I was intending to pay my debt.
In the exact same way…..God the Father has given us the down payment of The Holy Spirit to live inside of us now…..The Holy Spirit is His way of showing us He’s serious about everything He’s promised us. Now if that don’t get you excited my friend….if that don’t prove to you that The Lord means business….I don’t know what in the world will ever prove or excite you.
PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO 2 Corinthians 2:7-8…..it tells us what to do with believers in the church that have done wrong and committed sin….forgive them and comfort them so they are not swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.
Wow…wow….wow…I can personally testify friends….that when your church family isolates you, holds grudges against you, and does not step up to offer comfort…..it is overmuch sorrow….too much to bare…you will begin to despair of life itself as Paul did in Chapter 1.
So the next time someone in your church does wrong, commits sin, or is simply ACCUSED of doing wrong and committing sin….instead of ostracizing them….instead of being more concerned about what appearances are….step forward and confirm your love for that person as Verse 8 says we should.
What happens if you decide not to? In addition to the person feeling overwhelmed with sorrow, The Bible says in Verse 10-11 that Satan will get an advantage over the church, and all involved. You really want that to happen?
In 2 Corinthians 3:3….we see the biblical basis for a thought I shared yesterday….we are the only Bible that most unbelievers will ever read. Read that verse carefully…..You are the epistle of Christ…written not with ink….but with The Spirit of the living God…not on tablets of stone….but in fleshly tables of the heart. We are the only Bible that unbelievers will read….
Question….what are unbelievers reading when they watch how you live?
Verse 12…..here’s that recurring theme again…..plainness of speech….I’ve had several people tell me….Phillip, you share/explain the Word where I can understand it.
First….thank you.
Second….it’s not an accident….its 100% intentional….why? Because The Bible tells us to use great plainness of speech so that people can understand.
What good would it be for me to preach/explain anything in The Bible if folks couldn’t understand what I was saying? Some arrogant folks call this dumbing it down….NO NO NO….it’s not dumbing it down….its speaking in plain English where folks can understand.
Let me give you an example of somebody that wasn’t a preacher….was incredibly intelligent….and man alive they had the gift of putting things in plain English where you could understand it….those of you from Houston County will easily recognize the name….the late Dr. A.J. Mitchum. Doc was a close family friend…..boy he was smart….and sure he could talk doctor talk with the best of them….but Doc had a way with words so that he could explain what was going on to us in plain English….and I believe that is why Doc was so loved and endeared by all his patients….including me.
Doc passed away in 2000. In 2004, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time…..it was a terrible diagnosis…..she had a surgery….the doctor came out and told us no cancer….all was clear. I can remember circling up in Momma’s hospital room and Brother Melvin Brooks leading us in prayer thanking The Lord for no cancer. A week later, Mom got a call….”Mrs. Chambers….we went ahead and sent the tumor off to pathology and turns out there was cancer at the very center….you are going to have to come back in for another surgery, chemo, and radiation.”
When I got the call from Mom and Dad….I absolutely lost it….I fell by the bed and wept/sobbed uncontrollably. I can’t even begin to describe how this news turned my life upside down.
Soon afterwards….one night in my dreams….Doc came and had one of his signature Dr. Mitchum plain English talks with me…He told me about Momma’s cancer, explained everything to me where I understood, and told me Mom was gonna be all right.
You may not believe that dream was real….but guess what….I don’t have to convince you for me to believe it was real. Based on the Word of God and what I experienced, I’m 100% convinced it was real.
And not only was it real….it was true….because my Momma is still here 16 years later….Praise The Lord.
I’m thankful for plain speech….and as long as I live….as long as I tell people about Jesus….like The Apostle Paul and like Dr. Mitchum….I intend to speak in plain English where people will understand.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
YOUR GENEROSITY HELPED US GIVE A MAN SOME FOOD TODAY….WISH YOU COULD’VE SEEN THE SMILE ON HIS FACE WHEN WE SHARED THE LOVE OF JESUS. WHAT A BLESSING!!
Read 2 Corinthians 1-3
Right off the bat, Paul says that it was God’s will for him to be an Apostle.
May I ask you a very direct question? Do you know what God’s will is for your life?
In order to know The Lord’s will for your life, you need The 3 C’s….
1. Conviction—deep down in your heart, do you feel a conviction that this is what you need to do.
2. Circumstances—without manipulating things….does the situation play out for you to do this?
3. Confirmation—without fishing for a compliment…do other people tell you, “You know you should do this you would be great at it.”
You need all 3 of the C’s to know it’s God’s will….can’t just be 1 or 2….must be all three.
Let me give you a personal example to illustrate….my own call to preach….I had the conviction in my heart since high school….but I ran from it and tried to fulfill that desire with anything else other than preaching….Gospel Singing, Christian Radio, Concert Promotion, Lay Speaking, Deacon, etc. Then the circumstances came up…..after starting Yellow Creek….Brother Dennis Jones took a 3 week Mission Trip to Africa that left me to preach for 3 Sunday’s in a row….During and after that mission trip….all kinds of people came up to me unsolicited and said, “You ever thought about being a preacher….etc”.
That’s how it worked for me….Conviction in my heart about preaching….circumstances of Brother Dennis leaving for 3 Sundays….confirmation from others about my call….yours will go in a similar fashion if it’s the will of God.
Then once you have all 3 of the C’s….you will actually need a 4th C….Courage….you see, to step out in God’s will for your life, courage and faith are required….you may even be like Elisha and burn/get rid of the stuff in your former life so there will be no going back.
Whether it’s a new job….a new career….a potential spouse….where to live…..where to go to school….anything in which you need to figure out God’s will for your life….look for the 3 C’s.
In Verse 2, Paul prays grace and peace for all those reading this letter. I challenged you at the beginning of 1 Corinthians to pray grace and peace for others….I started doing that….and one person in particular that I was praying for….man alive, did I ever notice a difference in them. Praying grace and peace over those you love is biblically based and it works!!!
In Verses 3-4 we are told to comfort and help those in similar situations that we have been through before. Again…let me give you another personal example. I’ve obviously never been through a divorce before…but I can’t tell you how much comfort I received from friends that reached out to me who had been through what I was going through. Man alive, I had some fantastic, open, and transparent conversations with both divorced men and women that helped me tremendously through the last 5 months.
I hope I can return the favor one day
I’ll give you an example of where I do return the favor….I’ve never had a parent, child, or sibling to die….but I have lost my grandparents…..grandparents that I dearly loved….so when I meet someone that has recently had a grandparent to die….I can comfort them by identifying with them and their feelings.
Let me give you another example….my mom has had breast cancer twice….I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen my busy mom get a phone call in the middle of whatever she was doing…..the voice on the other end tells my mom that they just got diagnosed with breast cancer….and immediately, my mom would put down whatever she was doing, go to her chair, sit down and start listening, crying, sharing, and comforting the woman on the other end.
This is how we are supposed to live our lives as followers of Jesus. I hope you are reaching out to those you can comfort…..if not….then you shouldn’t expect anybody to reach out when you need comforting cause we reap what we sow.
Verse 8 rebuffs the popular misnomer that God won’t give you more than you can handle….HOGWASH….He gives us more than we can handle ALL THE TIME….here Paul was given more than he could handle….so much that he despaired of life….he wanted to die.
Ever been there where you asked the Lord to just let you die in your sleep and not wake up? Yep…me too….the great Apostle Paul too….God gives us more than we can handle all the time…..
But He never gives us more than HE can handle. The Lord handled things for Paul. He’s handling things for me….and He will handle things for you too my friend.
Verse 9 just cuts to the truth about something else I’ve heard dozens of people say….. “I just don’t trust anybody other than myself to do this….” Well Verse 9 ways that we can’t even trust ourselves….and boy oh boy is that right….I can’t tell you how many times I’ve let myself down….how many times have I said, “Phillip….no more drinking cokes….” Only to order a coke next time I go through the drive through.
Friend….I totally get not trusting other people….totally get that….I trust fewer people in my life right now than I ever have…..but look here….we can’t trust ourselves either….we can only , truly, 100% trust in The Lord….He’s the only one…including ourselves….that will never let us down.
2 Corinthians 1:12 is the beginning of a theme today….keep our preaching and testimonies SIMPLE….I think way too many people try to overcomplicate preaching or giving our testimony….it’s not supposed to be hard and it’s not supposed to be complicated. It’s supposed to be simple. If you’ve never shared your testimony….would you please write it down today? Don’t try to overcomplicate things….keep it simple.
Verse 20 reminds us that God keeps every promise He’s ever made. AMEN AMEN AMEN AMEN!!!
Verse 22 gives us some very important info…..have you ever bought a house or car on credit? I have…and in each case….I had to give a down payment to show I was serious about the car or house and that I was intending to pay my debt.
In the exact same way…..God the Father has given us the down payment of The Holy Spirit to live inside of us now…..The Holy Spirit is His way of showing us He’s serious about everything He’s promised us. Now if that don’t get you excited my friend….if that don’t prove to you that The Lord means business….I don’t know what in the world will ever prove or excite you.
PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO 2 Corinthians 2:7-8…..it tells us what to do with believers in the church that have done wrong and committed sin….forgive them and comfort them so they are not swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.
Wow…wow….wow…I can personally testify friends….that when your church family isolates you, holds grudges against you, and does not step up to offer comfort…..it is overmuch sorrow….too much to bare…you will begin to despair of life itself as Paul did in Chapter 1.
So the next time someone in your church does wrong, commits sin, or is simply ACCUSED of doing wrong and committing sin….instead of ostracizing them….instead of being more concerned about what appearances are….step forward and confirm your love for that person as Verse 8 says we should.
What happens if you decide not to? In addition to the person feeling overwhelmed with sorrow, The Bible says in Verse 10-11 that Satan will get an advantage over the church, and all involved. You really want that to happen?
In 2 Corinthians 3:3….we see the biblical basis for a thought I shared yesterday….we are the only Bible that most unbelievers will ever read. Read that verse carefully…..You are the epistle of Christ…written not with ink….but with The Spirit of the living God…not on tablets of stone….but in fleshly tables of the heart. We are the only Bible that unbelievers will read….
Question….what are unbelievers reading when they watch how you live?
Verse 12…..here’s that recurring theme again…..plainness of speech….I’ve had several people tell me….Phillip, you share/explain the Word where I can understand it.
First….thank you.
Second….it’s not an accident….its 100% intentional….why? Because The Bible tells us to use great plainness of speech so that people can understand.
What good would it be for me to preach/explain anything in The Bible if folks couldn’t understand what I was saying? Some arrogant folks call this dumbing it down….NO NO NO….it’s not dumbing it down….its speaking in plain English where folks can understand.
Let me give you an example of somebody that wasn’t a preacher….was incredibly intelligent….and man alive they had the gift of putting things in plain English where you could understand it….those of you from Houston County will easily recognize the name….the late Dr. A.J. Mitchum. Doc was a close family friend…..boy he was smart….and sure he could talk doctor talk with the best of them….but Doc had a way with words so that he could explain what was going on to us in plain English….and I believe that is why Doc was so loved and endeared by all his patients….including me.
Doc passed away in 2000. In 2004, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time…..it was a terrible diagnosis…..she had a surgery….the doctor came out and told us no cancer….all was clear. I can remember circling up in Momma’s hospital room and Brother Melvin Brooks leading us in prayer thanking The Lord for no cancer. A week later, Mom got a call….”Mrs. Chambers….we went ahead and sent the tumor off to pathology and turns out there was cancer at the very center….you are going to have to come back in for another surgery, chemo, and radiation.”
When I got the call from Mom and Dad….I absolutely lost it….I fell by the bed and wept/sobbed uncontrollably. I can’t even begin to describe how this news turned my life upside down.
Soon afterwards….one night in my dreams….Doc came and had one of his signature Dr. Mitchum plain English talks with me…He told me about Momma’s cancer, explained everything to me where I understood, and told me Mom was gonna be all right.
You may not believe that dream was real….but guess what….I don’t have to convince you for me to believe it was real. Based on the Word of God and what I experienced, I’m 100% convinced it was real.
And not only was it real….it was true….because my Momma is still here 16 years later….Praise The Lord.
I’m thankful for plain speech….and as long as I live….as long as I tell people about Jesus….like The Apostle Paul and like Dr. Mitchum….I intend to speak in plain English where people will understand.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 20th Pray, Read, Worship
Read 1 Corinthians 14-16
Chapter 14 Verse 1 opens with 3 of the most powerful words you will read all day today…..
FOLLOW AFTER LOVE…..
A marriage without love is just roommates
A church without love is just a club or business
A friendship without love is just an acquaintance
But when love is added to the mix…true Biblical love…not lust or anything like that….true, biblical, unselfish, unconditional love….when that kind of love is added…
A marriage becomes a never ending honeymoon, hand in hand with your best friend.
A church will actually attract people to it and change the world.
A friendship will make you and the other party stronger, better, richer, and fuller.
Is your marriage, church, or friendship lacking these latter elements?
Then follow after love…..
The rest of Chapter 14 addresses speaking in tongues and order for worship….some key verses…
Verse 19…Paul says he’d rather speak 5 words that will help others understand the scripture than 10,000 in an unknown tongue that don’t benefit anybody else. That’s a word right there.
Verse 26—the goal of whatever we do in our worship services is for edifying. What does edifying mean? To instruct or improve someone’s life. The goal is not to show off how talented or good one is….it’s to bless others and improve their life.
Verse 33…God is not the author of confusion…if you are confused about a situation…that didn’t come from The Lord. He wants everything to be plain as day so even a child can understand it. Take a step back just a second…..if a visitor came to your church….would they understand what you are doing and why? We should arrange our services in such a way that they are not confusing to our visitors and guests.
Verse 40….Let all things be done decently and in order….The Lord has an order to everything He does…and we honor Him when we have an order to what we do. I guess it was my 15 plus years in the radio business that made me hate dead air….you know when you turn on your favorite radio station and don’t hear anything…..dead air is the enemy of radio….that’s why everything we did was specifically timed out so there was no dead air at all.
The same goes for your church service….it should be in order without any dead air. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
Then the word decently…generally acceptable standards of moral behavior….we are entering into the summer season where less and less clothes come to church. I never had a dress code at church…I just told folks that if everything is covered that needs to be covered we will be covered. Our goal at church is not to show off your cleavage, upper thigh, or tail ladies….or guys wearing tight fitting clothes that leave nothing to the imagination. Our biblical standard is to be decent at church….and by the way….when you wear those kind of clothes anyway….you are advertising….you are sending a message….and you better be careful when somebody comes along and wants what you are advertising….you will probably end up with more than you bargained for. Just sayin’.
The beginning of Chapter 15 is an encapsulation of the Gospel…..
Verse 3…Christ died FOR OUR SINS….Christ didn’t die for His sins….He had none….He didn’t die for crimes He committed….He didn’t commit any crimes….He died for mine and your sins….the sins we committed yesterday and the ones we are going to commit today….let that sink in just for a second.
Verse 4….Jesus didn’t stay dead or buried….He has power of death and the grave….and because He has the power over it…we can too.
Verse 5-6….His resurrection was verified by hundreds of eyewitnesses….this was not a rumor or fairytale.
Verse 14 shows the importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ….if Christ is not risen, then our preaching and our faith is in vain. Our preaching and faith would be just as useless as the Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists if it wasn’t for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Verse 33 gives us some advice our mother’s taught us….evil communication corrupts good manners. Be careful what you say….and if you are like me and say something you shouldn’t, then apologize quickly and make amends.
Beginning in Verse 35, The Bible speaks about our new bodies we will receive when we are resurrected after our death or raptured away with The Lord….I’m so thankful that one day, I will receive a body that has all 10 of its toes….doesn’t have to wear glasses to see….can hear good….doesn’t ache with pain….has all its hair….and isn’t overweight.
Verses 55-57 are some more of my favorites in the entire Bible….I read these at the graveside of just about every funeral I preach….Thank you Jesus for the Victory you give us over death and the grave!!! For the Christian…the grave is not the end of the road…and it’s not a loss….it’s a victory!!!
If you will allow me to be completely transparent with you…..I get mighty jealous when I preach funerals for Christians…..I know what they are experiencing now and oh how I’d love to be experiencing the same thing.
Verse 58 gives us a challenge….and this is my challenge to all of us today….be steadfast….steady…not up and down on a roller coaster all the time….not hot one week and cold the next….steady….consistent……be unmovable….always abounding in the work of the Lord. In everything we do….be doing the work of The Lord….pray with folks….encourage folks….love on folks.
Today….I want to encourage you to be consistent and steady…..and to abound in the work of the Lord with everyone you meet….shower the love of Jesus on them…..Then get ready to see how much better your world becomes.
Chapter 16 opens up with instructions for the offering…..in a nutshell….we are to plan ahead for our offerings….not just see what cash is left in our wallet when we get to church.
Chapter 16:9 is often overlooked but speaks a mouthful…..when a door of ministry opens for you, there will be many adversaries come against you….just get ready. I’ll never forget the night before I was ordained as a deacon….the group I was playing for was in concert with The Father’s Four at Smyrna Baptist Church in Humboldt. After the concert while everyone was taking down equipment, Larry Evans with The Father’s Four sat me down and gave me one of the best talking toos I’ve ever received in my life. He opened my eyes to what was about to take place once this ministry door of being a deacon opened for me….and boy was he ever right….Identity theft, IRS audit, business problems, and a divorce later….here I am.
Larry I gave that same talking to to my brother earlier this year when he was ordained as a deacon…and within 2 weeks, your sound advice came true to my brother.
Am I trying to discourage you from going through ministry doors of opportunity? Heavens no. All I’m trying to do is give you FULL DISCLOSURE of what will take place my friend….be ready….take 1 step forward for The Lord….and Satan will send the demons of hell after you.
In Verse 13, Paul says to watch….watch for what? Well we are told to beware or watch for ravening wolves in sheep’s clothing….and we are also told to watch for the return of Christ……do you have your eyes open to either of these?
Verse 13 also tells us to be steady and strong. Is your faith in Christ steady and strong? Or does it blow around like a flag in the wind?
Then Verses 14 and 24 wrap up everything we’ve talked about today from the beginning…do everything with love.
Our world desperately needs more love and less legalism and logic.
I love each and every one of you reading this devo….in full disclosure….I love some of you more than others….and some of you are much easier to love than others….but nonetheless….I love each and every one of you in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Why?
Because The Bible tells me so.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read 1 Corinthians 14-16
Chapter 14 Verse 1 opens with 3 of the most powerful words you will read all day today…..
FOLLOW AFTER LOVE…..
A marriage without love is just roommates
A church without love is just a club or business
A friendship without love is just an acquaintance
But when love is added to the mix…true Biblical love…not lust or anything like that….true, biblical, unselfish, unconditional love….when that kind of love is added…
A marriage becomes a never ending honeymoon, hand in hand with your best friend.
A church will actually attract people to it and change the world.
A friendship will make you and the other party stronger, better, richer, and fuller.
Is your marriage, church, or friendship lacking these latter elements?
Then follow after love…..
The rest of Chapter 14 addresses speaking in tongues and order for worship….some key verses…
Verse 19…Paul says he’d rather speak 5 words that will help others understand the scripture than 10,000 in an unknown tongue that don’t benefit anybody else. That’s a word right there.
Verse 26—the goal of whatever we do in our worship services is for edifying. What does edifying mean? To instruct or improve someone’s life. The goal is not to show off how talented or good one is….it’s to bless others and improve their life.
Verse 33…God is not the author of confusion…if you are confused about a situation…that didn’t come from The Lord. He wants everything to be plain as day so even a child can understand it. Take a step back just a second…..if a visitor came to your church….would they understand what you are doing and why? We should arrange our services in such a way that they are not confusing to our visitors and guests.
Verse 40….Let all things be done decently and in order….The Lord has an order to everything He does…and we honor Him when we have an order to what we do. I guess it was my 15 plus years in the radio business that made me hate dead air….you know when you turn on your favorite radio station and don’t hear anything…..dead air is the enemy of radio….that’s why everything we did was specifically timed out so there was no dead air at all.
The same goes for your church service….it should be in order without any dead air. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
Then the word decently…generally acceptable standards of moral behavior….we are entering into the summer season where less and less clothes come to church. I never had a dress code at church…I just told folks that if everything is covered that needs to be covered we will be covered. Our goal at church is not to show off your cleavage, upper thigh, or tail ladies….or guys wearing tight fitting clothes that leave nothing to the imagination. Our biblical standard is to be decent at church….and by the way….when you wear those kind of clothes anyway….you are advertising….you are sending a message….and you better be careful when somebody comes along and wants what you are advertising….you will probably end up with more than you bargained for. Just sayin’.
The beginning of Chapter 15 is an encapsulation of the Gospel…..
Verse 3…Christ died FOR OUR SINS….Christ didn’t die for His sins….He had none….He didn’t die for crimes He committed….He didn’t commit any crimes….He died for mine and your sins….the sins we committed yesterday and the ones we are going to commit today….let that sink in just for a second.
Verse 4….Jesus didn’t stay dead or buried….He has power of death and the grave….and because He has the power over it…we can too.
Verse 5-6….His resurrection was verified by hundreds of eyewitnesses….this was not a rumor or fairytale.
Verse 14 shows the importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ….if Christ is not risen, then our preaching and our faith is in vain. Our preaching and faith would be just as useless as the Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists if it wasn’t for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Verse 33 gives us some advice our mother’s taught us….evil communication corrupts good manners. Be careful what you say….and if you are like me and say something you shouldn’t, then apologize quickly and make amends.
Beginning in Verse 35, The Bible speaks about our new bodies we will receive when we are resurrected after our death or raptured away with The Lord….I’m so thankful that one day, I will receive a body that has all 10 of its toes….doesn’t have to wear glasses to see….can hear good….doesn’t ache with pain….has all its hair….and isn’t overweight.
Verses 55-57 are some more of my favorites in the entire Bible….I read these at the graveside of just about every funeral I preach….Thank you Jesus for the Victory you give us over death and the grave!!! For the Christian…the grave is not the end of the road…and it’s not a loss….it’s a victory!!!
If you will allow me to be completely transparent with you…..I get mighty jealous when I preach funerals for Christians…..I know what they are experiencing now and oh how I’d love to be experiencing the same thing.
Verse 58 gives us a challenge….and this is my challenge to all of us today….be steadfast….steady…not up and down on a roller coaster all the time….not hot one week and cold the next….steady….consistent……
Today….I want to encourage you to be consistent and steady…..and to abound in the work of the Lord with everyone you meet….shower the love of Jesus on them…..Then get ready to see how much better your world becomes.
Chapter 16 opens up with instructions for the offering…..in a nutshell….we are to plan ahead for our offerings….not just see what cash is left in our wallet when we get to church.
Chapter 16:9 is often overlooked but speaks a mouthful…..when a door of ministry opens for you, there will be many adversaries come against you….just get ready. I’ll never forget the night before I was ordained as a deacon….the group I was playing for was in concert with The Father’s Four at Smyrna Baptist Church in Humboldt. After the concert while everyone was taking down equipment, Larry Evans with The Father’s Four sat me down and gave me one of the best talking toos I’ve ever received in my life. He opened my eyes to what was about to take place once this ministry door of being a deacon opened for me….and boy was he ever right….Identity theft, IRS audit, business problems, and a divorce later….here I am.
Larry I gave that same talking to to my brother earlier this year when he was ordained as a deacon…and within 2 weeks, your sound advice came true to my brother.
Am I trying to discourage you from going through ministry doors of opportunity? Heavens no. All I’m trying to do is give you FULL DISCLOSURE of what will take place my friend….be ready….take 1 step forward for The Lord….and Satan will send the demons of hell after you.
In Verse 13, Paul says to watch….watch for what? Well we are told to beware or watch for ravening wolves in sheep’s clothing….and we are also told to watch for the return of Christ……do you have your eyes open to either of these?
Verse 13 also tells us to be steady and strong. Is your faith in Christ steady and strong? Or does it blow around like a flag in the wind?
Then Verses 14 and 24 wrap up everything we’ve talked about today from the beginning…do everything with love.
Our world desperately needs more love and less legalism and logic.
I love each and every one of you reading this devo….in full disclosure….I love some of you more than others….and some of you are much easier to love than others….but nonetheless….I love each and every one of you in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Why?
Because The Bible tells me so.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 19th Pray, Read, Worship
GREAT NEWS!! I received word last night from a faithful reader of these devos that she led a friend to The Lord over the weekend….PRAISE THE LORD we have another new sister in Christ!!!
This was the exact words of her message, “Man! What a feeling that was! I just love being able to help somebody do that.”
I have to agree….so….you know where I’m going with this…..who are you going to share The Gospel with today? Sure….the one praying to receive Christ will get the greater blessing….there’s no greater blessing than salvation….but my friend, I’m telling you…the blessing you will receive won’t be far behind.
Now for today’s devo…
Read 1 Corinthians 11-13
1 Corinthians 11:1….Paul once again encourages the church in Corinth to follow him because he is following Christ. Are you following Christ in such a way to be an example to others…..sure I’m going to fail and I do many many times….but look here….our goal should be to live our lives as an example to others BECAUSE WE ARE THE ONLY BIBLE THAT A NON-BELIEVER WILL READ.
In Verse 2….Paul mentions a word we’ve not seen yet….ordinances. What is an ordinance? I hate to use the word ritual but it’s the best word I can really think of…..an ordinance is a ritual designed to help us REMEMBER what Christ did for us….the key word is REMEMBER. There are two ordinances of the church….Baptism and The Lord’s Supper. In the ordinance of Baptism, we identify ourselves with Christ by remembering His death, burial, and resurrection. In the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, we remember what Jesus did for us on the cross by giving His body and shedding His blood.
In Verses 23-26 we receive the instructions for observing The Lord’s Supper. Bread first…give thanks…take, eat, and remember what Christ did for us. Cup next…give thanks…take, drink, and remember what Christ did for us.
Verse 28 is a very important verse for me….We are told to “let a man examine himself…” Its not our job to be the judge or be the police. When I see someone doing something I think they shouldn’t be….the first thing I do is to pray hard for The Holy Spirit to reveal it to them. The Holy Spirit can do more in 30 seconds than I could in 30 minutes trying to explain.
If you’ve never done that….you should try it. Instead of being the church police and telling everybody everything they are doing wrong….stop and pray for those folks and ask The Holy Spirit to reveal it to them.
Verses 29-32 speak to the importance of confessing our sins and repenting….when we examine ourselves, we don’t just need to recognize the sin in our life….we need to repent of it also. See that’s where I believe most people mess up….they know they are doing wrong….but they don’t repent. Unconfessed sin is a big deal with The Lord.
As a plain spoken country boy, I love 1 Corinthians 12:2….The Bible calls the things that people put as a priority over God dumb…..DUMB IDOLS….I love it!!! It’s the truth friends…..it’s just plain dumb to put anything as a higher priority in our life than God.
Verse 3 shows the role of the Holy Ghost in salvation….the Holy Ghost is who brings the conviction on us to help us realize our sinfulness and our need for a Savior. I’ve met many with a head knowledge…especially children….but The Holy Ghost wasn’t calling them. The Holy Ghost must call and convict someone deep in their hearts of their sin in order for true salvation to take place.
I love verse 6….diversities of operations, but the same God which worketh in all…..every church is organized for operations differently….that doesn’t mean that one way is right and the other is wrong….it’s OK to operate differently from one another as long as the MAIN THING is the main thing.
Same thing for Pastors….its OK for Pastors to operate differently….handle staff differently….administrate the church differently….nothing biblically wrong with that as long as God is at the center.
Beginning in Verse 12, Paul goes on to talk about the body of Christ and how we are many different members, but all with important functions that work toward keeping the whole body running.
I received a call yesterday from a family whose mother is in liver failure…..other parts of the body were working….but because of the liver failing….it’s causing the whole body to fail.
This same principle applies to our churches….not everyone is a Pastor, Sunday School teacher, Nursery Worker, Kitchen Worker, Janitor, etc…..but we all have important roles to play in order for the entire church to function.
Are you playing your role? I’ll give you a clue….if you are just showing up and sitting down at church, you’ll end up souring.
So why did God give me the talent to do one thing and you the talent to do something else? Look at Verse 18…God set all the member of the body AS IT HATH PLEASED HIM…..for whatever reason, The Lord wanted to make me a goofy acting country boy that could play the piano, sing a little, and preach. He created you to do something else…..whatever and however it pleased the Lord…that’s what He did.
Look at Verse 21….the eye can’t say to the hand, I have no need of you….the head can’t say to the feet….I have no need of you.
When we start treating members of our churches as expendable and not as important as others….we make a grave mistake. Everyone is needed to help the church move forward for the Kingdom of God.
Verse 26…..if there was no hope of Heaven….I’d still want to be a Christian and member of a local church for this one verse….when one member suffer, all the members suffer with it…when one honored….all the members rejoice with it.
When a church really conducts itself like this….it’s a very special thing. Now it’s rare….I’ve only experienced it a very few times in 43 years….but when I have….it’s been a wonderful thing.
If someone is suffering in your church body….help them….call them….pray for them….be there for them.
If someone is rejoicing….help make a big deal about it with them. This is what The Bible plainly tells us to do.
1 Corinthians 13 is the Love Chapter…in the King James Version….when you see the word charity, you can use the word love….the first 3 verses talk about how we can have the most awesome church in the world….best singers, best musicians, best of everything….but if we don’t have love in the church…its useless.
There’s also a personal aspect to this….we can have everything anybody could want….nice house, nice truck, farm, you name it….but if you don’t have love….everything seems pointless to you and as the Bible says in Verse 3….it profits you nothing.
Verse 4-7 give us the characteristics of love….patient, kind, etc. Nowhere in that list do I see the words good looking, pretty, nice hair, lots of money, or anything such as that. Love is not what’s on the outside folks….its what’s on the inside. As my Daddy says about his cows….pretty is as pretty does. Some of the best and most productive cows on our place are some of the ugliest….that’s just being honest. In fact….most of the time with us….when a cow is pretty as the world defines what pretty cows are…she’s usually not worth a flip….late breeding, raises a pitiful looking calf, first in the line to eat and will butt you outta the way to get to the sack of feed.
I’m learning more and more each day that people are a lot like cows.
Look at Verse 11….I want everybody to key in on Verse 11….this was my absolute number 1 pet peeve when I was pastoring….when I was a child, I acted like a child…but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
I had no problems at all when the children and teenagers in the church acted up…..they are kids….that’s exactly what we should expect them to do.
But man alive….when a grown adult was acting like a child, pouting cause they didn’t get their way, throwing temper tantrums and being ugly….that drove me insane!!! I said many many times that instead of being the Pastor of a church, I felt like the principal of a middle school.
Friends….if you are an adult reading this….it’s time to put away childish things….it’s time to grow up and act like an adult.
Verse 12 gives us an important insight into heaven. It says we will be known as we are known….in other words, when we get to Heaven, you will know me as Phillip Chambers…we will be known in Heaven as we are known on earth.
The last verse re-emphasizes the importance of love….we can have faith….we can have hope…..but if we don’t have love….if we don’t feel loved….if we aren’t loved…there’s just an emptiness in our souls that can’t be described. Love is what makes our faith and our hope click.
Love is not lust….love is not a feeling….love is a choice…it’s what verses 4-7 describe.
Here’s my challenge for today: Make sure you not only tell the people you love that you love them…but also…please do something from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 to show them and help them feel your love today. It will make a tremendous difference in their lives.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
GREAT NEWS!! I received word last night from a faithful reader of these devos that she led a friend to The Lord over the weekend….PRAISE THE LORD we have another new sister in Christ!!!
This was the exact words of her message, “Man! What a feeling that was! I just love being able to help somebody do that.”
I have to agree….so….you know where I’m going with this…..who are you going to share The Gospel with today? Sure….the one praying to receive Christ will get the greater blessing….there’s no greater blessing than salvation….but my friend, I’m telling you…the blessing you will receive won’t be far behind.
Now for today’s devo…
Read 1 Corinthians 11-13
1 Corinthians 11:1….Paul once again encourages the church in Corinth to follow him because he is following Christ. Are you following Christ in such a way to be an example to others…..sure I’m going to fail and I do many many times….but look here….our goal should be to live our lives as an example to others BECAUSE WE ARE THE ONLY BIBLE THAT A NON-BELIEVER WILL READ.
In Verse 2….Paul mentions a word we’ve not seen yet….ordinances. What is an ordinance? I hate to use the word ritual but it’s the best word I can really think of…..an ordinance is a ritual designed to help us REMEMBER what Christ did for us….the key word is REMEMBER. There are two ordinances of the church….Baptism and The Lord’s Supper. In the ordinance of Baptism, we identify ourselves with Christ by remembering His death, burial, and resurrection. In the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, we remember what Jesus did for us on the cross by giving His body and shedding His blood.
In Verses 23-26 we receive the instructions for observing The Lord’s Supper. Bread first…give thanks…take, eat, and remember what Christ did for us. Cup next…give thanks…take, drink, and remember what Christ did for us.
Verse 28 is a very important verse for me….We are told to “let a man examine himself…” Its not our job to be the judge or be the police. When I see someone doing something I think they shouldn’t be….the first thing I do is to pray hard for The Holy Spirit to reveal it to them. The Holy Spirit can do more in 30 seconds than I could in 30 minutes trying to explain.
If you’ve never done that….you should try it. Instead of being the church police and telling everybody everything they are doing wrong….stop and pray for those folks and ask The Holy Spirit to reveal it to them.
Verses 29-32 speak to the importance of confessing our sins and repenting….when we examine ourselves, we don’t just need to recognize the sin in our life….we need to repent of it also. See that’s where I believe most people mess up….they know they are doing wrong….but they don’t repent. Unconfessed sin is a big deal with The Lord.
As a plain spoken country boy, I love 1 Corinthians 12:2….The Bible calls the things that people put as a priority over God dumb…..DUMB IDOLS….I love it!!! It’s the truth friends…..it’s just plain dumb to put anything as a higher priority in our life than God.
Verse 3 shows the role of the Holy Ghost in salvation….the Holy Ghost is who brings the conviction on us to help us realize our sinfulness and our need for a Savior. I’ve met many with a head knowledge…especially children….but The Holy Ghost wasn’t calling them. The Holy Ghost must call and convict someone deep in their hearts of their sin in order for true salvation to take place.
I love verse 6….diversities of operations, but the same God which worketh in all…..every church is organized for operations differently….that doesn’t mean that one way is right and the other is wrong….it’s OK to operate differently from one another as long as the MAIN THING is the main thing.
Same thing for Pastors….its OK for Pastors to operate differently….handle staff differently….administrate the church differently….nothing biblically wrong with that as long as God is at the center.
Beginning in Verse 12, Paul goes on to talk about the body of Christ and how we are many different members, but all with important functions that work toward keeping the whole body running.
I received a call yesterday from a family whose mother is in liver failure…..other parts of the body were working….but because of the liver failing….it’s causing the whole body to fail.
This same principle applies to our churches….not everyone is a Pastor, Sunday School teacher, Nursery Worker, Kitchen Worker, Janitor, etc…..but we all have important roles to play in order for the entire church to function.
Are you playing your role? I’ll give you a clue….if you are just showing up and sitting down at church, you’ll end up souring.
So why did God give me the talent to do one thing and you the talent to do something else? Look at Verse 18…God set all the member of the body AS IT HATH PLEASED HIM…..for whatever reason, The Lord wanted to make me a goofy acting country boy that could play the piano, sing a little, and preach. He created you to do something else…..whatever and however it pleased the Lord…that’s what He did.
Look at Verse 21….the eye can’t say to the hand, I have no need of you….the head can’t say to the feet….I have no need of you.
When we start treating members of our churches as expendable and not as important as others….we make a grave mistake. Everyone is needed to help the church move forward for the Kingdom of God.
Verse 26…..if there was no hope of Heaven….I’d still want to be a Christian and member of a local church for this one verse….when one member suffer, all the members suffer with it…when one honored….all the members rejoice with it.
When a church really conducts itself like this….it’s a very special thing. Now it’s rare….I’ve only experienced it a very few times in 43 years….but when I have….it’s been a wonderful thing.
If someone is suffering in your church body….help them….call them….pray for them….be there for them.
If someone is rejoicing….help make a big deal about it with them. This is what The Bible plainly tells us to do.
1 Corinthians 13 is the Love Chapter…in the King James Version….when you see the word charity, you can use the word love….the first 3 verses talk about how we can have the most awesome church in the world….best singers, best musicians, best of everything….but if we don’t have love in the church…its useless.
There’s also a personal aspect to this….we can have everything anybody could want….nice house, nice truck, farm, you name it….but if you don’t have love….everything seems pointless to you and as the Bible says in Verse 3….it profits you nothing.
Verse 4-7 give us the characteristics of love….patient, kind, etc. Nowhere in that list do I see the words good looking, pretty, nice hair, lots of money, or anything such as that. Love is not what’s on the outside folks….its what’s on the inside. As my Daddy says about his cows….pretty is as pretty does. Some of the best and most productive cows on our place are some of the ugliest….that’s just being honest. In fact….most of the time with us….when a cow is pretty as the world defines what pretty cows are…she’s usually not worth a flip….late breeding, raises a pitiful looking calf, first in the line to eat and will butt you outta the way to get to the sack of feed.
I’m learning more and more each day that people are a lot like cows.
Look at Verse 11….I want everybody to key in on Verse 11….this was my absolute number 1 pet peeve when I was pastoring….when I was a child, I acted like a child…but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
I had no problems at all when the children and teenagers in the church acted up…..they are kids….that’s exactly what we should expect them to do.
But man alive….when a grown adult was acting like a child, pouting cause they didn’t get their way, throwing temper tantrums and being ugly….that drove me insane!!! I said many many times that instead of being the Pastor of a church, I felt like the principal of a middle school.
Friends….if you are an adult reading this….it’s time to put away childish things….it’s time to grow up and act like an adult.
Verse 12 gives us an important insight into heaven. It says we will be known as we are known….in other words, when we get to Heaven, you will know me as Phillip Chambers…we will be known in Heaven as we are known on earth.
The last verse re-emphasizes the importance of love….we can have faith….we can have hope…..but if we don’t have love….if we don’t feel loved….if we aren’t loved…there’s just an emptiness in our souls that can’t be described. Love is what makes our faith and our hope click.
Love is not lust….love is not a feeling….love is a choice…it’s what verses 4-7 describe.
Here’s my challenge for today: Make sure you not only tell the people you love that you love them…but also…please do something from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 to show them and help them feel your love today. It will make a tremendous difference in their lives.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for and financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 18th Pray, Read, Worship
Read 1 Corinthians 8-10
1 Corinthians 8:4 reaffirms that there is no other god in the universe but our God…the One True God. While probably none of us will disagree with this….I must ask the question….if we know there is only 1 God…then why in the world do we give other things priority over Him.
I’m going to preach to myself here….and if it applies to you…just hang on…
Why do I give priority to my children over God
Why do I give priority of my parents over God
Why do I give priority to my farm over God
Why do I give priority to my job over God
And then the big one….the one that hits home the hardest….
Why do I give priority to MYSELF over God?
Yikes!!
I think if we were all honest with each other, we all do this.
But regardless if we are all doing it….we shouldn’t be.
There’s only 1 God….and He alone should be the top priority of our life.
Examine yourself…..we will see a verse of scripture in our devo tomorrow that says let a man examine himself. Examine yourself….take inventory….Do a gut check and see if God is really your top priority.
1 Corinthians 8:9 continues a theme for the last 2-3 devos….”Take heed lest by any means our liberty(freedom) become a stumbling block to those that are weak(in the faith).” In other words….just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should do something. Especially if it will affect the spiritual walk of others.
Why is this important? Look at 1 Corinthians 8:12….when we sin against the brethren and wound their weak conscience….it’s the same as sinning against Christ. In other words….if we wouldn’t want Jesus to see us doing it….we probably shouldn’t be doing it.
The Holy Spirit is telling me right now that somebody reading this is getting under conviction over the last few days of devos on this subject….somebody really enjoys something….I don’t have a clear direction of what it is….but it’s something you enjoy….you have the freedom to do it….but when others see you do it….it causes them to get weak in their faith and you know it….but you are enjoying it a lot. There’s a battle going on right now in your Spirit.
My friend….take some personal advice here….go ahead and surrender to Christ. It just works out better that way. Trust me.
1 Corinthians 9:9 is about paying your preacher/minister….I’m not saying this because I’m God’s man….I have no benefit to say this because I don’t have a church….I’m just going to tell you the truth….when a church is stingy with paying and blessing the man of God….the Lord will be stingy sending blessings.
But thankfully…the opposite is true also….when a church generously blesses their pastor….The Lord will generously bless that church.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again….every single time I received a raise as Pastor….within 2-3 weeks, an unexpected offering would come in that would cover my raise for the rest of the year. You will never convince me that’s a coincidence.
I’ve been wrestling with 1 Corinthians 9:16 since I resigned as Pastor of Yellow Creek….woe unto me if I preach not the Gospel. Anybody that thinks I’m happy that I’m not preaching right now doesn’t really know me. To have that God called fire in your belly to stand behind the Holy Desk, break open the Word of God, and share what you have been given in your personal prayer/praise time with The Father…and then to not be doing it….it’s a woe….it’s a sadness…it’s a burden. That’s part of the reason I’m doing these devos every single day….there’s just a burden on my heart to preach the Gospel and tell people about Jesus.
I remember when I was wrestling with the call to preach….Brother Ken Andrews gave me the absolute best advice….I’ve taken it to heart so many days…..He said Phillip, if you can be happy doing anything else, then you are not called to preach. He is so true.
1 Corinthians 9:9 encourages us to do whatever we need to do with our lives in order to gain more….gain more what? Money? Fame? Land?
Nope….gain more souls for the Kingdom.
Are we willing to change/modify our lives…our wishes….our desires…our wants….in order to gain more souls for the Kingdom? Again…the surface answer is yes…..but dig down deep….examine yourself…and to be honest….just see if you are doing it now…..there is little need to say what we would do in the future if we are not doing it now in the present.
1 Corinthians 9:10 talks about the crowns we will receive(rewards) at the Judgment seat of Christ. I was going through a bunch of stuff in my attic last week and I ran across my old trophies from grade school…they were dusty and tarnished with time.
But the crown we will receive for being a servant of Christ….they will never tarnish.
1 Corinthians 10:11 encourages us to learn from the mistakes of others. Much easier said than done. Most of the time I have to learn from my own mistakes….but how much trouble, headache, and heartache would I be saving myself if I could learn from the mistakes of others?
1 Corinthians 10:13 is a big encouragement to me….no matter what temptation we face….The Lord has made a way out for us…there is an escape….its Him….Jesus is our escape…Jesus is our example. We just have to be willing to follow Him instead of the temptation.
1 Corinthians 10:26 reminds us that the entire earth belongs to The Lord…..and The Lord doesn’t create any junk. We are to be good stewards of everything He has entrusted us with.
1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds us that whatever we do…we need to do it for the glory of God.
I have my list of things to accomplish today…..
Take Caroline to get her driver’s license
Go to the bank
Talk to a man about a cow
Farm work
House work
In all of those tasks….I’m going to do my best to honor and glorify The Lord.
Would you join me and do the same with your life today?
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for an financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read 1 Corinthians 8-10
1 Corinthians 8:4 reaffirms that there is no other god in the universe but our God…the One True God. While probably none of us will disagree with this….I must ask the question….if we know there is only 1 God…then why in the world do we give other things priority over Him.
I’m going to preach to myself here….and if it applies to you…just hang on…
Why do I give priority to my children over God
Why do I give priority of my parents over God
Why do I give priority to my farm over God
Why do I give priority to my job over God
And then the big one….the one that hits home the hardest….
Why do I give priority to MYSELF over God?
Yikes!!
I think if we were all honest with each other, we all do this.
But regardless if we are all doing it….we shouldn’t be.
There’s only 1 God….and He alone should be the top priority of our life.
Examine yourself…..we will see a verse of scripture in our devo tomorrow that says let a man examine himself. Examine yourself….take inventory….Do a gut check and see if God is really your top priority.
1 Corinthians 8:9 continues a theme for the last 2-3 devos….”Take heed lest by any means our liberty(freedom) become a stumbling block to those that are weak(in the faith).” In other words….just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should do something. Especially if it will affect the spiritual walk of others.
Why is this important? Look at 1 Corinthians 8:12….when we sin against the brethren and wound their weak conscience….it’s the same as sinning against Christ. In other words….if we wouldn’t want Jesus to see us doing it….we probably shouldn’t be doing it.
The Holy Spirit is telling me right now that somebody reading this is getting under conviction over the last few days of devos on this subject….somebody really enjoys something….I don’t have a clear direction of what it is….but it’s something you enjoy….you have the freedom to do it….but when others see you do it….it causes them to get weak in their faith and you know it….but you are enjoying it a lot. There’s a battle going on right now in your Spirit.
My friend….take some personal advice here….go ahead and surrender to Christ. It just works out better that way. Trust me.
1 Corinthians 9:9 is about paying your preacher/minister….I’m not saying this because I’m God’s man….I have no benefit to say this because I don’t have a church….I’m just going to tell you the truth….when a church is stingy with paying and blessing the man of God….the Lord will be stingy sending blessings.
But thankfully…the opposite is true also….when a church generously blesses their pastor….The Lord will generously bless that church.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again….every single time I received a raise as Pastor….within 2-3 weeks, an unexpected offering would come in that would cover my raise for the rest of the year. You will never convince me that’s a coincidence.
I’ve been wrestling with 1 Corinthians 9:16 since I resigned as Pastor of Yellow Creek….woe unto me if I preach not the Gospel. Anybody that thinks I’m happy that I’m not preaching right now doesn’t really know me. To have that God called fire in your belly to stand behind the Holy Desk, break open the Word of God, and share what you have been given in your personal prayer/praise time with The Father…and then to not be doing it….it’s a woe….it’s a sadness…it’s a burden. That’s part of the reason I’m doing these devos every single day….there’s just a burden on my heart to preach the Gospel and tell people about Jesus.
I remember when I was wrestling with the call to preach….Brother Ken Andrews gave me the absolute best advice….I’ve taken it to heart so many days…..He said Phillip, if you can be happy doing anything else, then you are not called to preach. He is so true.
1 Corinthians 9:9 encourages us to do whatever we need to do with our lives in order to gain more….gain more what? Money? Fame? Land?
Nope….gain more souls for the Kingdom.
Are we willing to change/modify our lives…our wishes….our desires…our wants….in order to gain more souls for the Kingdom? Again…the surface answer is yes…..but dig down deep….examine yourself…and to be honest….just see if you are doing it now…..there is little need to say what we would do in the future if we are not doing it now in the present.
1 Corinthians 9:10 talks about the crowns we will receive(rewards) at the Judgment seat of Christ. I was going through a bunch of stuff in my attic last week and I ran across my old trophies from grade school…they were dusty and tarnished with time.
But the crown we will receive for being a servant of Christ….they will never tarnish.
1 Corinthians 10:11 encourages us to learn from the mistakes of others. Much easier said than done. Most of the time I have to learn from my own mistakes….but how much trouble, headache, and heartache would I be saving myself if I could learn from the mistakes of others?
1 Corinthians 10:13 is a big encouragement to me….no matter what temptation we face….The Lord has made a way out for us…there is an escape….its Him….Jesus is our escape…Jesus is our example. We just have to be willing to follow Him instead of the temptation.
1 Corinthians 10:26 reminds us that the entire earth belongs to The Lord…..and The Lord doesn’t create any junk. We are to be good stewards of everything He has entrusted us with.
1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds us that whatever we do…we need to do it for the glory of God.
I have my list of things to accomplish today…..
Take Caroline to get her driver’s license
Go to the bank
Talk to a man about a cow
Farm work
House work
In all of those tasks….I’m going to do my best to honor and glorify The Lord.
Would you join me and do the same with your life today?
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for an financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 17th Pray, Read, Worship
MINISTRY UPDATE: Our website and Facebook page will be up soon. Can’t wait for you to see it.
If you own/manage a business and would like me to come and host a prayer gathering for your employees or customers once a month or once a quarter, please contact me. I would love to come during lunch, before work, after work, or any other convenient time. These prayer gatherings are a huge blessing.
If your church or organization would like me to come play piano and/or sing….please contact me.
If your church needs someone to fill the pulpit for one Sunday or several Sundays…please contact me.
If you need someone to officiate a wedding or funeral….please contact me.
Please also feel free to message your prayer requests….I pray over each one.
I’m so very thankful for how The Lord continues to open doors for us to take the Gospel to families everywhere by whatever means necessary.
Thanks for all your prayers and support. If The Lord is leading you to support our work financially, please send it to:
Chambers Family Ministries
c/o Phillip Chambers
5288 Chambers Road
Cumberland Furnace, TN 37051
All the paperwork to donate online has been filled out….just waiting on approval. I’ll let you know when that is ready to go.
I believe I’m more excited than ever about what the future holds….thank you so much for joining me on this journey.
Now for todays’ devo…..
Read 1 Corinthians 5-7
Much of our reading today deals with sexual immorality in the church. Most people think this is only a recent problem…..and while the issue has been exacerbated by the access to pornography on smart phones…sexual immorality in the church is not a new issue at all.
In 1 Corinthians 5, Verse 6…we learn that one bad apple can ruin the whole barrel. I’ve seen this farming so many times…..one wild cow can make a whole herd of cows go crazy wild. That’s why I don’t have any wild cows on my place….and if one turns wild….she gets sold immediately!!!
In essence….this is the same thing Paul was saying here….if we allow sexual impurity to continue in the church…it will spread to everybody in the church….so it’s best to deal with it early on….so the whole congregation doesn’t fall into sin.
We learn a little Bible trivia in 1 Corinthians 5:9…..are you aware that 1 Corinthians is actually not the first letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth? Right here in Verse 9 we see that there was at least one letter before this one. In technical terms….1 Corinthians is at least 2 Corinthians….and 2 Corinthians is at least 4 Corinthians.
In 1 Corinthians 6:7, we receive some very wise but very hard advice….when someone does you wrong….instead of striving to get even with them….just take the wrong and leave it up to The Lord to remedy the situation.
THIS IS VERY VERY HARD….but I’ve done it….I’ve followed this advice….I’ve just taken the wrong and let them get away with it….and I can testify that The Lord is faithful to take care of those of us who follow this command.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 are some very very important verses in scripture. Many people have gotten hot and bothered by verses 9 and 10….they read those two verses, isolate them, then come to me and say….OH NO….Phillip….does this mean I can’t ever get into Heaven because I once got drunk or I once committed adultery, or I once was a thief?
No No NO….we must take everything in the whole context of scripture. Keep going to verse 11….look at the 3rd word….were…that’s past tense….keep going a little bit more in verse 11….see the word are? That’s present tense.
In other words….in your past….you may have been the biggest sinner in the county….but once Jesus has forgiven you of your sin….all that is in your past and you are presently justified….remember…just-as-if-I’d never sinned.
Now there’s another important lesson from verses 9-11….one question I’ve been asked often is this….Phillip…can a homosexual be saved and converted back to heterosexuality? The answer is YES….says so right here in these verses…effeminate is the King James Word for homosexual….
So in verse 9….some people at the church in Corinth were(past tense) homosexual…but now they are(present tense) straight, sanctified, and justified….just-as-if-they’d never been homosexual.
That’s amazing if you ask me.
1 Corinthians 6:12 gives another important concept in scripture….all things are lawful for me….but not all things are the right thing to do. It’s just like what we said other day about drinking….the question is not whether or not we have the freedom to drink….yes we do have that freedom….but just because we can doesn’t mean we should…and that’s why I don’t.
Gonna show you some plain old country logic in 1 Corinthians 6:18….The Bible says to FLEE fornication….notice it didn’t say resist….want to know why? Cause you can’t resist it….the only way to successfully overcome sexual temptation is to get as far as you can away from it….to FLEE…..as the late great Jerry Clower said about having an MRI….gather your split tailed gown together and RUN AWAY!!!
Then notice 1 Corinthians 6:20….it says we are bought with a price…..yes salvation is free for the believer…but salvation wasn’t free….it cost Jesus His life….there was a price to pay….too high for me and you to pay…so Jesus paid it for us….therefore we need to respect and honor the price Jesus paid for us.
Too many of us neglect our salvation because it was free….just like a kid that pays for all or part of their vehicle is usually more appreciative of it than a kid that’s given a vehicle for free….Salvation may be free to us…but make no mistake…it wasn’t free.
In 1 Corinthians 7:3, Paul addresses a sticky subject head on…he plainly tells husbands and wives not to withhold sex from each other. As a Pastor, I heard so many couples with this problem….and I’m just telling you friends….you are asking for trouble in your marriage if you don’t have a healthy sex life.
So what if one or the other is withholding sex in your marriage? You better address and deal with the problem head on or your marriage will fall apart….I’m just telling you that’s how it is…period.
In 1 Corinthians 7:16, we see something that Peter will address later on in his writings….unsaved spouses can be won to The Lord by watching how their saved spouse lives their life.
Now don’t get me wrong….The Bible strictly prohibits people getting married unless both the man and woman are saved….but what happens when they are both unsaved when they get married….and later on in the marriage, one of the spouses gets saved? That’s where 1 Corinthians 7:16 comes in….the unbelieving spouse can be won to the Lord by seeing the change and example of being a Christ follower in the saved spouse.
If your spouse is unsaved…don’t give up on them. Please determine to live your life in such a way that it makes them desirous to become a Christian.
Paul speaks some more plain English in 1 Corinthians 7:28….if you decide to get marry…you are setting yourself up for trouble later on in life. It’s just a fact….there are troubles that a married person experiences that a single person does not.
Not only that….but Paul further drives this point home in verses 32 and 33 when he says that unmarried people can mind the things that make The Lord happy….but married people have to mind the things that makes their spouse happy.
Here’s my challenge for you today…..
Please pray for your marriage(if you are married), and for the marriages of your friends/family. Our families are under attack by the devil(I’m a perfect example)…and they need all the prayer support they can get.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for an financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
MINISTRY UPDATE: Our website and Facebook page will be up soon. Can’t wait for you to see it.
If you own/manage a business and would like me to come and host a prayer gathering for your employees or customers once a month or once a quarter, please contact me. I would love to come during lunch, before work, after work, or any other convenient time. These prayer gatherings are a huge blessing.
If your church or organization would like me to come play piano and/or sing….please contact me.
If your church needs someone to fill the pulpit for one Sunday or several Sundays…please contact me.
If you need someone to officiate a wedding or funeral….please contact me.
Please also feel free to message your prayer requests….I pray over each one.
I’m so very thankful for how The Lord continues to open doors for us to take the Gospel to families everywhere by whatever means necessary.
Thanks for all your prayers and support. If The Lord is leading you to support our work financially, please send it to:
Chambers Family Ministries
c/o Phillip Chambers
5288 Chambers Road
Cumberland Furnace, TN 37051
All the paperwork to donate online has been filled out….just waiting on approval. I’ll let you know when that is ready to go.
I believe I’m more excited than ever about what the future holds….thank you so much for joining me on this journey.
Now for todays’ devo…..
Read 1 Corinthians 5-7
Much of our reading today deals with sexual immorality in the church. Most people think this is only a recent problem…..and while the issue has been exacerbated by the access to pornography on smart phones…sexual immorality in the church is not a new issue at all.
In 1 Corinthians 5, Verse 6…we learn that one bad apple can ruin the whole barrel. I’ve seen this farming so many times…..one wild cow can make a whole herd of cows go crazy wild. That’s why I don’t have any wild cows on my place….and if one turns wild….she gets sold immediately!!!
In essence….this is the same thing Paul was saying here….if we allow sexual impurity to continue in the church…it will spread to everybody in the church….so it’s best to deal with it early on….so the whole congregation doesn’t fall into sin.
We learn a little Bible trivia in 1 Corinthians 5:9…..are you aware that 1 Corinthians is actually not the first letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth? Right here in Verse 9 we see that there was at least one letter before this one. In technical terms….1 Corinthians is at least 2 Corinthians….and 2 Corinthians is at least 4 Corinthians.
In 1 Corinthians 6:7, we receive some very wise but very hard advice….when someone does you wrong….instead of striving to get even with them….just take the wrong and leave it up to The Lord to remedy the situation.
THIS IS VERY VERY HARD….but I’ve done it….I’ve followed this advice….I’ve just taken the wrong and let them get away with it….and I can testify that The Lord is faithful to take care of those of us who follow this command.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 are some very very important verses in scripture. Many people have gotten hot and bothered by verses 9 and 10….they read those two verses, isolate them, then come to me and say….OH NO….Phillip….does this mean I can’t ever get into Heaven because I once got drunk or I once committed adultery, or I once was a thief?
No No NO….we must take everything in the whole context of scripture. Keep going to verse 11….look at the 3rd word….were…that’s past tense….keep going a little bit more in verse 11….see the word are? That’s present tense.
In other words….in your past….you may have been the biggest sinner in the county….but once Jesus has forgiven you of your sin….all that is in your past and you are presently justified….remember…just-as-if
Now there’s another important lesson from verses 9-11….one question I’ve been asked often is this….Phillip…can a homosexual be saved and converted back to heterosexuality? The answer is YES….says so right here in these verses…effeminate is the King James Word for homosexual….
So in verse 9….some people at the church in Corinth were(past tense) homosexual…but now they are(present tense) straight, sanctified, and justified….just-as-if-they’d never been homosexual.
That’s amazing if you ask me.
1 Corinthians 6:12 gives another important concept in scripture….all things are lawful for me….but not all things are the right thing to do. It’s just like what we said other day about drinking….the question is not whether or not we have the freedom to drink….yes we do have that freedom….but just because we can doesn’t mean we should…and that’s why I don’t.
Gonna show you some plain old country logic in 1 Corinthians 6:18….The Bible says to FLEE fornication….notice it didn’t say resist….want to know why? Cause you can’t resist it….the only way to successfully overcome sexual temptation is to get as far as you can away from it….to FLEE…..as the late great Jerry Clower said about having an MRI….gather your split tailed gown together and RUN AWAY!!!
Then notice 1 Corinthians 6:20….it says we are bought with a price…..yes salvation is free for the believer…but salvation wasn’t free….it cost Jesus His life….there was a price to pay….too high for me and you to pay…so Jesus paid it for us….therefore we need to respect and honor the price Jesus paid for us.
Too many of us neglect our salvation because it was free….just like a kid that pays for all or part of their vehicle is usually more appreciative of it than a kid that’s given a vehicle for free….Salvation may be free to us…but make no mistake…it wasn’t free.
In 1 Corinthians 7:3, Paul addresses a sticky subject head on…he plainly tells husbands and wives not to withhold sex from each other. As a Pastor, I heard so many couples with this problem….and I’m just telling you friends….you are asking for trouble in your marriage if you don’t have a healthy sex life.
So what if one or the other is withholding sex in your marriage? You better address and deal with the problem head on or your marriage will fall apart….I’m just telling you that’s how it is…period.
In 1 Corinthians 7:16, we see something that Peter will address later on in his writings….unsaved spouses can be won to The Lord by watching how their saved spouse lives their life.
Now don’t get me wrong….The Bible strictly prohibits people getting married unless both the man and woman are saved….but what happens when they are both unsaved when they get married….and later on in the marriage, one of the spouses gets saved? That’s where 1 Corinthians 7:16 comes in….the unbelieving spouse can be won to the Lord by seeing the change and example of being a Christ follower in the saved spouse.
If your spouse is unsaved…don’t give up on them. Please determine to live your life in such a way that it makes them desirous to become a Christian.
Paul speaks some more plain English in 1 Corinthians 7:28….if you decide to get marry…you are setting yourself up for trouble later on in life. It’s just a fact….there are troubles that a married person experiences that a single person does not.
Not only that….but Paul further drives this point home in verses 32 and 33 when he says that unmarried people can mind the things that make The Lord happy….but married people have to mind the things that makes their spouse happy.
Here’s my challenge for you today…..
Please pray for your marriage(if you are married), and for the marriages of your friends/family. Our families are under attack by the devil(I’m a perfect example)…and they need all the prayer support they can get.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for an financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 16th Pray, Read, Worship
Read 1 Corinthians 2-4
In 1 Corinthians 2:4, Paul admits his preaching was not with the enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in the power of God. I read the Baptist and Reflector every 2 weeks when it comes out….it’s the state newspaper of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. I’ll see these help wanted ads for Pastors and in the requirements section of the job description, it will say Masters of Divinity of Doctorate of Ministry required…..now I’m not against seminary at all….but give me a Spirit filled preacher over an educated one any day.
In Verse 5, we are reminded to not place our faith in men, but in the power of God. Can I be honest with you? I have been let down SO MANY TIMES in my life by people….in fact….if you want me to just be completely transparent with you….I trust very very few people in this world at all….less than I can count on my hand.
But you know what? The Lord has NEVER let me down. I can place my faith in Him and rest assured He has the power to deliver. I’m amazed at how He continues to provide for me and my family without a steady job/paycheck at this time. Just today 4 different people have called me about buying cows and almost 200 people have inquired about my online yard sale. I’m just blown away. Amazed. God is faithful!!!
Verse 9 tries to put in words what is impossible to describe…eye hat not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things The Lord has prepared for me and you in Heaven. In other words….we’ve never seen anything so pretty….we’ve never heard singing or music as pretty….and we can’t even imagine how pretty Heaven will be.
WOW WOW WOW WOW!!!!!
Verse 10 is critically important for us as we study the word of God together….It says that God reveals things to us by His Spirit.
Here’s my very very important question for you….before you read your Bible, do you pray and ask The Lord to reveal to you what He wants to reveal to you today? I do that every single time before I read….every single time before I sit down and make notes for the devo before I start typing. I say…Lord…please show me what you want me to say and what you want me to make known.
I can’t tell you how many people have said this to me….Phillip I don’t read the Bible because I have trouble understanding…..when I hear that I immediately ask…well do you pray and ask the Lord ahead of time to reveal what He wants you to learn? And in almost every single case, the answer was no.
Today…before you read any further….please pray and ask The Lord to reveal to you what He wants you to learn.
In 1 Corinthians 3 Verse 2, we learn that not all scripture is the same….some is milk….easy to understand and digest….and some is meat…harder to understand and digest.
So what’s the point?
If you are reading this, then you are not just drinking milk for your physical diet….only babies do that. We all started out with milk….then as we matured, we started eating solid foods. In the same way, once we get saved….all we can really read and understand in scripture are the easy things….the milk of the scripture….but just like we can’t mature and stay on milk all our lives physically….we can’t mature spiritually and stay on milk/easy scriptures. We need to be constantly seeking and learning the deep things of God.
1 Corinthians 3:6 shows the progression for Gospel seeds….someone plants the seed, then someone else comes along and waters….but its God and only God that gives the increase.
I’m a farmer….do I plant watermelon seeds in the morning and go harvest watermelons from those seeds that afternoon? Nope…not at all. And in the same way…it is very rare for someone to accept Christ as Savior without first having Gospel seeds planted and watered in their life before they get saved.
May I ask a question? Are you intentionally planting or watering any Gospel seeds as you go about your life? I’m constantly trying to plant and water seeds….why? Because there will never be a harvest unless seeds are first planted and watered.
1 Corinthians 3:14 introduces a principle that many don’t realize….the principle of rewards. You and I are going to be rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ for the things we did for Christ in our lives. What reward will we receive? The Bible tells us in Revelation that it’s a crown.
But verse 15 also says that we can suffer loss….what does this mean? It means that at the Judgment Seat of Christ…not only will we receive crowns for the things we did right….but Jesus will also show us the crowns we forfeited by the opportunities we missed. UGH…that’s going to be tough. I hate missing out.
1 Corinthians 3:16 reminds us that our body is the temple of God Himself. When we accept Christ as Savior of our lives….God Himself through The Holy Spirit comes and dwells inside us. In other words…God sees and experiences everywhere we go, everything we do, everything we say.
How does that make you feel? If it makes you feel bad….don’t worry about telling me….Speak with God about what you need to change in your life.
1 Corinthians 3:19 says the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. I’ll tell you what I think of when I read this verse. I believe all the Bible from cover to cover….including the creation account in Genesis Chapter 1….I believe the Earth was literally created in 6, 24 hour periods of time….not over millions of years. When I tell this to people, this is the question I usually get? How is that so? Scientists have carbon dated rocks that are millions of years old.
Easy…..when God created the Earth, He created a mature earth. Adam was a man….on Day 8 of Creation, he could have appeared to be 25-30 years old….but how old was Adam on Day 8? Only 2 days old.
Same goes for the trees, animals, and rocks….We have record that God created full grown animals, grass, trees, etc….including the rocks….so when scientist come out with “wisdom” that they’ve carbon dated a rock to be millions of years old….I believe The Lord is up in Heaven laughing at their foolishness.
1 Corinthians 4:5 reminds us of something very important…..everything that we try to cover….The Lord will uncover….The Lord will bring it to light…..so might as well stop hiding it right now.
In 1 Corinthians 4:11, we see what the life of a preacher entailed in the 1st century….you would be hungry, thirsty, naked, beaten, and without a place to live. Sounds like a really “cush” and “desirable” job, doesn’t it…..this lets me know for sure that these men were God called and not in the ministry for fame or fortune.
In 1 Corinthians 4:16….Paul very briefly says to the Corinthian church….be followers of Him. In other words, he was trying to live his life as an example of following Jesus to others.
May I ask you a question? A very personal and pointed question…..I want you to marinate and meditate on this the rest of the day? Do you live your life in such a way that others could follow you as an example of being a Christ follower? Your answer should be YES….but if it’s not…lets figure out what needs to take place to become an example of a Christ follower that others can emulate.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for an financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read 1 Corinthians 2-4
In 1 Corinthians 2:4, Paul admits his preaching was not with the enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in the power of God. I read the Baptist and Reflector every 2 weeks when it comes out….it’s the state newspaper of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. I’ll see these help wanted ads for Pastors and in the requirements section of the job description, it will say Masters of Divinity of Doctorate of Ministry required…..now I’m not against seminary at all….but give me a Spirit filled preacher over an educated one any day.
In Verse 5, we are reminded to not place our faith in men, but in the power of God. Can I be honest with you? I have been let down SO MANY TIMES in my life by people….in fact….if you want me to just be completely transparent with you….I trust very very few people in this world at all….less than I can count on my hand.
But you know what? The Lord has NEVER let me down. I can place my faith in Him and rest assured He has the power to deliver. I’m amazed at how He continues to provide for me and my family without a steady job/paycheck at this time. Just today 4 different people have called me about buying cows and almost 200 people have inquired about my online yard sale. I’m just blown away. Amazed. God is faithful!!!
Verse 9 tries to put in words what is impossible to describe…eye hat not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things The Lord has prepared for me and you in Heaven. In other words….we’ve never seen anything so pretty….we’ve never heard singing or music as pretty….and we can’t even imagine how pretty Heaven will be.
WOW WOW WOW WOW!!!!!
Verse 10 is critically important for us as we study the word of God together….It says that God reveals things to us by His Spirit.
Here’s my very very important question for you….before you read your Bible, do you pray and ask The Lord to reveal to you what He wants to reveal to you today? I do that every single time before I read….every single time before I sit down and make notes for the devo before I start typing. I say…Lord…please show me what you want me to say and what you want me to make known.
I can’t tell you how many people have said this to me….Phillip I don’t read the Bible because I have trouble understanding…..when I hear that I immediately ask…well do you pray and ask the Lord ahead of time to reveal what He wants you to learn? And in almost every single case, the answer was no.
Today…before you read any further….please pray and ask The Lord to reveal to you what He wants you to learn.
In 1 Corinthians 3 Verse 2, we learn that not all scripture is the same….some is milk….easy to understand and digest….and some is meat…harder to understand and digest.
So what’s the point?
If you are reading this, then you are not just drinking milk for your physical diet….only babies do that. We all started out with milk….then as we matured, we started eating solid foods. In the same way, once we get saved….all we can really read and understand in scripture are the easy things….the milk of the scripture….but just like we can’t mature and stay on milk all our lives physically….we can’t mature spiritually and stay on milk/easy scriptures. We need to be constantly seeking and learning the deep things of God.
1 Corinthians 3:6 shows the progression for Gospel seeds….someone plants the seed, then someone else comes along and waters….but its God and only God that gives the increase.
I’m a farmer….do I plant watermelon seeds in the morning and go harvest watermelons from those seeds that afternoon? Nope…not at all. And in the same way…it is very rare for someone to accept Christ as Savior without first having Gospel seeds planted and watered in their life before they get saved.
May I ask a question? Are you intentionally planting or watering any Gospel seeds as you go about your life? I’m constantly trying to plant and water seeds….why? Because there will never be a harvest unless seeds are first planted and watered.
1 Corinthians 3:14 introduces a principle that many don’t realize….the principle of rewards. You and I are going to be rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ for the things we did for Christ in our lives. What reward will we receive? The Bible tells us in Revelation that it’s a crown.
But verse 15 also says that we can suffer loss….what does this mean? It means that at the Judgment Seat of Christ…not only will we receive crowns for the things we did right….but Jesus will also show us the crowns we forfeited by the opportunities we missed. UGH…that’s going to be tough. I hate missing out.
1 Corinthians 3:16 reminds us that our body is the temple of God Himself. When we accept Christ as Savior of our lives….God Himself through The Holy Spirit comes and dwells inside us. In other words…God sees and experiences everywhere we go, everything we do, everything we say.
How does that make you feel? If it makes you feel bad….don’t worry about telling me….Speak with God about what you need to change in your life.
1 Corinthians 3:19 says the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. I’ll tell you what I think of when I read this verse. I believe all the Bible from cover to cover….including the creation account in Genesis Chapter 1….I believe the Earth was literally created in 6, 24 hour periods of time….not over millions of years. When I tell this to people, this is the question I usually get? How is that so? Scientists have carbon dated rocks that are millions of years old.
Easy…..when God created the Earth, He created a mature earth. Adam was a man….on Day 8 of Creation, he could have appeared to be 25-30 years old….but how old was Adam on Day 8? Only 2 days old.
Same goes for the trees, animals, and rocks….We have record that God created full grown animals, grass, trees, etc….including the rocks….so when scientist come out with “wisdom” that they’ve carbon dated a rock to be millions of years old….I believe The Lord is up in Heaven laughing at their foolishness.
1 Corinthians 4:5 reminds us of something very important…..everything that we try to cover….The Lord will uncover….The Lord will bring it to light…..so might as well stop hiding it right now.
In 1 Corinthians 4:11, we see what the life of a preacher entailed in the 1st century….you would be hungry, thirsty, naked, beaten, and without a place to live. Sounds like a really “cush” and “desirable” job, doesn’t it…..this lets me know for sure that these men were God called and not in the ministry for fame or fortune.
In 1 Corinthians 4:16….Paul very briefly says to the Corinthian church….be followers of Him. In other words, he was trying to live his life as an example of following Jesus to others.
May I ask you a question? A very personal and pointed question…..I want you to marinate and meditate on this the rest of the day? Do you live your life in such a way that others could follow you as an example of being a Christ follower? Your answer should be YES….but if it’s not…lets figure out what needs to take place to become an example of a Christ follower that others can emulate.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Thanks to everybody who is praying for an financially supporting Chambers Family Ministries!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 15th Pray, Read, Worship
Read Romans 15-16, 1 Corinthians 1
Chapter 15 opens up with an admonishment for those of us that are strong to help the weak. The Bible specifically leaves it open-ended so that strong can mean any number of things….
Strong physically
Strong spiritually
Strong financially
Strong in knowledge
Etc…..
Now when someone that is strong helps someone that is weak…there is usually little to nothing “in it for them”. In other words…many times it’s a 1 sided relationship.
But that’s perfectly fine….because when those that are strong help those that are weak, The Lord will bless us in ways that can’t be bought or repaid by man.
Please keep your eyes open for ways you can help someone that is weak today.
In Romans 15:5, Paul prays for the Roman church to be likeminded….in unity. This was one of the things I worked hardest for as a Pastor….to keep unity in the church. Everyone has their own ideas….nothing in the world wrong with that….but we have to learn to lay our ideas down and follow The Lord’s plan.
The good news is….the very good news is….The Lord doesn’t try to play hide and seek with us when it comes to His plan. If we earnestly seek His will, we will find it….Proverbs 8:17, Matthew 7:7-8, Luke 11:9-10. If we seek Him, we will find Him.
Romans 15:13 mentions an important word in scripture….hope……hope is actually mentioned twice in this verse….we serve the God of Hope….The Lord wants us to abound in hope.
My friends….I’m going to get really really transparent here…..hope is so necessary for life….in fact, I submit it is second only to food, water, and air….yet many…..including Christians….are in a crisis of hope as we speak.
Did you read/hear about the prominent Pastor that committed suicide last week? Everybody is asking why…..although there are different situations and scenarios….it all boils down to one thing….lack of hope….you just don’t think there’s any hope of life getting better.
I’ve been in those shoes where you don’t believe things will get any better. And although I don’t abound in hope right now, I’m counting on the God of hope to fill me once again someday.
If you are in that same boat….if you don’t abound in hope right now….draw near to the God of hope….as near as you possibly can….that’s what I’m doing….and allow Him to fill you with hope once again.
In Romans 15:19, Paul says he “fully preached the Gospel of Christ.”
Couple of quick questions…..
For the preacher….do you fully preach the Gospel of Christ?
For everybody else….does your preacher fully preach the Gospel of Christ?
Friends…the Bible is not a buffet where you can pick what you want and leave what you don’t. It doesn’t work that way…we have to preach/teach/believe the whole counsel of the Word of God.
I’ll never forget many years ago running into a friend at the old Lite Touch Auto Wash in Clarksville. He asked me if I believed in hell. I told him I did. He said they had a new preacher and they have never heard him mention hell. So he said something to him about it and the preacher said that he would never mention, preach, or teach about hell.
It doesn’t work that way….sure there are some parts of the Bible I don’t understand as well as others…but regardless…we must preach/teach/learn about the whole counsel of God.
In Romans 15:30, Paul asks the church at Rome to strive together with him in prayer. Now that word strive indicates hard work. Do you believe prayer is hard work? I submit to you today that prayer, when done properly is hard work. My buddy Cal Hampton says it best….we need to spend less time organizing and more time agonizing in prayer. If you don’t strive in your prayer life….maybe you’re not praying hard enough.
In Romans 16….Paul sends his final greetings…who is the first person mentioned? A woman named Phoebe. Why is this important? SHE’S A WOMAN!!! Again…..many many people use the writings of Paul to decrease the importance of women in the church. HOGWASH….women are vitally important to the work of the church…..as evidenced here by Phoebe. Some Bible Scholars believe that Phoebe may have actually been the one delivering this letter from Paul to the church in Rome.
As the father of two beautiful daughters, I’m very thankful to report that our Lord doesn’t discriminate. Women are important to The Lord….Women are vital to the work of the church.
In Romans 16:5, Paul mentions a house church. This is how the first church started their expansion…in the homes of Christians. Kinda crazy if you ask me….we’ve come full circle during this Coronavirus Quarantine….now we are back going to church in our homes. I started Yellow Creek Baptist Church in my home….I’ve held several services under this roof….and hopefully there will be many more in the future.
Finally, Romans 16:17-18 ends with some hard, but really good advice and counsel from Paul to the church…..Be on the lookout for those that cause division in the church and AVOID them.
That sounds harsh….but Jesus said the same thing friends….Matthew 7:15….beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.
So here’s the question….what are you doing to promote unity in your church? It’s not just the Pastor’s responsibility….we all have a role to play in our churches dwelling together in unity. Do you try to get along with others or is it always your way or the highway?
We then get to 1 Corinthians….written specifically to handle problems in the church at Corinth. There are no perfect churches and there are no churches without problems….churches are made up of people and people cause problems…
In Verse 2, Paul mentions the word sanctified….it means to be set apart. Back to what we talked about yesterday….does the world influence us or do we influence the world? We are sanctified….set apart…to be influences of the world, not vice versa.
In Verse 4, Paul says that He thanks God for the people at the church in Corinth each day.
TIMEOUT….how much of your prayer life is thanking The Lord for others. Sure we ask the Lord to bless others and help others….but how much are we thanking The Lord for others.
If you’ve not thanked the Lord for someone today, please stop reading right now and thank Him specifically for people that are making a difference in your life.
In 1 Corinthians 1:8, Paul mentions us being blameless on Judgment Day. How in the world can sinners like me and you be blameless on Judgment Day? There’s only 1 way….it’s to have our sins washed away by the blood of Jesus….only His precious blood can wash away the stain of sin on our lives.
Has Jesus blood washed your sins away?
The first 3 words of 1 Corinthians 1:9….you could preach an entire year on these 3 words….God is faithful. Yes he is friend….God is faithful….we can count on him. Look at what The Lord did….He created the world…..the sun always rises in the east and sets in the west….its faithful. And likewise, The Lord is always faithful to meet all our needs according to His riches in glory.
Are you counting on Him right now? I am Why? Because God is faithful!!
So what’s the first problem Paul addresses at the church in Corinth? 1 Corinthians 1:10….unity in the church. WOW…..see a common theme here? What was the problem in the church at Rome? Unity. What’s the problem here in Corinth? Unity. I’d be willing to be that whatever problem your church has….it can just about be boiled down to unity. That’s why it is so important for us to strive and work hard for unity in our churches.
1 Corinthians 1:18 is another strong verse….the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness…but to us which are saved, it is the power of God.
A lost person thinks we are crazy to sing about, talk about, preach about, and learn about what happened on an old rugged cross almost 2000 years ago.
But to the saved person like me….if there never was an old rugged cross with Jesus on it….there never would be any hope for me in Heaven or any help for me today.
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it some day for a crown
Praying you have a great day!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Romans 15-16, 1 Corinthians 1
Chapter 15 opens up with an admonishment for those of us that are strong to help the weak. The Bible specifically leaves it open-ended so that strong can mean any number of things….
Strong physically
Strong spiritually
Strong financially
Strong in knowledge
Etc…..
Now when someone that is strong helps someone that is weak…there is usually little to nothing “in it for them”. In other words…many times it’s a 1 sided relationship.
But that’s perfectly fine….because when those that are strong help those that are weak, The Lord will bless us in ways that can’t be bought or repaid by man.
Please keep your eyes open for ways you can help someone that is weak today.
In Romans 15:5, Paul prays for the Roman church to be likeminded….in unity. This was one of the things I worked hardest for as a Pastor….to keep unity in the church. Everyone has their own ideas….nothing in the world wrong with that….but we have to learn to lay our ideas down and follow The Lord’s plan.
The good news is….the very good news is….The Lord doesn’t try to play hide and seek with us when it comes to His plan. If we earnestly seek His will, we will find it….Proverbs 8:17, Matthew 7:7-8, Luke 11:9-10. If we seek Him, we will find Him.
Romans 15:13 mentions an important word in scripture….hope……hope is actually mentioned twice in this verse….we serve the God of Hope….The Lord wants us to abound in hope.
My friends….I’m going to get really really transparent here…..hope is so necessary for life….in fact, I submit it is second only to food, water, and air….yet many…..including Christians….are in a crisis of hope as we speak.
Did you read/hear about the prominent Pastor that committed suicide last week? Everybody is asking why…..although there are different situations and scenarios….it all boils down to one thing….lack of hope….you just don’t think there’s any hope of life getting better.
I’ve been in those shoes where you don’t believe things will get any better. And although I don’t abound in hope right now, I’m counting on the God of hope to fill me once again someday.
If you are in that same boat….if you don’t abound in hope right now….draw near to the God of hope….as near as you possibly can….that’s what I’m doing….and allow Him to fill you with hope once again.
In Romans 15:19, Paul says he “fully preached the Gospel of Christ.”
Couple of quick questions…..
For the preacher….do you fully preach the Gospel of Christ?
For everybody else….does your preacher fully preach the Gospel of Christ?
Friends…the Bible is not a buffet where you can pick what you want and leave what you don’t. It doesn’t work that way…we have to preach/teach/believe the whole counsel of the Word of God.
I’ll never forget many years ago running into a friend at the old Lite Touch Auto Wash in Clarksville. He asked me if I believed in hell. I told him I did. He said they had a new preacher and they have never heard him mention hell. So he said something to him about it and the preacher said that he would never mention, preach, or teach about hell.
It doesn’t work that way….sure there are some parts of the Bible I don’t understand as well as others…but regardless…we must preach/teach/learn about the whole counsel of God.
In Romans 15:30, Paul asks the church at Rome to strive together with him in prayer. Now that word strive indicates hard work. Do you believe prayer is hard work? I submit to you today that prayer, when done properly is hard work. My buddy Cal Hampton says it best….we need to spend less time organizing and more time agonizing in prayer. If you don’t strive in your prayer life….maybe you’re not praying hard enough.
In Romans 16….Paul sends his final greetings…who is the first person mentioned? A woman named Phoebe. Why is this important? SHE’S A WOMAN!!! Again…..many many people use the writings of Paul to decrease the importance of women in the church. HOGWASH….women are vitally important to the work of the church…..as evidenced here by Phoebe. Some Bible Scholars believe that Phoebe may have actually been the one delivering this letter from Paul to the church in Rome.
As the father of two beautiful daughters, I’m very thankful to report that our Lord doesn’t discriminate. Women are important to The Lord….Women are vital to the work of the church.
In Romans 16:5, Paul mentions a house church. This is how the first church started their expansion…in the homes of Christians. Kinda crazy if you ask me….we’ve come full circle during this Coronavirus Quarantine….now we are back going to church in our homes. I started Yellow Creek Baptist Church in my home….I’ve held several services under this roof….and hopefully there will be many more in the future.
Finally, Romans 16:17-18 ends with some hard, but really good advice and counsel from Paul to the church…..Be on the lookout for those that cause division in the church and AVOID them.
That sounds harsh….but Jesus said the same thing friends….Matthew 7:15….beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.
So here’s the question….what are you doing to promote unity in your church? It’s not just the Pastor’s responsibility….we all have a role to play in our churches dwelling together in unity. Do you try to get along with others or is it always your way or the highway?
We then get to 1 Corinthians….written specifically to handle problems in the church at Corinth. There are no perfect churches and there are no churches without problems….churches are made up of people and people cause problems…
In Verse 2, Paul mentions the word sanctified….it means to be set apart. Back to what we talked about yesterday….does the world influence us or do we influence the world? We are sanctified….set apart…to be influences of the world, not vice versa.
In Verse 4, Paul says that He thanks God for the people at the church in Corinth each day.
TIMEOUT….how much of your prayer life is thanking The Lord for others. Sure we ask the Lord to bless others and help others….but how much are we thanking The Lord for others.
If you’ve not thanked the Lord for someone today, please stop reading right now and thank Him specifically for people that are making a difference in your life.
In 1 Corinthians 1:8, Paul mentions us being blameless on Judgment Day. How in the world can sinners like me and you be blameless on Judgment Day? There’s only 1 way….it’s to have our sins washed away by the blood of Jesus….only His precious blood can wash away the stain of sin on our lives.
Has Jesus blood washed your sins away?
The first 3 words of 1 Corinthians 1:9….you could preach an entire year on these 3 words….God is faithful. Yes he is friend….God is faithful….we can count on him. Look at what The Lord did….He created the world…..the sun always rises in the east and sets in the west….its faithful. And likewise, The Lord is always faithful to meet all our needs according to His riches in glory.
Are you counting on Him right now? I am Why? Because God is faithful!!
So what’s the first problem Paul addresses at the church in Corinth? 1 Corinthians 1:10….unity in the church. WOW…..see a common theme here? What was the problem in the church at Rome? Unity. What’s the problem here in Corinth? Unity. I’d be willing to be that whatever problem your church has….it can just about be boiled down to unity. That’s why it is so important for us to strive and work hard for unity in our churches.
1 Corinthians 1:18 is another strong verse….the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness…but to us which are saved, it is the power of God.
A lost person thinks we are crazy to sing about, talk about, preach about, and learn about what happened on an old rugged cross almost 2000 years ago.
But to the saved person like me….if there never was an old rugged cross with Jesus on it….there never would be any hope for me in Heaven or any help for me today.
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it some day for a crown
Praying you have a great day!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 14th Pray, Read, Worship
Buckle your seatbelts….this is a good one!!!
Read Romans 12-14
In Romans 12:1, we are admonished to become a living sacrifice to God. That begs the question….what is a sacrifice? Well if a lamb was sacrificed on the altar, it meant that it gave up its life to be sacrificed. So by saying a living sacrifice, The Bible is not saying that we all have to immediately die….no, rather we are to lay down our own will for our lives in order to follow The Lord.
That is much much much easier said than done…because most of us want to do our will for our lives and get The Lord to put His stamp of approval on it. But here’s the kicker….we think that as if our way and our plans are better than The Lord’s plans….they certainly are not!!! His ways are without question better than our ways.
Or let me give you another one that might hit a little closer to home…..we want our will for our children’s lives instead of what The Lord may want for their lives.
Today….starting out at the very outset….we must determine to allow The Lord to have His way in our lives instead of us making our own way. We must determine to allow The Lord to have His way in the lives of our children instead of us trying to live vicariously through them.
In Romans 12:2 we are told not to be conformed to this world…..this line grieves me today. I’m going to speak bluntly here….how much of the world has got into the church rather than the church getting into the world. I’m very afraid that we have conformed to this world instead of transforming it by the way we live our lives.
How do we not conform to the world? The Bible says so here in Verse 2….we renew our mind. How do we do that? By constantly putting God things in our mind….His Word….His Worship. What are you filling your mind with each day?
In Romans 12:3, we are told to not think of ourselves more highly than we should think. I heard some great advice one time from Bill Gaither…..now if anybody should think they are somebody….it would be Bill Gaither….voted the songwriter of the Century in all of Christian Music. No person has singlehandedly transformed Christian music more than Bill Gaither. What did he say about thinking more highly than yourselves? “You are never as good as you think you are and you are never as bad as others may say you are.” I’ve taken that advice to heart many many times.
In Romans 12:4-5, Paul starts the comparison of the body of Christ with the human body. He will dig deeper into this thought later on in other writings….but here in the book of Romans he lays the foundation for it. Just like my fingers perform a different function than my eyes and my liver in my body….so do people in the church. Some are to preach….some are to lead worship….some are to lead prayer ministries….some are to cook….some are to clean…some are to help in the nursery.
And just like my fingers, eyes, and liver are all necessary for my physical body to properly function…so are the preachers, worship leaders, prayer leaders, cooks, cleaners, and nursery workers in the life of the Body of Christ. We all have to work together in order to move forward for The Kingdom of God.
Romans 12:10 reminds us to be kind to one another with brotherly love….not romantic love….but brotherly love….like you would care for a member of your family….we are to treat everyone that way.
Extending brotherly love is a privilege….and its especially great when we extend it to someone who isn’t expecting it or has never/rarely received it.
Who can you extend brotherly love to in the next 24 hours?
The Lord wants me to unpack two thoughts from verse 12….being patient in tribulation. I STINK AT THIS. And to be honest….most of you reading this do too……when trouble comes our way, we want to instantly fix it so it will be instantly over. But that’s not how God works. We must learn to be patient when troubles come our way.
Verse 12 also says to be INSTANT in prayer…..listen in real carefully here. How many of us have had someone ask us to pray for them….we agree and say we will….then we go on our way….and we never ever pray for them? GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY.
So here’s how I interpret being instant in prayer and what I do now….when somebody asks me to pray for them….I do it right then and there….regardless of where we are.
I’ve prayed for people in Wal-Mart.
I’ve prayed for people in the drive through at White Castle
I’ve prayed for people while waiting in line
I’ve prayed for them over the phone
I can hear you now….but Phillip….I’m not good at praying out loud.
Excuse me….was there a qualification here on Romans 12:12 that I’m missing. Does it say be instant in prayer only if you are of eloquent speech? NOPE. It says be instant in prayer.
So the next time….the very next time….I hope it happens today….the very next time someone asks you to pray for them….stop what you are doing right then and there and pray….no matter where you are.
In Verse 13, we are told to distribute to the necessity of the saints. Do you volunteer or help in any kind of food pantry or clothing ministry? I do….several as a matter of fact. This is a command from The Lord….not optional. So I want to encourage you to give and give generously to those that distribute to those in need.
Verse 13 also says we are to be given to hospitality. Is your home open to others? Would you have friends over to eat and just fellowship and pray? Would you host a small group in your home? Would you open your doors for a missionary to stay while on furlough?
Let’s go at this from another angle…..at church….are you given to hospitality to make people feel welcome? Do you smile and tell them you are glad to see them? There’s more to being given to hospitality than just what happens under the roof of your home.
Romans 12:14 says to bless those that persecute you and curse not. This continues the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. I did that this morning in my prayer time. I asked the Lord to specifically bless some people this morning that have been very hateful toward me. Man alive it was hard…..but I know it was the right thing to do….to be honest….it felt like a release….like I was giving up control of what happens to them to The Lord(like I ever had it in the first place). I would like to encourage you to do the same.
Verse 15 says to rejoice with them that rejoice….make a big deal out of celebrations. Help our Seniors celebrate their graduation….help people celebrate their birthdays….be quick to congratulate new parents and others that have good things happen in their lives.
But we are also to weep with those who weep…..This quarantine has totally changed how I normally do that….normally, I’d go to the funeral home and pay my respects…give a hug…and just simply be there with my presence. If someone was in the hospital, I’d make sure I went by to visit them. Things are different now….but that doesn’t mean we can’t weep with those who weep. We can still call…send a card….fix some food….and just be there when our friends need us the most.
Unless you have been in that situation….you will never realize how much of a blessing it is to have someone to weep with you when you weep.
Verse 17 says to recompense no man for evil….in other words…2 wrongs don’t make a right. Just because somebody does us wrong….doesn’t mean we have to do them wrong in return.
Verse 19 says we are to let The Lord “get even” for us….let The Lord execute vengeance. It’s not our place to.
Our job is to do what Verse 20 says….if our enemy hunger…we are to feed them…..if they thirst…we are to give them drink. Again….this is very very very hard….but I’ve done it….and I can tell you….it was a big relief and blessing when I did.
Romans 13:1 says we are to be subject to the higher powers that rule over us because their power was given to them by God. UGH…..again another hard one….especially when we disagree with them.
Romans 13:7 says we are to pay our taxes as law abiding citizens and we are to respect those who deserve our respect and honor those who deserve our honor.
It grieves me how many no longer respect and honor law enforcement….how many no longer respect and honor our senior citizens…how many no longer respect and honor our clergy….and many others.
Where did Momma get her manners from that she taught us? From the Bible my friend.
The beginning of Romans 14 talks about traditions….in Bible times, some would eat meat and some wouldn’t….the ones who did were trying to say the ones who didn’t were wrong and the ones who didn’t eat meat were trying to say the ones who did were wrong.
In modern day language….people who sing only hymns think those that sing praise and worship are wrong….and many who sing only praise and worship think that those who only sing hymns are wrong.
The Bible says that either way is fine as long as you are doing it(regardeth it) for The Lord. It’s OK to sing hymns as long as you are singing them for The Lord’s sake and not just traditions sake. It’s OK to sing praise and worship as long as you are singing them for The Lord’s sake and not for newness sake.
Either way is fine as long as you are doing it for The Lord.
Romans 14:10 & 12 brings about something very important for the Christian….The Judgment Seat of Christ. Because our sins have been forgiven, we Christians will not be judged for our sins like lost people will(Revelation 20). Instead, we will be judged for our service….for the opportunities we had to serve The Lord and how we did or didn’t take advantage of them.
I’m not a Greek Scholar by any stretch….but it’s important to know what the Greek word is here for Judgment Seat….its Bema….I bet you don’t think you know what a Bema is….but I’ll almost guarantee you have seen one.
Ever watched the Olympics? You know how at the end of each Olympic Event, the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medalists stand on the podium, they play the national anthem, and they receive their medals?
That podium is a Bema….so the image here is each of us at the end of our lives….standing on a Bema….and Christ rewarding us for our service to Him. We are all going to have to give an account of how we used or didn’t use our lives for Him.
I want you to think about this….Does The Judgment Seat of Christ ever enter your mind? Do you ever think about having to stand before Christ and give account of how you lived your life? If it doesn’t affect the way you live….then you don’t fully understand the magnitude of what it is….because if you did….it would affect your life and your service.
Romans 14:19 says we are to follow after things which make for peace….in other words….don’t try to be stirring up trouble and drama….try to do things that keep peace.
Finally, Romans 14:19 says its good not to do anything to make your brother stumble in their walk with Christ. One question I would get asked often when I was pastoring….Phillip….can a Christian drink alcohol….that’s really not the question…can a Christian drink alcohol….sure they could….but the question really needs to be SHOULD a Christian drink alcohol….and in the circles I run in….if someone was to see me getting a 12 pack of beer from the store….it would definitely cause them to stumble….therefore….I don’t want any part of it…I am a T-Totaler against alcohol and I encourage other Christians to do the same.
Just because we could do something doesn’t mean we should do something.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Buckle your seatbelts….this is a good one!!!
Read Romans 12-14
In Romans 12:1, we are admonished to become a living sacrifice to God. That begs the question….what is a sacrifice? Well if a lamb was sacrificed on the altar, it meant that it gave up its life to be sacrificed. So by saying a living sacrifice, The Bible is not saying that we all have to immediately die….no, rather we are to lay down our own will for our lives in order to follow The Lord.
That is much much much easier said than done…because most of us want to do our will for our lives and get The Lord to put His stamp of approval on it. But here’s the kicker….we think that as if our way and our plans are better than The Lord’s plans….they certainly are not!!! His ways are without question better than our ways.
Or let me give you another one that might hit a little closer to home…..we want our will for our children’s lives instead of what The Lord may want for their lives.
Today….starting out at the very outset….we must determine to allow The Lord to have His way in our lives instead of us making our own way. We must determine to allow The Lord to have His way in the lives of our children instead of us trying to live vicariously through them.
In Romans 12:2 we are told not to be conformed to this world…..this line grieves me today. I’m going to speak bluntly here….how much of the world has got into the church rather than the church getting into the world. I’m very afraid that we have conformed to this world instead of transforming it by the way we live our lives.
How do we not conform to the world? The Bible says so here in Verse 2….we renew our mind. How do we do that? By constantly putting God things in our mind….His Word….His Worship. What are you filling your mind with each day?
In Romans 12:3, we are told to not think of ourselves more highly than we should think. I heard some great advice one time from Bill Gaither…..now if anybody should think they are somebody….it would be Bill Gaither….voted the songwriter of the Century in all of Christian Music. No person has singlehandedly transformed Christian music more than Bill Gaither. What did he say about thinking more highly than yourselves? “You are never as good as you think you are and you are never as bad as others may say you are.” I’ve taken that advice to heart many many times.
In Romans 12:4-5, Paul starts the comparison of the body of Christ with the human body. He will dig deeper into this thought later on in other writings….but here in the book of Romans he lays the foundation for it. Just like my fingers perform a different function than my eyes and my liver in my body….so do people in the church. Some are to preach….some are to lead worship….some are to lead prayer ministries….some are to cook….some are to clean…some are to help in the nursery.
And just like my fingers, eyes, and liver are all necessary for my physical body to properly function…so are the preachers, worship leaders, prayer leaders, cooks, cleaners, and nursery workers in the life of the Body of Christ. We all have to work together in order to move forward for The Kingdom of God.
Romans 12:10 reminds us to be kind to one another with brotherly love….not romantic love….but brotherly love….like you would care for a member of your family….we are to treat everyone that way.
Extending brotherly love is a privilege….and its especially great when we extend it to someone who isn’t expecting it or has never/rarely received it.
Who can you extend brotherly love to in the next 24 hours?
The Lord wants me to unpack two thoughts from verse 12….being patient in tribulation. I STINK AT THIS. And to be honest….most of you reading this do too……when trouble comes our way, we want to instantly fix it so it will be instantly over. But that’s not how God works. We must learn to be patient when troubles come our way.
Verse 12 also says to be INSTANT in prayer…..listen in real carefully here. How many of us have had someone ask us to pray for them….we agree and say we will….then we go on our way….and we never ever pray for them? GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY.
So here’s how I interpret being instant in prayer and what I do now….when somebody asks me to pray for them….I do it right then and there….regardless of where we are.
I’ve prayed for people in Wal-Mart.
I’ve prayed for people in the drive through at White Castle
I’ve prayed for people while waiting in line
I’ve prayed for them over the phone
I can hear you now….but Phillip….I’m not good at praying out loud.
Excuse me….was there a qualification here on Romans 12:12 that I’m missing. Does it say be instant in prayer only if you are of eloquent speech? NOPE. It says be instant in prayer.
So the next time….the very next time….I hope it happens today….the very next time someone asks you to pray for them….stop what you are doing right then and there and pray….no matter where you are.
In Verse 13, we are told to distribute to the necessity of the saints. Do you volunteer or help in any kind of food pantry or clothing ministry? I do….several as a matter of fact. This is a command from The Lord….not optional. So I want to encourage you to give and give generously to those that distribute to those in need.
Verse 13 also says we are to be given to hospitality. Is your home open to others? Would you have friends over to eat and just fellowship and pray? Would you host a small group in your home? Would you open your doors for a missionary to stay while on furlough?
Let’s go at this from another angle…..at church….are you given to hospitality to make people feel welcome? Do you smile and tell them you are glad to see them? There’s more to being given to hospitality than just what happens under the roof of your home.
Romans 12:14 says to bless those that persecute you and curse not. This continues the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. I did that this morning in my prayer time. I asked the Lord to specifically bless some people this morning that have been very hateful toward me. Man alive it was hard…..but I know it was the right thing to do….to be honest….it felt like a release….like I was giving up control of what happens to them to The Lord(like I ever had it in the first place). I would like to encourage you to do the same.
Verse 15 says to rejoice with them that rejoice….make a big deal out of celebrations. Help our Seniors celebrate their graduation….help people celebrate their birthdays….be quick to congratulate new parents and others that have good things happen in their lives.
But we are also to weep with those who weep…..This quarantine has totally changed how I normally do that….normally, I’d go to the funeral home and pay my respects…give a hug…and just simply be there with my presence. If someone was in the hospital, I’d make sure I went by to visit them. Things are different now….but that doesn’t mean we can’t weep with those who weep. We can still call…send a card….fix some food….and just be there when our friends need us the most.
Unless you have been in that situation….you will never realize how much of a blessing it is to have someone to weep with you when you weep.
Verse 17 says to recompense no man for evil….in other words…2 wrongs don’t make a right. Just because somebody does us wrong….doesn’t mean we have to do them wrong in return.
Verse 19 says we are to let The Lord “get even” for us….let The Lord execute vengeance. It’s not our place to.
Our job is to do what Verse 20 says….if our enemy hunger…we are to feed them…..if they thirst…we are to give them drink. Again….this is very very very hard….but I’ve done it….and I can tell you….it was a big relief and blessing when I did.
Romans 13:1 says we are to be subject to the higher powers that rule over us because their power was given to them by God. UGH…..again another hard one….especially when we disagree with them.
Romans 13:7 says we are to pay our taxes as law abiding citizens and we are to respect those who deserve our respect and honor those who deserve our honor.
It grieves me how many no longer respect and honor law enforcement….how many no longer respect and honor our senior citizens…how many no longer respect and honor our clergy….and many others.
Where did Momma get her manners from that she taught us? From the Bible my friend.
The beginning of Romans 14 talks about traditions….in Bible times, some would eat meat and some wouldn’t….the ones who did were trying to say the ones who didn’t were wrong and the ones who didn’t eat meat were trying to say the ones who did were wrong.
In modern day language….people who sing only hymns think those that sing praise and worship are wrong….and many who sing only praise and worship think that those who only sing hymns are wrong.
The Bible says that either way is fine as long as you are doing it(regardeth it) for The Lord. It’s OK to sing hymns as long as you are singing them for The Lord’s sake and not just traditions sake. It’s OK to sing praise and worship as long as you are singing them for The Lord’s sake and not for newness sake.
Either way is fine as long as you are doing it for The Lord.
Romans 14:10 & 12 brings about something very important for the Christian….The Judgment Seat of Christ. Because our sins have been forgiven, we Christians will not be judged for our sins like lost people will(Revelation 20). Instead, we will be judged for our service….for the opportunities we had to serve The Lord and how we did or didn’t take advantage of them.
I’m not a Greek Scholar by any stretch….but it’s important to know what the Greek word is here for Judgment Seat….its Bema….I bet you don’t think you know what a Bema is….but I’ll almost guarantee you have seen one.
Ever watched the Olympics? You know how at the end of each Olympic Event, the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medalists stand on the podium, they play the national anthem, and they receive their medals?
That podium is a Bema….so the image here is each of us at the end of our lives….standing on a Bema….and Christ rewarding us for our service to Him. We are all going to have to give an account of how we used or didn’t use our lives for Him.
I want you to think about this….Does The Judgment Seat of Christ ever enter your mind? Do you ever think about having to stand before Christ and give account of how you lived your life? If it doesn’t affect the way you live….then you don’t fully understand the magnitude of what it is….because if you did….it would affect your life and your service.
Romans 14:19 says we are to follow after things which make for peace….in other words….don’t try to be stirring up trouble and drama….try to do things that keep peace.
Finally, Romans 14:19 says its good not to do anything to make your brother stumble in their walk with Christ. One question I would get asked often when I was pastoring….Phillip….can a Christian drink alcohol….that’s really not the question…can a Christian drink alcohol….sure they could….but the question really needs to be SHOULD a Christian drink alcohol….and in the circles I run in….if someone was to see me getting a 12 pack of beer from the store….it would definitely cause them to stumble….therefore….I don’t want any part of it…I am a T-Totaler against alcohol and I encourage other Christians to do the same.
Just because we could do something doesn’t mean we should do something.
Praying you have a great day!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 13th Pray, Read, Worship
Happy birthday to my mother….Nancy Chambers. She is 79 today. So thankful to still have this wonderful example of a godly woman in my life. She has survived breast cancer twice and numerous other health scares. Love you momma.
Read Romans 9-11
Romans 9:2 shows us that Paul dealt with depression…..”I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.” I used to believe depression wasn’t real….folks needed to just get over it. But then I started battling depression myself….and man alive…it’s as real as this computer I’m typing on right now. I think the key word in Verse 2 to indicate Paul suffered with depression is “continual”. It just goes on and on….can’t shake it. For those of you experiencing depression, I’d like to share what I’ve found to be true.
Just like there are three aspects to a human….our physical, our emotional, and our spiritual sides….there are also 3 aspects to battling depression….and we must take care of all 3 in order to be successful against depression.
Physical…most people fall into one of 2 categories….either they believe depression is all physical and they should just be able to take a pill and make it go away….or they don’t recognize that depression is caused in part by serotonin and other chemical deficiencies that must be resolved….no different than the medicine I take for high blood pressure and acid reflux. I fell in the latter category….I didn’t recognize the physical sides of depression….once I did….it made a big difference….but it’s not the whole answer.
Spiritual…For me…I thought everything I was dealing with was spiritual warfare….however most people….like I said earlier…think depression is all physical and neglect the spiritual side of things. The Bible is clear that we wrestle not with flesh and blood….so the spiritual side of depression must be addressed. I’ve found nothing better to help me than to be in God’s Word every single day….to literally feed off it and let it fill me…and to also maintain an intimate prayer life….not a vain repetition prayer life where I literally say the same phrases over and over….but to be open/vulnerable/transparent with The Father and then to meditate and listen to what He’s saying to me.
Emotional…It is unreal how therapeutic it is to get things off your chest and talk them out in a safe and productive environment. The key is a safe environment. Those are few and far between. Unfortunately there are far more unsafe places than they are safe. But I believe that if you pray and ask The Lord to send you a safe place, He will….He certainly has for me.
You don’t have to suffer with “continual” sorrow….just like the first step to being saved is to admit you are a sinner….the first step to getting help with depression is to admit you have it and need some help. Then, I encourage you to make sure you address all three aspects of depression….the physical, spiritual, and emotional side of things.
In Romans 9:3….Paul was wishing for his friends to be saved….he was literally wishing he could make them get saved on their behalf. Although it doesn’t work this way….I totally understand the feeling. I’ve said on more than one occasion that if I could make somebody get saved, I’d park my tractor on the Highway 13 Yellow Creek bridge and block the road. As each car would stop, I’d ask them if they were saved. If they weren’t, I’d make them get saved and go down to the creek and baptize them right there.
Why would I do that? Because I know how wonderful salvation is and I’ve read extensively as to how horrible hell is.
But just like we can’t make people love us no matter how hard we try…..we can’t make people get saved either….no matter how hard we try.
Romans 9:20 asks a great question that most of us have answered incorrectly in our lifetime….why argue with God? Maybe I’m the only one guilty of ever arguing with God….Thinking we know better than God is foolish….don’t get me wrong…He’s big enough to handle our feelings/anger/emotions….we don’t need to hold back….but arguing with God is futile and pointless.
Romans 10:1 is a continuation of Paul’s thoughts in Romans 9:3….Paul’s heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. May I ask you a question? How are you doing with your salvation prayer list? Are you still praying over the list of names every day? I want everybody I ever meet to be saved…..that’s my heart’s desire….that’s my prayer….but I especially want those that I know and love to be saved also. I have some cousins that are lost without Christ. I have some dear friends with children, nieces, and nephews that are not saved.
Oh how I wish that we could all be so desirous and fervent in our prayer life for the salvation of others.
Romans 10:3 mentions an important word…..ignorant. Do you know the difference between being ignorant and stupid?
If you are ignorant, you don’t know any better.
If you are stupid, you know better, but do it any way.
Paul is talking here about those who are ignorant of the ways of God.
I hope what I’m about to say comes out correctly…..there are more people ignorant of God today than ever before in my lifetime……growing up, seemed like everybody had some knowledge of basic Bible principles and stories such as David and Goliath, Noah and the Ark, Jesus on the Cross.
But now….it’s not uncommon at all to meet people….especially children….that have NEVER heard. That’s why I’m such a supporter of the Good News Club and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. They are actively taking the Gospel into our schools with the express intent of reaching those ignorant of Jesus.
Here’s the way I see it friends….you can call this plain old country logic….but it’s just how I see it.
If someone is stupid about Jesus….if they know about Him but still decide to reject Him…that’s on them.
But if someone is ignorant about Jesus…if they’ve never heard about Him….that’s on me and you.
Romans 10:9 is a verse I quoted in literally every message I preached….If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. I love that last shalt….it didn’t say you might be saved or you could be saved or you probably would be saved….no sir….it’s a positive definite affirmative….if we will confess Jesus with our mouth and believe on Him and that He was raised from the dead….we will definitely be saved.
This verse along with Romans 10:11 and Matthew 10 is why I’m such a believer in our public confession of faith. There are no closet/secret Christians. Jesus died a very public death for us….and He expects us to publicly confess Him as Saviour. There’s no way around it.
Again….more country logic….if you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
Romans 10:13 is another one of my favorite verses in the entire scripture….whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:13 doesn’t say whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord AND IS BAPTIZED….nope.
Romans 10:13 doesn’t say whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord AND TITHES….nope.
Romans 10:13 doesn’t say whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord AND JOINS A CHURCH…nope
All three of those things are commandments The Lord give us to do….but none of those three are requirements for salvation.
Let’s go at this from a different angle….
Romans 10:13 doesn’t say whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord AND IS AN AMERICAN….nope
Romans 10:13 doesn’t say whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord AND HAS THE SAME COLOR SKIN AS ME….nope.
Romans 10:13 doesn’t say whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord AND LIVES PERFECT THE REST OF THEIR LIVES….nope.
Again….there are no qualifications for salvation….Jesus died on the cross and rose again so that everybody in the entire world could be saved. There’s nobody to cull out….salvation is available for everyone.
I want you to think about Romans 10:14 for just a minute….God could have chosen to make His Son Jesus known in any number of ways…..
He could have written it across the sky with the clouds.
He could cause our animals to speak to us.
He could supernaturally take over our TV/Billboards/Radio/Internet
But that’s not His chosen method…..what is His chosen method of making Christ known? Romans 10:14 says preaching….it’s through the foolishness of preaching that God has chosen to make His Son Jesus known.
Seeing how important preaching is to God the Father….why is it not that important to us?
When we hear preaching….are we taking notes so we can remember what was said?
Do we bring our Bibles…have them open in order to help us soak up the message from the Man of God?
Let me go at this from another angle…..why are there so many churches looking for a preacher? I believe it’s because men haven’t answered the call to preach. They see TV preachers and say, “I could never be that good.” Let me tell you what TV preachers have that you and I don’t have….editors. Editors can make anything look good. Go see your favorite TV preacher in person and you will see that they are not that different from the preacher at your church.
We need more God called preachers to help us spread the word about Jesus.
That leads me to the last verse I’ll mention today….Romans 11:29…the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
I have wrestled with this verse mightily since January 3rd this year.
Romans 11:29 does not say…the gifts and calling of God are without repentance expect in case of divorce.
Nope.
It just simply says the gifts and calling of God are without repentance….PERIOD.
Where I’m sitting today….I believe The Lord has called and gifted me to be a minister….so regardless of what I think and what others may think or say….I believe I must serve The Lord with the gifts He’s given me until the day He calls me home.
A preacher recently told me….Phillip, you don’t quit preaching because others tell you too. You keep on preaching until God tells you to quit.
Johnny Hunt said that The Lord knew our future when He called us to ministry….The Lord knew way back in High School when the call started on me that I would go through what I’ve went through.
Yet He called me anyway.
So the absolute least I can do is serve Him.
Will you join me?
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Happy birthday to my mother….Nancy Chambers. She is 79 today. So thankful to still have this wonderful example of a godly woman in my life. She has survived breast cancer twice and numerous other health scares. Love you momma.
Read Romans 9-11
Romans 9:2 shows us that Paul dealt with depression…..”I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.” I used to believe depression wasn’t real….folks needed to just get over it. But then I started battling depression myself….and man alive…it’s as real as this computer I’m typing on right now. I think the key word in Verse 2 to indicate Paul suffered with depression is “continual”. It just goes on and on….can’t shake it. For those of you experiencing depression, I’d like to share what I’ve found to be true.
Just like there are three aspects to a human….our physical, our emotional, and our spiritual sides….there are also 3 aspects to battling depression….and we must take care of all 3 in order to be successful against depression.
Physical…most people fall into one of 2 categories….either they believe depression is all physical and they should just be able to take a pill and make it go away….or they don’t recognize that depression is caused in part by serotonin and other chemical deficiencies that must be resolved….no different than the medicine I take for high blood pressure and acid reflux. I fell in the latter category….I didn’t recognize the physical sides of depression….once I did….it made a big difference….but it’s not the whole answer.
Spiritual…For me…I thought everything I was dealing with was spiritual warfare….however most people….like I said earlier…think depression is all physical and neglect the spiritual side of things. The Bible is clear that we wrestle not with flesh and blood….so the spiritual side of depression must be addressed. I’ve found nothing better to help me than to be in God’s Word every single day….to literally feed off it and let it fill me…and to also maintain an intimate prayer life….not a vain repetition prayer life where I literally say the same phrases over and over….but to be open/vulnerable/transparent with The Father and then to meditate and listen to what He’s saying to me.
Emotional…It is unreal how therapeutic it is to get things off your chest and talk them out in a safe and productive environment. The key is a safe environment. Those are few and far between. Unfortunately there are far more unsafe places than they are safe. But I believe that if you pray and ask The Lord to send you a safe place, He will….He certainly has for me.
You don’t have to suffer with “continual” sorrow….just like the first step to being saved is to admit you are a sinner….the first step to getting help with depression is to admit you have it and need some help. Then, I encourage you to make sure you address all three aspects of depression….the physical, spiritual, and emotional side of things.
In Romans 9:3….Paul was wishing for his friends to be saved….he was literally wishing he could make them get saved on their behalf. Although it doesn’t work this way….I totally understand the feeling. I’ve said on more than one occasion that if I could make somebody get saved, I’d park my tractor on the Highway 13 Yellow Creek bridge and block the road. As each car would stop, I’d ask them if they were saved. If they weren’t, I’d make them get saved and go down to the creek and baptize them right there.
Why would I do that? Because I know how wonderful salvation is and I’ve read extensively as to how horrible hell is.
But just like we can’t make people love us no matter how hard we try…..we can’t make people get saved either….no matter how hard we try.
Romans 9:20 asks a great question that most of us have answered incorrectly in our lifetime….why argue with God? Maybe I’m the only one guilty of ever arguing with God….Thinking we know better than God is foolish….don’t get me wrong…He’s big enough to handle our feelings/anger/emotions….we don’t need to hold back….but arguing with God is futile and pointless.
Romans 10:1 is a continuation of Paul’s thoughts in Romans 9:3….Paul’s heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. May I ask you a question? How are you doing with your salvation prayer list? Are you still praying over the list of names every day? I want everybody I ever meet to be saved…..that’s my heart’s desire….that’s my prayer….but I especially want those that I know and love to be saved also. I have some cousins that are lost without Christ. I have some dear friends with children, nieces, and nephews that are not saved.
Oh how I wish that we could all be so desirous and fervent in our prayer life for the salvation of others.
Romans 10:3 mentions an important word…..ignorant. Do you know the difference between being ignorant and stupid?
If you are ignorant, you don’t know any better.
If you are stupid, you know better, but do it any way.
Paul is talking here about those who are ignorant of the ways of God.
I hope what I’m about to say comes out correctly…..there are more people ignorant of God today than ever before in my lifetime……growing up, seemed like everybody had some knowledge of basic Bible principles and stories such as David and Goliath, Noah and the Ark, Jesus on the Cross.
But now….it’s not uncommon at all to meet people….especially children….that have NEVER heard. That’s why I’m such a supporter of the Good News Club and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. They are actively taking the Gospel into our schools with the express intent of reaching those ignorant of Jesus.
Here’s the way I see it friends….you can call this plain old country logic….but it’s just how I see it.
If someone is stupid about Jesus….if they know about Him but still decide to reject Him…that’s on them.
But if someone is ignorant about Jesus…if they’ve never heard about Him….that’s on me and you.
Romans 10:9 is a verse I quoted in literally every message I preached….If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. I love that last shalt….it didn’t say you might be saved or you could be saved or you probably would be saved….no sir….it’s a positive definite affirmative….if we will confess Jesus with our mouth and believe on Him and that He was raised from the dead….we will definitely be saved.
This verse along with Romans 10:11 and Matthew 10 is why I’m such a believer in our public confession of faith. There are no closet/secret Christians. Jesus died a very public death for us….and He expects us to publicly confess Him as Saviour. There’s no way around it.
Again….more country logic….if you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
Romans 10:13 is another one of my favorite verses in the entire scripture….whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:13 doesn’t say whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord AND IS BAPTIZED….nope.
Romans 10:13 doesn’t say whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord AND TITHES….nope.
Romans 10:13 doesn’t say whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord AND JOINS A CHURCH…nope
All three of those things are commandments The Lord give us to do….but none of those three are requirements for salvation.
Let’s go at this from a different angle….
Romans 10:13 doesn’t say whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord AND IS AN AMERICAN….nope
Romans 10:13 doesn’t say whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord AND HAS THE SAME COLOR SKIN AS ME….nope.
Romans 10:13 doesn’t say whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord AND LIVES PERFECT THE REST OF THEIR LIVES….nope.
Again….there are no qualifications for salvation….Jesus died on the cross and rose again so that everybody in the entire world could be saved. There’s nobody to cull out….salvation is available for everyone.
I want you to think about Romans 10:14 for just a minute….God could have chosen to make His Son Jesus known in any number of ways…..
He could have written it across the sky with the clouds.
He could cause our animals to speak to us.
He could supernaturally take over our TV/Billboards/Radio/Internet
But that’s not His chosen method…..what is His chosen method of making Christ known? Romans 10:14 says preaching….it’s through the foolishness of preaching that God has chosen to make His Son Jesus known.
Seeing how important preaching is to God the Father….why is it not that important to us?
When we hear preaching….are we taking notes so we can remember what was said?
Do we bring our Bibles…have them open in order to help us soak up the message from the Man of God?
Let me go at this from another angle…..why are there so many churches looking for a preacher? I believe it’s because men haven’t answered the call to preach. They see TV preachers and say, “I could never be that good.” Let me tell you what TV preachers have that you and I don’t have….editors. Editors can make anything look good. Go see your favorite TV preacher in person and you will see that they are not that different from the preacher at your church.
We need more God called preachers to help us spread the word about Jesus.
That leads me to the last verse I’ll mention today….Romans 11:29…the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
I have wrestled with this verse mightily since January 3rd this year.
Romans 11:29 does not say…the gifts and calling of God are without repentance expect in case of divorce.
Nope.
It just simply says the gifts and calling of God are without repentance….PERIOD.
Where I’m sitting today….I believe The Lord has called and gifted me to be a minister….so regardless of what I think and what others may think or say….I believe I must serve The Lord with the gifts He’s given me until the day He calls me home.
A preacher recently told me….Phillip, you don’t quit preaching because others tell you too. You keep on preaching until God tells you to quit.
Johnny Hunt said that The Lord knew our future when He called us to ministry….The Lord knew way back in High School when the call started on me that I would go through what I’ve went through.
Yet He called me anyway.
So the absolute least I can do is serve Him.
Will you join me?
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 12th Pray, Read, Worship
This may be my FAVORITE devo I’ve ever written because these 3 chapters are some of my favorites in the entire Bible.
Read Romans 6-8
Romans 6 deals with the power of sin in our lives and how that power can and is broken through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Our old man is dead and a new man comes to life. In a nutshell….if you don’t notice a difference in yourself before you salvation and after your salvation, then you need to wonder if you were truly saved or not. There are many….not a few….many in this boat today.
Some of my favorite verses out of Romans 6 are…
Verse 4….this is the scripture basis for what I say when I baptize someone….buried with Christ in baptism, raised to walk in newness of life. My friend and mentor Brother Dennis Jones showed me this.
Verse 5…notice the word planted. There’s a saying going around on Facebook….Your dreams aren’t dead, you’ve just been planted. Think about the depth of those words my friend. When we bury a loved one, we dig a hole in the ground, gently/carefully place our loved one’s casket in the hole, then cover the hole up with dirt. When I plant a seed, I dig a hole, gently/carefully place the seed in the ground, then cover the seed up with dirt. Extremely similar to burial….but the difference is….for the seed…the burial is the catalyst for the seed to germinate, sprout, and bring forth fruit. A seed does not germinate until it is buried in the ground.
Personally, I’m believing this for my life right now…..I’m claiming that my dreams aren’t dead…they aren’t buried to be remembered no more…..even through there are many that are writing me off and hoping that the death of my dreams is true.
I’m choosing to believe that my dreams have just been planted in order to sprout and make more fruit for the Kingdom of God.
For those of you that have known me for a long time, you know that for a couple of years while living in West Tennessee, I played piano for a group by the name of Under Grace. I had a lot of good times with Jeremy, Mark, Jerry, Bobby, and whoever we could find to play drums for us that weekend(Donnie, Jeff, Ron). Romans 6:14 is where the name for Under Grace came from….For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 6:23 is a verse I would use in just about every message I preached….for the wages of sin is death….the price of sin is death….the results of sin is death….what we receive in return for sinning is death…..but…but….but….the GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord…..Salvation is a gift….can’t be bought….can’t be earned….it’s a gift that God the Father gave us by giving His only begotten Son Jesus Christ as payment for our sins.
Salvation will be the best gift you will ever receive.
In Romans 7, Verse 4 speaks of being dead to the law. We need to unpack this to make sure we understand…..there were 2 different laws in the Old Testament….There was the moral law of the 10 Commandments and the like….and there was the ceremonial/sacrificial law of proper sacrifices for sin(doves/lambs/bulls/goats)…offerings….ceremonies for cleansing, etc.
When The Bible says we are dead to the law….its saying we are dead to the ceremonial/sacrificial law….not the moral law.
In other words…because of Jesus death on the cross, we no longer have to sacrifice lambs/doves/goats/bulls because His one sacrifice took care of us for eternity. The ceremonial/sacrificial law is dead.
The moral law of thou shall have no other gods before me….honor thy father and mother…etc….it is still in full effect.
Romans 7:7 further clarifies that by saying the law taught us what sin was…..this is a continuance of what we discussed yesterday….the law was not for showing us how to get to Heaven….the purpose of the law was not a roadmap to Heaven if we do this, this, and this…..no no no….the purpose of the law is to show us our desperate NEED for a Saviour because there’s no possible way to keep the law.
Romans 7:11 shows what sin does to us….it deceives us then slays(kills) us.
Romans 7:15-17 is one of the most comforting parts of the entire Bible to me. This is the great Apostle Paul writing here….the writer of the majority of the New Testament….the founder of numerous churches….and he’s saying what I don’t want to do….I do….and what I do want to do…I don’t.
Take me for example….what I don’t want to do(drink a coke)…I do….and what I do want to do(exercise)…I don’t.
I’ve counseled with numerous men who have told me….Phillip, I don’t know why I looked at that pornography….I didn’t want to….I just did it. Phillip, I don’t know why I stopped by the liquor store and got a drink….I didn’t want to…I just did it.
So why is this passage comforting to me? Because it shows me that the struggles we face are real….and we are not alone in them….if the great Paul struggled with doing things he didn’t want to do and not doing things he did want to do….then it shouldn’t surprise me when I struggle with the same thing.
The reason for this?? Romans 7:18 & 24….In me dwelleth no good thing(Verse 18), O wretched man that I am(Verse 24). We are absolutely a ZERO/NOTHING/ZILCH without Christ in us.
Romans 7:23 shows us where the battle between good/evil, sin/holiness is fought…..in our MINDS. The battle is not fought in the flesh friends….no…what happens in the flesh is just an overflow of what takes place in our minds. This is why it’s so important for us to constantly renew our minds and fill our minds with the things of God….Most importantly His Word and His Worship.
We then get to Romans 8….my personal favorite chapter in the entire Bible. Pay close attention to Verse 1….there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.
In order to appreciate this verse, we must differentiate between condemnation and conviction.
Condemnation—you are worthless, good for nothing, you should just give up and quit.
Conviction—you did wrong…but this mistake…this sin is not who you are. Go and sin no more.
The devil condemns us….he tells us we are worthless and it’s useless….give up.
Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit convicts us. He picks us up when we fall, dusts us off, and says go and sin no more.
Thank you thank you thank you Lord for convicting us and not condemning us.
Romans 8:8 lays it out there in plain English…they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
So let’s call a TIMEOUT and ask ourselves a question….are we pleasing God right now with how we are living our lives?
Romans 8:11 is the basis for a song performed by Jeremy Camp….The Same Power…..the same power that rose Jesus from the dead lives in us….and if that same power lives inside of us….what in the world are we doing scared and afraid.
Romans 8:15 & 17 shows that God doesn’t have grandchildren…..only children. In other words….we don’t become a part of the family through our parents….we can only become a part of the family of God by being adopted by God into the family…..and when we become a part of the family of God….we become a joint heir with Jesus and receive the full privilege of being a child of God…..
I’ll never forget some friends of mine in Jackson…Burt and Renee…..they couldn’t have children of their own, so they went to Russia and adopted. After adopting a couple, they went back and adopted a crippled little girl that couldn’t walk. I remember talking to Burt one day and asking him….Burt, what drew you to this little girl? You could have had the pick of the litter so to speak, but you chose to pick this girl that had a whole host of special needs. Burt quickly replied….we picked her because we knew we had the money and the insurance to get her the help she needed to walk one day. I’ll never ever ever forget the Sunday morning several months later that this precious little girl walked into church for the first time using her little crutches and walker. I just sat down and cried….I’m crying right now as I write this.
Without Burt and Renee….this little girl would probably have died as a cripple in a Russian orphanage.
In a much more significant way…that is exactly what God the Father did for us….without Him, we would be dead….we are hopeless…..but because of our adoption through Jesus Christ….we now have the privileges that come with being a child of God. WOW WOW WOW!!!
Have you ever wondered if you were saved? You know the Bible says we can KNOW that we are saved and not have to wonder. How is that? Romans 8:16….the Holy Spirit will bear witness with our Spirit that we are saved by grace children of God. What’s the Holy Spirit saying to you about your standing with God?
Romans 8:18 is a verse I’ve held onto tightly over the last few months….for I reckon the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
I used to HATE the song Beulah Land by Squire Parsons….maybe it was because everybody tried to sing it…I don’t know….but I don’t HATE that song anymore at all….in fact…the first line has taken a whole new meaning for me…..
I’m kind of homesick for a country….to which I’ve never been before.
The sufferings of this world have made me so homesick for the glory which is going to be in Heaven. What we are going through now will be nothing….a distant/faded memory when we see the glory that awaits us in Heaven with Jesus Christ.
Romans 19-22 talks about the curse that fell on the Earth when sin entered the world in Genesis 3. All creation is yearning to have the curse lifted so they can praise their Creator like they were created to.
Think about that just for a second….the beauty of flowers, mountains, and oceans….as beautiful as they are now….think of how pretty they must have been BEFORE the fall of man….BEFORE the curse entered the world. WOW…..creation knows what it was like….and it is YEARNING to be set free from the curse.
Romans 8:26-27 are some more incredibly comforting verses for me….ever been so sad or upset that you didn’t know what/how to pray? Yep….I’ve been there many times…..many times all I could get out were tears….tears of sadness/sorrow/heartache/disappointment. As the songwriter Gordon Jensen wrote, Tears are a Language God Understands. When we don’t know what to say or pray, The Holy Spirit will pray on our behalf and make intercession for us. He will search our hearts and minds and pray to The Father for us on our behalf. What an incredible help this is to us.
And that leads us to Romans 8:28….one of my Top 5 favorite verses in the Bible…..and we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 does not say all things work together for good and then stops…..no there are some qualifications…..all things only work together for good for those that….
1. Love God
2. Are called by God according to His purpose for their lives
If we love God(I do)….and we are called by God according to His purpose(I am)….then we can know that ALL things….not some things…not most things….ALL things will work together for good for us.
Romans 8:28 doesn’t say all things except divorce
Romans 8:28 doesn’t say all things except hard economic times
Romans 8:28 doesn’t say all things except cancer
Romans 8:28 doesn’t say all things except “friends” turning their back on you
Romans 8:28 doesn’t say all things except anything….
It says ALL things work together for good if you love God and are called according to His purpose.
I AM LITERALLY STAKING MY ENTIRE LIFE ON THIS VERSE RIGHT NOW.
Romans 8:31 is another verse that brings me comfort….if God is for us, who can be against us? When you have people against you….it can be very discouraging. But as long as we are on God’s side, we don’t need to worry….because if we are on His side….can’t anybody beat us.
Notice I didn’t say God on our side…..no no no…that would make us higher than God. God doesn’t choose sides….we either choose to be on His side or not.
Romans 8 concludes with some of the most beautiful verses in scripture….Paul does His best to describe God’s unconditional love for us….nothing can separate us from it…nothing can keep God from loving us.
Distance keeps people from loving each other like they want
Distress keeps people from loving each other like they want
Discord keeps people from loving each other like they want
But NOTHING keeps God from loving us….nothing
If we lived on the moon or in a cave….He still loves us the same.
If we have a stressful situation going on in our lives….He still loves us the same.
If we have broken fellowship and relationships with friends and family….He still loves us the same.
Other humans will stop loving us
But God is not another human….He’s God….and nothing…absolutely nothing will ever stop Him from loving us.
Let the promise of God’s unconditional love for you flood your mind today.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
This may be my FAVORITE devo I’ve ever written because these 3 chapters are some of my favorites in the entire Bible.
Read Romans 6-8
Romans 6 deals with the power of sin in our lives and how that power can and is broken through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Our old man is dead and a new man comes to life. In a nutshell….if you don’t notice a difference in yourself before you salvation and after your salvation, then you need to wonder if you were truly saved or not. There are many….not a few….many in this boat today.
Some of my favorite verses out of Romans 6 are…
Verse 4….this is the scripture basis for what I say when I baptize someone….buried with Christ in baptism, raised to walk in newness of life. My friend and mentor Brother Dennis Jones showed me this.
Verse 5…notice the word planted. There’s a saying going around on Facebook….Your dreams aren’t dead, you’ve just been planted. Think about the depth of those words my friend. When we bury a loved one, we dig a hole in the ground, gently/carefully place our loved one’s casket in the hole, then cover the hole up with dirt. When I plant a seed, I dig a hole, gently/carefully place the seed in the ground, then cover the seed up with dirt. Extremely similar to burial….but the difference is….for the seed…the burial is the catalyst for the seed to germinate, sprout, and bring forth fruit. A seed does not germinate until it is buried in the ground.
Personally, I’m believing this for my life right now…..I’m claiming that my dreams aren’t dead…they aren’t buried to be remembered no more…..even through there are many that are writing me off and hoping that the death of my dreams is true.
I’m choosing to believe that my dreams have just been planted in order to sprout and make more fruit for the Kingdom of God.
For those of you that have known me for a long time, you know that for a couple of years while living in West Tennessee, I played piano for a group by the name of Under Grace. I had a lot of good times with Jeremy, Mark, Jerry, Bobby, and whoever we could find to play drums for us that weekend(Donnie, Jeff, Ron). Romans 6:14 is where the name for Under Grace came from….For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 6:23 is a verse I would use in just about every message I preached….for the wages of sin is death….the price of sin is death….the results of sin is death….what we receive in return for sinning is death…..but…but….but….the GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord…..Salvation is a gift….can’t be bought….can’t be earned….it’s a gift that God the Father gave us by giving His only begotten Son Jesus Christ as payment for our sins.
Salvation will be the best gift you will ever receive.
In Romans 7, Verse 4 speaks of being dead to the law. We need to unpack this to make sure we understand…..there were 2 different laws in the Old Testament….There was the moral law of the 10 Commandments and the like….and there was the ceremonial/sacrificial law of proper sacrifices for sin(doves/lambs/bulls/goats)…o
When The Bible says we are dead to the law….its saying we are dead to the ceremonial/sacrificial law….not the moral law.
In other words…because of Jesus death on the cross, we no longer have to sacrifice lambs/doves/goats/bulls because His one sacrifice took care of us for eternity. The ceremonial/sacrificial law is dead.
The moral law of thou shall have no other gods before me….honor thy father and mother…etc….it is still in full effect.
Romans 7:7 further clarifies that by saying the law taught us what sin was…..this is a continuance of what we discussed yesterday….the law was not for showing us how to get to Heaven….the purpose of the law was not a roadmap to Heaven if we do this, this, and this…..no no no….the purpose of the law is to show us our desperate NEED for a Saviour because there’s no possible way to keep the law.
Romans 7:11 shows what sin does to us….it deceives us then slays(kills) us.
Romans 7:15-17 is one of the most comforting parts of the entire Bible to me. This is the great Apostle Paul writing here….the writer of the majority of the New Testament….the founder of numerous churches….and he’s saying what I don’t want to do….I do….and what I do want to do…I don’t.
Take me for example….what I don’t want to do(drink a coke)…I do….and what I do want to do(exercise)…I don’t.
I’ve counseled with numerous men who have told me….Phillip, I don’t know why I looked at that pornography….I didn’t want to….I just did it. Phillip, I don’t know why I stopped by the liquor store and got a drink….I didn’t want to…I just did it.
So why is this passage comforting to me? Because it shows me that the struggles we face are real….and we are not alone in them….if the great Paul struggled with doing things he didn’t want to do and not doing things he did want to do….then it shouldn’t surprise me when I struggle with the same thing.
The reason for this?? Romans 7:18 & 24….In me dwelleth no good thing(Verse 18), O wretched man that I am(Verse 24). We are absolutely a ZERO/NOTHING/ZILCH without Christ in us.
Romans 7:23 shows us where the battle between good/evil, sin/holiness is fought…..in our MINDS. The battle is not fought in the flesh friends….no…what happens in the flesh is just an overflow of what takes place in our minds. This is why it’s so important for us to constantly renew our minds and fill our minds with the things of God….Most importantly His Word and His Worship.
We then get to Romans 8….my personal favorite chapter in the entire Bible. Pay close attention to Verse 1….there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.
In order to appreciate this verse, we must differentiate between condemnation and conviction.
Condemnation—you are worthless, good for nothing, you should just give up and quit.
Conviction—you did wrong…but this mistake…this sin is not who you are. Go and sin no more.
The devil condemns us….he tells us we are worthless and it’s useless….give up.
Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit convicts us. He picks us up when we fall, dusts us off, and says go and sin no more.
Thank you thank you thank you Lord for convicting us and not condemning us.
Romans 8:8 lays it out there in plain English…they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
So let’s call a TIMEOUT and ask ourselves a question….are we pleasing God right now with how we are living our lives?
Romans 8:11 is the basis for a song performed by Jeremy Camp….The Same Power…..the same power that rose Jesus from the dead lives in us….and if that same power lives inside of us….what in the world are we doing scared and afraid.
Romans 8:15 & 17 shows that God doesn’t have grandchildren…..only children. In other words….we don’t become a part of the family through our parents….we can only become a part of the family of God by being adopted by God into the family…..and when we become a part of the family of God….we become a joint heir with Jesus and receive the full privilege of being a child of God…..
I’ll never forget some friends of mine in Jackson…Burt and Renee…..they couldn’t have children of their own, so they went to Russia and adopted. After adopting a couple, they went back and adopted a crippled little girl that couldn’t walk. I remember talking to Burt one day and asking him….Burt, what drew you to this little girl? You could have had the pick of the litter so to speak, but you chose to pick this girl that had a whole host of special needs. Burt quickly replied….we picked her because we knew we had the money and the insurance to get her the help she needed to walk one day. I’ll never ever ever forget the Sunday morning several months later that this precious little girl walked into church for the first time using her little crutches and walker. I just sat down and cried….I’m crying right now as I write this.
Without Burt and Renee….this little girl would probably have died as a cripple in a Russian orphanage.
In a much more significant way…that is exactly what God the Father did for us….without Him, we would be dead….we are hopeless…..but because of our adoption through Jesus Christ….we now have the privileges that come with being a child of God. WOW WOW WOW!!!
Have you ever wondered if you were saved? You know the Bible says we can KNOW that we are saved and not have to wonder. How is that? Romans 8:16….the Holy Spirit will bear witness with our Spirit that we are saved by grace children of God. What’s the Holy Spirit saying to you about your standing with God?
Romans 8:18 is a verse I’ve held onto tightly over the last few months….for I reckon the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
I used to HATE the song Beulah Land by Squire Parsons….maybe it was because everybody tried to sing it…I don’t know….but I don’t HATE that song anymore at all….in fact…the first line has taken a whole new meaning for me…..
I’m kind of homesick for a country….to which I’ve never been before.
The sufferings of this world have made me so homesick for the glory which is going to be in Heaven. What we are going through now will be nothing….a distant/faded memory when we see the glory that awaits us in Heaven with Jesus Christ.
Romans 19-22 talks about the curse that fell on the Earth when sin entered the world in Genesis 3. All creation is yearning to have the curse lifted so they can praise their Creator like they were created to.
Think about that just for a second….the beauty of flowers, mountains, and oceans….as beautiful as they are now….think of how pretty they must have been BEFORE the fall of man….BEFORE the curse entered the world. WOW…..creation knows what it was like….and it is YEARNING to be set free from the curse.
Romans 8:26-27 are some more incredibly comforting verses for me….ever been so sad or upset that you didn’t know what/how to pray? Yep….I’ve been there many times…..many times all I could get out were tears….tears of sadness/sorrow/heartache/disap
And that leads us to Romans 8:28….one of my Top 5 favorite verses in the Bible…..and we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 does not say all things work together for good and then stops…..no there are some qualifications…..all things only work together for good for those that….
1. Love God
2. Are called by God according to His purpose for their lives
If we love God(I do)….and we are called by God according to His purpose(I am)….then we can know that ALL things….not some things…not most things….ALL things will work together for good for us.
Romans 8:28 doesn’t say all things except divorce
Romans 8:28 doesn’t say all things except hard economic times
Romans 8:28 doesn’t say all things except cancer
Romans 8:28 doesn’t say all things except “friends” turning their back on you
Romans 8:28 doesn’t say all things except anything….
It says ALL things work together for good if you love God and are called according to His purpose.
I AM LITERALLY STAKING MY ENTIRE LIFE ON THIS VERSE RIGHT NOW.
Romans 8:31 is another verse that brings me comfort….if God is for us, who can be against us? When you have people against you….it can be very discouraging. But as long as we are on God’s side, we don’t need to worry….because if we are on His side….can’t anybody beat us.
Notice I didn’t say God on our side…..no no no…that would make us higher than God. God doesn’t choose sides….we either choose to be on His side or not.
Romans 8 concludes with some of the most beautiful verses in scripture….Paul does His best to describe God’s unconditional love for us….nothing can separate us from it…nothing can keep God from loving us.
Distance keeps people from loving each other like they want
Distress keeps people from loving each other like they want
Discord keeps people from loving each other like they want
But NOTHING keeps God from loving us….nothing
If we lived on the moon or in a cave….He still loves us the same.
If we have a stressful situation going on in our lives….He still loves us the same.
If we have broken fellowship and relationships with friends and family….He still loves us the same.
Other humans will stop loving us
But God is not another human….He’s God….and nothing…absolutely nothing will ever stop Him from loving us.
Let the promise of God’s unconditional love for you flood your mind today.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 11th Pray, Read, Worship
Read Romans 3-5
Romans 3:10 tells us that there is none that are righteous…no not one. In other words….none of us are good enough to make it into Heaven by our works or deeds…..so why do you think some folks try to get to Heaven that way?
Romans 3:20 tells us where we mess up….we are taking the laws Jesus gave us in the wrong way….the laws were meant to give us knowledge of our sin….not a way to redeem us if we keep all of them. In other words….the 10 Commandments are God’s way of showing us our need for a Savior….not a roadmap to Heaven if we never break any of them.
It’s impossible for anybody to not sin….Romans 3:23 says so…..for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
The first step in Alcoholics Anonymous is to admit you have a problem with alcohol. An alcoholic will never get better unless they first admit they need help.
The first step in treating diabetes is to admit you have a problem with your sugar and not ignore it.
In a much more important way….before we can ever be saved from our sins….before we can ever be forgiven of our sins….we have to understand that we are sinners in need of a Saviour.
For those of us with children or grandchildren…..and you are wondering if they are ready to be saved or not….the first step is making sure the child understands what sin is and that they are a sinner. When I sit down and talk with a child, I’ll ask what does it mean to sin? If they know what it means to sin, then usually they will say to do something bad. Then I ask them if they have ever sinned. This is where you will know if they understand or not…..about 1/3-1/2 of the time, the child will say, no I’ve never sinned.
Until they can understand they are a sinner, they are not ready to be saved from their sins.
So what do we do if they don’t understand sin yet? We just keep working with them…..keep reading The Bible together….keep going to Sunday School and every other children’s ministry program you can….and most importantly….keep praying for them to have their eyes opened to their own sinfulness and need for Jesus.
Romans 3:23 is also a reminder to we adults that none of us are perfect….and when we connect Romans 3:23 to John Chapter 8….it’s a great reminder for us to quit casting stones at others to tear them down because He who is without sin, let him be the first to cast a stone. That leaves me and you both out of the stone casting business!!
In Romans 3:24, we are introduced to a word that Paul uses a lot in his writings…..justified. What does it mean to be justified by Jesus when He saves us from our sins? I’m going to give you the easiest way to remember what justified means…..The word justified means Just-If-I’d never sinned. When we are justified in Christ….it’s as if we have never sinned in the eyes of God….all of our sins are washed away…erased from the record….taken off our account….paid in full….never to be remembered or held against us anymore. HALLELUJAH!!!
Romans Chapter 4 can be hard to understand if you don’t grasp this principle on the front end…..Paul talks a whole lot about circumcision vs. uncircumcision throughout this chapter. What does he mean?
He’s referring to people who believe they are saved because of their heritage and following of God’s law….in this case…being a Jew. Paul is showing them that being a Jew doesn’t get you to Heaven. Following God’s law won’t get you to heaven. Only faith in Jesus Christ will save us from our sins and gain us entrance to eternal life in Heaven.
I love Romans 4:7….blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. I can’t think of a greater blessing friends….to have your sins forgiven.
There are LOTS of people in this world that are holding grudges against me….many many many. They won’t forgive me of some sin I committed against them, some disagreement we had, or something I did that they didn’t like. In many cases I’ve asked them for forgiveness and to just move on….but they’ve said no and refused. This used to really bother me and it still does to some extent.
But not so the case with Jesus….when we confess and repent of our sins with Him….forgiveness is automatic.
In a crazy sort of way….the unforgiveness and holding of grudges of others to me…..it makes me appreciate the blessing of forgiveness that Jesus gives me.
In Romans 4:20, we are reminded of an incredible example of faith…Abraham…The Lord made Abraham a promise….to be a father of many nations….Abraham was getting really old and it looked like the time for the promise to be kept had passed. But Abraham didn’t lose faith in God…He kept the faith in God even though it looked like time had passed him by.
Isn’t this crazy? Many of us lose faith in God if He doesn’t answer our prayers the same day we pray them. Here….Abraham waited years and years……he’s 100 years old at this time and he’s still believing in faith for God to answer. What an example for us to emulate.
How was Abraham able to keep the faith? Romans 4:21….he was fully persuaded that whatever God promised to him….he was also able to perform.
Are we fully persuaded?
You see I could promise to buy everybody reading this devo a brand new house…..but I’m not able to fulfill that promise….I don’t have the money.
But God….whatever it is He promises to us….He is able to do it.
What a blessing!!!
Romans 5:1 speaks more on being justified…..because we are justified through faith in Jesus….we can have peace with God. You see our sin puts us at enmity with a Holy God….but through Jesus….we are made just-if-I’d never sinned….and therefore we can be put at peace with the Holy God of the universe.
Romans 5:3-4 shows us the process that God uses to build our faith…..
First we have a problem….tribulation….that tribulation will teach us to be patient….waiting on Christ to answer and help……and then the experience of waiting and trusting in Christ from our past will give us hope that He will once again help us in the future.
For example….the IRS audit I went through years ago….lasted 2 long years….in the end, I didn’t have to pay one extra penny in personal taxes because I had done nothing wrong….but it took 2 years to prove that to the IRS.
Because of that tribulation, patience, and experience with the IRS audit…..I have hope that Jesus will take care of me today in whatever I’m facing.
Romans 5:8 brings home the depth of God’s love for us….even though we are sinners….and that sin puts us at enmity with Him…..God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die for us so we could be justified and restored to a right relationship with Him.
It’s easy to do something nice to someone who is good to you first…..its really really really hard to be nice to someone that isn’t nice to you…..That’s the essence of Romans 5:8….God did something beyond good to us even though we were at enmity with Him because of our sin. That’s what I call love right there.
You know what else I call it? Grace….undeserved favor….we don’t deserve for God to be good to us….but He is good to us any way. And according to Romans 5:20…..where sin abounds….grace much more abounds.
It’s my prayer that today….we will marinate and meditate on the magnitude of God’s love and grace for us….as we marinate and meditate on His love and grace….I’m praying it will increase our faith and ability to trust in Him with our future.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Romans 3-5
Romans 3:10 tells us that there is none that are righteous…no not one. In other words….none of us are good enough to make it into Heaven by our works or deeds…..so why do you think some folks try to get to Heaven that way?
Romans 3:20 tells us where we mess up….we are taking the laws Jesus gave us in the wrong way….the laws were meant to give us knowledge of our sin….not a way to redeem us if we keep all of them. In other words….the 10 Commandments are God’s way of showing us our need for a Savior….not a roadmap to Heaven if we never break any of them.
It’s impossible for anybody to not sin….Romans 3:23 says so…..for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
The first step in Alcoholics Anonymous is to admit you have a problem with alcohol. An alcoholic will never get better unless they first admit they need help.
The first step in treating diabetes is to admit you have a problem with your sugar and not ignore it.
In a much more important way….before we can ever be saved from our sins….before we can ever be forgiven of our sins….we have to understand that we are sinners in need of a Saviour.
For those of us with children or grandchildren…..and you are wondering if they are ready to be saved or not….the first step is making sure the child understands what sin is and that they are a sinner. When I sit down and talk with a child, I’ll ask what does it mean to sin? If they know what it means to sin, then usually they will say to do something bad. Then I ask them if they have ever sinned. This is where you will know if they understand or not…..about 1/3-1/2 of the time, the child will say, no I’ve never sinned.
Until they can understand they are a sinner, they are not ready to be saved from their sins.
So what do we do if they don’t understand sin yet? We just keep working with them…..keep reading The Bible together….keep going to Sunday School and every other children’s ministry program you can….and most importantly….keep praying for them to have their eyes opened to their own sinfulness and need for Jesus.
Romans 3:23 is also a reminder to we adults that none of us are perfect….and when we connect Romans 3:23 to John Chapter 8….it’s a great reminder for us to quit casting stones at others to tear them down because He who is without sin, let him be the first to cast a stone. That leaves me and you both out of the stone casting business!!
In Romans 3:24, we are introduced to a word that Paul uses a lot in his writings…..justified. What does it mean to be justified by Jesus when He saves us from our sins? I’m going to give you the easiest way to remember what justified means…..The word justified means Just-If-I’d never sinned. When we are justified in Christ….it’s as if we have never sinned in the eyes of God….all of our sins are washed away…erased from the record….taken off our account….paid in full….never to be remembered or held against us anymore. HALLELUJAH!!!
Romans Chapter 4 can be hard to understand if you don’t grasp this principle on the front end…..Paul talks a whole lot about circumcision vs. uncircumcision throughout this chapter. What does he mean?
He’s referring to people who believe they are saved because of their heritage and following of God’s law….in this case…being a Jew. Paul is showing them that being a Jew doesn’t get you to Heaven. Following God’s law won’t get you to heaven. Only faith in Jesus Christ will save us from our sins and gain us entrance to eternal life in Heaven.
I love Romans 4:7….blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. I can’t think of a greater blessing friends….to have your sins forgiven.
There are LOTS of people in this world that are holding grudges against me….many many many. They won’t forgive me of some sin I committed against them, some disagreement we had, or something I did that they didn’t like. In many cases I’ve asked them for forgiveness and to just move on….but they’ve said no and refused. This used to really bother me and it still does to some extent.
But not so the case with Jesus….when we confess and repent of our sins with Him….forgiveness is automatic.
In a crazy sort of way….the unforgiveness and holding of grudges of others to me…..it makes me appreciate the blessing of forgiveness that Jesus gives me.
In Romans 4:20, we are reminded of an incredible example of faith…Abraham…The Lord made Abraham a promise….to be a father of many nations….Abraham was getting really old and it looked like the time for the promise to be kept had passed. But Abraham didn’t lose faith in God…He kept the faith in God even though it looked like time had passed him by.
Isn’t this crazy? Many of us lose faith in God if He doesn’t answer our prayers the same day we pray them. Here….Abraham waited years and years……he’s 100 years old at this time and he’s still believing in faith for God to answer. What an example for us to emulate.
How was Abraham able to keep the faith? Romans 4:21….he was fully persuaded that whatever God promised to him….he was also able to perform.
Are we fully persuaded?
You see I could promise to buy everybody reading this devo a brand new house…..but I’m not able to fulfill that promise….I don’t have the money.
But God….whatever it is He promises to us….He is able to do it.
What a blessing!!!
Romans 5:1 speaks more on being justified…..because we are justified through faith in Jesus….we can have peace with God. You see our sin puts us at enmity with a Holy God….but through Jesus….we are made just-if-I’d never sinned….and therefore we can be put at peace with the Holy God of the universe.
Romans 5:3-4 shows us the process that God uses to build our faith…..
First we have a problem….tribulation….that tribulation will teach us to be patient….waiting on Christ to answer and help……and then the experience of waiting and trusting in Christ from our past will give us hope that He will once again help us in the future.
For example….the IRS audit I went through years ago….lasted 2 long years….in the end, I didn’t have to pay one extra penny in personal taxes because I had done nothing wrong….but it took 2 years to prove that to the IRS.
Because of that tribulation, patience, and experience with the IRS audit…..I have hope that Jesus will take care of me today in whatever I’m facing.
Romans 5:8 brings home the depth of God’s love for us….even though we are sinners….and that sin puts us at enmity with Him…..God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die for us so we could be justified and restored to a right relationship with Him.
It’s easy to do something nice to someone who is good to you first…..its really really really hard to be nice to someone that isn’t nice to you…..That’s the essence of Romans 5:8….God did something beyond good to us even though we were at enmity with Him because of our sin. That’s what I call love right there.
You know what else I call it? Grace….undeserved favor….we don’t deserve for God to be good to us….but He is good to us any way. And according to Romans 5:20…..where sin abounds….grace much more abounds.
It’s my prayer that today….we will marinate and meditate on the magnitude of God’s love and grace for us….as we marinate and meditate on His love and grace….I’m praying it will increase our faith and ability to trust in Him with our future.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 10th Pray, Read, Worship
Would you click SHARE at the bottom of this devo and help Chambers Family Ministries reach even more people with the life changing Gospel of Jesus?
Read Acts 28, Romans 1-2
If you are just now joining us….we are on a journey reading 3 chapters a day in the Bible. It’s making a HUGE difference in all our lives….and it will do the same for you…..jump on in with us!!!
In Acts 28, Paul and the other 276 passengers on the boat sailing for Rome shipwreck on the island of Malta. They are greeted by native people in Verse 2 who showed them kindness.
How much does it cost to show kindness to people? Very little if anything.
Yet this world is running bad short on kindness. We saw some glimpses of kindness during the Covid-19 quarantine….but this week alone, I’ve received more than one report of church people being plumb ugly to others inside and outside the church.
Why? To what purpose? So disappointing to hear of church people being ugly and not kind.
May Acts 28:2 be a reminder to all of us to BE KIND and show KINDNESS to others.
Would you allow me to give you a great example of kindness and brag on my father at the same time? If you know Mom and Dad, you know they will do just about anything to save a nickel….much less a dollar. Mom and Dad love shopping at Kroger and building up fuel points to get discounts on their gas.
Well last month, Mom and Dad had built up so many points that they only had to pay 6 cents a gallon for gas…..I’m not saying a 6 cent discount….no….I’m saying a total of 6 cents a gallon for gas. WOW!!! I didn’t know you could get that low.
Anyway…the limit is 35 gallons….usually when Daddy cashes in, he and Mom drive two vehicles plus daddy takes all the farm gas cans from home and uses every drop of the 35 gallons. We even teased him one time about throwing out a diet coke so he could fill up the empty bottle with cheap gas(he didn’t really do that….but it sure was fun to tease him)…..well anyway, last month, Daddy didn’t take the two vehicles and he didn’t take the gas cans. He just showed up….cashed in his discount….but he only used 26 of the 35 gallons.
So what did Daddy do? Did he hang up the pump? Nope….he looked around to the other side of the pump….and just pulling in was a man of a different race than my father. Daddy looked at him, explained the situation and offered to give the man 9 gallons of gas for free(Daddy didn’t even charge the guy the 6 cents a gallon….man he’s getting soft in his old age)…and the man was overwhelmed with my father’s kindness.
How much better would this selfish, ugly to one another, hard to live in world be if more people showed kindness one to another like my Daddy did at the Kroger gas pumps?
We can’t wait for others to be kind to us….it starts with us my friends….we reap what we sow….we start the process by sowing kindness and then we will reap it.
Be kind to someone today!!!
In Verse 3, Paul is bitten by a snake while making a fire….
Here’s what you need to know….BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE….Why? To bring honor and glory to The Lord Jesus Christ….through this snakebite and his subsequent healing from it, Paul was able to minister to the people on the island of Malta. May we look for the Lord’s will in every situation we face…..may we see how we can use bad situations for good to minister to others in Jesus name.
In Acts 28:16, we learn that Paul was kept by a soldier while under house arrest for 2 whole years. These soldiers worked 4 hour shifts….so Paul would have 6 different men over the course of the day. That’s a potential of 4380 different men Paul was able to witness to over the course of the 2 years in Rome. I call that making the best of a bad situation.
What were the results? We learn in Acts 28:24….some believed and some didn’t. This is how it is today when we share the Gospel….some believe and some don’t.
Can I share something personal with you? When I offer some cows for sale, somebody comes and looks at them, and they tell me no….it bothers me.
But when I share the Gospel with someone and they say no…..Man alive…that keeps me up at night. You see whether you buy a cow from me or not doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. But my friend….whether you ever place your trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation….well that’s a matter of life and death.
Yet even with the great apostle Paul….people didn’t believe.
We can’t make people love us
We can’t make people care about us
We can’t make people buy cows from us
And we can’t make them trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation either.
Don’t let this be a discouragement to you for sharing the Gospel….whether they believe or not is on them….not you…..our part is to do the sharing….The Lord’s part is to do the saving….the sinner’s part is to do the trusting in Jesus….some will believe and some won’t.
In Romans 1:7….what did Paul pray for the Roman Christians to have? Grace and Peace…..out of all the things Paul could have prayed for them to have…..love, joy, hope, unity, etc….he specifically mentioned grace and peace. Grace….the undeserved favor of God….peace….true peace only comes from God…not from worldly circumstances.
Let’s bring this in closer to home my friends…..in our prayer time, I’ve asked you to pray for others. Usually I ask The Lord to “bless” the people I call out to Him. Bless Caroline and Abigail….bless Mom and Dad….etc.
Today….I’m going to challenge you to pray for your prayer list a little bit differently….today, ask The Lord to send grace and peace to every name you call out to Him. I’m anxious to see what The Lord does in the lives of the people we are praying for.
In Romans 1:12….Paul expresses something I’ve dearly missed during the Covid-19 quarantine….the mutual comfort we receive when we come together in person as believers in Christ. My friends….I literally FEEL BETTER after I go to church. I’m comforted by being in the presence of my brothers and sisters in Christ. This doesn’t mean the preacher don’t step on my toes….oh yes he does….but even with that conviction from The Holy Spirit….I still feel so much better when I get to fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Romans 1:16 is one of my favorite verses in the entire Bible.
“I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ….” As we learned in Matthew 10, if we are ashamed of Jesus in this life, He will be ashamed of us in the next.
“For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth….”
Did it say everyone that tithes? No. You can tithe and not be saved.
Did it say everyone that reads the Bible? No. You can read the Bible and not be saved
Did it say everyone that memorizes the 10 Commandments? No. You can memorize the 10 Commandments and not be saved.
Did it say everyone that goes to church? No. You can go to church and not be saved.
It says to everyone that believeth…..I’m so thankful that my salvation is not based on my income or intelligence….it’s simply based on my belief in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.
And that word everyone…..PRAISE THE LORD….salvation is not just for “the cool kids.” It’s for everyone in the whole wide world….
Romans 1:17 says that the life of a follower of Jesus will require us to live by faith. I just thought I had lived on faith before my friends….and I guess I had…..but go through a divorce….lose a bunch of friends….don’t have a steady job/paycheck coming in….only see your kids half the time….and brother you will learn real quick what it means to live by faith. I’ve heard this said for years and years but I’m finding it to be more true each and every day….You’ll never realize that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.
Read that again….You’ll never realize that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.
That’s living by faith.
In Romans 1:22….Paul says that people profess themselves to be wise when in reality they are fools. Man alive this happens today all the time. People think they are so smart….when in reality…unless we are trusting in Jesus Christ and following His teachings….we are fools. I heard a man say one time….better to keep your mouth shut and people think you are foolish than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
In Romans 1:25, Paul talks about those that worship the creature more than the Creator. When we read this, most of us think about our dogs, cats, cows, and other animals that people put as a higher priority than God Himself. While that is certainly the case….let me give you a “creature”, that most don’t think about in Romans 1:25….yet the majority of us….myself included….are so very guilty of putting this “creature” as the top priority in our lives…..
Are you ready???
Can you guess what “creature” I’m talking about???
Our children.
I love my girls so very much….so so very much….but we do our children a huge disservice when we put them in a place they were never supposed to be.
Me placing Caroline and Abigail as top priority in my life would be just as disastrous as me putting them behind the controls of a jet airplane….my girls are not supposed to be in either place….and therefore….will be doomed to fail.
Don’t worship your children more than the Creator of your children….
Moving on…..One of the biggest arguments that homosexuals use today to say that homosexuality is not a sin is that it’s mentioned in Old Testament Levitical law. While it is mentioned in Leviticus 18, homosexuality is also mentioned as a sin here in Romans 1:26-27.
Remember this my friend….homosexuality may be a sin…but God doesn’t hate homosexuals. He may hate their sin…but in no way does He hate the sinner. He loves all sinners….including us….and His desire is for us to repent of all our sins and live the full and abundant life He has for us.
Romans 2:1 says we are inexcusable…..but that sure doesn’t keep people from giving excuses today….and according to The Bible, it won’t keep people from offering excuses on judgment day either.
I’ve heard some doozies of excuses over the years….but instead of me sharing all the ones I’ve heard(I’m saving them for a book one day)….I’d like to share with you the lyrics to the MEGA HIT from The Kingsmen Quartet….Excuses.
Excuses, excuses, you’ll hear them every day.
And the Devil he’ll supply them, if from church you stay away.
When people come to know the Lord, the Devil always loses
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.
In the summer it’s too hot. And, in the winter, it’s too cold.
In the spring time when the weather’s just right, you find some place else to go.
Well, it’s up to the mountains or down to the beach or to visit some old friend.
Or, to just stay home and kinda relax and hope that some of the kin folks will start dropping in.
Well, the church benches are too hard. And, that choir sings way too loud.
Boy, you know how nervous you get when you’re sitting in a great big crowd.
The doctor told you, “Now, you better watch them crowds. They’ll set you back.”
But, you go to that old ball game because you say “it helps you to relax.”
Well, a headache Sunday morning and a backache Sunday night.
But by worktime Monday morning, you’re feeling quite alright.
While one of the children has a cold, “Pneumonia, do you suppose?”
Why the whole family had to stay home, just to blow that poor kid’s nose.
Excuses, excuses, you’ll hear them every day.
And the Devil he’ll supply them if the church you stay away.
When people come to know the Lord, the Devil always loses
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.
Well, the preacher he’s too young. And, maybe he’s too old.
The sermons they’re not hard enough. And, maybe they’re too bold.
His voice is much too quiet-like. Sometimes he gets too loud.
He needs to have more dignity. Or, else he’s way too proud.
Well, the sermons they’re too long. And, maybe they’re too short.
He ought to preach the word with dignity instead of “stomp and snort.”
Well, that preacher we’ve got must be “the world’s most stuck up man.”
Well, one of the lady’s told me the other day, “Why, he didn’t even shake my hand.”
Excuses, excuses, you’ll hear them every day.
And the Devil he’ll supply them if the church you stay away.
When people come to know the Lord, the Devil always loses
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.
That song was recorded 39 years ago in 1981…..but it’s still applicable today….isn’t it?
Friend…we are without excuse when it comes to following and serving The Lord. Your excuses may make you feel better…but they are not going to get you anywhere with The Lord.
In Romans 2:6….we learn how we are going to be judged on Judgment day….by our deeds. Not by what was said about us or what others thought about us…..nope…we will be judged by our deeds. If that’s the case….then why do we worry so much about what other people think or say about us? I’m preaching to myself here folks….I’m so guilty of being overly concerned about what others think and say about me…when in reality….it matters very little if any.
In Romans 2:19, we see that we are to help guide others to salvation in Christ…..just like someone with sight helps to guide someone who is blind.
Sinners are blind to their sin…..therefore those of us who have been forgiven of our sin…..The Lord instructs us to guide to salvation those blinded by their sin.
Have you guided anyone to salvation lately? Remember it’s not our job to save them….That’s The Lord’s job….it’s our job to share and show them the way….it’s their job to choose whether to believe or not….and if they do believe, it’s the Lord’s job to save them.
Thanks for reading this devo….thanks for reading these 3 chapters….thanks for your support and encouragement….thanks for sharing this devo with others so we can increase the reach of our ministry.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Would you click SHARE at the bottom of this devo and help Chambers Family Ministries reach even more people with the life changing Gospel of Jesus?
Read Acts 28, Romans 1-2
If you are just now joining us….we are on a journey reading 3 chapters a day in the Bible. It’s making a HUGE difference in all our lives….and it will do the same for you…..jump on in with us!!!
In Acts 28, Paul and the other 276 passengers on the boat sailing for Rome shipwreck on the island of Malta. They are greeted by native people in Verse 2 who showed them kindness.
How much does it cost to show kindness to people? Very little if anything.
Yet this world is running bad short on kindness. We saw some glimpses of kindness during the Covid-19 quarantine….but this week alone, I’ve received more than one report of church people being plumb ugly to others inside and outside the church.
Why? To what purpose? So disappointing to hear of church people being ugly and not kind.
May Acts 28:2 be a reminder to all of us to BE KIND and show KINDNESS to others.
Would you allow me to give you a great example of kindness and brag on my father at the same time? If you know Mom and Dad, you know they will do just about anything to save a nickel….much less a dollar. Mom and Dad love shopping at Kroger and building up fuel points to get discounts on their gas.
Well last month, Mom and Dad had built up so many points that they only had to pay 6 cents a gallon for gas…..I’m not saying a 6 cent discount….no….I’m saying a total of 6 cents a gallon for gas. WOW!!! I didn’t know you could get that low.
Anyway…the limit is 35 gallons….usually when Daddy cashes in, he and Mom drive two vehicles plus daddy takes all the farm gas cans from home and uses every drop of the 35 gallons. We even teased him one time about throwing out a diet coke so he could fill up the empty bottle with cheap gas(he didn’t really do that….but it sure was fun to tease him)…..well anyway, last month, Daddy didn’t take the two vehicles and he didn’t take the gas cans. He just showed up….cashed in his discount….but he only used 26 of the 35 gallons.
So what did Daddy do? Did he hang up the pump? Nope….he looked around to the other side of the pump….and just pulling in was a man of a different race than my father. Daddy looked at him, explained the situation and offered to give the man 9 gallons of gas for free(Daddy didn’t even charge the guy the 6 cents a gallon….man he’s getting soft in his old age)…and the man was overwhelmed with my father’s kindness.
How much better would this selfish, ugly to one another, hard to live in world be if more people showed kindness one to another like my Daddy did at the Kroger gas pumps?
We can’t wait for others to be kind to us….it starts with us my friends….we reap what we sow….we start the process by sowing kindness and then we will reap it.
Be kind to someone today!!!
In Verse 3, Paul is bitten by a snake while making a fire….
Here’s what you need to know….BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE….Why? To bring honor and glory to The Lord Jesus Christ….through this snakebite and his subsequent healing from it, Paul was able to minister to the people on the island of Malta. May we look for the Lord’s will in every situation we face…..may we see how we can use bad situations for good to minister to others in Jesus name.
In Acts 28:16, we learn that Paul was kept by a soldier while under house arrest for 2 whole years. These soldiers worked 4 hour shifts….so Paul would have 6 different men over the course of the day. That’s a potential of 4380 different men Paul was able to witness to over the course of the 2 years in Rome. I call that making the best of a bad situation.
What were the results? We learn in Acts 28:24….some believed and some didn’t. This is how it is today when we share the Gospel….some believe and some don’t.
Can I share something personal with you? When I offer some cows for sale, somebody comes and looks at them, and they tell me no….it bothers me.
But when I share the Gospel with someone and they say no…..Man alive…that keeps me up at night. You see whether you buy a cow from me or not doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. But my friend….whether you ever place your trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation….well that’s a matter of life and death.
Yet even with the great apostle Paul….people didn’t believe.
We can’t make people love us
We can’t make people care about us
We can’t make people buy cows from us
And we can’t make them trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation either.
Don’t let this be a discouragement to you for sharing the Gospel….whether they believe or not is on them….not you…..our part is to do the sharing….The Lord’s part is to do the saving….the sinner’s part is to do the trusting in Jesus….some will believe and some won’t.
In Romans 1:7….what did Paul pray for the Roman Christians to have? Grace and Peace…..out of all the things Paul could have prayed for them to have…..love, joy, hope, unity, etc….he specifically mentioned grace and peace. Grace….the undeserved favor of God….peace….true peace only comes from God…not from worldly circumstances.
Let’s bring this in closer to home my friends…..in our prayer time, I’ve asked you to pray for others. Usually I ask The Lord to “bless” the people I call out to Him. Bless Caroline and Abigail….bless Mom and Dad….etc.
Today….I’m going to challenge you to pray for your prayer list a little bit differently….today, ask The Lord to send grace and peace to every name you call out to Him. I’m anxious to see what The Lord does in the lives of the people we are praying for.
In Romans 1:12….Paul expresses something I’ve dearly missed during the Covid-19 quarantine….the mutual comfort we receive when we come together in person as believers in Christ. My friends….I literally FEEL BETTER after I go to church. I’m comforted by being in the presence of my brothers and sisters in Christ. This doesn’t mean the preacher don’t step on my toes….oh yes he does….but even with that conviction from The Holy Spirit….I still feel so much better when I get to fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Romans 1:16 is one of my favorite verses in the entire Bible.
“I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ….” As we learned in Matthew 10, if we are ashamed of Jesus in this life, He will be ashamed of us in the next.
“For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth….”
Did it say everyone that tithes? No. You can tithe and not be saved.
Did it say everyone that reads the Bible? No. You can read the Bible and not be saved
Did it say everyone that memorizes the 10 Commandments? No. You can memorize the 10 Commandments and not be saved.
Did it say everyone that goes to church? No. You can go to church and not be saved.
It says to everyone that believeth…..I’m so thankful that my salvation is not based on my income or intelligence….it’s simply based on my belief in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.
And that word everyone…..PRAISE THE LORD….salvation is not just for “the cool kids.” It’s for everyone in the whole wide world….
Romans 1:17 says that the life of a follower of Jesus will require us to live by faith. I just thought I had lived on faith before my friends….and I guess I had…..but go through a divorce….lose a bunch of friends….don’t have a steady job/paycheck coming in….only see your kids half the time….and brother you will learn real quick what it means to live by faith. I’ve heard this said for years and years but I’m finding it to be more true each and every day….You’ll never realize that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.
Read that again….You’ll never realize that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.
That’s living by faith.
In Romans 1:22….Paul says that people profess themselves to be wise when in reality they are fools. Man alive this happens today all the time. People think they are so smart….when in reality…unless we are trusting in Jesus Christ and following His teachings….we are fools. I heard a man say one time….better to keep your mouth shut and people think you are foolish than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
In Romans 1:25, Paul talks about those that worship the creature more than the Creator. When we read this, most of us think about our dogs, cats, cows, and other animals that people put as a higher priority than God Himself. While that is certainly the case….let me give you a “creature”, that most don’t think about in Romans 1:25….yet the majority of us….myself included….are so very guilty of putting this “creature” as the top priority in our lives…..
Are you ready???
Can you guess what “creature” I’m talking about???
Our children.
I love my girls so very much….so so very much….but we do our children a huge disservice when we put them in a place they were never supposed to be.
Me placing Caroline and Abigail as top priority in my life would be just as disastrous as me putting them behind the controls of a jet airplane….my girls are not supposed to be in either place….and therefore….will be doomed to fail.
Don’t worship your children more than the Creator of your children….
Moving on…..One of the biggest arguments that homosexuals use today to say that homosexuality is not a sin is that it’s mentioned in Old Testament Levitical law. While it is mentioned in Leviticus 18, homosexuality is also mentioned as a sin here in Romans 1:26-27.
Remember this my friend….homosexuality may be a sin…but God doesn’t hate homosexuals. He may hate their sin…but in no way does He hate the sinner. He loves all sinners….including us….and His desire is for us to repent of all our sins and live the full and abundant life He has for us.
Romans 2:1 says we are inexcusable…..but that sure doesn’t keep people from giving excuses today….and according to The Bible, it won’t keep people from offering excuses on judgment day either.
I’ve heard some doozies of excuses over the years….but instead of me sharing all the ones I’ve heard(I’m saving them for a book one day)….I’d like to share with you the lyrics to the MEGA HIT from The Kingsmen Quartet….Excuses.
Excuses, excuses, you’ll hear them every day.
And the Devil he’ll supply them, if from church you stay away.
When people come to know the Lord, the Devil always loses
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.
In the summer it’s too hot. And, in the winter, it’s too cold.
In the spring time when the weather’s just right, you find some place else to go.
Well, it’s up to the mountains or down to the beach or to visit some old friend.
Or, to just stay home and kinda relax and hope that some of the kin folks will start dropping in.
Well, the church benches are too hard. And, that choir sings way too loud.
Boy, you know how nervous you get when you’re sitting in a great big crowd.
The doctor told you, “Now, you better watch them crowds. They’ll set you back.”
But, you go to that old ball game because you say “it helps you to relax.”
Well, a headache Sunday morning and a backache Sunday night.
But by worktime Monday morning, you’re feeling quite alright.
While one of the children has a cold, “Pneumonia, do you suppose?”
Why the whole family had to stay home, just to blow that poor kid’s nose.
Excuses, excuses, you’ll hear them every day.
And the Devil he’ll supply them if the church you stay away.
When people come to know the Lord, the Devil always loses
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.
Well, the preacher he’s too young. And, maybe he’s too old.
The sermons they’re not hard enough. And, maybe they’re too bold.
His voice is much too quiet-like. Sometimes he gets too loud.
He needs to have more dignity. Or, else he’s way too proud.
Well, the sermons they’re too long. And, maybe they’re too short.
He ought to preach the word with dignity instead of “stomp and snort.”
Well, that preacher we’ve got must be “the world’s most stuck up man.”
Well, one of the lady’s told me the other day, “Why, he didn’t even shake my hand.”
Excuses, excuses, you’ll hear them every day.
And the Devil he’ll supply them if the church you stay away.
When people come to know the Lord, the Devil always loses
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.
That song was recorded 39 years ago in 1981…..but it’s still applicable today….isn’t it?
Friend…we are without excuse when it comes to following and serving The Lord. Your excuses may make you feel better…but they are not going to get you anywhere with The Lord.
In Romans 2:6….we learn how we are going to be judged on Judgment day….by our deeds. Not by what was said about us or what others thought about us…..nope…we will be judged by our deeds. If that’s the case….then why do we worry so much about what other people think or say about us? I’m preaching to myself here folks….I’m so guilty of being overly concerned about what others think and say about me…when in reality….it matters very little if any.
In Romans 2:19, we see that we are to help guide others to salvation in Christ…..just like someone with sight helps to guide someone who is blind.
Sinners are blind to their sin…..therefore those of us who have been forgiven of our sin…..The Lord instructs us to guide to salvation those blinded by their sin.
Have you guided anyone to salvation lately? Remember it’s not our job to save them….That’s The Lord’s job….it’s our job to share and show them the way….it’s their job to choose whether to believe or not….and if they do believe, it’s the Lord’s job to save them.
Thanks for reading this devo….thanks for reading these 3 chapters….thanks for your support and encouragement….thanks for sharing this devo with others so we can increase the reach of our ministry.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 9th Pray, Read, Worship
Read Acts 25-27
Lots of high drama in these 3 Chapters. In Acts 25:7, the Bible says the Jews laid many grievous complaints against Paul that they could not prove.
Some things never change do they???
I don’t know about you….but If somebody wants to complain about something I did….OK go for it…..but to complain about something I didn’t do at all? GEEZ!!! That is so frustrating!!! Can you just imagine how frustrated Paul must have been during this time? For us, this took place over just a couple chapters….in reality….this was over the course of 2 years!!! Two years Paul is in prison over complaints that he didn’t do!!!!!
But do we hear Paul complaining? Nope
What did Paul do? Well….we know he wrote letters to the churches encouraging them….and we also know he shared the Gospel with all he came in contact with.
Hmmmm….when we get falsely accused….are we encouraging folks and sharing the Gospel? I’m sorry to say that I didn’t….but this passage is certainly admonishing me to do so when(not if), when I’m falsely accused again.
I hope you will do the same…..
In Acts 26:16, we are reminded of our commission from The Lord….to be witnesses for Him. A witness simply tells what they have seen and experienced. I challenged you yesterday to share your testimony….only had a couple to do so.
What’s keeping you from sharing your testimony my friend? I’d like to hear it….the world needs to hear it…Jesus told us to share it!!!
In Acts 26:18, we see that people in the thralls of sin are blinded to its effects on their life….Here Jesus says they need to open their eyes.
One of my new prayers for myself is for The Lord to open my eyes to see what He sees. The Lord sees things that we don’t….in ways that we don’t….I’d like to see myself as The Lord sees me….I’d like to see situations as The Lord sees them…..Dear Lord….please open my eyes and the eyes of all my friends reading this devo. Help us to see ourselves and our situations as You see them.
In that same verse, Acts 26:18, we see what salvation gets us….forgiveness of our sins(which almost everybody knows)….but also an inheritance(which most of us neglect to consider).
As the son of Owen and Nancy Chambers, my brother and I have already received our inheritance. Many years ago, Mom and Dad put the 405 acre farm in mine and Brandon’s name with them a lifetime estate to it. Only me and my brother are entitled to this inheritance….why? Because only me and Brandon are the children of Owen and Nancy Chambers.
In the exact same way….once we are forgiven of our sins by Jesus….we are adopted into the family of God….we become joint-heirs with Jesus to God The Father’s inheritance.
The Bible says that God the Father owns the cattle on 1000 hills.
The Bible says that The Earth belongs to God and everything that is in it(the fullness thereof).
The Bible says we will each inherit a mansion to live in when we get to Heaven.
What a deal!!! This inheritance we will receive is only because of the goodness and graciousness of God Himself….not because of anything we’ve done or anything we deserve.
This inheritance is not for everybody….just like the Chambers farm is only for Brandon and myself….The Lord’s inheritance is only for His children.
Do you ever think about or consider the inheritance you will receive as a Child of God? Its blows my mind when I try to even fathom it. Thank you God for your goodness to me!!
Paul shares his testimony with King Agrippa….what was Agrippa’s response in Acts 26:28? In my opinion….this is one of the saddest verses in the entire Bible….Paul…you have almost persuaded me to become a Christian.
Almost may be good enough when playing corn hole, horse shoes, and hand grenades…..but to be almost a Christian is to be 100% totally lost. This world is full of almost persuaded people. In fact, I submit to you that most people….the vast vast majority of people….literally miss heaven by 18 inches….that’s the approximate distance from one’s head to their heart….you know what you need to do in your head….but you are unwilling to surrender your heart to Christ.
Please please please my friend….don’t be an almost persuaded person. Surrender fully to Christ.
In Acts 27:11….The Bible says that the centurion believed the shipmaster more than he believed Paul…the man of God.
Like I said earlier….some things never change do they????
So very very many people will believe Google, political polls, and their 3rd cousin twice removed’s goldfish before they will believe The Lord.
I’ve come to find that most people don’t really want to know the truth….they just want to find somebody….ANYBODY…to agree with them and validate their thoughts and feelings.
If you look long enough, you’ll find someone to validate you….whether you are right or wrong.
But if you don’t want to waste time….just consult The Lord and see what He has to say. His ways are always right!!!
In Acts 27:13, notice that the same wind that fooled them into thinking it was safe to sail was now trying to kill them in a storm. My friend….this is what sin does to us….the same doughnut that fooled us into thinking we had to have its deliciousness, will clog our arteries and kill us.
The same sin that fools us into thinking we can’t live without it….will eventually try to take our lives. Remember, Satan’s ultimate goal is to kill and destroy us.
Last but not least, in Acts 27:19, during the storm, they threw unnecessary things overboard the ship with their own hands in order to survive the storm.
That is much like what has happened to us with the Coronavirus….it has caused many of us to discontinue doing unnecessary things….to discontinue purchasing unnecessary things….why? In order to lighten our ship to survive the storm.
For example….I’m about to get rid of my home phone and just use my cell. Why? I don’t use the home phone anymore and there’s no sense in paying almost $100 a month for something I don’t need.
In a much more spiritual way….what about when spiritual storms hit us??? Boy oh boy…that is sure enough the time to see if we are carrying around some extra weight.
Let me give you another personal example….I have someone very close, near, and dear to me that is really struggling right now. They are in a storm and I so want them to get through this storm to the other side…..so what am I doing about it? Well….I’ve cut out watching, listening, and surfing Fox News and instead….I’m spending that time praying for them. Fox News is what I’ve thrown out of the boat with my own hands in order to help this person close to my heart survive the storm.
What does The Lord want you to get light of in your life in order to survive what’s coming your way?
Marinate on that thought today my friend….what do you need to get rid of in your life in order to draw closer to The Lord?
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Acts 25-27
Lots of high drama in these 3 Chapters. In Acts 25:7, the Bible says the Jews laid many grievous complaints against Paul that they could not prove.
Some things never change do they???
I don’t know about you….but If somebody wants to complain about something I did….OK go for it…..but to complain about something I didn’t do at all? GEEZ!!! That is so frustrating!!! Can you just imagine how frustrated Paul must have been during this time? For us, this took place over just a couple chapters….in reality….this was over the course of 2 years!!! Two years Paul is in prison over complaints that he didn’t do!!!!!
But do we hear Paul complaining? Nope
What did Paul do? Well….we know he wrote letters to the churches encouraging them….and we also know he shared the Gospel with all he came in contact with.
Hmmmm….when we get falsely accused….are we encouraging folks and sharing the Gospel? I’m sorry to say that I didn’t….but this passage is certainly admonishing me to do so when(not if), when I’m falsely accused again.
I hope you will do the same…..
In Acts 26:16, we are reminded of our commission from The Lord….to be witnesses for Him. A witness simply tells what they have seen and experienced. I challenged you yesterday to share your testimony….only had a couple to do so.
What’s keeping you from sharing your testimony my friend? I’d like to hear it….the world needs to hear it…Jesus told us to share it!!!
In Acts 26:18, we see that people in the thralls of sin are blinded to its effects on their life….Here Jesus says they need to open their eyes.
One of my new prayers for myself is for The Lord to open my eyes to see what He sees. The Lord sees things that we don’t….in ways that we don’t….I’d like to see myself as The Lord sees me….I’d like to see situations as The Lord sees them…..Dear Lord….please open my eyes and the eyes of all my friends reading this devo. Help us to see ourselves and our situations as You see them.
In that same verse, Acts 26:18, we see what salvation gets us….forgiveness of our sins(which almost everybody knows)….but also an inheritance(which most of us neglect to consider).
As the son of Owen and Nancy Chambers, my brother and I have already received our inheritance. Many years ago, Mom and Dad put the 405 acre farm in mine and Brandon’s name with them a lifetime estate to it. Only me and my brother are entitled to this inheritance….why? Because only me and Brandon are the children of Owen and Nancy Chambers.
In the exact same way….once we are forgiven of our sins by Jesus….we are adopted into the family of God….we become joint-heirs with Jesus to God The Father’s inheritance.
The Bible says that God the Father owns the cattle on 1000 hills.
The Bible says that The Earth belongs to God and everything that is in it(the fullness thereof).
The Bible says we will each inherit a mansion to live in when we get to Heaven.
What a deal!!! This inheritance we will receive is only because of the goodness and graciousness of God Himself….not because of anything we’ve done or anything we deserve.
This inheritance is not for everybody….just like the Chambers farm is only for Brandon and myself….The Lord’s inheritance is only for His children.
Do you ever think about or consider the inheritance you will receive as a Child of God? Its blows my mind when I try to even fathom it. Thank you God for your goodness to me!!
Paul shares his testimony with King Agrippa….what was Agrippa’s response in Acts 26:28? In my opinion….this is one of the saddest verses in the entire Bible….Paul…you have almost persuaded me to become a Christian.
Almost may be good enough when playing corn hole, horse shoes, and hand grenades…..but to be almost a Christian is to be 100% totally lost. This world is full of almost persuaded people. In fact, I submit to you that most people….the vast vast majority of people….literally miss heaven by 18 inches….that’s the approximate distance from one’s head to their heart….you know what you need to do in your head….but you are unwilling to surrender your heart to Christ.
Please please please my friend….don’t be an almost persuaded person. Surrender fully to Christ.
In Acts 27:11….The Bible says that the centurion believed the shipmaster more than he believed Paul…the man of God.
Like I said earlier….some things never change do they????
So very very many people will believe Google, political polls, and their 3rd cousin twice removed’s goldfish before they will believe The Lord.
I’ve come to find that most people don’t really want to know the truth….they just want to find somebody….ANYBODY…to agree with them and validate their thoughts and feelings.
If you look long enough, you’ll find someone to validate you….whether you are right or wrong.
But if you don’t want to waste time….just consult The Lord and see what He has to say. His ways are always right!!!
In Acts 27:13, notice that the same wind that fooled them into thinking it was safe to sail was now trying to kill them in a storm. My friend….this is what sin does to us….the same doughnut that fooled us into thinking we had to have its deliciousness, will clog our arteries and kill us.
The same sin that fools us into thinking we can’t live without it….will eventually try to take our lives. Remember, Satan’s ultimate goal is to kill and destroy us.
Last but not least, in Acts 27:19, during the storm, they threw unnecessary things overboard the ship with their own hands in order to survive the storm.
That is much like what has happened to us with the Coronavirus….it has caused many of us to discontinue doing unnecessary things….to discontinue purchasing unnecessary things….why? In order to lighten our ship to survive the storm.
For example….I’m about to get rid of my home phone and just use my cell. Why? I don’t use the home phone anymore and there’s no sense in paying almost $100 a month for something I don’t need.
In a much more spiritual way….what about when spiritual storms hit us??? Boy oh boy…that is sure enough the time to see if we are carrying around some extra weight.
Let me give you another personal example….I have someone very close, near, and dear to me that is really struggling right now. They are in a storm and I so want them to get through this storm to the other side…..so what am I doing about it? Well….I’ve cut out watching, listening, and surfing Fox News and instead….I’m spending that time praying for them. Fox News is what I’ve thrown out of the boat with my own hands in order to help this person close to my heart survive the storm.
What does The Lord want you to get light of in your life in order to survive what’s coming your way?
Marinate on that thought today my friend….what do you need to get rid of in your life in order to draw closer to The Lord?
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 8th Pray, Read, Worship
PRAISE REPORT: 6 salvations at Hawkins Homes National Day of Prayer Circle! I’d like to personally thank Rex and Kendra Hawkins for their invitation to once again lead their National Day of Prayer celebration. We social distanced and kept all CDC guidelines…and PRAISE THE LORD 6 people accepted Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives. That’s what it’s all about. Rex gave a moving testimony of how the first year they observed the National Day of Prayer, they completed 70 houses all that year….and how they have completed more than 70 already in 2020. Rex gave the credit where the credit is due….the blessing of The Lord.
Unbeknownst to Rex, his opening testimony went right along with what The Lord was leading me to say…Matthew 6:33….seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you.
I love it when God works things together like that!!!
If you would like me to come to your business for a prayer circle….during lunch, before work, after work, or some other time….please don’t hesitate to contact me and we will set it up. I’d love to come.
Thanks again Rex, Kendra, and all the folks at Hawkins Homes.
Thank you Jesus for still saving folks!!!
Read Acts 22-24
In Acts 22, when Paul addresses the crowd gathered before he was thrown in jail, he just simply gives his testimony…what he was like before he met Jesus….how/when he met Jesus…what has happened since he gave his life to Christ.
Listen very closely…..EVERY CHRISTIAN NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO DO THE SAME THING….every one of us needs to be able to give our testimony by sharing what we were like before our salvation, when we got saved, what’s life been like since.
Here’s mine….I was saved at 10 years old…..wasn’t really a bad kid or anything like that….but on a Sunday night, laying in my bed….I came under deep conviction that I was lost….that if I were to die, I would go to hell because of my sins. I mistakenly thought the only time you could get saved was at church on Sunday morning after the preacher preached. So I prayed all week long that I wouldn’t die before Sunday….on Sunday morning….first note of the last song….I stepped out of the pew, took the preacher by the hand, told him I needed to be saved, and he led me to The Lord. I’ll never forget the moment….Mom was playing the organ…Dad was playing the piano. Daddy first saw me out of the corner of his eye and ran over to me and the preacher. Then Momma saw Daddy running, she came over there with us…and all the music stopped.
The preacher led me to The Lord and I asked to join the church. All the elders of the church came forward and they asked me questions before I could become a member. Kinda scary looking back….but I knew that was what I was supposed to be doing. After they asked me the questions, Brother Fults asked the elders what their wishes were and my dear dear 86 year old Grandfather….my hero in life…the man I wanted to be just like….eat up with cancer….using a walking stick to stand….spoke up and said, “I move he be received into the church.” The thought of this still brings tears to my eyes as I think about it even now.
We ate lunch that day at Western Sizzlin on Ft. Campbell Boulevard, then we went to Erin to see my future piano teacher, Mrs. Jorene, and tell her about me getting saved.
Since February 8th, 1987, have I been perfect? Not even close….I’ve done more sinning since I got saved than I did before.
But I’ve found The Lord to be very faithful to me…..when Momma went through breast cancer not once but twice….when Daddy has had health scares….when my girl’s lives were in danger pre-birth….during tough business times….an IRS audit…a divorce….and more….The Lord has been faithful to me….He’s been more than good to me…He’s given me grace and mercy when others have not….and He will do the exact same for you if you will let Him.
I’d love to hear your testimony….what life was like pre-salvation, what your salvation experience was like, and what life has been like since….please feel free to share in the comments if you would.
In Acts 23:1, Paul says he has lived in all good conscience before God. Do you have a clear conscience before God? A clear conscience makes a great pillow. If you have some unconfessed sin in your life, please don’t hesitate to confess it to The Lord right now.
In Acts 23:16, Paul’s nephew is in the right place at the right time and overhears an assassination plot to kill Paul. What does he do with this information? He speaks up and saves Paul’s life.
How many times have we been in the right place at the right time….but failed to speak up because we didn’t want to get involved? I am so guilty of this…..my friend….The Lord placed us there at the right place at the right time for a reason….and just like there are sins we commit by doing something wrong….there are also sins because of omission….neglecting to do something right.
Are you guilty of the sin of omission…failing to do the right thing? I certainly am.
In Acts 24, Paul shares the Gospel with the Roman ruler Felix. How did Felix respond to Paul? Look at Acts 24:25….I’ll accept Christ on a more convenient day for me. When that convenient day comes….I’ll call you.
Friends….there are thousands if not millions of people that have done this same thing….Not today Jesus….I’ll accept you sometime in my life when it’s more convenient.
Newsflash….that convenient day never comes….you’ll keep putting it off and putting if off and putting it off until it’s too late.
Procrastination is the centerpiece of the devil’s plan for our life…..The devil knows we believe in salvation by Jesus…..he knows he could never get us by saying Jesus is a lie…..so what he does is this…..Phillip….you know you need to get saved….but you don’t have to do it today….put it off till another day.
So you keep putting it off and putting it off until it’s too late….then Satan has you right where he wants you….in hell with him.
It’s not just salvation my friend….it can be anything The Lord tells you to do….and instead of doing it immediately….we put it off till a more convenient day.
Don’t Procrastinate
Stop Procrastinating
Quit Procrastinating
Do what The Lord is telling you to do right now.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 7th Pray, Read, Worship
Read Acts 19-21
In Acts 19:2….Paul asked the new believers in Ephesus about the Holy Ghost and they responded by saying, “We’ve never heard of the Holy Ghost.”
Unfortunately, many many many believers today are in the same boat…..why? Because several….not a few….several churches are scared to mention or talk about the Holy Ghost….and at the very least neglect teaching/preaching on it.
Why are they scared? Just gonna rip the band aid off here…..I believe it’s because they are afraid they will be labeled too “Pentecostal” to their fellow brothers and sisters. Just calling it like it is folks….
My friend….The Holy Ghost is as real as me and you…He’s a huge asset to us if we will allow Him….and the more we study and learn about the Holy Ghost…the more we can take advantage of all the benefits that come from living a life full of the Holy Ghost.
So with that being said….in honor of David Letterman….here’s the Top 10 Reasons we should praise The Holy Ghost….
1. The Holy Ghost comforts us.
Acts 9:31
31 Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.
2. The Holy Ghost teaches us.
John 14:26
26 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.
3. The Holy Ghost guides us.
John 16:13
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
4. The Holy Ghost assures us.
Romans 8:16
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
5. The Holy Ghost gives us power.
Romans 15:13
13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
6. The Holy Ghost helps us pray.
Romans 8:26
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
7. The Holy Ghost give us words…the exact right words to say at the exact right time.
Luke 12:12
12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
8. The Holy Ghost renews us.
Titus 3:5
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
9. The Holy Ghost convicts us.
John 16:7-8
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
10. The Holy Ghost will raise us from the dead.
1 Peter 3:18
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
My friend….it’s my desire for you to experience the power of The Holy Ghost in your life like never ever before. Once you experience it….nothing….absolutely nothing else will satisfy or substitute.
In Acts 19:5….we see something very important….believers getting their baptism in the right order…..AFTER their salvation experience.
The Lord has a perfect order to everything….in the beginning, what if He had created animals before plants…there would be nothing for the animals to eat. What if He had created plants before light? Photosynthesis couldn’t occur. Everything The Lord does….He has a specific and perfect order to it….and that includes baptism.
In each and every case mentioned in scripture, people were baptized AFTER their salvation experience….not before. So….let’s say….you were “baptized” as a child….but didn’t really understand and get saved until later on in life….According to scripture, you need to have your baptism after your salvation experience and I would encourage you to be scripturally baptized to get things in the proper order.
Like yesterday….if you don’t have your baptism in the proper order….salvation and then baptism….please contact your Pastor and get everything squared away. If you don’t have a Pastor, please contact me and I’ll be glad to help you.
In Acts 19:16, look at what happened to the man overcome by the evil/demonic spirits….he fled naked and wounded. THIS IS SATAN’S GOAL FOR OUR LIFE….to embarrass us(naked), and to wound us.
His sin fascinates us…but then it assassinates us.
Satan’s sin thrills us…but then it kills us.
And when found out….it wounds relationships/friendships/and more besides being extremely embarrassing.
In Acts 19:25, the silversmiths and craftsmen of the area were mad at Paul because Christianity was cutting into their lifestyle of making false idols for people to worship.
Geez….does this happen today? We preachers were vilified when standing up against the lottery. We are called narrow-minded when standing up against the abortion and alcohol industries. Why do those people hate us….they can say what they want….but it all boils down to the almighty dollar folks.
In Acts 20:9, we meet a young lad named Eutychus. Paul was preaching a long-winded sermon….all the way till past Midnight….Eutychus was sitting in a windowsill on the 3rd floor…fell asleep…fell out the window and was took up for dead….but Paul went down and brought him back to life.
A good way to remember the story of Eutychus….if your preacher would have preached a long winded sermon till past Midnight and you fell asleep and fell out the window….You-dve-cusssed(Eutychus) too.
In Acts 20:21….we see the simple message that Paul preached…..repentance toward God through faith in Jesus Christ.
So many churches/preachers/Bible teachers today try to overcomplicate the Gospel….but it’s not rocket science friends….there’s a reason Jesus said that we must come as a child….it’s because of the simplicity of the Gospel…
If it was complicated….not everyone would be mentally capable to understand…..
But The Gospel is not complicated….it’s simple….repent of our sins and be forgiven through faith in the only Son of God, Jesus Christ.
In Acts 20:28, we see the job of preachers/pastors….to feed the church of God.
So Pastors/Preachers…..may I ask you a question….what do you feed your flock? Milk only? Meat only? Gotta give both….Y’all know I’m a cattle farmer. I don’t feed this bottle calf I have the same thing that I feed my bulls. Two totally different feed rations. Same thing goes for preachers/pastors….we must feed each of our flock accordingly….it’s not one size fits all.
In Acts 20:35, we learn a very familiar passage….it’s more blessed to give than receive.
AMEN AMEN AMEN AMEN!!!
I enjoy giving….I love giving….and although my financial situation has dramatically changed recently…I still give generously and obediently as The Lord directs me…..why? Because I’ve found The Bible to be true here….I receive a way bigger blessing from giving than receiving.
In Acts 21:13, Paul says that he is not only ready to be imprisoned for the cause of Christ….He’s also ready to die if it comes to that. The first mission trip I ever went on, our Director said we must be ready to preach, pray, or die at a moment’s notice. The only way we can be ready is to have all our affairs…all our spiritual business in order.
How about you friend….is everything squared away between you and God? Any unconfessed sin? Anything you need to repent of? Anything you need to do that you haven’t done?
We are not guaranteed tomorrow….so I highly recommend getting everything taken care of so like Paul you will be ready to die when your time comes.
I want to say thanks again to all of you who are generously supporting our ministry. You are a huge blessing to Chambers Family Ministries as we are Taking the Life-Changing Gospel of Jesus Christ to Families Everywhere by Whatever Means Necessary. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. May God richly bless you for your generosity.
I will be leading a prayer meeting Thursday for Hawkins Homes at 9AM….and I’ve been invited to one in Erin on the Square at 2PM.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Acts 19-21
In Acts 19:2….Paul asked the new believers in Ephesus about the Holy Ghost and they responded by saying, “We’ve never heard of the Holy Ghost.”
Unfortunately, many many many believers today are in the same boat…..why? Because several….not a few….several churches are scared to mention or talk about the Holy Ghost….and at the very least neglect teaching/preaching on it.
Why are they scared? Just gonna rip the band aid off here…..I believe it’s because they are afraid they will be labeled too “Pentecostal” to their fellow brothers and sisters. Just calling it like it is folks….
My friend….The Holy Ghost is as real as me and you…He’s a huge asset to us if we will allow Him….and the more we study and learn about the Holy Ghost…the more we can take advantage of all the benefits that come from living a life full of the Holy Ghost.
So with that being said….in honor of David Letterman….here’s the Top 10 Reasons we should praise The Holy Ghost….
1. The Holy Ghost comforts us.
Acts 9:31
31 Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.
2. The Holy Ghost teaches us.
John 14:26
26 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.
3. The Holy Ghost guides us.
John 16:13
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
4. The Holy Ghost assures us.
Romans 8:16
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
5. The Holy Ghost gives us power.
Romans 15:13
13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
6. The Holy Ghost helps us pray.
Romans 8:26
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
7. The Holy Ghost give us words…the exact right words to say at the exact right time.
Luke 12:12
12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
8. The Holy Ghost renews us.
Titus 3:5
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
9. The Holy Ghost convicts us.
John 16:7-8
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
10. The Holy Ghost will raise us from the dead.
1 Peter 3:18
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
My friend….it’s my desire for you to experience the power of The Holy Ghost in your life like never ever before. Once you experience it….nothing….absolutely nothing else will satisfy or substitute.
In Acts 19:5….we see something very important….believers getting their baptism in the right order…..AFTER their salvation experience.
The Lord has a perfect order to everything….in the beginning, what if He had created animals before plants…there would be nothing for the animals to eat. What if He had created plants before light? Photosynthesis couldn’t occur. Everything The Lord does….He has a specific and perfect order to it….and that includes baptism.
In each and every case mentioned in scripture, people were baptized AFTER their salvation experience….not before. So….let’s say….you were “baptized” as a child….but didn’t really understand and get saved until later on in life….According to scripture, you need to have your baptism after your salvation experience and I would encourage you to be scripturally baptized to get things in the proper order.
Like yesterday….if you don’t have your baptism in the proper order….salvation and then baptism….please contact your Pastor and get everything squared away. If you don’t have a Pastor, please contact me and I’ll be glad to help you.
In Acts 19:16, look at what happened to the man overcome by the evil/demonic spirits….he fled naked and wounded. THIS IS SATAN’S GOAL FOR OUR LIFE….to embarrass us(naked), and to wound us.
His sin fascinates us…but then it assassinates us.
Satan’s sin thrills us…but then it kills us.
And when found out….it wounds relationships/friendships/and more besides being extremely embarrassing.
In Acts 19:25, the silversmiths and craftsmen of the area were mad at Paul because Christianity was cutting into their lifestyle of making false idols for people to worship.
Geez….does this happen today? We preachers were vilified when standing up against the lottery. We are called narrow-minded when standing up against the abortion and alcohol industries. Why do those people hate us….they can say what they want….but it all boils down to the almighty dollar folks.
In Acts 20:9, we meet a young lad named Eutychus. Paul was preaching a long-winded sermon….all the way till past Midnight….Eutychus was sitting in a windowsill on the 3rd floor…fell asleep…fell out the window and was took up for dead….but Paul went down and brought him back to life.
A good way to remember the story of Eutychus….if your preacher would have preached a long winded sermon till past Midnight and you fell asleep and fell out the window….You-dve-cusssed(Eutych
In Acts 20:21….we see the simple message that Paul preached…..repentance toward God through faith in Jesus Christ.
So many churches/preachers/Bible teachers today try to overcomplicate the Gospel….but it’s not rocket science friends….there’s a reason Jesus said that we must come as a child….it’s because of the simplicity of the Gospel…
If it was complicated….not everyone would be mentally capable to understand…..
But The Gospel is not complicated….it’s simple….repent of our sins and be forgiven through faith in the only Son of God, Jesus Christ.
In Acts 20:28, we see the job of preachers/pastors….to feed the church of God.
So Pastors/Preachers…..may I ask you a question….what do you feed your flock? Milk only? Meat only? Gotta give both….Y’all know I’m a cattle farmer. I don’t feed this bottle calf I have the same thing that I feed my bulls. Two totally different feed rations. Same thing goes for preachers/pastors….we must feed each of our flock accordingly….it’s not one size fits all.
In Acts 20:35, we learn a very familiar passage….it’s more blessed to give than receive.
AMEN AMEN AMEN AMEN!!!
I enjoy giving….I love giving….and although my financial situation has dramatically changed recently…I still give generously and obediently as The Lord directs me…..why? Because I’ve found The Bible to be true here….I receive a way bigger blessing from giving than receiving.
In Acts 21:13, Paul says that he is not only ready to be imprisoned for the cause of Christ….He’s also ready to die if it comes to that. The first mission trip I ever went on, our Director said we must be ready to preach, pray, or die at a moment’s notice. The only way we can be ready is to have all our affairs…all our spiritual business in order.
How about you friend….is everything squared away between you and God? Any unconfessed sin? Anything you need to repent of? Anything you need to do that you haven’t done?
We are not guaranteed tomorrow….so I highly recommend getting everything taken care of so like Paul you will be ready to die when your time comes.
I want to say thanks again to all of you who are generously supporting our ministry. You are a huge blessing to Chambers Family Ministries as we are Taking the Life-Changing Gospel of Jesus Christ to Families Everywhere by Whatever Means Necessary. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. May God richly bless you for your generosity.
I will be leading a prayer meeting Thursday for Hawkins Homes at 9AM….and I’ve been invited to one in Erin on the Square at 2PM.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 6 Pray, Read, Worship
Read Acts 16-18
Acts 16:5 reiterates the point that people were being saved DAILY in the book of Acts. It was an everyday occurrence. Why is it not an everyday occurrence here in 2020? The Gospel still changes people’s lives….Jesus still saves…..well then it must be that we aren’t sharing the Good News every day.
Did you read the post I shared on Facebook yesterday from my good friend Allen Guyer? Allen led a lady to the Lord yesterday….on a Tuesday. PRAISE THE LORD!!! This should be a challenge to us….who are we going to share Jesus with today? Wednesday May 6th, 2020.
In Acts 16:13….it’s the Sabbath day….where did Paul, Silas, and Dr. Luke go to worship that day? Did they go to the synagogue? No. Did they go to someone’s house? No….they went down to the river side.
What’s the point?
The church is not the building.
The church is not the location.
The church is the people….wherever 2 or more are gathered together in the name of Jesus…He will be there with us.
The Coronavirus may have caused churches to shut down…..but it should never have caused THE CHURCH to shut down. Are you tracking me? We are the church my friends….do we need to worship and fellowship together? You better believe it….but we don’t have to meet in such and such a building in order to survive.
In Acts 16:23, Paul and Silas are severely beaten(many stripes), and thrown in jail. For what? Casting a demon out of a helpless young girl that was being used to make money for her masters.
Listen in folks…..just because we do good for somebody doesn’t mean we are going to be treated good in return. Let me say that again….just because we do good for somebody doesn’t mean we are going to be treated good in return.
My oh my how many times have we been crapped on when we were actually just trying to do what Jesus told us to do….help a brother out.
If it happened to Paul and Silas….it will happen to us….don’t be surprised when it happens again to you.
So what was Paul and Silas’ response to being treated so unfairly? Did they complain? Did they bellyache? Did the call the Philippian equivalent of Phil Williams or Geraldo and get them to come do a news story and set the record straight?
No….Acts 16:25….they prayed and sang praises to God.
Oh that I could be more like Paul and Silas….Oh that I could be more like Paul and Silas….oh that I could be more like Paul and Silas here in Acts 16:25. Let’s just be honest….when we are done wrong…we’re looking for somebody to take our side…to understand how we are feeling…somebody we can complain to and get validated in return.
Is that what Paul and Silas did? No….they prayed….then they sang praises to The Lord. Oh that I could be more like Paul and Silas.
What happened as a result of this prayer and praise meeting? Glory to God…..Paul and Silas’ praise brought on a HUGE earthquake that not only loosed the chains that were holding them….but they loosed everybody else’s chains in the prison also.
OUR PRAYERS AND PRAISE WILL AFFECT OTHERS.
There’s another side to that coin….
Our LACK OF prayer and praise will affect others also.
Which one are you?
The head jailer saw what was going on…..He saw that none of the prisoners tried to escape even though all their chains had fallen off….He saw the supernatural connection between Paul and Silas’ prayer and praise meeting and the earthquake…so he came into Paul and Silas and asked them what he needed to do to be saved.
Look at their response in Acts 16:31….Believe ON the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
Notice the word ON…..why didn’t Paul and Silas say believe in Jesus Christ.
Because there’s a big difference in believing in something and believing on something.
When we believe in something….we are simply acknowledging its existence.
But when we believe ON something…we are counting on it…we are depending on it…we are banking on it….and that’s what Paul and Silas were saying here….Don’t just believe in Jesus….believe ON Jesus and Jesus alone to save you.
Acts 16 then goes on to say that the Philippian Jailer was baptized that very night. Was he baptized because it was a requirement to be saved? I don’t believe that is true in the whole context of scripture.
Here’s why I believe he was baptized in the middle of the night….there’s not a single good reason to put off your baptism….including waiting for the light of day.
I know many….upwards of 100 people who have been saved but not yet been baptized. I’ve heard countless reasons for them waiting and putting it off…..while I obviously respect their wishes….The Biblical example is to be baptized as soon after salvation as possible.
If you have been saved but not scripturally baptized….why are you putting it off any longer? Please call your Pastor and get it set up ASAP….or if you don’t have a Pastor, please contact me and I’ll help you set it up.
Notice how Paul, Silas, Dr. Luke, and the members of the early church were described in Acts 17:6….THESE THAT HAVE TURNED THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN.
I’d be honored….I’d love for people to describe me that way.
In Acts 17:11….we see that the people of the church in Berea read their Bibles daily and were commended for it. That’s a great example for us also.
In Acts 17:16, The Bible says Paul was bothered when he saw the whole city of Athens given over to idolatry instead of following Jesus.
I want to ask a very pointed and personal question here….does the lack of Jesus in our community bother you? Does it bother you when you see people putting other things as a priority over a personal relationship with Jesus?
So what did Paul do about it? Look in Verse 17….he told people about Jesus in the market daily….every day as Paul went about life….wherever he was….He told people about Jesus. A great example for us to follow.
In Acts 18, Paul is in Corinth….a very wicked city….evidently He was anxious because The Lord spoke to him(and us) in Acts 18:9-10 and said….Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace for I am with thee….
Sure does seem like there’s an overwhelming theme in our 3 chapters today……
Don’t hold back….don’t be quiet….tell someone about Jesus each and every day of the week….wherever you go….in whatever you are doing….don’t be nervous or anxious about it….The Lord will be with us and He has our back.
So…..who are we going to share with today?
Let me tell you where I am today….I don’t have somebody specific in mind to share with today….yes I have a salvation prayer list….but that’s not where I’m feeling led…..here’s where I am….I don’t know who specifically I’m going to share with today…but I believe that The Lord is going to open up a door for me….somewhere in the course of my day today….and I’m praying and I’m believing that like Paul and Silas….I’ll have the courage to speak a word for Jesus when that opportunity comes.
Will you join me? Please respond to this post or text and let me know what happened.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Acts 16-18
Acts 16:5 reiterates the point that people were being saved DAILY in the book of Acts. It was an everyday occurrence. Why is it not an everyday occurrence here in 2020? The Gospel still changes people’s lives….Jesus still saves…..well then it must be that we aren’t sharing the Good News every day.
Did you read the post I shared on Facebook yesterday from my good friend Allen Guyer? Allen led a lady to the Lord yesterday….on a Tuesday. PRAISE THE LORD!!! This should be a challenge to us….who are we going to share Jesus with today? Wednesday May 6th, 2020.
In Acts 16:13….it’s the Sabbath day….where did Paul, Silas, and Dr. Luke go to worship that day? Did they go to the synagogue? No. Did they go to someone’s house? No….they went down to the river side.
What’s the point?
The church is not the building.
The church is not the location.
The church is the people….wherever 2 or more are gathered together in the name of Jesus…He will be there with us.
The Coronavirus may have caused churches to shut down…..but it should never have caused THE CHURCH to shut down. Are you tracking me? We are the church my friends….do we need to worship and fellowship together? You better believe it….but we don’t have to meet in such and such a building in order to survive.
In Acts 16:23, Paul and Silas are severely beaten(many stripes), and thrown in jail. For what? Casting a demon out of a helpless young girl that was being used to make money for her masters.
Listen in folks…..just because we do good for somebody doesn’t mean we are going to be treated good in return. Let me say that again….just because we do good for somebody doesn’t mean we are going to be treated good in return.
My oh my how many times have we been crapped on when we were actually just trying to do what Jesus told us to do….help a brother out.
If it happened to Paul and Silas….it will happen to us….don’t be surprised when it happens again to you.
So what was Paul and Silas’ response to being treated so unfairly? Did they complain? Did they bellyache? Did the call the Philippian equivalent of Phil Williams or Geraldo and get them to come do a news story and set the record straight?
No….Acts 16:25….they prayed and sang praises to God.
Oh that I could be more like Paul and Silas….Oh that I could be more like Paul and Silas….oh that I could be more like Paul and Silas here in Acts 16:25. Let’s just be honest….when we are done wrong…we’re looking for somebody to take our side…to understand how we are feeling…somebody we can complain to and get validated in return.
Is that what Paul and Silas did? No….they prayed….then they sang praises to The Lord. Oh that I could be more like Paul and Silas.
What happened as a result of this prayer and praise meeting? Glory to God…..Paul and Silas’ praise brought on a HUGE earthquake that not only loosed the chains that were holding them….but they loosed everybody else’s chains in the prison also.
OUR PRAYERS AND PRAISE WILL AFFECT OTHERS.
There’s another side to that coin….
Our LACK OF prayer and praise will affect others also.
Which one are you?
The head jailer saw what was going on…..He saw that none of the prisoners tried to escape even though all their chains had fallen off….He saw the supernatural connection between Paul and Silas’ prayer and praise meeting and the earthquake…so he came into Paul and Silas and asked them what he needed to do to be saved.
Look at their response in Acts 16:31….Believe ON the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
Notice the word ON…..why didn’t Paul and Silas say believe in Jesus Christ.
Because there’s a big difference in believing in something and believing on something.
When we believe in something….we are simply acknowledging its existence.
But when we believe ON something…we are counting on it…we are depending on it…we are banking on it….and that’s what Paul and Silas were saying here….Don’t just believe in Jesus….believe ON Jesus and Jesus alone to save you.
Acts 16 then goes on to say that the Philippian Jailer was baptized that very night. Was he baptized because it was a requirement to be saved? I don’t believe that is true in the whole context of scripture.
Here’s why I believe he was baptized in the middle of the night….there’s not a single good reason to put off your baptism….including waiting for the light of day.
I know many….upwards of 100 people who have been saved but not yet been baptized. I’ve heard countless reasons for them waiting and putting it off…..while I obviously respect their wishes….The Biblical example is to be baptized as soon after salvation as possible.
If you have been saved but not scripturally baptized….why are you putting it off any longer? Please call your Pastor and get it set up ASAP….or if you don’t have a Pastor, please contact me and I’ll help you set it up.
Notice how Paul, Silas, Dr. Luke, and the members of the early church were described in Acts 17:6….THESE THAT HAVE TURNED THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN.
I’d be honored….I’d love for people to describe me that way.
In Acts 17:11….we see that the people of the church in Berea read their Bibles daily and were commended for it. That’s a great example for us also.
In Acts 17:16, The Bible says Paul was bothered when he saw the whole city of Athens given over to idolatry instead of following Jesus.
I want to ask a very pointed and personal question here….does the lack of Jesus in our community bother you? Does it bother you when you see people putting other things as a priority over a personal relationship with Jesus?
So what did Paul do about it? Look in Verse 17….he told people about Jesus in the market daily….every day as Paul went about life….wherever he was….He told people about Jesus. A great example for us to follow.
In Acts 18, Paul is in Corinth….a very wicked city….evidently He was anxious because The Lord spoke to him(and us) in Acts 18:9-10 and said….Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace for I am with thee….
Sure does seem like there’s an overwhelming theme in our 3 chapters today……
Don’t hold back….don’t be quiet….tell someone about Jesus each and every day of the week….wherever you go….in whatever you are doing….don’t be nervous or anxious about it….The Lord will be with us and He has our back.
So…..who are we going to share with today?
Let me tell you where I am today….I don’t have somebody specific in mind to share with today….yes I have a salvation prayer list….but that’s not where I’m feeling led…..here’s where I am….I don’t know who specifically I’m going to share with today…but I believe that The Lord is going to open up a door for me….somewhere in the course of my day today….and I’m praying and I’m believing that like Paul and Silas….I’ll have the courage to speak a word for Jesus when that opportunity comes.
Will you join me? Please respond to this post or text and let me know what happened.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 5 Pray, Read, Worship
Read Acts 13-15
Acts 13:2 is more proof that good things happen when we fast. The Lord started an incredible, world-history altering missionary work as a result of this fast here. Just imagine what The Lord can do in our lives when we fast.
In Acts 13:22, we have a recount of how King David was a man after God’s own heart. Oh that God could say that about us. Why was David a man after God’s own heart? Well, there are several reasons most likely…but I have to believe that one of the top reasons if not the very top reason was how David unashamedly worshipped The Lord. David wrote the majority of the Psalms….we have record of when David brought the Ark back to Jerusalem that he would take 6 steps….worship The Lord….take 6 more steps….worship The Lord….6 more steps….worship The Lord….all the way back to Jerusalem(2 Samuel 6). When David’s 1 week old son died….what did David immediately do? He worshipped(2 Samuel 12).
If we want to be men and women after God’s own heart….then I am 100% convinced we must be unashamed worshippers like David. We must not hold back. We must give it all we have.
I want to be a man after God’s own heart…..what about you?
In Acts 13:32-33, Paul says that the promise that God made to their ancestors, He fulfilled in Jesus Christ. My friend Loren Harris with The Kingdom Heirs sings an incredible song called “Never Made A Promise.”
I have a blessed assurance and it helps me to face every storm
A foretaste of Heaven I cling to and that’s what I’ve build my life on
So instead of the struggles I’m facing let me tell of the Savior I know
How His word is today and for always so I always have a reason to hope
Chorus
‘Cause there’s never been a long night He won’t bring me through
There’s never been a morning His mercies aren’t new
There’s never been a moment He’s not all I need
He’s never made a promise that He does not keep
Oh He tells me that He’ll never leave me
That He will be strong when I’m weak
And I’ll find grace is sufficient; whatever my heartache and grief
Oh the trials of this life always show me He’ll be faithful to me ’til the end
That’s why my song, my story is of Jesus my Savior and friend
Chorus
‘Cause there’s never been a long night He won’t bring me through
There’s never been a morning His mercies aren’t new
There’s never been a moment He’s not all I need
He’s never made a promise that He does not keep
This song has ministered to me over and over and over again during the last several months. So thankful that all the promises of God are Yes and Amen.
Yes these promises apply to you too…..
Politicians have broken promises to me
Friends have broken promises to me
I’ve broken promises to me….how many times have I said….”Man alive, I never want to do that again” and then before you know it, I’ve done it again…..my struggle right now is with drinking Coke’s. Like you, I’ve put on a few pounds over the Corona Quarantine. I’m trying my best to give up drinking Coke’s….I promise myself that I’m not gonna drink anymore Cokes….then next thing you know, I get one at Sonic on the way home last night.
I’ve broken promises to others……
But Hallelujah….Jesus has never made a promise to us in His Word that He has broken. He keeps every promise He’s ever made. That should make us all want to shout!!!
Would you allow me to give you a few of my favorite promises of God?
He cares for us….
1 Peter 5:7
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
He will help us overcome temptation….
1 Corinthians 10:13
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
We reap what we sow….we sow bad seeds, we reap bad things. If we sow good seeds, we reap good things.
Galatians 6:7-8
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
He promised us an abundant life…
John 10:10
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
He promised us a blessed life….
Malachi 3:10
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
He promises to give us wisdom…..
James 1:5
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
He promises to give us guidance…..
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
He promises to give us strength…..
Philippians 4:13
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
He promises success….
Joshua 1:8
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
He promises rest….
Matthew 11:28-29
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
He promised He’d never leave us….
Hebrews 13:5
5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
He promised to grant the desires of our hearts….
Psalm 37:4
4 Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
He promised everything will work out for good in the life of the believer….
Romans 8:28
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
He promised that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ….
Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And my three personal favorites….the promise of salvation…the promises of His second coming…and the promise to an end of all trouble, sorrow, and suffering.
John 3:16
16 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 14:2-3
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Revelation 21:4
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Now before I get off the promises of God….I must share something very important….there are some promises that are NOT in God’s Word….that many people believe are in God’s Word.
Would you allow me to share some “promises” that people mistakenly believe are in the Bible?
He never promised we’d have an easy life
He never promised we wouldn’t be lonely
He never promised we wouldn’t have hard times
He never promised everything we want
He never promised a life without sickness or cancer
He never promised a victory without fighting
And my personal pet peeve…He never promised more than we can bear…..truthfully life can be more than we can bear at times…..but it will never be more than HE can bear.
Meditate on these promises of God today my friend….knowing that The Lord has never made us a promise in His Word that He’s failed to keep….politicians have broken promises….friends have broken promises….we have broken promises….but The Lord never has and never will break a promises to us.
Thank you Lord for being so very faithful to us!!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Acts 13-15
Acts 13:2 is more proof that good things happen when we fast. The Lord started an incredible, world-history altering missionary work as a result of this fast here. Just imagine what The Lord can do in our lives when we fast.
In Acts 13:22, we have a recount of how King David was a man after God’s own heart. Oh that God could say that about us. Why was David a man after God’s own heart? Well, there are several reasons most likely…but I have to believe that one of the top reasons if not the very top reason was how David unashamedly worshipped The Lord. David wrote the majority of the Psalms….we have record of when David brought the Ark back to Jerusalem that he would take 6 steps….worship The Lord….take 6 more steps….worship The Lord….6 more steps….worship The Lord….all the way back to Jerusalem(2 Samuel 6). When David’s 1 week old son died….what did David immediately do? He worshipped(2 Samuel 12).
If we want to be men and women after God’s own heart….then I am 100% convinced we must be unashamed worshippers like David. We must not hold back. We must give it all we have.
I want to be a man after God’s own heart…..what about you?
In Acts 13:32-33, Paul says that the promise that God made to their ancestors, He fulfilled in Jesus Christ. My friend Loren Harris with The Kingdom Heirs sings an incredible song called “Never Made A Promise.”
I have a blessed assurance and it helps me to face every storm
A foretaste of Heaven I cling to and that’s what I’ve build my life on
So instead of the struggles I’m facing let me tell of the Savior I know
How His word is today and for always so I always have a reason to hope
Chorus
‘Cause there’s never been a long night He won’t bring me through
There’s never been a morning His mercies aren’t new
There’s never been a moment He’s not all I need
He’s never made a promise that He does not keep
Oh He tells me that He’ll never leave me
That He will be strong when I’m weak
And I’ll find grace is sufficient; whatever my heartache and grief
Oh the trials of this life always show me He’ll be faithful to me ’til the end
That’s why my song, my story is of Jesus my Savior and friend
Chorus
‘Cause there’s never been a long night He won’t bring me through
There’s never been a morning His mercies aren’t new
There’s never been a moment He’s not all I need
He’s never made a promise that He does not keep
This song has ministered to me over and over and over again during the last several months. So thankful that all the promises of God are Yes and Amen.
Yes these promises apply to you too…..
Politicians have broken promises to me
Friends have broken promises to me
I’ve broken promises to me….how many times have I said….”Man alive, I never want to do that again” and then before you know it, I’ve done it again…..my struggle right now is with drinking Coke’s. Like you, I’ve put on a few pounds over the Corona Quarantine. I’m trying my best to give up drinking Coke’s….I promise myself that I’m not gonna drink anymore Cokes….then next thing you know, I get one at Sonic on the way home last night.
I’ve broken promises to others……
But Hallelujah….Jesus has never made a promise to us in His Word that He has broken. He keeps every promise He’s ever made. That should make us all want to shout!!!
Would you allow me to give you a few of my favorite promises of God?
He cares for us….
1 Peter 5:7
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
He will help us overcome temptation….
1 Corinthians 10:13
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
We reap what we sow….we sow bad seeds, we reap bad things. If we sow good seeds, we reap good things.
Galatians 6:7-8
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
He promised us an abundant life…
John 10:10
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
He promised us a blessed life….
Malachi 3:10
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
He promises to give us wisdom…..
James 1:5
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
He promises to give us guidance…..
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
He promises to give us strength…..
Philippians 4:13
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
He promises success….
Joshua 1:8
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
He promises rest….
Matthew 11:28-29
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
He promised He’d never leave us….
Hebrews 13:5
5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
He promised to grant the desires of our hearts….
Psalm 37:4
4 Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
He promised everything will work out for good in the life of the believer….
Romans 8:28
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
He promised that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ….
Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And my three personal favorites….the promise of salvation…the promises of His second coming…and the promise to an end of all trouble, sorrow, and suffering.
John 3:16
16 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 14:2-3
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Revelation 21:4
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Now before I get off the promises of God….I must share something very important….there are some promises that are NOT in God’s Word….that many people believe are in God’s Word.
Would you allow me to share some “promises” that people mistakenly believe are in the Bible?
He never promised we’d have an easy life
He never promised we wouldn’t be lonely
He never promised we wouldn’t have hard times
He never promised everything we want
He never promised a life without sickness or cancer
He never promised a victory without fighting
And my personal pet peeve…He never promised more than we can bear…..truthfully life can be more than we can bear at times…..but it will never be more than HE can bear.
Meditate on these promises of God today my friend….knowing that The Lord has never made us a promise in His Word that He’s failed to keep….politicians have broken promises….friends have broken promises….we have broken promises….but The Lord never has and never will break a promises to us.
Thank you Lord for being so very faithful to us!!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 4 Pray, Read, Worship
Read Acts 10-12
Acts Chapter 10 is one of the most important chapters in the entire Bible for me and you.
You are probably wondering why….I’m completely serious….in fact…outside of the chapters that give accounts of Jesus death, burial, and resurrection….I can’t think of anything more important for me and you than what’s contained here in Acts 10.
Until Acts 10…..everyone that received Christ….the 3000 at Pentecost….the Ethiopian Eunuch….Saul/Paul…everyone that received Christ up until Acts 10 were Jews. The prevalent thinking was that salvation through Jesus Christ was only available for those that were Jews.
Here in Acts Chapter 10….several miracles take place to open the eyes of Peter and others that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world…not just the Jews.
We are immediately introduced to a non-Jew named Cornelius. Cornelius fears God and is a faithful prayer warrior. He receives a vision of an angel telling him to send for a man in Joppa by the name of Simon Peter….he’s staying with Simon the tanner…..send for Peter and he will tell you what to do.
In the meantime, Peter is in Joppa at Simon’s house….Peter is fasting and during this fast, he sees a vision…..another reminder that great things happen when we fast.
His vision is of the animals that Jews were told not to eat in the Old Testament. Peter is told in the vision to rise, kill, and eat these animals. Being the good Jew that Peter is, he says no….I’m not going to eat anything unclean per the Old Testament Levitical law.
But The Lord says to Peter, what I’m calling clean, don’t you call unclean.
This vision occurrs 3 times. As Peter was pondering on this vision…the men Cornelius sent for Peter arrived at Simon’s house…the next day, Peter went with them back to Caesarea to see Cornelius.
To show you what kind of faith Cornelius had….The Bible says in Acts 10:24 that Cornelius had brought all his friends together to hear Peter….remember no cell phones at this time….so this was a complete act of faith on Cornelius part. He didn’t know if Peter would come or not….didn’t know when…but he gathered his friends there together in faith.
In Acts 10:25, when Peter arrives, Cornelius fell down at Peter’s feet and worshipped him. Peter immediately rebukes Cornelius in Verse 26 saying….I myself also am a man.
TIMEOUT: Don’t worship your preacher or any other man….only worship the One your preacher is pointing to….Jesus. Your preacher…..myself….others…..we are all just ordinary men undeserving of any worship whatsoever.
Cornelius tells Peter what’s going on and invites Peter to share the word of God to him and his friends. In Acts 10:34….Peter opens up with a powerful word….God is not a respecter of persons….He doesn’t see skin color…doesn’t see tattoos….doesn’t see hair color….doesn’t see any of the barriers that we see.
EVERY PERSON YOU LAY YOUR EYES ON IS SOMEBODY THAT JESUS LOVES
You see Peter had a decision to make here…..would he allow cultural prejudices of his day determine who he shared the Gospel with? Or would he share with everybody….including these Gentiles in front of him.
I don’t know that you and I have ever experienced a hatred in our lifetime that was equivalent to the hatred between Jews and Gentiles…..maybe the Civil Rights movement of the 60’s….but I wasn’t alive during that time. Maybe the Civil War of the 1800’s….I don’t know…..just get this…..the best I could describe it would be me getting an invitation from a bunch of Muslim extremists to come tell them about Jesus….That’s as close as I can get to set the context for what was going on here with Peter and these Gentiles.
So Peter shares The Gospel with them….they get saved…they receive the Holy Ghost….and they are baptized.
In Chapter 11….Peter goes back and has to defend preaching to these Gentiles to his Jewish buddies. He tells them all that happened….and look at Acts 11:18….this is our key verse…..last part of the verse….Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
Praise The Lord!!! Hallelujah!!! Technically, Jesus opened the door for us on Calvary. However, the Gospel message wasn’t being delivered to the Gentiles up until now….and remember what Romans says…faith comes by hearing….how can they hear without a preacher…..so if the Gentiles were never taken the Gospel….they would never be saved…..WE would never be saved.
Thank you Lord for showing us that God is no respecter of persons. There are no cultural barriers in Christianity….that salvation is for all men….God so loved the WORLD!!!
Speaking of the word Christianity…we learn in Acts 11:26 that the followers of Jesus were first called Christians in Antioch. The word Christian is actually a word that people outside of the church used to describe followers of Jesus Christ. Remember though…whether other people think we are a follower of Jesus or not isn’t important….what is truly important is whether we really are a follower of Jesus or not. We can fool men….but we can’t fool God.
In Acts 11:28, the Christians in Antioch heard about a great drought that was taking place….immediately in Verse 29, they took up an offering to send relief to those in need…..a great example of what we are to do today….help our brothers out in need. I’m so very thankful for organizations such as Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief, The United Methodist Committee on Relief, Samaritan’s Purse, and others that are carrying on the example set forth for us here in Acts 11:29. Hopefully when we hear about needs such as this, we will be quick to lend a hand as our fellow believers did here in the early church.
In Acts 12:2, we learn of the first of Jesus 12 disciples that was martyred….James, the brother of John….one of the Inner Circle. Why is this significant….remember, if the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a hoax or fraud, these men would have never laid down their lives for a lie. The fact that James and all the other disciples were willing to die shows me beyond question the validity of Jesus’ resurrection.
Herod puts Peter in prison for preaching…but in verse 5, we learn that the church prayed for Peter while he was in prison. The Lord hears the prayer and sends an angel at night to get Peter out of there. Notice in Acts 12:7, that Peter’s chains fell off.
TIMEOUT….Jesus and only Jesus…..Only the power of Jesus is capable of loosing the chains of sin that bind us….that imprison us….that are holding us back. Jesus and only Jesus is a chainbreaker!!!
The angel leads Peter out of prison and Peter heads to the home where the believers are praying. He knocks on the door…a girl named Rhoda answers….when she realizes its Peter….she’s so excited that instead of opening the door….she runs back in to tell all the believers who are praying for Peter’s release that Peter is at the door.
What do these praying believers do? Do they start rejoicing? Do they run to the door to see?
NOPE….Acts 12:15….they think she’s crazy. THEY DIDN’T BELIEVE THE VERY THING THEY WERE PRAYING FOR.
Now we are quick to give these believers down the road for this….but friend….you and I aren’t any better. We will pray and pray and pray for something and then A…..not act in faith that it’s going to happen….and B…when it does happen we act surprised. In reality….we are not a lot different than the people here in Acts 12:15.
Lastly, in Acts 12:23….Herod is being treated as a god….instead of correcting the people like Peter did in Acts 10:26….Herod accepts the praise. What happens? Immediately in Acts 12:23, Herod was killed and worms ate up his body.
Taking praise away from the Lord and keeping it for ourselves is a dangerous thing. Please make sure we reflect any and all praise to the only One who deserves it…..Jesus!!!
I want to thank those of you who have already sent prayer support, encouragement support, and financial support to me. It’s been overwhelming to say the least. I’m honored that you would join me in Taking the Life-Changing Gospel of Jesus Christ to Families Everywhere by Whatever Means Necessary.
We are still working on a website and the ability to connect digitally. Until then, please feel free to send any and all correspondence to:
Chambers Family Ministries
c/o Phillip Chambers
5288 Chambers Road
Cumberland Furnace, TN 37051
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Acts 10-12
Acts Chapter 10 is one of the most important chapters in the entire Bible for me and you.
You are probably wondering why….I’m completely serious….in fact…outside of the chapters that give accounts of Jesus death, burial, and resurrection….I can’t think of anything more important for me and you than what’s contained here in Acts 10.
Until Acts 10…..everyone that received Christ….the 3000 at Pentecost….the Ethiopian Eunuch….Saul/Paul…everyone that received Christ up until Acts 10 were Jews. The prevalent thinking was that salvation through Jesus Christ was only available for those that were Jews.
Here in Acts Chapter 10….several miracles take place to open the eyes of Peter and others that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world…not just the Jews.
We are immediately introduced to a non-Jew named Cornelius. Cornelius fears God and is a faithful prayer warrior. He receives a vision of an angel telling him to send for a man in Joppa by the name of Simon Peter….he’s staying with Simon the tanner…..send for Peter and he will tell you what to do.
In the meantime, Peter is in Joppa at Simon’s house….Peter is fasting and during this fast, he sees a vision…..another reminder that great things happen when we fast.
His vision is of the animals that Jews were told not to eat in the Old Testament. Peter is told in the vision to rise, kill, and eat these animals. Being the good Jew that Peter is, he says no….I’m not going to eat anything unclean per the Old Testament Levitical law.
But The Lord says to Peter, what I’m calling clean, don’t you call unclean.
This vision occurrs 3 times. As Peter was pondering on this vision…the men Cornelius sent for Peter arrived at Simon’s house…the next day, Peter went with them back to Caesarea to see Cornelius.
To show you what kind of faith Cornelius had….The Bible says in Acts 10:24 that Cornelius had brought all his friends together to hear Peter….remember no cell phones at this time….so this was a complete act of faith on Cornelius part. He didn’t know if Peter would come or not….didn’t know when…but he gathered his friends there together in faith.
In Acts 10:25, when Peter arrives, Cornelius fell down at Peter’s feet and worshipped him. Peter immediately rebukes Cornelius in Verse 26 saying….I myself also am a man.
TIMEOUT: Don’t worship your preacher or any other man….only worship the One your preacher is pointing to….Jesus. Your preacher…..myself….others…..we are all just ordinary men undeserving of any worship whatsoever.
Cornelius tells Peter what’s going on and invites Peter to share the word of God to him and his friends. In Acts 10:34….Peter opens up with a powerful word….God is not a respecter of persons….He doesn’t see skin color…doesn’t see tattoos….doesn’t see hair color….doesn’t see any of the barriers that we see.
EVERY PERSON YOU LAY YOUR EYES ON IS SOMEBODY THAT JESUS LOVES
You see Peter had a decision to make here…..would he allow cultural prejudices of his day determine who he shared the Gospel with? Or would he share with everybody….including these Gentiles in front of him.
I don’t know that you and I have ever experienced a hatred in our lifetime that was equivalent to the hatred between Jews and Gentiles…..maybe the Civil Rights movement of the 60’s….but I wasn’t alive during that time. Maybe the Civil War of the 1800’s….I don’t know…..just get this…..the best I could describe it would be me getting an invitation from a bunch of Muslim extremists to come tell them about Jesus….That’s as close as I can get to set the context for what was going on here with Peter and these Gentiles.
So Peter shares The Gospel with them….they get saved…they receive the Holy Ghost….and they are baptized.
In Chapter 11….Peter goes back and has to defend preaching to these Gentiles to his Jewish buddies. He tells them all that happened….and look at Acts 11:18….this is our key verse…..last part of the verse….Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
Praise The Lord!!! Hallelujah!!! Technically, Jesus opened the door for us on Calvary. However, the Gospel message wasn’t being delivered to the Gentiles up until now….and remember what Romans says…faith comes by hearing….how can they hear without a preacher…..so if the Gentiles were never taken the Gospel….they would never be saved…..WE would never be saved.
Thank you Lord for showing us that God is no respecter of persons. There are no cultural barriers in Christianity….that salvation is for all men….God so loved the WORLD!!!
Speaking of the word Christianity…we learn in Acts 11:26 that the followers of Jesus were first called Christians in Antioch. The word Christian is actually a word that people outside of the church used to describe followers of Jesus Christ. Remember though…whether other people think we are a follower of Jesus or not isn’t important….what is truly important is whether we really are a follower of Jesus or not. We can fool men….but we can’t fool God.
In Acts 11:28, the Christians in Antioch heard about a great drought that was taking place….immediately in Verse 29, they took up an offering to send relief to those in need…..a great example of what we are to do today….help our brothers out in need. I’m so very thankful for organizations such as Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief, The United Methodist Committee on Relief, Samaritan’s Purse, and others that are carrying on the example set forth for us here in Acts 11:29. Hopefully when we hear about needs such as this, we will be quick to lend a hand as our fellow believers did here in the early church.
In Acts 12:2, we learn of the first of Jesus 12 disciples that was martyred….James, the brother of John….one of the Inner Circle. Why is this significant….remember, if the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a hoax or fraud, these men would have never laid down their lives for a lie. The fact that James and all the other disciples were willing to die shows me beyond question the validity of Jesus’ resurrection.
Herod puts Peter in prison for preaching…but in verse 5, we learn that the church prayed for Peter while he was in prison. The Lord hears the prayer and sends an angel at night to get Peter out of there. Notice in Acts 12:7, that Peter’s chains fell off.
TIMEOUT….Jesus and only Jesus…..Only the power of Jesus is capable of loosing the chains of sin that bind us….that imprison us….that are holding us back. Jesus and only Jesus is a chainbreaker!!!
The angel leads Peter out of prison and Peter heads to the home where the believers are praying. He knocks on the door…a girl named Rhoda answers….when she realizes its Peter….she’s so excited that instead of opening the door….she runs back in to tell all the believers who are praying for Peter’s release that Peter is at the door.
What do these praying believers do? Do they start rejoicing? Do they run to the door to see?
NOPE….Acts 12:15….they think she’s crazy. THEY DIDN’T BELIEVE THE VERY THING THEY WERE PRAYING FOR.
Now we are quick to give these believers down the road for this….but friend….you and I aren’t any better. We will pray and pray and pray for something and then A…..not act in faith that it’s going to happen….and B…when it does happen we act surprised. In reality….we are not a lot different than the people here in Acts 12:15.
Lastly, in Acts 12:23….Herod is being treated as a god….instead of correcting the people like Peter did in Acts 10:26….Herod accepts the praise. What happens? Immediately in Acts 12:23, Herod was killed and worms ate up his body.
Taking praise away from the Lord and keeping it for ourselves is a dangerous thing. Please make sure we reflect any and all praise to the only One who deserves it…..Jesus!!!
I want to thank those of you who have already sent prayer support, encouragement support, and financial support to me. It’s been overwhelming to say the least. I’m honored that you would join me in Taking the Life-Changing Gospel of Jesus Christ to Families Everywhere by Whatever Means Necessary.
We are still working on a website and the ability to connect digitally. Until then, please feel free to send any and all correspondence to:
Chambers Family Ministries
c/o Phillip Chambers
5288 Chambers Road
Cumberland Furnace, TN 37051
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 3 Pray, Read, Worship
Read Acts 7-9
The first 50 verses of Acts 7 are a summary of Old Testament History given by Deacon Stephen as he addresses the Jewish ruling body…the Sanhedrin. In Verse 51, he pivots and speaks the truth about Jesus and how the Sanhedrin was responsible for the betrayal and murder of the Messiah…Jesus.
In Acts 7:54, the Bible says they were cut to the heart….here’s the takeaway friend….THE TRUTH HURTS SOMETIMES. It flat out does….and when the truth hurts….we face a choice….get right with God, get gone, or get the person telling us the truth gone.
I’ve seen all 3….I’ve seen people get hurt by the truth and get right with God….
I’ve seen people get hurt by the truth and literally get up and leave the church auditorium…
And I’ve seen people get hurt by the truth, get it in for the Pastor, and then do everything in their power to get Him removed.
Unfortunately, that’s what the Sanhedrin does here to Stephen…they decided to get rid of Stephen because the truth hurt them so bad. They start stoning him and look carefully at what happens in Acts 7:55-56…..Just before Stephen dies, the veil between this life and the next opens….Stephen sees Heaven and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
Please pay close attention….these verses are biblical evidence that many many times….when a person is about to pass away…the veil will open for them also…like it did Stephen….and they will see things that you and I simply cannot see. These are not hallucinations….this is the real deal my friends….and it should be an incredible comfort to us when this happens.
This occurred with my own Grandfather…AJ Chambers….Grandaddy laid in the bed as an invalid for weeks. Just moments before he died, he raised his arm, pointed to the ceiling, and called out the name of his best friend, his sister, Rhetha, who had passed on a few years earlier. I’m 100% convinced that Grandaddy saw Aunt Rhetha in Heaven just before he died.
I have received numerous testimonies from family members of this happening to their loved ones right before they passed.
One told me their loved one said….Oh look at those beautiful flowers.
Another one said….Do you see the Guardian at the end of the bed?
Yet another opened her eyes wide and exclaimed Jesus with her last breath.
Unfortunately, I’ve also seen this the other way. I’ll never forget getting off a hospital elevator one time to go see someone that was near death. As soon as the elevator doors opened, I could hear the blood curdling screams. Sure enough it was coming from the room I was going to. I got to the room and there was the woman sitting up in bed…eyes wide open, screaming at the top of her lungs. It was the eeriest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. By this woman’s testimony, she was lost….and I have no doubt she was seeing…maybe even feeling the fires of hell as she was about to pass away.
You may not believe in this….that’s your right to believe in it or not….but people seeing visions just before they pass away is 100% biblical based on Stephen here in Acts 7.
As Stephen passed away, he spoke 2 phrases….”Lord Jesus receive my Spirit” and “Lay not this sin to their charge.” Sound familiar? I believe with all my heart that Stephen had been taught about the last words of Jesus on the cross….”Father forgive them for they know not what they do” and “Into thy hands I commit my Spirit.” Even in death, Stephen followed the example of Jesus. May that be an encouragement for us to do the same.
In Acts 8, we learn that Saul was a persecutor of the early church….this persecution was so tough that many of the members of the early church got out of Jerusalem to get away from the persecution. But what the devil meant for evil….God used for good. The devil hoped to silence the early church by the persecution….instead of silencing…it induced the spread of the Gospel around the world….check out Verse 4….they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word.
The Lord can and will use bad things for His honor and His Glory for His purposes.
We then get to the account of Deacon Philip and Simon the sorcerer. Notice in Verse 13 that Simon was baptized. Then in Verses 22-23, Peter straight up tells Simon he needs to repent and be forgiven.
This passage reveals one of these two truths….
1. You can be baptized and not be saved. There have been many many many people pass through the waters but never really experience salvation. Please please do not be holding onto your baptism as the proof of your salvation. Salvation is a matter of your heart….not getting wet in the water.
2. You can backslide. If Simon truly did get saved in Verse 13….then by all accounts he had backslid here by Verse 22-23. What do we need to do when we backslide? Repent and get right with God.
I honestly don’t know if Simon really was saved in Verse 13 or not….it’s not for me to judge. But either way….both of these truths apply to us today.
Deacon Philip is preaching up a storm in Samaria and people are getting saved by the boatloads. But then the Holy Spirit tells him something unusual in Acts 8:26-29….leave where it’s rocking and happening…and go down to the desert of Gaza and meet up with a single man from Ethiopia. Philip obeys….the Ethiopian Eunuch is riding in his chariot, reading the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. Philip asks if he understands what he’s reading. The Ethiopian says no….so Phillip preaches Jesus to Him out of the Old Testament.
Here’s the point….there’s a group of people today that don’t put much stock in the Old Testament. They say it’s not relevant today. HOGWASH….it’s extremely relevant today my friend. Jesus is in every book of the Old Testament.
In Genesis, He’s the Seed of The Woman
In Exodus, He’s the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He’s the High Priest
In Numbers, He’s the Cloud and The Fire
In Deuteronomy, He’s the Lawgiver
In Joshua, He’s the Captain of our Salvation
In Judges, He’s the Judge
In Ruth, He’s The Kinsmen Redeemer
In 1st and 2nd Samuel, He’s the Prophet of The Lord
In Kings & Chronicles, He’s the Reigning King
In Ezra, He’s the faithful scribe
In Nehemiah, He’s the Rebuilder of the walls
In Esther, He’s our Advisor like Mordecai
In Job, He’s our Dayspring from on High
In Psalms, He’s the Lord our Shepherd
In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, He’s the Wisdom of God
In The Song of Solomon, He’s the Lover and Bridegroom
In Isaiah, He’s the Suffering Servant
In Jeremiah and Lamentations, He’s the Weeping Prophet
In Ezekiel, He’s the Son of Man
In Daniel, He’s the Protector
In Hosea, He is Faithful
In Joel, He’s the Baptizer with The Holy Spirit
In Amos, He’s the Burden Bearer,
In Obadiah, He’s the Mighty Savior
In Jonah, He’s the Forgiving God
In Micah, He’s the Messenger with Beautiful Feet
In Nahum, He’s the Avenger of God’s Elect
In Habakkuk, He’s the Great Evangelist Crying for Revival
In Zephaniah, He’s the Restorer of the Remnant
In Haggai, He’s the Cleansing Fountain
In Zechariah, He’s the Pierced Son
And In Malachi, He’s The Sun of Righteousness, rising with healing in His Wings
Please don’t overlook the Old Testament my friend….I hope you will continue this journey with me once we finish the New Testament and start reading in the Old Testament.
After hearing Deacon Philip preach Jesus, the Ethiopian wants to get saved and baptized. Notice in Verse 38 the Bible says that Philip and the Ethiopian went down into the water for the Ethiopian to be baptized.
This is further proof to me that the method of baptism in the Bible was emersion. Wouldn’t have made sense to me to get down into the water if you were just gonna be sprinkled.
As soon as the Ethiopian was baptized, the Bible says in Acts 8:39 that Philip disappeared and was found in Azotus. What’s the relevance to us today? I call it the principle of Redeeming the Time.
When we do what The Lord tells us to do….He will redeem our time for us.
How does this happen? Let me give you an example.
I know people who say that don’t have time in the mornings to read the Bible and have a quiet time.
Well let me tell you what happens when you make time in the mornings for Bible Study and prayer. The Lord redeems the time you spent with Him….he turns the red lights to green….he turns the slow traffic to fast…and He miraculously gives you back the time you spent with Him. It’s a biblical principle….Redeeming the time…..so my friend….you might as well go ahead and make time to read your Bible and pray every morning….The Lord is gonna get His time from you one way or the other!!!
In Acts 9, we have the account of Saul meeting Jesus on the Damascus road. In Acts 9:5, Jesus says to Paul…..it’s hard to kick against the pricks….in other words friend….just like Dr. Gamaliel said yesterday…its useless to fight against The Lord…..if you are being stubborn and not doing what He says to do….you best either get right or get ready for Him to turn up the heat on you like He did Paul here.
Saul/Paul is blinded by the glory of Jesus and he’s told to go on to Damascus and wait.
The Lord then speaks to Ananias to tell him to go to Judas’ house….there he will find Saul…pray for him to receive his sight when you get there.
Ananias is really nervous because he’s heard how mean Saul is.
Look at Jesus response in Verse 15…He is a chosen vessel to me. I’m so so so very thankful that The Lord has unlikely chosen vessels like Saul/Paul that he uses to do great things for the Kingdom of God. Two of my favorite preachers in the entire world are Dr. Johnny Hunt and Dr. Jeff Laborg. Both were High School Dropouts. Both had been in trouble with the law pre-salvation. Both were addicts pre-salvation.
But then Jesus got a hold of these chosen vessels….and my oh my what incredible men of God they are today!!!
I think about this when I see some of these little wild/knot-headed/rambunctious boys running around today. They might just be the next chosen vessel of The Lord to bring the life changing Gospel to this lost and dying world.
How was Saul received after He accepted Christ, got baptized, and started preaching? The people doubted him because of his past….in fact some people even tried to kill him….but Paul escaped by being let down the city wall in a basket by night.
So how did Paul ever get accepted? Meet Barnabas in Acts 9:27…..We all need a Barnabas in our lives….Barnabas was a great encourager in scripture. He came alongside Paul and encouraged him…then he stood up for Paul to the disciples so he could be accepted. My oh my….Praise The Lord for the Barnabas’ in our lives that encourage us and stand up for us. If you have a Barnabas in your life….someone that encourages you often….please take this moment and thank them for being such a good encourager to you.
Then take the next step and become a Barnabas for someone else that needs encouragement.
I promise you will receive a HUGE blessing from being a Barnabas…an encourager to somebody that needs it.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Acts 7-9
The first 50 verses of Acts 7 are a summary of Old Testament History given by Deacon Stephen as he addresses the Jewish ruling body…the Sanhedrin. In Verse 51, he pivots and speaks the truth about Jesus and how the Sanhedrin was responsible for the betrayal and murder of the Messiah…Jesus.
In Acts 7:54, the Bible says they were cut to the heart….here’s the takeaway friend….THE TRUTH HURTS SOMETIMES. It flat out does….and when the truth hurts….we face a choice….get right with God, get gone, or get the person telling us the truth gone.
I’ve seen all 3….I’ve seen people get hurt by the truth and get right with God….
I’ve seen people get hurt by the truth and literally get up and leave the church auditorium…
And I’ve seen people get hurt by the truth, get it in for the Pastor, and then do everything in their power to get Him removed.
Unfortunately, that’s what the Sanhedrin does here to Stephen…they decided to get rid of Stephen because the truth hurt them so bad. They start stoning him and look carefully at what happens in Acts 7:55-56…..Just before Stephen dies, the veil between this life and the next opens….Stephen sees Heaven and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
Please pay close attention….these verses are biblical evidence that many many times….when a person is about to pass away…the veil will open for them also…like it did Stephen….and they will see things that you and I simply cannot see. These are not hallucinations….this is the real deal my friends….and it should be an incredible comfort to us when this happens.
This occurred with my own Grandfather…AJ Chambers….Grandaddy laid in the bed as an invalid for weeks. Just moments before he died, he raised his arm, pointed to the ceiling, and called out the name of his best friend, his sister, Rhetha, who had passed on a few years earlier. I’m 100% convinced that Grandaddy saw Aunt Rhetha in Heaven just before he died.
I have received numerous testimonies from family members of this happening to their loved ones right before they passed.
One told me their loved one said….Oh look at those beautiful flowers.
Another one said….Do you see the Guardian at the end of the bed?
Yet another opened her eyes wide and exclaimed Jesus with her last breath.
Unfortunately, I’ve also seen this the other way. I’ll never forget getting off a hospital elevator one time to go see someone that was near death. As soon as the elevator doors opened, I could hear the blood curdling screams. Sure enough it was coming from the room I was going to. I got to the room and there was the woman sitting up in bed…eyes wide open, screaming at the top of her lungs. It was the eeriest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. By this woman’s testimony, she was lost….and I have no doubt she was seeing…maybe even feeling the fires of hell as she was about to pass away.
You may not believe in this….that’s your right to believe in it or not….but people seeing visions just before they pass away is 100% biblical based on Stephen here in Acts 7.
As Stephen passed away, he spoke 2 phrases….”Lord Jesus receive my Spirit” and “Lay not this sin to their charge.” Sound familiar? I believe with all my heart that Stephen had been taught about the last words of Jesus on the cross….”Father forgive them for they know not what they do” and “Into thy hands I commit my Spirit.” Even in death, Stephen followed the example of Jesus. May that be an encouragement for us to do the same.
In Acts 8, we learn that Saul was a persecutor of the early church….this persecution was so tough that many of the members of the early church got out of Jerusalem to get away from the persecution. But what the devil meant for evil….God used for good. The devil hoped to silence the early church by the persecution….instead of silencing…it induced the spread of the Gospel around the world….check out Verse 4….they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word.
The Lord can and will use bad things for His honor and His Glory for His purposes.
We then get to the account of Deacon Philip and Simon the sorcerer. Notice in Verse 13 that Simon was baptized. Then in Verses 22-23, Peter straight up tells Simon he needs to repent and be forgiven.
This passage reveals one of these two truths….
1. You can be baptized and not be saved. There have been many many many people pass through the waters but never really experience salvation. Please please do not be holding onto your baptism as the proof of your salvation. Salvation is a matter of your heart….not getting wet in the water.
2. You can backslide. If Simon truly did get saved in Verse 13….then by all accounts he had backslid here by Verse 22-23. What do we need to do when we backslide? Repent and get right with God.
I honestly don’t know if Simon really was saved in Verse 13 or not….it’s not for me to judge. But either way….both of these truths apply to us today.
Deacon Philip is preaching up a storm in Samaria and people are getting saved by the boatloads. But then the Holy Spirit tells him something unusual in Acts 8:26-29….leave where it’s rocking and happening…and go down to the desert of Gaza and meet up with a single man from Ethiopia. Philip obeys….the Ethiopian Eunuch is riding in his chariot, reading the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. Philip asks if he understands what he’s reading. The Ethiopian says no….so Phillip preaches Jesus to Him out of the Old Testament.
Here’s the point….there’s a group of people today that don’t put much stock in the Old Testament. They say it’s not relevant today. HOGWASH….it’s extremely relevant today my friend. Jesus is in every book of the Old Testament.
In Genesis, He’s the Seed of The Woman
In Exodus, He’s the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He’s the High Priest
In Numbers, He’s the Cloud and The Fire
In Deuteronomy, He’s the Lawgiver
In Joshua, He’s the Captain of our Salvation
In Judges, He’s the Judge
In Ruth, He’s The Kinsmen Redeemer
In 1st and 2nd Samuel, He’s the Prophet of The Lord
In Kings & Chronicles, He’s the Reigning King
In Ezra, He’s the faithful scribe
In Nehemiah, He’s the Rebuilder of the walls
In Esther, He’s our Advisor like Mordecai
In Job, He’s our Dayspring from on High
In Psalms, He’s the Lord our Shepherd
In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, He’s the Wisdom of God
In The Song of Solomon, He’s the Lover and Bridegroom
In Isaiah, He’s the Suffering Servant
In Jeremiah and Lamentations, He’s the Weeping Prophet
In Ezekiel, He’s the Son of Man
In Daniel, He’s the Protector
In Hosea, He is Faithful
In Joel, He’s the Baptizer with The Holy Spirit
In Amos, He’s the Burden Bearer,
In Obadiah, He’s the Mighty Savior
In Jonah, He’s the Forgiving God
In Micah, He’s the Messenger with Beautiful Feet
In Nahum, He’s the Avenger of God’s Elect
In Habakkuk, He’s the Great Evangelist Crying for Revival
In Zephaniah, He’s the Restorer of the Remnant
In Haggai, He’s the Cleansing Fountain
In Zechariah, He’s the Pierced Son
And In Malachi, He’s The Sun of Righteousness, rising with healing in His Wings
Please don’t overlook the Old Testament my friend….I hope you will continue this journey with me once we finish the New Testament and start reading in the Old Testament.
After hearing Deacon Philip preach Jesus, the Ethiopian wants to get saved and baptized. Notice in Verse 38 the Bible says that Philip and the Ethiopian went down into the water for the Ethiopian to be baptized.
This is further proof to me that the method of baptism in the Bible was emersion. Wouldn’t have made sense to me to get down into the water if you were just gonna be sprinkled.
As soon as the Ethiopian was baptized, the Bible says in Acts 8:39 that Philip disappeared and was found in Azotus. What’s the relevance to us today? I call it the principle of Redeeming the Time.
When we do what The Lord tells us to do….He will redeem our time for us.
How does this happen? Let me give you an example.
I know people who say that don’t have time in the mornings to read the Bible and have a quiet time.
Well let me tell you what happens when you make time in the mornings for Bible Study and prayer. The Lord redeems the time you spent with Him….he turns the red lights to green….he turns the slow traffic to fast…and He miraculously gives you back the time you spent with Him. It’s a biblical principle….Redeeming the time…..so my friend….you might as well go ahead and make time to read your Bible and pray every morning….The Lord is gonna get His time from you one way or the other!!!
In Acts 9, we have the account of Saul meeting Jesus on the Damascus road. In Acts 9:5, Jesus says to Paul…..it’s hard to kick against the pricks….in other words friend….just like Dr. Gamaliel said yesterday…its useless to fight against The Lord…..if you are being stubborn and not doing what He says to do….you best either get right or get ready for Him to turn up the heat on you like He did Paul here.
Saul/Paul is blinded by the glory of Jesus and he’s told to go on to Damascus and wait.
The Lord then speaks to Ananias to tell him to go to Judas’ house….there he will find Saul…pray for him to receive his sight when you get there.
Ananias is really nervous because he’s heard how mean Saul is.
Look at Jesus response in Verse 15…He is a chosen vessel to me. I’m so so so very thankful that The Lord has unlikely chosen vessels like Saul/Paul that he uses to do great things for the Kingdom of God. Two of my favorite preachers in the entire world are Dr. Johnny Hunt and Dr. Jeff Laborg. Both were High School Dropouts. Both had been in trouble with the law pre-salvation. Both were addicts pre-salvation.
But then Jesus got a hold of these chosen vessels….and my oh my what incredible men of God they are today!!!
I think about this when I see some of these little wild/knot-headed/rambunctious boys running around today. They might just be the next chosen vessel of The Lord to bring the life changing Gospel to this lost and dying world.
How was Saul received after He accepted Christ, got baptized, and started preaching? The people doubted him because of his past….in fact some people even tried to kill him….but Paul escaped by being let down the city wall in a basket by night.
So how did Paul ever get accepted? Meet Barnabas in Acts 9:27…..We all need a Barnabas in our lives….Barnabas was a great encourager in scripture. He came alongside Paul and encouraged him…then he stood up for Paul to the disciples so he could be accepted. My oh my….Praise The Lord for the Barnabas’ in our lives that encourage us and stand up for us. If you have a Barnabas in your life….someone that encourages you often….please take this moment and thank them for being such a good encourager to you.
Then take the next step and become a Barnabas for someone else that needs encouragement.
I promise you will receive a HUGE blessing from being a Barnabas…an encourager to somebody that needs it.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 2 Pray, Read, Worship
Read Acts 4-6
In Acts 4:4, The Bible says the number of the men that believed on Jesus was about 5000. Now, some Bible Scholars believe this to be another day like Pentecost when 5000 people got saved. Others say this was the total now including the 3000 from Pentecost. Either way, here’s what I know for sure. In Acts 1…there were 120 followers of Jesus….now there’s at least 5000 if not more.
What’s the point?
Get ready….
SMALL CHURCHES CAN MAKE A BIG IMPACT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD!!
There’s not a church in the state of Tennessee that baptized 5000 people last year….In fact, the largest number ever baptized in a single year by a single church was 1008 by Long Hollow in Hendersonville a few years back.
Yet here….a small group of people made a HUGE impact for the Kingdom of God.
How’d they do it? Wasn’t through fancy programs….they just did the basics…remember Acts 2:42 yesterday? Bible Study, Prayer, Fellowship, The Lord’s Supper….and a group of believers that shared Jesus everywhere they went.
The same thing can and will happen today. We just have to do our part….The Lord is guaranteed to do His.
In Acts 4:8….Peter and John are standing before the rulers being questioned and threatened for teaching about Jesus….Has this ever happened to you? We can be brought in to HR….we can receive a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation….we can be told to be quiet…..so what happened? Notice Verse 8….Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 10:19, Mark 13:11, and Luke 12:11 how to not worry when you’re brought before people like this? Jesus said don’t worry about it because in that very moment, it won’t be you speaking…but The Holy Ghost.
Dr. Luke is showing to us here how the very thing Jesus said would happen…happened. The Holy Ghost took over for Peter and took care of things. Again…The Holy Ghost will do the same for us when we are brought into HR…when we receive threats.
In Acts 4:10….Peter informs us that the power in which the crippled man was healed came from the Name of Jesus Christ.
Gloria Gaither wrote some beautiful words about The Name of Jesus…..
Jesus, the mere mention of his name can calm the storm, heal the broken, raise the dead. At the name of Jesus I’ve seen sin hardened men melted, derelicts transformed. The lights of hope put in the eyes of a hopeless child. At the name of Jesus hatred and bitterness turn to love and forgiveness. Arguments cease. I’ve heard a mother softly breathe His name at the bedside of a child delirious from fever, and I’ve watched that little body be quiet, fevered brow cooled. I’ve sat at the bedside of a dying saint, her body wracked with pain who in those final fleeting seconds summoned her last ounce of ebbing strength just to whisper earth’s sweetest name Jesus, Jesus.
Emperors have tried to destroy it, Philosophies have tried to stamp it out. Tyrants have tried to wash it from the face of the earth with the very blood of those who claimed it, yet it still stands. And there shall be that final day when every voice that has ever uttered a sound, every voice of Adam’s race shall raise in one mighty chorus to proclaim the name of Jesus, for in that day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ Is truly Lord!
Ah–so you see–it was not mere chance that caused the angel one night long ago to say to a virgin maiden, “His name shall be called Jesus.” Jesus. Jesus. There truly is something about that name.
In Acts 4:17, Peter and John were threatened to keep quiet….please please please notice their response in Acts. 4:20….we can’t help but tell everyone about the things we have seen and heard. Oh that people today would be that bold. You see today….it doesn’t even take a threat to keep us quiet….today we stay quiet because of the THOUGHT of a threat…..we are afraid we MIGHT get threatened. Here in Acts 4:20….Peter and John were actually threatened and they stood there flat footed and said back….we can’t help but tell people about Jesus.
So what did this courage in the face of threatening do? In Acts 4:29, we see that it inspired the other believers to pray for boldness like Peter and John. And did God ever answer their prayers….in Acts 4:31, it said the place was shaken when they prayed…literally an earthquake….they were filled with The Holy Ghost and given boldness to speak the word of God.
Our boldness for Jesus will inspire others to be bold for Jesus.
TIMEOUT: Now this all sounds good and happy…they prayed for boldness and they received boldness.
Can we unpack this just a minute…..friend….if you really want boldness to speak up….and if you really pray to God to receive Holy Ghost infused boldness….then get ready….it means you are going to be put into a hard/uncomfortable situation where you are going to NEED boldness.
I’m OK with that…just wanted you to fully realize what you will be praying for when you pray for boldness….It’s like praying for patience….if you pray for patience…it means you are going to be put into a situation that requires patience. If you pray for faith…it means you will be put into a situation that requires you to exercise faith. Remember, we never would have the joy of Easter Sunday unless we first had the pain of Good Friday.
Acts 4:32 to the end of the chapter is what some people base their views of communism on….everybody sharing everything….laying it down at the Apostle’s feet(Government’s feet in the case of communism)…being administered to everyone accordingly…nobody having a need.
That all sounds well and good…but there is one HUGE difference between Acts 4:32 and Communism. In the book of Acts….its VOLUNTARY….not mandatory. When people voluntarily share for the good of others….it’s a beautiful thing. But when it’s mandatory….like communism..it doesn’t ever work. Just ask the former Soviet Union if you don’t believe me.
In Acts 5, we have the account of Ananias and Sapphira. If you don’t pay close attention, you will miss the whole point. At first glance, it appears that Ananias and Sapphira died because they didn’t give all they had to the church….and if that was the case….it could be really scary for all of us too.
But that’s not what happened. Look very carefully at one word in Verse 4….lied.
Remember, giving everything over to God was and still is voluntary. But what happened here in Acts 5 is Ananias and Sapphira told everybody they were giving everything over….but instead, The Bible says they held some of it back for themselves. Holding some back for themselves would have been fine….just don’t lie about it. The lying is where the problem is. The Lord takes lying very seriously.
Do we? Do we take lying very seriously. I’ve had more than one spouse tell me…..”Phillip, I can handle the alcoholism….I can handle the pornography addiction….I just wish they wouldn’t lie to me about it.”
Lying to men is serious….but lying to God….don’t even try it. Ananias and Sapphira should be a clear example of that to us.
Acts 5:29 is a verse that every Christian should memorize….”we ought to obey God rather than men.”
In Acts 5:38-39….we receive some words of wisdom from Dr. Gamaliel that I have put to use many times. The council of religious leaders is meeting and trying to decide what to do about these new Christians that are so bold and on fire for Jesus. Some want to kill them….some want to threaten…some want to persecute them.
Dr. Gamaliel speaks up and says in Verse 38-39….leave them alone….if they are not of God, they will fade away soon enough once the new wears off….but if they are of God…there’s no use fighting against them because we would be fighting against God Himself.
I have put that to use time and time again…..in the book of Philippians, Paul was dealing with this very thing. Some people were preaching Christ out of contention or disagreement with Paul…in other words…they’d left the church Paul was leading because of a disagreement with Paul….and they went somewhere else or started their own new deal.
Did it hurt when the people left Paul because of having a disagreement with him? Yes it did….The Bible says so.
Did it hurt me when people left where I was preaching/leading because of a disagreement with me? Absolutely….hurt very very deeply
But I remembered the words of Dr. Gamaliel…..give them some space….if what they are doing is of men, it will fade away…but if it is of God…there’s no need to fight against it because you’d be fighting against God Himself and you know you won’t win. Awesome advice that really really helped me.
So what happened in Acts 5? The council agreed with Dr. Gamaliel….or so they said…but then in the very same verse it says they called in Peter and John…beat them and threatened them….doesn’t sound like agreement to me.
WOW….how many people today will agree with you to your face and then immediately go behind your back and do the very thing they said they weren’t gonna do!!!
But that’s not the point here….the point is verse 41….what was Peter and John’s response to the beating and threatening? They rejoiced….REJOICED? Yep….they rejoiced because they took this as a badge of honor being persecuted like Jesus was.
I don’t know of I know a single person that has ever rejoiced when threatened or persecuted…myself included. Most of us go to bellyaching, griping, and complaining. But not Peter and John…they rejoiced. Hopefully I can learn to do the same next time I’m threatened and persecuted for speaking up for Jesus.
In Acts 6, we have the appointment of the first deacons….Verse 3 shows us the requirements for deacons….honest…full of the Holy Ghost…and wise. Verse 4 shows what the preachers are supposed to be doing….giving themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word. Once they found the seven qualified men…the Bible says in Acts 6:6 they laid hands on them and prayed over them….this is where we get our laying on of hands today when we ordain men to the deacon ministry.
Then in Verse 7…we get the results of a Biblical based Deacon ministry…The Word of God increased and the number of disciples multiplied greatly.
Deacon ministries….when done exactly like the Bible says….are incredible. It is The Lord’s formula for increasing the size and scope of ministry for a church.
However….when deacon ministries are not done as the Bible says….THEY ARE A TRAINWRECK. They bring division, power struggles, strife, contention, drama, headaches, and heartaches for all involved.
Please pray for the deacons at your church and any other deacons you know. Pray for them to follow the example of being a deacon set forth here in Acts 6. When they do, great things will happen for The Kingdom of God.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Acts 4-6
In Acts 4:4, The Bible says the number of the men that believed on Jesus was about 5000. Now, some Bible Scholars believe this to be another day like Pentecost when 5000 people got saved. Others say this was the total now including the 3000 from Pentecost. Either way, here’s what I know for sure. In Acts 1…there were 120 followers of Jesus….now there’s at least 5000 if not more.
What’s the point?
Get ready….
SMALL CHURCHES CAN MAKE A BIG IMPACT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD!!
There’s not a church in the state of Tennessee that baptized 5000 people last year….In fact, the largest number ever baptized in a single year by a single church was 1008 by Long Hollow in Hendersonville a few years back.
Yet here….a small group of people made a HUGE impact for the Kingdom of God.
How’d they do it? Wasn’t through fancy programs….they just did the basics…remember Acts 2:42 yesterday? Bible Study, Prayer, Fellowship, The Lord’s Supper….and a group of believers that shared Jesus everywhere they went.
The same thing can and will happen today. We just have to do our part….The Lord is guaranteed to do His.
In Acts 4:8….Peter and John are standing before the rulers being questioned and threatened for teaching about Jesus….Has this ever happened to you? We can be brought in to HR….we can receive a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation….we can be told to be quiet…..so what happened? Notice Verse 8….Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 10:19, Mark 13:11, and Luke 12:11 how to not worry when you’re brought before people like this? Jesus said don’t worry about it because in that very moment, it won’t be you speaking…but The Holy Ghost.
Dr. Luke is showing to us here how the very thing Jesus said would happen…happened. The Holy Ghost took over for Peter and took care of things. Again…The Holy Ghost will do the same for us when we are brought into HR…when we receive threats.
In Acts 4:10….Peter informs us that the power in which the crippled man was healed came from the Name of Jesus Christ.
Gloria Gaither wrote some beautiful words about The Name of Jesus…..
Jesus, the mere mention of his name can calm the storm, heal the broken, raise the dead. At the name of Jesus I’ve seen sin hardened men melted, derelicts transformed. The lights of hope put in the eyes of a hopeless child. At the name of Jesus hatred and bitterness turn to love and forgiveness. Arguments cease. I’ve heard a mother softly breathe His name at the bedside of a child delirious from fever, and I’ve watched that little body be quiet, fevered brow cooled. I’ve sat at the bedside of a dying saint, her body wracked with pain who in those final fleeting seconds summoned her last ounce of ebbing strength just to whisper earth’s sweetest name Jesus, Jesus.
Emperors have tried to destroy it, Philosophies have tried to stamp it out. Tyrants have tried to wash it from the face of the earth with the very blood of those who claimed it, yet it still stands. And there shall be that final day when every voice that has ever uttered a sound, every voice of Adam’s race shall raise in one mighty chorus to proclaim the name of Jesus, for in that day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ Is truly Lord!
Ah–so you see–it was not mere chance that caused the angel one night long ago to say to a virgin maiden, “His name shall be called Jesus.” Jesus. Jesus. There truly is something about that name.
In Acts 4:17, Peter and John were threatened to keep quiet….please please please notice their response in Acts. 4:20….we can’t help but tell everyone about the things we have seen and heard. Oh that people today would be that bold. You see today….it doesn’t even take a threat to keep us quiet….today we stay quiet because of the THOUGHT of a threat…..we are afraid we MIGHT get threatened. Here in Acts 4:20….Peter and John were actually threatened and they stood there flat footed and said back….we can’t help but tell people about Jesus.
So what did this courage in the face of threatening do? In Acts 4:29, we see that it inspired the other believers to pray for boldness like Peter and John. And did God ever answer their prayers….in Acts 4:31, it said the place was shaken when they prayed…literally an earthquake….they were filled with The Holy Ghost and given boldness to speak the word of God.
Our boldness for Jesus will inspire others to be bold for Jesus.
TIMEOUT: Now this all sounds good and happy…they prayed for boldness and they received boldness.
Can we unpack this just a minute…..friend….if you really want boldness to speak up….and if you really pray to God to receive Holy Ghost infused boldness….then get ready….it means you are going to be put into a hard/uncomfortable situation where you are going to NEED boldness.
I’m OK with that…just wanted you to fully realize what you will be praying for when you pray for boldness….It’s like praying for patience….if you pray for patience…it means you are going to be put into a situation that requires patience. If you pray for faith…it means you will be put into a situation that requires you to exercise faith. Remember, we never would have the joy of Easter Sunday unless we first had the pain of Good Friday.
Acts 4:32 to the end of the chapter is what some people base their views of communism on….everybody sharing everything….laying it down at the Apostle’s feet(Government’s feet in the case of communism)…being administered to everyone accordingly…nobody having a need.
That all sounds well and good…but there is one HUGE difference between Acts 4:32 and Communism. In the book of Acts….its VOLUNTARY….not mandatory. When people voluntarily share for the good of others….it’s a beautiful thing. But when it’s mandatory….like communism..it doesn’t ever work. Just ask the former Soviet Union if you don’t believe me.
In Acts 5, we have the account of Ananias and Sapphira. If you don’t pay close attention, you will miss the whole point. At first glance, it appears that Ananias and Sapphira died because they didn’t give all they had to the church….and if that was the case….it could be really scary for all of us too.
But that’s not what happened. Look very carefully at one word in Verse 4….lied.
Remember, giving everything over to God was and still is voluntary. But what happened here in Acts 5 is Ananias and Sapphira told everybody they were giving everything over….but instead, The Bible says they held some of it back for themselves. Holding some back for themselves would have been fine….just don’t lie about it. The lying is where the problem is. The Lord takes lying very seriously.
Do we? Do we take lying very seriously. I’ve had more than one spouse tell me…..”Phillip, I can handle the alcoholism….I can handle the pornography addiction….I just wish they wouldn’t lie to me about it.”
Lying to men is serious….but lying to God….don’t even try it. Ananias and Sapphira should be a clear example of that to us.
Acts 5:29 is a verse that every Christian should memorize….”we ought to obey God rather than men.”
In Acts 5:38-39….we receive some words of wisdom from Dr. Gamaliel that I have put to use many times. The council of religious leaders is meeting and trying to decide what to do about these new Christians that are so bold and on fire for Jesus. Some want to kill them….some want to threaten…some want to persecute them.
Dr. Gamaliel speaks up and says in Verse 38-39….leave them alone….if they are not of God, they will fade away soon enough once the new wears off….but if they are of God…there’s no use fighting against them because we would be fighting against God Himself.
I have put that to use time and time again…..in the book of Philippians, Paul was dealing with this very thing. Some people were preaching Christ out of contention or disagreement with Paul…in other words…they’d left the church Paul was leading because of a disagreement with Paul….and they went somewhere else or started their own new deal.
Did it hurt when the people left Paul because of having a disagreement with him? Yes it did….The Bible says so.
Did it hurt me when people left where I was preaching/leading because of a disagreement with me? Absolutely….hurt very very deeply
But I remembered the words of Dr. Gamaliel…..give them some space….if what they are doing is of men, it will fade away…but if it is of God…there’s no need to fight against it because you’d be fighting against God Himself and you know you won’t win. Awesome advice that really really helped me.
So what happened in Acts 5? The council agreed with Dr. Gamaliel….or so they said…but then in the very same verse it says they called in Peter and John…beat them and threatened them….doesn’t sound like agreement to me.
WOW….how many people today will agree with you to your face and then immediately go behind your back and do the very thing they said they weren’t gonna do!!!
But that’s not the point here….the point is verse 41….what was Peter and John’s response to the beating and threatening? They rejoiced….REJOICED? Yep….they rejoiced because they took this as a badge of honor being persecuted like Jesus was.
I don’t know of I know a single person that has ever rejoiced when threatened or persecuted…myself included. Most of us go to bellyaching, griping, and complaining. But not Peter and John…they rejoiced. Hopefully I can learn to do the same next time I’m threatened and persecuted for speaking up for Jesus.
In Acts 6, we have the appointment of the first deacons….Verse 3 shows us the requirements for deacons….honest…full of the Holy Ghost…and wise. Verse 4 shows what the preachers are supposed to be doing….giving themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word. Once they found the seven qualified men…the Bible says in Acts 6:6 they laid hands on them and prayed over them….this is where we get our laying on of hands today when we ordain men to the deacon ministry.
Then in Verse 7…we get the results of a Biblical based Deacon ministry…The Word of God increased and the number of disciples multiplied greatly.
Deacon ministries….when done exactly like the Bible says….are incredible. It is The Lord’s formula for increasing the size and scope of ministry for a church.
However….when deacon ministries are not done as the Bible says….THEY ARE A TRAINWRECK. They bring division, power struggles, strife, contention, drama, headaches, and heartaches for all involved.
Please pray for the deacons at your church and any other deacons you know. Pray for them to follow the example of being a deacon set forth here in Acts 6. When they do, great things will happen for The Kingdom of God.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
May 1 Pray, Read, Worship
Read Acts 1-3
The book of Acts was written by Dr. Luke…the same writer as the Gospel of Luke. Acts is my favorite book of the Bible as it is JAM PACKED with action from beginning to end.
In Acts 1:3….Dr. Luke speaks a truth that the entire Gospel of Jesus hinges on….the INFALLIBLE proof of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The definition of infallible is incapable of being wrong. In other words….in the eyes of medical doctor Luke….there was absolutely no doubt that Jesus died and was resurrected back to life…..thus conquering death, hell, and the grave and thereby making the only way for us to do the same.
In Acts 1:4….Jesus told the disciples to………..WAIT.
What? I thought in Matthew 28 Jesus said to Go….
He did….but before they can go….they had to WAIT for the power they would need when they went.
Can I be honest….I struggle bad with waiting. I’m a horrible, pathetic waiter…..I’m terribly impatient.
I’m the type that goes….and then tries to figure things out on the way.
But Jesus said to wait till He sent the power of the Holy Ghost….and then it will be time to go.
Now skipping just a little bit ahead….there’s a very valuable point we need to make sure we understand.
Jesus told the Disciples to wait in Jerusalem for The Holy Ghost to come….so what did The Disciples do while they waited? If we figure out the answer to this….it can help show us what to do when we are waiting…..
Well…just look at Acts 1:14….while waiting, the disciples…..PRAYED.
I can’t think of a better use of my time while waiting than to pray. Unfortunately, I spend a lot of my time waiting pontificating and planning instead of praying. It only makes sense to follow the example of the Disciples here. Pray, pray, pray while we wait.
We then get to Acts 1:8…another record of the last words of Jesus. He reminds them about the power of The Holy Ghost that’s coming…then He tells them to be witnesses for Him…what does a witness do? They simply testify to what they have seen, heard, and experienced. This is where so many people get hung up today….They think that in order to be a witness, they have to teach a Bible class or something such as that. That is 100% incorrect. All we have to do to be a witness for Jesus is to simply tell what Jesus has done in our lives.
Therein lies the problem…..my friend, I’m going to get really blunt here….if you are not able to tell anything that Jesus has done for you….are you really even saved? You see there are plenty of people in this world that just automatically think they are saved….but they’ve not ever trusted in Jesus for salvation.
Let me put it this way….I can think I’m a professional football player all I want….but I’ve never been in a locker room, never put on pads, never put on a helmet, never practiced, never been in a players meeting with the coaches, never analyzed game film, never played in a game. Oh I can think I’m a professional football player all I want…..I can probably even fool a lot of people into thinking I am one because of my size….6’3”, 325 lbs….I’m the size of an NFL offensive lineman.
But could I be a witness about what it means to be a professional football player? Nope….why? Because I’ve never experienced anything.
In the exact same way friend….if you are having trouble being a witness for Jesus…..seriously…examine your life right now to see if you have ever really been saved….cause here’s the deal….If you ever had get a hold of you what got a hold of me when Jesus got a hold of me…you definitely will have something to witness about.
Jesus is not calling all of us to be bible study teachers, preachers, and the like.
But He is calling 100% all of us to be WITNESSES for Him.
Now…lets unpack the last part of Acts 1:8….where are we to be witnesses for Jesus? The Bible says in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the Earth.
Uh oh….does this mean we all gotta move to Jerusalem and start witnessing there?
No friend….here’s what that means.
I want you to imagine that we are in the field over here behind Mom and Dad’s house…over in the field where we feed our cows hay. There’s a pond over there in that field….you and I are standing together on the bank of that pond. I grab a rock and throw it into the pond….it makes a splash….then the ripples start to flow away from the splash…First the ripples are a few inches from the splash…then they keep going out a few feet from the splash…finally they are a few yards from the splash….eventually running all the way to the edge of the pond.
That is the perfect description of how we are to be witnesses for Jesus….we start right where we are….then we keep on moving farther and farther out until we reach the whole world.
In other words friend….we don’t have to be a foreign missionary to witness for Jesus. It all starts at home….everything begins at home….so get started witnessing for Jesus at home today.
I want to tell you a true story that I hope inspires you as much as it inspired me. One of my dearest friends and mentors in the entire world is Brother William Gray in Dover. It was a few years back…and it was Brother Gray’s birthday. I called to wish him a happy birthday and Brother Gray said something I’ll never forget. “Phillip….I’ve been thinking about something. I’ve probably got 20 years or so left in my life unless something happens. In those 20 years, I think I can witness for Jesus to everybody in Stewart County and about half of Houston County. Would you handle the other half of Houston County?”
Brother Gray wasn’t making a joke….He was dead serious.
That’s the kind of determination I want to have in my life to be a witness for Jesus.
In Acts 1:24….the early church is making a decision on who to select to replace Judas as one of Jesus’ 12 Apostles. What did they do to make the selection? Acts 1:24 says they prayed. Why did the early church pray? Because they were following the example Jesus had set for them…..do you remember what we learned a few days ago? The night before Jesus selected His 12 disciples….what did He do? He spent the whole night in prayer. We will do well friends if we bathe all our decisions in prayer and not on popular opinion or conventional wisdom.
Acts 2 opens with the miracle of the disciples speaking in tongues. Many people get confused and even scared of the word tongues in the church. But I’m not…I believe the Bible is crystal clear on it….look at Acts 2:6 for a clear description for speaking in tongues….specifically look at the last part of the verse….speak in his own language.
There were people from all over the world in Jerusalem at this time….The miracle of tongues is the disciples speaking in other languages where these people from other parts of the world could hear about Jesus.
Let me give you a modern day example….let’s say I go see my cousin Robert and I run into some of the Hispanic workers He employs on His farm. I know very little Spanish….but I want to tell these guys about Jesus….all of a sudden…miraculously….The Holy Spirit empowers me to fluently speak Spanish where these men can clearly understand about the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
That’s the way I understand the miracle of speaking in tongues here in Acts Chapter 2.
The miracle of the disciples speaking in all these different languages gathers a crowd….and Peter…not wanting to miss an opportunity…starts sharing with the crowd about Jesus.
But Peter didn’t stop with just sharing about Jesus…..He took things a step further….HE GAVE AN INVITATION FOR THE PEOPLE TO BE SAVED.
Its Acts 2:38…repent and be baptized.
Friends….I’m about to share something with you that breaks my heart.
Our churches are full of Acts 2:36 preachers today.
Many seminaries are turning out Acts 2:36 preachers today.
Many witnesses are acts 2:36 witnesses today.
Phillip….what’s an Acts 2:36 preacher/witness?
Somebody that will tell about Jesus….but stops short of giving an invitation for the people to make a decision about Jesus.
They will take them all the way to Acts 2:36….but not the rest of the way to Acts 2:38 for them to know how to be saved. They will preach a message about Jesus….but never explain what to do in order to respond. When we do this….all we are creating is smarter sinners.
Friend….please don’t stop short….please don’t quit at Acts 2:36….when you are witnessing….and preachers when you are preaching….take folks all the way….all the way to Acts 2:38….give them an invitation and opportunity to repent and be saved from their sins. Invite them to be baptized as a testimony to the salvation they have received in Jesus.
What happened when Peter gave the invitation at Pentecost? What happened when he took them all the way and didn’t stop short? Verse 41….3000 people were saved and baptized that day. That’s not a coincidence.
I’ll never forget a meeting I was in one time….The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board called me and some other preachers in to ask us what we were doing in our churches to see people saved and baptized.
You know me….I’m not bashful….I jumped in right out of the gate and said….well first of all, after I preach, I always give an invitation for people to respond to Jesus.
And you know what happened? This other preacher sitting at the same table with me spoke up and said…now wait a minute….not every message I preach is conducive to an invitation. I don’t give an invitation at each of my services. Sometimes we just need to go for coffee and talk.
Buddy….that royally hacked me off….I thought for just a second or two….felt like an hour or two….deciding if I really wanted to speak what was going through my mind at that moment or keep it to myself.
My tongue won out…..
I spoke back up and said….listen here fella….you ought to try giving an invitation every time you preach…you might be surprised what The Lord will do.
Want to know one of the reasons Jesus said the fields are white unto harvest? It’s because we have all kinds of people that have sat in church and heard the teachings of Jesus for YEARS…but never been taken all the way to Acts 2:38.
When you preach….when you witness….take them all the way….Don’t stop at Acts 2:36….Go all the way to Acts 2:38 and give an invitation.
I love Acts 2:42…it gives us the 4 functions of the early church.
Bible Study(Apostle’s Doctrine)
Fellowship
Breaking of Bread(The Lord’s Supper)
Prayer
Does your church do all 4 of these?
Let me bring it a little closer home….Do you participate in all 4 of these?
It breaks my heart to see people come to church for worship and not stay for Sunday School. That’s the first thing the Lord says to do here in Acts 2:42.
One of the best preachers on the planet….Dr. Johnny Hunt….I heard him say with my own ears….if you can only give me 1 hour a week….come to Sunday School instead of worship.
Acts 2:47 says that people were saved DAILY….not just on Sundays….not just at church services….but each and every day as the church fanned out into the world and were witnesses for Jesus.
Oh Oh Oh that this would happen today and people get saved daily as we go about our lives witnessing for Jesus.
In Acts 3, Peter and John are going to temple to pray…they meet a crippled man begging for money….Peter gives the man something better than money…through the power of The Holy Ghost and the Name of Jesus Christ….Peter gives this man a healing. This crippled beggar begins to leap for joy, shouting praises to God. Of course it draws a crowd of people coming to see what’s happening.
What did Peter do when the crowd came up? He told them about Jesus.
Friends….may we NEVER miss another opportunity to be a witness for Jesus.
And when we witness…don’t stop at Acts 2:36….take them all the way to Acts 2:38 and give an invitation to be saved and baptized.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Acts 1-3
The book of Acts was written by Dr. Luke…the same writer as the Gospel of Luke. Acts is my favorite book of the Bible as it is JAM PACKED with action from beginning to end.
In Acts 1:3….Dr. Luke speaks a truth that the entire Gospel of Jesus hinges on….the INFALLIBLE proof of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The definition of infallible is incapable of being wrong. In other words….in the eyes of medical doctor Luke….there was absolutely no doubt that Jesus died and was resurrected back to life…..thus conquering death, hell, and the grave and thereby making the only way for us to do the same.
In Acts 1:4….Jesus told the disciples to………..WAIT.
What? I thought in Matthew 28 Jesus said to Go….
He did….but before they can go….they had to WAIT for the power they would need when they went.
Can I be honest….I struggle bad with waiting. I’m a horrible, pathetic waiter…..I’m terribly impatient.
I’m the type that goes….and then tries to figure things out on the way.
But Jesus said to wait till He sent the power of the Holy Ghost….and then it will be time to go.
Now skipping just a little bit ahead….there’s a very valuable point we need to make sure we understand.
Jesus told the Disciples to wait in Jerusalem for The Holy Ghost to come….so what did The Disciples do while they waited? If we figure out the answer to this….it can help show us what to do when we are waiting…..
Well…just look at Acts 1:14….while waiting, the disciples…..PRAYED.
I can’t think of a better use of my time while waiting than to pray. Unfortunately, I spend a lot of my time waiting pontificating and planning instead of praying. It only makes sense to follow the example of the Disciples here. Pray, pray, pray while we wait.
We then get to Acts 1:8…another record of the last words of Jesus. He reminds them about the power of The Holy Ghost that’s coming…then He tells them to be witnesses for Him…what does a witness do? They simply testify to what they have seen, heard, and experienced. This is where so many people get hung up today….They think that in order to be a witness, they have to teach a Bible class or something such as that. That is 100% incorrect. All we have to do to be a witness for Jesus is to simply tell what Jesus has done in our lives.
Therein lies the problem…..my friend, I’m going to get really blunt here….if you are not able to tell anything that Jesus has done for you….are you really even saved? You see there are plenty of people in this world that just automatically think they are saved….but they’ve not ever trusted in Jesus for salvation.
Let me put it this way….I can think I’m a professional football player all I want….but I’ve never been in a locker room, never put on pads, never put on a helmet, never practiced, never been in a players meeting with the coaches, never analyzed game film, never played in a game. Oh I can think I’m a professional football player all I want…..I can probably even fool a lot of people into thinking I am one because of my size….6’3”, 325 lbs….I’m the size of an NFL offensive lineman.
But could I be a witness about what it means to be a professional football player? Nope….why? Because I’ve never experienced anything.
In the exact same way friend….if you are having trouble being a witness for Jesus…..seriously…examine your life right now to see if you have ever really been saved….cause here’s the deal….If you ever had get a hold of you what got a hold of me when Jesus got a hold of me…you definitely will have something to witness about.
Jesus is not calling all of us to be bible study teachers, preachers, and the like.
But He is calling 100% all of us to be WITNESSES for Him.
Now…lets unpack the last part of Acts 1:8….where are we to be witnesses for Jesus? The Bible says in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the Earth.
Uh oh….does this mean we all gotta move to Jerusalem and start witnessing there?
No friend….here’s what that means.
I want you to imagine that we are in the field over here behind Mom and Dad’s house…over in the field where we feed our cows hay. There’s a pond over there in that field….you and I are standing together on the bank of that pond. I grab a rock and throw it into the pond….it makes a splash….then the ripples start to flow away from the splash…First the ripples are a few inches from the splash…then they keep going out a few feet from the splash…finally they are a few yards from the splash….eventually running all the way to the edge of the pond.
That is the perfect description of how we are to be witnesses for Jesus….we start right where we are….then we keep on moving farther and farther out until we reach the whole world.
In other words friend….we don’t have to be a foreign missionary to witness for Jesus. It all starts at home….everything begins at home….so get started witnessing for Jesus at home today.
I want to tell you a true story that I hope inspires you as much as it inspired me. One of my dearest friends and mentors in the entire world is Brother William Gray in Dover. It was a few years back…and it was Brother Gray’s birthday. I called to wish him a happy birthday and Brother Gray said something I’ll never forget. “Phillip….I’ve been thinking about something. I’ve probably got 20 years or so left in my life unless something happens. In those 20 years, I think I can witness for Jesus to everybody in Stewart County and about half of Houston County. Would you handle the other half of Houston County?”
Brother Gray wasn’t making a joke….He was dead serious.
That’s the kind of determination I want to have in my life to be a witness for Jesus.
In Acts 1:24….the early church is making a decision on who to select to replace Judas as one of Jesus’ 12 Apostles. What did they do to make the selection? Acts 1:24 says they prayed. Why did the early church pray? Because they were following the example Jesus had set for them…..do you remember what we learned a few days ago? The night before Jesus selected His 12 disciples….what did He do? He spent the whole night in prayer. We will do well friends if we bathe all our decisions in prayer and not on popular opinion or conventional wisdom.
Acts 2 opens with the miracle of the disciples speaking in tongues. Many people get confused and even scared of the word tongues in the church. But I’m not…I believe the Bible is crystal clear on it….look at Acts 2:6 for a clear description for speaking in tongues….specifically look at the last part of the verse….speak in his own language.
There were people from all over the world in Jerusalem at this time….The miracle of tongues is the disciples speaking in other languages where these people from other parts of the world could hear about Jesus.
Let me give you a modern day example….let’s say I go see my cousin Robert and I run into some of the Hispanic workers He employs on His farm. I know very little Spanish….but I want to tell these guys about Jesus….all of a sudden…miraculously….The Holy Spirit empowers me to fluently speak Spanish where these men can clearly understand about the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
That’s the way I understand the miracle of speaking in tongues here in Acts Chapter 2.
The miracle of the disciples speaking in all these different languages gathers a crowd….and Peter…not wanting to miss an opportunity…starts sharing with the crowd about Jesus.
But Peter didn’t stop with just sharing about Jesus…..He took things a step further….HE GAVE AN INVITATION FOR THE PEOPLE TO BE SAVED.
Its Acts 2:38…repent and be baptized.
Friends….I’m about to share something with you that breaks my heart.
Our churches are full of Acts 2:36 preachers today.
Many seminaries are turning out Acts 2:36 preachers today.
Many witnesses are acts 2:36 witnesses today.
Phillip….what’s an Acts 2:36 preacher/witness?
Somebody that will tell about Jesus….but stops short of giving an invitation for the people to make a decision about Jesus.
They will take them all the way to Acts 2:36….but not the rest of the way to Acts 2:38 for them to know how to be saved. They will preach a message about Jesus….but never explain what to do in order to respond. When we do this….all we are creating is smarter sinners.
Friend….please don’t stop short….please don’t quit at Acts 2:36….when you are witnessing….and preachers when you are preaching….take folks all the way….all the way to Acts 2:38….give them an invitation and opportunity to repent and be saved from their sins. Invite them to be baptized as a testimony to the salvation they have received in Jesus.
What happened when Peter gave the invitation at Pentecost? What happened when he took them all the way and didn’t stop short? Verse 41….3000 people were saved and baptized that day. That’s not a coincidence.
I’ll never forget a meeting I was in one time….The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board called me and some other preachers in to ask us what we were doing in our churches to see people saved and baptized.
You know me….I’m not bashful….I jumped in right out of the gate and said….well first of all, after I preach, I always give an invitation for people to respond to Jesus.
And you know what happened? This other preacher sitting at the same table with me spoke up and said…now wait a minute….not every message I preach is conducive to an invitation. I don’t give an invitation at each of my services. Sometimes we just need to go for coffee and talk.
Buddy….that royally hacked me off….I thought for just a second or two….felt like an hour or two….deciding if I really wanted to speak what was going through my mind at that moment or keep it to myself.
My tongue won out…..
I spoke back up and said….listen here fella….you ought to try giving an invitation every time you preach…you might be surprised what The Lord will do.
Want to know one of the reasons Jesus said the fields are white unto harvest? It’s because we have all kinds of people that have sat in church and heard the teachings of Jesus for YEARS…but never been taken all the way to Acts 2:38.
When you preach….when you witness….take them all the way….Don’t stop at Acts 2:36….Go all the way to Acts 2:38 and give an invitation.
I love Acts 2:42…it gives us the 4 functions of the early church.
Bible Study(Apostle’s Doctrine)
Fellowship
Breaking of Bread(The Lord’s Supper)
Prayer
Does your church do all 4 of these?
Let me bring it a little closer home….Do you participate in all 4 of these?
It breaks my heart to see people come to church for worship and not stay for Sunday School. That’s the first thing the Lord says to do here in Acts 2:42.
One of the best preachers on the planet….Dr. Johnny Hunt….I heard him say with my own ears….if you can only give me 1 hour a week….come to Sunday School instead of worship.
Acts 2:47 says that people were saved DAILY….not just on Sundays….not just at church services….but each and every day as the church fanned out into the world and were witnesses for Jesus.
Oh Oh Oh that this would happen today and people get saved daily as we go about our lives witnessing for Jesus.
In Acts 3, Peter and John are going to temple to pray…they meet a crippled man begging for money….Peter gives the man something better than money…through the power of The Holy Ghost and the Name of Jesus Christ….Peter gives this man a healing. This crippled beggar begins to leap for joy, shouting praises to God. Of course it draws a crowd of people coming to see what’s happening.
What did Peter do when the crowd came up? He told them about Jesus.
Friends….may we NEVER miss another opportunity to be a witness for Jesus.
And when we witness…don’t stop at Acts 2:36….take them all the way to Acts 2:38 and give an invitation to be saved and baptized.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 30 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE FUTURE: Over the last 7 days, I’ve prayed and prayed about what my future was going to look like. I’ve also consulted with close friends that know everything about my situation. This is something the Bible says to do in Proverbs….In the multitude of counselors, there is safety….Proverbs 11:14 & Proverbs 24:6.
Many of you have given feedback….mostly positive and encouraging….but also some negative. And I’m actually thankful for both. Why? Because it was through processing the negative feedback that my close friends helped me realize I’m not emotionally healthy enough right now to be Pastoring. I’ve had several of you literally beg me to start another church…and I’m certainly not emotionally healthy enough for that either. Besides….let me make myself 100% clear….I would NEVER want to do anything to intentionally harm or take away from Yellow Creek Baptist Church…the church I helped to start, build, and Pastored.
The last few years and especially the last few months have taken a huge toil on me emotionally. I’m still hurt in ways that will only be healed by the touch of the Master. I’ve very openly and transparently shared with you that I’m still dealing with bitterness and anger in my heart.
But through this process of dealing with negative emotions over the last week….a dear, dear, dear friend….a man that has given me much wise counsel over the years….Allen Guyer….said something that has really stuck with me.
“Phillip….you may not be emotionally healthy enough right now to Pastor or lead a church…but you are still able to minister….you are ministering to me each day through your devos and music…and I know you want to keep ministering for Jesus. You are talented enough to fake it….but I know you don’t want to….you only want to do it if the Spirit is with you….so minister where and how you can right now with The Holy Spirit.”
Allen was 100% right. I love Jesus Christ more than anything or anybody in this world. More than my children. More than my parents. More than my farm. Jesus is my #1. I want to keep ministering for Him. Have I “faked it”(not on purpose) in the past? Unfortunately yes…..do I ever want to “fake it” again? ABSOLUTELY NEVER.
I only want to minister in conjunction with the work of The Holy Spirit.
So here’s what that future ministry looks like to me right now.
First…I plan to keep these daily devos and worship songs going. The Lord has given me a platform here to share about Him….and I would be foolish not to use it for His glory. It’s not the biggest platform in the world….There’s around 100 of you that read the devo completely every day…and there’s several hundred that listen to the worship song. But Little is Much when God is in it. I also remember Jesus saying He that is faithful in a few things, Jesus will make ruler over many things. So I’m planning to be faithful with this aspect of ministry and wait on Jesus to open more doors.
Speaking of opening doors….My attorney and CPA are helping me to legally open…..
Chambers Family Ministries—“Taking the Life-Changing Gospel of Jesus Christ to Families Everywhere by Whatever Means Necessary.” The Lord has given me a vision of preaching(not pastoring) where The Lord opens doors…Leading Bible Studies where The Lord opens doors…Holding Prayer Gatherings where The Lord opens doors(Got 1 already scheduled with Hawkins Homes on the National Day of Prayer May 8th)….Leading Worship or doing a concert where The Lord opens doors….Hospital/Nursing Home/Assisted Living Visits, Food Baskets, Blessing Bags, Funerals, Weddings, Mission Trips, and Christian Radio. Just like always….I want to tell everybody I can about Jesus…using whatever means necessary to accomplish the task.
How can we partner together on this mission?
First….I need your prayers….more than anything I need your prayers. Prayers for The Lord to open doors. Prayers for me to stay as close to The Lord as possible to deliver the message He wants me to deliver….by whatever means necessary.
Second…if you would like me to come to your church, hospital, nursing home, or assisted living….please message me or call me and we will work something out. I never have and never will put a charge or fee on what The Lord has blessed me with….I will strictly come for what The Lord lays on your heart to give.
Lastly…speaking of giving….if The Lord is leading you to invest financially into Chambers Family Ministries, it would be a tremendous blessing. I’m actively working on a website where you will be able to give online among other things…..but for now, you can simply send your investment to:
Chambers Family Ministries
c/o Phillip Chambers
5288 Chambers Road
Cumberland Furnace, TN 37051
I appreciate your prayers and support so very much. I’m finally starting to get excited again about the next chapter of my life and I look forward to the doors The Lord opens for me to minister in His name.
Now for today’s devo…..
Read John 19-21
Over the last 30 days, I believe we’ve seen clearly how praying, reading, fasting, and worship changes things. It’s changed the trajectory of the Corona-virus in this area….other prayers have been answered….and The Lord has blessed.
So why stop now??? Let’s keep going!!!
In John 19, Jesus is standing trial before Pilate….He’s holding His peace….Pilate is getting frustrated….and in Verse 10, Pilate asks Jesus why He is staying quiet….and doesn’t He realize that Pilate has the power to release Jesus?
Then Jesus says something very powerful in John 19:11…You would have no power at all unless it was given to thee from above. In other words friends….everyone that has some sort of authority or power over us….that authority or power has been given by God Himself.
From the President all the way down to the school board….all have received their power and authority from God which is why we should be praying for and respecting them as Jesus instructed us to.
I’ve often wondered why The Lord would allow certain people to have power or authority….especially those who do not share The Lord’s morality…..but it shouldn’t surprise me….because The Lord did the same thing in the Bible with Israel having both good and evil kings….and if you study the Old Testament…many of those evil kings that didn’t follow The Lord….they were exactly what the people wanted….so The Lord in His love allowed them to get what they wanted.
That’s exactly what has happened to us today my friends….Want to know why we have such a mess in Government these days? Its cause it’s exactly what we thought we wanted.
In John 19:26-27, Jesus is hanging on the cross…writhing in pain and agony…yet He still is taking care of His mother, Mary. Evidently Joseph has died….so Jesus appoints John the Apostle to look after Mary for Him. This is yet another example of how we are to take care of the parents The Lord gave us.
Can our parents frustrate and aggravate us? Yes….even me….with parents as awesome and sweet and great as mine….I get frustrated and aggravated at them sometimes. But….but….but….hear me well….I love my parents to death….I would do just about anything for them……and you talk to anybody whose parents have passed on….and to the man…they would LOVE to be frustrated or aggravated by their parents just one more time. I’m so thankful that I still have my Mom and Dad. I love them so much.
So what’s the point….even in death, Jesus gave us a clear example to care for the needs of our parents. So if your parents are still alive….please make sure all their needs are taken care of….not just financially or physically…but also spiritually and emotionally….you know what our parents want from us more than anything? A little time out of our day to visit and catch up with them.
If you haven’t talked to your parents today….stop reading this devo right now and either call, text, or message them to check in.
In John 19:28, Jesus said I thirst. Most of you have probably heard of the Christian Comedian, Mark Lowry. His mother, Bev, wrote a song for The Cathedral Quartet entitled I Thirst that captured my attention….
He said “I Thirst”…yet He made the rivers.
He said “I Thirst”…yet He made the sea.
“I Thirst”….said the King of the Ages.
In His great thirst…He brought water to me.
Powerful, thought-provoking lyrics right there.
In John 19:30, Jesus said “It is Finished”…..Why is this important? Because Jesus did EVERYTHING that needs to be done for us to go to Heaven. No amount of good works by us can add to our salvation. Jesus did it all…He finished the job for us on Calvary.
Verses 32-33 are critically important theological verses for us….you’re probably wondering how that is because these two verses are simply about the thieves on the cross having their legs broken because they hadn’t died yet…but Jesus not having His legs broken because He was already dead.
Make sure you follow me….
Jesus died first
The thieves died second
Why is this important?
At the death of Jesus, we went from operating under the Old Testament Sacrificial system to the New Covenant where Jesus blood atoned for the sins of the world once for all. How do we know this occurred at the death of Jesus and not later on at Pentecost? Because it was at the death of Jesus that the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Jesus had earlier told the thief on the cross that Today he would be with Him in Paradise.
So the thief was one of the first people to ever die in the New Covenant….what we operate under now.
Was the thief baptized after His salvation experience on the cross and before He died? No
Was He able to give a big donation to the church? No
Had He memorized the 10 Commandments? Probably not
So what does this tell us? We can only be saved by GRACE ALONE, THROUGH FAITH ALONE, IN CHRIST ALONE. I like how it’s written in Ephesians 2.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
There’s nothing we can do to earn or add to our salvation….and Praise The Lord…because there is nothing we can do to earn it…that means there’s also nothing we can do to lose it.
In John 20, we have the account of Doubting Thomas….I believe Thomas gets a bad rap. Did he doubt that Jesus was risen? Yes….but the account of doubting Thomas shows us that Jesus is not scared of our doubts and is willing to challenge them head on….In John 20:26-27…Jesus tells Thomas straight up…see for yourself….touch my hands and my side for yourself….see for yourself that it’s me and I’m real.
He will do the same thing for us if we will bring Him our doubts. Don’t try to hide your doubts from Jesus. Take them to Him….He can handle them.
So what did Thomas do once He was able to see things for himself? Did he continue to doubt? NOPE….Thomas made a clear Profession of Faith in John 20:28..”My Lord and My God.” Doubting Thomas isn’t doubting anymore….He believed…and He went on to die for His faith in Christ. That’s why I think Doubting Thomas gets a bad rap.
John 21 is almost like an appendix to the Gospel of John….It’s the account of Jesus restoring Peter after his denials on the night Jesus was arrested.
First in John 21:3… we see the power of our influence. Jesus has already risen….Peter has already seen this risen Christ….but instead of going out and telling the world….Peter decides to run away from His troubles and go fishing….and what happens? 6 other of the disciples go with Him…..1 person….Peter…influenced 6 others not to be in ministry that day. Please make sure we use our influence to bring people closer to Christ instead of farther away.
The disciples don’t catch anything…..Jesus sees them from the seashore….and He tells them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. Sound familiar? Yep….Jesus has done this before. The disciples do as He says….and again…they haul in another massive load of fish. Peter realizes its Jesus….and in his impatience, jumps into the water and swims the 100 yards to shore to be with Jesus.
And what does Jesus have waiting on Peter and the rest of the disciples….look at Verse 9….a fire of COALS. Remember me telling you yesterday to underline the word coals in John 18? Here’s why it’s important. If you’ve ever cooked with charcoal, you know that it has a distinct smell and aroma. Different than wood or anything else you burn.
Jesus was setting the stage for Peter’s restoration….and He wanted to re-create aspects of the scene from John 18….Peter warming himself….by a fire of coals.
Now having the scene set….in John 21:15, Jesus asks Peter if he loves them more than these? What’s these?
Some Bible Scholars says it’s the fish….Peter do you love me more than you love fishing?
Some Bible Scholars say it’s the disciples…Peter do you love me more than you love these disciples?
Some say Jesus was referring to the amount of love Peter had for Jesus….Peter do you love me more than these disciples do?
We don’t know specifically what Jesus was referring to….and I believe that’s on purpose….why? So we can ask ourselves the question…..Phillip, do you love Jesus more than these(fill in the blank with whatever is important to you)….more than your children? Your parents? Your farm?
Friend….do you love Jesus more than your these?
Because Peter denied Jesus 3 times, Jesus asks Him 3 times if He loves Him….Peter answered all three YES….and Jesus replied to all three….then feed my lambs or feed my sheep….He was commissioning Peter to be the leader of the early church…to be the one in charge of feeding the Lord’s sheep(His followers) their spiritual milk and meat. And did Peter ever do a great job.
The Gospel of John concludes with one of the coolest verses about the life of Jesus….
John 21:25
25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
John would know….He had a front row seat to the 3.5 years of Jesus earthly ministry.
All the books in the world wouldn’t contain what Jesus has done for little old me either.
The same can be said for you……all the books in the world wouldn’t contain what Jesus has done for you.
And you know what’s awesome….we’re just at the beginning of all Jesus will do for us.
When we’ve been there 10,000 years
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days, to sing God’s praise
Than when we’ve first begun.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanks for going with me on this month long journey…..let’s keep going and see what The Lord does.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE FUTURE: Over the last 7 days, I’ve prayed and prayed about what my future was going to look like. I’ve also consulted with close friends that know everything about my situation. This is something the Bible says to do in Proverbs….In the multitude of counselors, there is safety….Proverbs 11:14 & Proverbs 24:6.
Many of you have given feedback….mostly positive and encouraging….but also some negative. And I’m actually thankful for both. Why? Because it was through processing the negative feedback that my close friends helped me realize I’m not emotionally healthy enough right now to be Pastoring. I’ve had several of you literally beg me to start another church…and I’m certainly not emotionally healthy enough for that either. Besides….let me make myself 100% clear….I would NEVER want to do anything to intentionally harm or take away from Yellow Creek Baptist Church…the church I helped to start, build, and Pastored.
The last few years and especially the last few months have taken a huge toil on me emotionally. I’m still hurt in ways that will only be healed by the touch of the Master. I’ve very openly and transparently shared with you that I’m still dealing with bitterness and anger in my heart.
But through this process of dealing with negative emotions over the last week….a dear, dear, dear friend….a man that has given me much wise counsel over the years….Allen Guyer….said something that has really stuck with me.
“Phillip….you may not be emotionally healthy enough right now to Pastor or lead a church…but you are still able to minister….you are ministering to me each day through your devos and music…and I know you want to keep ministering for Jesus. You are talented enough to fake it….but I know you don’t want to….you only want to do it if the Spirit is with you….so minister where and how you can right now with The Holy Spirit.”
Allen was 100% right. I love Jesus Christ more than anything or anybody in this world. More than my children. More than my parents. More than my farm. Jesus is my #1. I want to keep ministering for Him. Have I “faked it”(not on purpose) in the past? Unfortunately yes…..do I ever want to “fake it” again? ABSOLUTELY NEVER.
I only want to minister in conjunction with the work of The Holy Spirit.
So here’s what that future ministry looks like to me right now.
First…I plan to keep these daily devos and worship songs going. The Lord has given me a platform here to share about Him….and I would be foolish not to use it for His glory. It’s not the biggest platform in the world….There’s around 100 of you that read the devo completely every day…and there’s several hundred that listen to the worship song. But Little is Much when God is in it. I also remember Jesus saying He that is faithful in a few things, Jesus will make ruler over many things. So I’m planning to be faithful with this aspect of ministry and wait on Jesus to open more doors.
Speaking of opening doors….My attorney and CPA are helping me to legally open…..
Chambers Family Ministries—“Taking the Life-Changing Gospel of Jesus Christ to Families Everywhere by Whatever Means Necessary.” The Lord has given me a vision of preaching(not pastoring) where The Lord opens doors…Leading Bible Studies where The Lord opens doors…Holding Prayer Gatherings where The Lord opens doors(Got 1 already scheduled with Hawkins Homes on the National Day of Prayer May 8th)….Leading Worship or doing a concert where The Lord opens doors….Hospital/Nursing Home/Assisted Living Visits, Food Baskets, Blessing Bags, Funerals, Weddings, Mission Trips, and Christian Radio. Just like always….I want to tell everybody I can about Jesus…using whatever means necessary to accomplish the task.
How can we partner together on this mission?
First….I need your prayers….more than anything I need your prayers. Prayers for The Lord to open doors. Prayers for me to stay as close to The Lord as possible to deliver the message He wants me to deliver….by whatever means necessary.
Second…if you would like me to come to your church, hospital, nursing home, or assisted living….please message me or call me and we will work something out. I never have and never will put a charge or fee on what The Lord has blessed me with….I will strictly come for what The Lord lays on your heart to give.
Lastly…speaking of giving….if The Lord is leading you to invest financially into Chambers Family Ministries, it would be a tremendous blessing. I’m actively working on a website where you will be able to give online among other things…..but for now, you can simply send your investment to:
Chambers Family Ministries
c/o Phillip Chambers
5288 Chambers Road
Cumberland Furnace, TN 37051
I appreciate your prayers and support so very much. I’m finally starting to get excited again about the next chapter of my life and I look forward to the doors The Lord opens for me to minister in His name.
Now for today’s devo…..
Read John 19-21
Over the last 30 days, I believe we’ve seen clearly how praying, reading, fasting, and worship changes things. It’s changed the trajectory of the Corona-virus in this area….other prayers have been answered….and The Lord has blessed.
So why stop now??? Let’s keep going!!!
In John 19, Jesus is standing trial before Pilate….He’s holding His peace….Pilate is getting frustrated….and in Verse 10, Pilate asks Jesus why He is staying quiet….and doesn’t He realize that Pilate has the power to release Jesus?
Then Jesus says something very powerful in John 19:11…You would have no power at all unless it was given to thee from above. In other words friends….everyone that has some sort of authority or power over us….that authority or power has been given by God Himself.
From the President all the way down to the school board….all have received their power and authority from God which is why we should be praying for and respecting them as Jesus instructed us to.
I’ve often wondered why The Lord would allow certain people to have power or authority….especially those who do not share The Lord’s morality…..but it shouldn’t surprise me….because The Lord did the same thing in the Bible with Israel having both good and evil kings….and if you study the Old Testament…many of those evil kings that didn’t follow The Lord….they were exactly what the people wanted….so The Lord in His love allowed them to get what they wanted.
That’s exactly what has happened to us today my friends….Want to know why we have such a mess in Government these days? Its cause it’s exactly what we thought we wanted.
In John 19:26-27, Jesus is hanging on the cross…writhing in pain and agony…yet He still is taking care of His mother, Mary. Evidently Joseph has died….so Jesus appoints John the Apostle to look after Mary for Him. This is yet another example of how we are to take care of the parents The Lord gave us.
Can our parents frustrate and aggravate us? Yes….even me….with parents as awesome and sweet and great as mine….I get frustrated and aggravated at them sometimes. But….but….but….hear me well….I love my parents to death….I would do just about anything for them……and you talk to anybody whose parents have passed on….and to the man…they would LOVE to be frustrated or aggravated by their parents just one more time. I’m so thankful that I still have my Mom and Dad. I love them so much.
So what’s the point….even in death, Jesus gave us a clear example to care for the needs of our parents. So if your parents are still alive….please make sure all their needs are taken care of….not just financially or physically…but also spiritually and emotionally….you know what our parents want from us more than anything? A little time out of our day to visit and catch up with them.
If you haven’t talked to your parents today….stop reading this devo right now and either call, text, or message them to check in.
In John 19:28, Jesus said I thirst. Most of you have probably heard of the Christian Comedian, Mark Lowry. His mother, Bev, wrote a song for The Cathedral Quartet entitled I Thirst that captured my attention….
He said “I Thirst”…yet He made the rivers.
He said “I Thirst”…yet He made the sea.
“I Thirst”….said the King of the Ages.
In His great thirst…He brought water to me.
Powerful, thought-provoking lyrics right there.
In John 19:30, Jesus said “It is Finished”…..Why is this important? Because Jesus did EVERYTHING that needs to be done for us to go to Heaven. No amount of good works by us can add to our salvation. Jesus did it all…He finished the job for us on Calvary.
Verses 32-33 are critically important theological verses for us….you’re probably wondering how that is because these two verses are simply about the thieves on the cross having their legs broken because they hadn’t died yet…but Jesus not having His legs broken because He was already dead.
Make sure you follow me….
Jesus died first
The thieves died second
Why is this important?
At the death of Jesus, we went from operating under the Old Testament Sacrificial system to the New Covenant where Jesus blood atoned for the sins of the world once for all. How do we know this occurred at the death of Jesus and not later on at Pentecost? Because it was at the death of Jesus that the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Jesus had earlier told the thief on the cross that Today he would be with Him in Paradise.
So the thief was one of the first people to ever die in the New Covenant….what we operate under now.
Was the thief baptized after His salvation experience on the cross and before He died? No
Was He able to give a big donation to the church? No
Had He memorized the 10 Commandments? Probably not
So what does this tell us? We can only be saved by GRACE ALONE, THROUGH FAITH ALONE, IN CHRIST ALONE. I like how it’s written in Ephesians 2.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
There’s nothing we can do to earn or add to our salvation….and Praise The Lord…because there is nothing we can do to earn it…that means there’s also nothing we can do to lose it.
In John 20, we have the account of Doubting Thomas….I believe Thomas gets a bad rap. Did he doubt that Jesus was risen? Yes….but the account of doubting Thomas shows us that Jesus is not scared of our doubts and is willing to challenge them head on….In John 20:26-27…Jesus tells Thomas straight up…see for yourself….touch my hands and my side for yourself….see for yourself that it’s me and I’m real.
He will do the same thing for us if we will bring Him our doubts. Don’t try to hide your doubts from Jesus. Take them to Him….He can handle them.
So what did Thomas do once He was able to see things for himself? Did he continue to doubt? NOPE….Thomas made a clear Profession of Faith in John 20:28..”My Lord and My God.” Doubting Thomas isn’t doubting anymore….He believed…and He went on to die for His faith in Christ. That’s why I think Doubting Thomas gets a bad rap.
John 21 is almost like an appendix to the Gospel of John….It’s the account of Jesus restoring Peter after his denials on the night Jesus was arrested.
First in John 21:3… we see the power of our influence. Jesus has already risen….Peter has already seen this risen Christ….but instead of going out and telling the world….Peter decides to run away from His troubles and go fishing….and what happens? 6 other of the disciples go with Him…..1 person….Peter…influenced 6 others not to be in ministry that day. Please make sure we use our influence to bring people closer to Christ instead of farther away.
The disciples don’t catch anything…..Jesus sees them from the seashore….and He tells them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. Sound familiar? Yep….Jesus has done this before. The disciples do as He says….and again…they haul in another massive load of fish. Peter realizes its Jesus….and in his impatience, jumps into the water and swims the 100 yards to shore to be with Jesus.
And what does Jesus have waiting on Peter and the rest of the disciples….look at Verse 9….a fire of COALS. Remember me telling you yesterday to underline the word coals in John 18? Here’s why it’s important. If you’ve ever cooked with charcoal, you know that it has a distinct smell and aroma. Different than wood or anything else you burn.
Jesus was setting the stage for Peter’s restoration….and He wanted to re-create aspects of the scene from John 18….Peter warming himself….by a fire of coals.
Now having the scene set….in John 21:15, Jesus asks Peter if he loves them more than these? What’s these?
Some Bible Scholars says it’s the fish….Peter do you love me more than you love fishing?
Some Bible Scholars say it’s the disciples…Peter do you love me more than you love these disciples?
Some say Jesus was referring to the amount of love Peter had for Jesus….Peter do you love me more than these disciples do?
We don’t know specifically what Jesus was referring to….and I believe that’s on purpose….why? So we can ask ourselves the question…..Phillip, do you love Jesus more than these(fill in the blank with whatever is important to you)….more than your children? Your parents? Your farm?
Friend….do you love Jesus more than your these?
Because Peter denied Jesus 3 times, Jesus asks Him 3 times if He loves Him….Peter answered all three YES….and Jesus replied to all three….then feed my lambs or feed my sheep….He was commissioning Peter to be the leader of the early church…to be the one in charge of feeding the Lord’s sheep(His followers) their spiritual milk and meat. And did Peter ever do a great job.
The Gospel of John concludes with one of the coolest verses about the life of Jesus….
John 21:25
25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
John would know….He had a front row seat to the 3.5 years of Jesus earthly ministry.
All the books in the world wouldn’t contain what Jesus has done for little old me either.
The same can be said for you……all the books in the world wouldn’t contain what Jesus has done for you.
And you know what’s awesome….we’re just at the beginning of all Jesus will do for us.
When we’ve been there 10,000 years
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days, to sing God’s praise
Than when we’ve first begun.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanks for going with me on this month long journey…..let’s keep going and see what The Lord does.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 29 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read John 16-18
In John 16:7-8, Jesus is telling the disciples about the soon coming of The Holy Spirit and some of what The Holy Spirit will do when He comes. I’d like to focus on two vitally important roles of The Holy Spirit:
1. Comfort….Jesus knows firsthand how hard it is to live in this world….and He didn’t want us to face it alone. So once we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives, He makes His abode inside of us….literally He comes to live inside of us(John 14:23, Revelation 3:20). This way He is immediately available to bring comfort to us the exact moment we need it. I am so thankful for The Lord’s comfort. I do not know how in the world people live life without it.
2. Conviction…Yesterday when I went to check cows, I couldn’t find our two bulls. Looked all over in my pasture…twice….couldn’t find them. Finally, yesterday afternoon, I went and looked even more thoroughly….and there they were….across the fence on the neighbors place. Laying down…content as all get out….but out of bounds. So what did I do? Did I just leave them there? Nope…I got them up from laying down….and I made them walk to get back in…..did they go in easily? No….in fact they went right by the opening the first time. Were they nervous? Yes…and if I have to explain what cows do when they are nervous, you’ll just have to message me privately. But eventually they went back in. I thought then….that’s what The Holy Spirit does to us when He brings conviction. The whole purpose is to get us back in bounds….on the right track.
In John 16:12….Jesus says to the disciples….I have a lot to tell you but you cannot bear them now. So many of us would like to know our future…..especially those of us like myself who have uncertain futures right now….but truthfully….are any of our futures certain?
For example….4 months ago…if The Lord would have told me….Phillip, in 4 months, you will be divorced, you will only see your children 50% of the time, you won’t be preaching, you won’t have a church or a job, there will be dozens of completely untrue rumors told about you, and the vast majority of people you think are your friends, aren’t…..if The Lord would have told me that on December 29th, no joke…I probably would’ve jumped off the Cumberland River bridge cause I wouldn’t have been able to handle it. I’m dead serious.
Jesus knows we can’t handle it…so He doesn’t give it all to us at once.
This is why one of my favorite verses of scripture is Psalm 119:105….Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
Every night, after dark, I grab a flashlight and go shut up our chickens. Its 100 ft or so to my chicken houses. Does the flashlight light up the entire path at once? No….it shines about 8-10 feet in front of me….I take a few steps…then there’s another 8-10 feet….I keep taking steps…till I finally get to the chicken houses.
That’s how God does us….He reveals a little bit….we step forward in faith…He reveals a little bit more….we step forward a little more in faith. As much as we want to know our entire future at once…WE CAN’T HANDLE IT!!!
So quit trying to figure it all out at once(I’m preaching to myself here)….just take the next right step on the path that Jesus is lighting for you.
In John 16:32, Jesus talks of how it feels to be alone…..what I said a little bit earlier about the folks you thought were your friends not really being your friends….Jesus totally understands how I feel….He experienced the very same thing when He was arrested and crucified.
But what does the last half of John 16:32 say….”YET I AM NOT ALONE BECAUSE THE FATHER IS WITH ME.” Can somebody say Amen?!?!?! Praise The Lord….Hallelujah!!! Even when all our “friends” desert us…when they leave us….when they talk about us….when they spread rumors they believe to be true but are false…even then when we are so lonely….we are not alone….we are not alone….Glory to God we are not alone….The Father is there with us!!! Amen.
John 16:33, Jesus tells us that He wants us to have peace in our lives……oh what some of us would give for a little bit of peace. If we try to find peace in the things of the world….it simply won’t work….not only will we not find peace….we will actually get tribulation…trials….more problems and headaches. But hallelujah, Jesus has overcome the world…so that we may have peace in Him.
This is what I was saying a few devos back my friends….at age 10 when I got saved…I thought Jesus was just my ticket to Heaven when I died….but friend Jesus is so much more than that!!! He will give you peace in the midst of tribulation. I need some of that….how about you?
John 17 is often referred to as the High Priestly Prayer. First Jesus prays for Himself and what He’s about to endure on the cross. There’s nothing in the world wrong with praying for yourself. Jesus did. If He can, we can. Period.
The problem comes when we ONLY pray for ourselves….Jesus prayed for a lot more people….we should too.
Next He prayed for His disciples….The disciples were those closest to Him…..this would be the equivalent of us praying for our family and closest friends. Do we? I do every single day. I call them by name to The Lord and ask Him to bless specific things in their lives.
But then…..something amazing happens in John 17…at the end….I hope you are sitting down….after Jesus prays for Himself and after He prays for His closest friends, HE PRAYS FOR ME AND YOU!!! Yes you are reading this right….Jesus prays for me and you and John 17:20-26. WOW!!! Jesus Christ, The Son of God, The Creator of The Universe, The Almighty….He prays for me and you.
You need to read it close and see what He specifically prays for us…..it will honestly break your heart because we are anything but what He prayed for us…Jesus prayed for us to be one….in unity.
Heartbreaking isn’t it….
Can I tell you what I tried to do about this? When I was Pastoring, I would often be asked….Brother Phillip, what’s the difference between Baptists and ___(FILL IN THE BLANK WITH ANOTHER DENOMINATION)_____. While it would be easy to start spouting off the 1-2 differences we have….I tried to steer the conversation this way…..Instead of focusing on the differences, I would show how 95%+ of what we believed was the exact same. I tried to show how close we were to each other rather than how far apart.
Why did I do that? John 17….its Jesus’ will for us to be one, in unity, together.
Lost and unchurched people already see division in the USA…
Democrats vs. Republicans
North vs. South
Racial divisions
Why do they want to see more division in and among our churches? We are called to be different…we are called to be unifiers….and that’s what I want to try to be.
In John 18 Verse 1, we see that after The Last Supper with The Disciples, Jesus goes to a garden to pray. As I’ve said earlier….Jesus could have gone to the temple to pray….to the mountain to pray…by the seaside to pray…but no…He went to a garden. Gardens are important to Jesus….Earth began in a Garden….the Garden of Eden….Time ends in a garden…Revelation 22….and when Jesus needed to connect with His Father the most….He went to a garden.
In John 18:4….Jesus asked a question of the Roman Soldiers that He’s asking us today…”Whom seek ye?” In other words….who are you looking for.
He’s asking that same question to us….Who are you looking for?
Students….are you looking for your boyfriend/girlfriend/potential spouse?
Adults…are you looking for some new friends?
In either case….we should be seeking Jesus first and foremost….then He will provide what we need and who we are looking for at the right time.
In John 18:18….underline the word coals in your Bible….when Peter denied Jesus, He was standing around a fire of coals….I’m serious….underline the world coals….we are going to get back to this important word tomorrow when we finish John.
Also notice this….on the exact same night that Peter told Jesus he wouldn’t deny Him….Peter denied Jesus 3X. How many of us get in our quiet times with God….repent of some sin in our lives…tell The Lord we’ll never do it again….only to do it again before that very day is over.
Yes I see that hand….I see that hand….I see that hand.
I have BOTH hands in the air….I’m so guilty.
I’m so thankful that just like Jesus didn’t give up on Peter, He doesn’t give up on me when I fail Him….even though I had good intentions not to.
John 18 ends with Pilate asking a thought provoking question. Verse 38….What is truth?
What do you think truth is?
If you think everything you see on TV is true…. You have another thought coming.
If you think everything you read on the internet is true….You might need to see a doctor cause you’re crazy!
If you think the weather forecast is true….think again.
I’ve only found 1 truth in this world…His name is Jesus. Thank you Jesus for being our truth. We can rely on what He says 100% of the time.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 28 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read John 13-15
At the beginning of John 13, we have the record of Jesus washing the feet of the Disciples. If you have never had your feet washed by someone, it is an incredibly humbling experience. I want you to think about this….Jesus washed the feet of Peter….even though He knew Peter was going to deny Him….and He also washed the feet of Judas….even though He knew Judas was going to betray Him.
I don’t know that I could have done that….but Jesus did….what incredible love and unselfishness He shows to us here.
What’s the whole point of foot washing? Verse 16….humility….humbling ourselves.
Quick Question: How many commandments are there?
Most people will answer 10….and that’s correct….kinda.
Read John13:34-35 and tell me if you think there’s actually an 11th Commandment given here or not…..Jesus says “A new commandment I give you that you love one another.” Sure sounds like an 11th Commandment to me. Pay close attention to verse 35….by this shall men know you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.
Not if you pay your tithes
Not if you can talk a good game
Not if you are a member of a church
Not if you dress a certain way
Nope…..the way all men will know if we are truly disciples of Jesus or not is if we love one another the way Jesus loves us.
The first 6 verses of John 14 are some of the most familiar in the entire Bible. Notice in John 14:2 that Jesus says He’s gone to prepare a place for us…..I want you to think about this….how many days did it take Jesus to create the Earth, Sun, Moon, Stars, and Universe? According to the Bible….6 days.
Well if it only took The Lord 6 days to create this beautiful earth with the purple mountain majesty of the Rockies all the way to the sand swept beaches by the Ocean….if he created this beautiful place we live in only 6 days….just imagine how beautiful Heaven is going to be if He’s been working on it for almost 2000 years now. WOW!!!!
In John 14:6….we learn the only way to get to Heaven is through Jesus. It’s not by being a good person. It’s not by being baptized. It’s not by being a church member. It’s not by giving money to the poor. Nobody makes it to Heaven unless we go by Jesus Christ the Son.
John 14:15 says that if we love Jesus, we will keep his commandments. How good are we doing on that? Just FYI….keeping The Lord’s Commandments isn’t multiple choice….it’s not pick and choose….we are required and expected to keep all of them.
I have lived John 14:26 many many times…..it says that The Holy Spirit will bring things to your remembrance when you need them. I can’t tell you how many times someone has asked me a question and BOOM…the exact scripture I need pops in my head. How does that happen? The Holy Spirit.
I’m nobody special friend….if He will do it for me…He will do it for you also.
In John 15:2, we learn the difference between pruning and purging. Purging occurs when we don’t bear any fruit for the Lord…The Lord removes us and we are thrown into the fire. Pruning occurs when we are bearing fruit….why? So we will bear even more fruit.
If you’ve ever owned a fruit tree, you will understand this concept of pruning.
Pruning is no fun….it can be a painful process….it’s the removal of things we don’t need so we can be more productive for the Kingdom. It’s not fun but it’s necessary.
John 15:5 says that without Jesus we can do nothing. I hate it when I hear somebody say “So and So is a self-made man”….no he’s not. There’s no such thing as a self-made man because without Jesus, we are absolutely nothing. I love the old song that says, “I can’t even walk without you holding my hand.”
Finally, John 15:13 says that greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Now most of us believe this to mean death….and certainly that is included in this verse. But laying down your life is not necessarily death. It can also mean laying down something that you want to do simply for the benefit of your friends.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read John 13-15
At the beginning of John 13, we have the record of Jesus washing the feet of the Disciples. If you have never had your feet washed by someone, it is an incredibly humbling experience. I want you to think about this….Jesus washed the feet of Peter….even though He knew Peter was going to deny Him….and He also washed the feet of Judas….even though He knew Judas was going to betray Him.
I don’t know that I could have done that….but Jesus did….what incredible love and unselfishness He shows to us here.
What’s the whole point of foot washing? Verse 16….humility….humbling ourselves.
Quick Question: How many commandments are there?
Most people will answer 10….and that’s correct….kinda.
Read John13:34-35 and tell me if you think there’s actually an 11th Commandment given here or not…..Jesus says “A new commandment I give you that you love one another.” Sure sounds like an 11th Commandment to me. Pay close attention to verse 35….by this shall men know you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.
Not if you pay your tithes
Not if you can talk a good game
Not if you are a member of a church
Not if you dress a certain way
Nope…..the way all men will know if we are truly disciples of Jesus or not is if we love one another the way Jesus loves us.
The first 6 verses of John 14 are some of the most familiar in the entire Bible. Notice in John 14:2 that Jesus says He’s gone to prepare a place for us…..I want you to think about this….how many days did it take Jesus to create the Earth, Sun, Moon, Stars, and Universe? According to the Bible….6 days.
Well if it only took The Lord 6 days to create this beautiful earth with the purple mountain majesty of the Rockies all the way to the sand swept beaches by the Ocean….if he created this beautiful place we live in only 6 days….just imagine how beautiful Heaven is going to be if He’s been working on it for almost 2000 years now. WOW!!!!
In John 14:6….we learn the only way to get to Heaven is through Jesus. It’s not by being a good person. It’s not by being baptized. It’s not by being a church member. It’s not by giving money to the poor. Nobody makes it to Heaven unless we go by Jesus Christ the Son.
John 14:15 says that if we love Jesus, we will keep his commandments. How good are we doing on that? Just FYI….keeping The Lord’s Commandments isn’t multiple choice….it’s not pick and choose….we are required and expected to keep all of them.
I have lived John 14:26 many many times…..it says that The Holy Spirit will bring things to your remembrance when you need them. I can’t tell you how many times someone has asked me a question and BOOM…the exact scripture I need pops in my head. How does that happen? The Holy Spirit.
I’m nobody special friend….if He will do it for me…He will do it for you also.
In John 15:2, we learn the difference between pruning and purging. Purging occurs when we don’t bear any fruit for the Lord…The Lord removes us and we are thrown into the fire. Pruning occurs when we are bearing fruit….why? So we will bear even more fruit.
If you’ve ever owned a fruit tree, you will understand this concept of pruning.
Pruning is no fun….it can be a painful process….it’s the removal of things we don’t need so we can be more productive for the Kingdom. It’s not fun but it’s necessary.
John 15:5 says that without Jesus we can do nothing. I hate it when I hear somebody say “So and So is a self-made man”….no he’s not. There’s no such thing as a self-made man because without Jesus, we are absolutely nothing. I love the old song that says, “I can’t even walk without you holding my hand.”
Finally, John 15:13 says that greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Now most of us believe this to mean death….and certainly that is included in this verse. But laying down your life is not necessarily death. It can also mean laying down something that you want to do simply for the benefit of your friends.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 27 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read John 10-12
John 10:10 is a verse that is quoted often….lets unpack it.
The thief…..That’s Satan
Comes to steal….Satan wants to rob us of our joy, happiness, testimony, family, and more
Kill….Satan is not content to just rob us….he eventually wants to take it to the next level and kill us. Literally kill us…by whatever means necessary….our health….by someone else’s hand….or by our own hand.
Destroy….Satan wants to destroy everything we have….our families, our careers, our ministries…everything. He’s not so much like a bull in a china shop as he is a surgical sniper. If he was a bull in a china shop….we’d all see it coming and run away. No….Satan is more like a sniper that destroys us before we ever know what hit us.
Thank goodness John 10:10 doesn’t end there……
I….Jesus
Am come….present tense….He’s not just our hope for tomorrow, Jesus is also our help today
That they….that’s us….Jesus came for us
Might have life….Jesus is the life giver….we will never experience life the way it’s meant to be experienced until we have Jesus in our lives.
And that they might have it more abundantly….Jesus wants us to do more than just survive….He wants us to have an abundant life….abundant joy, abundant blessings. We will only have an abundant life when it’s centered on Jesus.
Is your life centered on Jesus? If not, why not?
John 10:18 reinforces something we learned a few devos back….the Romans, Pharisees, and Sadducees didn’t kill Jesus….no….instead He willingly gave His life on the cross for us. He laid it down willingly for us….and glory to God….He also took it back up as Verse 18 says….thereby conquering death/hell/grave and making the only way for me and you to overcome death in our lives.
I love love love John 10:28….Jesus says that nothing can pluck us out of His hand. There’s been a lot of well-meaning people make this statement over the years when going through a hard time. Somebody asks how they are doing and they say, “Well I’m just holding on to Jesus.” Although that may sound good…its scripturally false….we are not holding on to Jesus….Bless God He’s holding onto us and NOTHING can pluck us out of His hold on us!!! Hallelujah!!!!
John 11 is the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Verse 4 again gives us insight as to the question of why that we may ask ourselves….Why did Lazarus get sick and die? John 11:4 says for the glory of God that the Son of God might be glorified.
Bring this home friend….that junk you are going through….may not have a thing in the world to do with you….it may just be so Jesus can be glorified through your situation.
Are you allowing Him to get glory through your situation?
John 11:32….when Mary comes to Jesus….she immediately falls down at His feet….Mary spent a lot of time at Jesus feet…..she was there listening when Martha got upset about her not helping out. Later on, she’s at his feet thanking Him for raising her brother Lazarus from the dead.
Too many of us treat Jesus as a genie in a bottle….we only rub Him when we need something.
That’s simply not how it’s supposed to be….we are supposed to spend time with Jesus each and every day….we are supposed to be seeking Him to just be with Him…..not seeking His hand for a handout.
We’d all do well to learn from Mary.
We then get to the shortest verse in the entire Bible…..John 11:35….Jesus wept.
My oh my….I could write an entire message on this short verse.
Why did Jesus weep?
Could it be because He was sympathizing with Mary and Martha’s pain….and likewise we are also to weep with those who weep?
Could it be that here in front of Him was dozens of people weeping over the pain of death….and Jesus…the author of creation….knows it wasn’t supposed to be this way….But because of Adam’s sin…now it is. Was Jesus weeping over what should have been?
Or….could it be that Jesus was weeping over what He was about to do to His friend Lazarus? Follow me. We know that when we are absent from the body, we are present with The Lord. Lazarus was present with The Lord right now….He was dead….I submit that Jesus might have been a little home sick…He got to thinking how wonderful it was back home in Heaven….and now He’s about to take one of His friends away from that beautiful place and bring Him back to the pain and suffering of Earth. That would make me cry too. It breaks my heart when I hurt my friends and I’m sure it did Jesus too.
John 11:39 reinforces what we learned in John 2 when Jesus turned the water into wine. Jesus allows us to participate in His miracles with Him. Here was Jesus about to raise a man from the dead….He could have snapped His fingers and rolled the stone away….but He didn’t….he allowed mankind to participate in this miracle. So thankful He does that for us today.
In John 11:43….Jesus said Lazarus come forth…..Surely you’ve heard this by now, but just in case you haven’t…..the reason Jesus said Lazarus come forth and not just come forth is because if He would’ve just said “Come forth” every dead body in the cemetery would have rose from the dead!!!!
In John 11:46….we see a group of people that were active in Jesus day and still active in our churches today. TATTLETALES!!!
When I was pastoring, I absolutely despised when people would come to me and tattletale on others. Back then I tried my best to be kind and help them work through it…..I doubt I’ll do that in the future. I’ll probably just raise my hand….stop them in mid-sentence and say, “MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!” Scripturally, the Bible says to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. The scriptures also say to not worry about the speck in your brother’s eye when we’ve got a plank in our own eye.
In John 11:48…we see the Pharisees were more worried about losing their position in the church than they were advancing the Kingdom of God. Unfortunately this happens quite often also. People get a position in the church and all of a sudden, telling people about Jesus and following His teachings is not near as important as doing whatever it takes to keep their position.
Same thing happens in politics today….our politicians are way more concerned about keeping their position of power than they are doing what’s right for the country.
It’s a shame that positions go to people’s heads like that. If you have a position in your church…take just a moment to examine yourself. Are you still as on fire for advancing God’s Kingdom as you were when you first were given that position?
In John 12:10, we learn that people were hating on ole Lazarus because Jesus had raised him from the dead….in fact it says here in Verse 10, they wanted to kill him too. Same thing happens today friend….you would think when God does a great work in your life that EVERYBODY would be thrilled. Not so….you’ll have haters just like Lazarus did. Get ready for them.
John 12:24 says that unless the grain of corn or wheat dies to itself, unless that grain is literally buried in the ground….it will never bear fruit. The same thing can be said for our lives and our dreams. As a young man, I would hear teachings about your dreams having to die….one man especially that I would read…Os Hillman….he was always harping on how our dreams had to die. I thought that didn’t apply to me. I had grandiose dreams of owning Christian radio stations and bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God.
Well guess what….John 12:24 did apply to me….and all those dreams had to die.
Then I had dreams for what the church I started could be….yet again….all of those dreams are dead.
So right now….for me….I feel like I’ve been buried…..but hopefully instead of a burial, this is just a planting and eventually I’ll bring forth more fruit for the Kingdom of God.
In John 12:32….we see what our job is in ministry work….lift up Jesus…make much of Jesus….preach Jesus….and let Him do the drawing of men unto Him.
John 12:43 says they(the Pharisees) loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
It doesn’t say there’s anything wrong with loving the praise of men….let’s be honest…we all enjoy a compliment.
What John 12:43 does say is that it is slap wrong to crave the praise of men more than the praise of God.
And if we are all honest with each other….we’ve all been guilty of this.
So what are you craving right now? Do you love the praise of men MORE than the praise of God?
Lots of self-examination in today’s devo…..lots to chew on today….let it marinate in your mind and heart like it’s been doing in mine.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read John 10-12
John 10:10 is a verse that is quoted often….lets unpack it.
The thief…..That’s Satan
Comes to steal….Satan wants to rob us of our joy, happiness, testimony, family, and more
Kill….Satan is not content to just rob us….he eventually wants to take it to the next level and kill us. Literally kill us…by whatever means necessary….our health….by someone else’s hand….or by our own hand.
Destroy….Satan wants to destroy everything we have….our families, our careers, our ministries…everything. He’s not so much like a bull in a china shop as he is a surgical sniper. If he was a bull in a china shop….we’d all see it coming and run away. No….Satan is more like a sniper that destroys us before we ever know what hit us.
Thank goodness John 10:10 doesn’t end there……
I….Jesus
Am come….present tense….He’s not just our hope for tomorrow, Jesus is also our help today
That they….that’s us….Jesus came for us
Might have life….Jesus is the life giver….we will never experience life the way it’s meant to be experienced until we have Jesus in our lives.
And that they might have it more abundantly….Jesus wants us to do more than just survive….He wants us to have an abundant life….abundant joy, abundant blessings. We will only have an abundant life when it’s centered on Jesus.
Is your life centered on Jesus? If not, why not?
John 10:18 reinforces something we learned a few devos back….the Romans, Pharisees, and Sadducees didn’t kill Jesus….no….instead He willingly gave His life on the cross for us. He laid it down willingly for us….and glory to God….He also took it back up as Verse 18 says….thereby conquering death/hell/grave and making the only way for me and you to overcome death in our lives.
I love love love John 10:28….Jesus says that nothing can pluck us out of His hand. There’s been a lot of well-meaning people make this statement over the years when going through a hard time. Somebody asks how they are doing and they say, “Well I’m just holding on to Jesus.” Although that may sound good…its scripturally false….we are not holding on to Jesus….Bless God He’s holding onto us and NOTHING can pluck us out of His hold on us!!! Hallelujah!!!!
John 11 is the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Verse 4 again gives us insight as to the question of why that we may ask ourselves….Why did Lazarus get sick and die? John 11:4 says for the glory of God that the Son of God might be glorified.
Bring this home friend….that junk you are going through….may not have a thing in the world to do with you….it may just be so Jesus can be glorified through your situation.
Are you allowing Him to get glory through your situation?
John 11:32….when Mary comes to Jesus….she immediately falls down at His feet….Mary spent a lot of time at Jesus feet…..she was there listening when Martha got upset about her not helping out. Later on, she’s at his feet thanking Him for raising her brother Lazarus from the dead.
Too many of us treat Jesus as a genie in a bottle….we only rub Him when we need something.
That’s simply not how it’s supposed to be….we are supposed to spend time with Jesus each and every day….we are supposed to be seeking Him to just be with Him…..not seeking His hand for a handout.
We’d all do well to learn from Mary.
We then get to the shortest verse in the entire Bible…..John 11:35….Jesus wept.
My oh my….I could write an entire message on this short verse.
Why did Jesus weep?
Could it be because He was sympathizing with Mary and Martha’s pain….and likewise we are also to weep with those who weep?
Could it be that here in front of Him was dozens of people weeping over the pain of death….and Jesus…the author of creation….knows it wasn’t supposed to be this way….But because of Adam’s sin…now it is. Was Jesus weeping over what should have been?
Or….could it be that Jesus was weeping over what He was about to do to His friend Lazarus? Follow me. We know that when we are absent from the body, we are present with The Lord. Lazarus was present with The Lord right now….He was dead….I submit that Jesus might have been a little home sick…He got to thinking how wonderful it was back home in Heaven….and now He’s about to take one of His friends away from that beautiful place and bring Him back to the pain and suffering of Earth. That would make me cry too. It breaks my heart when I hurt my friends and I’m sure it did Jesus too.
John 11:39 reinforces what we learned in John 2 when Jesus turned the water into wine. Jesus allows us to participate in His miracles with Him. Here was Jesus about to raise a man from the dead….He could have snapped His fingers and rolled the stone away….but He didn’t….he allowed mankind to participate in this miracle. So thankful He does that for us today.
In John 11:43….Jesus said Lazarus come forth…..Surely you’ve heard this by now, but just in case you haven’t…..the reason Jesus said Lazarus come forth and not just come forth is because if He would’ve just said “Come forth” every dead body in the cemetery would have rose from the dead!!!!
In John 11:46….we see a group of people that were active in Jesus day and still active in our churches today. TATTLETALES!!!
When I was pastoring, I absolutely despised when people would come to me and tattletale on others. Back then I tried my best to be kind and help them work through it…..I doubt I’ll do that in the future. I’ll probably just raise my hand….stop them in mid-sentence and say, “MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!” Scripturally, the Bible says to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. The scriptures also say to not worry about the speck in your brother’s eye when we’ve got a plank in our own eye.
In John 11:48…we see the Pharisees were more worried about losing their position in the church than they were advancing the Kingdom of God. Unfortunately this happens quite often also. People get a position in the church and all of a sudden, telling people about Jesus and following His teachings is not near as important as doing whatever it takes to keep their position.
Same thing happens in politics today….our politicians are way more concerned about keeping their position of power than they are doing what’s right for the country.
It’s a shame that positions go to people’s heads like that. If you have a position in your church…take just a moment to examine yourself. Are you still as on fire for advancing God’s Kingdom as you were when you first were given that position?
In John 12:10, we learn that people were hating on ole Lazarus because Jesus had raised him from the dead….in fact it says here in Verse 10, they wanted to kill him too. Same thing happens today friend….you would think when God does a great work in your life that EVERYBODY would be thrilled. Not so….you’ll have haters just like Lazarus did. Get ready for them.
John 12:24 says that unless the grain of corn or wheat dies to itself, unless that grain is literally buried in the ground….it will never bear fruit. The same thing can be said for our lives and our dreams. As a young man, I would hear teachings about your dreams having to die….one man especially that I would read…Os Hillman….he was always harping on how our dreams had to die. I thought that didn’t apply to me. I had grandiose dreams of owning Christian radio stations and bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God.
Well guess what….John 12:24 did apply to me….and all those dreams had to die.
Then I had dreams for what the church I started could be….yet again….all of those dreams are dead.
So right now….for me….I feel like I’ve been buried…..but hopefully instead of a burial, this is just a planting and eventually I’ll bring forth more fruit for the Kingdom of God.
In John 12:32….we see what our job is in ministry work….lift up Jesus…make much of Jesus….preach Jesus….and let Him do the drawing of men unto Him.
John 12:43 says they(the Pharisees) loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
It doesn’t say there’s anything wrong with loving the praise of men….let’s be honest…we all enjoy a compliment.
What John 12:43 does say is that it is slap wrong to crave the praise of men more than the praise of God.
And if we are all honest with each other….we’ve all been guilty of this.
So what are you craving right now? Do you love the praise of men MORE than the praise of God?
Lots of self-examination in today’s devo…..lots to chew on today….let it marinate in your mind and heart like it’s been doing in mine.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 26 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read John 7-9
In John 7:12, we read there was much murmuring among the people about Jesus with some saying He was just a good man. Unfortunately not much has changed in the last 1990 years. There are lots of people today who say Jesus was just a good man…..some say He was just a Jewish Rabbi….others say He was a prophet.
But to be honest….what others say doesn’t really matter to us….here’s what we need to be concerned with….who do we(individually) say Jesus is….who do you say Jesus is….who do I say Jesus is?
Go ahead….answer….who is Jesus?
I’ll give you my answers…..
He’s my Saviour
He’s my Comforter
He’s my Wisdom
He’s my Guide
He’s my Source
He’s my Provider
He’s my Rock
He’s my Anchor
He’s my Friend
He’s my Redeemer
He’s my Healer
He’s my Protector
He’s The Son of God
He’s God the Son
Why is this important? I’ll tell you why….listen in really close….when I got saved at age 10….I thought Jesus was just what we did on Sunday morning at church from 10-12….I thought Jesus was my ticket to Heaven when I die and that was it……it wasn’t until 16 years later that I began to realize that Jesus wants to be our EVERYTHING…..and He will be our EVERYTHING if we will just let Him.
Once I figured out I can get comfort, wisdom, provision, protection, and everything else I’ll ever need from Jesus in addition to my salvation….holy cow….I wanted everybody to have the same Jesus I found.
Jesus will be your everything and more if you’ll just let Him.
In John 7:43 The Bible says there was a division among the people because of Jesus….again not much has changed in 1990 years.
There’s a huge division among the people of the USA today because of Jesus. Now to be honest with you….the division with non-believers doesn’t really bother me….its actually understandable. Why in the world would an unbeliever not be divided against me about Jesus.
What breaks my heart is the divisions within Christianity…..I’m not against denominations….they have their place and purpose. Most do a great job of organizing their people and getting them to cooperate together in missions.
Where the problem occurs….is when churches preach denominationalism instead of Bible….NO NO NO.
When people would ask me what I believed as a Baptist…..I’d say….The Bible.
When they’d ask what I’d preach or what I believed about hotbutton issues like baptism, eternal security, homosexuality, etc….I’d say The Bible.
I am not against denominations….I am totally against preaching denominationalism over The Bible.
In John Chapter 8, we have the account of Jesus and the woman taken in adultery. Notice in Verse 4 that the scribes and Pharisees said this woman was caught in the very act of adultery.
TIMEOUT: Best I can figure….it takes two to get caught in the act of adultery.
So that begs the question….where was the man?
I’ll even tell you who the unnamed man was the woman was committing adultery with….do you know?
It was one of the scribes and Pharisees…..how do I know? Because they didn’t associate with anybody else except other scribes and Pharisees.
What hypocrisy….they catch one of their buddies and this woman in the VERY ACT of adultery….they let their buddy slide and this woman they bring to Jesus to have stoned. Shows the true colors of these fellas.
In Verse 6….The Bible says Jesus wrote with his finger on the ground AS THOUGH HE HEARD THEM NOT….in other words….Jesus didn’t pay these hypocritical, accusatory scribes and Pharisees any attention….that’s a clear example for us to follow…..don’t pay those kind of folks we come across any attention….they are kinda like a little Chihuahua dog just barking and barking and barking….we shouldn’t pay them any mind at all. Much easier said than done.
Jesus shut them down in Verse 7 when He said “He who is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
I sure wish people today would listen to this verse….unfortunately, many folks are professional rock throwers….now again….who is Jesus talking to here? He’s talking to the religious crowd….the church crowd. I can understand heathens throwing rocks….they don’t know any better….but man alive….the church folks that throw rocks….the ones that are professional rock throwers…..really???? No wonder so many don’t want anything to do with the church today….they’ve seen how many church people shoot their wounded and they don’t want any part of that.
I had a woman tell me this week that when she sees people….preachers in particular….that seem to have it all together….it actually turns her off from that church because she knows she can’t live up to that standard.
We need to be showing the world how we nurse our wounded back to health instead of stoning them to death when they fall. In John 8:11….Jesus final response to the woman should be ours when we come across a wounded friend/loved one/co-worker/classmate…..neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more.
In John 8:32….we read an oft quoted verse….you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. You know later on in John 14, Jesus tells us that He is the truth…..so in essence, Jesus is saying here….if we know Him….He will make us free….free from what? The slavery of sin folks. Sin holds us in bondage….we may think we have freedom in sin….but that is a deception….we will never enjoy true freedom and liberty in life until Jesus liberates us and makes us free.
How do we know the truth? Well I’ve only found 1 way to be honest with you….and that’s through the careful reading and study of His Word….The Bible.
Follow me here….our society has changed dramatically in the last 10 years…..used to, people would call me for all kinds of info….I used to have the nickname “Onstar” because of how many people would call me while lost and ask for directions….Poor ole Destinee Lamberth….I believe she called me every single time she went to Nashville and I had to guide her to an interstate to get home.
That doesn’t happen anymore….folks have GPS on their phones and their phones guide them.
But is GPS correct 100% of the time? Nope….in fact, most GPS….when you put in my home address….They actually take you to a half mile past my house.
So when it comes to Bible truth….it’s dangerous to fully trust what you find on the internet. The only fool-proof way I’ve found to know the truth is through careful reading and study of God’s Word….both individually on your own….in a small group setting such as Sunday School….and in a corporate setting during a worship service at church.
In John 9:3, we learn an answer to a question I’m often asked….why?
Why did this happen?
Why did that happen?
What am I going through this?
Often we go through what we go through so the works of God can be manifest in us…John 9:3. I also like how Ezekiel says it in Ezekiel 6:10…..so they shall know that I am The Lord.
What we are going through may not have anything to do with us…it may just simply be for a testimony to others about the works of Jesus in us.
So be very aware that our reaction to situations such as this will either encourage people toward a relationship with God…..or….if we bellyache, whine, gripe, and complain….its libel to push them away from a relationship with God. Think about your reaction next time you’re wondering why something happened.
Look how the blind man’s parents threw him under the bus in John 9:20-22….they were afraid to tell the truth about Jesus because they were afraid they’d be thrown out of the synagogue.
But you know what….we’re really no different….we keep our mouths shut cause we are afraid we might lose a job or lose a friend….and that’s not a bit different than these parents here.
Honey….what you might lose by speaking up for Jesus….I promise you….The Bible says you will gain 100 fold in the Kingdom of Heaven what you might have lost. I’m counting on that….I’m banking on that….friend….I’m staking the rest of my life on that truth right there!!!
In John 9:25….the former blind man gives us a good guide on giving a testimony. So many people today are afraid to testify because they don’t think they will say the right things….or worse yet….they are afraid someone will ask them a question they don’t know the answer to….here in John 9:25…the former blind man shows us that doesn’t matter…..he simply just tells what he knows to be true.
When asked by the scribes and Pharisees if Jesus was a sinner, the blind man said….if he’s a sinner or not, I don’t know….all I know is that I once was blind but now I see.
That’s all we have to do friends….don’t give answers to things you don’t know….and don’t even worry about the things you don’t know….we will never know everything we need to know…..just testify about what you do know and let The Lord handle everything else.
In John 9:37 Jesus reveals His true identity to the formerly blind man. What’s the first thing this formerly blind man does once He professes faith in Jesus? John 9:38…..he worships Jesus.
He didn’t tithe first.
He didn’t join a small group first
He didn’t start memorizing scripture first
Nope….he worshipped.
Remember what we learned yesterday friend….God the Father is seeking those who will worship Him.
How good are you doing at worship?
I didn’t ask how good a singer you are….that has nothing to do with the question.
Let me rephrase the question this way….I like this better…..how IMPORTANT is worshiping Jesus to you? How IMPORTANT is worshipping Jesus to you?
If it’s not important to you….friend, you need to rearrange your priorities because worship is vitally important to Jesus.
Well Phillip….we haven’t had church in weeks so I can’t worship…..HOGWASH…..you can worship The Lord anywhere at anytime.
Some of my best worship times are on the tractor by myself while I’m cutting hay.
Look at this ole boy here in John 9:38….was he in church? Nope. Was there a choir and praise team present? Nope. Musicians? Nope. He just worshipped Jesus right there where he was standing.
And you and I can do the same….we can worship Jesus right now….wherever we are reading this devo.
Make sure you worship The Lord today and every day. Make it a priority to worship The Lord today and every day. Worship is very important to The Lord and it should be very important to us also.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read John 7-9
In John 7:12, we read there was much murmuring among the people about Jesus with some saying He was just a good man. Unfortunately not much has changed in the last 1990 years. There are lots of people today who say Jesus was just a good man…..some say He was just a Jewish Rabbi….others say He was a prophet.
But to be honest….what others say doesn’t really matter to us….here’s what we need to be concerned with….who do we(individually) say Jesus is….who do you say Jesus is….who do I say Jesus is?
Go ahead….answer….who is Jesus?
I’ll give you my answers…..
He’s my Saviour
He’s my Comforter
He’s my Wisdom
He’s my Guide
He’s my Source
He’s my Provider
He’s my Rock
He’s my Anchor
He’s my Friend
He’s my Redeemer
He’s my Healer
He’s my Protector
He’s The Son of God
He’s God the Son
Why is this important? I’ll tell you why….listen in really close….when I got saved at age 10….I thought Jesus was just what we did on Sunday morning at church from 10-12….I thought Jesus was my ticket to Heaven when I die and that was it……it wasn’t until 16 years later that I began to realize that Jesus wants to be our EVERYTHING…..and He will be our EVERYTHING if we will just let Him.
Once I figured out I can get comfort, wisdom, provision, protection, and everything else I’ll ever need from Jesus in addition to my salvation….holy cow….I wanted everybody to have the same Jesus I found.
Jesus will be your everything and more if you’ll just let Him.
In John 7:43 The Bible says there was a division among the people because of Jesus….again not much has changed in 1990 years.
There’s a huge division among the people of the USA today because of Jesus. Now to be honest with you….the division with non-believers doesn’t really bother me….its actually understandable. Why in the world would an unbeliever not be divided against me about Jesus.
What breaks my heart is the divisions within Christianity…..I’m not against denominations….they have their place and purpose. Most do a great job of organizing their people and getting them to cooperate together in missions.
Where the problem occurs….is when churches preach denominationalism instead of Bible….NO NO NO.
When people would ask me what I believed as a Baptist…..I’d say….The Bible.
When they’d ask what I’d preach or what I believed about hotbutton issues like baptism, eternal security, homosexuality, etc….I’d say The Bible.
I am not against denominations….I am totally against preaching denominationalism over The Bible.
In John Chapter 8, we have the account of Jesus and the woman taken in adultery. Notice in Verse 4 that the scribes and Pharisees said this woman was caught in the very act of adultery.
TIMEOUT: Best I can figure….it takes two to get caught in the act of adultery.
So that begs the question….where was the man?
I’ll even tell you who the unnamed man was the woman was committing adultery with….do you know?
It was one of the scribes and Pharisees…..how do I know? Because they didn’t associate with anybody else except other scribes and Pharisees.
What hypocrisy….they catch one of their buddies and this woman in the VERY ACT of adultery….they let their buddy slide and this woman they bring to Jesus to have stoned. Shows the true colors of these fellas.
In Verse 6….The Bible says Jesus wrote with his finger on the ground AS THOUGH HE HEARD THEM NOT….in other words….Jesus didn’t pay these hypocritical, accusatory scribes and Pharisees any attention….that’s a clear example for us to follow…..don’t pay those kind of folks we come across any attention….they are kinda like a little Chihuahua dog just barking and barking and barking….we shouldn’t pay them any mind at all. Much easier said than done.
Jesus shut them down in Verse 7 when He said “He who is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
I sure wish people today would listen to this verse….unfortunately, many folks are professional rock throwers….now again….who is Jesus talking to here? He’s talking to the religious crowd….the church crowd. I can understand heathens throwing rocks….they don’t know any better….but man alive….the church folks that throw rocks….the ones that are professional rock throwers…..really???? No wonder so many don’t want anything to do with the church today….they’ve seen how many church people shoot their wounded and they don’t want any part of that.
I had a woman tell me this week that when she sees people….preachers in particular….that seem to have it all together….it actually turns her off from that church because she knows she can’t live up to that standard.
We need to be showing the world how we nurse our wounded back to health instead of stoning them to death when they fall. In John 8:11….Jesus final response to the woman should be ours when we come across a wounded friend/loved one/co-worker/classmate…..neit
In John 8:32….we read an oft quoted verse….you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. You know later on in John 14, Jesus tells us that He is the truth…..so in essence, Jesus is saying here….if we know Him….He will make us free….free from what? The slavery of sin folks. Sin holds us in bondage….we may think we have freedom in sin….but that is a deception….we will never enjoy true freedom and liberty in life until Jesus liberates us and makes us free.
How do we know the truth? Well I’ve only found 1 way to be honest with you….and that’s through the careful reading and study of His Word….The Bible.
Follow me here….our society has changed dramatically in the last 10 years…..used to, people would call me for all kinds of info….I used to have the nickname “Onstar” because of how many people would call me while lost and ask for directions….Poor ole Destinee Lamberth….I believe she called me every single time she went to Nashville and I had to guide her to an interstate to get home.
That doesn’t happen anymore….folks have GPS on their phones and their phones guide them.
But is GPS correct 100% of the time? Nope….in fact, most GPS….when you put in my home address….They actually take you to a half mile past my house.
So when it comes to Bible truth….it’s dangerous to fully trust what you find on the internet. The only fool-proof way I’ve found to know the truth is through careful reading and study of God’s Word….both individually on your own….in a small group setting such as Sunday School….and in a corporate setting during a worship service at church.
In John 9:3, we learn an answer to a question I’m often asked….why?
Why did this happen?
Why did that happen?
What am I going through this?
Often we go through what we go through so the works of God can be manifest in us…John 9:3. I also like how Ezekiel says it in Ezekiel 6:10…..so they shall know that I am The Lord.
What we are going through may not have anything to do with us…it may just simply be for a testimony to others about the works of Jesus in us.
So be very aware that our reaction to situations such as this will either encourage people toward a relationship with God…..or….if we bellyache, whine, gripe, and complain….its libel to push them away from a relationship with God. Think about your reaction next time you’re wondering why something happened.
Look how the blind man’s parents threw him under the bus in John 9:20-22….they were afraid to tell the truth about Jesus because they were afraid they’d be thrown out of the synagogue.
But you know what….we’re really no different….we keep our mouths shut cause we are afraid we might lose a job or lose a friend….and that’s not a bit different than these parents here.
Honey….what you might lose by speaking up for Jesus….I promise you….The Bible says you will gain 100 fold in the Kingdom of Heaven what you might have lost. I’m counting on that….I’m banking on that….friend….I’m staking the rest of my life on that truth right there!!!
In John 9:25….the former blind man gives us a good guide on giving a testimony. So many people today are afraid to testify because they don’t think they will say the right things….or worse yet….they are afraid someone will ask them a question they don’t know the answer to….here in John 9:25…the former blind man shows us that doesn’t matter…..he simply just tells what he knows to be true.
When asked by the scribes and Pharisees if Jesus was a sinner, the blind man said….if he’s a sinner or not, I don’t know….all I know is that I once was blind but now I see.
That’s all we have to do friends….don’t give answers to things you don’t know….and don’t even worry about the things you don’t know….we will never know everything we need to know…..just testify about what you do know and let The Lord handle everything else.
In John 9:37 Jesus reveals His true identity to the formerly blind man. What’s the first thing this formerly blind man does once He professes faith in Jesus? John 9:38…..he worships Jesus.
He didn’t tithe first.
He didn’t join a small group first
He didn’t start memorizing scripture first
Nope….he worshipped.
Remember what we learned yesterday friend….God the Father is seeking those who will worship Him.
How good are you doing at worship?
I didn’t ask how good a singer you are….that has nothing to do with the question.
Let me rephrase the question this way….I like this better…..how IMPORTANT is worshiping Jesus to you? How IMPORTANT is worshipping Jesus to you?
If it’s not important to you….friend, you need to rearrange your priorities because worship is vitally important to Jesus.
Well Phillip….we haven’t had church in weeks so I can’t worship…..HOGWASH…..you can worship The Lord anywhere at anytime.
Some of my best worship times are on the tractor by myself while I’m cutting hay.
Look at this ole boy here in John 9:38….was he in church? Nope. Was there a choir and praise team present? Nope. Musicians? Nope. He just worshipped Jesus right there where he was standing.
And you and I can do the same….we can worship Jesus right now….wherever we are reading this devo.
Make sure you worship The Lord today and every day. Make it a priority to worship The Lord today and every day. Worship is very important to The Lord and it should be very important to us also.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 25 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Thank you for all the feedback/requests for more Bible Study & Worship. You have definitely given me something to pray about over the next week.
Read John 4-6
John 4 is the account of Jesus with the Woman at the Well. I love Verse 4….He must needs go through Samaria. Samaria wasn’t the most direct route….it wasn’t the easiest route…and it certainly wasn’t the most culturally acceptable route as the Jews and the Samaritans hated each other.
But Jesus needed to go through that way….why? Because Jesus came to SEEK and save that which was lost. Here’s the point…..are we willing to be inconvenienced for the sake of the Gospel? Are we willing to take extra time for The Gospel? Are we willing to go against cultural norms for the Gospel? Are we willing to go out of our way for The Gospel?
Most of us won’t share the Gospel while going on our own way….much less going out of our way.
The facts….being a Kingdom worker for Jesus is not easy….it takes time….it’s going to affect your schedule…it’s going to be inconvenient at times.
Gut check…..is it worth it to you? It is to me. Personally, I’m willing to be inconvenienced and change my schedule for the Gospel since Jesus was willing to leave heaven and endure the cross for me.
Notice what Jesus says in John 4:23….God the Father is seeking people to worship Him. How important is worship to you? Pre-Coronavirus….at church….would you just stand there? Let me get to one of my pet pet pet pet pet peeves…..people who CONSISTENTLY were late for worship, or came into worship and carried on conversations, or just sat there on their phones like something else was more important.
NEWSFLASH….if you are saved….the preaching is not the most important part of the service for you….according to the Bible….the worship should be. Why? Because John 4:23 says God is looking for people to worship Him.
How are we to worship God? John 4:23 goes on to say in spirit and truth…..that means it’s not about performance….it’s not about right notes and pretty voices…worship is a matter of the heart…the spirit of a man….do we sincerely appreciate who God is to us? Do we desire to praise and thank Him for what He’s done….or are we more concerned with whether we are going to sound good or……..get ready….this is gonna hurt…….are we more concerned about impressing others with our vocal or musical prowess?
Worship is not about me….and worship is not about you.
God got a hold of me on that several several years ago.
20 years ago if you would have asked me to play 1 song in church….I would’ve probably played I’ll Fly Away or Goodbye World Goodbye and absolutely tried to play the keys off the piano and beat it to death. I’d have put on a show and a half…..all with the air that I was doing that to show folks the “talent” The Lord has blessed me with.
But now…The Lord has changed my heart completely…..absolutely completely….I’m a different man. If I’ve got just one song….I don’t want to show off me….no no no….I want to take everybody in the room to go to the throne and WORSHIP the only One worthy of praise. If I’ve just got 1 song….its probably gonna be “There’s Something About That Name”, “Because He Lives”, “It Is Well With My Soul”, “What A Day That Will Be”, or another song that’s been marinating in my heart as worship to The Lord.
Worship is important….don’t neglect it or skip over it or think it’s just the appetizer at church for the main course….it’s not.
Worship is not about performance….it’s a matter of the heart and soul way more than it’s a matter of our vocal cords and finger placement on the keys.
In John 4:35, the woman has left Jesus….the disciples have come back…and He’s instructing them. Jesus says to the disciples, lift up(open) your eyes….look on the fields….for they are white already to harvest.
In other words…what’s keeping us from being harvesters for the kingdom right now? There are seeds that have been planted by others….there are seeds that have been watered by others…and they are ready to be harvested right now….what’s keeping us from harvesting those souls?
This verse is really dealing with me right now. What’s keeping me from being a soul harvester for The Lord right now? Want to know the honest answer about what’s keeping me from being a soul harvester? Me.
I said that.
It’s not others keeping me from being a soul harvester….it’s me.
That stings.
So what’s keeping you from being a soul harvester? I bet if you got down to the skinny your answer is the same as mine.
Then we get to John 4:39….one of my FAVORITE verses in all of scripture. When I say favorite verses…let me tell you a quick story….several years ago, before I ever became a Pastor, my father and I would play the piano and organ each Sunday at Cumberland Furnace United Methodist Church at 9AM….get through about 9:50 and then rush to Marion UMC to play for Sunday School and Worship. Cumberland Furnace had just got a new Pastor….this was to be his second Sunday….at 9AM, he wasn’t there. So we waited a little while. Finally, somebody said, well let’s go ahead and sing until the preacher gets here. So we did. About 9:20 or 9:30, Mrs. Mabel Daniel looked at me and said Phillip, if the preacher doesn’t show up after this next song, you are going to have to preach for us.
WHOA!!!
So I told Dad to play the next song by himself and let me collect my thoughts.
I went to the pulpit, opened my Bible, and prayed….God what would you have me preach?
He led me to this verse….John 4:39…..and I preached a message.
Cumberland Furnace UMC was on a 3 church charge with Vanleer UMC and Cedar Grove UMC. I thought it would be only right for me to go to those churches and offer to preach since they had no idea the preacher wasn’t showing up either.
So get a load of this….at 9AM that Sunday, I didn’t know I was preaching. By Noon that Sunday, I had preached three times in three different churches. HOLY COW!!! That’s when I knew it wasn’t about me and my ability….it was all about God and my AVAILABILTY to Him. He’d bring on the abilities if I’d just make myself available to Him.
What’s so special about John 4:39? It says many Samaritans believed on Jesus because of the Woman at the well which TESTIFIED…..
Did this woman teach a Bible Study? No
Did she preach a sermon? No
Did she host a small group? No
Was she “qualified” by the world’s standards? No…she’d been married 5 times and was living with a man right now.
This woman simply testified about her personal experience with Jesus….and the Bible says that MANY(not a few….many) became followers of Jesus because of her testimony.
So what exactly is keeping me and you from sharing our testimony?
Let me just cut to the chase….there may be people in hell today because you and I didn’t share our testimony with them. Yes….ultimately it was their choice to reject Christ…..but it was also our choice to not share our testimony with them…..and how different would things have turned out if we had simply testified for Jesus?
By the time we get to John 4:53, Jesus is now dealing with a man whose son is at the point of death. Jesus heals the son and The Bible says in Verse 53 that this man “believed and his whole house.”
Does this mean that our parents can make our salvation decision for us? NO NO NO…that is completely against the context of the Bible.
So what does this mean? Parents….Grandparents….get ready…..this verse shows the POWERFUL influence you and I have over our children.
Here’s the stats….80% of the time….if the Father gets saved….the wife and kids get saved also.
Those numbers drop dramatically if it’s just the mother.
We parents have an incredible influence over our children….both for good and for bad.
So how are you influencing your children? Whatever is important to you will become important to them. Whatever you do is what they will do. Be a positive influence for Jesus.
In Chapter 5, Jesus meets a man that has been lame for 38 years….and in Verse 5, Jesus asks this man a very odd question….”Wilt thou be made whole?”
Why did Jesus ask this question?
Again…I’m fixing to dig deep into some of our lives here and probe some very uncomfortable areas.
There’s a lot of us(I said us…not you…I said us…I’m including myself)….there’s a lot of us that give lip service to wanting to be well….to wanting to be whole….to wanting to be better.
But deep down….if the truth was known….we are comfortable where we are right now and we really don’t want to DO THE WORK NECESSARY to change the condition we are in.
Let me use myself as an example here.
I’m overweight….no secret.
John 5:5 could just as easily be Jesus looking at Phillip Chambers and saying “Do you want to lose weight?” On the surface, I’d say….well of course Jesus I want to lose weight.
But what Jesus is drilling down to here is this….Phillip…if you really wanted to lose weight…why aren’t you exercising every day? Why aren’t you watching what you eat better?
You see friends….there’s a lot of us that no longer want to be in the situation we are in….and Jesus is saying to us here in John 5:5…do you really want to be well or are you just saying that?
You see once we do our part to get well…..it’s like this….Jesus will add his SUPER to our natural…..the supernatural will take place like it did for this crippled man….and we will get healed.
We have to make the first move.
We have to really and truly decide we want to be well.
We have to get up and get to work on our end.
Then Jesus will add His Super to our natural and the supernatural will occur.
So what are you waiting on? Do you really want to be well?
John 5:29 is one of the least preached on scriptures in the entire Bible. In fact, I personally don’t know of another preacher that has preached on this verse….I’m sure they have….but I just don’t know them and have never heard it personally.
I’m going to copy and paste it here to make sure you have read it….
John 5:29
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Most people understand the resurrection of life….that’s where our loved ones who have died already are resurrected at the rapture to meet Jesus with us in the air.
But what is this resurrection of damnation? Read Revelation 20:11-15. The resurrection of damnation is where people that die without Christ are brought out of hell to stand judgment before Jesus at the Great White Throne…and then experience the second death as they are cast into the Lake of Fire forever because their sins were not forgiven by Jesus.
You don’t want any part in the resurrection of damnation.
Just imagine….you’re in hell….smoke, fire, torment, torture….you’ve been there for hundreds of years…never ending….then one day….you’re called out of it….and your ecstatic….you think…wow…there must have been some mistake….YAY….but quickly you realize there has not been a mistake….this temporary reprieve is only so you can stand before Jesus Himself in judgment….and at this judgment you are required to give account for every single sin you have ever committed in your entire lifetime. Everything you said you should have said. Everything you did you shouldn’t have done. And by the way….you are standing there naked.
Then….once the verdict is rendered and you are found guilty….you are cast into the Lake of Fire…the second death….to endure a life of torment and torture for all eternity.
Friend….trust me….you want no part in the resurrection of damnation.
In John 6:6, we learn that Jesus tests us….He’s testing Philip in this passage….and likewise Jesus still tests us today.
So what happens in school when we fail a test? We have to go back….study…and take it again.
The same is true for Jesus’ tests….friend….if we don’t pass the tests He gives us….we’ll have to keep taking them again until we do….I hate taking tests over and over because I fail them….how about you?
In John 6:37-39….Jesus gives us some words that are incredibly comforting to me. These verses are just part of my basis for believing in eternal security….the fact that although I’m going to sin after I trust Jesus to be my Saviour….He is in no wise going to cast me out.
You see if our salvation was based on us…..we could lose it.
But it’s not based on us….it’s based on Jesus….He’s perfect….and if He says He’s not going to lose us…then friend….He’s not going to lose us.
That brings me so much comfort.
I’m 43 years old….I got saved at 10….I have done more sinning since I got saved than I did before I got saved….33 years vs 10 years…..but Jesus hasn’t cast me out….I’m still in the palm of His hand…my salvation is secure in Him.
Thank you Lord for your grace when we sin.
Thank you Lord for your security to not throw us out and away.
I sure do love Jesus!!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Thank you for all the feedback/requests for more Bible Study & Worship. You have definitely given me something to pray about over the next week.
Read John 4-6
John 4 is the account of Jesus with the Woman at the Well. I love Verse 4….He must needs go through Samaria. Samaria wasn’t the most direct route….it wasn’t the easiest route…and it certainly wasn’t the most culturally acceptable route as the Jews and the Samaritans hated each other.
But Jesus needed to go through that way….why? Because Jesus came to SEEK and save that which was lost. Here’s the point…..are we willing to be inconvenienced for the sake of the Gospel? Are we willing to take extra time for The Gospel? Are we willing to go against cultural norms for the Gospel? Are we willing to go out of our way for The Gospel?
Most of us won’t share the Gospel while going on our own way….much less going out of our way.
The facts….being a Kingdom worker for Jesus is not easy….it takes time….it’s going to affect your schedule…it’s going to be inconvenient at times.
Gut check…..is it worth it to you? It is to me. Personally, I’m willing to be inconvenienced and change my schedule for the Gospel since Jesus was willing to leave heaven and endure the cross for me.
Notice what Jesus says in John 4:23….God the Father is seeking people to worship Him. How important is worship to you? Pre-Coronavirus….at church….would you just stand there? Let me get to one of my pet pet pet pet pet peeves…..people who CONSISTENTLY were late for worship, or came into worship and carried on conversations, or just sat there on their phones like something else was more important.
NEWSFLASH….if you are saved….the preaching is not the most important part of the service for you….according to the Bible….the worship should be. Why? Because John 4:23 says God is looking for people to worship Him.
How are we to worship God? John 4:23 goes on to say in spirit and truth…..that means it’s not about performance….it’s not about right notes and pretty voices…worship is a matter of the heart…the spirit of a man….do we sincerely appreciate who God is to us? Do we desire to praise and thank Him for what He’s done….or are we more concerned with whether we are going to sound good or……..get ready….this is gonna hurt…….are we more concerned about impressing others with our vocal or musical prowess?
Worship is not about me….and worship is not about you.
God got a hold of me on that several several years ago.
20 years ago if you would have asked me to play 1 song in church….I would’ve probably played I’ll Fly Away or Goodbye World Goodbye and absolutely tried to play the keys off the piano and beat it to death. I’d have put on a show and a half…..all with the air that I was doing that to show folks the “talent” The Lord has blessed me with.
But now…The Lord has changed my heart completely…..absolutely completely….I’m a different man. If I’ve got just one song….I don’t want to show off me….no no no….I want to take everybody in the room to go to the throne and WORSHIP the only One worthy of praise. If I’ve just got 1 song….its probably gonna be “There’s Something About That Name”, “Because He Lives”, “It Is Well With My Soul”, “What A Day That Will Be”, or another song that’s been marinating in my heart as worship to The Lord.
Worship is important….don’t neglect it or skip over it or think it’s just the appetizer at church for the main course….it’s not.
Worship is not about performance….it’s a matter of the heart and soul way more than it’s a matter of our vocal cords and finger placement on the keys.
In John 4:35, the woman has left Jesus….the disciples have come back…and He’s instructing them. Jesus says to the disciples, lift up(open) your eyes….look on the fields….for they are white already to harvest.
In other words…what’s keeping us from being harvesters for the kingdom right now? There are seeds that have been planted by others….there are seeds that have been watered by others…and they are ready to be harvested right now….what’s keeping us from harvesting those souls?
This verse is really dealing with me right now. What’s keeping me from being a soul harvester for The Lord right now? Want to know the honest answer about what’s keeping me from being a soul harvester? Me.
I said that.
It’s not others keeping me from being a soul harvester….it’s me.
That stings.
So what’s keeping you from being a soul harvester? I bet if you got down to the skinny your answer is the same as mine.
Then we get to John 4:39….one of my FAVORITE verses in all of scripture. When I say favorite verses…let me tell you a quick story….several years ago, before I ever became a Pastor, my father and I would play the piano and organ each Sunday at Cumberland Furnace United Methodist Church at 9AM….get through about 9:50 and then rush to Marion UMC to play for Sunday School and Worship. Cumberland Furnace had just got a new Pastor….this was to be his second Sunday….at 9AM, he wasn’t there. So we waited a little while. Finally, somebody said, well let’s go ahead and sing until the preacher gets here. So we did. About 9:20 or 9:30, Mrs. Mabel Daniel looked at me and said Phillip, if the preacher doesn’t show up after this next song, you are going to have to preach for us.
WHOA!!!
So I told Dad to play the next song by himself and let me collect my thoughts.
I went to the pulpit, opened my Bible, and prayed….God what would you have me preach?
He led me to this verse….John 4:39…..and I preached a message.
Cumberland Furnace UMC was on a 3 church charge with Vanleer UMC and Cedar Grove UMC. I thought it would be only right for me to go to those churches and offer to preach since they had no idea the preacher wasn’t showing up either.
So get a load of this….at 9AM that Sunday, I didn’t know I was preaching. By Noon that Sunday, I had preached three times in three different churches. HOLY COW!!! That’s when I knew it wasn’t about me and my ability….it was all about God and my AVAILABILTY to Him. He’d bring on the abilities if I’d just make myself available to Him.
What’s so special about John 4:39? It says many Samaritans believed on Jesus because of the Woman at the well which TESTIFIED…..
Did this woman teach a Bible Study? No
Did she preach a sermon? No
Did she host a small group? No
Was she “qualified” by the world’s standards? No…she’d been married 5 times and was living with a man right now.
This woman simply testified about her personal experience with Jesus….and the Bible says that MANY(not a few….many) became followers of Jesus because of her testimony.
So what exactly is keeping me and you from sharing our testimony?
Let me just cut to the chase….there may be people in hell today because you and I didn’t share our testimony with them. Yes….ultimately it was their choice to reject Christ…..but it was also our choice to not share our testimony with them…..and how different would things have turned out if we had simply testified for Jesus?
By the time we get to John 4:53, Jesus is now dealing with a man whose son is at the point of death. Jesus heals the son and The Bible says in Verse 53 that this man “believed and his whole house.”
Does this mean that our parents can make our salvation decision for us? NO NO NO…that is completely against the context of the Bible.
So what does this mean? Parents….Grandparents….get ready…..this verse shows the POWERFUL influence you and I have over our children.
Here’s the stats….80% of the time….if the Father gets saved….the wife and kids get saved also.
Those numbers drop dramatically if it’s just the mother.
We parents have an incredible influence over our children….both for good and for bad.
So how are you influencing your children? Whatever is important to you will become important to them. Whatever you do is what they will do. Be a positive influence for Jesus.
In Chapter 5, Jesus meets a man that has been lame for 38 years….and in Verse 5, Jesus asks this man a very odd question….”Wilt thou be made whole?”
Why did Jesus ask this question?
Again…I’m fixing to dig deep into some of our lives here and probe some very uncomfortable areas.
There’s a lot of us(I said us…not you…I said us…I’m including myself)….there’s a lot of us that give lip service to wanting to be well….to wanting to be whole….to wanting to be better.
But deep down….if the truth was known….we are comfortable where we are right now and we really don’t want to DO THE WORK NECESSARY to change the condition we are in.
Let me use myself as an example here.
I’m overweight….no secret.
John 5:5 could just as easily be Jesus looking at Phillip Chambers and saying “Do you want to lose weight?” On the surface, I’d say….well of course Jesus I want to lose weight.
But what Jesus is drilling down to here is this….Phillip…if you really wanted to lose weight…why aren’t you exercising every day? Why aren’t you watching what you eat better?
You see friends….there’s a lot of us that no longer want to be in the situation we are in….and Jesus is saying to us here in John 5:5…do you really want to be well or are you just saying that?
You see once we do our part to get well…..it’s like this….Jesus will add his SUPER to our natural…..the supernatural will take place like it did for this crippled man….and we will get healed.
We have to make the first move.
We have to really and truly decide we want to be well.
We have to get up and get to work on our end.
Then Jesus will add His Super to our natural and the supernatural will occur.
So what are you waiting on? Do you really want to be well?
John 5:29 is one of the least preached on scriptures in the entire Bible. In fact, I personally don’t know of another preacher that has preached on this verse….I’m sure they have….but I just don’t know them and have never heard it personally.
I’m going to copy and paste it here to make sure you have read it….
John 5:29
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Most people understand the resurrection of life….that’s where our loved ones who have died already are resurrected at the rapture to meet Jesus with us in the air.
But what is this resurrection of damnation? Read Revelation 20:11-15. The resurrection of damnation is where people that die without Christ are brought out of hell to stand judgment before Jesus at the Great White Throne…and then experience the second death as they are cast into the Lake of Fire forever because their sins were not forgiven by Jesus.
You don’t want any part in the resurrection of damnation.
Just imagine….you’re in hell….smoke, fire, torment, torture….you’ve been there for hundreds of years…never ending….then one day….you’re called out of it….and your ecstatic….you think…wow…there must have been some mistake….YAY….but quickly you realize there has not been a mistake….this temporary reprieve is only so you can stand before Jesus Himself in judgment….and at this judgment you are required to give account for every single sin you have ever committed in your entire lifetime. Everything you said you should have said. Everything you did you shouldn’t have done. And by the way….you are standing there naked.
Then….once the verdict is rendered and you are found guilty….you are cast into the Lake of Fire…the second death….to endure a life of torment and torture for all eternity.
Friend….trust me….you want no part in the resurrection of damnation.
In John 6:6, we learn that Jesus tests us….He’s testing Philip in this passage….and likewise Jesus still tests us today.
So what happens in school when we fail a test? We have to go back….study…and take it again.
The same is true for Jesus’ tests….friend….if we don’t pass the tests He gives us….we’ll have to keep taking them again until we do….I hate taking tests over and over because I fail them….how about you?
In John 6:37-39….Jesus gives us some words that are incredibly comforting to me. These verses are just part of my basis for believing in eternal security….the fact that although I’m going to sin after I trust Jesus to be my Saviour….He is in no wise going to cast me out.
You see if our salvation was based on us…..we could lose it.
But it’s not based on us….it’s based on Jesus….He’s perfect….and if He says He’s not going to lose us…then friend….He’s not going to lose us.
That brings me so much comfort.
I’m 43 years old….I got saved at 10….I have done more sinning since I got saved than I did before I got saved….33 years vs 10 years…..but Jesus hasn’t cast me out….I’m still in the palm of His hand…my salvation is secure in Him.
Thank you Lord for your grace when we sin.
Thank you Lord for your security to not throw us out and away.
I sure do love Jesus!!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 24 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
BEFORE WE START: This is the last 7 days of our Pray, Read, Worship, Fast….I’d like to know two things:
1. Do you want to keep going with the Bible Reading? Would you like some more? Not making promises that I will keep doing devos…but just gauging interest.
2. Have you actually read these? Were they good/bad/too much/not enough/what could I do better/what did you like most/what did you like least?
Please leave your responses/feedback in the comments or if you are reading by text….please just respond to the text.
Read John 1-3
John is the last of the 4 Gospels to be written. John takes the other 3 Gospels and fills in the blanks of things that needed to be shared that wasn’t in the others. For example, only in John’s Gospel do we have:
Jesus turning water into wine—John 2
Jesus and Nicodemus—John 3
Jesus and The Woman at the Well—John 4
Jesus and the Woman caught in Adultery—John 8
Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead—John 11
Jesus restoring Peter after his denial—John 21
Another important tidbit about John….John has 21 chapters and has so much good spiritual meat in it. When I meet someone that is not currently reading the Bible each day, I encourage them to start reading in John….1 chapter a day. In 3 weeks, they will have read the entire book and I know it will transform their lives because it has transformed mine!!!
In John 1:1, the Word(Capital W) here is referring to Jesus. Jesus has always been. He may have been born in Bethlehem some 2000 years ago, but that was not His beginning. Jesus always was, always has been, and always will be.
In John 1:3, we learn that Jesus was the author of creation. We know He was present at creation by how God said in Genesis 1, let us make man in OUR image(referring to God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit). This entire world was created by Jesus.
In John 1:6….don’t get confused on which John this is. The Gospel of John was written by John the Apostle or John the Disciple….commonly referred to as The Disciple that Jesus loved. Here in Verse 6, John the Disciple is writing about and referring to John the Baptist, not himself.
In John 1:14, John says that Jesus was FULL of grace and truth….in other words….Jesus didn’t have just a little bit of grace and truth….not just enough to get by….but He actually overflowed with grace and truth….and we see that over and over in His gospels…..
When the world was shaming the woman at the well…..Jesus gave her grace and truth
When the world was accusing the woman caught in adultery….Jesus gave her grace and truth
When Peter felt like 2 cents waiting for change because he denied Jesus….Jesus gave him grace and truth.
If we are going to be true blue followers of Jesus….we absolutely must be full of grace and truth also. We must extend grace to others freely….and everything that comes out of our mouths should be truth.
In John 1:29, John the Baptist refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. Jesus is our sacrificial lamb…not our sacrificial bull…not our sacrificial dove….He was our sacrificial lamb….He went meekly, willingly, and perfectly to the cross….and made the perfect atonement for my sins….your sins….and the sins of the whole world.
Everybody CAN be saved by the blood of Jesus. His sacrifice was enough for the whole world.
But not everybody WILL be saved. Why? Because they choose themselves to reject the sacrifice.
In John 1:35-37, 2 of John the Baptist’s disciple leave him and follow Jesus. How would that make you feel? Somebody you had poured your life into…up and leaves to follow someone else. John had the perfect attitude about it….we will see it later in John 3:30….Jesus must increase and I must decrease.
It’s all about what’s best for the Kingdom of God. I’ve got to be honest with you….one of the hardest things about being a Pastor was when people left the church. It hurt…it cut…it stung…it burned….bad. Some left for petty reasons….but some left because The Lord was calling them other places and to other ministries…..for those….I had to adopt the attitude of John and realize this was way more about The Kingdom of God than me personally.
I hate to break this to you….but the world doesn’t revolve around us friends. Jesus must increase in our lives and we must decrease.
One of these disciples that left John the Baptist was Andrew…the brother of Peter. What does it say Andrew did first thing after he spent time with and met Jesus? The Bible says in John 1:41 that Andrew first found his brother Peter and then in Verse 42 it says Andrew brought Peter to Jesus.
Oh my oh my oh my oh my…..I’m looking for a bunch of Andrews…..people that will bring others to Jesus. People that will do whatever it takes….not give up…not give out….not give in until your lost friends and family are brought to Jesus. It’s our job to bring them….it’s Jesus’ job to clean them!!!
So I’m gonna ask a very pointed question here….this one could sting hard so get ready….who’s the last person you brought to Jesus? How long has it been? Can you remember? If you are having trouble remembering or it’s been a long time….I think by now the Holy Spirit is probably convicting you to change that. Be an Andrew….bring somebody to Jesus.
In John 2, we have the miracle of Jesus turning the water into wine. Just a couple brief but important points from this passage.
John 2:5…Mary tells the servants standing by….”Whatever Jesus tells you to do…do it.” Man alive is this good advice for us or what? Whatever Jesus tells you to do…do it. How many of us are following that advice?
John 2:7…..now hang with me here….Jesus is about to perform the miracle of turning the water into wine….just as “easy” as he performs this miracle, he could have put water in the waterpots also.
But no….Jesus told the servants to fill them up with water….in other words, He wanted their participation in the work of the miracle.
This is a clear pattern of Jesus…..when He raised Lazarus from the dead….He wanted the men to roll away the stone….Jesus could have snapped His fingers and moved the stone Himself….for crying out loud…He was about to call a dead man back to life….but that’s not how Jesus operates. He wanted their participation in the miracle.
So here’s the question….are we in a position right now to be a participant in a miracle of Jesus? I heard a message one time from an evangelist named Phil Glisson. Phil’s message was about getting yourselves in a blessable position. Being in the place where God can use/bless you so you don’t miss out.
Personally, I think it’s awesome that Jesus even allows us to participate in His work. He doesn’t need us…He’s God…but He gives us the privilege to partner and work alongside Him. Don’t take that privilege for granted. Make sure you are in a blessable position where The Lord can use you in His work.
That brings us to John Chapter 3….one of my favorite chapters(Along with Romans 8 and Philippians 4) in the entire Bible.
Right off the bat, Jesus cuts to the chase with Nicodemus….You must be born again. Nicodemus doesn’t understand. He thinks Jesus is talking about crawling back up in our mommas to be physically born again. But Jesus further explains things in Verse 5 when He says…no….I’m talking about being born again spiritually.
Lets talk about that concept of being born again…..every one of us has a birthday….the date we were physically born. My birthdate is November 30th, 1976. Mom and Dad have told me the story many times. Snow on the ground. Car quit on them 3 times going to the hospital. This was a specific event that can be remembered and recorded by those there.
Likewise….our salvation experience should have a specific date/event also. Now we may not remember the exact date….I had the wrong date in mind for years….I thought I got saved on February 2nd…it was actually February 8th. But that’s not the point.
Here’s the point….many people today say “they’ve always been a Christian”….wrong.
Others say….”Well I just kinda started going to church and people just assumed I was a Christian so I did too”….wrong.
My friend….just like there is a specific date/time/event for your physical birth….there must be one for your spiritual birth also….and I can surely testify to you today….if you have happen to you what happened to me when I was born again….you’ll remember it. I can promise you that.
When were you born again?
Secondly….I want to talk about people born with a sin nature. I’ve heard many many people say when talking about their sin….”Well I was born this way…..” I’d always struggled with that because….yes we are born with a sin nature in us…but ultimately, it’s my choice to eat that extra piece of pie that Mom made.
Then one day, I heard a great preacher say this….”The question is not if they were born that way or not….the question is, have they been born again?” WOW!!! Because unless we are born again, we will never have power over whatever sin it is we deal with.
That brings us to John 3:16….I could do a whole devo on this one verse…the most famous verse in the world. I like how my friend, David Lavell, breaks down John 3:16 as a witnessing tool.
He loves….Jesus loves us no matter what. Unconditional. Not our judge till after we die. As long as we have breath…He loves us.
He gave….you can give without loving…but you can’t really love someone without giving. Because God loves us so much….He gave us the most precious thing to Him….His one and only Son….Jesus.
We believe….do we believe that Jesus was God’s son? Do we believe He lived a perfect life? Do we believe that Jesus sacrifice on the cross was enough to save us from our sins?
We live…if we do believe, we will have everlasting life
I used to think God was a mean God….forcing His Son to die on Calvary. But after I had children….I realized that God was anything but mean….in fact…the love He showed us by giving Jesus for us….wow….I couldn’t do that for anybody. I don’t love anybody enough to sacrifice Caroline or Abigail for them. But that’s how much God loves us.
Before we get off John 3:16….I need you to notice one more thing….the first time this verse was ever spoken….it wasn’t to a big crowd of people…it wasn’t in some great colleseum….it wasn’t in Jesus’ sermon on the mount….No…it was one on one….at night…to a very religious yet very lost man.
That shows us the personal nature of John 3:16….Yes Jesus loves the whole world….but we could replace the words “the world” in John 3:16 with our names and it would be true also…..For God so loved Phillip Chambers…..that He gave His only begotten Son….
WOW…now that’s what I call love.
Don’t skip over John 3:17….so many people think Jesus came to condemn us for our sins….no no no…He came to save us from our sins.
Why do so many non-believers think Jesus came to condemn us? I’ll tell you why….it’s because those of us that claim to be his followers have been so judgmental and condemning toward them.
Jesus didn’t come to condemn people….and we shouldn’t either.
He came to save them….and like Andrew….we should be bringing people to Jesus for Him to save also. Remember….He wants us to participate in the miracle.
Next time you run into somebody that’s messed up their lives royally…..don’t forget….
Jesus loves them
He died for them
He doesn’t want to condemn them
He came to save them
We just need to participate in the miracle of their salvation by bringing them to Jesus….by whatever means necessary…..
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 23 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Luke 22-24
In Luke 22:6, The Bible says Judas wanted to betray Jesus IN THE ABSENCE OF THE MULTITUDE. This is how cowards work my friends….most of the time, they will do things behind your back….but if they do happen to do it to your face, they certainly won’t do it with a crowd around.
This is a mistake I made in my ministry….people would complain to me and just complain, complain, complain, complain. They’d get me cornered or by myself….see the opportunity to pounce and there they’d go unloading on me. A more seasoned minister told me that I should’ve only listened to complaints with all the deacons present….that if folks knew they couldn’t just get me cornered and run their mouths….instead…they were going to have to show their true colors in front of me and all the deacons too, it would’ve been better.
I don’t know if it would’ve been better or not….but I do know it sure would’ve cut down on the amount of complaints I fielded.
Bottom line….recognize that the devil likes to work against us when there’s not a crowd around.
In Luke 22:19, we have Luke’s record of The Last Supper….Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and told the disciples to take and eat it for this was His body broken for them. Then He took the cup, did the same thing, and told them to drink it for this is His blood shed for them.
Friends….hopefully all of us go to churches that observe The Lord’s Supper. Next time your church observes The Lord’s Supper….please don’t take it lightly. Please don’t spend that time making a shopping list or thinking of other things you’ve got to do. Please….please…take that special, holy time and remember what Jesus did for you by offering His body and blood on Calvary. The Lord’s Supper is a very very special time to me.
Luke 22:44 talks about the agony that Jesus faced as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. This was not a walk in the park. This was tough stuff….and think about it this way…..many of us agonize because we don’t know what the future holds…..Jesus did know what the future held and He agonized more than me and you ever will over something.
Was the physical pain tough? You better believe it….but the emotional toil was just as bad if not worse.
In Luke 22:62, when Peter denied Christ the 3rd time, The Bible says he went out and wept bitterly. If we are true followers of Jesus Christ, it will bother us to deny Him. That’s called conviction. The Holy Spirit that lives inside of us will turn our insides upside down and make us extremely uncomfortable. If you don’t experience that kind of conviction when you sin….then my friend….you better do a heart check up and make sure you are even saved!!!
In Luke 23, Pilate tried to pass the buck and not make a decision about Jesus. Herod was in town and when he heard that Jesus lived in Herod’s jurisdiction, Pilate passed Jesus off to Herod.
Did it work for Pilate? Nope….and guess what….it won’t work for us either. There’s no passing the buck when it comes to our decision about Jesus….nobody else can make your decision for you. You and you alone are responsible for your decision alone and nobody else’s.
In Luke 23:12, we learn that Pilate and Herod were enemies before Pilate passed off Jesus to Herod…but on the day they both gained a common enemy in Jesus, they became friends.
Oh my goodness friends….without question….this was probably one of the biggest mistakes of my ministry and the most frustrating thing I did and dealt with. Invariably, conflict would come up between two adults in the church…one or both of the parties would come to me….and I’d try to intervene/mediate in order to keep peace and unity in the church.
You know what ended up happening 99.9% of the time….the two people mad at each other would gain a common enemy(me….the peacemaker/mediator), and the next thing you know….these two that hated each other were going out to eat and having roasted preacher for supper.
I’ve learned my lesson….no more mediation for me if I can help it….I’m tired of becoming a common enemy just because I was trying to make peace…..in the future, just gonna let those two women duke it out and I’ll keep my phone handy to call 911 if needed.
If becoming a common enemy of people and making them friends can happen to Jesus….don’t be surprised when/if it happens to us as well.
In Luke 23:34, we see some of the most famous words Jesus ever uttered….and He said these while hanging on the cross….naked…beat within an inch of His life….with a massive crowd of people mocking and hurling insults at them……While all this is going on, Jesus says, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
WOW WOW WOW WOW
I’ve confessed this to you already….I’m having trouble with bitterness over people that ran their mouths about me…..that’s nowhere near what Jesus went through and He’s asking His Father to forgive them.
Dear Lord….please help me to be more like you….please let my heart be like your heart….please help me to learn to forgive.
In Luke 23:42-43, we have the blessed account of the thief on the cross. Now we learn from Matthew’s Gospel that both thieves on the cross were mocking Jesus earlier…..but something changed this particular thief’s mind about Jesus….maybe it was watching Jesus pray for His forgiveness just a few verses earlier….regardless….this thief repents and asks Jesus to remember Him when He comes into His kingdom….then Jesus utters those blessed words, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
A few things…
1. The Lord accepts death bed confessions. They are certainly not ideal….they are not the way The Lord intends for us to come….and certainly it’s too big a risk to gamble on waiting for a deathbed confession…..but praise The Lord, Jesus accepts them. Remember, it’s not about what we do to earn our salvation….it’s all about what Jesus has done for us.
2. With Jesus telling the thief that today he was going to be in paradise with Jesus….this reinforces that when we die, we are absent from the body and immediately in the presence of The Lord Jesus.
In Luke 23:46, we see Jesus’ final words on the cross, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” and then the Bible says Jesus GAVE up the ghost.
This may sound like semantics to you….but it’s very important.
Pilate, The Pharisees, The Scribes….they didn’t kill Jesus….no….Jesus willingly GAVE His life on the cross for me and for you. He could have called 10,000 angels at any time to rescue Him from The Old Rugged Cross….but He didn’t….why? Because of how much He loves us. Jesus gave His life for us…it was not taken from Him.
In Luke 24, we have the only detailed account of the two disciples that met the resurrected Jesus on the road to Emmaus. They were walking…they met a stranger…told Him what was going on…then the stranger explained it all in the scriptures for them. They asked the stranger to stay with them for the night and The Bible says that when the stranger(Jesus), brake the bread and blessed it….they recognized Him and He disappeared.
Wonder if it was the breaking of the bread that jogged their memory?
Wonder if when Jesus broke the bread they could see the scars in His hands?
We don’t know….but what we do know is that this was 2 more confirmed eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The last verse of Luke’s Gospel….Chapter 24, Verse 53 says that after Jesus ascended into Heaven, His remaining disciples were continually praising and blessing God.
Can that be said about us? Are we continually praising and blessing God?
Or are we continually griping and complaining?
Or are we simply keeping our mouths shut?
The Bible is pretty clear friends….we should be in a continuous attitude of gratitude to Jesus for all He’s done for us.
Get your praise shoes on and get to praising Him today my friends!!!
Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye The Lord!! Psalm 150:6
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Luke 22-24
In Luke 22:6, The Bible says Judas wanted to betray Jesus IN THE ABSENCE OF THE MULTITUDE. This is how cowards work my friends….most of the time, they will do things behind your back….but if they do happen to do it to your face, they certainly won’t do it with a crowd around.
This is a mistake I made in my ministry….people would complain to me and just complain, complain, complain, complain. They’d get me cornered or by myself….see the opportunity to pounce and there they’d go unloading on me. A more seasoned minister told me that I should’ve only listened to complaints with all the deacons present….that if folks knew they couldn’t just get me cornered and run their mouths….instead…they were going to have to show their true colors in front of me and all the deacons too, it would’ve been better.
I don’t know if it would’ve been better or not….but I do know it sure would’ve cut down on the amount of complaints I fielded.
Bottom line….recognize that the devil likes to work against us when there’s not a crowd around.
In Luke 22:19, we have Luke’s record of The Last Supper….Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and told the disciples to take and eat it for this was His body broken for them. Then He took the cup, did the same thing, and told them to drink it for this is His blood shed for them.
Friends….hopefully all of us go to churches that observe The Lord’s Supper. Next time your church observes The Lord’s Supper….please don’t take it lightly. Please don’t spend that time making a shopping list or thinking of other things you’ve got to do. Please….please…take that special, holy time and remember what Jesus did for you by offering His body and blood on Calvary. The Lord’s Supper is a very very special time to me.
Luke 22:44 talks about the agony that Jesus faced as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. This was not a walk in the park. This was tough stuff….and think about it this way…..many of us agonize because we don’t know what the future holds…..Jesus did know what the future held and He agonized more than me and you ever will over something.
Was the physical pain tough? You better believe it….but the emotional toil was just as bad if not worse.
In Luke 22:62, when Peter denied Christ the 3rd time, The Bible says he went out and wept bitterly. If we are true followers of Jesus Christ, it will bother us to deny Him. That’s called conviction. The Holy Spirit that lives inside of us will turn our insides upside down and make us extremely uncomfortable. If you don’t experience that kind of conviction when you sin….then my friend….you better do a heart check up and make sure you are even saved!!!
In Luke 23, Pilate tried to pass the buck and not make a decision about Jesus. Herod was in town and when he heard that Jesus lived in Herod’s jurisdiction, Pilate passed Jesus off to Herod.
Did it work for Pilate? Nope….and guess what….it won’t work for us either. There’s no passing the buck when it comes to our decision about Jesus….nobody else can make your decision for you. You and you alone are responsible for your decision alone and nobody else’s.
In Luke 23:12, we learn that Pilate and Herod were enemies before Pilate passed off Jesus to Herod…but on the day they both gained a common enemy in Jesus, they became friends.
Oh my goodness friends….without question….this was probably one of the biggest mistakes of my ministry and the most frustrating thing I did and dealt with. Invariably, conflict would come up between two adults in the church…one or both of the parties would come to me….and I’d try to intervene/mediate in order to keep peace and unity in the church.
You know what ended up happening 99.9% of the time….the two people mad at each other would gain a common enemy(me….the peacemaker/mediator), and the next thing you know….these two that hated each other were going out to eat and having roasted preacher for supper.
I’ve learned my lesson….no more mediation for me if I can help it….I’m tired of becoming a common enemy just because I was trying to make peace…..in the future, just gonna let those two women duke it out and I’ll keep my phone handy to call 911 if needed.
If becoming a common enemy of people and making them friends can happen to Jesus….don’t be surprised when/if it happens to us as well.
In Luke 23:34, we see some of the most famous words Jesus ever uttered….and He said these while hanging on the cross….naked…beat within an inch of His life….with a massive crowd of people mocking and hurling insults at them……While all this is going on, Jesus says, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
WOW WOW WOW WOW
I’ve confessed this to you already….I’m having trouble with bitterness over people that ran their mouths about me…..that’s nowhere near what Jesus went through and He’s asking His Father to forgive them.
Dear Lord….please help me to be more like you….please let my heart be like your heart….please help me to learn to forgive.
In Luke 23:42-43, we have the blessed account of the thief on the cross. Now we learn from Matthew’s Gospel that both thieves on the cross were mocking Jesus earlier…..but something changed this particular thief’s mind about Jesus….maybe it was watching Jesus pray for His forgiveness just a few verses earlier….regardless….this thief repents and asks Jesus to remember Him when He comes into His kingdom….then Jesus utters those blessed words, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
A few things…
1. The Lord accepts death bed confessions. They are certainly not ideal….they are not the way The Lord intends for us to come….and certainly it’s too big a risk to gamble on waiting for a deathbed confession…..but praise The Lord, Jesus accepts them. Remember, it’s not about what we do to earn our salvation….it’s all about what Jesus has done for us.
2. With Jesus telling the thief that today he was going to be in paradise with Jesus….this reinforces that when we die, we are absent from the body and immediately in the presence of The Lord Jesus.
In Luke 23:46, we see Jesus’ final words on the cross, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” and then the Bible says Jesus GAVE up the ghost.
This may sound like semantics to you….but it’s very important.
Pilate, The Pharisees, The Scribes….they didn’t kill Jesus….no….Jesus willingly GAVE His life on the cross for me and for you. He could have called 10,000 angels at any time to rescue Him from The Old Rugged Cross….but He didn’t….why? Because of how much He loves us. Jesus gave His life for us…it was not taken from Him.
In Luke 24, we have the only detailed account of the two disciples that met the resurrected Jesus on the road to Emmaus. They were walking…they met a stranger…told Him what was going on…then the stranger explained it all in the scriptures for them. They asked the stranger to stay with them for the night and The Bible says that when the stranger(Jesus), brake the bread and blessed it….they recognized Him and He disappeared.
Wonder if it was the breaking of the bread that jogged their memory?
Wonder if when Jesus broke the bread they could see the scars in His hands?
We don’t know….but what we do know is that this was 2 more confirmed eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The last verse of Luke’s Gospel….Chapter 24, Verse 53 says that after Jesus ascended into Heaven, His remaining disciples were continually praising and blessing God.
Can that be said about us? Are we continually praising and blessing God?
Or are we continually griping and complaining?
Or are we simply keeping our mouths shut?
The Bible is pretty clear friends….we should be in a continuous attitude of gratitude to Jesus for all He’s done for us.
Get your praise shoes on and get to praising Him today my friends!!!
Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye The Lord!! Psalm 150:6
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 22 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Luke 19-21
At the beginning of Luke 19, we have the story of Zacchaeus. Notice in Verse 5, Jesus calls Zacchaeus by name. My friends….take comfort that The Lord Jesus knows each and every one of our names.
President Donald Trump doesn’t know my name
Former Vice-President Biden doesn’t know my name
Senators Alexander and Blackburn don’t know my name
The Federal Government knows me by my Social Security Number
The Tennessee Department of Transportation knows me by my Driver’s License Number
The Tennessee Wildlife Resource’s Agency knows me by my TWRA Number.
The bank knows me by my account number
The insurance company knows me by my policy number
The credit card company knows me by my credit card number
The post office knows me by my address
The pharmacy knows me by my date of birth
Verizon knows me by my cell phone number
AT&T knows me by my home phone number
Bellsouth knows me by my email address
Ford knows me by the VIN number on my truck
BUT JESUS KNOWS ME BY MY NAME!!!!!
And He’s far more important than the President or any of the other companies I do business with.
The Lord knows you my friend.
He sees you.
He hasn’t forgotten about you.
He loves you.
He cares for you.
How incredible is it that the Creator of the entire Universe knows each and every one of our names! WOW!!!
In Luke 19:10….notice a very important word….seek….The Lord came to SEEK AND SAVE that which was lost. We all think about John 3:16 and how Jesus came to save the world. But we must also be SEEKING those who The Lord wants to save.
Follow me here….about to put this in plain English…..a church that thinks sinners are just going to come in on their own and get saved is about like a Police Department thinking the criminals are just gonna walk up to their doors and turn themselves in.
Do some people walk into church on their own and get saved? Yes
Do some criminals walk into the police precinct and turn themselves in? Yes
But do the majority of either of these? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!
So here’s the question my friend….who are you seeking out to tell about Jesus? Are you on the lookout, seeking lost people to share the message of Jesus with? If we are not actively seeking lost people to evangelize, we are not doing the Kingdom work that Jesus called us to.
We then move to the parable of the 10 servants….the message in this is clear….The Lord expects us to use the talents and abilities He gave us to bring fruit/return for His Kingdom.
So here’s a 2 part question to ponder:
1. What talents and abilities has The Lord blessed you with? If you honestly don’t know….ask somebody.
2. How are you using those talents and abilities for The Lord? Be real…be honest….you may fool me, but there’s no fooling God.
Speaking of using things for The Kingdom…..in Verse 31, Jesus is getting a donkey to ride into Jerusalem on. He gives the disciples instructions as to what to say if the owners say anything….”The Lord hath need of them.”
The donkey represented this person’s mode of transportation.
So Jesus is saying to us….God needs our mode of transportation….in other words….how can we be using our truck/car/vehicle to benefit the Kingdom of God.
A few ideas….blessing bags. Just google them….Ziploc bags with snacks/socks/water/Gospel Tracts in them that you give to homeless/those begging for money. Make some blessing bags and keep them in your car to hand out.
Use your car/truck to help someone in need.
Give someone under the age of 16 a ride to church….specifically grandchildren whose lazy parents won’t get out of bed on Sunday morning.
Pray about it and see how The Lord can use your vehicle for His Kingdom work.
In Chapter 20….verse 1….we see two words used that are often interchanged with each other….but are totally different. Teaching and Preaching.
Make no mistake….
Preachers can be teachers
Teachers can be preachers
But when its time to preach….PREACH
And when its time to teach….TEACH.
Don’t get me wrong….the most important part of a sermon is the content. But the second most important part, in my opinion, is the delivery of said content. If delivery wasn’t important….we’d all just get up there and in a monotone voice we would read exactly word for word what’s on the paper.
That’s why I would work on my delivery also when preparing for a sermon….not as much as I’d work on content….but I’d still work on it.
If delivery was most important….I’d be an entertainer….not a preacher.
Delivery is not most important….content is….but I believe with all my heart that delivery is 2nd most important.
Several of you have commented that these devos are very relatable. That is by design. It’s on purpose. That is not an accident. I make them relatable for the sake of helping us all remember the most important thing about them….the content.
So if any preachers are reading this…..figure out what you need to do to work on your delivery so people will remember the content you are giving them.
Gotta share something new The Lord just gave me here…..In Verses 23-25….we have where Jesus is asked if its lawful to pay taxes….He asks for a coin….and He asks a question….whose IMAGE is on the coin? The people answer Caesar’s. Then Jesus says….render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.
Here’s the new Maranatha The Lord just gave me…..it may be Caesar’s image on the coin….But Lord has placed HIS IMAGE on us. What does Genesis 1 say? The Lord created man IN HIS IMAGE….IN THE IMAGE OF GOD CREATED HE MALE AND FEMALE.
So that means we are to render ourselves to The Lord.
A wise preacher once told me….”Phillip, God doesn’t want your ability….He wants your availability.”
Are we making ourselves available to God for whatever it is He wants to do with our lives?
Much easier said than done…..Please pray for me as I’m trying to figure out the next step in my life for The Lord.
In Luke 20:36, we are told that in Heaven, there is no more death. In the next book of the Bible, John….in Chapter 3….Jesus says that in order to get to Heaven…we must be born again….not a physical re-birth….but a spiritual re-birth.
With that in mind….I’ve heard this and its helped me remember this concept.
If you’re born twice in this life, you will only die once.
But if you’re only born once in this life, you will die twice….your physical death and your spiritual death where you are cast into the Lake of Fire forever(John 5:29 & Revelation 20)
In Luke 21:26….Jesus says that the end times will be marked by men’s hearts failing them for fear. That’s a sure enough sign that’s taking place today. So many people are living in fear of this coronavirus. Jesus said this was going to happen.
Jesus also predicted the re-birth of the nation of Israel in Verses 29-32 as a sign of the end times….the fig tree in these verses is symbolic of the nation of Israel. This prophecy was fulfilled on May 14th, 1948….almost 72 years ago. Wow wow wow….it’s getting close friends…..and did you read yesterday about the new “emergency government” being formed in Israel as a compromise? I’m telling you….that is doing nothing but paving the way for anti-Christ when he shows up on the scene.
Lastly, Luke 21:36 reminds us to be praying always. Maintain a spirit of prayer all throughout the day. We are also reminded of this in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 where it says we are to pray without ceasing.
I’m constantly talking with God all day long….if you didn’t know what I was doing…you might think I was talking to myself….but no….I am constantly talking with God all day….a continuous conversation from the time my eyes open in the morning till they close at night.
If you do the same….your life will be greatly enriched as mine has.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Luke 19-21
At the beginning of Luke 19, we have the story of Zacchaeus. Notice in Verse 5, Jesus calls Zacchaeus by name. My friends….take comfort that The Lord Jesus knows each and every one of our names.
President Donald Trump doesn’t know my name
Former Vice-President Biden doesn’t know my name
Senators Alexander and Blackburn don’t know my name
The Federal Government knows me by my Social Security Number
The Tennessee Department of Transportation knows me by my Driver’s License Number
The Tennessee Wildlife Resource’s Agency knows me by my TWRA Number.
The bank knows me by my account number
The insurance company knows me by my policy number
The credit card company knows me by my credit card number
The post office knows me by my address
The pharmacy knows me by my date of birth
Verizon knows me by my cell phone number
AT&T knows me by my home phone number
Bellsouth knows me by my email address
Ford knows me by the VIN number on my truck
BUT JESUS KNOWS ME BY MY NAME!!!!!
And He’s far more important than the President or any of the other companies I do business with.
The Lord knows you my friend.
He sees you.
He hasn’t forgotten about you.
He loves you.
He cares for you.
How incredible is it that the Creator of the entire Universe knows each and every one of our names! WOW!!!
In Luke 19:10….notice a very important word….seek….The Lord came to SEEK AND SAVE that which was lost. We all think about John 3:16 and how Jesus came to save the world. But we must also be SEEKING those who The Lord wants to save.
Follow me here….about to put this in plain English…..a church that thinks sinners are just going to come in on their own and get saved is about like a Police Department thinking the criminals are just gonna walk up to their doors and turn themselves in.
Do some people walk into church on their own and get saved? Yes
Do some criminals walk into the police precinct and turn themselves in? Yes
But do the majority of either of these? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!
So here’s the question my friend….who are you seeking out to tell about Jesus? Are you on the lookout, seeking lost people to share the message of Jesus with? If we are not actively seeking lost people to evangelize, we are not doing the Kingdom work that Jesus called us to.
We then move to the parable of the 10 servants….the message in this is clear….The Lord expects us to use the talents and abilities He gave us to bring fruit/return for His Kingdom.
So here’s a 2 part question to ponder:
1. What talents and abilities has The Lord blessed you with? If you honestly don’t know….ask somebody.
2. How are you using those talents and abilities for The Lord? Be real…be honest….you may fool me, but there’s no fooling God.
Speaking of using things for The Kingdom…..in Verse 31, Jesus is getting a donkey to ride into Jerusalem on. He gives the disciples instructions as to what to say if the owners say anything….”The Lord hath need of them.”
The donkey represented this person’s mode of transportation.
So Jesus is saying to us….God needs our mode of transportation….in other words….how can we be using our truck/car/vehicle to benefit the Kingdom of God.
A few ideas….blessing bags. Just google them….Ziploc bags with snacks/socks/water/Gospel Tracts in them that you give to homeless/those begging for money. Make some blessing bags and keep them in your car to hand out.
Use your car/truck to help someone in need.
Give someone under the age of 16 a ride to church….specifically grandchildren whose lazy parents won’t get out of bed on Sunday morning.
Pray about it and see how The Lord can use your vehicle for His Kingdom work.
In Chapter 20….verse 1….we see two words used that are often interchanged with each other….but are totally different. Teaching and Preaching.
Make no mistake….
Preachers can be teachers
Teachers can be preachers
But when its time to preach….PREACH
And when its time to teach….TEACH.
Don’t get me wrong….the most important part of a sermon is the content. But the second most important part, in my opinion, is the delivery of said content. If delivery wasn’t important….we’d all just get up there and in a monotone voice we would read exactly word for word what’s on the paper.
That’s why I would work on my delivery also when preparing for a sermon….not as much as I’d work on content….but I’d still work on it.
If delivery was most important….I’d be an entertainer….not a preacher.
Delivery is not most important….content is….but I believe with all my heart that delivery is 2nd most important.
Several of you have commented that these devos are very relatable. That is by design. It’s on purpose. That is not an accident. I make them relatable for the sake of helping us all remember the most important thing about them….the content.
So if any preachers are reading this…..figure out what you need to do to work on your delivery so people will remember the content you are giving them.
Gotta share something new The Lord just gave me here…..In Verses 23-25….we have where Jesus is asked if its lawful to pay taxes….He asks for a coin….and He asks a question….whose IMAGE is on the coin? The people answer Caesar’s. Then Jesus says….render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.
Here’s the new Maranatha The Lord just gave me…..it may be Caesar’s image on the coin….But Lord has placed HIS IMAGE on us. What does Genesis 1 say? The Lord created man IN HIS IMAGE….IN THE IMAGE OF GOD CREATED HE MALE AND FEMALE.
So that means we are to render ourselves to The Lord.
A wise preacher once told me….”Phillip, God doesn’t want your ability….He wants your availability.”
Are we making ourselves available to God for whatever it is He wants to do with our lives?
Much easier said than done…..Please pray for me as I’m trying to figure out the next step in my life for The Lord.
In Luke 20:36, we are told that in Heaven, there is no more death. In the next book of the Bible, John….in Chapter 3….Jesus says that in order to get to Heaven…we must be born again….not a physical re-birth….but a spiritual re-birth.
With that in mind….I’ve heard this and its helped me remember this concept.
If you’re born twice in this life, you will only die once.
But if you’re only born once in this life, you will die twice….your physical death and your spiritual death where you are cast into the Lake of Fire forever(John 5:29 & Revelation 20)
In Luke 21:26….Jesus says that the end times will be marked by men’s hearts failing them for fear. That’s a sure enough sign that’s taking place today. So many people are living in fear of this coronavirus. Jesus said this was going to happen.
Jesus also predicted the re-birth of the nation of Israel in Verses 29-32 as a sign of the end times….the fig tree in these verses is symbolic of the nation of Israel. This prophecy was fulfilled on May 14th, 1948….almost 72 years ago. Wow wow wow….it’s getting close friends…..and did you read yesterday about the new “emergency government” being formed in Israel as a compromise? I’m telling you….that is doing nothing but paving the way for anti-Christ when he shows up on the scene.
Lastly, Luke 21:36 reminds us to be praying always. Maintain a spirit of prayer all throughout the day. We are also reminded of this in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 where it says we are to pray without ceasing.
I’m constantly talking with God all day long….if you didn’t know what I was doing…you might think I was talking to myself….but no….I am constantly talking with God all day….a continuous conversation from the time my eyes open in the morning till they close at night.
If you do the same….your life will be greatly enriched as mine has.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 21 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Luke 16-18
In Luke 16:9, there are 3 words I’d like us to notice…..when ye fail.
The Bible doesn’t say if you fail, should you fail, could you fail…..no it says WHEN you fail.
Are there any perfectionists out there besides me? I absolutely hate making mistakes….why? Because I hate paying the piper….I hate paying the consequences that come with making a mistake.
But the Bible says here that it’s a fact….it’s a when….not an if….it’s a when we make mistakes. I’m trying to learn to give myself some grace. I’ve been told numerous times that I need to learn not to be so hard on myself….that I’m actually doing myself more harm by being so hard on myself.
Lord….please help me….and others….to realize that we aren’t perfect. We are going to make mistakes. And that process of making mistakes is how you mold us into what you want us to be.
Just look at the disciples…especially Peter.
Consider Paul
Consider David
Consider Moses
The Lord used their mistakes to mold and make them into useful vessels for the work of the Kingdom.
Lord….please do the same with me.
In Luke 16:10 we see that money is a test God uses to measure our faith in Him. For example, take me and my two girls. When they were little, I’d give them a quarter or a nickel and they’d leave it lying around, drop it somewhere, and lose it. It wasn’t until they started taking care of the nickels and quarters that I would give them a dollar….once they learned to manage and save their dollars….well that’s when I started giving them more money.
That’s exactly how it works for us and The Lord…..He gives us a little bit….and once we learn to handle and manage the little bit like He wants us to, He will give us some more. It only makes sense. Why would The Lord entrust us with great riches if we can’t handle the few dollars He’s entrusted us with right now?
So here’s the question….how are you managing/stewarding the Lord’s money that He’s given you so far? If you are giving Him the first 10% in tithe….being generous with others in need….not being wasteful….He will continue to bless and entrust you with more.
Luke 16:13 is where we get one of the most famous and most practical verses in the Bible….no man can serve two masters….he will either hate the one and love the other or love the one and hate the other…you cannot serve God and money.
Raise your hand if you’ve tried to serve God and money both in your lifetime….yep….me too….we all have. Hopefully we have all stopped trying by now because it can’t be done.
The choice is ours….will The Lord be our God? Or will money be our God?
Money disappears….The Bible says it flies away…that is the truth!!!
But God never does disappear on me….He’s always there and ready to help.
Pay close attention to Luke 16:15….”that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” In other words…just because something is LEGAL does not mean it is RIGHT in the eyes of God.
Need some examples????
Abortion….its legal…but it’s not right in God’s eyes.
Homosexual marriage….its legal…but it’s not right in God’s eyes.
Promiscuity….a man is looked on as a stud if He’s had a bunch of women….but it’s not right in God’s eyes.
Can you explain something to me? How is it that an abortion clinic is deemed necessary in a pandemic…the judge even orders all the abortion clinics to remain open…..but my eye doctor’s office is not and therefore its closed.
My daughter Abigail….her glasses broke….can’t get them fixed till after all this is over and they open up again. Absolutely ridiculous.
In Luke 16:22-23, we learn something very very important. This is the account of the Rich man and Lazarus….they both die….Lazarus immediately goes to Heaven…..the rich man immediately goes to hell.
Here’s what’s so important to recognize…..one of our favorite verses to quote at a funeral is 2 Corinthians 5:8 which says that believers are absent from the body and present with The Lord. In other words….when we take our last breath here on Earth….we don’t go to a holding area….If we are a believer, we go straight to Heaven to be with The Lord….just like Lazarus did here in Luke 16.
But the opposite is true for those who are not believers…..once they take their last breath here on Earth….there’s no going to purgatory to get prayed out and into Heaven by the saints left behind. Nope…when a non-believer takes their last breath on Earth….they immediately wake up in hell….just like the rich man in this passage.
And as we see in this passage….there’s no relief in hell and there’s no escape from hell. Once you get to hell….ITS TOO LATE.
So if you haven’t made your arrangements to miss hell….
Or
If you are not 100% sure where you would go if you were to take your last breath today….
My friend….get everything squared away with Jesus RIGHT NOW. Stop what you are doing and pray. Get right with The Lord this very moment. Cause once you get to hell….it’s too late.
In Luke 17:5-6, we learn a very important lesson. The disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith. Jesus teaches them and us a very valuable lesson….how much faith we have is not near as important as the object we are putting our faith in. We can have just a little bit of faith….as small as a grain of mustard seed….and if that little bit of faith is placed in The Lord Jesus Christ….great things can and will happen.
Likewise….we can have all the faith in the world in our government and elected officials….but that great faith in them does not remove the fact that they will let us down and disappoint us….OFTEN!!!
The object of our faith is more important than the amount of faith we have.
In Luke 17:11….we get the story of the 10 lepers that Jesus healed….only 1 of which returned to give thanks to Jesus for His healing. The lesson is pretty clear here for us…..BE THANKFUL. If you are going to ask The Lord to do something….when He does it….make sure you thank Him.
When I was Pastoring….if we would pray and ask The Lord to bless our VBS, or Car Show, or Easter Services….after He did….we would come back together and thank Him for it. Pretty simple.
But how many people actually do this?
Let’s dig a little deeper? When is the last time you specifically thanked The Lord for a specific prayer of yours He answered.
I’m thinking about one right now that I haven’t thanked God for. There’s a man that reads these devos every day….my former basketball coach and teacher….Coach Mike Hendricks. I love Coach to death….one of the most influential teachers in my life in all my years of school. As you may have read on Facebook….Coach got the Coronavirus and was put in the hospital….sick dude. Man alive did I pray for him….I love coach. Thankfully he’s recovered.
But as I’m typing this Bible Study out….I’m realizing that I haven’t thanked The Lord for healing Coach Hendricks. So I’m gonna stop right now and do that.
I want to encourage you to do the same….examine your prayer life….what have you prayed for that God has answered….but you haven’t properly thanked Him for it. Stop and thank Him right now.
In Luke 17:21….Jesus corrects some misconceptions people have about The Kingdom of God. Many believers think that The Kingdom of God is currently in Heaven and won’t be established on Earth until Jesus returns.
Incorrect
Right here The Bible says that The Kingdom of God is inside us. If we believe….if we are followers of Jesus…then there’s no waiting till a later date for the Kingdom of God to be established….it’s here right now inside of us in the form of The Holy Spirit that lives within us. WOW!!! What an honor to be host to The Kingdom of God on Earth.
Luke 17:32 is one of the shortest verses in the Bible….only 3 words….Remember Lot’s wife.
Lot’s wife was disobedient….she deliberately disobeyed the instructions given to her from The Lord.
Lots’ wife looked back….we can’t change our past….we can only change our future
Lot’s wife valued her stuff more than she valued her family and her life….how many of us do that?
We would all do well to remember Lot’s wife….and learn from her mistakes.
A few Bible studies ago, I spoke about the rapture. People who don’t believe in the rapture say they don’t believe in it because the word rapture is not mentioned in the Bible. That is correct….but here in Luke 17:34-36, the concept of the rapture is clearly here….two in bed….rapture takes place….one goes to be with Jesus…the other left behind. Two people at work….rapture takes place….one goes to be with Jesus…the other left behind. The concept of the rapture is crystal clear in scripture.
Besides….don’t give me that bologna that just because it doesn’t say the specific word in the Bible that you don’t believe in it.
My version of the Bible doesn’t use the words “air conditioning”, “indoor plumbing” or “electricity”….but make no mistake friends, I believe in and enjoy all three of these!!!
Once again at the beginning of Luke 18, we are reminded of the importance and value of persistent prayer. If persistent prayer wasn’t important…we would have fasted and prayed for 1 day. But that’s not how it works….prayer is to be persistent…..so we are fasting and praying for the same thing for 30 days.
And by the way….our prayers for the Coronavirus appear to be working…..it was announced yesterday that the last day of shelter at home order in Tennessee is April 30th. When is the last day of our fasting and prayer? April 30th. Coincidence? You’ll never convince me it is.
Luke 18:9-14 shows that we don’t need to brag or remind God in prayer of what we’ve done and who we are. He knows….and besides….our righteous is as filthy rags before Him. It’s not about what we do…it’s all about what He’s done for us.
Which leads me to the last thing I’d like to touch on today…..something very thought provoking. Luke 18:40-41….Blind man is begging….Jesus answers His begging by saying “What would you like me to do for you?”….In Verse 41 the blind man answers “That I might receive my sight.”
Now on the surface that seems simple and easy enough….but think about it….He could have asked for money so he never had to beg again. He could have asked for helpers to help him get around. He could have asked to become a King so he could be waited on hand and foot for the rest of his life.
But no…the blind man immediately asked for his sight.
Here’s my thought provoking question to you…..Imagine Jesus is standing before you right now and just like He said to this blind man, He says the same exact thing to you…..”What would you like me to do for you?” What 1 thing would you ask Jesus to do?
Think about it…..
Now…..let me give you some good news….Jesus is standing before you right now….no waiting for Him to come to you….He’s already there….and He’s saying the same thing to us right now that He told the blind man….What would you like me to do for you. All you have to do is ask Him and have faith that He will answer. He may not answer immediately. But He will answer what’s best for us.
So what are you waiting for my friend? Ask The Lord for it right now!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Luke 16-18
In Luke 16:9, there are 3 words I’d like us to notice…..when ye fail.
The Bible doesn’t say if you fail, should you fail, could you fail…..no it says WHEN you fail.
Are there any perfectionists out there besides me? I absolutely hate making mistakes….why? Because I hate paying the piper….I hate paying the consequences that come with making a mistake.
But the Bible says here that it’s a fact….it’s a when….not an if….it’s a when we make mistakes. I’m trying to learn to give myself some grace. I’ve been told numerous times that I need to learn not to be so hard on myself….that I’m actually doing myself more harm by being so hard on myself.
Lord….please help me….and others….to realize that we aren’t perfect. We are going to make mistakes. And that process of making mistakes is how you mold us into what you want us to be.
Just look at the disciples…especially Peter.
Consider Paul
Consider David
Consider Moses
The Lord used their mistakes to mold and make them into useful vessels for the work of the Kingdom.
Lord….please do the same with me.
In Luke 16:10 we see that money is a test God uses to measure our faith in Him. For example, take me and my two girls. When they were little, I’d give them a quarter or a nickel and they’d leave it lying around, drop it somewhere, and lose it. It wasn’t until they started taking care of the nickels and quarters that I would give them a dollar….once they learned to manage and save their dollars….well that’s when I started giving them more money.
That’s exactly how it works for us and The Lord…..He gives us a little bit….and once we learn to handle and manage the little bit like He wants us to, He will give us some more. It only makes sense. Why would The Lord entrust us with great riches if we can’t handle the few dollars He’s entrusted us with right now?
So here’s the question….how are you managing/stewarding the Lord’s money that He’s given you so far? If you are giving Him the first 10% in tithe….being generous with others in need….not being wasteful….He will continue to bless and entrust you with more.
Luke 16:13 is where we get one of the most famous and most practical verses in the Bible….no man can serve two masters….he will either hate the one and love the other or love the one and hate the other…you cannot serve God and money.
Raise your hand if you’ve tried to serve God and money both in your lifetime….yep….me too….we all have. Hopefully we have all stopped trying by now because it can’t be done.
The choice is ours….will The Lord be our God? Or will money be our God?
Money disappears….The Bible says it flies away…that is the truth!!!
But God never does disappear on me….He’s always there and ready to help.
Pay close attention to Luke 16:15….”that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” In other words…just because something is LEGAL does not mean it is RIGHT in the eyes of God.
Need some examples????
Abortion….its legal…but it’s not right in God’s eyes.
Homosexual marriage….its legal…but it’s not right in God’s eyes.
Promiscuity….a man is looked on as a stud if He’s had a bunch of women….but it’s not right in God’s eyes.
Can you explain something to me? How is it that an abortion clinic is deemed necessary in a pandemic…the judge even orders all the abortion clinics to remain open…..but my eye doctor’s office is not and therefore its closed.
My daughter Abigail….her glasses broke….can’t get them fixed till after all this is over and they open up again. Absolutely ridiculous.
In Luke 16:22-23, we learn something very very important. This is the account of the Rich man and Lazarus….they both die….Lazarus immediately goes to Heaven…..the rich man immediately goes to hell.
Here’s what’s so important to recognize…..one of our favorite verses to quote at a funeral is 2 Corinthians 5:8 which says that believers are absent from the body and present with The Lord. In other words….when we take our last breath here on Earth….we don’t go to a holding area….If we are a believer, we go straight to Heaven to be with The Lord….just like Lazarus did here in Luke 16.
But the opposite is true for those who are not believers…..once they take their last breath here on Earth….there’s no going to purgatory to get prayed out and into Heaven by the saints left behind. Nope…when a non-believer takes their last breath on Earth….they immediately wake up in hell….just like the rich man in this passage.
And as we see in this passage….there’s no relief in hell and there’s no escape from hell. Once you get to hell….ITS TOO LATE.
So if you haven’t made your arrangements to miss hell….
Or
If you are not 100% sure where you would go if you were to take your last breath today….
My friend….get everything squared away with Jesus RIGHT NOW. Stop what you are doing and pray. Get right with The Lord this very moment. Cause once you get to hell….it’s too late.
In Luke 17:5-6, we learn a very important lesson. The disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith. Jesus teaches them and us a very valuable lesson….how much faith we have is not near as important as the object we are putting our faith in. We can have just a little bit of faith….as small as a grain of mustard seed….and if that little bit of faith is placed in The Lord Jesus Christ….great things can and will happen.
Likewise….we can have all the faith in the world in our government and elected officials….but that great faith in them does not remove the fact that they will let us down and disappoint us….OFTEN!!!
The object of our faith is more important than the amount of faith we have.
In Luke 17:11….we get the story of the 10 lepers that Jesus healed….only 1 of which returned to give thanks to Jesus for His healing. The lesson is pretty clear here for us…..BE THANKFUL. If you are going to ask The Lord to do something….when He does it….make sure you thank Him.
When I was Pastoring….if we would pray and ask The Lord to bless our VBS, or Car Show, or Easter Services….after He did….we would come back together and thank Him for it. Pretty simple.
But how many people actually do this?
Let’s dig a little deeper? When is the last time you specifically thanked The Lord for a specific prayer of yours He answered.
I’m thinking about one right now that I haven’t thanked God for. There’s a man that reads these devos every day….my former basketball coach and teacher….Coach Mike Hendricks. I love Coach to death….one of the most influential teachers in my life in all my years of school. As you may have read on Facebook….Coach got the Coronavirus and was put in the hospital….sick dude. Man alive did I pray for him….I love coach. Thankfully he’s recovered.
But as I’m typing this Bible Study out….I’m realizing that I haven’t thanked The Lord for healing Coach Hendricks. So I’m gonna stop right now and do that.
I want to encourage you to do the same….examine your prayer life….what have you prayed for that God has answered….but you haven’t properly thanked Him for it. Stop and thank Him right now.
In Luke 17:21….Jesus corrects some misconceptions people have about The Kingdom of God. Many believers think that The Kingdom of God is currently in Heaven and won’t be established on Earth until Jesus returns.
Incorrect
Right here The Bible says that The Kingdom of God is inside us. If we believe….if we are followers of Jesus…then there’s no waiting till a later date for the Kingdom of God to be established….it’s here right now inside of us in the form of The Holy Spirit that lives within us. WOW!!! What an honor to be host to The Kingdom of God on Earth.
Luke 17:32 is one of the shortest verses in the Bible….only 3 words….Remember Lot’s wife.
Lot’s wife was disobedient….she deliberately disobeyed the instructions given to her from The Lord.
Lots’ wife looked back….we can’t change our past….we can only change our future
Lot’s wife valued her stuff more than she valued her family and her life….how many of us do that?
We would all do well to remember Lot’s wife….and learn from her mistakes.
A few Bible studies ago, I spoke about the rapture. People who don’t believe in the rapture say they don’t believe in it because the word rapture is not mentioned in the Bible. That is correct….but here in Luke 17:34-36, the concept of the rapture is clearly here….two in bed….rapture takes place….one goes to be with Jesus…the other left behind. Two people at work….rapture takes place….one goes to be with Jesus…the other left behind. The concept of the rapture is crystal clear in scripture.
Besides….don’t give me that bologna that just because it doesn’t say the specific word in the Bible that you don’t believe in it.
My version of the Bible doesn’t use the words “air conditioning”, “indoor plumbing” or “electricity”….but make no mistake friends, I believe in and enjoy all three of these!!!
Once again at the beginning of Luke 18, we are reminded of the importance and value of persistent prayer. If persistent prayer wasn’t important…we would have fasted and prayed for 1 day. But that’s not how it works….prayer is to be persistent…..so we are fasting and praying for the same thing for 30 days.
And by the way….our prayers for the Coronavirus appear to be working…..it was announced yesterday that the last day of shelter at home order in Tennessee is April 30th. When is the last day of our fasting and prayer? April 30th. Coincidence? You’ll never convince me it is.
Luke 18:9-14 shows that we don’t need to brag or remind God in prayer of what we’ve done and who we are. He knows….and besides….our righteous is as filthy rags before Him. It’s not about what we do…it’s all about what He’s done for us.
Which leads me to the last thing I’d like to touch on today…..something very thought provoking. Luke 18:40-41….Blind man is begging….Jesus answers His begging by saying “What would you like me to do for you?”….In Verse 41 the blind man answers “That I might receive my sight.”
Now on the surface that seems simple and easy enough….but think about it….He could have asked for money so he never had to beg again. He could have asked for helpers to help him get around. He could have asked to become a King so he could be waited on hand and foot for the rest of his life.
But no…the blind man immediately asked for his sight.
Here’s my thought provoking question to you…..Imagine Jesus is standing before you right now and just like He said to this blind man, He says the same exact thing to you…..”What would you like me to do for you?” What 1 thing would you ask Jesus to do?
Think about it…..
Now…..let me give you some good news….Jesus is standing before you right now….no waiting for Him to come to you….He’s already there….and He’s saying the same thing to us right now that He told the blind man….What would you like me to do for you. All you have to do is ask Him and have faith that He will answer. He may not answer immediately. But He will answer what’s best for us.
So what are you waiting for my friend? Ask The Lord for it right now!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 20 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Luke 13-15
There’s a word in Luke 13:1 I’d like to focus on just a second….the word season. Season.
This word took on a special meaning for me last year. I was really struggling in my marriage and ministry. Stuff none of y’all publicly knew about….on purpose. I had confided in a fellow preacher for prayer and guidance and he gave me some incredible words….”Phillip….this time of struggle is only for a season….I know it feels like a sentence….like you’ve been sentenced to this misery for the rest of your life and ministry…but it’s not a sentence….it’s a season.”
Of course at the time, I thought the guy was full of it cause I didn’t see any way out of the misery. Wouldn’t have guessed that in less than a year, I wouldn’t be in either my marriage or the ministry I was in. Certainly not the exit I would have chosen for either…..but regardless….this pastor/counselor’s words were true….my time of struggle was only for a season….it was not a sentence.
I want to say the same thing to you today. I have no idea what you are struggling with and honestly….it doesn’t matter….I don’t need to know.
But you need to know….this time of struggle is only a season of your life…it’s not a sentence.
Now most of you probably think I’m full of it like I thought my preacher buddy was. However just look at me….turns out he was right…it’s only a season of your life and not a sentence.
Now by definition, there are different lengths of seasons….for example:
Squirrel season is the last Saturday of August through February 28th…6 months long.
Turkey season is the Saturday closest to April 1 through Mother’s Day…6 weeks long.
Duck season is the Saturday after Thanksgiving through the end of January…60 days long.
Squirrel season 6 months
Turkey season 6 weeks
Duck season 60 days
All 3 are seasons….but all 3 are for different lengths of time.
Likewise….your season of struggling may be short(like turkey season), or it may be long(years)….but either way….IT IS ONLY A SEASON….IT IS NOT A SENTENCE!!! Don’t forget that my friend!!!
In Luke 13:3, Jesus admonishes the people to repent or else they will perish. What does the word repent mean? It means to turn away from one’s sins. So don’t just confess your sins to God….we need to also repent or turn away from the sin in our life.
I love Luke 13:8-9…..it shows the owner of the vineyard giving the fig tree one last chance to bear fruit before he cuts it down. The parallel is clear….Jesus is the owner….we are the fig tree…He will give us one last chance to repent….but then, it will be too late and we will cross God’s deadline….Luke 13:25….the door will be shut and there will be no going back and getting in.
Your salvation is too important to be playing games with….surrender your life to Jesus RIGHT NOW….this could be your last chance my friend. Once you cross God’s deadline, it’s TOO LATE.
Luke 14 opens with an admonition to remain humble and not seek recognition for what you do. This is so against human nature…people love to be recognized…in fact…as a leader….I was always trying to recognize people for their help as both a thank you and continued motivation to keep on keeping on.
But the Bible is clear….we should never do anything….especially kingdom work….for recognition’s sake.
Jesus then gives the parable of the great feast….an invitation is given to a great feast…..hopefully you can already see the parallel to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb….
Look at what Verse 18 says….the invitees all began to make EXCUSE as to why they couldn’t come.
If I ever write a book…..the title will be EXCUSES. Oh my goodness, the excuses people would give me for not coming to church were as ridiculous or more than the ones given here in this passage. I wrote most of them down….they are laughable….and I guess people would tell me because they were looking for affirmation to make themselves feel better.
Sorry…..no affirmation of excuses for missing church or ministry work from me.
In Luke 14:23, notice the word compel….we are to compel or strongly encourage people to make preparations for the Marriage Supper of The Lamb. We can’t force people to make a decision….but we can sure do more than make a lame/half-hearted invitation.
In Luke 14:28, Jesus gives full disclosure that being one of His followers will be hard. Certainly, I want everyone to know that salvation is free to us….no money changing hands….but I don’t want to be a proponent of what I call “Cheap Grace”. There is a price to pay for being a true follower of Jesus….and just like always….He gives us full disclosure here ahead of time so we can know what we are truly getting into when we surrender our lives to Him.
In Luke 15, Jesus opens with the parable of the Shepherd leaving the 99 to find the 1 lost sheep. I love what Brother Ronnie Coleman said one time….”we think Shepherds are crazy leaving the 99 to go look for 1 lost sheep….until we realize that we are the 1 lost sheep.”
Please don’t misunderstand me…..there is a prominent place in the church for discipleship. When I got saved and was baptized, I might as well have been pushed off in the deep end of the swimming pool and told to learn to swim on my own. I was never taught how to have a quiet time, prayer, the value of reading the Bible, etc. Discipleship is critically important.
But make no mistake….unless we evangelize….unless we go after the 1 lost sheep….unless we prioritize evangelism….there will be nobody to disciple. Evangelism must have a prominent priority in our churches.
Preachers/Pastors/Churches must stop the either/or mentality of evangelism and discipleship. We have to be in a both/and mindset and actively be pursuing both of them.
Luke 15:7 tells us what makes the angels happy in heaven….when a lost sinner repents and gets saved from their sins. If that makes them happy in Heaven, don’t you think it should make us happy here on Earth?
I’ll never forget this as long as I live….when I lived in Jackson….for about a year and a half, I attended North Jackson Baptist Church where my friend Brother Randy Latch was Pastor. Whenever someone got saved at North Jackson, they would play the song “Shoutin Time” by the Hoppers….people would start clapping, praising The Lord, shouting….even dancing in the isles because a sinner had crossed over from death to life. I always thought that was neat….it’s exactly what I imagine going on in Heaven each time a sinner gets saved.
Luke 15 ends with the parable of The Prodigal Son….you probably know the story. A man had 2 sons…the younger came and asked his father for his share of the inheritance….in essence he said, “Dad I wish you were dead so I could just get my money and live my life.” The Dad gave it to him….the son left home and wasted it all on riotous living. He comes to his senses in a pig pen and decides to go back to his father’s house as a hired servant.
I personally believe this parable is mis-titled by those who put the Bible together. Because instead of focusing on the Prodigal son….I really believe it’s a parable about the Father…..The Prodigal’s Father….for you see The Father was looking for the Prodigal to come home….and when The Father saw him in the distance….he RAN to his son….he didn’t judge his son…didn’t punish his son…didn’t chastise his son….instead….he loved him and celebrated his return.
The point is clear….Our Heavenly Father is not going to judge, punish, or chastise us when we return back to Him from our sinful ways. Instead, He’s going to throw a party and lavish us with the gifts that only come with being a child of the King.
There’s one other very important character in the story….the Prodigal’s brother….he wasn’t happy at all over the big to-do that was put on for his sinful brother coming home. In fact he was jealous and envious.
Again….another clear message to those of us who have been Christians for a while now…..not to develop an attitude like the Prodigal’s brother when we see lost sheep return to the fold.
Thank you for reading these devos each day. I pray they are a blessing to you.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Luke 13-15
There’s a word in Luke 13:1 I’d like to focus on just a second….the word season. Season.
This word took on a special meaning for me last year. I was really struggling in my marriage and ministry. Stuff none of y’all publicly knew about….on purpose. I had confided in a fellow preacher for prayer and guidance and he gave me some incredible words….”Phillip….this time of struggle is only for a season….I know it feels like a sentence….like you’ve been sentenced to this misery for the rest of your life and ministry…but it’s not a sentence….it’s a season.”
Of course at the time, I thought the guy was full of it cause I didn’t see any way out of the misery. Wouldn’t have guessed that in less than a year, I wouldn’t be in either my marriage or the ministry I was in. Certainly not the exit I would have chosen for either…..but regardless….this pastor/counselor’s words were true….my time of struggle was only for a season….it was not a sentence.
I want to say the same thing to you today. I have no idea what you are struggling with and honestly….it doesn’t matter….I don’t need to know.
But you need to know….this time of struggle is only a season of your life…it’s not a sentence.
Now most of you probably think I’m full of it like I thought my preacher buddy was. However just look at me….turns out he was right…it’s only a season of your life and not a sentence.
Now by definition, there are different lengths of seasons….for example:
Squirrel season is the last Saturday of August through February 28th…6 months long.
Turkey season is the Saturday closest to April 1 through Mother’s Day…6 weeks long.
Duck season is the Saturday after Thanksgiving through the end of January…60 days long.
Squirrel season 6 months
Turkey season 6 weeks
Duck season 60 days
All 3 are seasons….but all 3 are for different lengths of time.
Likewise….your season of struggling may be short(like turkey season), or it may be long(years)….but either way….IT IS ONLY A SEASON….IT IS NOT A SENTENCE!!! Don’t forget that my friend!!!
In Luke 13:3, Jesus admonishes the people to repent or else they will perish. What does the word repent mean? It means to turn away from one’s sins. So don’t just confess your sins to God….we need to also repent or turn away from the sin in our life.
I love Luke 13:8-9…..it shows the owner of the vineyard giving the fig tree one last chance to bear fruit before he cuts it down. The parallel is clear….Jesus is the owner….we are the fig tree…He will give us one last chance to repent….but then, it will be too late and we will cross God’s deadline….Luke 13:25….the door will be shut and there will be no going back and getting in.
Your salvation is too important to be playing games with….surrender your life to Jesus RIGHT NOW….this could be your last chance my friend. Once you cross God’s deadline, it’s TOO LATE.
Luke 14 opens with an admonition to remain humble and not seek recognition for what you do. This is so against human nature…people love to be recognized…in fact…as a leader….I was always trying to recognize people for their help as both a thank you and continued motivation to keep on keeping on.
But the Bible is clear….we should never do anything….especially kingdom work….for recognition’s sake.
Jesus then gives the parable of the great feast….an invitation is given to a great feast…..hopefully you can already see the parallel to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb….
Look at what Verse 18 says….the invitees all began to make EXCUSE as to why they couldn’t come.
If I ever write a book…..the title will be EXCUSES. Oh my goodness, the excuses people would give me for not coming to church were as ridiculous or more than the ones given here in this passage. I wrote most of them down….they are laughable….and I guess people would tell me because they were looking for affirmation to make themselves feel better.
Sorry…..no affirmation of excuses for missing church or ministry work from me.
In Luke 14:23, notice the word compel….we are to compel or strongly encourage people to make preparations for the Marriage Supper of The Lamb. We can’t force people to make a decision….but we can sure do more than make a lame/half-hearted invitation.
In Luke 14:28, Jesus gives full disclosure that being one of His followers will be hard. Certainly, I want everyone to know that salvation is free to us….no money changing hands….but I don’t want to be a proponent of what I call “Cheap Grace”. There is a price to pay for being a true follower of Jesus….and just like always….He gives us full disclosure here ahead of time so we can know what we are truly getting into when we surrender our lives to Him.
In Luke 15, Jesus opens with the parable of the Shepherd leaving the 99 to find the 1 lost sheep. I love what Brother Ronnie Coleman said one time….”we think Shepherds are crazy leaving the 99 to go look for 1 lost sheep….until we realize that we are the 1 lost sheep.”
Please don’t misunderstand me…..there is a prominent place in the church for discipleship. When I got saved and was baptized, I might as well have been pushed off in the deep end of the swimming pool and told to learn to swim on my own. I was never taught how to have a quiet time, prayer, the value of reading the Bible, etc. Discipleship is critically important.
But make no mistake….unless we evangelize….unless we go after the 1 lost sheep….unless we prioritize evangelism….there will be nobody to disciple. Evangelism must have a prominent priority in our churches.
Preachers/Pastors/Churches must stop the either/or mentality of evangelism and discipleship. We have to be in a both/and mindset and actively be pursuing both of them.
Luke 15:7 tells us what makes the angels happy in heaven….when a lost sinner repents and gets saved from their sins. If that makes them happy in Heaven, don’t you think it should make us happy here on Earth?
I’ll never forget this as long as I live….when I lived in Jackson….for about a year and a half, I attended North Jackson Baptist Church where my friend Brother Randy Latch was Pastor. Whenever someone got saved at North Jackson, they would play the song “Shoutin Time” by the Hoppers….people would start clapping, praising The Lord, shouting….even dancing in the isles because a sinner had crossed over from death to life. I always thought that was neat….it’s exactly what I imagine going on in Heaven each time a sinner gets saved.
Luke 15 ends with the parable of The Prodigal Son….you probably know the story. A man had 2 sons…the younger came and asked his father for his share of the inheritance….in essence he said, “Dad I wish you were dead so I could just get my money and live my life.” The Dad gave it to him….the son left home and wasted it all on riotous living. He comes to his senses in a pig pen and decides to go back to his father’s house as a hired servant.
I personally believe this parable is mis-titled by those who put the Bible together. Because instead of focusing on the Prodigal son….I really believe it’s a parable about the Father…..The Prodigal’s Father….for you see The Father was looking for the Prodigal to come home….and when The Father saw him in the distance….he RAN to his son….he didn’t judge his son…didn’t punish his son…didn’t chastise his son….instead….he loved him and celebrated his return.
The point is clear….Our Heavenly Father is not going to judge, punish, or chastise us when we return back to Him from our sinful ways. Instead, He’s going to throw a party and lavish us with the gifts that only come with being a child of the King.
There’s one other very important character in the story….the Prodigal’s brother….he wasn’t happy at all over the big to-do that was put on for his sinful brother coming home. In fact he was jealous and envious.
Again….another clear message to those of us who have been Christians for a while now…..not to develop an attitude like the Prodigal’s brother when we see lost sheep return to the fold.
Thank you for reading these devos each day. I pray they are a blessing to you.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 19 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Luke 10-12
Luke 10:2 always gets to me….the harvest is plenteous but the laborers are few…pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth laborers into his harvest.
There is no shortage of people without Christ.
More are coming of age every day.
So what am I doing about The Lord’s harvest?
Yesterday not much….and that breaks my heart.
Verses like Luke 10:2 really cause me to evaluate my own life and my priorities.
I love farming….love spending time on the tractor….nothing wrong with that.
But yesterday….April 18th, 2020….I didn’t tell anybody about Jesus.
Not even a FB post….I made my FB post the night before.
No phone call
No text
No email
No in person smile or even a God Bless You to the clerk at Cleghern’s or Rye’s N Shine.
I will never get April 18th, 2020 back….can’t relive it….can’t call for a do-over. You can’t either.
So what do we do?
What Luke 10:2 says….we start out by praying to The Lord of the Harvest asking Him to send forth laborers into His harvest.
Then we determine to be an answer to that prayer ourselves and we become a laborer in The Lord’s harvest.
Luke 10:3 lets us know that Its hard work….its scary work…its overwhelming work….it’s even dangerous work(to your mental health/emotional health/physical health….I’m a trainwreck compared to where I used to be in life). Jesus said specifically it’s like a lamb going out among wolves….doesn’t sound easy, fun, or fair does it?
But do the lambs ever fight the wolves themselves? I’ve never seen one that did. They have to rely on their shepherd to fight for them….to protect them….to provide for them. And likewise, we don’t have to be overwhelmed by the wolves either because we have a Shepherd that is plenty big and strong enough to handle them for us.
In Luke 10:7, Jesus says the laborer is worthy of his hire. This is specifically speaking about preachers/ministers. I touched on that a few studies ago. But there is also application to all laborers…whoever performs a service for us. I just will not ask anyone to do a job for me for free. I don’t know where that mindset came from in our society…but it is completely against the word of God. Pay the laborer for doing their job.
In Luke 10:18, Jesus lets us know that He saw Satan when he fell from Heaven. Do you know the origin of Satan? If you don’t, it’s very important for us to know so we can understand who/what he is and most especially, how he likes to attack people today.
Satan or Lucifer was actually the worship leader in Heaven. His pride was lifting him up and puffing him up so much that he wanted the angels to bow down and worship him. When that happened, he was cast out of Heaven because of His sin. Read Isaiah 14:12-15, and Ezekiel 28:12-19.
What’s the importance/relevance to us today?
Do you realize how many problems in our churches today come through the music department?
Just look at the churches you and I both know that argue over what kind of music to play in their church.
Just look at the people in the praise team/choir who get their pride puffed up because a whole congregation of people is looking at them each Sunday and the next thing you know they get the rock star mentality and become diva’s.
Satan loves to infiltrate churches through the music.
He also loves to infiltrate our minds through the music we listen to….hence why I am such a staunch supporter of Christian radio and Christian music. The more garbage we put in our minds….the more garbage will come out….The more Jesus we put in our minds…the more Jesus will come out.
Beginning in Luke 10:25, we have the account of the Good Samaritan. A man gets robbed and beaten to a pulp on the highway….a worship leader(Levite), and a preacher(priest), see the man but don’t stop to help. Finally, someone of a different race(Samaritan) sees the wounded man…bandaged his wounds and nursed him…carried him to an inn….and paid for his stay.
Jesus then admonishes us to go and do thou likewise.
Do we?
I think most of us are like the preacher and worship leaders….we see the need…but we’ve got other things to do….we don’t have time in our schedule to stop and help….we don’t want to get our hands dirty.
Jesus makes things pretty clear here…..regardless of the fact that it will cost money, time, and effort…we are to minister to those in less fortunate situations.
STOP READING RIGHT NOW…..and pray….asking The Lord to show you how you can be a Good Samaritan to someone today….maybe ask Him to open the door and give you an opportunity to be a Good Samaritan to someone today.
In the last 5 verse of Luke 10, we get the account of Jesus visiting Mary and Martha….again…the message is clear….priorities. Jesus and the disciples come to Mary and Martha’s house. Martha is busy fixing dinner and getting ready….Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet spending time and listening. Martha gets flustered at Mary for not helping and asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her. What does Jesus do? He looks at Martha and says, “Sweetheart….thanks for all the trouble you are going to for me and my boys….but you’ve got your priorities out of order. Mary has it right….I just want you to spend time with me.”
So many people deal with this today….we have our priorities out of order….we think making a living….doing this….cleaning that…etc., is more important than spending time with Jesus. But it’s not.
I’m really proud of you because if you are reading this devo….more than likely you are spending some of the extra time you have during the coronavirus quarantine with Jesus.
But is the majority of the world? No…..How many people have said to me, “Phillip, I just don’t have time each day to read my Bible”…..and now they have the time…..and they still aren’t reading it.
We make time for what’s important to us. Period
Jesus is saying here that spending time with Him should be a top priority in our lives. Is it?
In Luke 11:23, Jesus says that if we are not with Him, we are against Him. There is no being neutral in a relationship with Jesus. Can’t ride the fence. We are either on His side or we are not. Period.
Pay close attention to Luke 11:28…”Blessed are they that hear the word of God AND KEEP IT.” You see friends, it’s not enough to just read/hear what The Bible says….we also must do it.
Take today’s lessons for example….we can hear and even know that….
1. We need to be laborer’s in the Lord’s harvest
2. We need to be Good Samaritan’s to those in need
3. We need to have our priorities straight…spending time with Jesus each day at the top.
We can know ALL these lessons….but we won’t be blessed just for knowing/hearing them…..we only receive the blessing if we KEEP those lessons….if we do what they say.
Luke 12:10 deals with the unpardonable sin….there is only one unpardonable sin mentioned in the Bible. It’s not murder. It’s not adultery. It’s not child molestation or any other “horrible” or “major” sin you may be thinking of right now.
The only unpardonable sin is when The Holy Spirit knocks on the door of your heart(Revelation 3:20) for salvation and you refuse to open the door and allow Jesus into your life.
Murderers can be forgiven
Adulterers can be forgiven
Child molesters can be forgiven
But someone who rejects Jesus in this life…who blasphemes the Holy Spirit when called upon….there is no forgiveness available for that sin.
Luke 12:15 warns us against covetousness. Many of us think covetousness is not a big deal….After all, Thou shalt not covet is the 10th of the 10 commandments….but make no mistake friends….coveting other people’s stuff is the beginning for most of the sin we have in our lives. Jesus knew that which is why He told us here to beware of covetousness…..because what’s really important in life is not the size of our house, bank account, farm, or car.
Luke 12:32 gives us a glimpse into the mindset and personality of God. Most people think of God as sitting in Heaven, watching us live our lives, just waiting for us to mess up so He can write it down in the book. No No No No No No No.
Luke 12:32 says that it brings God pleasure to give blessings to His children. Yes God is in Heaven….Yes God is watching us….but He’s looking for opportunities to help and bless us….Here’s the key….we have to be willing to ask for His help. He’s sitting there waiting for us to ask for help just like our toddler’s did when they made such a big mess that only Mommy and Daddy could help them get out of it.
Thank You Father for being a Father that delights in blessing us.
In Luke 12:40….we are admonished once again to be ready for The Lord’s soon return. Are you ready? Do you have everything in order? Any unfinished business you need to take care of? Need to be baptized? Need to forgive someone? Need to be saved? Get’er done today my friend!!!
Luke 12:48 is a life verse of mine….to whom much is given, much is required. The Lord does not like stingy people. He expects us to freely give and bless others with what He has freely given and blessed us with. Including and especially in hard times such as this.
As you pray today….ask God to reveal how you can be a blessing to someone today. May be as simple as a smile….may be financially….may be sharing something….may be helping your neighbor do a task. Just remember we have been given much and therefore, much is expected of us in return.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Luke 10-12
Luke 10:2 always gets to me….the harvest is plenteous but the laborers are few…pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth laborers into his harvest.
There is no shortage of people without Christ.
More are coming of age every day.
So what am I doing about The Lord’s harvest?
Yesterday not much….and that breaks my heart.
Verses like Luke 10:2 really cause me to evaluate my own life and my priorities.
I love farming….love spending time on the tractor….nothing wrong with that.
But yesterday….April 18th, 2020….I didn’t tell anybody about Jesus.
Not even a FB post….I made my FB post the night before.
No phone call
No text
No email
No in person smile or even a God Bless You to the clerk at Cleghern’s or Rye’s N Shine.
I will never get April 18th, 2020 back….can’t relive it….can’t call for a do-over. You can’t either.
So what do we do?
What Luke 10:2 says….we start out by praying to The Lord of the Harvest asking Him to send forth laborers into His harvest.
Then we determine to be an answer to that prayer ourselves and we become a laborer in The Lord’s harvest.
Luke 10:3 lets us know that Its hard work….its scary work…its overwhelming work….it’s even dangerous work(to your mental health/emotional health/physical health….I’m a trainwreck compared to where I used to be in life). Jesus said specifically it’s like a lamb going out among wolves….doesn’t sound easy, fun, or fair does it?
But do the lambs ever fight the wolves themselves? I’ve never seen one that did. They have to rely on their shepherd to fight for them….to protect them….to provide for them. And likewise, we don’t have to be overwhelmed by the wolves either because we have a Shepherd that is plenty big and strong enough to handle them for us.
In Luke 10:7, Jesus says the laborer is worthy of his hire. This is specifically speaking about preachers/ministers. I touched on that a few studies ago. But there is also application to all laborers…whoever performs a service for us. I just will not ask anyone to do a job for me for free. I don’t know where that mindset came from in our society…but it is completely against the word of God. Pay the laborer for doing their job.
In Luke 10:18, Jesus lets us know that He saw Satan when he fell from Heaven. Do you know the origin of Satan? If you don’t, it’s very important for us to know so we can understand who/what he is and most especially, how he likes to attack people today.
Satan or Lucifer was actually the worship leader in Heaven. His pride was lifting him up and puffing him up so much that he wanted the angels to bow down and worship him. When that happened, he was cast out of Heaven because of His sin. Read Isaiah 14:12-15, and Ezekiel 28:12-19.
What’s the importance/relevance to us today?
Do you realize how many problems in our churches today come through the music department?
Just look at the churches you and I both know that argue over what kind of music to play in their church.
Just look at the people in the praise team/choir who get their pride puffed up because a whole congregation of people is looking at them each Sunday and the next thing you know they get the rock star mentality and become diva’s.
Satan loves to infiltrate churches through the music.
He also loves to infiltrate our minds through the music we listen to….hence why I am such a staunch supporter of Christian radio and Christian music. The more garbage we put in our minds….the more garbage will come out….The more Jesus we put in our minds…the more Jesus will come out.
Beginning in Luke 10:25, we have the account of the Good Samaritan. A man gets robbed and beaten to a pulp on the highway….a worship leader(Levite), and a preacher(priest), see the man but don’t stop to help. Finally, someone of a different race(Samaritan) sees the wounded man…bandaged his wounds and nursed him…carried him to an inn….and paid for his stay.
Jesus then admonishes us to go and do thou likewise.
Do we?
I think most of us are like the preacher and worship leaders….we see the need…but we’ve got other things to do….we don’t have time in our schedule to stop and help….we don’t want to get our hands dirty.
Jesus makes things pretty clear here…..regardless of the fact that it will cost money, time, and effort…we are to minister to those in less fortunate situations.
STOP READING RIGHT NOW…..and pray….asking The Lord to show you how you can be a Good Samaritan to someone today….maybe ask Him to open the door and give you an opportunity to be a Good Samaritan to someone today.
In the last 5 verse of Luke 10, we get the account of Jesus visiting Mary and Martha….again…the message is clear….priorities. Jesus and the disciples come to Mary and Martha’s house. Martha is busy fixing dinner and getting ready….Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet spending time and listening. Martha gets flustered at Mary for not helping and asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her. What does Jesus do? He looks at Martha and says, “Sweetheart….thanks for all the trouble you are going to for me and my boys….but you’ve got your priorities out of order. Mary has it right….I just want you to spend time with me.”
So many people deal with this today….we have our priorities out of order….we think making a living….doing this….cleaning that…etc., is more important than spending time with Jesus. But it’s not.
I’m really proud of you because if you are reading this devo….more than likely you are spending some of the extra time you have during the coronavirus quarantine with Jesus.
But is the majority of the world? No…..How many people have said to me, “Phillip, I just don’t have time each day to read my Bible”…..and now they have the time…..and they still aren’t reading it.
We make time for what’s important to us. Period
Jesus is saying here that spending time with Him should be a top priority in our lives. Is it?
In Luke 11:23, Jesus says that if we are not with Him, we are against Him. There is no being neutral in a relationship with Jesus. Can’t ride the fence. We are either on His side or we are not. Period.
Pay close attention to Luke 11:28…”Blessed are they that hear the word of God AND KEEP IT.” You see friends, it’s not enough to just read/hear what The Bible says….we also must do it.
Take today’s lessons for example….we can hear and even know that….
1. We need to be laborer’s in the Lord’s harvest
2. We need to be Good Samaritan’s to those in need
3. We need to have our priorities straight…spending time with Jesus each day at the top.
We can know ALL these lessons….but we won’t be blessed just for knowing/hearing them…..we only receive the blessing if we KEEP those lessons….if we do what they say.
Luke 12:10 deals with the unpardonable sin….there is only one unpardonable sin mentioned in the Bible. It’s not murder. It’s not adultery. It’s not child molestation or any other “horrible” or “major” sin you may be thinking of right now.
The only unpardonable sin is when The Holy Spirit knocks on the door of your heart(Revelation 3:20) for salvation and you refuse to open the door and allow Jesus into your life.
Murderers can be forgiven
Adulterers can be forgiven
Child molesters can be forgiven
But someone who rejects Jesus in this life…who blasphemes the Holy Spirit when called upon….there is no forgiveness available for that sin.
Luke 12:15 warns us against covetousness. Many of us think covetousness is not a big deal….After all, Thou shalt not covet is the 10th of the 10 commandments….but make no mistake friends….coveting other people’s stuff is the beginning for most of the sin we have in our lives. Jesus knew that which is why He told us here to beware of covetousness…..because what’s really important in life is not the size of our house, bank account, farm, or car.
Luke 12:32 gives us a glimpse into the mindset and personality of God. Most people think of God as sitting in Heaven, watching us live our lives, just waiting for us to mess up so He can write it down in the book. No No No No No No No.
Luke 12:32 says that it brings God pleasure to give blessings to His children. Yes God is in Heaven….Yes God is watching us….but He’s looking for opportunities to help and bless us….Here’s the key….we have to be willing to ask for His help. He’s sitting there waiting for us to ask for help just like our toddler’s did when they made such a big mess that only Mommy and Daddy could help them get out of it.
Thank You Father for being a Father that delights in blessing us.
In Luke 12:40….we are admonished once again to be ready for The Lord’s soon return. Are you ready? Do you have everything in order? Any unfinished business you need to take care of? Need to be baptized? Need to forgive someone? Need to be saved? Get’er done today my friend!!!
Luke 12:48 is a life verse of mine….to whom much is given, much is required. The Lord does not like stingy people. He expects us to freely give and bless others with what He has freely given and blessed us with. Including and especially in hard times such as this.
As you pray today….ask God to reveal how you can be a blessing to someone today. May be as simple as a smile….may be financially….may be sharing something….may be helping your neighbor do a task. Just remember we have been given much and therefore, much is expected of us in return.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 18 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Luke 7-9
The majority of the content covered in the 3 chapters today has been covered in Matthew and Mark so far. However, there are a couple of passages that haven’t and some things The Lord wants to reiterate and point out to us.
First, beginning in Luke 7:11 is a passage about Jesus bringing the Widow of Nain’s son back to life. Jesus is heading into the city of Nain. While going through the gate, He meets a funeral procession. A widow woman has lost her only son…..What did this mean? In addition to the grief of losing a child, this woman now was doomed to a life of begging at best….most likely starvation and death herself would soon follow. There were no social programs in those days to help widows. This widow was up a creek without a paddle.
But then Jesus showed up on the scene….and the Bible says He had compassion on this widow. He went and touched the dead man(a big no-no in Jewish culture), told the man to arise and lo and behold, the young man came back to life.
You are probably wondering what the application is for us today….like me….you’ve probably been to hundreds of funerals and never seen a dead man come back to life…..that’s not the point.
The point is this….Jesus can and will give us hope when we have no hope. Jesus can and will give us a future when we have no future. Jesus can and will love us when nobody else is there to love us. Jesus can and will provide for us when nobody else is there to provide for us.
You see many of us put limitations on what we think The Lord can do for us. There’s a Greek word for that kind of thinking….bologna.
We say things like:
My problems are too big, there’s no way God is able to handle this.
My problems are too complicated, there’s no way God is able to sort this out
My problems are too expensive, there’s no way God is able to pay for all this
My problem has lasted too long, there’s no way God is able to turn this thing around
My problem has hurt too many people, there’s no way God is able to change all their hearts
The Bible shows us over and over again and gives us example after example after example of how God is able to do anything and everything imaginable.
He is able to help us overcome the giants in our lives like He did David
He is able to get our attention like He did Jonah
He is able to heal our diseases like He did the woman with the issue of blood
He is able to tell us all about our past like He did the woman at the well
He is able to tell us all about our future like He did King Hezekiah
He is able to use our past as a catalyst to reach others with the Gospel like He did Paul.
He is able to help us give a powerful testimony like He did Peter
He is able to take us to our Promised Land of prosperity like He did the Children of Israel
He is able to fight our battles for us like He did Joshua
He is able to make a way when there seems to be no way like He did Moses at the Red Sea
He is able to test our obedience like He did Abraham
He is able to provide a substitute for the sacrifice of our lives like He did Isaac.
He is able to give life like He did to Adam and Eve
He is able to take life like He did to Ananias and Saphira.
He is able to save His faithful remnant from destruction like He did Noah and his family
He is also able to punish the whole land for their iniquity like He did Sodom and Gomorrah.
He is able to send food like he did for two different times for the 5000 and the 4000.
He’s also able to send famine like He did in the days of Elijah.
He is able to make good out of a bad situation like He did for Joseph.
He is able to make something out of nothing like He did when He created the world.
He is able to give us great power like He did Samson
He is able to take our power away like He did King Saul.
He is able to give us great wisdom like He did King Solomon
He is able to make us dumb like He did Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist.
He is able to use young people who are willing to work in His Kingdom like young Timothy
He is able to use the aged for his kingdom purposes like Elizabeth and Sarah.
He is able to turn water into wine like He did in John Chapter 2 and
He is able to turn a rock into water like He did in Exodus Chapter 17
He is able to calm the storms of our lives like He did in Matthew Chapter 8
He is able to send a great storm into our lives like He did in Acts Chapter 27
He is able to offer comfort like He did to Mary and Martha
He is able to offer conviction like He did the moneychangers in the temple
He is able to raise us up to a better place like He did the woman caught in adultery
He is able to put us in our place like He did her accusers
He is able to raise the dead like He did Lazarus
He is able to wake the dead like He did at the Resurrection
He is able to forgive us when we deny Him like Peter, when we fail Him like David, and when we disappoint Him like the disciples.
He is able to free us from the things that bind us like He did Paul and Silas
He is able to bind the things that want to harm us like He did Daniel in the Lion’s den
He is able to give us a taste of Heaven like He did John in Revelation
He is able to give us a taste of Hell like He did the soldiers who took Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to the fiery furnace.
He is able to fulfill all the Old Testament Prophecies of the Messiah
He is able to provide for all our needs according to His riches in glory
He is able to forgive us of all our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness
He is able to make all things new
He is able to make a little bit go a long way like He did for the widow and her son.
He is able to make it rain for 40 days and 40 nights like He did during the flood but
He is able to make it stop raining for 3.5 years like it did during the days of Elijah.
He is able to save the unsavable like Paul
He’s able to save the unlovable like Zachaeus
He’s able to save the unreachable like the Philippian Jailer
He is able to redeem our time like He did Philip
He is able to cross our paths with just the right person at just the right time like He did the Ethiopian Eunuch.
He is able to reach people at night like He did Nicodemus
He is able to reach people by day like He did the throngs of thousands that followed Him.
He is able to make a great encourager out of us like He did Barnabas
He is able to make a great evangelist out of us like He did Philip
He is able to help us bring many people to meet Him like He did Andrew
He is able to give us a plan like He did Nehemiah
He is able to take care of us when we lose it all like He did Job
He is able to take care of us in death like He did Stephen
He is able to ease our doubts like He did Thomas
He is able to give us courage to stand up like He did Esther and
He is able to give us courage to take a stand like He did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
Have I made myself clear???? All of us…ALL OF US….ME INCLUDED…need to stop putting limits on what we think The Lord can do for us.
This Widow of Nain never in a million years dreamed that her future was going to change like it did during the funeral procession of her son….and just like that….when we least expect it….The Lord is able to change our futures also.
In Luke 7:23…..read very carefully what Jesus says…”Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” I heard something with my own ears other day that literally blew me away. I was listening to the New York Governor’s News Conference about Coronavirus. Governor Andrew Cuomo was talking about how their numbers were coming down and then he had the audacity to say, “God did not do this. Faith did not do this. We did this through our policies and social distancing.”
Wow….Governor Cuomo….I’d like to point something out to you. More people have died in New York State from Coronavirus than any other NATION in the entire world. More from your state than any other NATION in the world….Italy, China, and the rest of the USA included. Sounds pretty clear to me that since Governor Cuomo is offended by The Lord, that The Lord is not blessing him and his state. Being offended by The Lord has huge ramifications and consequences. I’d much rather be blessed by The Lord any day of the week.
In Luke 7:30, an argument arose between the publicans, the Pharisees, and the lawyers over who was a legit follower of The Lord….and did you see what the basis of their argument was? Who baptized them!!! Listen….as important as I know and believe baptism to be….who baptizes you has no bearing on your stance in the Kingdom of God.
But this shows that just like today….so many church people can MAJOR on the MINORS….let’s try our best to stay focused and keep the Main Thing the Main Thing.
Luke 7:41-42 hit really close to home to me….Jesus tells a parable about a creditor that had two debtors. One that owed 500 and another that owed 50. The creditor wiped both slates clean. Who was the happiest? Of course the one that owed 500. Jesus then uses that to say that likewise, those that have been forgiven much love much and those that have been forgiven little love little.
I’ve lived a pretty clean life friends….only alcohol that’s ever been in my mouth was a toddy my Momma made me when I was 4 years old with the crupe and flu….some moonshine a fishing buddy tricked me into trying one time….and some wine in El Salvador when we took The Lord’s Supper. That’s it.
Never did drugs
Never smoked
Never chewed
Never been in trouble with the law or anything like that.
Got a clean driving record and impeccable credit.
I’ve always tried to be the best at whatever I did….
I was the top graduate in my class in both High School and College
Was the top salesman where I worked
The church I pastored was known as one of the best in the state
But now….I’ll soon be divorced….I’ve failed at keeping a marriage together….something I never dreamed in a million years I’d have hanging over my head. But you know what….it took the same amount of grace to save “never got in trouble Phillip” as it does “divorced Phillip”….and The Lord loves “be the best Phillip” just as much as He loves me where I am right now.
So you know what….I’ve grown to love The Lord more in the last few months than ever before. I’ve come to appreciate the goodness, grace, and mercy of The Lord more than I ever have in my 43 years of life. Why? Because like Jesus said here in Luke 7:41-42….the more The Lord has forgiven you for….the more you are going to love Him.
Thank you Lord for your unconditional love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness toward us!!
At the beginning of Luke 8, we see how important ministry partners certain women were to Jesus and the 12 disciples. Specifically Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna. Ladies, contrary to what some may want you to believe….you are valuable and important to Jesus and His Kingdom Work.
In Luke 8:16….we are reminded to let our lights shine for Jesus and not hide them. I told you yesterday of a regret I had from my years of pastoring….here’s another one I have. The biggest mission field in our area is our local schools. 80% of the people that get saved are under the age of 18. No greater gathering of unsaved people in one place at one time in our counties than when our schools are in session.
If I had it to do over again….I’d get a bunch of Christian T-Shirt/Sweatshirt catalogs….witness wear is what I call it. I’d tell the students at church….we will buy you 3 witness wear shirts of any type, color, or message you choose…..under 1 condition…..you have to wear at least one of these shirts to school at least one day a week in order to shine your light for Jesus.
Nothing wrong with wearing school colors…nothing wrong with supporting the UT Vols, Nashville Preds, or Tennessee Titans….but how awesome would it be to have an army of students in each school in this area….boldly proclaiming the message of Jesus on their clothes during the schoolyear.
Shine your lights folks!!!
Speaking of Christian witness wear….I saw one last year at the National Quartet Convention from Ernie Haase and Signature Sound that I went to purchase but they didn’t have one in my size…..it comes straight from Luke 8:23…..Jesus took naps so it’s OK for me to take one too!! YES!!!!
In Luke 8:53, Jesus and His disciples got laughed at…..if Jesus got laughed at….we shouldn’t be surprised when we get laughed at for following Jesus too. And let’s be honest….none of us enjoy being laughed at. But if it happened to Jesus, we shouldn’t be surprised if it happens to us also. Just remember who gets the last laugh….Jesus does…both in this passage and in life.
In Luke 9:21, Jesus warns His disciples about His impending crucifixion. I’m so thankful for the love of Christ that warns us of what’s going to take place in our future. He doesn’t spring stuff on us….He gives us fair warning….we are the only ones to blame when we suffer the consequences.
In Luke 9:29 we see how prayer changes things. It changed the countenance of Jesus and it will change us also. If you have time to worry over a situation, you have time to pray over a situation….and I’ve learned from experience….prayer does a lot more good than worry. The devil knows He can’t stop Jesus from answering prayer…..so what does the devil do….He tries to stop us from praying by getting us to worry instead.
Lastly, notice Luke 9:56….Jesus “is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” So many people have a negative connotation of The Lord….they think all He wants to do is judge, punish, and destroy us for our sins and mistakes. But that’s not the case….Yes there’s a judgment/punishment day coming….but it doesn’t take place till after we die(Hebrews 9:27). As long as we have life….The Lord wants to save, enrich, and make our lives better….not worse.
I was recently at a funeral and I heard Brother David Steppe say this….Brother David led the deceased man to Christ the day before he passed and at the funeral Brother David said, “I’m sure glad The Lord wants to get everybody into Heaven that He can and is not trying to keep folks out.”
Friend….The Lord loves us….no matter what we’ve done….no matter what we’ve failed at…He loves us. He didn’t go through the gruesome agony of the cross only to destroy the life we’ve been given. No…Jesus went through what He went through to give us a better life.
Lord…help me to be ever so mindful and never take for granted again your mercy, your love, your grace, and your forgiveness.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Luke 7-9
The majority of the content covered in the 3 chapters today has been covered in Matthew and Mark so far. However, there are a couple of passages that haven’t and some things The Lord wants to reiterate and point out to us.
First, beginning in Luke 7:11 is a passage about Jesus bringing the Widow of Nain’s son back to life. Jesus is heading into the city of Nain. While going through the gate, He meets a funeral procession. A widow woman has lost her only son…..What did this mean? In addition to the grief of losing a child, this woman now was doomed to a life of begging at best….most likely starvation and death herself would soon follow. There were no social programs in those days to help widows. This widow was up a creek without a paddle.
But then Jesus showed up on the scene….and the Bible says He had compassion on this widow. He went and touched the dead man(a big no-no in Jewish culture), told the man to arise and lo and behold, the young man came back to life.
You are probably wondering what the application is for us today….like me….you’ve probably been to hundreds of funerals and never seen a dead man come back to life…..that’s not the point.
The point is this….Jesus can and will give us hope when we have no hope. Jesus can and will give us a future when we have no future. Jesus can and will love us when nobody else is there to love us. Jesus can and will provide for us when nobody else is there to provide for us.
You see many of us put limitations on what we think The Lord can do for us. There’s a Greek word for that kind of thinking….bologna.
We say things like:
My problems are too big, there’s no way God is able to handle this.
My problems are too complicated, there’s no way God is able to sort this out
My problems are too expensive, there’s no way God is able to pay for all this
My problem has lasted too long, there’s no way God is able to turn this thing around
My problem has hurt too many people, there’s no way God is able to change all their hearts
The Bible shows us over and over again and gives us example after example after example of how God is able to do anything and everything imaginable.
He is able to help us overcome the giants in our lives like He did David
He is able to get our attention like He did Jonah
He is able to heal our diseases like He did the woman with the issue of blood
He is able to tell us all about our past like He did the woman at the well
He is able to tell us all about our future like He did King Hezekiah
He is able to use our past as a catalyst to reach others with the Gospel like He did Paul.
He is able to help us give a powerful testimony like He did Peter
He is able to take us to our Promised Land of prosperity like He did the Children of Israel
He is able to fight our battles for us like He did Joshua
He is able to make a way when there seems to be no way like He did Moses at the Red Sea
He is able to test our obedience like He did Abraham
He is able to provide a substitute for the sacrifice of our lives like He did Isaac.
He is able to give life like He did to Adam and Eve
He is able to take life like He did to Ananias and Saphira.
He is able to save His faithful remnant from destruction like He did Noah and his family
He is also able to punish the whole land for their iniquity like He did Sodom and Gomorrah.
He is able to send food like he did for two different times for the 5000 and the 4000.
He’s also able to send famine like He did in the days of Elijah.
He is able to make good out of a bad situation like He did for Joseph.
He is able to make something out of nothing like He did when He created the world.
He is able to give us great power like He did Samson
He is able to take our power away like He did King Saul.
He is able to give us great wisdom like He did King Solomon
He is able to make us dumb like He did Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist.
He is able to use young people who are willing to work in His Kingdom like young Timothy
He is able to use the aged for his kingdom purposes like Elizabeth and Sarah.
He is able to turn water into wine like He did in John Chapter 2 and
He is able to turn a rock into water like He did in Exodus Chapter 17
He is able to calm the storms of our lives like He did in Matthew Chapter 8
He is able to send a great storm into our lives like He did in Acts Chapter 27
He is able to offer comfort like He did to Mary and Martha
He is able to offer conviction like He did the moneychangers in the temple
He is able to raise us up to a better place like He did the woman caught in adultery
He is able to put us in our place like He did her accusers
He is able to raise the dead like He did Lazarus
He is able to wake the dead like He did at the Resurrection
He is able to forgive us when we deny Him like Peter, when we fail Him like David, and when we disappoint Him like the disciples.
He is able to free us from the things that bind us like He did Paul and Silas
He is able to bind the things that want to harm us like He did Daniel in the Lion’s den
He is able to give us a taste of Heaven like He did John in Revelation
He is able to give us a taste of Hell like He did the soldiers who took Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to the fiery furnace.
He is able to fulfill all the Old Testament Prophecies of the Messiah
He is able to provide for all our needs according to His riches in glory
He is able to forgive us of all our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness
He is able to make all things new
He is able to make a little bit go a long way like He did for the widow and her son.
He is able to make it rain for 40 days and 40 nights like He did during the flood but
He is able to make it stop raining for 3.5 years like it did during the days of Elijah.
He is able to save the unsavable like Paul
He’s able to save the unlovable like Zachaeus
He’s able to save the unreachable like the Philippian Jailer
He is able to redeem our time like He did Philip
He is able to cross our paths with just the right person at just the right time like He did the Ethiopian Eunuch.
He is able to reach people at night like He did Nicodemus
He is able to reach people by day like He did the throngs of thousands that followed Him.
He is able to make a great encourager out of us like He did Barnabas
He is able to make a great evangelist out of us like He did Philip
He is able to help us bring many people to meet Him like He did Andrew
He is able to give us a plan like He did Nehemiah
He is able to take care of us when we lose it all like He did Job
He is able to take care of us in death like He did Stephen
He is able to ease our doubts like He did Thomas
He is able to give us courage to stand up like He did Esther and
He is able to give us courage to take a stand like He did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
Have I made myself clear???? All of us…ALL OF US….ME INCLUDED…need to stop putting limits on what we think The Lord can do for us.
This Widow of Nain never in a million years dreamed that her future was going to change like it did during the funeral procession of her son….and just like that….when we least expect it….The Lord is able to change our futures also.
In Luke 7:23…..read very carefully what Jesus says…”Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” I heard something with my own ears other day that literally blew me away. I was listening to the New York Governor’s News Conference about Coronavirus. Governor Andrew Cuomo was talking about how their numbers were coming down and then he had the audacity to say, “God did not do this. Faith did not do this. We did this through our policies and social distancing.”
Wow….Governor Cuomo….I’d like to point something out to you. More people have died in New York State from Coronavirus than any other NATION in the entire world. More from your state than any other NATION in the world….Italy, China, and the rest of the USA included. Sounds pretty clear to me that since Governor Cuomo is offended by The Lord, that The Lord is not blessing him and his state. Being offended by The Lord has huge ramifications and consequences. I’d much rather be blessed by The Lord any day of the week.
In Luke 7:30, an argument arose between the publicans, the Pharisees, and the lawyers over who was a legit follower of The Lord….and did you see what the basis of their argument was? Who baptized them!!! Listen….as important as I know and believe baptism to be….who baptizes you has no bearing on your stance in the Kingdom of God.
But this shows that just like today….so many church people can MAJOR on the MINORS….let’s try our best to stay focused and keep the Main Thing the Main Thing.
Luke 7:41-42 hit really close to home to me….Jesus tells a parable about a creditor that had two debtors. One that owed 500 and another that owed 50. The creditor wiped both slates clean. Who was the happiest? Of course the one that owed 500. Jesus then uses that to say that likewise, those that have been forgiven much love much and those that have been forgiven little love little.
I’ve lived a pretty clean life friends….only alcohol that’s ever been in my mouth was a toddy my Momma made me when I was 4 years old with the crupe and flu….some moonshine a fishing buddy tricked me into trying one time….and some wine in El Salvador when we took The Lord’s Supper. That’s it.
Never did drugs
Never smoked
Never chewed
Never been in trouble with the law or anything like that.
Got a clean driving record and impeccable credit.
I’ve always tried to be the best at whatever I did….
I was the top graduate in my class in both High School and College
Was the top salesman where I worked
The church I pastored was known as one of the best in the state
But now….I’ll soon be divorced….I’ve failed at keeping a marriage together….something I never dreamed in a million years I’d have hanging over my head. But you know what….it took the same amount of grace to save “never got in trouble Phillip” as it does “divorced Phillip”….and The Lord loves “be the best Phillip” just as much as He loves me where I am right now.
So you know what….I’ve grown to love The Lord more in the last few months than ever before. I’ve come to appreciate the goodness, grace, and mercy of The Lord more than I ever have in my 43 years of life. Why? Because like Jesus said here in Luke 7:41-42….the more The Lord has forgiven you for….the more you are going to love Him.
Thank you Lord for your unconditional love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness toward us!!
At the beginning of Luke 8, we see how important ministry partners certain women were to Jesus and the 12 disciples. Specifically Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna. Ladies, contrary to what some may want you to believe….you are valuable and important to Jesus and His Kingdom Work.
In Luke 8:16….we are reminded to let our lights shine for Jesus and not hide them. I told you yesterday of a regret I had from my years of pastoring….here’s another one I have. The biggest mission field in our area is our local schools. 80% of the people that get saved are under the age of 18. No greater gathering of unsaved people in one place at one time in our counties than when our schools are in session.
If I had it to do over again….I’d get a bunch of Christian T-Shirt/Sweatshirt catalogs….witness wear is what I call it. I’d tell the students at church….we will buy you 3 witness wear shirts of any type, color, or message you choose…..under 1 condition…..you have to wear at least one of these shirts to school at least one day a week in order to shine your light for Jesus.
Nothing wrong with wearing school colors…nothing wrong with supporting the UT Vols, Nashville Preds, or Tennessee Titans….but how awesome would it be to have an army of students in each school in this area….boldly proclaiming the message of Jesus on their clothes during the schoolyear.
Shine your lights folks!!!
Speaking of Christian witness wear….I saw one last year at the National Quartet Convention from Ernie Haase and Signature Sound that I went to purchase but they didn’t have one in my size…..it comes straight from Luke 8:23…..Jesus took naps so it’s OK for me to take one too!! YES!!!!
In Luke 8:53, Jesus and His disciples got laughed at…..if Jesus got laughed at….we shouldn’t be surprised when we get laughed at for following Jesus too. And let’s be honest….none of us enjoy being laughed at. But if it happened to Jesus, we shouldn’t be surprised if it happens to us also. Just remember who gets the last laugh….Jesus does…both in this passage and in life.
In Luke 9:21, Jesus warns His disciples about His impending crucifixion. I’m so thankful for the love of Christ that warns us of what’s going to take place in our future. He doesn’t spring stuff on us….He gives us fair warning….we are the only ones to blame when we suffer the consequences.
In Luke 9:29 we see how prayer changes things. It changed the countenance of Jesus and it will change us also. If you have time to worry over a situation, you have time to pray over a situation….and I’ve learned from experience….prayer does a lot more good than worry. The devil knows He can’t stop Jesus from answering prayer…..so what does the devil do….He tries to stop us from praying by getting us to worry instead.
Lastly, notice Luke 9:56….Jesus “is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” So many people have a negative connotation of The Lord….they think all He wants to do is judge, punish, and destroy us for our sins and mistakes. But that’s not the case….Yes there’s a judgment/punishment day coming….but it doesn’t take place till after we die(Hebrews 9:27). As long as we have life….The Lord wants to save, enrich, and make our lives better….not worse.
I was recently at a funeral and I heard Brother David Steppe say this….Brother David led the deceased man to Christ the day before he passed and at the funeral Brother David said, “I’m sure glad The Lord wants to get everybody into Heaven that He can and is not trying to keep folks out.”
Friend….The Lord loves us….no matter what we’ve done….no matter what we’ve failed at…He loves us. He didn’t go through the gruesome agony of the cross only to destroy the life we’ve been given. No…Jesus went through what He went through to give us a better life.
Lord…help me to be ever so mindful and never take for granted again your mercy, your love, your grace, and your forgiveness.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 17 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Luke 4-6
Luke 4 opens with Jesus being tempted in the wilderness by Satan. Jesus answers the temptations of Satan with scripture….in each case….Jesus answers Satan’s temptation with scripture.
Here’s the question….do you know enough scripture to fight the temptation the devil is throwing your way?
That is exactly why Jesus said in Verse 4 that man doesn’t live by bread alone but by every word of God. Just like we need protein, dairy, bread, and vegetables to live…we also need the nourishment of God’s Word to successfully fend of Satan.
So how spiritually malnourished are you? Hopefully you have been following along 3 chapters a day this month….I’m hoping that forms a positive practice(habit) in which you will continue to read 3 chapters a day and complete the Bible in 1 year.
The first time I read the Bible through in a year, December 24, 2002-December 24, 2003….it absolutely changed my life. Once I discovered what I discovered in God’s Word….I wanted everybody I met to have for themselves what I had found. Reading The Bible will do the same for you my friend.
In Verses 5-7, the devil tempts Jesus by showing him all the kingdoms of the world and saying that if Jesus will bow down to him, he will give Jesus all those kingdoms. That was a flat out lie because Satan didn’t own those kingdoms and they weren’t his to give away.
But Satan still does the same thing today….while tempting us, he promises things that he can’t deliver in the first place. So bottom line…don’t listen to and certainly don’t believe the lies of Satan.
In Verse 16, we learn that it was Jesus’ custom to go to church every Sabbath day. Can that be said for you? Pre-coronavirus quarantine, was it your custom to be found in the church each Sunday?
Here’s the statistics….and they are shocking. The average church member in the USA attends church 2.3 Sunday’s a month. 2.3
You see, Pre-coronavirus quarantine, for the average American….church attendance took place only if they felt like it or didn’t have anything else to do. My policy has always been….if you feel good enough to go to work, then you need to be in church. My grandmother, Pearl Chambers, in the last years of her life….her body just played out….she had literally worked herself on this farm alongside my grandfather to where she was just physically give out. Mamo’s knees were played out….her heart was played out…everything….shot….except her mind.
But as long as she could….Mamo went to 2 places every week….the beauty shop to get her hair done…and church on Sunday morning. I can’t tell you how many times we had to take Mamo out of church because she would start having one of her spells. She literally had no business going….but she wanted to be there….and when I would hear about people missing church because of some sniffles or a headache….I’d want to show them Mamo there in her dilapidated body and say….really? You’re missing church cause you have a headache????
May it be said for all of us that it is our custom to be in The Lord’s house on The Lord’s day.
In Verse 18, Jesus reads from Isaiah 61….one particular phrase in the verse captures my attention….he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted.
Would you allow me to be transparent about a regret I had from when I was pastoring? Something I wish I had done, but never did get around to it.
I thought we did a good job of ministering to the poor with food/clothing/etc….but if I had it to do over again, I’d really focus on ministering to brokenhearted people also….specifically those dealing with grief and those dealing with divorce. I had several mothers in the congregation that had lost children to death. Broken-hearted doesn’t even begin to describe what these women felt. If I had it to do over again, I’d really like to figure out how to minister to these mothers and all people dealing with grief better than what I did.
Same with those going through divorce….In Genesis 50, Joseph tells his brothers that what the devil meant for evil, God used for good….I’m claiming this verse in the current situation I’m going through. I’ve already noticed that the most understanding and non-judgmental people I’ve talked to over the last 3.5 months are those who have been divorced. I’m praying The Lord will use what I’m going through to minister to others going through the heart breaking effects of divorce in their lives.
In Verse 34, notice the demonic spirit inside of the man said “let us alone…Jesus.” Us is plural….this means that this one individual man had at least two demonic spirits inside of him….(more than likely dozens more). Here’s the point….Satan doesn’t fight fair….never has and never will….he can outman, outgun, outmaneuver, and outsmart us in a heartbeat. That’s why we MUST have Jesus fighting our battles for us.
In Luke 5:5….Jesus uses Simon Peter’s ship to speak to the people. Afterwards, he tells Peter to launch out into the deep and let his nets down for a catch. Peter says, Lord…doesn’t make any sense….we have toiled all night and not caught a thing….but nevertheless….because you say so…we’ll launch out and let her down.
Here’s the point….The Lord’s advice often defies conventional wisdom….if often doesn’t make sense….that’s why it takes so much faith to follow Jesus….because in most cases…we are going against conventional logic.
Conventional logic says if you want more money…save save save.
Jesus logic says if you want more money…give what you have away.
Conventional logic says hate your enemies
Jesus logic says love your enemies and do good to them.
Conventional logic says if you own a business to be open 7 days a week.
Jesus logic says to be Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.
Peter and his fishing partners land the biggest catch of fish in the history of their fishing business…they are now at the top….about to be rich from all these fish….when Jesus says….”Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”
If this was me, I would have said, “Sure thing Lord….let me just go cash these fish in and I’ll be right there.”
Other’s would have probably said, “Lord…I can’t….I’ve got a family to feed.”
But what did Peter, Andrew, James, and John do? The Bible says that on would have been the biggest payday of their life….they left it all to follow Jesus.
Do you have a successful career? Are you fighting the call of God on your life because you don’t want to walk away from that successful career? I’ve been there bro…..I was making good money in the radio business…real good money….but God called me to ministry and I walked away….not immediately….but I did walk away.
If God’s calling you to follow Him and become a fisher of men….quit putting it off…answer the call right now….just like Peter, Andrew, James and John did.
In Luke 5:20…we are reminded that our faith makes a big difference in the salvation of others. Who are you praying for during this quarantine? Who’s on your salvation prayer list? There’s no feeling in the world like seeing someone you prayed for get saved. I’ve prayed for all my nieces and nephew and seen all 6 of them saved. I’ve prayed for many friends, their families, and seen them saved. Prayers for the salvation of others flat out works. Please don’t neglect to pray for your lost friends and family to be saved.
In Luke 6:12, we see that the night before Jesus selected His 12 disciples, He spent the whole night in prayer. Do you have a big decision coming up in your life(I have several)….then it’s a really good idea to bathe those important decisions in prayer.
Luke 6:36 contains a word that has taken on new meaning for me in recent days….merciful. We hear the terms mercy and grace almost interchanged for each other. But they have two totally different meanings. Grace is underserved favor. Doing good to somebody that doesn’t deserve it.
Mercy however, is withholding punishment when it is completely in your power to give it.
Luke 6:36 tells us that God is merciful and likewise we should be too. Who have you punished lately? Somebody that did you wrong and you were completely within your rights to punish? The Lord is saying to us that we should be full of mercy to others because He has been full of mercy to us.
I can say this is a fact and as a recipient of the mercy of others in recent days….I’m so much more appreciative and willing to grant mercy than what I used to be.
Luke 6:38 is one of my favorite verses in scripture….in essence….it reminds us that you can’t out give God. If we give obediently, God will give it back to us in bigger ways than we can imagine. The food giveaways I was a part of at yellow creek….they would cost upwards of $25,000 each time we did one…..and invariably….within 2-3 weeks of each giveaway, we’d have all that money and more given back to the church. It was so amazing.
Luke 6:42 reminds us of the importance of first dealing with our own sins before we go around policing others. Before I’d ever preach a message publicly….that message had to marinate in my own heart and mind….I had to deal with what Jesus was saying myself before I could ever pass that message along to others.
Last but not least….Luke 6 concludes with the teaching about those who build their houses on the rock and those who build their houses on the sand. I want you to notice one particular word in Verse 48….WHEN. Not if a storm comes….WHEN a storm comes….if your house is built on the rock, you’ll make it….but if your house is built on the sand, you’ll fall.
WHEN a storm comes….not if…not might…not should….not could….WHEN.
If you are not in a storm right now friend….get ready cause one is heading your way. It’s not a matter of if….it’s a matter of when.
Do all you can do to prepare while there’s no storm brewing….
But WHEN the storm does come….it’s a great idea to sing and pray today’s worship song….Keep Me Safe Till The Storm Passes By.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Luke 4-6
Luke 4 opens with Jesus being tempted in the wilderness by Satan. Jesus answers the temptations of Satan with scripture….in each case….Jesus answers Satan’s temptation with scripture.
Here’s the question….do you know enough scripture to fight the temptation the devil is throwing your way?
That is exactly why Jesus said in Verse 4 that man doesn’t live by bread alone but by every word of God. Just like we need protein, dairy, bread, and vegetables to live…we also need the nourishment of God’s Word to successfully fend of Satan.
So how spiritually malnourished are you? Hopefully you have been following along 3 chapters a day this month….I’m hoping that forms a positive practice(habit) in which you will continue to read 3 chapters a day and complete the Bible in 1 year.
The first time I read the Bible through in a year, December 24, 2002-December 24, 2003….it absolutely changed my life. Once I discovered what I discovered in God’s Word….I wanted everybody I met to have for themselves what I had found. Reading The Bible will do the same for you my friend.
In Verses 5-7, the devil tempts Jesus by showing him all the kingdoms of the world and saying that if Jesus will bow down to him, he will give Jesus all those kingdoms. That was a flat out lie because Satan didn’t own those kingdoms and they weren’t his to give away.
But Satan still does the same thing today….while tempting us, he promises things that he can’t deliver in the first place. So bottom line…don’t listen to and certainly don’t believe the lies of Satan.
In Verse 16, we learn that it was Jesus’ custom to go to church every Sabbath day. Can that be said for you? Pre-coronavirus quarantine, was it your custom to be found in the church each Sunday?
Here’s the statistics….and they are shocking. The average church member in the USA attends church 2.3 Sunday’s a month. 2.3
You see, Pre-coronavirus quarantine, for the average American….church attendance took place only if they felt like it or didn’t have anything else to do. My policy has always been….if you feel good enough to go to work, then you need to be in church. My grandmother, Pearl Chambers, in the last years of her life….her body just played out….she had literally worked herself on this farm alongside my grandfather to where she was just physically give out. Mamo’s knees were played out….her heart was played out…everything….shot….except her mind.
But as long as she could….Mamo went to 2 places every week….the beauty shop to get her hair done…and church on Sunday morning. I can’t tell you how many times we had to take Mamo out of church because she would start having one of her spells. She literally had no business going….but she wanted to be there….and when I would hear about people missing church because of some sniffles or a headache….I’d want to show them Mamo there in her dilapidated body and say….really? You’re missing church cause you have a headache????
May it be said for all of us that it is our custom to be in The Lord’s house on The Lord’s day.
In Verse 18, Jesus reads from Isaiah 61….one particular phrase in the verse captures my attention….he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted.
Would you allow me to be transparent about a regret I had from when I was pastoring? Something I wish I had done, but never did get around to it.
I thought we did a good job of ministering to the poor with food/clothing/etc….but if I had it to do over again, I’d really focus on ministering to brokenhearted people also….specifically those dealing with grief and those dealing with divorce. I had several mothers in the congregation that had lost children to death. Broken-hearted doesn’t even begin to describe what these women felt. If I had it to do over again, I’d really like to figure out how to minister to these mothers and all people dealing with grief better than what I did.
Same with those going through divorce….In Genesis 50, Joseph tells his brothers that what the devil meant for evil, God used for good….I’m claiming this verse in the current situation I’m going through. I’ve already noticed that the most understanding and non-judgmental people I’ve talked to over the last 3.5 months are those who have been divorced. I’m praying The Lord will use what I’m going through to minister to others going through the heart breaking effects of divorce in their lives.
In Verse 34, notice the demonic spirit inside of the man said “let us alone…Jesus.” Us is plural….this means that this one individual man had at least two demonic spirits inside of him….(more than likely dozens more). Here’s the point….Satan doesn’t fight fair….never has and never will….he can outman, outgun, outmaneuver, and outsmart us in a heartbeat. That’s why we MUST have Jesus fighting our battles for us.
In Luke 5:5….Jesus uses Simon Peter’s ship to speak to the people. Afterwards, he tells Peter to launch out into the deep and let his nets down for a catch. Peter says, Lord…doesn’t make any sense….we have toiled all night and not caught a thing….but nevertheless….because you say so…we’ll launch out and let her down.
Here’s the point….The Lord’s advice often defies conventional wisdom….if often doesn’t make sense….that’s why it takes so much faith to follow Jesus….because in most cases…we are going against conventional logic.
Conventional logic says if you want more money…save save save.
Jesus logic says if you want more money…give what you have away.
Conventional logic says hate your enemies
Jesus logic says love your enemies and do good to them.
Conventional logic says if you own a business to be open 7 days a week.
Jesus logic says to be Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.
Peter and his fishing partners land the biggest catch of fish in the history of their fishing business…they are now at the top….about to be rich from all these fish….when Jesus says….”Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”
If this was me, I would have said, “Sure thing Lord….let me just go cash these fish in and I’ll be right there.”
Other’s would have probably said, “Lord…I can’t….I’ve got a family to feed.”
But what did Peter, Andrew, James, and John do? The Bible says that on would have been the biggest payday of their life….they left it all to follow Jesus.
Do you have a successful career? Are you fighting the call of God on your life because you don’t want to walk away from that successful career? I’ve been there bro…..I was making good money in the radio business…real good money….but God called me to ministry and I walked away….not immediately….but I did walk away.
If God’s calling you to follow Him and become a fisher of men….quit putting it off…answer the call right now….just like Peter, Andrew, James and John did.
In Luke 5:20…we are reminded that our faith makes a big difference in the salvation of others. Who are you praying for during this quarantine? Who’s on your salvation prayer list? There’s no feeling in the world like seeing someone you prayed for get saved. I’ve prayed for all my nieces and nephew and seen all 6 of them saved. I’ve prayed for many friends, their families, and seen them saved. Prayers for the salvation of others flat out works. Please don’t neglect to pray for your lost friends and family to be saved.
In Luke 6:12, we see that the night before Jesus selected His 12 disciples, He spent the whole night in prayer. Do you have a big decision coming up in your life(I have several)….then it’s a really good idea to bathe those important decisions in prayer.
Luke 6:36 contains a word that has taken on new meaning for me in recent days….merciful. We hear the terms mercy and grace almost interchanged for each other. But they have two totally different meanings. Grace is underserved favor. Doing good to somebody that doesn’t deserve it.
Mercy however, is withholding punishment when it is completely in your power to give it.
Luke 6:36 tells us that God is merciful and likewise we should be too. Who have you punished lately? Somebody that did you wrong and you were completely within your rights to punish? The Lord is saying to us that we should be full of mercy to others because He has been full of mercy to us.
I can say this is a fact and as a recipient of the mercy of others in recent days….I’m so much more appreciative and willing to grant mercy than what I used to be.
Luke 6:38 is one of my favorite verses in scripture….in essence….it reminds us that you can’t out give God. If we give obediently, God will give it back to us in bigger ways than we can imagine. The food giveaways I was a part of at yellow creek….they would cost upwards of $25,000 each time we did one…..and invariably….within 2-3 weeks of each giveaway, we’d have all that money and more given back to the church. It was so amazing.
Luke 6:42 reminds us of the importance of first dealing with our own sins before we go around policing others. Before I’d ever preach a message publicly….that message had to marinate in my own heart and mind….I had to deal with what Jesus was saying myself before I could ever pass that message along to others.
Last but not least….Luke 6 concludes with the teaching about those who build their houses on the rock and those who build their houses on the sand. I want you to notice one particular word in Verse 48….WHEN. Not if a storm comes….WHEN a storm comes….if your house is built on the rock, you’ll make it….but if your house is built on the sand, you’ll fall.
WHEN a storm comes….not if…not might…not should….not could….WHEN.
If you are not in a storm right now friend….get ready cause one is heading your way. It’s not a matter of if….it’s a matter of when.
Do all you can do to prepare while there’s no storm brewing….
But WHEN the storm does come….it’s a great idea to sing and pray today’s worship song….Keep Me Safe Till The Storm Passes By.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 16 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Luke 1-3
Sorry this is late….was under the weather last night…feeling much better this morning.
Luke was a medical doctor and unlike the other 3 Gospel writers, he was NOT an eyewitness to the life of Jesus. Matthew and John were two of Jesus’ disciples. And Mark was an eyewitness(Mark 14:51)
Luke gathered his Gospel information, under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit, by carefully interviewing the people who were eyewitnesses to Jesus life. Many Bible scholars consider Luke’s Gospel to be Mary’s Gospel because it is the only one of the 4 Gospels with a detailed account of Jesus’ birth.
When I say careful interviewing….please pay close attention to the little details Luke includes all throughout his Gospel….things that you and I would never probably include if we were doing it.
The right side of the altar
His left ear
His right hand
At the beginning of Luke, we learn of the story of John the Baptist’s birth. John’s father, Zacharias, was a priest(preacher)….notice something important in Verse 10. The whole multitude of people praying for Zacharias as he did his job.
Here’s the point….PLEASE PRAY FOR YOUR PASTOR…..wonderful things happen when you pray for your Pastor. Here, an old preacher received a promise of a son while people were praying for him. I’m telling you from experience….more than I needed anything else while Pastoring….I needed the prayers of people because I know the power of prayer.
But Phillip….I don’t like my Pastor….I understand those feelings totally….even more reason to pray for him…because your prayers will either change him or change you….one or the other…either way it’s for the best.
No joke….I want everybody reading this to stop reading right now….and pray for your Pastor.
Did you do it???
Good…..
In Verse 19, we learn the name of the angel delivering this message….Gabriel. Only 2 angels are mentioned by name in scripture. Do you know who the other one is beside Gabriel? Michael….the Captain of The Lord’s Host.(Daniel 10, Jude, Revelation 12).
Beginning in Verse 26, we learn of how Mary found out she was going to be the mother of the Messiah. Pay close attention to Verse 34….this gives us confirmation of the Virgin birth of Jesus….a necessity for Him to be born sinless.
Then we get to verse 37…..one of my favorite verses in all of scripture….For with God nothing shall be impossible. First…think of the context this verse was spoken….a young virgin girl is being told by an angel that she’s pregnant although she’s a virgin….and not only is she pregnant….but she’s pregnant with the Son of God….then to top it all off….her elderly cousin….who had never had a child….is also pregnant.
I’m sure Mary’s head was spinning trying to take all of this in….so Gabriel told her…for with God nothing shall be impossible.
As much as I hesitate to isolate individual bible verses….I’m completely OK with isolating this one….I’ve quoted it many many times…if you don’t have it memorized….you should….its brought me comfort in dark days….for with God nothing shall be impossible.
After receiving the message, Mary heads off to see Elisabeth….look at Verse 41. The first human on earth to give praise to the Messiah was an unborn fetus. Think about that….it wasn’t Mary….wasn’t Joseph…wasn’t their parents….wasn’t even Elisabeth….it was the unborn John the Baptist while still in Elisabeth’s womb.
If that doesn’t convince us of the sanctity and value of all human life, I don’t know what will.
Later in in Luke 1, John the Baptist is born….8 days after birth, Zacharias and Elisabeth bring him to the temple to be circumcised and named….Zacharias still can’t talk at this time, but after affirming in Verse 63 that the child’s name is to be John….in Verse 64 his tongue is loosed and he’s allowed to speak again. Pay close attention to the first words Zacharias said after being tongue tied for over 9 months…HE PRAISED GOD!!!
I agree with the great hymn writer Charles Wesley….
O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace.
May we all use our tongues today to praise God more than we complain….more than we bellyache….more than we teach, talk, or do anything else.
In Luke 2, we have the detailed account of Jesus birth. So many people skip over Verse 2 because it is in parenthesis and they think it’s not important. So why is verse 2 included? To give us further scientific/archaeological evidence of the validity and truth of the Bible. In other words….look it up…Cyrenius was really the governor of Syria. As I’ve said before….we are supposed to exercise faith….but it’s not blind faith. The Bible is not some house of cards that could easily be disproven. Nope….its foundation is more solid than anything ever written. Its 100% accurate, 100% true, 100% of the time.
In Verse 7, we learn that Jesus was born in what many call today a cave because there was no room for them in the inn. Neal Maxwell said, “Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus in our lives.” WOW….just think of all the other stuff we give place for in our lives besides Jesus. Does Jesus get first choice? The first moments of our day in Bible Study, Prayer, and Meditation? The first day of our week in worship and rest? The first dollars of our income in tithe and offerings? If we are not giving Jesus his rightful place, then we are no different than the innkeeper in Verse 7.
In Verse 8, we learn that Jesus’ birth was announced to the Shepherds….not to the Kings and Queens of the day….not to the political officials of the day….not to the rich and well off….but to the poor, common shepherds.
The shepherds see an angel…the angel announces the birth of Jesus and tells the shepherds they will find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Sure enough in verse 16 they did.
I learned something last Christmas that I want to share with you today….the significance of swaddling clothes and the manger. What were sheep used for in those days? First and foremost, Temple sacrifices. What was the requirement for a sheep to be used as a temple sacrifice? It had to be perfect and without blemish.
So follow me here….when a shepherd would come across a new baby lamb…if he noticed it to be a potential sacrifice sheep….perfect and without blemish….he would take that lamb….wrap it in swaddling cloths and put it in a manger so it didn’t get beat up/messed up/hurt by the world….thus preventing it from being used as a sacrifice.
So when these Shepherds came to Mary and Joseph and saw baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger….the message was clear to them….this baby will be the perfect, unblemished sacrifice for your sins. WOW!!! That gives me goosebumps.
8 days after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph take him to the temple to be circumcised. While there, they meet a man named Simeon who gave a prophecy to Mary about Jesus’ future…look carefully at Verse 35…a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also…..You see most young Jewish girls had fond dreams of being the mother of the Messiah….it was a dream come true for Mary. But here Simeon was telling Mary that there’s going to be a lot of heartache that comes with this glorious position you have been given.
My mind goes back to yesterday….I was visiting with a family and their son told me that he wanted to be a preacher when he grew up. As happy as that made me, it kinda made me sad too. Why? Because without question both the greatest joys and the greatest sorrows in my life have come since I surrendered to ministry. Yes there could be a lot of good times ahead for that young man….but there could also be a lot of heartache and sorrow for him and his parents also. Ministry is not easy and it’s not all sunshine and roses.
Luke 2:41 through the end of the chapter is one of my favorite passages in the entire Bible. Why? Because it is so applicable to me and my life. Jesus is 12 years old….Mary, Joseph, and Jesus go to Jerusalem for the Passover. Mary and Joseph are heading home….go a whole day’s journey….and they can’t find Jesus.
Get a load of this….the Earthly parents of the Heavenly Messiah LOSE HIM.
Can you just imagine what’s going through their minds?
So Mary and Joseph head back, and after 3 days of searching, they find Jesus….where? At the temple…in His house….doing His Father’s business.
So what’s the application….hang tight honey because I’m about to take a running lap…..
Just like Mary and Joseph….sometimes we can lose track of Jesus in our lives.(Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt)
Does this mean we lose our salvation? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! Mary and Joseph were still His parents. They just didn’t know where He was. When we lose track of Jesus in our lives, we are still His children…we are still saved.
The key is….where do you go to find Jesus and get back on track?
The same place Mary and Joseph found Jesus…church.
This passage brings me tremendous comfort knowing that when(not if)…when I start living my own life and lose track of Jesus, I can always go back to church, find Him, and get restarted in the right direction. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
In Luke 3, John the Baptist is now an adult preaching in the wilderness. He attacks something head on in Verse 8 that was a big problem then and still is somewhat today….people that rely on their heritage, their ancestry, to get them into Heaven.
My Grandfather was a founding member of that church.
My Grandmother is in church every time the door is open.
That’s all well and good….but we are not saved as a result of any decision of our parents or grandparents. We are the only ones who can make a decision to accept or reject Jesus Christ.
Have you made your own decision to follow Jesus and accept His perfect/unblemished sacrifice on the cross for your sins? If so….then use your tongue today to praise Him. If not, then pray to Jesus and surrender your life to Him today.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Luke 1-3
Sorry this is late….was under the weather last night…feeling much better this morning.
Luke was a medical doctor and unlike the other 3 Gospel writers, he was NOT an eyewitness to the life of Jesus. Matthew and John were two of Jesus’ disciples. And Mark was an eyewitness(Mark 14:51)
Luke gathered his Gospel information, under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit, by carefully interviewing the people who were eyewitnesses to Jesus life. Many Bible scholars consider Luke’s Gospel to be Mary’s Gospel because it is the only one of the 4 Gospels with a detailed account of Jesus’ birth.
When I say careful interviewing….please pay close attention to the little details Luke includes all throughout his Gospel….things that you and I would never probably include if we were doing it.
The right side of the altar
His left ear
His right hand
At the beginning of Luke, we learn of the story of John the Baptist’s birth. John’s father, Zacharias, was a priest(preacher)….notice something important in Verse 10. The whole multitude of people praying for Zacharias as he did his job.
Here’s the point….PLEASE PRAY FOR YOUR PASTOR…..wonderful things happen when you pray for your Pastor. Here, an old preacher received a promise of a son while people were praying for him. I’m telling you from experience….more than I needed anything else while Pastoring….I needed the prayers of people because I know the power of prayer.
But Phillip….I don’t like my Pastor….I understand those feelings totally….even more reason to pray for him…because your prayers will either change him or change you….one or the other…either way it’s for the best.
No joke….I want everybody reading this to stop reading right now….and pray for your Pastor.
Did you do it???
Good…..
In Verse 19, we learn the name of the angel delivering this message….Gabriel. Only 2 angels are mentioned by name in scripture. Do you know who the other one is beside Gabriel? Michael….the Captain of The Lord’s Host.(Daniel 10, Jude, Revelation 12).
Beginning in Verse 26, we learn of how Mary found out she was going to be the mother of the Messiah. Pay close attention to Verse 34….this gives us confirmation of the Virgin birth of Jesus….a necessity for Him to be born sinless.
Then we get to verse 37…..one of my favorite verses in all of scripture….For with God nothing shall be impossible. First…think of the context this verse was spoken….a young virgin girl is being told by an angel that she’s pregnant although she’s a virgin….and not only is she pregnant….but she’s pregnant with the Son of God….then to top it all off….her elderly cousin….who had never had a child….is also pregnant.
I’m sure Mary’s head was spinning trying to take all of this in….so Gabriel told her…for with God nothing shall be impossible.
As much as I hesitate to isolate individual bible verses….I’m completely OK with isolating this one….I’ve quoted it many many times…if you don’t have it memorized….you should….its brought me comfort in dark days….for with God nothing shall be impossible.
After receiving the message, Mary heads off to see Elisabeth….look at Verse 41. The first human on earth to give praise to the Messiah was an unborn fetus. Think about that….it wasn’t Mary….wasn’t Joseph…wasn’t their parents….wasn’t even Elisabeth….it was the unborn John the Baptist while still in Elisabeth’s womb.
If that doesn’t convince us of the sanctity and value of all human life, I don’t know what will.
Later in in Luke 1, John the Baptist is born….8 days after birth, Zacharias and Elisabeth bring him to the temple to be circumcised and named….Zacharias still can’t talk at this time, but after affirming in Verse 63 that the child’s name is to be John….in Verse 64 his tongue is loosed and he’s allowed to speak again. Pay close attention to the first words Zacharias said after being tongue tied for over 9 months…HE PRAISED GOD!!!
I agree with the great hymn writer Charles Wesley….
O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace.
May we all use our tongues today to praise God more than we complain….more than we bellyache….more than we teach, talk, or do anything else.
In Luke 2, we have the detailed account of Jesus birth. So many people skip over Verse 2 because it is in parenthesis and they think it’s not important. So why is verse 2 included? To give us further scientific/archaeological evidence of the validity and truth of the Bible. In other words….look it up…Cyrenius was really the governor of Syria. As I’ve said before….we are supposed to exercise faith….but it’s not blind faith. The Bible is not some house of cards that could easily be disproven. Nope….its foundation is more solid than anything ever written. Its 100% accurate, 100% true, 100% of the time.
In Verse 7, we learn that Jesus was born in what many call today a cave because there was no room for them in the inn. Neal Maxwell said, “Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus in our lives.” WOW….just think of all the other stuff we give place for in our lives besides Jesus. Does Jesus get first choice? The first moments of our day in Bible Study, Prayer, and Meditation? The first day of our week in worship and rest? The first dollars of our income in tithe and offerings? If we are not giving Jesus his rightful place, then we are no different than the innkeeper in Verse 7.
In Verse 8, we learn that Jesus’ birth was announced to the Shepherds….not to the Kings and Queens of the day….not to the political officials of the day….not to the rich and well off….but to the poor, common shepherds.
The shepherds see an angel…the angel announces the birth of Jesus and tells the shepherds they will find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Sure enough in verse 16 they did.
I learned something last Christmas that I want to share with you today….the significance of swaddling clothes and the manger. What were sheep used for in those days? First and foremost, Temple sacrifices. What was the requirement for a sheep to be used as a temple sacrifice? It had to be perfect and without blemish.
So follow me here….when a shepherd would come across a new baby lamb…if he noticed it to be a potential sacrifice sheep….perfect and without blemish….he would take that lamb….wrap it in swaddling cloths and put it in a manger so it didn’t get beat up/messed up/hurt by the world….thus preventing it from being used as a sacrifice.
So when these Shepherds came to Mary and Joseph and saw baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger….the message was clear to them….this baby will be the perfect, unblemished sacrifice for your sins. WOW!!! That gives me goosebumps.
8 days after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph take him to the temple to be circumcised. While there, they meet a man named Simeon who gave a prophecy to Mary about Jesus’ future…look carefully at Verse 35…a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also…..You see most young Jewish girls had fond dreams of being the mother of the Messiah….it was a dream come true for Mary. But here Simeon was telling Mary that there’s going to be a lot of heartache that comes with this glorious position you have been given.
My mind goes back to yesterday….I was visiting with a family and their son told me that he wanted to be a preacher when he grew up. As happy as that made me, it kinda made me sad too. Why? Because without question both the greatest joys and the greatest sorrows in my life have come since I surrendered to ministry. Yes there could be a lot of good times ahead for that young man….but there could also be a lot of heartache and sorrow for him and his parents also. Ministry is not easy and it’s not all sunshine and roses.
Luke 2:41 through the end of the chapter is one of my favorite passages in the entire Bible. Why? Because it is so applicable to me and my life. Jesus is 12 years old….Mary, Joseph, and Jesus go to Jerusalem for the Passover. Mary and Joseph are heading home….go a whole day’s journey….and they can’t find Jesus.
Get a load of this….the Earthly parents of the Heavenly Messiah LOSE HIM.
Can you just imagine what’s going through their minds?
So Mary and Joseph head back, and after 3 days of searching, they find Jesus….where? At the temple…in His house….doing His Father’s business.
So what’s the application….hang tight honey because I’m about to take a running lap…..
Just like Mary and Joseph….sometimes we can lose track of Jesus in our lives.(Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt)
Does this mean we lose our salvation? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! Mary and Joseph were still His parents. They just didn’t know where He was. When we lose track of Jesus in our lives, we are still His children…we are still saved.
The key is….where do you go to find Jesus and get back on track?
The same place Mary and Joseph found Jesus…church.
This passage brings me tremendous comfort knowing that when(not if)…when I start living my own life and lose track of Jesus, I can always go back to church, find Him, and get restarted in the right direction. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
In Luke 3, John the Baptist is now an adult preaching in the wilderness. He attacks something head on in Verse 8 that was a big problem then and still is somewhat today….people that rely on their heritage, their ancestry, to get them into Heaven.
My Grandfather was a founding member of that church.
My Grandmother is in church every time the door is open.
That’s all well and good….but we are not saved as a result of any decision of our parents or grandparents. We are the only ones who can make a decision to accept or reject Jesus Christ.
Have you made your own decision to follow Jesus and accept His perfect/unblemished sacrifice on the cross for your sins? If so….then use your tongue today to praise Him. If not, then pray to Jesus and surrender your life to Him today.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 15 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Mark 15-16…ONLY 2 CHAPTERS TODAY. Why? There’s 24 chapters in Luke(8 days of 3), 21 chapters in John(7 days of 3)…doing 2 chapters today keeps us even the rest of the month.
In Mark 15:3, we see that Jesus held His peace while being falsely accused. You know it’s one thing to keep your mouth shut. But it’s another thing altogether to keep your mouth shut while being falsely accused. Oh my goodness….that’s hard…..most of us can’t keep our mouths shut on a good day….much less when we’ve been falsely accused of something. When I’ve been falsely accused before…man alive the temptation is there to set the record straight once and for all.
However, I got some good advice from an attorney friend of mine about keeping your mouth shut when being falsely accused. “There’s no need to defend yourself if you’ve not done anything that needs defending.” WOW….total truth right there. So I’ve tried to follow the example of Jesus here in Mark 15:3 and keep my mouth shut when rumors are running wild about me. It’s not easy at all…man alive I was tempted to get on Facebook and tell everybody the truth…..but holding your peace is the most effective thing to do. The truth always rises to the top.
In Mark 15:10…we see the real, unfiltered reason that the chief priests wanted Jesus crucified….ENVY. The Chief priests were envious of the crowds Jesus had following Him….they were envious of the influence Jesus had….they were envious of having their true motives exposed for the whole world to see. If we find ourselves envying someone, better be real careful….because envy is what caused the Chief Priests to crucify the Son of God.
In Mark 15:11…Pilate has come up with a plan to free Jesus. He has to release a prisoner each year at the Passover. He picks the worst one in the bunch….a murderer named Barabbas and asks the crowd…would you rather me release to you Jesus or Barabbas….thinking surely the people had enough sense not to ask for the release of a convicted murderer.
But look what the chief priests do in Verse 11….they moved the people to release Barabbas instead of Jesus. HERE’S THE POINT….we preachers are capable of leading people down the wrong path. We have to watch our motives….we have to check everything we are doing by the Bible to make sure we are not leading people to do the wrong thing.
So Pilate gave in to the crowd and in Verse 15, he set Barabbas free and sent Jesus to be scourged and crucified.
Do you realize that our political leaders today do the EXACT SAME THING? They govern by opinion polls instead of making the right judgment calls themselves.
Now on the surface that sounds good….the people should be in charge….I understand that sentiment totally….but the USA is a Republic….look up the definition of republic. In a republic, we elect representatives to make decisions for us….and if we don’t agree with those decisions….we are supposed to vote them out and elect somebody else in to make the right decisions.
The reason we have gay marriage today in the USA….is the same reason Jesus was crucified.
Our leaders knew the right thing to do….but they gave into political pressure and passed it.
Our leaders knew the right thing to do about this coronavirus stimulus stuff….but they gave into political pressure and passed it also….a debt so large, our children will never be able to repay it in their lifetime.
Pilate knew the right thing to do with Jesus….release Him….Jesus had done nothing wrong. But instead, Pilate let the tail wag the dog….and friends when the tail wags the dog….crazy things end up happening.
In Verse 16, the cruel roman soldiers began mocking Jesus after they had scourged Him. They put together a painful crown of thorns, put it on His head, then beat Jesus on the head with a stick to thrust the thorns deep into his forehead. They mockingly bowed down in front of Him and said “Hail King of the Jews!” As if the physical torture wasn’t bad enough….this emotional torture was horrific.
Verse 21 shows us the humanity of Jesus and gives us a clue as to why Jesus died on the cross before the two thieves did. Because Jesus was so weak and had lost so much blood from His scourging, He was not able to physically carry His cross to Golgotha like the other two thieves were. Verse 21 says the roman soldiers got a man named Simon from the country of Cyrene to carry Jesus cross for Him. Can you imagine what that must have been like for Simon?
In Mark 15:22….I want you to notice something very important….in Mark’s Gospel, what most of us know as Calvary…the place where Jesus was crucified….is called Golgotha instead….the place of the skull. Many people have interpreted this to mean 1 of 2 things….either the shape/look of Calvary/Golgotha is that of a skull….kind of rounded….or it meant all the skulls of the people that had been crucified there were still laying around.
I’d like to submit a 3rd and way more biblical reason for the name Golgotha….and we find it in the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:54. David has killed Goliath. David cuts Goliath’s head off, and look what happens…
1 Samuel 17:54
54 And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.
I submit that Golgotha is the place where David brought back the skull/head of Goliath….and when Jesus was crucified, He fulfilled the prophecy of Genesis 3….after Adam and Eve sinned….where God told Satan…
Genesis 3:15
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The cross of Jesus Christ bruised the head of Satan and his seed FOREVER!!! Hallelujah!!!
In Mark 15:23, we see that Jesus did not accept any anesthetic offered to Him on the cross. He felt the full brunt and pain of the crucifixion.
In Mark 15:29-31, Jesus endured even more humiliation and mocking as the crowd jeered at Him to take Himself down off the cross. Make no mistake….Jesus could have….but He didn’t.
Why?
Because of His love for me and you….Jesus dying on that cross was the only way for us to be saved. If He comes down….we are lost forever in hell. So because He stayed on the cross….you and I can be forgiven and enjoy eternity in Heaven.
In Mark 15:33, we learn that it went dark from Noon-3PM….the last 3 hours Jesus hung on the cross.
And in Verse 38, we learn that when Jesus died, the veil in the temple that separated mankind from the Holy of Holies were torn in two from top to bottom….not from bottom to the top like a man did it….but from the top to the bottom because God did it.
What’s the significance…..before the crucifixion of Jesus…..if you wanted to pray to God in Heaven, you had to track down a priest….you had to relay all you wanted said to God….then you had to rely and hope that priest passed on the word correctly.
But now….after the crucifixion…after the veil was torn in two….you and I gained direct access to the throne room of Heaven by prayer.
And you want to know what’s sad? You and I take that direct access for granted every single day. Think about it….what if you had to track me down to get in touch with God? I’m very hard to reach now more than ever….but you don’t have to get in touch with me. Each and every believer can pray directly to Heaven now that Jesus made us access.
I heard this one time and it really made me think….when we get to Heaven, we are going to see all the saints of old in the Bible and according to scripture….we will know them. We will get to see Daniel and ask him what it was like in the Lion’s Den. We will get to see Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendego and ask them what it was like in the fiery furnace.
Well I had a preacher one time say this to me…..as awesome as its going to be to ask those saints of old what it was like….they are going to have questions for us too….
Phillip….what was it like to have The Holy Spirit living inside of you….you see pre-Pentecost…The Holy Ghost only made special appearances for special tasks and purposes. But now, He lives within the hearts of all believers. I can just imagine Daniel saying to me…..Phillip, what was that like to have The Holy Spirit inside of you.
Here’s another one….Phillip….what was it like being able to pray directly to Heaven and not having to find a priest to make intercession for you? Something that you and I take for granted will be simply amazing to those saints of old.
In Mark 15:40 we learn that the women who followed Jesus didn’t desert Him at the cross. The male disciples may have….but not the women. GO GIRLS!!!
In Mark 15:45 we learn that Jesus for sure died on the cross. His death was confirmed by a professional killer….the Centurion. This eyewitness testimony helps debunk the myth that Jesus only swooned and didn’t fully die.
In Mark 15:47 we learn that the women saw for sure the tomb that the body of Jesus was laid in. There’s another theory floating around that the women went to the wrong tomb….but here in Verse 47, we see for a fact that they knew exactly where Jesus’ tomb was located. They didn’t have to follow directions….they had been there before.
Chapter 16 gives us account of Jesus resurrection and ascension back into Heaven. In Verse 3, we learn that the women of Mark 15:47 are going back after the Sabbath in order to properly anoint Jesus body for burial. However, on the way there, they realized that none of them were strong enough to roll the stone away themselves. Did they turn back not knowing how it would all work out? No….they kept going in faith….trusting they were following The Lord’s will.
In the EXACT SAME WAY….even when you and I don’t know how something is going to turn out in the end….we need to keep going in faith…trusting that we are following The Lord’s will.
In Mark 16:6…the women hear wonderful yet puzzling news from the angel….Jesus isn’t here. This is the difference between our God(Capital G) and all the other gods(lowercase g). When you go to their tombs…their bodies are still there…..but not for our Jesus…He’s gone!!! He’s not there!!! He’s risen!!! He conquered death for us!!!
In Verse 6, the women were also invited to come and examine the empty tomb for themselves…behold the place where he lay. Yes…we have to accept Christianity by faith….yes the Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God….but friends….this isn’t blind faith we’re talking about. Jesus welcomes a thorough investigation of Him, His Gospel, and His teachings.
I love how the prophet Isaiah put it…..
Isaiah 1:18
18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
In Mark 16:7….the angel tells the women to go their way and tell…..What an incredible message for us today…..As I go my way, I’m supposed to tell folks about Jesus….as you go your way…you’re supposed to tell folks about Jesus.
If I tell the folks my way and you tell the folks your way….eventually, we’ll tell everybody(Mark 16:15).
Therein lies the problem….for many of us…the cat got our tongue and we’re not telling about Jesus as we go. We’re leaving the telling to the “professional Christians”….preachers/deacons/Sunday School Teachers/etc.
Nope…that’s not how it works….these were women that were told to go their way. They weren’t “professional Christians” as we define them today.
My life’s mission is to make Jesus known….I can’t do it all by myself. I NEED YOUR HELP. If you will tell folks as you go your way….I’ll tell folks as I go my way…and before you know it….Jesus will be known to everyone in our area.
So who are you going to tell today about Jesus?
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Mark 15-16…ONLY 2 CHAPTERS TODAY. Why? There’s 24 chapters in Luke(8 days of 3), 21 chapters in John(7 days of 3)…doing 2 chapters today keeps us even the rest of the month.
In Mark 15:3, we see that Jesus held His peace while being falsely accused. You know it’s one thing to keep your mouth shut. But it’s another thing altogether to keep your mouth shut while being falsely accused. Oh my goodness….that’s hard…..most of us can’t keep our mouths shut on a good day….much less when we’ve been falsely accused of something. When I’ve been falsely accused before…man alive the temptation is there to set the record straight once and for all.
However, I got some good advice from an attorney friend of mine about keeping your mouth shut when being falsely accused. “There’s no need to defend yourself if you’ve not done anything that needs defending.” WOW….total truth right there. So I’ve tried to follow the example of Jesus here in Mark 15:3 and keep my mouth shut when rumors are running wild about me. It’s not easy at all…man alive I was tempted to get on Facebook and tell everybody the truth…..but holding your peace is the most effective thing to do. The truth always rises to the top.
In Mark 15:10…we see the real, unfiltered reason that the chief priests wanted Jesus crucified….ENVY. The Chief priests were envious of the crowds Jesus had following Him….they were envious of the influence Jesus had….they were envious of having their true motives exposed for the whole world to see. If we find ourselves envying someone, better be real careful….because envy is what caused the Chief Priests to crucify the Son of God.
In Mark 15:11…Pilate has come up with a plan to free Jesus. He has to release a prisoner each year at the Passover. He picks the worst one in the bunch….a murderer named Barabbas and asks the crowd…would you rather me release to you Jesus or Barabbas….thinking surely the people had enough sense not to ask for the release of a convicted murderer.
But look what the chief priests do in Verse 11….they moved the people to release Barabbas instead of Jesus. HERE’S THE POINT….we preachers are capable of leading people down the wrong path. We have to watch our motives….we have to check everything we are doing by the Bible to make sure we are not leading people to do the wrong thing.
So Pilate gave in to the crowd and in Verse 15, he set Barabbas free and sent Jesus to be scourged and crucified.
Do you realize that our political leaders today do the EXACT SAME THING? They govern by opinion polls instead of making the right judgment calls themselves.
Now on the surface that sounds good….the people should be in charge….I understand that sentiment totally….but the USA is a Republic….look up the definition of republic. In a republic, we elect representatives to make decisions for us….and if we don’t agree with those decisions….we are supposed to vote them out and elect somebody else in to make the right decisions.
The reason we have gay marriage today in the USA….is the same reason Jesus was crucified.
Our leaders knew the right thing to do….but they gave into political pressure and passed it.
Our leaders knew the right thing to do about this coronavirus stimulus stuff….but they gave into political pressure and passed it also….a debt so large, our children will never be able to repay it in their lifetime.
Pilate knew the right thing to do with Jesus….release Him….Jesus had done nothing wrong. But instead, Pilate let the tail wag the dog….and friends when the tail wags the dog….crazy things end up happening.
In Verse 16, the cruel roman soldiers began mocking Jesus after they had scourged Him. They put together a painful crown of thorns, put it on His head, then beat Jesus on the head with a stick to thrust the thorns deep into his forehead. They mockingly bowed down in front of Him and said “Hail King of the Jews!” As if the physical torture wasn’t bad enough….this emotional torture was horrific.
Verse 21 shows us the humanity of Jesus and gives us a clue as to why Jesus died on the cross before the two thieves did. Because Jesus was so weak and had lost so much blood from His scourging, He was not able to physically carry His cross to Golgotha like the other two thieves were. Verse 21 says the roman soldiers got a man named Simon from the country of Cyrene to carry Jesus cross for Him. Can you imagine what that must have been like for Simon?
In Mark 15:22….I want you to notice something very important….in Mark’s Gospel, what most of us know as Calvary…the place where Jesus was crucified….is called Golgotha instead….the place of the skull. Many people have interpreted this to mean 1 of 2 things….either the shape/look of Calvary/Golgotha is that of a skull….kind of rounded….or it meant all the skulls of the people that had been crucified there were still laying around.
I’d like to submit a 3rd and way more biblical reason for the name Golgotha….and we find it in the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:54. David has killed Goliath. David cuts Goliath’s head off, and look what happens…
1 Samuel 17:54
54 And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.
I submit that Golgotha is the place where David brought back the skull/head of Goliath….and when Jesus was crucified, He fulfilled the prophecy of Genesis 3….after Adam and Eve sinned….where God told Satan…
Genesis 3:15
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The cross of Jesus Christ bruised the head of Satan and his seed FOREVER!!! Hallelujah!!!
In Mark 15:23, we see that Jesus did not accept any anesthetic offered to Him on the cross. He felt the full brunt and pain of the crucifixion.
In Mark 15:29-31, Jesus endured even more humiliation and mocking as the crowd jeered at Him to take Himself down off the cross. Make no mistake….Jesus could have….but He didn’t.
Why?
Because of His love for me and you….Jesus dying on that cross was the only way for us to be saved. If He comes down….we are lost forever in hell. So because He stayed on the cross….you and I can be forgiven and enjoy eternity in Heaven.
In Mark 15:33, we learn that it went dark from Noon-3PM….the last 3 hours Jesus hung on the cross.
And in Verse 38, we learn that when Jesus died, the veil in the temple that separated mankind from the Holy of Holies were torn in two from top to bottom….not from bottom to the top like a man did it….but from the top to the bottom because God did it.
What’s the significance…..before the crucifixion of Jesus…..if you wanted to pray to God in Heaven, you had to track down a priest….you had to relay all you wanted said to God….then you had to rely and hope that priest passed on the word correctly.
But now….after the crucifixion…after the veil was torn in two….you and I gained direct access to the throne room of Heaven by prayer.
And you want to know what’s sad? You and I take that direct access for granted every single day. Think about it….what if you had to track me down to get in touch with God? I’m very hard to reach now more than ever….but you don’t have to get in touch with me. Each and every believer can pray directly to Heaven now that Jesus made us access.
I heard this one time and it really made me think….when we get to Heaven, we are going to see all the saints of old in the Bible and according to scripture….we will know them. We will get to see Daniel and ask him what it was like in the Lion’s Den. We will get to see Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendego and ask them what it was like in the fiery furnace.
Well I had a preacher one time say this to me…..as awesome as its going to be to ask those saints of old what it was like….they are going to have questions for us too….
Phillip….what was it like to have The Holy Spirit living inside of you….you see pre-Pentecost…The Holy Ghost only made special appearances for special tasks and purposes. But now, He lives within the hearts of all believers. I can just imagine Daniel saying to me…..Phillip, what was that like to have The Holy Spirit inside of you.
Here’s another one….Phillip….what was it like being able to pray directly to Heaven and not having to find a priest to make intercession for you? Something that you and I take for granted will be simply amazing to those saints of old.
In Mark 15:40 we learn that the women who followed Jesus didn’t desert Him at the cross. The male disciples may have….but not the women. GO GIRLS!!!
In Mark 15:45 we learn that Jesus for sure died on the cross. His death was confirmed by a professional killer….the Centurion. This eyewitness testimony helps debunk the myth that Jesus only swooned and didn’t fully die.
In Mark 15:47 we learn that the women saw for sure the tomb that the body of Jesus was laid in. There’s another theory floating around that the women went to the wrong tomb….but here in Verse 47, we see for a fact that they knew exactly where Jesus’ tomb was located. They didn’t have to follow directions….they had been there before.
Chapter 16 gives us account of Jesus resurrection and ascension back into Heaven. In Verse 3, we learn that the women of Mark 15:47 are going back after the Sabbath in order to properly anoint Jesus body for burial. However, on the way there, they realized that none of them were strong enough to roll the stone away themselves. Did they turn back not knowing how it would all work out? No….they kept going in faith….trusting they were following The Lord’s will.
In the EXACT SAME WAY….even when you and I don’t know how something is going to turn out in the end….we need to keep going in faith…trusting that we are following The Lord’s will.
In Mark 16:6…the women hear wonderful yet puzzling news from the angel….Jesus isn’t here. This is the difference between our God(Capital G) and all the other gods(lowercase g). When you go to their tombs…their bodies are still there…..but not for our Jesus…He’s gone!!! He’s not there!!! He’s risen!!! He conquered death for us!!!
In Verse 6, the women were also invited to come and examine the empty tomb for themselves…behold the place where he lay. Yes…we have to accept Christianity by faith….yes the Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God….but friends….this isn’t blind faith we’re talking about. Jesus welcomes a thorough investigation of Him, His Gospel, and His teachings.
I love how the prophet Isaiah put it…..
Isaiah 1:18
18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
In Mark 16:7….the angel tells the women to go their way and tell…..What an incredible message for us today…..As I go my way, I’m supposed to tell folks about Jesus….as you go your way…you’re supposed to tell folks about Jesus.
If I tell the folks my way and you tell the folks your way….eventually, we’ll tell everybody(Mark 16:15).
Therein lies the problem….for many of us…the cat got our tongue and we’re not telling about Jesus as we go. We’re leaving the telling to the “professional Christians”….preachers/deacons
Nope…that’s not how it works….these were women that were told to go their way. They weren’t “professional Christians” as we define them today.
My life’s mission is to make Jesus known….I can’t do it all by myself. I NEED YOUR HELP. If you will tell folks as you go your way….I’ll tell folks as I go my way…and before you know it….Jesus will be known to everyone in our area.
So who are you going to tell today about Jesus?
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 14 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Mark 12-14
Mark 12 opens with the parable of the wicked farmers. I want you to notice a specific word in Verse 10….rejected…rejected. Being rejected is one of the worst feelings we will ever experience. We’ve all been there….being rejected by a member of the opposite sex in school….being rejected for a job…being rejected for a promotion….To me, the feeling of rejection causes my mind to say, “You’re not good enough” and it plays over and over and over on an endless reel in my mind.
Why am I talking about such a horrible feeling? The feeling of rejection….
BECAUSE JESUS KNOWS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE REJECTED!!! He knows the sorrow, the pain, the hurt that comes with being rejected.
Although I hate that Jesus ever had to feel that way….it sure does help me to know that He can sympathize with us and our feelings of rejection. So when you are feeling rejected…when you are feeling like you aren’t good enough….give those feelings over to Jesus and let Him handle them for you. He’s knows what to do with them. He knows how to handle them.
In Mark 12:13, it says the Pharisees were trying to catch Jesus in His words……of course we know Jesus was perfect and He never made a mistake so there was nothing to catch.
But your preacher at your church is not perfect….and there’s plenty of mistakes to catch.
Let me give you a little newsflash….those TV preachers that are so very good…they are just like your preacher….they make mistakes too when they speak….but the difference is, they have a big crew editing things for them to edit out their mistakes before it ever hits TV or Radio.
Trust me….I know this….I used to be in the media business….I did it.
So what’s the point? Pay close attention to everything your preacher says….but if he says something that leaves you scratching your head….before you go out and have roasted preacher for lunch….talk with him and get him to explain what he said….and if he made a mistake…give the guy some grace. Jesus was the only perfect man to ever walk the earth….not your preacher.
In Mark 12:17, the people marveled at Jesus’ wisdom and teachings. Do we? Do we still get amazed at the works of Jesus? Let me give you the latest installment of how Jesus amazed me. Have you seen the video from Lawler Missionary Baptist Church in Dora, Alabama? If not….google it right now. On Easter Sunday afternoon, tornadoes came through Dora…tore up the gas station and other buildings…tore up the church sign and parts of the church building.
Out in front of the church were 3 crosses. The tornado knocked over two of them……care to guess which cross was left standing? Yep…the cross in the middle. When you see the video, it will literally take your breath away….it did mine.
So thankful that my God can still amaze me!!!
I’m also very thankful that there is a resurrection. In Mark 12:18, we meet the Sadducees which didn’t believe in a resurrection…..Jesus cut that belief to shreds and that ought to make us all want to shout!!! Like The Apostle Paul said, if all the hope we had was in this life, we would be the most miserable people in the world. So thankful there is a resurrection…there is an eternity with Jesus in Heaven….that there is a mansion with my name on it in the New Jerusalem.
In Mark 12:31, Jesus has given the first and greatest commandment….and now here in Verse 31, He’s giving the second greatest….we should love our neighbors as ourselves.
Will you allow me to be transparent again?
I struggle loving myself. In fact….I really don’t even like myself, much less love myself. There I said it. Don’t act surprised and all holier than thou….The Apostle Paul had this problem also….He said in Romans 7 that he doesn’t do what he wants to do and that he does do what he doesn’t want to do. Later on in Mark 14:38…Jesus Himself said that our human spirits are willing, but our flesh is weak.
Anybody else out there besides me and Paul that struggle with loving ourselves?
Yep…I thought so….
This is probably why I’m having trouble with forgiveness, bitterness, and hurt like I told you yesterday.
But again….I’m a work in progress….I’m working on loving myself….I’m working on trying to give myself grace and understanding….that’s hard for a perfectionist….but I’m working on me.
Why?
Because the Bible says I can’t really love my neighbor like Jesus wants me to love them until I love myself like Jesus wants me to love me.
Much much easier said than done.
Mark 12:38 warns us to beware of people that love their position in church….I spoke about people that crave power a few devos back….here Jesus is reinforcing it. Look out for people that want you to know they have a position in the church…in another place Jesus calls them wolves in sheep’s clothing. I’ve met and dealt with many of these people in my lifetime and Jesus was 100% right….better keep a good eye out on them. They have their own agenda and it’s not the same as The Lord’s agenda.
I love the last part of Chapter 12…beginning with Verse 41….its the story of the widow giving her two mites in the offering at church. The rich people were giving all their large amount of coins and when it fell in the plate….man alive it made a racket. The louder the racket…the more you knew that person gave.
It gets around to this widow and you hear a “tink tink”. Barely a noise. In the world’s eyes, she barely gave anything. But to Jesus, He knew just how much that woman had sacrificed to give for she had given all she had and the rich people just gave out of their abundance.
I’ve lived this friends….gonna share a very personal story here that I’ve never ever forgotten. Before I was ever a Pastor or on staff at a church, I served for a while as a church treasurer. Every month….every single month….I would receive an offering envelope with $81 cash in it. It was from a widow in the church. Upon talking with her one day, she mentioned to me that she got $810 a month social security and that was all the income she received.
When I left her home that day, I was blown away….not that she was living on a measly $810 a month social security….but at how faithful she was to give her tithe…$81….of her only income.
As treasurer, I deposited a bunch of money for this particular church….big checks and big offerings. But nothing blessed me more than each month when I got that offering envelope each month with $81 cash in it.
And I knew if she could tithe $81 off of $810….I could tithe off what I was making….and everybody else reading this can tithe of what they are making too.
In Mark 13:1-2, the disciples were marveling at the beauty of the temple buildings…..and Jesus comes right back and talks about how that temple beauty won’t last forever.
Let me bring that into what’s going on today…..just how important is our church building to us right now? Most of us haven’t been in a church building in over a month. While a church building must be functional and meet the needs of the congregation and community….the church building is not the most important thing….the church is the people….not the building. Remember that.
Jesus then goes on to give the disciples the signs of the times and in Verse 7 He says for them to be not troubled when they see the signs. I wish I could plaster that message on every TV ad, billboard, internet and radio ad in the USA right now….be not troubled over this Coronavirus stuff. The Lord said it was gonna happen and He’s still in control.
Speaking of foretelling things….Check out Mark 13:23….this is one of the things I really love about Jesus. He gives us more than fair warning of what’s going to happen before it happens so we can get ready. We can’t say we weren’t warned….no excuses….it’s all right here in His Word, The Bible, if we will just read it.
And if we read it and pay attention….we need to be doing what He tells us to do 4 times in Mark 13:33, 34, 35, and 37….WATCH. WATCH. WATCH. WATCH. Are we watching for His soon return on the clouds to call us home? Are we even paying attention? Does Jesus calling us home even cross our minds? If we don’t watch, we will be caught off guard and unprepared. But if we watch and help others watch and tell others the importance of watching….we will be prepared and ready for Jesus. I’m watching every single day. This is why one of my all-time favorite songs is “What A Beautiful Day For The Lord To Come Again” written by my buddy Aaron Wilburn. If you’ve never heard it….Go to YouTube…search it by The Kingdom Heirs and get ready to be blessed!!!
In Chapter 14:3, why was Simon still called a leper if he had been healed already? The same question could be asked as to why Bartemaeus was still called blind…..It’s because Jesus wants us to share our testimonies of what we were before we met Him in order to encourage others that they’ve not gone too far or done too much to be forgiven and saved by Him also. Hallelujah!!!
In Chapter 14:12, Jesus tells two of His disciples to go and prepare for the service/meal they will observe together later that night.
Quick Question…..have you ever given any thought to the preparation it takes to have a service at your church or do you just show up?
It takes dozens of man hours for 1 service to just take place….
Church has to be cleaned…vacuumed, straightened, picked up, trash, bathrooms
Sound has to be ready…this includes checks and making sure everything has good batteries.
Music has to be prepared…what to sing, what key, what arrangement.
Musicians have to be prepared
Singers have to be prepared
Preacher has to be prepared…this takes hours….Johnny Hunt says it takes him 7 hours of preparation for a 30 minute sermon….and he’s one of the best in the world. Takes the rest of us much longer.
Counselors have to be prepared
Bulletins have to be prepared
Ushers have to be prepared
Greeters have to be prepared
Nursery has to be prepared
Security team has to be prepared
Bills have to be paid
AC/Heat has to be turned on ahead of time
Future plans have to be prayed over and made
Lights and Audio visual has to be prepared if your church has them.
A church service doesn’t just happen.
Next time you go to church….pay attention and notice everything that was done before you arrived for that 1 service to take place….
Then thank everyone you notice for the work they do because almost all of them except for the preacher go unnoticed and are way under appreciated.
Can I ask you another question? Have you ever been so sad or upset that you just wanted to die? Ever actually asked God to just take you on home in your sleep? Here’s some good news….Jesus has too. In Mark 14:34, He tells Peter, James, and John that His soul was exceedingly sorrowful unto death.
So what does that mean?
Well….just like earlier when we talked about rejection and how since Jesus has been there too, we can give Him our rejection to handle…
In the same way….when we just want to lay down and die….we can give those feelings to Jesus also to handle cause He’s been there!!! I’ve done this friends….I have….I’ve told the Lord what Elijah said in 1 Kings 19….Lord why don’t you do everybody a favor and just take me outta here…I’ve given those feelings to The Lord….it’s OK to tell The Lord that’s how you feel if you are feeling that…He’s been there….He can handle it.
What did He do to Elijah when Elijah told The Lord he wanted to die in 1 Kings 19? He didn’t take him out…He ministered to Him….The Lord has done the same thing for me….He’s ministered to me in that situation…..and He will minister to you also. He knows what it’s like to be so sad you just want to die.
In Mark 14:54, we see that Peter followed Jesus from a far….great lesson here….the farther away we are in our walk with Jesus….the more likely we will mess up like Peter did. Do your best to walk as close to The Lord as you can.
In Mark 15:61…Jesus gives us a great example when people are running their mouths about us….He held His peace. Much easier said than done….but again, in the whole context of The Bible, this is a lesson that is repeated over and over. One of the verses I’ve held on to in recent days is Exodus 14:14….its where The Lord told Moses at the Red Sea to hold your peace(be quiet) and let The Lord fight for you. Great advice!!!
In Mark 15:65, we see in vivid detail how Jesus was abused. I shared about the scourging and crucifixion last week….but here in this one verse we see that Jesus was spit on, blindfolded, and slapped. Did Jesus deserve any of that? Not at all. But He endured it for me and you.
Last but not least, we see how Peter denied Jesus the 3rd time….Mark 14:71…he cursed and he swore.
This one hits close to home…….our foul language….our cursing and swearing….is a denial of our faith in Jesus Christ.
I don’t struggle with drugs….never have
Don’t struggle with alcohol…never have
Don’t struggle with tobacco…never have
Don’t have a sex addiction…never have
I do struggle with my eating…but by far and away my greatest struggle is my language. I know this. Again, I work hard on it…but I’m not where I want to be with it.
These verses here reminded me that when I let a curse word rip…..I’m denying Jesus just like Peter did.
OUCH….that hurts!!!
Will certainly cause me to think twice before saying one the next time. Hopefully it will you also.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Mark 12-14
Mark 12 opens with the parable of the wicked farmers. I want you to notice a specific word in Verse 10….rejected…rejected. Being rejected is one of the worst feelings we will ever experience. We’ve all been there….being rejected by a member of the opposite sex in school….being rejected for a job…being rejected for a promotion….To me, the feeling of rejection causes my mind to say, “You’re not good enough” and it plays over and over and over on an endless reel in my mind.
Why am I talking about such a horrible feeling? The feeling of rejection….
BECAUSE JESUS KNOWS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE REJECTED!!! He knows the sorrow, the pain, the hurt that comes with being rejected.
Although I hate that Jesus ever had to feel that way….it sure does help me to know that He can sympathize with us and our feelings of rejection. So when you are feeling rejected…when you are feeling like you aren’t good enough….give those feelings over to Jesus and let Him handle them for you. He’s knows what to do with them. He knows how to handle them.
In Mark 12:13, it says the Pharisees were trying to catch Jesus in His words……of course we know Jesus was perfect and He never made a mistake so there was nothing to catch.
But your preacher at your church is not perfect….and there’s plenty of mistakes to catch.
Let me give you a little newsflash….those TV preachers that are so very good…they are just like your preacher….they make mistakes too when they speak….but the difference is, they have a big crew editing things for them to edit out their mistakes before it ever hits TV or Radio.
Trust me….I know this….I used to be in the media business….I did it.
So what’s the point? Pay close attention to everything your preacher says….but if he says something that leaves you scratching your head….before you go out and have roasted preacher for lunch….talk with him and get him to explain what he said….and if he made a mistake…give the guy some grace. Jesus was the only perfect man to ever walk the earth….not your preacher.
In Mark 12:17, the people marveled at Jesus’ wisdom and teachings. Do we? Do we still get amazed at the works of Jesus? Let me give you the latest installment of how Jesus amazed me. Have you seen the video from Lawler Missionary Baptist Church in Dora, Alabama? If not….google it right now. On Easter Sunday afternoon, tornadoes came through Dora…tore up the gas station and other buildings…tore up the church sign and parts of the church building.
Out in front of the church were 3 crosses. The tornado knocked over two of them……care to guess which cross was left standing? Yep…the cross in the middle. When you see the video, it will literally take your breath away….it did mine.
So thankful that my God can still amaze me!!!
I’m also very thankful that there is a resurrection. In Mark 12:18, we meet the Sadducees which didn’t believe in a resurrection…..Jesus cut that belief to shreds and that ought to make us all want to shout!!! Like The Apostle Paul said, if all the hope we had was in this life, we would be the most miserable people in the world. So thankful there is a resurrection…there is an eternity with Jesus in Heaven….that there is a mansion with my name on it in the New Jerusalem.
In Mark 12:31, Jesus has given the first and greatest commandment….and now here in Verse 31, He’s giving the second greatest….we should love our neighbors as ourselves.
Will you allow me to be transparent again?
I struggle loving myself. In fact….I really don’t even like myself, much less love myself. There I said it. Don’t act surprised and all holier than thou….The Apostle Paul had this problem also….He said in Romans 7 that he doesn’t do what he wants to do and that he does do what he doesn’t want to do. Later on in Mark 14:38…Jesus Himself said that our human spirits are willing, but our flesh is weak.
Anybody else out there besides me and Paul that struggle with loving ourselves?
Yep…I thought so….
This is probably why I’m having trouble with forgiveness, bitterness, and hurt like I told you yesterday.
But again….I’m a work in progress….I’m working on loving myself….I’m working on trying to give myself grace and understanding….that’s hard for a perfectionist….but I’m working on me.
Why?
Because the Bible says I can’t really love my neighbor like Jesus wants me to love them until I love myself like Jesus wants me to love me.
Much much easier said than done.
Mark 12:38 warns us to beware of people that love their position in church….I spoke about people that crave power a few devos back….here Jesus is reinforcing it. Look out for people that want you to know they have a position in the church…in another place Jesus calls them wolves in sheep’s clothing. I’ve met and dealt with many of these people in my lifetime and Jesus was 100% right….better keep a good eye out on them. They have their own agenda and it’s not the same as The Lord’s agenda.
I love the last part of Chapter 12…beginning with Verse 41….its the story of the widow giving her two mites in the offering at church. The rich people were giving all their large amount of coins and when it fell in the plate….man alive it made a racket. The louder the racket…the more you knew that person gave.
It gets around to this widow and you hear a “tink tink”. Barely a noise. In the world’s eyes, she barely gave anything. But to Jesus, He knew just how much that woman had sacrificed to give for she had given all she had and the rich people just gave out of their abundance.
I’ve lived this friends….gonna share a very personal story here that I’ve never ever forgotten. Before I was ever a Pastor or on staff at a church, I served for a while as a church treasurer. Every month….every single month….I would receive an offering envelope with $81 cash in it. It was from a widow in the church. Upon talking with her one day, she mentioned to me that she got $810 a month social security and that was all the income she received.
When I left her home that day, I was blown away….not that she was living on a measly $810 a month social security….but at how faithful she was to give her tithe…$81….of her only income.
As treasurer, I deposited a bunch of money for this particular church….big checks and big offerings. But nothing blessed me more than each month when I got that offering envelope each month with $81 cash in it.
And I knew if she could tithe $81 off of $810….I could tithe off what I was making….and everybody else reading this can tithe of what they are making too.
In Mark 13:1-2, the disciples were marveling at the beauty of the temple buildings…..and Jesus comes right back and talks about how that temple beauty won’t last forever.
Let me bring that into what’s going on today…..just how important is our church building to us right now? Most of us haven’t been in a church building in over a month. While a church building must be functional and meet the needs of the congregation and community….the church building is not the most important thing….the church is the people….not the building. Remember that.
Jesus then goes on to give the disciples the signs of the times and in Verse 7 He says for them to be not troubled when they see the signs. I wish I could plaster that message on every TV ad, billboard, internet and radio ad in the USA right now….be not troubled over this Coronavirus stuff. The Lord said it was gonna happen and He’s still in control.
Speaking of foretelling things….Check out Mark 13:23….this is one of the things I really love about Jesus. He gives us more than fair warning of what’s going to happen before it happens so we can get ready. We can’t say we weren’t warned….no excuses….it’s all right here in His Word, The Bible, if we will just read it.
And if we read it and pay attention….we need to be doing what He tells us to do 4 times in Mark 13:33, 34, 35, and 37….WATCH. WATCH. WATCH. WATCH. Are we watching for His soon return on the clouds to call us home? Are we even paying attention? Does Jesus calling us home even cross our minds? If we don’t watch, we will be caught off guard and unprepared. But if we watch and help others watch and tell others the importance of watching….we will be prepared and ready for Jesus. I’m watching every single day. This is why one of my all-time favorite songs is “What A Beautiful Day For The Lord To Come Again” written by my buddy Aaron Wilburn. If you’ve never heard it….Go to YouTube…search it by The Kingdom Heirs and get ready to be blessed!!!
In Chapter 14:3, why was Simon still called a leper if he had been healed already? The same question could be asked as to why Bartemaeus was still called blind…..It’s because Jesus wants us to share our testimonies of what we were before we met Him in order to encourage others that they’ve not gone too far or done too much to be forgiven and saved by Him also. Hallelujah!!!
In Chapter 14:12, Jesus tells two of His disciples to go and prepare for the service/meal they will observe together later that night.
Quick Question…..have you ever given any thought to the preparation it takes to have a service at your church or do you just show up?
It takes dozens of man hours for 1 service to just take place….
Church has to be cleaned…vacuumed, straightened, picked up, trash, bathrooms
Sound has to be ready…this includes checks and making sure everything has good batteries.
Music has to be prepared…what to sing, what key, what arrangement.
Musicians have to be prepared
Singers have to be prepared
Preacher has to be prepared…this takes hours….Johnny Hunt says it takes him 7 hours of preparation for a 30 minute sermon….and he’s one of the best in the world. Takes the rest of us much longer.
Counselors have to be prepared
Bulletins have to be prepared
Ushers have to be prepared
Greeters have to be prepared
Nursery has to be prepared
Security team has to be prepared
Bills have to be paid
AC/Heat has to be turned on ahead of time
Future plans have to be prayed over and made
Lights and Audio visual has to be prepared if your church has them.
A church service doesn’t just happen.
Next time you go to church….pay attention and notice everything that was done before you arrived for that 1 service to take place….
Then thank everyone you notice for the work they do because almost all of them except for the preacher go unnoticed and are way under appreciated.
Can I ask you another question? Have you ever been so sad or upset that you just wanted to die? Ever actually asked God to just take you on home in your sleep? Here’s some good news….Jesus has too. In Mark 14:34, He tells Peter, James, and John that His soul was exceedingly sorrowful unto death.
So what does that mean?
Well….just like earlier when we talked about rejection and how since Jesus has been there too, we can give Him our rejection to handle…
In the same way….when we just want to lay down and die….we can give those feelings to Jesus also to handle cause He’s been there!!! I’ve done this friends….I have….I’ve told the Lord what Elijah said in 1 Kings 19….Lord why don’t you do everybody a favor and just take me outta here…I’ve given those feelings to The Lord….it’s OK to tell The Lord that’s how you feel if you are feeling that…He’s been there….He can handle it.
What did He do to Elijah when Elijah told The Lord he wanted to die in 1 Kings 19? He didn’t take him out…He ministered to Him….The Lord has done the same thing for me….He’s ministered to me in that situation…..and He will minister to you also. He knows what it’s like to be so sad you just want to die.
In Mark 14:54, we see that Peter followed Jesus from a far….great lesson here….the farther away we are in our walk with Jesus….the more likely we will mess up like Peter did. Do your best to walk as close to The Lord as you can.
In Mark 15:61…Jesus gives us a great example when people are running their mouths about us….He held His peace. Much easier said than done….but again, in the whole context of The Bible, this is a lesson that is repeated over and over. One of the verses I’ve held on to in recent days is Exodus 14:14….its where The Lord told Moses at the Red Sea to hold your peace(be quiet) and let The Lord fight for you. Great advice!!!
In Mark 15:65, we see in vivid detail how Jesus was abused. I shared about the scourging and crucifixion last week….but here in this one verse we see that Jesus was spit on, blindfolded, and slapped. Did Jesus deserve any of that? Not at all. But He endured it for me and you.
Last but not least, we see how Peter denied Jesus the 3rd time….Mark 14:71…he cursed and he swore.
This one hits close to home…….our foul language….our cursing and swearing….is a denial of our faith in Jesus Christ.
I don’t struggle with drugs….never have
Don’t struggle with alcohol…never have
Don’t struggle with tobacco…never have
Don’t have a sex addiction…never have
I do struggle with my eating…but by far and away my greatest struggle is my language. I know this. Again, I work hard on it…but I’m not where I want to be with it.
These verses here reminded me that when I let a curse word rip…..I’m denying Jesus just like Peter did.
OUCH….that hurts!!!
Will certainly cause me to think twice before saying one the next time. Hopefully it will you also.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 13 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Mark 9-11
I GET REALLY HONEST AND TRANSPARENT AT THE END
There are lots of repeated messages in today’s reading….both within the 3 chapters themselves and from previous readings also. Don’t forget the significance of when The Bible repeats something….ITS FOR EMPHASIS!!! So pay close attention to these repeated messages….The Lord is trying to tell us something.
In Mark 9:5, Jesus is being transfigured in His Holy Heavenly Glory….He takes Peter, James, and John with Him to be witnesses. Notice what Peter says, “it is good for us to be here.” It is a very good thing to be in the Holy Presence of The Lord. Very good. Can you experience His presence alone? Yes….but nothing like being in His presence with some of your closest friends. I’ve really missed that since the quarantine. It’s beginning to take a toll on my psyche if you want to know the truth. The Bible says man wasn’t meant to be alone.
In Mark 9:7, God the Father says “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased…HEAR HIM.” Do we hear Jesus speaking to us today? I’d like to submit this thought to you my friends…..Jesus is speaking to us today….but many of us have so much noise going on in our lives that we don’t hear Him. Sometimes The Lord brings things like this quarantine to prune the vines of our lives so we will remove the things that keep us from hearing Him.
In Mark 9:15, Jesus, Peter, James, and John come down off the mount of Transfiguration, and the verse says that when the people beheld or saw Jesus, they were amazed.
They weren’t amazed at His miracles
They weren’t amazed at His teaching
They were amazed at His looks!!!
What’s that all about? Well the Bible says in Psalm 22:3 that The Lord inhabits the praises of His people. And The Bible also says in Psalm 33:1 and Psalm 147:1 that praise is comely(KJV for makes you look pretty). Why does praise make you look pretty? Because you’ve been in the presence of God!!! That’s why the people were amazed at how Jesus looked.
You should try it sometime….praising The Lord and entering into His presence will make you look better.
In Mark 9:23…..we see a big reminder lesson that we’ve seen before and will see again in this lesson….ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE TO HIM THAT BELIEVETH.
Does the Bible says all things are possible except……..
Nope….no exceptions….all things are possible to him that believes.
That leads us to Mark 9:24 which is the honest cry of my heart today. This desperate father looks at Jesus and very honestly and transparently says, “Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.”
That’s me friends.
Probably you too.
I believe in Jesus. I know He can.
Just struggle believing He will or that He will for me.
TIMEOUT: There are over 600 recorded prayers in scripture. I’m just now learning to explore and pray these tried and true prayers in my own prayer life. This prayer right here would be a good one for all of us to pray today….all day….multiple times during your day….just whisper it as you go about your day.
Lord, I believe….help thou my unbelief.
In Mark 9:36 we once again see a repeated lesson of how important children are to Jesus. To the disciples, and to many today….children aren’t important. How many of you remember eating at “The Children’s Table” growing up while the adults ate at the big table?
Look just how insignificant children were to the disciples….in Matthew’s Gospel….remember Matthew is one of the 12 disciples….when He gives the account of Jesus feeding the 5000, Matthew says there were 5000 men besides(not counting) women and children…Matthew 14:21. Then when Jesus feeds the 4000, Matthew does it again…Matthew 15:38….4000 men besides(not counting) women and children.
Children may not have counted to the disciples
Children may not be important to our society today.
But Children were and still are critically important to Jesus.
Why are they so important to Jesus? Because Jesus wants to keep them from a life of sin. 80% of the people that get saved, accept Christ before age 18….while they are children. If children were/are important to Jesus, then we don’t need to be treating them as second class citizens.
In Mark 9:38-39, the disciples rebuked someone that was healing in Jesus name, but not a member of the 12 disciples. Jesus rebuked them for doing this and basically told the disciples that this man was on the same team they were.
Here’s the modern day connection….when you see other churches or other Christian’s having success….does that make you happy or jealous.
Preachers…..doubt any preachers are reading this….but just in case….preachers….are you happy when you see a fellow preacher having success?
Don’t worry about telling me your answer….tell your answer to yourself and then God. If it makes you jealous, then you are no different than the disciples here in Mark 9:38. Remember Jesus’ lesson that Kingdom divided will not stand? That includes His kingdom here on Earth. Friends….its time for us to quit being so territorial and divisive with The Lord’s kingdom. Time to be happy for others when we see them ministering to this lost and dying world in Jesus name.
Mark 9:43 reminds us to take temptation and sin seriously. Very seriously. Do you?
In Mark 10:6, Jesus tells us that God made us males and females. Cut and dry. Period. Last year, my youngest daughter, Abigail, had to go to a pediatric pulmonologist in Nashville….remember, this guy is a pediatric pulmonologist….he only dealt with children. On the registration sheet….there were 3 lines of genders/sexuality to choose from….not 3 choices(which would be bad enough)….but 3 whole lines. There were genders and sexualities listed on there that I didn’t even know existed!!! And remember this guy was a PEDIATRIC pulmonologist. What in the world are we teaching our children with junk like this? Obviously not the Bible because it clearly says male and female only. Period.
In Mark 9:7 Jesus is teaching about marriage and says that the man is to leave his father and his mother and cleave to his wife. Far be it for me to give marriage advice….but we would do well to pay attention to what Jesus says about it. Our parents are not a part of the marriage covenant…..and newsflash….neither are our children. Children are products of the marriage covenant….but they are not participants. We disobey God and do our spouses a tremendous disservice when we prioritize our parents, our children, or anything else except The Lord over our spouses.
Mark 10:21 reveals a concept that many people don’t realize and even fewer do anything about it. There are going to be rewards/treasures for us in Heaven. This concept is mentioned here….its mentioned in the Sermon on The Mount and many other places. We will receive these treasures at The Judgment Seat of Christ and then we will cast them down at Jesus feet because only He is worthy of praise, honor, and glory(Revelation 4)
So here’s the question…what’s your treasure chest look like in Heaven?
Phillip….I have no idea….
And therein lies the problem….if we don’t know what brings treasure in Heaven, how in the world can we have an idea of whether we have any treasure or not. Jesus lays it out pretty clear in scripture what we have to do to earn treasure in Heaven….hopefully we won’t skip over that anymore.
In Mark 10:27….we are reminded again that with God all things are possible.
I’m sensing right now as I type this that someone reading needs something impossible for man but possible with God….Know that The Lord knows your need…..place your full faith and trust in Him to meet the need.
In Mark 10:30….Jesus is listing some of the rewards we will receive for following Him…..did you notice the last reward? Persecutions.
Persecutions?????
Persecutions is a reward????
Evidently so….Jesus brother James said it was also in James 1:2.
Hmmmm….how many of us count persecutions as a reward?
Sign me up for the houses, children, and lands….but not the persecutions.
Don’t work that way.
This is a gut check for us. This is graduate level Christianity….not baby stuff….do you count being persecuted for Christ a reward?
Mark 10:43-44….another reminder….if we want to be great in the Kingdom of God….be a servant, not a CEO.
Mark 10:50….something you might gloss over if you’re not careful….Jesus encounters Blind Bartimaeus. Blind Bartimaeus is hollering and hollering and hollering for Jesus. People told him to be quiet….but instead of shutting her down….ole Blind Bartimaeus cranked up the volume. So Jesus called for Bartimaeus to come to Him and look in Verse 50 what Blind Bartimaeus did when He headed toward Jesus. The Bible says Blind Bartimaeus cast away his garment.
Wait a second….did he run to Jesus naked???? No No No.
In those days, to be a beggar, you had to wear a beggar’s garment so you would be identified as a beggar.
In Mark 10:50….Blind Bartimaeus was casting off his beggar’s garment to go to Jesus.
But wait a second….In Verse 50….Bartimaeus was still blind…he didn’t get healed till Verse 52.
EXACTLY!!
Remember the lesson of not just giving lip service to our faith in Christ but also ACTING like it? Here Bartimaeus showed the true measure of his faith by casting aside his beggars garment before Jesus ever healed him….why? Because he had the faith that Jesus would heal him.
How many of us would do that? I submit to you that most of us would keep our beggars garment handy just in case we need it later on. That kind of faith doesn’t cut it.
In Mark 11:2, we have a record of Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Verse 2 says that Jesus tells the disciples to get this specific colt on which never a man sat. Why? Not just to fulfill the scripture, but to also show us His power over all nature and creatures including a horse that’s never been ridden before.
Mark 11:12 shows us a valuable lesson that Jesus expects us to bear fruit for Him and if we aren’t….there can be grave consequences.
What kind of fruit are you bearing for the Kingdom?
Last but not least….what I am most struggling with personally in my life right now….Mark 11:25-26. So far, I’ve not directly copied any verses into my devos….just bits and pieces….but I want you to see the complete text of these two verses.
Mark 11:25-26
25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
This is much easier said than done….and honestly it’s been weighing on me. No secret….I’ve been hurt pretty bad over the last several months….several years if you want to know the truth…..by lots and lots of different people. Some you may know about and some you don’t have a clue. Some of you that have hurt me may be reading this right now.
I’m struggling with forgiveness right now. I’m struggling to forgive you.
I know I need to….for my own benefit. Unforgiveness and bitterness is like drinking poison yourself and hoping the other person dies.
I know the Bible says to forgive.
But I’m struggling with it. Really really struggling.
So I covet your prayers for the Lord to help me work through the hurt, bitterness, and unforgiveness in my heart so I can move on with the rest of my life. I feel like I’m in a holding pattern right now until I can work through this.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Mark 9-11
I GET REALLY HONEST AND TRANSPARENT AT THE END
There are lots of repeated messages in today’s reading….both within the 3 chapters themselves and from previous readings also. Don’t forget the significance of when The Bible repeats something….ITS FOR EMPHASIS!!! So pay close attention to these repeated messages….The Lord is trying to tell us something.
In Mark 9:5, Jesus is being transfigured in His Holy Heavenly Glory….He takes Peter, James, and John with Him to be witnesses. Notice what Peter says, “it is good for us to be here.” It is a very good thing to be in the Holy Presence of The Lord. Very good. Can you experience His presence alone? Yes….but nothing like being in His presence with some of your closest friends. I’ve really missed that since the quarantine. It’s beginning to take a toll on my psyche if you want to know the truth. The Bible says man wasn’t meant to be alone.
In Mark 9:7, God the Father says “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased…HEAR HIM.” Do we hear Jesus speaking to us today? I’d like to submit this thought to you my friends…..Jesus is speaking to us today….but many of us have so much noise going on in our lives that we don’t hear Him. Sometimes The Lord brings things like this quarantine to prune the vines of our lives so we will remove the things that keep us from hearing Him.
In Mark 9:15, Jesus, Peter, James, and John come down off the mount of Transfiguration, and the verse says that when the people beheld or saw Jesus, they were amazed.
They weren’t amazed at His miracles
They weren’t amazed at His teaching
They were amazed at His looks!!!
What’s that all about? Well the Bible says in Psalm 22:3 that The Lord inhabits the praises of His people. And The Bible also says in Psalm 33:1 and Psalm 147:1 that praise is comely(KJV for makes you look pretty). Why does praise make you look pretty? Because you’ve been in the presence of God!!! That’s why the people were amazed at how Jesus looked.
You should try it sometime….praising The Lord and entering into His presence will make you look better.
In Mark 9:23…..we see a big reminder lesson that we’ve seen before and will see again in this lesson….ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE TO HIM THAT BELIEVETH.
Does the Bible says all things are possible except……..
Nope….no exceptions….all things are possible to him that believes.
That leads us to Mark 9:24 which is the honest cry of my heart today. This desperate father looks at Jesus and very honestly and transparently says, “Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.”
That’s me friends.
Probably you too.
I believe in Jesus. I know He can.
Just struggle believing He will or that He will for me.
TIMEOUT: There are over 600 recorded prayers in scripture. I’m just now learning to explore and pray these tried and true prayers in my own prayer life. This prayer right here would be a good one for all of us to pray today….all day….multiple times during your day….just whisper it as you go about your day.
Lord, I believe….help thou my unbelief.
In Mark 9:36 we once again see a repeated lesson of how important children are to Jesus. To the disciples, and to many today….children aren’t important. How many of you remember eating at “The Children’s Table” growing up while the adults ate at the big table?
Look just how insignificant children were to the disciples….in Matthew’s Gospel….remember Matthew is one of the 12 disciples….when He gives the account of Jesus feeding the 5000, Matthew says there were 5000 men besides(not counting) women and children…Matthew 14:21. Then when Jesus feeds the 4000, Matthew does it again…Matthew 15:38….4000 men besides(not counting) women and children.
Children may not have counted to the disciples
Children may not be important to our society today.
But Children were and still are critically important to Jesus.
Why are they so important to Jesus? Because Jesus wants to keep them from a life of sin. 80% of the people that get saved, accept Christ before age 18….while they are children. If children were/are important to Jesus, then we don’t need to be treating them as second class citizens.
In Mark 9:38-39, the disciples rebuked someone that was healing in Jesus name, but not a member of the 12 disciples. Jesus rebuked them for doing this and basically told the disciples that this man was on the same team they were.
Here’s the modern day connection….when you see other churches or other Christian’s having success….does that make you happy or jealous.
Preachers…..doubt any preachers are reading this….but just in case….preachers….are you happy when you see a fellow preacher having success?
Don’t worry about telling me your answer….tell your answer to yourself and then God. If it makes you jealous, then you are no different than the disciples here in Mark 9:38. Remember Jesus’ lesson that Kingdom divided will not stand? That includes His kingdom here on Earth. Friends….its time for us to quit being so territorial and divisive with The Lord’s kingdom. Time to be happy for others when we see them ministering to this lost and dying world in Jesus name.
Mark 9:43 reminds us to take temptation and sin seriously. Very seriously. Do you?
In Mark 10:6, Jesus tells us that God made us males and females. Cut and dry. Period. Last year, my youngest daughter, Abigail, had to go to a pediatric pulmonologist in Nashville….remember, this guy is a pediatric pulmonologist….he only dealt with children. On the registration sheet….there were 3 lines of genders/sexuality to choose from….not 3 choices(which would be bad enough)….but 3 whole lines. There were genders and sexualities listed on there that I didn’t even know existed!!! And remember this guy was a PEDIATRIC pulmonologist. What in the world are we teaching our children with junk like this? Obviously not the Bible because it clearly says male and female only. Period.
In Mark 9:7 Jesus is teaching about marriage and says that the man is to leave his father and his mother and cleave to his wife. Far be it for me to give marriage advice….but we would do well to pay attention to what Jesus says about it. Our parents are not a part of the marriage covenant…..and newsflash….neither are our children. Children are products of the marriage covenant….but they are not participants. We disobey God and do our spouses a tremendous disservice when we prioritize our parents, our children, or anything else except The Lord over our spouses.
Mark 10:21 reveals a concept that many people don’t realize and even fewer do anything about it. There are going to be rewards/treasures for us in Heaven. This concept is mentioned here….its mentioned in the Sermon on The Mount and many other places. We will receive these treasures at The Judgment Seat of Christ and then we will cast them down at Jesus feet because only He is worthy of praise, honor, and glory(Revelation 4)
So here’s the question…what’s your treasure chest look like in Heaven?
Phillip….I have no idea….
And therein lies the problem….if we don’t know what brings treasure in Heaven, how in the world can we have an idea of whether we have any treasure or not. Jesus lays it out pretty clear in scripture what we have to do to earn treasure in Heaven….hopefully we won’t skip over that anymore.
In Mark 10:27….we are reminded again that with God all things are possible.
I’m sensing right now as I type this that someone reading needs something impossible for man but possible with God….Know that The Lord knows your need…..place your full faith and trust in Him to meet the need.
In Mark 10:30….Jesus is listing some of the rewards we will receive for following Him…..did you notice the last reward? Persecutions.
Persecutions?????
Persecutions is a reward????
Evidently so….Jesus brother James said it was also in James 1:2.
Hmmmm….how many of us count persecutions as a reward?
Sign me up for the houses, children, and lands….but not the persecutions.
Don’t work that way.
This is a gut check for us. This is graduate level Christianity….not baby stuff….do you count being persecuted for Christ a reward?
Mark 10:43-44….another reminder….if we want to be great in the Kingdom of God….be a servant, not a CEO.
Mark 10:50….something you might gloss over if you’re not careful….Jesus encounters Blind Bartimaeus. Blind Bartimaeus is hollering and hollering and hollering for Jesus. People told him to be quiet….but instead of shutting her down….ole Blind Bartimaeus cranked up the volume. So Jesus called for Bartimaeus to come to Him and look in Verse 50 what Blind Bartimaeus did when He headed toward Jesus. The Bible says Blind Bartimaeus cast away his garment.
Wait a second….did he run to Jesus naked???? No No No.
In those days, to be a beggar, you had to wear a beggar’s garment so you would be identified as a beggar.
In Mark 10:50….Blind Bartimaeus was casting off his beggar’s garment to go to Jesus.
But wait a second….In Verse 50….Bartimaeus was still blind…he didn’t get healed till Verse 52.
EXACTLY!!
Remember the lesson of not just giving lip service to our faith in Christ but also ACTING like it? Here Bartimaeus showed the true measure of his faith by casting aside his beggars garment before Jesus ever healed him….why? Because he had the faith that Jesus would heal him.
How many of us would do that? I submit to you that most of us would keep our beggars garment handy just in case we need it later on. That kind of faith doesn’t cut it.
In Mark 11:2, we have a record of Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Verse 2 says that Jesus tells the disciples to get this specific colt on which never a man sat. Why? Not just to fulfill the scripture, but to also show us His power over all nature and creatures including a horse that’s never been ridden before.
Mark 11:12 shows us a valuable lesson that Jesus expects us to bear fruit for Him and if we aren’t….there can be grave consequences.
What kind of fruit are you bearing for the Kingdom?
Last but not least….what I am most struggling with personally in my life right now….Mark 11:25-26. So far, I’ve not directly copied any verses into my devos….just bits and pieces….but I want you to see the complete text of these two verses.
Mark 11:25-26
25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
This is much easier said than done….and honestly it’s been weighing on me. No secret….I’ve been hurt pretty bad over the last several months….several years if you want to know the truth…..by lots and lots of different people. Some you may know about and some you don’t have a clue. Some of you that have hurt me may be reading this right now.
I’m struggling with forgiveness right now. I’m struggling to forgive you.
I know I need to….for my own benefit. Unforgiveness and bitterness is like drinking poison yourself and hoping the other person dies.
I know the Bible says to forgive.
But I’m struggling with it. Really really struggling.
So I covet your prayers for the Lord to help me work through the hurt, bitterness, and unforgiveness in my heart so I can move on with the rest of my life. I feel like I’m in a holding pattern right now until I can work through this.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 12 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Mark 6-8
WARNING: THE BLUNT TALK RETURNS WITH A VENGEANCE.
In Verse 1 of Chapter 6, we read that the disciples followed Jesus. That literally means that they let Jesus lead them wherever they went.
This begs a question….do we allow Jesus to lead us? Not just lipservice….do we actually do it?
If Jesus is leading us, that means He gets to whatever we are going to face BEFORE we get there…Nothing will be able to touch us that doesn’t go through Him first.
Unfortunately, I believe most of us want to travel our own roads, make our own paths, and then when we get in trouble….call Jesus on the 911 Prayer Line to come rescue us out of the mess we’ve made.
There’s a big difference between allowing Jesus to lead our lives like the disciples did and us leading ourselves down our own path.
Chapter6:3 contains a little bit of Bible Trivia. How many children did Mary and Joseph have after Jesus was born? The answer is at least 6….4 boys and at least 2 girls. The names of the boys are listed in Verse 3 and the word “sisters” is plural which means there were at least 2 girls.
In Chapter 6:4, Jesus says something that is unfortunately very true. He says that a prophet(or preacher today), is respected everywhere he goes except for his hometown, among his family, and in his own house. I used to think I bucked the trend on this….but how stupid of me to think a Bible verse didn’t apply to me. As always, Jesus knew what He was talking about.
In Chapter 6:5-6, we learn that Jesus did not do many miracles in His hometown because of the unbelief of HIs friends, family, and neighbors.
I don’t know about you….but I HATE MISSING OUT ON ANYTHING!!!! I don’t know if it’s the old radio guy in me that realizes you can’t get time back or what….but when I find out I missed out on something, it drives me insane….especially if it is my fault for missing out.
Well based on this verse here….many of us may be missing out on miracles/blessings in our lives because of our lack of belief/faith in Jesus. That sure does motivate me to get my faith in order cause I don’t want to miss out on anything because of me….especially a blessing The Lord has in store for me.
In Mark 6:7, Jesus sent the 12 disciples out and gave them power to preach and heal. A favorite scripture verse of many is Philippians 4:13 which says “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” Jesus is where we get our power today to do small things(get out of bed), big things(public speaking), easy things(breathe), and hard things(have a difficult conversation). He has all the power….not us….so if we need power/strength to do a task….better ask Jesus for it.
Mark 6:13 shows us the power of anointing people with oil for healing. Most people think of James 5 when it comes to anointing with oil scriptures….but its right here clear as a bell in Mark 6 also. Anointing with oil coupled with prayer and laying on of hands flat out works. I’ve personally witnessed over a dozen healings in my life of people that we anointed with oil, prayed over, and laid hands on.
We then get the account of the death of John the Baptist. Quick Question….did Herod kill John the Baptist? Technically he did order it to be done….but only at the bequest of a very vindictive woman. Had John done anything worthy of death? Not at all. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to us when others….specifically vindictive women….want to destroy us also for no good reason. I’ve been on the receiving end of the wrath of several vindictive women in my day. No fun at all. They are absolutely ruthless and cold-blooded. Bottom line, don’t be surprised if you ever get on the receiving end of a vindictive woman’s wrath for no good reason either.
In Mark 6:30, the disciples had to come back and give account to Jesus for both what they had done and what they had taught. Whether you realize it or not, preachers have a special accounting that we must give to The Lord Jesus Christ. Everybody has a judgment….either the Great White Throne Judgment for lost people or The Judgment Seat of Christ for the saved. For the preachers, we will have to give an additional account for what we did, said, didn’t do, or didn’t say(Hebrews 13:17). Preaching/Pastoring is not for the faint of heart and should never be taken lightly.
Speaking of ministry not being for the faint of heart….Jesus knew that so after the disciples gave their accounts to Jesus, He commanded them to rest a while. It shouldn’t surprise any of us that ministry is hard, exhausting work……
1. There’s a huge need
2. There’s not enough of ministers for the job that needs to be done.
Jesus said so Himself when He said the harvest is plenteous but the laborers are few. Just like here in Verse 31 where Jesus said The disciples were so busy they didn’t even have time to eat….there have been more days than not that I missed breakfast or lunch or both because of all the ministry work in front of me to be done and no time to eat. It just comes with the territory and the lack of help to be had.
In Mark 6:42, Jesus is feeding the 5000 and I want you to notice a very important word in Verse 42. FILLED….they all ate and were FILLED. You ever been to a restaurant or someone’s house to eat and the portions were so small that you didn’t get full? Remember how that made you feel? Yep….well Jesus doesn’t want that problem. He wants to fill us up and keep us full with His Holy Spirit. He wants our cups to run over(Psalm 23). So many treat Jesus like He’s going to skimp with them like they skimp with others….that’s simply not the case. He wants everybody to get FILLED!!! If you are running empty friend….go get a fill up today!!!
In Mark 6:45, Jesus sent the disciples out into a storm on a boat. He didn’t keep them from the storm….He sent His beloved disciples to it. In the exact same way friends….Jesus will not keep us from all the storms of life. In fact….just like here in Mark 6….sometimes He will send us to a storm on purpose.
Why?
Well why did He send these disciples to a storm?
To increase their faith and dependence on Him
And that’s the exact same reason He sends me and you to storms today instead of keeping us from them. I love the last part of the 3rd Verse of the song “Through It All”…..If I never had a problem, I wouldn’t know that He could solve them….I’d never know what faith in God could do. Amen.
At the End of Mark 6, Jesus and the disciples are across the sea in Gennesaret ministering. In Mark 7:1, here comes trouble….the Pharisees and scribes came to Gennesaret all the way from Jerusalem.
What’s the point?
LISTEN VERY CLOSELY……We can’t run away from our problems. We can’t run away from our problems!
Every single day people try running away from their problems and it simply won’t work. Friday night at 1045PM, Caroline got a call from a friend that was driving down Highway 13 and saw a young kid on a bicycle. Caroline came and told me and we jumped in the truck and headed that way. Sure enough, bout the time we got to Bethel Baptist Church, we ran into this young boy on his bicycle running away to a friend’s house. I tried the easy route with him, but he wouldn’t take it. So I called 911 and got the cops to come rescue him.
We do our children a HUGE disservice when they see us run away from problems at work by changing jobs….at church by changing churches….or at home by changing spouses. It would do our kids a whole lot better if they saw us work through our problems instead of running away from them. But make no mistake….it takes two to work on your problems….can’t be a one sided deal or that won’t work either.
Mark 7:6 describes many people today…they honor God with their lips, but their heart is far from Him. It’s so easy to talk the talk and fool people. But it’s much harder to surrender your heart to God and walk the walk.
Mark 7:9 speaks of another big problem today….those who elevate tradition at the same level as the 10 Commandments. This is not a new problem. The Pharisees added 600 other traditions to the 10 Commandments that they held at the same high level of regard.
And in the same way, people elevate their traditions today to the same level as The Ten Commandments.
What traditions are you talking about Phillip?
Music
Worship Service Length
Worship Service Start Time
Worship Service Order
Just to name a few……..
Nowhere in the Bible does it say church starts at 11AM sharp and ends at 12PM dull.
Tradition in the church is very good and helpful….trust me….I’m the guy that started a church and had ZERO traditions to fall back on. I had to make them all up as we went along……not all traditions are bad.
But traditions should NEVER be elevated to the same level as Scripture….never, ever, period.
In Mark 7:11, Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for not taking care of their elderly parents. I have ZERO time or respect for people who dump their elderly parents in a home or facility of some sort so they don’t interfere with their lives. Now sometimes, a nursing home is the best option medically for our parents….I totally get that. But dumping them in a home cause you don’t have time to fool with them? Give me a break. We make time for what’s important to us. And The Bible is clear that we are to honor our father and mother. If your parents aren’t important to you….shame on you and don’t expect The Lord’s blessing on your life.
Look closely at Mark 7:24….Jesus wanted to hide from the crowd…..The Bible says Jesus would have no man know where He was, but He could not be hid.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU JESUS!!!
I don’t feel near as bad now as I used to for wanting to hide from people. Sometimes you’ve just had all you can stand and you can’t take any more.
So look here….if your preacher is hiding from you….don’t get mad at him….give him some time and give him some space….let him fill up on Jesus….He’ll be back in the saddle soon. If Jesus wanted to hide, it’s totally understandable us wanting to hide also.
In Mark 8:4….Its déjà vu for the Disciples….they have a big crowd of people(4000 this time)….and no food. Jesus wants to feed them. But instead of automatically going to Jesus first after seeing the miracle of feeding the 5000 just 2 chapters earlier…..They throw their hands up in the air and say “What in the world are we gonna do?”
I guess it’s just human nature for us to forget the great things Jesus has done in our lives in the past. Don’t get too fired up mad at the disciples here cause me and you do the exact same thing. We forget Jesus provision in the past and we worry ourselves sick about how He’s going to provide in our future.
Sure would be nice if we could learn our lessons here while reading Mark 8 and not worry about our future based on His faithful provision in our past.
In Mark 8:22, Jesus is healing a blind man. He touches him the first time, asks the man if he can see, and the man says he sees men as trees walking. Then Jesus touches him again and he’s completely healed.
Why didn’t Jesus just heal this blind man in one fell swoop like he did most other people? TO TEACH US A VALUABLE LESSON….The Lord’s healing might come all at once, or it might come in STAGES!!! In fact, I declare that often, His healings today come in stages. It’s easy for us in today’s society to want everything all at once….but Jesus is showing us here that’s not always how He works. Sometimes…many times….He does things in a process….in a specific order. Trust His process.
Jesus concludes Mark 8 with a question that needs to be answered today by all of us…..Verse 37
What can a man give in exchange for his soul?
The answer: Nothing
The richest man in the world can’t buy or heal a soul.
The most powerful man in the world can’t buy or heal a soul
Only Jesus can bring healing and salvation to our souls.
So why are we trying to earn more money and gather more stuff if in the end….it doesn’t matter one bit.
You tell me why we are doing that?
I’m thankful that Jesus gave His life in exchange for my soul. What an incredible deal from my end of the bargain. It will be the best thing that ever happens to you also if you’ll take Jesus up on His offer.
Nothing….nothing….absolutely nothing should be more valuable or important to us than our souls.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Mark 6-8
WARNING: THE BLUNT TALK RETURNS WITH A VENGEANCE.
In Verse 1 of Chapter 6, we read that the disciples followed Jesus. That literally means that they let Jesus lead them wherever they went.
This begs a question….do we allow Jesus to lead us? Not just lipservice….do we actually do it?
If Jesus is leading us, that means He gets to whatever we are going to face BEFORE we get there…Nothing will be able to touch us that doesn’t go through Him first.
Unfortunately, I believe most of us want to travel our own roads, make our own paths, and then when we get in trouble….call Jesus on the 911 Prayer Line to come rescue us out of the mess we’ve made.
There’s a big difference between allowing Jesus to lead our lives like the disciples did and us leading ourselves down our own path.
Chapter6:3 contains a little bit of Bible Trivia. How many children did Mary and Joseph have after Jesus was born? The answer is at least 6….4 boys and at least 2 girls. The names of the boys are listed in Verse 3 and the word “sisters” is plural which means there were at least 2 girls.
In Chapter 6:4, Jesus says something that is unfortunately very true. He says that a prophet(or preacher today), is respected everywhere he goes except for his hometown, among his family, and in his own house. I used to think I bucked the trend on this….but how stupid of me to think a Bible verse didn’t apply to me. As always, Jesus knew what He was talking about.
In Chapter 6:5-6, we learn that Jesus did not do many miracles in His hometown because of the unbelief of HIs friends, family, and neighbors.
I don’t know about you….but I HATE MISSING OUT ON ANYTHING!!!! I don’t know if it’s the old radio guy in me that realizes you can’t get time back or what….but when I find out I missed out on something, it drives me insane….especially if it is my fault for missing out.
Well based on this verse here….many of us may be missing out on miracles/blessings in our lives because of our lack of belief/faith in Jesus. That sure does motivate me to get my faith in order cause I don’t want to miss out on anything because of me….especially a blessing The Lord has in store for me.
In Mark 6:7, Jesus sent the 12 disciples out and gave them power to preach and heal. A favorite scripture verse of many is Philippians 4:13 which says “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” Jesus is where we get our power today to do small things(get out of bed), big things(public speaking), easy things(breathe), and hard things(have a difficult conversation). He has all the power….not us….so if we need power/strength to do a task….better ask Jesus for it.
Mark 6:13 shows us the power of anointing people with oil for healing. Most people think of James 5 when it comes to anointing with oil scriptures….but its right here clear as a bell in Mark 6 also. Anointing with oil coupled with prayer and laying on of hands flat out works. I’ve personally witnessed over a dozen healings in my life of people that we anointed with oil, prayed over, and laid hands on.
We then get the account of the death of John the Baptist. Quick Question….did Herod kill John the Baptist? Technically he did order it to be done….but only at the bequest of a very vindictive woman. Had John done anything worthy of death? Not at all. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to us when others….specifically vindictive women….want to destroy us also for no good reason. I’ve been on the receiving end of the wrath of several vindictive women in my day. No fun at all. They are absolutely ruthless and cold-blooded. Bottom line, don’t be surprised if you ever get on the receiving end of a vindictive woman’s wrath for no good reason either.
In Mark 6:30, the disciples had to come back and give account to Jesus for both what they had done and what they had taught. Whether you realize it or not, preachers have a special accounting that we must give to The Lord Jesus Christ. Everybody has a judgment….either the Great White Throne Judgment for lost people or The Judgment Seat of Christ for the saved. For the preachers, we will have to give an additional account for what we did, said, didn’t do, or didn’t say(Hebrews 13:17). Preaching/Pastoring is not for the faint of heart and should never be taken lightly.
Speaking of ministry not being for the faint of heart….Jesus knew that so after the disciples gave their accounts to Jesus, He commanded them to rest a while. It shouldn’t surprise any of us that ministry is hard, exhausting work……
1. There’s a huge need
2. There’s not enough of ministers for the job that needs to be done.
Jesus said so Himself when He said the harvest is plenteous but the laborers are few. Just like here in Verse 31 where Jesus said The disciples were so busy they didn’t even have time to eat….there have been more days than not that I missed breakfast or lunch or both because of all the ministry work in front of me to be done and no time to eat. It just comes with the territory and the lack of help to be had.
In Mark 6:42, Jesus is feeding the 5000 and I want you to notice a very important word in Verse 42. FILLED….they all ate and were FILLED. You ever been to a restaurant or someone’s house to eat and the portions were so small that you didn’t get full? Remember how that made you feel? Yep….well Jesus doesn’t want that problem. He wants to fill us up and keep us full with His Holy Spirit. He wants our cups to run over(Psalm 23). So many treat Jesus like He’s going to skimp with them like they skimp with others….that’s simply not the case. He wants everybody to get FILLED!!! If you are running empty friend….go get a fill up today!!!
In Mark 6:45, Jesus sent the disciples out into a storm on a boat. He didn’t keep them from the storm….He sent His beloved disciples to it. In the exact same way friends….Jesus will not keep us from all the storms of life. In fact….just like here in Mark 6….sometimes He will send us to a storm on purpose.
Why?
Well why did He send these disciples to a storm?
To increase their faith and dependence on Him
And that’s the exact same reason He sends me and you to storms today instead of keeping us from them. I love the last part of the 3rd Verse of the song “Through It All”…..If I never had a problem, I wouldn’t know that He could solve them….I’d never know what faith in God could do. Amen.
At the End of Mark 6, Jesus and the disciples are across the sea in Gennesaret ministering. In Mark 7:1, here comes trouble….the Pharisees and scribes came to Gennesaret all the way from Jerusalem.
What’s the point?
LISTEN VERY CLOSELY……We can’t run away from our problems. We can’t run away from our problems!
Every single day people try running away from their problems and it simply won’t work. Friday night at 1045PM, Caroline got a call from a friend that was driving down Highway 13 and saw a young kid on a bicycle. Caroline came and told me and we jumped in the truck and headed that way. Sure enough, bout the time we got to Bethel Baptist Church, we ran into this young boy on his bicycle running away to a friend’s house. I tried the easy route with him, but he wouldn’t take it. So I called 911 and got the cops to come rescue him.
We do our children a HUGE disservice when they see us run away from problems at work by changing jobs….at church by changing churches….or at home by changing spouses. It would do our kids a whole lot better if they saw us work through our problems instead of running away from them. But make no mistake….it takes two to work on your problems….can’t be a one sided deal or that won’t work either.
Mark 7:6 describes many people today…they honor God with their lips, but their heart is far from Him. It’s so easy to talk the talk and fool people. But it’s much harder to surrender your heart to God and walk the walk.
Mark 7:9 speaks of another big problem today….those who elevate tradition at the same level as the 10 Commandments. This is not a new problem. The Pharisees added 600 other traditions to the 10 Commandments that they held at the same high level of regard.
And in the same way, people elevate their traditions today to the same level as The Ten Commandments.
What traditions are you talking about Phillip?
Music
Worship Service Length
Worship Service Start Time
Worship Service Order
Just to name a few……..
Nowhere in the Bible does it say church starts at 11AM sharp and ends at 12PM dull.
Tradition in the church is very good and helpful….trust me….I’m the guy that started a church and had ZERO traditions to fall back on. I had to make them all up as we went along……not all traditions are bad.
But traditions should NEVER be elevated to the same level as Scripture….never, ever, period.
In Mark 7:11, Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for not taking care of their elderly parents. I have ZERO time or respect for people who dump their elderly parents in a home or facility of some sort so they don’t interfere with their lives. Now sometimes, a nursing home is the best option medically for our parents….I totally get that. But dumping them in a home cause you don’t have time to fool with them? Give me a break. We make time for what’s important to us. And The Bible is clear that we are to honor our father and mother. If your parents aren’t important to you….shame on you and don’t expect The Lord’s blessing on your life.
Look closely at Mark 7:24….Jesus wanted to hide from the crowd…..The Bible says Jesus would have no man know where He was, but He could not be hid.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU JESUS!!!
I don’t feel near as bad now as I used to for wanting to hide from people. Sometimes you’ve just had all you can stand and you can’t take any more.
So look here….if your preacher is hiding from you….don’t get mad at him….give him some time and give him some space….let him fill up on Jesus….He’ll be back in the saddle soon. If Jesus wanted to hide, it’s totally understandable us wanting to hide also.
In Mark 8:4….Its déjà vu for the Disciples….they have a big crowd of people(4000 this time)….and no food. Jesus wants to feed them. But instead of automatically going to Jesus first after seeing the miracle of feeding the 5000 just 2 chapters earlier…..They throw their hands up in the air and say “What in the world are we gonna do?”
I guess it’s just human nature for us to forget the great things Jesus has done in our lives in the past. Don’t get too fired up mad at the disciples here cause me and you do the exact same thing. We forget Jesus provision in the past and we worry ourselves sick about how He’s going to provide in our future.
Sure would be nice if we could learn our lessons here while reading Mark 8 and not worry about our future based on His faithful provision in our past.
In Mark 8:22, Jesus is healing a blind man. He touches him the first time, asks the man if he can see, and the man says he sees men as trees walking. Then Jesus touches him again and he’s completely healed.
Why didn’t Jesus just heal this blind man in one fell swoop like he did most other people? TO TEACH US A VALUABLE LESSON….The Lord’s healing might come all at once, or it might come in STAGES!!! In fact, I declare that often, His healings today come in stages. It’s easy for us in today’s society to want everything all at once….but Jesus is showing us here that’s not always how He works. Sometimes…many times….He does things in a process….in a specific order. Trust His process.
Jesus concludes Mark 8 with a question that needs to be answered today by all of us…..Verse 37
What can a man give in exchange for his soul?
The answer: Nothing
The richest man in the world can’t buy or heal a soul.
The most powerful man in the world can’t buy or heal a soul
Only Jesus can bring healing and salvation to our souls.
So why are we trying to earn more money and gather more stuff if in the end….it doesn’t matter one bit.
You tell me why we are doing that?
I’m thankful that Jesus gave His life in exchange for my soul. What an incredible deal from my end of the bargain. It will be the best thing that ever happens to you also if you’ll take Jesus up on His offer.
Nothing….nothing….absolutely nothing should be more valuable or important to us than our souls.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 11 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Mark 3-5
Mark 3 opens with Jesus healing a man’s withered hand on the Sabbath day. Where was Jesus when He did this? Verse 1 tells us the synagogue. It was Jesus’ practice to be in church on the Sabbath day. If this was HIs practice, certainly it should be ours also.
If one positive thing has happened with this coronavirus quarantine, I believe it’s causing people not to take for granted their church attendance. My family has always set our Saturday and Sunday schedules around Sunday morning church. If it required missing church, it didn’t get on our schedule. Unfortunately, pre-quarantine, many people did just the opposite. They set their schedule first, and if Sunday morning church didn’t fit in, they would just skip it.
I’m hoping that post-coronavirus quarantine, that trend will change and folks will once again prioritize church attendance.
In Mark 3:5, we learn that Jesus was angry. Again, this shows us that it is not a sin to be angry because Jesus never sinned. So what did Jesus do with His anger? He channeled it to something productive…meeting a man’s physical need. My oh my….how much better would our society be if those of us that get angry about things…..politics….abortion….h
Mark 3:10 is a great contrast to our society today. The crowd of people were “pressing upon” Jesus….getting as close as they could. Today….I’m afraid that instead of getting as close as we can to Jesus….we try to see how far away we can get from Him and still be a follower.
Let me give you a similar example that although not exactly the same….makes this point really well.
My mother, Nancy Chambers, is an award winning quilter. Mom has dozens of local and state awards. She even won a National Championship 1 time in her life. The National Championship came on a whole cloth quilt that my mom designed herself on butcher paper that she taped together in the floor of our living room. I was a very young child at the time….still riding a tricycle around the house.
When Mom started this process, she told me that if I rode my tricycle across her quilt design I would get a spanking. The story goes that I would ride my tricycle through the house and get JUST AS CLOSE AS I COULD to the edge of the butcher paper without touching it, then turn around and go back. I had a 2300 square foot house to ride all around in….but my favorite place was to see how close I could get to the butcher paper quilt design in the living room floor without getting whipped.
Isn’t that just like us today? We have a whole world in which to live….we can easily stay far away from God spankings(Hebrews 12:11)….but no….we gotta walk the line and see how close we can get without getting whipped.
Let Mark 3:10 be a lesson to all of us that more blessings take place the closer we are to Jesus….so let’s walk as close to Him as we possibly can.
In Mark 3:21, Jesus childhood friends thought He was crazy(beside himself) now that He was doing all this ministry work. You know what….our friends will think we are crazy too when we get sold out for Jesus like we are supposed to be. The world wants to do just enough to “get by”. That doesn’t cut it. Jesus says we are to love the Lord our God with ALL our soul, ALL our strength, and ALL our mind.
Give me a group of Christ followers small in number, but SOLD OUT and TOTALLY COMMITTED to Jesus…and we will change the world together!!!
Mark 3:24 says a country or nation that is divided will fall.
Mark 3:25 says that a house or family that is divided will fall. Unfortunately, I’m living proof of that. Therefore, based on my personal experiences, I’m more concerned than ever about the future of our nation. Pre-Coronavirus quarantine, we were an extremely divided nation….and even now during this national emergency…when we should all be coming together….we are still a very divided country. This national division simply won’t last….and like a divided family….the end will probably come as a surprise and sooner than we think.
Mark 4:27 talks about seeds being put into the dirt. Have you ever thought about that my friends? My father has some special, white, open-pollinated field corn seed in his basement that we have literally saved for years. Can’t buy this particular seed anymore. Daddy will give away a cup or two of it a year to some very close friends and then me and Brandon have to plant some each year to make more seed. It’s like a family treasure.
That seed sits in a 50 lb sack, tied to the basement rafters off the floor where the mice can’t get to it….and the seed will sit in that sack for years and do nothing.
But the day you put that seed into some dirt….BOOM….it starts germinating.
How in the world does that happen? I have no idea. I can’t explain what the dirt does to turn the seed on and make it grow.
And in the exact same way, according to Mark 4:27….just like we can’t explain how one seed put in dirt grows to produce more fruit…..we can’t explain how Gospel seeds we plant germinate and bring forth fruit for the Kingdom of God. But they do.
So what’s the point??? KEEP PLANTING, PLANTING, PLANTING, and PLANTING GOSPEL SEEDS. Don’t leave them in a sack tied up in your basement. They won’t bear you any more fruit in the sack. You might not have a clue how these Gospel seeds you plant will ever germinate and bear fruit….but that’s not our concern….our job is to plant the seeds and let God bring the increase!!!
Mark 4:41 reminds us that even the winds and seas must obey their Master….Jesus. If He can make the winds and sea obey Him….then surely He can take care of our “little” problems too…..Amen?
Mark 5 is known to Bible scholars as the Chapter of the Incurables because of the 3 people Jesus met that men couldn’t do anything for….but He completely cured and healed them all here in Chapter 5.
First, we meet the man possessed with a legion of demons that made his home in a cemetery. Please note that the devil doesn’t fight fair….he had a legion(over 5000 demons) inside of this one man. Just like the devil didn’t fight fair then, he doesn’t fight fair today against us. Satan is nothing for us to mess around with. We can’t outsmart him and we are definitely not stronger than he is.
After being cast into the herd of swine, the demons ran the swine over a cliff and killed them. This is clear evidence that Satan’s goal is to kill and destroy us also. It’s not enough for him just to make us miserable….Satan is not satisfied until we are killed and destroyed. Every one of us has a price on our heads.
Understandably, after this took place, the people of the town came out to see what had happened.(There were rubberneckers in Jesus day just like there is today). Sadly, instead of being thrilled this man that no man could tame was sitting there clothed and in his right mind….they were scared and upset at the loss of the herd of swine and asked Jesus to depart from their coasts.
My oh my friends….what a parallel to the USA today. We are SO SCARED of people dying from the Coronavirus right now…but you know what I’m more scared of??? People dying without Jesus. Just think if we were giving as much attention to people’s salvation as we are coronavirus……we should be because their salvation is far more important.
In Mark 5:26, we meet a woman that suffered with an issue of blood for 12 years….spent all she had on physicians….suffered mightily with both their treatments and the disease…..was no better at all….in fact she had become worse.
But then she simply touched the hem of Jesus garment in faith….and the Bible says that immediately…the incurable woman was made whole.
Finally, we meet a 12 year old girl that died. Her daddy came to Jesus asking Him to heal her while she was still alive, but deathly sick. But with the delay from healing the woman with the issue of blood, the little girl died before Jesus could get to her. Her little death didn’t deter Jesus….He pressed on to her home and once He got there, He took the little girl’s father and mother, along with 3 of His disciples….Peter, James, and John…to see the dead body. Jesus took the dead girls hand, told her to arise, and guess what….SHE DID!!!!
Then notice what the first thing was that Jesus did for the 12 year old girl once He brought her back to life….He got her something to eat….verse 43.
Feeding people was very important to Jesus. He fed the 5000, He fed the 4000, He fed the disciples the Last Supper, He fed them on the side of the sea in John 21.
Personally, I love using food as a way to break down walls with people for me to share the Gospel with. I’ve got several people that I’m currently praying for to get saved. 3 of these in particular work at the same place of business. One day recently at lunch, I went to Burger King. I could have paid $7 or so for a Whopper Combo for myself….or….instead, I got 4 Whoppers for $12(they have this 2 for $6 deal going right now). I did the 4 for $12 deal….kept 1 for me….and took the other 3 to the 3 guys I’m praying get saved.
They were all 3 very appreciative of the Whoppers.
Would it be worth $5 and 3 Whoppers to have the chance to share the Gospel with these men in the near future?
It is to me.
So let me encourage you to pray about who and how you can use food to open a door for you to share the Gospel with….hopefully before the month of April is over.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 10 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Matthew 28, Mark 1-2
Matthew 28 contains the reason for the season we are in….without the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, there would be no Easter. Easter is not just about the bunny….it’s about our Savior conquering death, hell, and the grave.
But remember, there would be no Easter….no resurrection….without the cruel, old rugged cross. In other words, we can’t have the joy and happiness of Easter Sunday without the pain, shame, and agony of Good Friday.
Let me bring it a little closer to home….before God can ever work a miracle in your life, there has to be a problem in your life that cannot be solved by man.
Now all of us want The Lord to do great things in our lives that can only be explained by a supernatural infusion of His power.
But in order for that to take place, there has to be a problem that we can’t solve on our own.
No Easter without Good Friday.
So take heart my friend…if you are in one of the those hopeless and helpless situations right now in your own life…..you have the perfect raw material needed for Jesus to work a miracle. Your Easter Sunday’s coming!!!
Notice at the beginning of Matthew 28 that….
The first people to the tomb…..were women.
The first people told of Jesus resurrection….were women.
The first people Jesus appeared to after His resurrection….were women.
In a day an age when many women think they have no place in the church….those sentiments couldn’t be further from the truth.
Women were vital ministry partners to Jesus over the entire course of His ministry.
We have many records of women ministering to Jesus
Women did not desert Jesus on the cross while almost all of His male disciples did.
As a father of two God-called daughters, I’m happy to report that The Bible is clear. Women have an important, necessary, and vital role in the spread of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
I want you to notice one very important word in Matthew 28:6….Come. The women were told to come and investigate the empty tomb for themselves.
Yes….the Christian life requires faith….
Yes…The Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God….
But make no mistake, Jesus invites us and has no problem with us investigating the truth and facts of His life and ministry for ourselves.
Do you realize that there is more archaeological evidence supporting The Bible than any of the other ancient books PUT TOGETHER!!!
Everybody thinks about the movie “The Passion of The Christ” this time of year. May I suggest another movie to watch? “The Case for Christ”. It’s the true story of Lee Strobel….an atheist reporter that set out to disprove Christianity…and instead….when faced with all the facts….became a devoted follower of Jesus Christ instead.
Don’t be ashamed or scared to investigate the truth of Christianity for yourself. Jesus invites us to “Come and see” for ourselves. That is not a problem with Him.
In Matthew 28:13, we learn of a lie that was told after Jesus’ resurrection….the guards of Jesus’ tomb were paid large sums of money to tell that Jesus’ disciples stole his body in the night while the guards slept.
That all sounds well and good on the surface….but dig deeper. ALL of the 11 remaining disciples of Jesus were either martyred for their faith in Him or severely and inhumanely punished. Would these 11 men give their lives and endure such hardship and persecution for a lie? I wouldn’t….you wouldn’t….and they wouldn’t either. The story of Jesus’ disciples stealing His body simply does not hold water.
In Matthew 28:19-20 we find the last words of Jesus…..this is commonly referred to as The Great Commission….it’s where Jesus tells His disciples to go to all nations, teach them all He’s taught them, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit….and Jesus will go with them and give them the power/ability to do it.
Unfortunatley….in 2020….most Christians take these verses as The Great SUGGESTION or even worse, The Great OMISSION. I’m sad to report that most of us(I said us…not you)….most of us neglect to even pray for those in other nations to come to Christ….much less go there ourselves or even give money to those willing to go.
If you don’t do anything else today…please begin to pray for our missionaries….support them any and every way you can….and even better….start sharing the Gospel and fulfilling The Great Commission right here at home with the people you do come in contact with.
Now we move to The Gospel of Mark….this was the first of the 4 Gospels written. I love verse 8 where Mark talks about John the Baptist baptizing with water but Jesus baptizing people with The Holy Ghost.
Just exactly what/who is The Holy Ghost…..The Holy Ghost is God the Father Himself in Spirit form. The Holy Ghost comes to live inside of us at the very moment we trust Jesus to be Lord and Savior of our lives. The Holy Ghost goes with us everywhere we go…He sees everything we see….He knows everything we do.
Just like Matthew 28:20 says….”lo I am with you always”….The Holy Ghost is with us always. God doesn’t leave us to figure out this life all alone….He lives inside of us and will guide us each step of the way if we will let Him.
Mark 1:12 talks about how The Holy Ghost/Spirt took Jesus out into the wilderness. Hang on tight here friends…..sometimes The Holy Spirit has to take us out to the wilderness also….He has to remove all the distractions and disruptions from our lives in order for us to really focus on God.
If you are in one of those wilderness seasons right now….know that the wilderness is God’s hallowed ground for doing a good work in us.
In Mark 1:15….Jesus announces the Kingdom of God is at hand…tells everybody to repent….but there’s one more admonition He gives here that He didn’t give earlier….BELIEVE….BELIEVE.
You see it’s one thing to know something.
It’s a whole different thing to BELIEVE that something to be true.
For example….I know what the weather forecasters have said the weather will be tomorrow.
But I don’t believe it for a minute because they have the only job in America where you can be wrong over half the time and still keep your job.
Here’s the point…..most of us reading this devotion know the Gospel….we know the story of Jesus.
But do we believe it?
Now I know what most of you are thinking right now….”Well of course I believe it Phillip….I’m insulted that you would even ask me.”
Let me just cut to the chase and tell you the reason I asked…..if we BELIEVE the Gospel of Jesus….then why aren’t we acting like it?
Jesus has risen from the dead…but we act like we have no hope.
Jesus has risen from the dead…but we act like we have no power.
Jesus has risen from the dead…but we act like we are scared.
It’s one thing to know the Gospel…it’s a whole different thing to BELIEVE it!!
In Mark 1:36-37….the disciples were seeking Jesus. Where did they find Him? In a solitary place with no distractions or disruptions where He could have uninterrupted fellowship with His Father.
Can we pray to God anywhere at anytime? Of course.
But in the same way as Mark 1:36-37….if we are seeking Jesus today, we will truly find Him when we get to that solitary, uninterrupted place where we can have unhindered fellowship with Him.
In Mark 2, we once again see the account of the 4 men that brought their crippled friend to Jesus…the crowd was so big they had to climb on the roof of the house, take the roof apart and lower him down into the crowd in front of Jesus.
Can you imagine the excuses these men would give if that story were to take place today?
We’re going to get in trouble if we tear this place up?
It’s going to cost us money to fix this guy’s roof back.
They won’t let us in
We can’t get him up on the roof
The crowd is too big
But thankfully, these 4 men didn’t let any of these thoughts derail them from getting their friend to Jesus.
Likewise….we don’t need to let any of these lame excuses derail us from getting our lost friends and family to Jesus either.
In Mark 2:8, we learn that Jesus can read our minds. He knows our thoughts.
How does that make you feel? The fact that Jesus can read your mind and He knows your thoughts.
If it troubles you….you have a problem and I highly suggest turning your thought life over to Him.
You see sin starts with a thought….then that thought turns into sinful actions.
The real battle for our lives takes place in our mind. What we put into our mind is so critical. That’s why I’m fasting from certain news websites and shows over this 30 days and instead putting more of Jesus and God’s Word into my mind. I encourage you to do the same.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Matthew 28, Mark 1-2
Matthew 28 contains the reason for the season we are in….without the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, there would be no Easter. Easter is not just about the bunny….it’s about our Savior conquering death, hell, and the grave.
But remember, there would be no Easter….no resurrection….without the cruel, old rugged cross. In other words, we can’t have the joy and happiness of Easter Sunday without the pain, shame, and agony of Good Friday.
Let me bring it a little closer to home….before God can ever work a miracle in your life, there has to be a problem in your life that cannot be solved by man.
Now all of us want The Lord to do great things in our lives that can only be explained by a supernatural infusion of His power.
But in order for that to take place, there has to be a problem that we can’t solve on our own.
No Easter without Good Friday.
So take heart my friend…if you are in one of the those hopeless and helpless situations right now in your own life…..you have the perfect raw material needed for Jesus to work a miracle. Your Easter Sunday’s coming!!!
Notice at the beginning of Matthew 28 that….
The first people to the tomb…..were women.
The first people told of Jesus resurrection….were women.
The first people Jesus appeared to after His resurrection….were women.
In a day an age when many women think they have no place in the church….those sentiments couldn’t be further from the truth.
Women were vital ministry partners to Jesus over the entire course of His ministry.
We have many records of women ministering to Jesus
Women did not desert Jesus on the cross while almost all of His male disciples did.
As a father of two God-called daughters, I’m happy to report that The Bible is clear. Women have an important, necessary, and vital role in the spread of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
I want you to notice one very important word in Matthew 28:6….Come. The women were told to come and investigate the empty tomb for themselves.
Yes….the Christian life requires faith….
Yes…The Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God….
But make no mistake, Jesus invites us and has no problem with us investigating the truth and facts of His life and ministry for ourselves.
Do you realize that there is more archaeological evidence supporting The Bible than any of the other ancient books PUT TOGETHER!!!
Everybody thinks about the movie “The Passion of The Christ” this time of year. May I suggest another movie to watch? “The Case for Christ”. It’s the true story of Lee Strobel….an atheist reporter that set out to disprove Christianity…and instead….when faced with all the facts….became a devoted follower of Jesus Christ instead.
Don’t be ashamed or scared to investigate the truth of Christianity for yourself. Jesus invites us to “Come and see” for ourselves. That is not a problem with Him.
In Matthew 28:13, we learn of a lie that was told after Jesus’ resurrection….the guards of Jesus’ tomb were paid large sums of money to tell that Jesus’ disciples stole his body in the night while the guards slept.
That all sounds well and good on the surface….but dig deeper. ALL of the 11 remaining disciples of Jesus were either martyred for their faith in Him or severely and inhumanely punished. Would these 11 men give their lives and endure such hardship and persecution for a lie? I wouldn’t….you wouldn’t….and they wouldn’t either. The story of Jesus’ disciples stealing His body simply does not hold water.
In Matthew 28:19-20 we find the last words of Jesus…..this is commonly referred to as The Great Commission….it’s where Jesus tells His disciples to go to all nations, teach them all He’s taught them, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit….and Jesus will go with them and give them the power/ability to do it.
Unfortunatley….in 2020….most Christians take these verses as The Great SUGGESTION or even worse, The Great OMISSION. I’m sad to report that most of us(I said us…not you)….most of us neglect to even pray for those in other nations to come to Christ….much less go there ourselves or even give money to those willing to go.
If you don’t do anything else today…please begin to pray for our missionaries….support them any and every way you can….and even better….start sharing the Gospel and fulfilling The Great Commission right here at home with the people you do come in contact with.
Now we move to The Gospel of Mark….this was the first of the 4 Gospels written. I love verse 8 where Mark talks about John the Baptist baptizing with water but Jesus baptizing people with The Holy Ghost.
Just exactly what/who is The Holy Ghost…..The Holy Ghost is God the Father Himself in Spirit form. The Holy Ghost comes to live inside of us at the very moment we trust Jesus to be Lord and Savior of our lives. The Holy Ghost goes with us everywhere we go…He sees everything we see….He knows everything we do.
Just like Matthew 28:20 says….”lo I am with you always”….The Holy Ghost is with us always. God doesn’t leave us to figure out this life all alone….He lives inside of us and will guide us each step of the way if we will let Him.
Mark 1:12 talks about how The Holy Ghost/Spirt took Jesus out into the wilderness. Hang on tight here friends…..sometimes The Holy Spirit has to take us out to the wilderness also….He has to remove all the distractions and disruptions from our lives in order for us to really focus on God.
If you are in one of those wilderness seasons right now….know that the wilderness is God’s hallowed ground for doing a good work in us.
In Mark 1:15….Jesus announces the Kingdom of God is at hand…tells everybody to repent….but there’s one more admonition He gives here that He didn’t give earlier….BELIEVE….BELIEVE.
You see it’s one thing to know something.
It’s a whole different thing to BELIEVE that something to be true.
For example….I know what the weather forecasters have said the weather will be tomorrow.
But I don’t believe it for a minute because they have the only job in America where you can be wrong over half the time and still keep your job.
Here’s the point…..most of us reading this devotion know the Gospel….we know the story of Jesus.
But do we believe it?
Now I know what most of you are thinking right now….”Well of course I believe it Phillip….I’m insulted that you would even ask me.”
Let me just cut to the chase and tell you the reason I asked…..if we BELIEVE the Gospel of Jesus….then why aren’t we acting like it?
Jesus has risen from the dead…but we act like we have no hope.
Jesus has risen from the dead…but we act like we have no power.
Jesus has risen from the dead…but we act like we are scared.
It’s one thing to know the Gospel…it’s a whole different thing to BELIEVE it!!
In Mark 1:36-37….the disciples were seeking Jesus. Where did they find Him? In a solitary place with no distractions or disruptions where He could have uninterrupted fellowship with His Father.
Can we pray to God anywhere at anytime? Of course.
But in the same way as Mark 1:36-37….if we are seeking Jesus today, we will truly find Him when we get to that solitary, uninterrupted place where we can have unhindered fellowship with Him.
In Mark 2, we once again see the account of the 4 men that brought their crippled friend to Jesus…the crowd was so big they had to climb on the roof of the house, take the roof apart and lower him down into the crowd in front of Jesus.
Can you imagine the excuses these men would give if that story were to take place today?
We’re going to get in trouble if we tear this place up?
It’s going to cost us money to fix this guy’s roof back.
They won’t let us in
We can’t get him up on the roof
The crowd is too big
But thankfully, these 4 men didn’t let any of these thoughts derail them from getting their friend to Jesus.
Likewise….we don’t need to let any of these lame excuses derail us from getting our lost friends and family to Jesus either.
In Mark 2:8, we learn that Jesus can read our minds. He knows our thoughts.
How does that make you feel? The fact that Jesus can read your mind and He knows your thoughts.
If it troubles you….you have a problem and I highly suggest turning your thought life over to Him.
You see sin starts with a thought….then that thought turns into sinful actions.
The real battle for our lives takes place in our mind. What we put into our mind is so critical. That’s why I’m fasting from certain news websites and shows over this 30 days and instead putting more of Jesus and God’s Word into my mind. I encourage you to do the same.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 9 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Matthew 25-27
Matthew 25 opens with the parable of the 10 Virgins…..again, a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning….the meaning in this parable is pretty clear. There are 10 virgins…5 get ready ahead of time for the wedding. 5 put off getting ready till later. When the time for the wedding is announced, the 5 that were not ready started scurrying around getting ready, but it was too late and they missed out on the wedding.
In the exact same way….half(or more) of the people today are not ready for The Marriage Supper of The Lamb….they think they can put off getting ready till later. But there will come a time when it’s too late to get ready….and if you miss out….you miss out.
The lesson….get ready today while there is still time!!!
Matthew 25:14 is the parable of the talents. Some great lessons here….
1. Verse 15….The Lord gave talents to every man ACCORDING TO HIS ABILITY. Everybody got some degree of talent….some more than others. The key….one of the lessons in this parable….is to use what talent you’ve been given for The Lord.
This is so evident today….I personally consider myself an average to slightly above average musician…..and a below average vocalist. There are lots and lots better musicians than me….and many thousands of vocalists that sing a whole lot better than I can.
It would have been SUPER EASY for me to just keep my head down and not do these worship songs to go along with these devos. But no….I’m gonna use what talent I have for The Lord and let Him sort out everything in the end.
I want to encourage you to do the exact same with what talent The Lord has blessed you with. Use it for Him and let Him sort out everything.
This is so evident today….I personally consider myself an average to slightly above average musician…..and a below average vocalist. There are lots and lots better musicians than me….and many thousands of vocalists that sing a whole lot better than I can.
It would have been SUPER EASY for me to just keep my head down and not do these worship songs to go along with these devos. But no….I’m gonna use what talent I have for The Lord and let Him sort out everything in the end.
I want to encourage you to do the exact same with what talent The Lord has blessed you with. Use it for Him and let Him sort out everything.
2. Verses 25 & 30….We’ve talked a lot about what it takes to get to Heaven…..accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life…..but here’s a question for you…..what does it take to go to hell? Some would say your bad deeds have to outweigh your good deeds. Some would say abusing a child or murder or some other sin. We find the answer in Verses 25 & 30….what does it take to go to hell? NOTHING. The servant given one talent did nothing with it and in Verse 30…we learn that he was cast into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth….aka hell.
Some people think the default eternal destination for everybody is Heaven….everybody ends up in Heaven one way or the other. That is biblically not true. Because of our inherited sinful nature, mankind’s default destination is hell…and we don’t have to do anything to earn a trip there.
Beginning in Verse 31, Jesus is commending and rewarding His servants for giving Him food, water, clothing, etc. The servants said, “Thanks….but when did we do this for you?” I love Jesus’ answer in Verse 40….Whatever you do to the least of these my brethren, you’ve done it to me.
Can I give you a personal example of this? There’s a man a few miles from where I live that owns his own business. He’s a hard worker, but he struggles really bad and is way too cheap on his pricing. Way too cheap. A few weeks ago, on a Friday, I was going to get my lunch when I passed by his place of business. I felt led to buy him lunch that day, so I just simply ordered 2 of what I was ordering, stopped back by his place on my way home, and left him his lunch.
The next day, Saturday, I was at Shiloh BBQ eating lunch. I was sitting at the table visiting with some folks when a friend I hadn’t seen in a while came in. He sat down at the table and visited till it was time for us both to leave. We got up to pay, and he told Sharon, the owner at Shiloh BBQ, give me Phillip’s ticket, I’m gonna take care of him.
Did you piece all that together friend? I bought a guy’s lunch on Friday…someone who many would consider one of the least of these….then on Saturday I had my lunch bought for me. It was a clear message from up above….Phillip, I saw what you did for the least of these my brethren….here’s your reward.
How do you treat the least of these? Do you do for them knowing you are not going to receive anything in return from them?
Starting in Matthew 26, we enter the last few hours of the life of Jesus….what many Bible Scholars call His Passion….the last 24 hours before His death on the cross.
Verse 20 is the account of The Last Supper Jesus had with His disciples….its where we get our ordinance of The Lord’s Supper today. The Lord’s Supper is not a ritual….it’s a time of remembrance….a time for us to remember what Jesus did for us when He gave His life on the cross for our sins. I plan to observe The Lord’s
Supper here at home this coming Friday and I’d like to encourage you to do the same at your home with your family. The directions are here in Verses 26-28.
Starting In Matthew 26:31, Jesus predicts that Peter will deny Him this night. Peter says no way Lord…but as we know, Peter ends up doing that very thing….denying The Lord not once, not twice, but three times before the night is over. I’m so thankful that Jesus didn’t do away with Peter after Peter denied Him.
Instead, Jesus restored Peter(John 21), and Peter went on to become the leader of the first church and preached a sermon on Pentecost when 3000 people go saved.
In the same way friends….when we sin….Jesus doesn’t throw us away. He’s looking to restore us like He did Peter so He can do great things with the rest of our lives. Somebody ought to shout AMEN right there!!!! AMEN!!!!!!
In Matthew 26:36, Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. I think this is simply amazing….Jesus could have gone to the Mt. of Olives to pray…He could have gone to the temple to pray…but no….He went to a Garden.
Have you ever put this together friend?
The Bible opens with a Garden….the Garden of Eden
The Bible closes with a Garden….in Revelation 22
And here Christ prays before His crucifixion in a Garden…..not on a mountain…not in the temple…but in a garden. Maybe that’s why my garden is such a special place for me.
While in the Garden, Jesus prays a very famous prayer….Father, not my will but yours be done. If anybody had a right to pray that prayer, it was Jesus. He knew what was about to happen….He knew the pain, the torture, the agony He was about to face….He was human enough that He asked His Father if there was any other way….but in the end, He yielded to The Father’s will for His life.
Do we pray this way? Father not my will but yours be done? I submit to you today that most of us pray….Lord here’s my will, my plans for my life…..would you please approve it? There’s a big difference in praying that way and praying like Jesus did.
As soon as Jesus got through praying, Judas showed up in the Garden with a cohort(600) of Roman soldiers to arrest Jesus. Judas agreed with them ahead of time, whomever I kiss, that’s Jesus…arrest Him.
Grab a hold of this friend…..Judas kissed the door of Heaven(Jesus), yet still went to hell. He got that close to Heaven, yet He still missed it.
I believe the same thing happens today as many people kiss the door of Heaven through church attendance and membership, but never ever actually get saved and follow Jesus as Savior. See it’s easy to talk church talk, do churchy things and have everybody fooled. But there’s no fooling Jesus.
It’s a shame for anybody to go to hell. I don’t want anybody to go there….but it’s especially a shame to go to hell from the pew of a church….you got this close….you kissed the door of Heaven….but still didn’t make it.
Once arrested, Jesus is taken for a sham trial where He is turned over to be scourged and then crucified. Those two words, scourged and crucified….I’m afraid we just read over those words today and don’t grasp their full meaning.
In closing today….I want to share with you the medical descriptions of both a scourging and crucifixion. If reading this doesn’t upset your stomach and bring you to tears….better check to see if your faith is real my friend.
First….a scourging…..
Jesus is stripped of His clothing and His hands are tied to a post above His head. The Roman legionnaire steps forward with the flagrum (or flagellum) in his hand. This is a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near the ends of each.
Jesus is stripped of His clothing and His hands are tied to a post above His head. The Roman legionnaire steps forward with the flagrum (or flagellum) in his hand. This is a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near the ends of each.
The heavy whip is brought down with full force again and again across Jesus shoulders, back and legs. At first the heavy thongs cut through the skin only. Then, as the blows continue, they are cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin, and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles. The small balls of lead first produce large, deep bruises which are broken open by subsequent blows. Finally the skin of the back is hanging in long ribbons and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass of torn bleeding tissue.
When it is determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner is near death, the beating is finally stopped.
When it is determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner is near death, the beating is finally stopped.
The half-fainting Jesus is then untied and allowed to slump to the stone pavement, wet with His own blood.
Now….a crucifixion…..
Simon is ordered to place the cross on the ground and Jesus is quickly thrown backward with His shoulders against the wood….again causing more pain from the scourging.
The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square, wrought-iron nail through Jesus’ wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly, he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flexibility and movement.
Simon is ordered to place the cross on the ground and Jesus is quickly thrown backward with His shoulders against the wood….again causing more pain from the scourging.
The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square, wrought-iron nail through Jesus’ wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly, he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flexibility and movement.
Jesus’ left foot is pressed backward against His right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees moderately flexed. Jesus is now crucified.
As He slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating, fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain. As Jesus pushes Himself upward to avoid this wrenching torment, He places His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again there is the searing agony tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of the feet.
At this point, another phenomenon occurs. As Jesus’ arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push Himself upward. Hanging by His arms, the pectoral muscles are paralyzed and the intercostal muscles are unable to act. Air can be drawn into the lungs, but cannot be exhaled. Jesus fights to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Spasmodically, He is able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen.
Jesus endures 6 hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting joint- rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony begins. A deep crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart.
It is now almost over – the loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level – Jesus’ compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissue – His tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to draw in small gulps of air. The markedly dehydrated tissues send their flood of stimuli to the brain.
The body of Jesus is now in extremis and He can feel the chill of death creeping through His tissues. With one last surge of strength, he once again presses His torn feet against the nail, straightens His legs, takes a deeper breath, and utters His seventh and last cry, Father into thy hands I commit my spirit. His mission of atonement has been completed. Finally He can allow his body to die.
Jesus went through this scourging and crucifixion for me and for you….so that we could miss hell….spend eternity with Him in Heaven….and have an abundant life living for Him while on Earth.
That, my friends, is what true love looks like.
Don’t let Jesus sacrifice and torture be in vain….accept His offer of salvation and forgiveness today.
And once you do….don’t hide the talent He’s given you to use for Him….don’t give some lame/petty excuse as to why you can’t…….
And once you do….don’t hide the talent He’s given you to use for Him….don’t give some lame/petty excuse as to why you can’t…….
You see if Jesus could die for us….the least we can do is live for Him.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 8 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Matthew 22-24
Chapter 22 opens with the parable of the wedding feast….remember a parable is an earthly story with a Heavenly meaning….this parable is pretty straightforward….There’s a wedding feast coming(The Marriage Supper of The Lamb—Revelation 19)…..we have all been invited….and just like the people in the Parable….many folks today “make light” of the invitation to the Marriage Supper of The Lamb and make excuses as to why they can’t/won’t attend.
Pay attention to verse 5 where it shows the excuses given for not attending were farms and merchandise. Farms represent our work…..how many people today are so busy working to earn a dollar that they “make light” of the invitation to The Marriage Supper of The Lamb? Merchandise represents our stuff….our hobbies…our collections….our homes….our possessions. How many people are so busy with their stuff that they “make light” of the invitation to The Marriage Supper of The Lamb?
I’ve preached and played for hundreds of funerals. Never ever seen someone able to take their money or stuff with them to Heaven. In fact….to be honest….more than likely your heirs are going to fuss and fight over your stuff and your money.
Oh….but I’ve seen many funerals where the deceased had a strong relationship with The Lord….they had accepted the invitation to The Marriage Supper of The Lamb….and they had passed on their faith to their heirs…..and the “funeral”…was more of a celebration than a sad occasion.
Hopefully, everyone reading this will realize that our work and our stuff are not more important than our personal relationship with The Lord Jesus Christ.
Chapter 22:9 reinforces that our job is to tell people about Marriage Supper of The Lamb and invite them to it.
I’m going to ask a very very pointed question here…..Who is the last person you have shared the Gospel with?
But Phillip….we are in quarantine….I’m not seeing my co-workers and my classmates like I used to….correct. But the majority of you are reading this on Facebook. Why are you not sharing the Gospel there? At least sharing a verse of scripture that is meaningful to you. Just because we are sheltering at home doesn’t mean our orders from headquarters to share the Gospel is on hold.
The Pharisees then tried to trick Jesus by asking Him a hard question about paying taxes. Jesus outsmarted the Pharisees by asking them for a penny. Then He asked whose picture was on the penny. When they said Caesar’s, He said….render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s. WOW!!! What an answer.
But that begs the question for us….what things of ours belong to God? ALL OF IT!!! Everything we have belongs to God and therefore should be available for Him to use as He pleases.
Let me give you some personal examples….
You might think my cows belong to me….no they are God’s. So when a local food pantry needed some meat, I donated a cow to them.
My home….many a Gospel Singer/Preacher has taken a shower and refreshed themselves under my roof. No telling how many thousands of dollars has been saved in hotel expenses by having my doors open to them. I’ve hosted Bible Studies at my home and even started a church in my living room.
My land….We have given away lots of fresh vegetables to widows and those in need. We have allowed church groups to have hay rides on our farm and play in the creek.
Do you follow me? Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s….to God the things that are God’s….and everything we have belongs to God. Is everything you have available for God to use as He sees fit?
In Chapter 22:30, we learn there will be no marriage in Heaven….now in the full context of scripture we need to realize that we will be known as we are known in Heaven. In other words….I will know my Dad as Owen Chambers and my mother as Nancy Chambers in Heaven….but they won’t be married in Heaven.
In Chapter 22:37, Jesus is asked what is the greatest commandment. His reply was to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is just like we read earlier about Seeking first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you. If we love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind…everything else will fall into place in our lives.
WARNING….I’M ABOUT TO GET ON A SOAPBOX! Chapter 23:4 is a huge pet peeve of mine. Jesus was chastising the scribes and Pharisees(Religious leaders of the day) for making the people do all the work of the ministry while they didn’t lift a finger. It so irks me when I see Pastors that won’t get their hands dirty with their people. Yes…there has to be a leader and someone doing organizing….but that doesn’t put us in an Ivory tower isolated from the work of the ministry. If the congregation doesn’t see the Pastor sharing the Gospel….doesn’t see the Pastor helping clean up….doesn’t see the Pastor working in the food bank….then it’s highly unlikely they will ever do it themselves. I never asked someone to do a task at church that I wasn’t willing to do myself.
Chapter 23 then moves into Jesus chastising hypocrites. What’s a hypocrite….Verse 28 tells us…someone that appears righteous to men on the outside, but on the inside is full of iniquity. Hypocrites are the single biggest obstacle to people coming to church and a relationship with Christ. But let me give you a little word here…..when someone tells you they don’t want to go to church because of all the hypocrites, tell them they better make sure they make arrangements to miss hell cause there’s gonna be a whole bunch of hypocrites there!!!
Speaking of hell….Chapter 23:33 lets us know that there’s no escaping hell on our own….our good works won’t get us out of there….our love for one another…..nothing we do will cause us to miss out on hell. It’s all based on the shed blood of Jesus Christ for our sins on the cross and our acceptance or rejection of His sacrifice for our sins.
Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior? Are you counting on Jesus to get you into Heaven? Or are you gonna try to slide in there on your own? It doesn’t work that way friends. The only way to miss hell and make Heaven is through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior of our lives.
Chapter 24 then moves into the signs of the times….this is where you need to be sitting down because if this doesn’t get your attention, I don’t know what will.
Jesus and the disciples were on the Mt. of Olives. The disciples asked Jesus, what will be the signs of your return and Jesus gave them to us.
Now before we unpack these signs….we need to differentiate between two biblical events that often get confused.
1. The rapture of the church…this is the great calling away…the shortening of our days of Tribulation(Chapter 24:22, 40, 41) This is where Jesus steps out on the clouds, the trump of God sounds, the dead in Christ rise first, then we which are alive and remain are caught up together to meet Jesus in the air(1 Thessalonians 4). The rapture of the church is the next event on God’s Prophetic Calendar.
2. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ….this is at the end of the seven year great tribulation, at the end of the battle of Armageddon…where Jesus will descend from Heaven on a white horse, we will be with Him, He will set foot on the Mt. of Olives, speak a Word, and the battle will be over.(Revelation 19)
All of these signs of the times in Matthew 24 are for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ….which biblically has to be at least 7 years away from now because according to The Bible, the 7 year Great Tribulation must take place first.
So as we unpack these signs of the times….keep this thought in mind…..if all these signs are pointing to something that’s at least 7 years away….just how close are we to the rapture of the church which takes place BEFORE the 7 year great tribulation?
Now take a deep breath and follow me through the signs…
Chapter 24:6….wars and rumors of wars….Think of all the countries in the world that we have been rumored to be at war with…
Russia
China
Iraq
Afghanistan
North Korea
How about the Trade Wars….the Turf Wars…The war on drugs….the war on poverty….the war against Covid-19 that we are in right now.
Chapter 24:7 says that famines are a sign of the times. I used to wonder how we would have a famine here in the USA….but look at the shelves in our stores….empty…the famine is happening right here, right now, before our very eyes.
Chapter 24:7 also uses the word pestilence….I used to think that meant pests like locusts, etc….but look up the definition of the word pestilence. It actually means disease or an epidemic. Hmmm….does that sound familiar right now? Plus….think of all the diseases we hear about now that we didn’t used to hear about when we were younger….Alzheimer’s, diabetes, cancer, etc.
Earthquakes in diverse places….go to www.USGS.gov. This is the website for the US Geological Survey. They have an earthquake tracker on there. In the last 30 days, there have been 2097 earthquakes worldwide 2.5 or greater. Look it up for yourself. 2097. That’s the most I’ve ever personally seen in a 30 day period…..which brings us to Verse 8…..
Chapter 24:8 says all these are the beginnings of sorrows….when we see that word sorrows in scripture, often it means birth pains. Ladies….how does labor take place? The contractions get closer together and they get stronger…..stronger and closer together….that’s exactly what’s happening here.
Stronger Earthquakes
Stronger Wars
Stronger Diseases
And they are getting closer and closer together. WOW!!! The Lord is definitely trying to get our attention.
Chapter 24:14 says the Gospel must be preached to all nations before The Lord’s return….many people believe this was fulfilled just after September 11th, 2001 when Billy Graham preached at the National Memorial Service and it was broadcast all over the world. I know that Saddleback Church in California where Rick Warren is Pastor….they have sent Mission Teams to every nation on Earth in the last 10 years…thus fulfilling this prophecy. And I’ll submit to you right now that we are fulfilling this very prophecy with churches going online and streaming their service because they can’t meet. People who would never walk in the door of your church are watching your services online.
Chapter 24:15 speaks of the Abomination of desolation. If you are not familiar with this, Daniel 9 and the Revelation gives the explanation. This is where anti-christ sits on throne in the temple in Jerusalem during the Great Tribulation….broadcasts his image all over the world…whoever doesn’t bow down and worship him or take his mark, 666, will be martyred.
Let me tell you something that has happened within the last 2 years in regards to the abomination of desolation that will blow you away….I’ve not heard another preacher say anything about this.
Couple of facts you need to know….
Jerusalem has always been religious capital of Israel while Tel Aviv is the political capital.
Remember a couple years ago when President Trump moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv? I doubt he had any idea what he was doing, but President Trump greased the skids for the Abomination of Desolation.
You see, according to the book of Revelation, the Anti-Christ will be a political/economic leader….but that’s not enough for him….he also wants to become the religious leader of the whole world….a god that people worship.
Well by recognizing Jerusalem as the political capital of Israel and moving our embassy there….as other nations follow suit….the political capital and religious capital will now be in the exact same town….making it super easy for the political leader to also become the religious leader as anti-christ fulfills the abomination of desolation.
Chapter 24:21 mentions the 7 year Great Tribulation. If you want to know what The Great Tribulation is going to be like, read Revelation 6-18. It’s going to be unimaginably horrible.
But thankfully, according to Matthew Chapter 24:22, 40, and 41(and Revelation 6-18), if we are a follower of Jesus Christ, we won’t be left behind to experience it. We will be with Jesus in Heaven experiencing The Marriage Supper of The Lamb!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!
Chapter 24:35 says that Heaven and Earth shall pass away….Did you realize that current Heaven and current Earth are going to pass away?
Here’s another misconception of The Bible….specifically Heaven….The streets of gold, the gates of pearl, and our mansions don’t come till Revelation 21….The New Jerusalem. Remember Jesus has gone to prepare this place for us(John 14). Our loved ones that have already passed are right now technically in Abraham’s bosom, what Jesus called Paradise, in presence of The Lord Himself.
Likewise….left wingers say the earth is going to be destroyed in 12, 25, or 50 years if we don’t do something like the green new deal. That is simply not biblically correct…while we do need to be conservationists….and while it is true the earth will be destroyed one day….biblically, it’s not going to happen until at least 1007 years from now after the 7 year Great Tribulation(Revelation 6-18) and the 1000 year millennial reign of Christ(Revelation 20).
So that begs the obvious questions….when is the rapture going to take place and when is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ going to take place? The Bible tells us plainly here in Matthew 24 that nobody knows except for God the Father in Heaven….not even Jesus Christ Himself. So if you see a date….if you see someone trying to predict it…..forget about it….nobody knows.
The key my friend is Matthew Chapter 24:44…..Be ready for the rapture and Second Coming.
Are you?
The only way to get ready is to have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your lives.
We do that by…
A—Admitting we are sinners….Romans 3:23
B—Believing on Jesus Christ alone for Salvation—John 3:16
C—Confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives—Romans 10:9
If you are not ready….I’m begging you…get ready right now. I’m not looking for any more signs….I’m listening for the trumpet!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 7 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Matthew 19-21
Midway through Chapter 19, we meet a rich man that wants to know what it takes to inherit eternal life. Through their conversation, Jesus tells the rich man to keep the commandments and that he must sell all he has and give it to the poor. It made the rich man very sad and we have no record of him ever becoming a follower of Jesus.
Now this passage is a CLASSIC example of a scripture that many many people take out of context. Some will isolate Verse 21 and say that if you don’t sell all you have, you can’t be saved and go to Heaven when you die. Some will isolate Verse 17 and say you must keep all the 10 commandments to be saved and go to Heaven when you die.
No….
No….
No…
No….
A friend named Bob Maynard gave me some great advice one time….he said the best way to interpret scripture is with scripture. In other words….know the whole context before you start isolating individual verses.
Based on the entirety of scripture….here’s what Jesus was saying to the rich man…..in order to get into Heaven, you must love me and want me more than you want anything else in this world….including what’s most important to you…..your money.
Let that thought sink in just a minute…..sure its easy to say you love Jesus….but pull off the mask, peel back the onion, and get really transparent….
Do you love Jesus more than you love…..your children?
Do you love Jesus more than you love…your spouse?
Do you love Jesus more than you love…your favorite hobby/pastime?
Do you want Jesus more than you want…to be happy?
Let me tell you when this passage became real to me….the first time I went to El Salvador on a Mission Trip….March 2006. I had never been outside the USA before….I was trying to envision what I was going to see….I imagined primitive/weak people and we Americans being the heroes coming in to save the day.
WRONG
The Christians I met in El Salvador are some of the STRONGEST Christians I’ve ever met in my life…including those of you reading this devo here in the USA.
What made these people in El Salvador so strong in their walk with Jesus?
The fact they didn’t have anything but Jesus!!!
You take the most junked up car on the road in Clarksville….that’s what everybody drives down there.
You take the most run down house in Montgomery County…that’s what everybody lives in.
They don’t have nice houses and fancy cars to distract them from their walk with God….therefore, they are much stronger in their faith than anybody I know here in the Good Ole USA.
I went on that mission trip to be a blessing to others…..
What happened instead was that I found out all the STUFF/CRAP I have is little more than a distraction from what should be most important in my life….my personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
I challenge you to examine your own life and see if you really do love Jesus and want Jesus more than you love or want anything else in this world….including your stuff….your crap….your house….your family. If we are truly honest with ourselves, I believe our answers will surprise us.
Chapter 19:26 is a great reminder that with God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. Did you hear the news today? The Coronavirus curve is flattening. Coincidence? Sure there will be some that say its social distancing and closing down the economy. We did that in the middle of March and it didn’t slow it down one bit. But now….dozens, if not hundreds of people are praying and fasting for the coronavirus to slow down….and guess what….IT IS!!!!! With God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.
Chapter 20 opens with a parable of the workers paid equally….In a nutshell….a farmer hired laborers at 6AM, 9AM, Noon, 3PM, and 5PM to work for him. Each group he hired, he agreed to pay a penny. So the guys that worked 12 hours….got paid a penny. The guys that worked 1 hour…got paid a penny…all got paid the same.
Once everybody got paid, the 6AM guys got hacked off….they worked all day long in the heat of the day and got paid the same as the fellas that only worked from 5PM-6PM.
The farmer answered their complaints very properly…..guys, I paid you what we agreed to. I kept my word to you…what more do you want?
The parallel is obvious…..people that get saved toward the end of their lives are just as saved as the people that get saved toward the beginning of their lives as I did. Both of us will enjoy our mansion in Heaven.
But this passage really came to life with me several years ago when a great man of God in this area taught me a valuable life lesson. The late Rev. Jimmy Terry was the Pastor of the Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church on Boot Hill in Clarksville. He was a very well-known pastor locally….whom many considered a Pastor to the whole community. Pastor Terry had preached for years and years on the radio in Clarksville when out of the blue, his contract wasn’t renewed by the radio station. They were moving in a different direction with their format and all preachers were taken off.
The Christian community was in an uproar….people were filing petitions to get Pastor Terry reinstated on the radio station. Church people were fussing, ranting, and raving as only they can do!!! I ran into Pastor Terry during this time and asked if he felt offended, hurt, or betrayed for not having his contract renewed after all the years he had been on the radio station.
Pastor Terry looked me square in the eyes and said, “No son….I’m not offended, hurt, or betrayed at all. Just like the parable in the Bible of the workers that were all paid a penny…the radio station owner honored his contract with me. He did not cancel or void it. He kept his word to me. I kept my word to him. I will be fine.”
When the vast majority of people were in a uproar…
And it would have been so easy to have taken their side against the radio station owner…..
Pastor Terry stood on the truth of God’s Word and realized that the radio station owner was not being ugly, disrespectful, or unfair….
The radio station owner kept his word…he fulfilled the contract….Pastor Terry took the high road….and in the process, he taught this impatient, sometimes hot-headed country boy(me) a valuable life lesson.
In Chapter 20 Verses 17-19, Jesus accurately predicts and prophecies His upcoming death and resurrection. NEWSFLASH…..Jesus knows the future and has given us many prophecies and predictions of it in His Word. Just like the disciples didn’t understand this prophecy and prediction in Matthew 20:17-19, many of us don’t understand the prophecies and predictions of our future in God’s Word.
However, TOMORROW….I’m gonna unpack several of those predictions and prophecies when we study Matthew 24….you’ll need to be sitting down when you read tomorrow’s lesson…..let me just put it to you this way….the signs of the times are so clear right now that I’m not looking for any more signs….I’m way past that….I’m simply listening for the trumpet to sound that’s how close we are.
Chapter 20:27-28 tells us who is greatest in God’s eyes….Before Coronavirus, we would say the greatest people in the world were the Superstar athletes, rich business people, and the like. Hopefully now, we are seeing the truth of God’s Word that whoever is greatest among us will be our servant….just like Jesus…although He was a King…He didn’t come to Earth to be served by us….He came to Earth for us to be served by Him. What a challenging example for us to follow.
I love Chapter 20:31….these blind boys were crying to Jesus for mercy and praise by calling Him the Messiah(Son of David). The crowd rebuked them for hollering….but instead of getting quiet….The Bible says they cried out even louder the exact same thing…..mercy and praise.
Fast forward almost 2000 years to today.
We say something public about Jesus….and somebody tells us to be quiet.(Its happened to me).
We put something on Facebook and get a negative comment from somebody(Its happened to me).
What do we do next?
Most of us shut up. Most of us get quiet. “Well….I don’t want to offend anybody….I don’t want to get in trouble….”
Is that what The Bible says to do?
Nope….the Bible says that when we get rebuked….to crank up the volume and praise The Lord even more. That’s what I’m hoping I can do from now on.
Jesus then heals these blind boys. Did He do so because they yelled louder? The Bible doesn’t say that.
Did He do so because they deserved to be healed? The Bible doesn’t say that either.
Did Jesus heal them because they had great faith? Although their faith could be implied, the scriptures don’t come right out and talk about these boys faith like it does the other healings earlier in Matthew.
So why did Jesus heal them? Verse 34….He had compassion on them. Compassion. Compassion. Compassion. Compassion. Compassion. Compassion. Compassion. Compassion. Compassion.
Something that is missing today in many churches where the Pastor and/or Deacons act like CEO’s and the Board of Directors for a multi-million dollar business. Compassion
Something that is missing today in the single most selfish society that has ever lived….compassion.
Jesus had compassion on people that couldn’t help themselves.
And if He has compassion on people….then we should be having compassion on others as well.
The church is not a business. The goal is not to make enough money to pay the bills.
The objective of the church is to worship Jesus and make Him known to a world that doesn’t know Him.
And how do we do that? We have compassion on people.
Chapter 21:1…Jesus sends two disciples to do a job. Have you ever noticed that the disciples were always sent out in pairs? Have you noticed that in most listings of the disciples, they are listed two by two in pairs? It’s because Jesus knew that we can’t make it in this world alone. We were not designed to go through life alone. We all need a person that will be our partner to accomplish what The Lord has assigned us to do. Who’s your partner?
Jesus then makes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday that we just celebrated this past Sunday.
Upon entering Jerusalem, Jesus goes to the temple…and what He sees appalls Him. Again….more business being conducted and very little prayer or ministry taking place. Jesus got so angry with this that He overturned the tables, cast the money changers out of the temple, and reminded Him that His house was to be a house of prayer, not a den of thieves.
Two VERY IMPORTANT POINTS HERE…..
1. Jesus got angry. For someone like myself that battles his temper all the time….this is good to know. It’s a relief to know that Jesus had feelings of anger also. The key is that we handle our anger appropriately like Jesus did.
2. Wonder what Jesus would do if He came into many of our churches today? Would He be pleased or displeased with your church? Would He say that prayer was the greater work being done and not something that was pushed aside? Would He be upset that your church was being run more like a business instead of a ministry of compassion?
Speaking of prayer, Jesus reminds us of the power of prayer in Chapter 21:21-22 that if we will have faith when we pray and not doubt, that whatsoever we ask in prayer, believing, we shall receive.
This shows us that the biggest problem with our prayers not being answered is us….our lack of faith or our lack of even praying at all.
It’s my prayer that these readings and studies have been both an encouragement and a challenge to your faith and prayer life. It certainly has mine.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Matthew 19-21
Midway through Chapter 19, we meet a rich man that wants to know what it takes to inherit eternal life. Through their conversation, Jesus tells the rich man to keep the commandments and that he must sell all he has and give it to the poor. It made the rich man very sad and we have no record of him ever becoming a follower of Jesus.
Now this passage is a CLASSIC example of a scripture that many many people take out of context. Some will isolate Verse 21 and say that if you don’t sell all you have, you can’t be saved and go to Heaven when you die. Some will isolate Verse 17 and say you must keep all the 10 commandments to be saved and go to Heaven when you die.
No….
No….
No…
No….
A friend named Bob Maynard gave me some great advice one time….he said the best way to interpret scripture is with scripture. In other words….know the whole context before you start isolating individual verses.
Based on the entirety of scripture….here’s what Jesus was saying to the rich man…..in order to get into Heaven, you must love me and want me more than you want anything else in this world….including what’s most important to you…..your money.
Let that thought sink in just a minute…..sure its easy to say you love Jesus….but pull off the mask, peel back the onion, and get really transparent….
Do you love Jesus more than you love…..your children?
Do you love Jesus more than you love…your spouse?
Do you love Jesus more than you love…your favorite hobby/pastime?
Do you want Jesus more than you want…to be happy?
Let me tell you when this passage became real to me….the first time I went to El Salvador on a Mission Trip….March 2006. I had never been outside the USA before….I was trying to envision what I was going to see….I imagined primitive/weak people and we Americans being the heroes coming in to save the day.
WRONG
The Christians I met in El Salvador are some of the STRONGEST Christians I’ve ever met in my life…including those of you reading this devo here in the USA.
What made these people in El Salvador so strong in their walk with Jesus?
The fact they didn’t have anything but Jesus!!!
You take the most junked up car on the road in Clarksville….that’s what everybody drives down there.
You take the most run down house in Montgomery County…that’s what everybody lives in.
They don’t have nice houses and fancy cars to distract them from their walk with God….therefore, they are much stronger in their faith than anybody I know here in the Good Ole USA.
I went on that mission trip to be a blessing to others…..
What happened instead was that I found out all the STUFF/CRAP I have is little more than a distraction from what should be most important in my life….my personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
I challenge you to examine your own life and see if you really do love Jesus and want Jesus more than you love or want anything else in this world….including your stuff….your crap….your house….your family. If we are truly honest with ourselves, I believe our answers will surprise us.
Chapter 19:26 is a great reminder that with God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. Did you hear the news today? The Coronavirus curve is flattening. Coincidence? Sure there will be some that say its social distancing and closing down the economy. We did that in the middle of March and it didn’t slow it down one bit. But now….dozens, if not hundreds of people are praying and fasting for the coronavirus to slow down….and guess what….IT IS!!!!! With God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.
Chapter 20 opens with a parable of the workers paid equally….In a nutshell….a farmer hired laborers at 6AM, 9AM, Noon, 3PM, and 5PM to work for him. Each group he hired, he agreed to pay a penny. So the guys that worked 12 hours….got paid a penny. The guys that worked 1 hour…got paid a penny…all got paid the same.
Once everybody got paid, the 6AM guys got hacked off….they worked all day long in the heat of the day and got paid the same as the fellas that only worked from 5PM-6PM.
The farmer answered their complaints very properly…..guys, I paid you what we agreed to. I kept my word to you…what more do you want?
The parallel is obvious…..people that get saved toward the end of their lives are just as saved as the people that get saved toward the beginning of their lives as I did. Both of us will enjoy our mansion in Heaven.
But this passage really came to life with me several years ago when a great man of God in this area taught me a valuable life lesson. The late Rev. Jimmy Terry was the Pastor of the Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church on Boot Hill in Clarksville. He was a very well-known pastor locally….whom many considered a Pastor to the whole community. Pastor Terry had preached for years and years on the radio in Clarksville when out of the blue, his contract wasn’t renewed by the radio station. They were moving in a different direction with their format and all preachers were taken off.
The Christian community was in an uproar….people were filing petitions to get Pastor Terry reinstated on the radio station. Church people were fussing, ranting, and raving as only they can do!!! I ran into Pastor Terry during this time and asked if he felt offended, hurt, or betrayed for not having his contract renewed after all the years he had been on the radio station.
Pastor Terry looked me square in the eyes and said, “No son….I’m not offended, hurt, or betrayed at all. Just like the parable in the Bible of the workers that were all paid a penny…the radio station owner honored his contract with me. He did not cancel or void it. He kept his word to me. I kept my word to him. I will be fine.”
When the vast majority of people were in a uproar…
And it would have been so easy to have taken their side against the radio station owner…..
Pastor Terry stood on the truth of God’s Word and realized that the radio station owner was not being ugly, disrespectful, or unfair….
The radio station owner kept his word…he fulfilled the contract….Pastor Terry took the high road….and in the process, he taught this impatient, sometimes hot-headed country boy(me) a valuable life lesson.
In Chapter 20 Verses 17-19, Jesus accurately predicts and prophecies His upcoming death and resurrection. NEWSFLASH…..Jesus knows the future and has given us many prophecies and predictions of it in His Word. Just like the disciples didn’t understand this prophecy and prediction in Matthew 20:17-19, many of us don’t understand the prophecies and predictions of our future in God’s Word.
However, TOMORROW….I’m gonna unpack several of those predictions and prophecies when we study Matthew 24….you’ll need to be sitting down when you read tomorrow’s lesson…..let me just put it to you this way….the signs of the times are so clear right now that I’m not looking for any more signs….I’m way past that….I’m simply listening for the trumpet to sound that’s how close we are.
Chapter 20:27-28 tells us who is greatest in God’s eyes….Before Coronavirus, we would say the greatest people in the world were the Superstar athletes, rich business people, and the like. Hopefully now, we are seeing the truth of God’s Word that whoever is greatest among us will be our servant….just like Jesus…although He was a King…He didn’t come to Earth to be served by us….He came to Earth for us to be served by Him. What a challenging example for us to follow.
I love Chapter 20:31….these blind boys were crying to Jesus for mercy and praise by calling Him the Messiah(Son of David). The crowd rebuked them for hollering….but instead of getting quiet….The Bible says they cried out even louder the exact same thing…..mercy and praise.
Fast forward almost 2000 years to today.
We say something public about Jesus….and somebody tells us to be quiet.(Its happened to me).
We put something on Facebook and get a negative comment from somebody(Its happened to me).
What do we do next?
Most of us shut up. Most of us get quiet. “Well….I don’t want to offend anybody….I don’t want to get in trouble….”
Is that what The Bible says to do?
Nope….the Bible says that when we get rebuked….to crank up the volume and praise The Lord even more. That’s what I’m hoping I can do from now on.
Jesus then heals these blind boys. Did He do so because they yelled louder? The Bible doesn’t say that.
Did He do so because they deserved to be healed? The Bible doesn’t say that either.
Did Jesus heal them because they had great faith? Although their faith could be implied, the scriptures don’t come right out and talk about these boys faith like it does the other healings earlier in Matthew.
So why did Jesus heal them? Verse 34….He had compassion on them. Compassion. Compassion. Compassion. Compassion. Compassion. Compassion. Compassion. Compassion. Compassion.
Something that is missing today in many churches where the Pastor and/or Deacons act like CEO’s and the Board of Directors for a multi-million dollar business. Compassion
Something that is missing today in the single most selfish society that has ever lived….compassion.
Jesus had compassion on people that couldn’t help themselves.
And if He has compassion on people….then we should be having compassion on others as well.
The church is not a business. The goal is not to make enough money to pay the bills.
The objective of the church is to worship Jesus and make Him known to a world that doesn’t know Him.
And how do we do that? We have compassion on people.
Chapter 21:1…Jesus sends two disciples to do a job. Have you ever noticed that the disciples were always sent out in pairs? Have you noticed that in most listings of the disciples, they are listed two by two in pairs? It’s because Jesus knew that we can’t make it in this world alone. We were not designed to go through life alone. We all need a person that will be our partner to accomplish what The Lord has assigned us to do. Who’s your partner?
Jesus then makes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday that we just celebrated this past Sunday.
Upon entering Jerusalem, Jesus goes to the temple…and what He sees appalls Him. Again….more business being conducted and very little prayer or ministry taking place. Jesus got so angry with this that He overturned the tables, cast the money changers out of the temple, and reminded Him that His house was to be a house of prayer, not a den of thieves.
Two VERY IMPORTANT POINTS HERE…..
1. Jesus got angry. For someone like myself that battles his temper all the time….this is good to know. It’s a relief to know that Jesus had feelings of anger also. The key is that we handle our anger appropriately like Jesus did.
2. Wonder what Jesus would do if He came into many of our churches today? Would He be pleased or displeased with your church? Would He say that prayer was the greater work being done and not something that was pushed aside? Would He be upset that your church was being run more like a business instead of a ministry of compassion?
Speaking of prayer, Jesus reminds us of the power of prayer in Chapter 21:21-22 that if we will have faith when we pray and not doubt, that whatsoever we ask in prayer, believing, we shall receive.
This shows us that the biggest problem with our prayers not being answered is us….our lack of faith or our lack of even praying at all.
It’s my prayer that these readings and studies have been both an encouragement and a challenge to your faith and prayer life. It certainly has mine.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 6 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Matthew 16-18
WARNING: Some of you are gonna get so hacked off at me, you will want to quit reading. Don’t….for your own sake don’t….thats The Holy Spirit of God trying to tell you something….and for crying out loud….do everybody a favor and listen!!!
Chapter 16 opens with Jesus warning the disciples against listening to wrong teaching. Oh my goodness gracious this is a huge problem still today….wrong teaching.
I love what King Solomon said about wrong teaching….not once but twice in the book of Proverbs…There is a way that SEEMS RIGHT unto man, but the end thereof is destruction and death.
There’s lots of wrong teaching out there that seems right on the surface….but the end of that wrong teaching will destroy us if we follow it.
So how do you know what’s right and what’s wrong? I want to share some of the best advice I’ve ever heard about wrong teaching and it came from a humble man in Tennessee Ridge, TN….Louis Schmidt. He was asked at his church to teach a class on what other religions/cults believe. He very quickly gave them an answer….WHY WOULD I WANT TO TEACH 1000 ERRORS, WHEN I COULD JUST TEACH ONE TRUTH!!!
Simple yet profound….its not near as important for us to understand what all the other religions and cults believe as it is important for us to know the absolute truth of what The Bible says and that we unshakably believe that!!! Amen!!
Beginning in 17:13, Jesus asks the disciples who other people say that He is, then He dials it in a little tighter and asks them point blank who they think He is. Peter….the unofficial spokesperson for the 12 disciples….speaks up and makes a profession of faith by declaring Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.
Jesus compliments Peter for this profession of faith, and in His compliment speaks 2 very important and relevant truths for this very day and time in which we live.
Jesus compliments Peter for this profession of faith, and in His compliment speaks 2 very important and relevant truths for this very day and time in which we live.
First, Jesus says, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build MY church…..” Hold it right there.
Who does the church belong to? Jesus. It doesn’t belong to me, it doesn’t belong to you. It’s the Lord’s church….that means we follow His will…not ours…His preferences….not ours….His direction….not ours…
Who does the church belong to? Jesus. It doesn’t belong to me, it doesn’t belong to you. It’s the Lord’s church….that means we follow His will…not ours…His preferences….not ours….His direction….not ours…
I’m gonna get downright dirty here…but I’m not Pastoring now and I can say this without fear of any repercussions. The thirst for power is a basic human desire in many many people….and when they get a little bit of “power” at a church….especially if they don’t have any “power” at home or at work….dear goodness alive it goes to their heads and the next thing you know, they are ordering people and things around a church like they are the High and Mighty King or Queen. It’s not just men…not just women…I’ve seen MANY of both where power goes to their heads. They are hell bent on getting their way and they don’t care who they hack off in the process.
THIS IS JUST FLAT WRONG!!!!!!
I don’t care who you are….I don’t care what you have done…I don’t care how much money you have…it’s not your church….it’s not my church….it’s THE LORD’S CHURCH….It’s His way…not our way….and its time for you to stop bossing folks around at church trying to get your way.
There’s a church close to where I live that has made men deacons because of how much money they give to the church.
There are churches close to me that let certain women “rule the roost” just because they don’t want a fight with them.
There’s a church close to where I live that has made men deacons because of how much money they give to the church.
There are churches close to me that let certain women “rule the roost” just because they don’t want a fight with them.
If you are reading this and getting hacked off right now….it’s probably you….you are more than likely the problem at your church….you are the one that’s more concerned with getting your way and the “power” of your office has gone to your head.
In Jesus name….I’m asking you to stop it RIGHT NOW and repent….no more is it to be your way….from this moment forward it’s the Lord’s way or no way at all….period.
Now I know what you are thinking….how do I know what The Lord’s way is? READ YOUR BIBLE!!! You’ll figure The Lord’s way right there in plain English.
I know what some others of you are thinking right now…..Man Phillip….you are plumb mean this morning.
I know what some others of you are thinking right now…..Man Phillip….you are plumb mean this morning.
No….if I was mean, I’d offer people to Message me or Text me privately and I’d share the names of the people I know who are/were power hungry….I’d tell you which churches make men deacons for their money and let power hungry women rule the roost so they don’t have a fight on their hands. That would be mean.
I’m not doing that friend….I’m just sharing with you what The Bible says in plain English….the church doesn’t belong to any of us….It’s The Lords Church….so that means it’s His way, not our way. Got it? Good!!
I’m not doing that friend….I’m just sharing with you what The Bible says in plain English….the church doesn’t belong to any of us….It’s The Lords Church….so that means it’s His way, not our way. Got it? Good!!
The second big truth that comes out of 16:18 is that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. In other words….many things have happened over the years to try and destroy The Lord’s church….including in our current day and time….coronavirus and government mandates not to meet.
But has that stopped The Lord’s church??? PRAISE THE LORD NOT AT ALL!!!!! More churches than ever are meeting online now….more people are seeing and hearing the Gospel than ever. What Satan meant for evil to try and “shut the church down”…has made folks appreciate the church, not take it for granted anymore, and its launched many new frontiers for sharing the Gospel. That my friend is how God works!!!!
In 16:22-23…just a few verses after his profession of Faith, Jesus has to rebuke Peter for trying to get Jesus to forsake The Father’s will for His life.
LISTEN TO THIS….VERY IMPORTANT POINT….Satan is capable of using Christians to be stumbling blocks to other Christians. Read that again very slowly and let it sink in….Satan is capable of using Christians to be stumbling blocks to other Christians.
Think about it….has Satan ever used you as a stumbling block to someone else? Unfortunately I can answer that question Yes.
Has Satan ever used another Christian….more than likely someone very close to you…a parent…a spouse….a sibling…a best friend…Has Satan ever used them to be a stumbling block to you? I can answer yes to this one also.
The key my friends is to not to allow Satan to use us as a stumbling block to others. That feeling when you realize Satan has duped you and it’s negatively affected someone else….that’s a terrible feeling and I never ever want to feel that way again. And trust me….you don’t want it either.
Chapter 16:26 is a warning to all of us that have fallen into the trap of chasing the Almighty Dollar….notice I said us….not pointing fingers here….I’ve fallen for this before. Jesus says, what good is it for a man to gain the whole riches of the world if he loses his soul. I told the Bible Study I led this weekend that it’s a shame our whole nation is more concerned about people dying with Coronavirus than people dying without Jesus. Don’t get me wrong…Coronavirus is bad news…..but dying without Jesus and losing one’s soul is even worse.
In Chapter 17, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a mountain and He is transfigured before them. In other words, He goes from human form, to Holy/Heavenly form. While transfigured, Jesus talks with Moses and Elijah….most likely about what Jesus was about to face on His way to the cross…and God the Father speaks from Heaven declaring that This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him.
Jesus, Peter, James, and John come down from the Mount of Transfiguration and there’s a big hullabaloo going on. The remaining disciples are going round and round with a man whose son was possessed by a demon. The man brought his son to the disciples for them to cast out the demon, but they couldn’t do it. Jesus rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith….then He rebuked the demon and the demon came out of the boy.
This puzzled the other 9 disciples….because remember just a few chapters earlier, Jesus had given them power to cast out demons….but they couldn’t cast out this one. So they pull Jesus away privately and ask Him why they couldn’t cast Him out.
I want you to grab your own copy of God’s Word and read Jesus’ answer to the remaining disciples in Chapter 17, Verse 21.
Go ahead…get your Bible out and Read Matthew Chapter 17, Verse 21 for yourself.
Go ahead.
Say what??? Your Bible doesn’t have Matthew Chapter 17, Verse 21 in it?
Hmmmm…..that is correct. Several “modern” translations of The Bible leave this verse out.
I used to read one of those “modern” versions growing up….when a buddy of mine took me aside one day and asked me why I was reading an incomplete Bible. I said do what? He said Yeah….your version of The Bible leaves out several verses and He gave me a sheet with a list of verses. I opened my translation, searched every one of them out….and he was right. All these different verses were left out and I had no idea.
At that very moment, I set that incomplete translation of The Bible down, and picked up one that doesn’t leave anything out and I’ve not changed since.
Now….for those of you that don’t know, In Matthew Chapter 17:21 Jesus answers the disciples who had just asked Him, “Why couldn’t we cast out this demon?”…..Jesus answers and says, “This kind of demon only comes out by prayer AND fasting.” In other words, there are some prayers that Jesus will answer ONLY if we both pray and fast for it.
Now….for those of you that don’t know, In Matthew Chapter 17:21 Jesus answers the disciples who had just asked Him, “Why couldn’t we cast out this demon?”…..Jesus answers and says, “This kind of demon only comes out by prayer AND fasting.” In other words, there are some prayers that Jesus will answer ONLY if we both pray and fast for it.
I’ve been dying to tell you what happened to me Saturday. You know we are doing a fast right now for our Share list(those we want to see saved) and our care list(those that are struggling due to the physical and economic effects of Coronavirus).
On day 4 of this fast, my brother gave me some news. In 2017-2018, we owned and operated The Strawberry Patch in Erin. We shut it down in June of 2018 and since then, our portable building we used at The Strawberry Patch has been for sale. This past Saturday, April 4th, 2020….22 months after we shut The Strawberry Patch down…..Day 4 of my Coronavirus fast….my brother says to me…”Hey, I’ve sold the Strawberry Patch building….here’s your half of it…$1500.” I liked to wet my britches.
Do you think it’s a coincidence that The Strawberry Patch building sold on Day 4 of this very fast right here? Nope….not a coincidence at all….There are some prayers that are only answered when we pray and fast.
Let me cut to the chase friends….what blessings have we missed out on simply because we refused to pray AND fast for the answer?
In Chapter 18, Jesus tells us that in order to become of follower of Him, we must humble ourselves like a little child. He then admonishes us to receive children into the Kingdom and not be a stumbling block to them.
This is a question I was asked many many times as a Pastor….Phillip, how do I know if my child knows enough to be saved.
The answer is fairly simple….I was taught this by Dr. Dennis Jones….and I lived it with both my children….
In order to be saved, a child first must know what sin is and that they are a sinner. If I’m talking with a child, I’ll ask them if they can tell me what sin is. If they can give the right answer(doing something wrong….saying something bad…etc), then I’ll ask them if they have ever sinned….and if they say yes, I’ll ask them to give me an example of their sin.
Many children, my own included, got stuck on this part. Caroline could answer what sin is, but she didn’t think she was a sinner. Well if a child doesn’t think they are a sinner, then they don’t realize they need to be saved.
Many children don’t know what it means to do wrong yet….and for those children and others….the worst thing we could do is push them into making a “false” salvation. Its best to keep reading God’s Word to them….keep taking them to Sunday School and Wednesday nights….keep putting them in that blessable position where The Holy Spirit can work on their tender little hearts.
Once I establish what sin is with the child, I ask this question….who is the only one that can save and forgive you of your sin. The majority of children, if they make it this far, will give the correct answer…Jesus. But I have had children say they don’t know, and I even had two children that said “You Brother Phillip.” No I can’t save anybody….only Jesus can save.
So if a child understands what sin is…
If they understand they are a sinner…
And that Jesus Christ is the only One that can forgive their sins and save them….
Then they know enough to be saved and we DO NOT need to stand in their way.
Children are so very important to The Lord….in fact, He gives us some insight as to how important in Chapter 18:10….in this verse we learn there is such a thing as guardian angels watching over our children. Each child has guardian angels assigned to them by The Father in Heaven. WOW!!!
Chapter 18:15 gives us insight on conflict resolution….when you have a problem with someone, don’t try to blow things up….first go to them 1 on 1….if that doesn’t work….go back and take somebody with you….and if that doesn’t work….take it before the whole church.
Our society today is anemic on conflict resolution. I’ll never forget hearing Raeann Nicholson….Guidance Counselor for Montgomery Central Middle….I’ll never forget her saying this one time at a seminar about bullying. “Most cases of ‘bullying’ are not bullying. It’s simply two kids with a disagreement that need to learn conflict resolution instead of crying bullying.” Was she ever right. We are doing our children a huge disservice when we don’t teach them how to resolve conflicts with others.
In 18:20, we learn something we’ve been living the last 3 weeks….where two or three are gathered together in The Lord’s name, His Holy Spirit is there dwelling with us. We haven’t been able to go to church the past 3 weeks….but that hasn’t stopped many of us from meeting with our families in our homes or on the computer with Zoom and Facebook….and you know what…I’ve sensed the Holy Spirit with us in each of those services also. The Holy Spirit is not bound to the 4 walls of a church….He meets with us wherever 2 or 3 of us gather together to worship Him…..Thank you Jesus!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list (those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 5 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Matthew 13-15
IF YOU ARE BROKEN-HEARTED, PLEASE PLEASE READ.
Chapter 13 begins with the parable of the sower….a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. This parable is one of the very few parables that Jesus explains for us later on.
In a nutshell…the same farmer sowed the same seed and got different results. The obvious question is why. Jesus explains the answer…the condition of the soil.
In the exact same way, the reason the Gospel of Jesus Christ impacts some people differently than others is the condition of their hearts. It’s the same sower(God)….the same seed(Gospel of Jesus Christ)…yet some people have stone cold hearts and are not impacted….some get all excited like a big hot flash in the pan but fall away when the first hard time comes….some lose focus on Jesus because they focus on things that don’t amount to a hill of beans….the cares of the world and deceitfulness of riches…and some seed bares fruit.
Now if we will be honest with each other….when reading the explanation of the parable…we probably thought of other people as Jesus was describing them…..
Oh yeah….old so and so had a stone cold heart….
So and so….man alive they were on fire and in church every time the door opened…but after that situation they got into, never did see them again.
So and so…they were faithful till travel ball season started
So and so…they were faithful till they took that new job…
Now can I be honest with you???? What we think of other people and the condition of their heart does not matter one bit…..what we need to be asking ourselves is this questions….WHAT’S THE CONDITON OF MY HEART?
And again….if we will be brutally honest with each other….there’s been times where we are all 4 conditions…some things we are stone cold on….some we get excited about and then fall away….sometimes I get off focus from Kingdom work and focused instead on my farm or chasing a dollar, then thankfully there’s other times I bear fruit for The Lord.
Don’t worry about my heart….I’m not gonna worry about your heart….but we all best be answering the question….what kind of spiritual soil is our own hearts for the Gospel seeds Jesus is planting in them right now.
Beginning in 13:24, we have the parable of the weeds which answers a question I’m often asked…how does so and so get away with doing wrong and I can’t….if I did what they did, I’d be put under the jail. The answer is easy…they are not getting away with it. Oh they may seem to be getting away with it right now….just like the weeds were allowed to grow with the good seed….but one day the harvest will come….for humans, it’s called Judgment Day…and on Judgment Day….those that have been doing evil won’t be getting away with it any longer….The Bible says they will be burned in the fires of hell….while those of us who are saved/followers of Jesus…we will be gathered together into The Lord’s barn(Verse 30) also known as Heaven.
I personally love the often overlooked parable of the yeast….only 3 verses long 13:33-35…it tells how a little bit of yeast affects a whole batch of meal….you remember the old adage….one bad apple can ruin the whole barrel? Well there’s a positive connotation to that also….
1 person can make a huge difference in the lives of many.
Let me say that again…..
1 person can make a huge difference in the lives of many.
I have a friend that spent 20 months in prison….about 2 months in, he wrote me a letter. He was struggling and literally going crazy in prison…missing his family…wondering how he ended up there….it was a gut wrenching, pitiful letter. I wrote him back and encouraged him to make a difference there while in prison.
So he started a Bible study there in the prison, Monday-Friday from 11AM-Noon. Over the remaining months of his sentence, he saw 14 prisoners accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives.
I’ll never forget talking to him the day after he got out. He said the day before as he was being released, the warden came up to him, put his arm around him and said “Son, I hate to see you leave…you have made a big difference around here.”
1 Christian man in a prison full of lost sinners made a huge difference in the atmosphere of the jail.
Could the same thing be said about us at our work, our schools, or most importantly….our homes??
1 person can make a huge difference in the lives of many.
Remember what I’ve said about things repeating in scripture…well 13:42 and 13:50 repeat each other about an important topic that many preachers avoid….hell. Verses 42 and 50 teach us that hell is a real place where it will be burning hot. Caroline wanted a bonfire last night, so we went outside yesterday afternoon, I stacked some wood pallets up, stuffed paper in between them and lit it a fire after dark.
Man alive it got hot!!! You could feel the heat all the way up on the back deck of the house….later on as I was sitting around the bonfire watching those flames jump up and down….I started thinking about hell and how horrible it would be to spend eternity tormented by the burning hot flames and choking smoke. No wonder there will be weeping and unimaginable screaming…no wonder the inhabitants of hell will be gritting their teeth together in terrible, writhing pain.
Hell is a real place and I’m thankful that as the great Jerry Clower said, “I’ve made my arrange-ments to miss out on hell.”
The small, single verse parables in 13:44 & 13:45 teach us a valuable lesson….Heaven is worth all our earthly possessions. In Verse 44….a man found a treasure in a field and sold ALL he had to buy the field. In verse 45, a man found a pearl of great price and sold ALL he had to buy the pearl. Being a follower of Jesus is worth ALL we have….can’t put a price on salvation and our eternal home in Heaven.
In Verse 58 we continue a theme from earlier this week….the people of Nazareth missed out on blessings/miracles/healings in their lives because of their unbelief. How sad….Jesus’ hometown…yet they didn’t have the faith to believe in Him…and therefore they missed out on great blessings and miracles.
Wonder how many blessings and miracles we have missed out on because of our unbelief? OUCH!!
In Chapter 14, we have one of the most famous miracles Jesus ever performed….the feeding of the 5000 with just 5 loaves and 2 fishes.
NOTICE SOMETHING VERY VERY IMPORTANT.
When did the 5 loaves and 2 fishes become enough food to feed 5000?
Most people will say, “When the 5 loaves and 2 fishes were brought to Jesus.”
Dig deeper….look closely at verse 19…beginning of the verse…still 5 loaves and 2 fish in Jesus hands….BUT THEN HE BROKE THEM…and once Jesus broke them, they became enough to feed 5000.
Get a load of this friends….in order for Jesus to do great works(miracles) in our lives…He’s first got to BREAK us. Oh the breaking hurts…oh the breaking can be painful….oh we don’t like to be broken….oh we don’t want to be broken….but the brokenness is necessary for great works(miracles) to be done in our lives.
There’s a very good reason most people God does great works through walk with a limp…they have been broken. So if you are going through a season of brokenness right now friend(like me)…take heart…our brokenness is not in vain….it will be used by The Lord to do great works for Him….but we might be walking with a limp for the rest of our lives….that’s OK.
After the great miracle of the feeding of the 5000….what did Jesus do? Did He and the disciples go out and celebrate? Nope….Jesus went up to the top of a mountain to pray alone. If it was vitally important for Jesus to have alone time in prayer…then it is definitely vitally important for me and you to have alone time in prayer. When is yours? Mine is each morning in my orange circle chair in my office.
Before Jesus went up the mountain to pray, He put the disciples in a boat and sent them across the sea. A storm comes up and Jesus walks on the water to the disciples. Peter sees Jesus and asks to walk on the water with Him. Jesus agrees and Peter miraculously walks on water until…………
Chapter 14:30….Peter takes his eyes off Jesus and instead looks at the storm swirling and howling around him. The millisecond Peter takes his eyes off Jesus, he sinks down in the water.
Oh my goodness church….what application for us today….There’s a huge storm swirling around all of us right now….and the moment we take our eyes off Jesus….just like Peter we are going to sink.
But it gets better….what happened when Peter started sinking? He didn’t try to swim back to the boat on his own…no…instead he cried out for Jesus to save him from drowning.
What did Jesus do? The Bible says IMMEDIATELY Jesus saved Peter.
Oh praise The Lord friend….if you are sinking in the storms of life right now….cry out for Jesus to save you and IMMEDIATELY He will save you.
Chapter 15 challenges us to be pure on the inside and not just on the outside.
15:21-28 talks about the importance of being persistent in prayer. I’ve heard people say that you only have to pray for things once and that if you keep praying for them, its showing a lack of faith on your part. I disagree with that….This widow in 15:21-28 was persistent in prayer for her daughter’s healing until it was finally answered….and likewise, I believe you and I must be persistent in our prayers until they are answered. Don’t give up praying friend.
At the end of Chapter 15, Jesus miraculously feeds 4000 people….this time with 7 loaves of bread and a few little fish….Have you ever noticed Verse 36? Beginning of the verse….still 7 loaves and a few fish…but then Jesus BREAKS them….and guess what…..7 loaves and a few fish feed 4000 men plus the women and children.
Dear Lord….I thank you that our times of brokenness will not be in vain. Please miraculously use our brokenness for your kingdom work just like when you broke the loaves and fishes to feed 5000 and 4000….do something great through us today…In Jesus name I pray….Amen.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Read Matthew 13-15
IF YOU ARE BROKEN-HEARTED, PLEASE PLEASE READ.
Chapter 13 begins with the parable of the sower….a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. This parable is one of the very few parables that Jesus explains for us later on.
In a nutshell…the same farmer sowed the same seed and got different results. The obvious question is why. Jesus explains the answer…the condition of the soil.
In the exact same way, the reason the Gospel of Jesus Christ impacts some people differently than others is the condition of their hearts. It’s the same sower(God)….the same seed(Gospel of Jesus Christ)…yet some people have stone cold hearts and are not impacted….some get all excited like a big hot flash in the pan but fall away when the first hard time comes….some lose focus on Jesus because they focus on things that don’t amount to a hill of beans….the cares of the world and deceitfulness of riches…and some seed bares fruit.
Now if we will be honest with each other….when reading the explanation of the parable…we probably thought of other people as Jesus was describing them…..
Oh yeah….old so and so had a stone cold heart….
So and so….man alive they were on fire and in church every time the door opened…but after that situation they got into, never did see them again.
So and so…they were faithful till travel ball season started
So and so…they were faithful till they took that new job…
Now can I be honest with you???? What we think of other people and the condition of their heart does not matter one bit…..what we need to be asking ourselves is this questions….WHAT’S THE CONDITON OF MY HEART?
And again….if we will be brutally honest with each other….there’s been times where we are all 4 conditions…some things we are stone cold on….some we get excited about and then fall away….sometimes I get off focus from Kingdom work and focused instead on my farm or chasing a dollar, then thankfully there’s other times I bear fruit for The Lord.
Don’t worry about my heart….I’m not gonna worry about your heart….but we all best be answering the question….what kind of spiritual soil is our own hearts for the Gospel seeds Jesus is planting in them right now.
Beginning in 13:24, we have the parable of the weeds which answers a question I’m often asked…how does so and so get away with doing wrong and I can’t….if I did what they did, I’d be put under the jail. The answer is easy…they are not getting away with it. Oh they may seem to be getting away with it right now….just like the weeds were allowed to grow with the good seed….but one day the harvest will come….for humans, it’s called Judgment Day…and on Judgment Day….those that have been doing evil won’t be getting away with it any longer….The Bible says they will be burned in the fires of hell….while those of us who are saved/followers of Jesus…we will be gathered together into The Lord’s barn(Verse 30) also known as Heaven.
I personally love the often overlooked parable of the yeast….only 3 verses long 13:33-35…it tells how a little bit of yeast affects a whole batch of meal….you remember the old adage….one bad apple can ruin the whole barrel? Well there’s a positive connotation to that also….
1 person can make a huge difference in the lives of many.
Let me say that again…..
1 person can make a huge difference in the lives of many.
I have a friend that spent 20 months in prison….about 2 months in, he wrote me a letter. He was struggling and literally going crazy in prison…missing his family…wondering how he ended up there….it was a gut wrenching, pitiful letter. I wrote him back and encouraged him to make a difference there while in prison.
So he started a Bible study there in the prison, Monday-Friday from 11AM-Noon. Over the remaining months of his sentence, he saw 14 prisoners accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives.
I’ll never forget talking to him the day after he got out. He said the day before as he was being released, the warden came up to him, put his arm around him and said “Son, I hate to see you leave…you have made a big difference around here.”
1 Christian man in a prison full of lost sinners made a huge difference in the atmosphere of the jail.
Could the same thing be said about us at our work, our schools, or most importantly….our homes??
1 person can make a huge difference in the lives of many.
Remember what I’ve said about things repeating in scripture…well 13:42 and 13:50 repeat each other about an important topic that many preachers avoid….hell. Verses 42 and 50 teach us that hell is a real place where it will be burning hot. Caroline wanted a bonfire last night, so we went outside yesterday afternoon, I stacked some wood pallets up, stuffed paper in between them and lit it a fire after dark.
Man alive it got hot!!! You could feel the heat all the way up on the back deck of the house….later on as I was sitting around the bonfire watching those flames jump up and down….I started thinking about hell and how horrible it would be to spend eternity tormented by the burning hot flames and choking smoke. No wonder there will be weeping and unimaginable screaming…no wonder the inhabitants of hell will be gritting their teeth together in terrible, writhing pain.
Hell is a real place and I’m thankful that as the great Jerry Clower said, “I’ve made my arrange-ments to miss out on hell.”
The small, single verse parables in 13:44 & 13:45 teach us a valuable lesson….Heaven is worth all our earthly possessions. In Verse 44….a man found a treasure in a field and sold ALL he had to buy the field. In verse 45, a man found a pearl of great price and sold ALL he had to buy the pearl. Being a follower of Jesus is worth ALL we have….can’t put a price on salvation and our eternal home in Heaven.
In Verse 58 we continue a theme from earlier this week….the people of Nazareth missed out on blessings/miracles/healings in their lives because of their unbelief. How sad….Jesus’ hometown…yet they didn’t have the faith to believe in Him…and therefore they missed out on great blessings and miracles.
Wonder how many blessings and miracles we have missed out on because of our unbelief? OUCH!!
In Chapter 14, we have one of the most famous miracles Jesus ever performed….the feeding of the 5000 with just 5 loaves and 2 fishes.
NOTICE SOMETHING VERY VERY IMPORTANT.
When did the 5 loaves and 2 fishes become enough food to feed 5000?
Most people will say, “When the 5 loaves and 2 fishes were brought to Jesus.”
Dig deeper….look closely at verse 19…beginning of the verse…still 5 loaves and 2 fish in Jesus hands….BUT THEN HE BROKE THEM…and once Jesus broke them, they became enough to feed 5000.
Get a load of this friends….in order for Jesus to do great works(miracles) in our lives…He’s first got to BREAK us. Oh the breaking hurts…oh the breaking can be painful….oh we don’t like to be broken….oh we don’t want to be broken….but the brokenness is necessary for great works(miracles) to be done in our lives.
There’s a very good reason most people God does great works through walk with a limp…they have been broken. So if you are going through a season of brokenness right now friend(like me)…take heart…our brokenness is not in vain….it will be used by The Lord to do great works for Him….but we might be walking with a limp for the rest of our lives….that’s OK.
After the great miracle of the feeding of the 5000….what did Jesus do? Did He and the disciples go out and celebrate? Nope….Jesus went up to the top of a mountain to pray alone. If it was vitally important for Jesus to have alone time in prayer…then it is definitely vitally important for me and you to have alone time in prayer. When is yours? Mine is each morning in my orange circle chair in my office.
Before Jesus went up the mountain to pray, He put the disciples in a boat and sent them across the sea. A storm comes up and Jesus walks on the water to the disciples. Peter sees Jesus and asks to walk on the water with Him. Jesus agrees and Peter miraculously walks on water until…………
Chapter 14:30….Peter takes his eyes off Jesus and instead looks at the storm swirling and howling around him. The millisecond Peter takes his eyes off Jesus, he sinks down in the water.
Oh my goodness church….what application for us today….There’s a huge storm swirling around all of us right now….and the moment we take our eyes off Jesus….just like Peter we are going to sink.
But it gets better….what happened when Peter started sinking? He didn’t try to swim back to the boat on his own…no…instead he cried out for Jesus to save him from drowning.
What did Jesus do? The Bible says IMMEDIATELY Jesus saved Peter.
Oh praise The Lord friend….if you are sinking in the storms of life right now….cry out for Jesus to save you and IMMEDIATELY He will save you.
Chapter 15 challenges us to be pure on the inside and not just on the outside.
15:21-28 talks about the importance of being persistent in prayer. I’ve heard people say that you only have to pray for things once and that if you keep praying for them, its showing a lack of faith on your part. I disagree with that….This widow in 15:21-28 was persistent in prayer for her daughter’s healing until it was finally answered….and likewise, I believe you and I must be persistent in our prayers until they are answered. Don’t give up praying friend.
At the end of Chapter 15, Jesus miraculously feeds 4000 people….this time with 7 loaves of bread and a few little fish….Have you ever noticed Verse 36? Beginning of the verse….still 7 loaves and a few fish…but then Jesus BREAKS them….and guess what…..7 loaves and a few fish feed 4000 men plus the women and children.
Dear Lord….I thank you that our times of brokenness will not be in vain. Please miraculously use our brokenness for your kingdom work just like when you broke the loaves and fishes to feed 5000 and 4000….do something great through us today…In Jesus name I pray….Amen.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 4 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Matthew 10-12
WARNING: A lot more blunt talk…..
Chapter 10 opens up with a list of the 12 men that Jesus called to be disciples. I want you to notice in Verse 3 that Matthew is referred to as a publican. The Publican’s were the most hated men of the day because they were Jews that extorted money from their fellow Jews while working for the hated Roman Government.
Why would Matthew be referred to as a publican if he was no longer a publican….Peter, Andrew, James, and John were not listed as fishermen…why call Matthew a hated/despised publican?
Here’s the reason and get a load of this folks….you may have done a lot of bad things in your life….you may be hated and despised by others like Matthew was….BUT YOU’VE NOT GONE TOO FAR OR DONE TOO MUCH FOR GOD TO USE YOU!!! God can still use you….IF….you are willing to let Him. Hallelujah!!
I personally know several people that have put themselves on the sidelines of Kingdom work because they believe they have done too much bad for God to use them. They believe they couldn’t be effective. They believe it wouldn’t work….Here’s the deal….if God was willing and able to use a hated and despised publican like Matthew….then he can use me and you….regardless of our past…and regardless of what other people think about us.
The key is….are we willing to be available to God for Him to use. A wise Pastor once told me, “Phillip, God doesn’t want your ability, He wants your AVAILABILITY.” That really stuck with me. So listen friends….do what I’m doing and make yourself available for The Lord to use you however He sees fit.
Just look at what The Lord did with a hated/despised man like Matthew.
In Chapter 10:7, Jesus gives the disciples(and us) instructions….”As you go, preach saying…..”
He didn’t say wait till you get to the temple to preach
He didn’t say you must have a pulpit to preach
He said AS YOU GO….so what does that mean? It means we “preach” to folks by the way we live our lives. The best preaching I’ve done is by the way I’ve lived my life….not by something I’ve said behind a pulpit. This also shows that ALL OF US can be preachers by the way we live our lives….not just those of us who get behind a pulpit.
May I ask a very personal and pointed question? What message are you “preaching” to your friends and family as you go about your daily life? Do you live your life in such a way that it makes others desirous to become a Christian? Or are you pushing people away from Jesus by your lifestyle?
Yesterday in my Billy Graham daily devotional he told the following story of a preacher and an actor that were friends. One day the preacher said to the actor, “I don’t understand why I have such small crowds telling people the truth and you have such large crowds telling people fiction.” The actor replied very simply and truthfully, “I present my fiction as though it were truth….preacher you are presenting your truth as though it were fiction.” OUCH. Do we “preach” Jesus as we go as if He was a fictional character with no bearing on our lives? Think about it.
Chapter 10:8 says that since we have been given to by Jesus freely, we are to give away to others freely. I’m afraid many of us are stingy when it comes to giving away the blessings of The Lord on our lives. I’m so very thankful that The Lord saw fit for me to be born in the home of Owen and Nancy Chambers…two of the most generous people I know. Yesterday with my own eyes, I literally witnessed my Mom and Dad tell someone, “What you are charging us is not enough….may I give you some of my homemade canning in addition to what you’ve charged?”
In this day and time when everyone is hoarding everything from toilet paper to ground beef….my mom and dad were giving away something very valuable over and above what a person was charging them.
Freely you have received, freely give. Mom and Dad’s example was a big challenge to me last night and I hope it challenges you as well.
Chapter 10:10 ends with “the workman is worthy of his meat”. Jesus is specifically talking about preachers here…but this is applicable to everyone. This is another big pet peeve of mine….people and churches that try to starve the preacher. That is a direct contradiction to the Word of God.
Let me tell you about the last raise I was given when I was Pastoring. All the staff were given raises at the same time. If you took all of our raises and added them together if would have equaled around $7000 a year.
The VERY NEXT SUNDAY, our offering was $7000 over our average.
In one Sunday, without any special emphasis or request, The Lord provided more than enough for all our raises for the entire year. Coincidence? I think not. The workman is worthy of their meat….especially those working for The Lord. Don’t try to starve your preacher and your staff….freely you have received…freely give and you will be blessed!!!
Verse 20 was my prayer each time I preached…”for it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaks through you.” I didn’t want people to hear Phillip’s words….only The Lord’s. But this verse is more application than just preachers….it also applies to us as we witness to others AS WE GO(Verse 7). It’s not us that will be speaking….its the Spirit of The Lord living inside of us that will be speaking. So if you are afraid to open your mouth and witness….don’t be. If you are saved and have The Holy Spirit of God living inside of you….open your mouth and He will do the talking for you.
And let me just say….if/when you ever experience a situation where The Holy Spirit does talk for you….afterwards you will be like “Where in the world did that come from?” Things have come out of my mouth while witnessing that I didn’t even know I knew….evidence it was The Holy Spirit talking and not me.
Chapter 10:26 reminds us that all of our sins we try to cover up will be uncovered for the world to see….UNLESS THEY HAVE BEEN COVERED BY THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS. Thank you thank you thank you Lord that what you cover by your blood, no man can uncover.
Chapter 10:28 tells us to fear Jesus more than we fear man because man can only kill our bodies…but Jesus can kill both our bodies and our soul in hell. We definitely see this today…..so many people scared to death of a coronavirus that could kill their body….yet they are giving little thought if any about Jesus that can kill both their body AND soul. Don’t forget who Jesus is and make sure we are giving Him the respect and honor that He rightfully deserves.
Chapter 10:31 reminds us how valuable we are to Jesus….even when the world thinks human life is not valuable(abortion, ventilator rationing, don’t bring a cardiac patient to the ER unless you got their heart beating out in the field)…Jesus tells us that human life is very very very valuable to Him.
Chapter 10:32-33 I used EVERY SUNDAY when I was preaching….its pretty simple….if you publicly confess Jesus, He will confess you before The Father in Heaven on judgment day. But if you publicly deny Jesus, He will deny you before the Father on judgment day. THERE ARE NO CLOSET CHRISTIANS!!! As we read earlier this week….we don’t hide the lights of our faith underneath a basket where they can’t be seen.
Chapter 10:42 ends with a reminder that if we give someone as little as a cup of cold water, Jesus will reward us for that in Heaven. My daughter Abigail is hand sewing masks now.(See pic below) One little girl hand sewing a few masks each day when millions are needed….but you know what….Abigail is doing her part…the people wearing her masks are very appreciative…and she will receive her reward in Heaven for this good deed.
Chapter 11 opens with something incredible. John the Baptist doubting Jesus….read that slowly again…John the Baptist doubted/wondered if Jesus was really the Messiah. When did John doubt? When he was in the midst of a bad time….he was in prison.
Why is this included in the scripture??? Oh get ready friends….If John the Baptist had doubts when He was going through as struggle, then it’s only natural that you and I may have doubts about Jesus also when we are going through a struggle….don’t feel bad.
The key is this….what did John the Baptist do with his doubt? He conferred with Jesus about it and likewise we should do the same. Jesus can handle our doubts….we are not less of a Christian for having doubts….we become less of a Christian when we don’t take those doubts to Jesus for Him to ease them for us.
I was raised to be respectful….yes sir/no sir/yes mam/no man…..and especially be respectful to The Lord. But last year, I was struggling with some doubts myself….so I went up on top of a hill here on the farm. I got out of the truck, I walked that field, and I unloaded on The Lord….didn’t cuss or anything like that…but I gave The Lord a good ole fashioned country talking to about my doubt and the things I was struggling with.
And you know what….He handled it….He eased my mind….didn’t happen immediately…but it was pretty quick. He will do the same for you friend. Don’t hold back on The Lord….unload your doubts on Him….He can handle it.
Chapter 11:27 contains a very important, yet often overlooked word. REVEAL….The Bible is not like a text book where you read the text, learn what it says and move on. No….The Bible is the Living Word of God…and knowledge of scripture only comes as The Lord REVEALS it to us. I learn things today over the same passage of scripture I’ve read multiple times.
Here’s the key…are we asking The Lord to reveal things to us out of His Word? If we don’t…then no wonder why we are not understanding. First thing we need to do before we read our Bibles each day….ask The Lord to reveal to us what He wants us to learn that day. Try it friends…it will totally change your Bible Study time.
Chapter 11:28-30 reminds us that The Lord wants to carry our burdens for us….want to know why so many of us are running around exhausted? It’s because we are carrying around burdens we were never meant to carry. Jesus wants to carry our burdens for us because He cares for us(1 Peter 5:7)…so cast your burdens and cares on Jesus and let Him handle it. He will do a better job handling it than we will anyway.
Make sure you catch what happens in Chapter 12:13….there’s a man with a withered(crippled) hand. Jesus looked at Him and said “Stretch forth your hand.” Jesus did not say “stretch forth your crippled hand or stretch forth your good hand.” He simply said “Stretch forth your hand.” At this point in time, the man with a crippled hand faced a big choice….do I stretch forth my good hand or my crippled hand? By choosing to stretch forth his crippled hand to Jesus, he received a healing.
Oh there is a lesson here for us….how many of us hold back our faults/failures from Jesus and only try to put on a front of our best? I’m so guilty of this. In reality, Jesus is saying….hand me your faults and failures Phillip….I’ll take care of them for your and heal them just like I healed the man with the crippled hand. WELL GLORY!!!!!! That ought to make the deadest Baptist shout right there!! WHEW!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 3 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Matthew 7-9
WARNING: More blunt talk…..
Chapter 7:1 Jesus tells us not to judge others. Now think about that word judge for a minute…what do judges do….they decide whether someone is guilty or not and then if guilty, they pronounce judgment on the guilty party.
Jesus is clearly telling us here that it’s not our place or responsibility to decide whether someone is guilty or not….nor is it our place to pronounce judgment on them….all that responsibility belongs to Jesus.
But I guess a lot of people today think Jesus needs their help….especially church people…..because some of the most judgmental people I have ever come in contact with in my entire life were what I called church people.
In fact, when I was pastoring, the single biggest barrier I would encounter when I invited an unchurched person to church was a past experience with a “church person” where that “church person” pronounced judgment on the unchurched person.
Before we start running our mouths about folks and pronouncing guilt on them….we would all do good to heed the admonition of Jesus here and judge not….lest people start running their mouths and pronouncing guilt on us one day when we mess up.
In Verse 7, we learn about asking the Lord for things in prayer. As I’ve studied prayer, it’s become evident that many of us forfeit blessings that God really would like to give us….but we forfeit them simply because we never ask Him for it. I don’t know about you…..but I don’t want to miss out on a blessing just because I didn’t ask for it….so don’t hesitate to ask The Lord for anything and let Him decide what’s best or not.
You see…In Verse 11…we learn that God is a good good Father that will only give the absolute best to His children. So if The Lord doesn’t give you what you are asking for….know that He knows best and has something better in store. As the great theologian Garth Brooks says, “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”
In Verse 13, Jesus tells us the difference between the gates into Heaven and the gates into hell….it’s a narrow road to Heaven; it’s a wide road to hell. I heard this other day and I thought it was really good…there’s a reason there’s a stairway to Heaven and a highway to hell….it’s for the anticipated traffic. WOW!!!
Verse 21 tells us that being a Christian is more than just lip service. In other words, just telling someone you are a Christian doesn’t make you a Christian any more than me telling someone I’m an astronaut makes me an astronaut. Jesus then goes on to say there will be many people on judgment day arguing with Jesus because they were church members….they did this and they did that….but Jesus will not let them into Heaven because there is only one way to Heaven….it’s not church membership(although important)…it’s not doing good deeds(although important)…its only through a personal relationship with God’s only Son, Jesus Christ.
Verses 24-27 is really about preparing for storms. Jesus admonishes us to prepare for storms ahead of time by building our lives on Him….following His teachings….making our peace with God through Him. Because if we don’t….once the storm hits, it will be to late…and just like the house built on the sand, we will fall. However, if we prepare for the storm ahead of time by building our lives on the teachings of Jesus and making our peace with God through Jesus…when the storms do come…we will not fall…we will be saved. That’s where I want to be my friend!!!
Chapter 8:2…a leper says to Jesus….if you will, you can make me clean…..I love this verse….because the leper is recognizing the power that Jesus has. Unfortunately many of us don’t….because we won’t even pray for some things because we ourselves decide that it can’t happen…that it won’t happen…that there’s no way it could happen. Listen here….if Jesus wants it to happen, it’s going to happen….period.
Chapter 8:8 deals with one of my pet peeves from when I was Pastoring….I’m one man and I couldn’t be in multiple places at the same time…I did the best I could do….but I’m not the Holy Spirit that’s everywhere. Inevitably, wherever I wasn’t….word would get back to me that someone was upset at me that I didn’t come see them in person…..rarely would they ever tell me to my face or even over the phone….usually they would be hacked off at me and tell others what kind of no good pastor I was for not coming to see them.
What happens here in Chapter 8:8…a Roman soldier’s servant is sick…he asks Jesus to heal his servant….Jesus says lets go right now to your home and I’ll heal him….and what does this Roman soldier say??? You don’t have to come to my house….you can just speak the word right here and my servant can be healed all the way back at my house. Jesus marveled at this Roman soldier’s faith because it is rare(still rare today), Jesus proceeded to speak the word of healing, and lo and behold, the soldier’s servant was healed at the very moment that Jesus spoke healing.
Now don’t get me wrong….I loved going to visit folks…and often when I couldn’t visit…I’d do my best to make a phone call and have prayer….but either way friends….have a little grace with your Pastors. He’s only one man….He can’t physically be everywhere at once. I’m praying right now for the folks with Coronavirus and I believe with all my heart that my prayers are just as effective here in my home as they would be if I were by the bedside. The same goes for your Pastor if he never does get to come see you in person.
Remember me teaching yesterday about Jesus repeating things….well we are going to see a theme begin here in Chapter 8 with Verse 13….Jesus tells the Roman soldier…as you believe, so it will be done to you.
Chew on this for a little while….what if all your prayers were answered based on the amount of faith you have that they will actually happen? How many prayers have we prayed just because we knew it was the “right thing to do” when in reality, we didn’t have the faith it would actually happen. Here’s the deal…that is a self-fulfilling prophecy….if we don’t have the faith for it to happen….if we don’t think it’s going to happen….it won’t happen!!!
Chapter 8:16 shows us what has to happen to cast a demon(devil) out of a place or person….we must speak the Word of God to them. Our words don’t work….quote scripture and the demon must flee.
Chapter 8:24 shows us that storms don’t bother Jesus….in fact He was able to calm the storm the same way He cast out demons…by speaking the Word to the storm. Whatever storm you are facing right now….speak the Word of God to it and get ready to see The Lord at work.
Chapter 8:29 gives us a very important truth….these devils knew exactly who Jesus was….yet they were still condemned to hell. Here’s the truth….it takes more than a head knowledge of Jesus to be saved from hell….you can’t just know who Jesus is or about Jesus….you must have admitted you are a sinner in need of a Savior, believed on Jesus alone for salvation, and then confessed Him as Lord and Savior of your life. Have you don’t that friend? The Bible just told us in Chapter 7 that many people miss Heaven by 18 inches….that’s the distance from their head to their heart. They know in their head what to do…but they won’t surrender their hearts to Jesus. Have you?
Chapter 8:34 is one of the saddest verses in the Bible….after Jesus healed these demon possessed men, the leaders of the area asked Jesus to leave. What happened as a result? Two very important truths…
1. Jesus left….He’s a gentleman…He doesn’t force Himself on anyone….doesn’t stay where He’s not wanted.
2. The people where the demon possessed men lived missed out on further healings and miracles(What Jesus did in Chapter 9) because they asked Jesus to leave.
Hmmmm…..Many leaders of the USA have made it known that Jesus is not welcome….they’ve asked Him to leave….could it be that we are missing out on miracles here just like the people of Chapter 8 did?
In Chapter 9:2, we learn that our faith makes a difference in the salvation of our friends. Don’t ask me to explain how it all works….I’m just telling you that it does work….our faith for our friends salvation makes a difference. Our prayers for their salvation work.
In 9:12, we see Jesus hanging out with sinners and lost people in order to help lead them to salvation. I’d like to ask a very pointed personal question here that I’ve had to ask myself many many times. Do you have any lost friends? Can you name at least 5? You see, we Christians, many times try to insulate ourselves from the world….we want to shelter ourselves…..I get it….I understand those feelings….I’ve done the same thing. I’ve got a lot of Pastor friends….Christian music friends….Church friends….
But the reality is….we all need to have lost friends with the express purpose of showing them how to be saved through a relationship with Jesus Christ. As Jesus prays at the very end of the chapter…the harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are few. 67% of the population is lost….you will have an easier time finding a lost/unsaved person than you will a Christian. We have no excuse folks….start making friends with lost/unchurched people so we can help lead them to Christ.
Verse 22 and 29 continue the theme of our faith making the difference in whether our prayers are answered or not. There’s a very important point here…..the amount of faith is not near as important as the object of our faith. The Bible says our faith can be small as a mustard seed as long as we are placing it in the right place….on Jesus.
A lot of us are placing our faith in the government to “bail us out” of the coronavirus economic impact.
We are placing our faith in modern medicine and science to heal us from the pandemic.
God can work through all of these people….but the reality is….government, medicine, and science will all let us down….but God never will.
Let’s make sure we are placing our faith and trust in Him today….for everything in our lives.
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
April 2 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Matthew 4-6
WARNING: This is very blunt in some places…..
Chapter 4:1 Immediately after a spiritual high of baptism, Jesus goes through a tough time of temptation. My oh my….isn’t this how life
is….hence the song we are worshipping with today, “God on the Mountain”.
Life is easy, when you’re up on the mountain
And you’ve got peace of mind, like you’ve never known.
But then things change and, you’re down in the valley.
Don’t lose faith child, you are never alone.
When you are on a spiritual high….get ready….the devil is just around the corner. But remember the opposite is true also….when you are in the midst of temptation and trials….it’s only for a season, it is not a sentence.
Jesus faced every single temptation we will ever face….and He did so successfully…thus providing an example for how we can battle temptation.
How did Jesus succeed? He fought Satan with The Word of God. Jesus quoted scripture to answer Satan’s temptations….again reinforcing the importance of why we should be reading The Bible every single day.
Satan even attempted to twist and misuse The Word of God to tempt Jesus….and guess what…He does the same thing to us….This is why we must know EXACTLY what The Bible says for ourselves and not rely on others to tell us what The Bible says because often times others can be wrong!!!
Chapter 4:17 tells us what Jesus’ message was as He began His preaching ministry. “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Hmmm….does
that sound familiar? Yep…exactly what John the Baptist was saying yesterday….and just like when our Momma’s tell us something more than once
for emphasis(Phillip Owen Chambers….I’ve told you once already not to eat another fried apple pie)….when we see something in scripture more than once….especially in back to back chapters such as this….we better pay attention!!
So friend….if we have something we need to repent of….something we need to stop doing….the time to repent is RIGHT NOW!!!
Chapter 4:20-22 are two of my favorite verses in the New Testament. These verses contain the responses of Peter, Andrew, James, and John when Jesus called them to follow Him. In both cases, they IMMEDIATELY left what they were doing and followed Jesus. This is such a good example for us to follow. When The Lord calls us to do something, we should IMMEDIATELY do it
instead of “waiting around for the right time.”
Take myself for example….I have plenty of reasons(excuses) for not doing these Bible Studies and Worship songs right now….plenty….and those are just the ones you know about….you don’t even know all the ones I know about.
But the bottom line is this….The Lord called me this past weekend to do this April 1-30….there wasn’t any waiting around to be done….there wasn’t any putting this off till a “better” time. If I was going to be obedient to The Lord….I had to answer the call immediately.
How about you my friend? What has The Lord called you to do, but you are still waiting around to do it? Stop putting it off and immediately answer
the call today.
Chapter 5 begins the best sermon ever written by the best preacher that ever preached….Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Verses 3-11 tell us what to do to be blessed.
Chapter 5:13 talks of how followers of Jesus are the salt of the earth. Have you ever studied about all that salt does for us? It’s a preservative….it keeps things from spoiling…..my oh my fellow
Christians….if we are true blue followers of Jesus….we will help keep the Earth from spoiling or rotting!!! Doesn’t look like we’ve been doing
our job…does it?
Salt also adds flavor….do we add flavor to the communities in which we live? I’m convinced that more people in the world would want to be
followers of Jesus….if the “followers of Jesus” right now acted like the Bible says true followers of Jesus should!!!
Chapter 5:14 says we are to be lights in our world also. May I ask a very serious/pointed question to you? Are we letting our lights shine where we
are planted, or are we keeping it hidden? I’ll be the first to admit….I’ve hidden my light at different times in my past….both recent and distant….and guess what? Hidden lights don’t do anybody any good. SHINE YOUR LIGHT AND LET THE WHOLE WORLD SEE!!
Now….in full disclosure….to quote my dear friend Brother William Gray…bright lights attract bugs. The brighter your light….the more things will come your way to bug you….believe you me I can testify this for the truth….but it just comes with the territory of being a bright light for Jesus Christ.
In the next few verses, Jesus teaches about anger, lust, our word being our bond, and retaliation. Then He gets to one of the most challenging parts of the entire Bible….His command to LOVE OUR ENEMIES….and He doesn’t leave any gray area…we are specifically told to bless, do good, and pray for our enemies. Wow wow wow……that’s a tough pill to swallow. I’ve seen it done both ways….honestly I’ve done it both ways….I’ve done things my way
and tried to make my enemies lives miserable….and I’ve done things The Lord’s way and blessed, done good, and prayed for them. I can testify that although The Lord’s way required me to swallow my pride and leave vengeance
to The Lord…things worked out much better when I did things His way than my way. It will for you also.
Chapter 6 starts of by admonishing us NOT to give money for recognition purposes. That’s always been a big deal for me…to keep things I do
anonymous. Are we doing things to receive the praise of men or the praise of God?
Chapter 6:2 says when we give….not if we give, not should we give, not could we give…..WHEN we give. It is understood that we are to give to The
Lord a portion of our treasure, time, and talents. Are you? If you are not….for real would you answer this question….how in the Sam Hill can you have the audacity to ask God for anything if you are not giving Him something?
I’m not talking about salvation here….that’s a totally different story. I’m talking about a stingy church member that gives very little if anything to The Lord….yet expects Him to bless them with a huge storehouse of blessings. Come on….get real folks. It’s not if…it’s not should…it’s not could…it’s WHEN we give….it’s an understood….we are required to
give to The Lord.
Same thing in Verse 5-15 about prayer…when you pray….and we are taught The Lord’s Prayer here which only takes 21 seconds to pray….but its 21
seconds that can change our lives. 20 seconds is how long we are supposed to be washing our hands now. How awesome would it be if we all prayed The Lord’s Prayer each time we washed our hands now!!!
Don’t recite The Lord’s prayer.
Don’t repeat The Lord’s prayer
Don’t say The Lord’s prayer.
PRAY…earnestly Pray it and mean it!!
Chapter 6:16 starts off with WHEN we fast….not if…not could…not should….WHEN we fast. The vast majority of American Christians don’t fast
today. Why? Cause its hard!!! Cause we have to give up something and that’s no fun. Being a follower of Jesus was never promised to be easy or
fun….but it has always been promised to be worth it. I highly recommend fasting….highly highly recommend it. I’ve seen The Lord do some unreal
things when people come together and fast.
Chapter 6:19 starts a section about money….I love verse 21…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Show me somebody’s bank/credit
card statements, and I can tell you pretty easily what’s important to them. I have preacher friends that have let go of staff and deacons for not
giving/tithing to the church. I wish I had the courage to have done the same thing. Some of my biggest headaches came from people that I found out later on didn’t have any treasure in the church.
Chapter 6:22 admonishes us to be very careful what we look at. If you go back to the very first sin in Genesis Chapter 3….Verse 6 talks about how
Eve SAW that the forbidden fruit was good. Sin starts with our eyes and it’s so very important that we take very good care of what our eyes look at.
Chapter 6:24 says we can’t ride the fence….we are either on The Lord’s side or we are not. Period. Can’t serve both God and Man. You know who
you are fence riders. Stop!!!
Chapter 6:25 begins a section on worry and I especially love verse 27 where Jesus asks a very good question…..has anybody ever made your situation better by worrying over it? The answer is NO.
Has that kept me from worrying? Nope….but I’d like to think I’m a lot better than I used to be. Listen friend….the more we realize that we
can’t control other people, their response, their actions, their thoughts, or their words….the more we can quit worrying about what other people
think, say, or do. It can actually be very freeing to get to this point in life. I’m trying to learn not to worry.
Lastly….Chapter 6:33….seek first the Kingdom of God. From the very beginning of scripture, God has a perfect order for things. For example….in creation….what if God had created the plants before He created light? Well all the plants would have died because there wouldn’t have been any light for photosynthesis to occur. What if He had created the animals before the plants? All the animals would have starved because there
would have been nothing to eat. There was a perfect order to creation.
In the same way….He has a perfect order for our lives today….SEEK HIM FIRST….and everything else will fall into place. In other words….Give The Lord the first minutes of your day in Bible Study and Prayer…the first day of the week in worship….the first dollars of your income in tithes and
offerings.
When you seek God first….I’m telling you friend….EVERYTHING ELSE WILL FALL INTO PLACE….and when you don’t….it won’t!!!
Don’t forget to pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Daily Devotions
April 1 Pray, Read, Worship, Fast
Read Matthew 1-3
Don’t skip through verses 1-17 as “just a genealogy.” There’s a very important treasure in these verses. For most of us, the first Bible verse we ever memorized was John 3:16….for God so loved the world….yes God loves the whole world…but he also loves individual people like me and like you.
These names in Verses 1-17 are individual people….Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Obed, Jesse, David, Joseph…etc…individual people that loved God, yet sinned….individual people that tried their best, yet failed from time to time. But God still loved them and they still had an important role to play in the Kingdom of God.
Guess what….the same can be said for us….We are individual people that love God…yet we sin….we try our best….yet we fail…but God still loves us and we still have an important role to play in the Kingdom of God. Are you doing your job? Are you aware the God loves you no matter what?
In Verse 19, pay attention to the word privately. Even if Mary had sinned against Joseph(which she hadn’t), Joseph wasn’t going to blow things up in public on her. He was going to keep it private between the two of them. What a great lesson for us today. Far too many things are discussed publically that should be kept privately between two individuals. This includes social media….I recently read that what used to be kept private in a journal is now shared public on Facebook….I thought that was well said.
Do everybody a favor and follow the teachings of Jesus….keep your business and the business of others private…..no need to air any type of laundry…dirty or clean…in public.
Verse 23….God with us. No President or World Leader can really sympathize with common people such as me and you….they just live in a different world than what we live in. But not Jesus….his name, Emmanuel, literally means God with us….He’s lived the common life that we live and He can sympathize with the very things that you and I face on a daily basis.
Chapter 2:2….the Wise men were seeking Jesus to worship Him…and likewise that should be our desire when we seek Jesus. Why are you seeking Jesus? For a hand out? For a blessing? Or is it to worship and praise and thank Him for who He is and what He’s done. That’s why I’ve included a song in each of these devos….and it’s not a fancy performance of the song….this is not about performance….it’s about worship. That’s why I’m including the words….FOR YOU TO SING ALONG. Please don’t listen to me….I want you to sing along with me…..I’m doing 1 cut of each song….when I sing or play a wrong note….oh well…not trying to impress you….I’m just trying to lead us in worship of our audience of 1…The Lord Jesus Christ….the only One worthy of our worship and praise.
Chapter 2:3…tells us that the world is troubled by the news of Jesus….and the same thing happens today. We should not be surprised that some people are actually blaming the coronavirus on followers of Jesus Christ. The world doesn’t like us.
Chapter 2:11…The wise men brought gifts to Jesus….do we give The Lord gifts or our leftovers? It’s clear in the Bible that we are to give God our first fruits and not the leftovers(if there are any). Today is the 1st day of the month….many people get paid today. Let the first check you write be to your local church. Gift God gifts….not leftover crumbs. The proportion with which we give to God is the direct proportion to which we will be blessed.
Chapter 2:12…one of my favorites in the whole Bible….after meeting Jesus, the wise men went back home a different way than which they came. When we meet Jesus…when we really meet Jesus…not just an emotional experience….when we really, genuinely meet with Jesus…we will leave different than we were when we came in.
Chapter 3:2….this is a relevant message for today if there ever was one….Repent…turn from your sins…for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand…its extremely close and near. Dozens of end time prophecies have been fulfilled during this coronavirus pandemic.
Chapter 3:10….what kind of fruit are we bearing for Jesus? This verse tells us if we are not bearing fruit, The Lord will chop us down and cast us in the fire. Best get busy friend!!! What kind of fruit are you bearing? If there was a trial to convict us of being a follower of Jesus….is there enough evidence to convict us?
Chapter 3:16….Jesus was baptized….says He came up out of the water which means He must have gone down in the water…which means He was more than likely immersed. If we are going to follow Jesus, we need to be baptized by emersion has He was. Have you been scripturally baptized? If not, friend, you need to be getting that in order and quit putting it off. Time is short and this is too important. Let me know and we will figure something out for you.
Don’t forget to write down and pray over your prayer list(Salvation) and your care list(those struggling), plus journal what you are thankful for today.
Love all of y’all in the love of The Lord Jesus Christ.
May God Bless,
Phillip Chambers
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
It’s time to get serious spiritually.
Will you join me?
Our family’s future depends on these next 30 days.
Without a doubt in my mind, I have received a Word from The Lord that April 1-30 is a time for me and hopefully many of us to pray, read, worship, and fast before The Lord.
I will be doing the following and I’m asking you to join me:
Pray: CALM FOR THE CORONAVIRUS STORM. Calmness and peace only comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. Most importantly, I’m praying for people to be drawn to Christ in this crisis so they can find real, genuine peace. In addition, I’m praying for Christ to calm the spread and effects of Coronavirus worldwide, not just here in USA.
CARE FOR THOSE AFFECTED…my heart is bleeding for many. Not only those stricken with the disease, but also those that have lost jobs, and SPECIFICALLY MY FRIENDS IN CHRISTIAN MUSIC. If you love Southern Gospel, CCM, Praise & Worship, or Bluegrass Gospel, these artists are struggling. It will take a miracle of God for many of these artists to ever sing again which means less Gospel and less hope going out. I’m praying harder for them than I ever have before. Not just mentioning their name. Fervent, serious, dedicated prayers for supernatural provision for them.
I am writing out 2 lists to pray over these 30 days….a prayer list(those that need a relationship with Jesus) and a care list(those struggling). In addition, I’ll be journaling something each day that I want to thank God for.
I’d like those joining me to write out a prayer list and a care list to pray over in addition to keeping up with a daily thankful list
Read: There are 89 chapters in the 4 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. So I’m reading 3 chapters a day April 1-30 and will finish the 4 Gospels over the course of the month. In addition, I’m gonna write a brief devo/study over each day’s reading that I will post on Facebook or text to you personally if u wish to receive it.
Worship: I need to be singing to my audience of 1….We need to be singing to our audience of 1…The Lord Jesus Christ. Each day April 1-30 I will record and post a song along with the words for you to sing along with and worship The Lord wherever you are. April 1st song is Thank You Lord For Your Blessings.
Fast: There are some desperate prayers that are only answered when we fast(Matthew 17:21). Fasting is more than food. For me, it means giving up important stuff to me and instead spending that time reading, praying, and worshipping The Lord.
I’m personally giving up looking at some things online and a couple other things on tv that take away time from reading, praying, and worship of The Lord.
Will you get serious spiritually with me? Will you join me in 30 days of reading, praying, worshipping, and fasting April 1-30?
No question in my mind, this is The Lord’s will for me April 1-30 and I believe its for many others of us also.
If you will join this movement, please reply to this message and let me know.
Love y’all in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
May God bless this endeavor.
Phillip Chambers
It’s time to get serious spiritually.
Will you join me?
Our family’s future depends on these next 30 days.
Without a doubt in my mind, I have received a Word from The Lord that April 1-30 is a time for me and hopefully many of us to pray, read, worship, and fast before The Lord.
I will be doing the following and I’m asking you to join me:
Pray: CALM FOR THE CORONAVIRUS STORM. Calmness and peace only comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. Most importantly, I’m praying for people to be drawn to Christ in this crisis so they can find real, genuine peace. In addition, I’m praying for Christ to calm the spread and effects of Coronavirus worldwide, not just here in USA.
CARE FOR THOSE AFFECTED…my heart is bleeding for many. Not only those stricken with the disease, but also those that have lost jobs, and SPECIFICALLY MY FRIENDS IN CHRISTIAN MUSIC. If you love Southern Gospel, CCM, Praise & Worship, or Bluegrass Gospel, these artists are struggling. It will take a miracle of God for many of these artists to ever sing again which means less Gospel and less hope going out. I’m praying harder for them than I ever have before. Not just mentioning their name. Fervent, serious, dedicated prayers for supernatural provision for them.
I am writing out 2 lists to pray over these 30 days….a prayer list(those that need a relationship with Jesus) and a care list(those struggling). In addition, I’ll be journaling something each day that I want to thank God for.
I’d like those joining me to write out a prayer list and a care list to pray over in addition to keeping up with a daily thankful list
Read: There are 89 chapters in the 4 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. So I’m reading 3 chapters a day April 1-30 and will finish the 4 Gospels over the course of the month. In addition, I’m gonna write a brief devo/study over each day’s reading that I will post on Facebook or text to you personally if u wish to receive it.
Worship: I need to be singing to my audience of 1….We need to be singing to our audience of 1…The Lord Jesus Christ. Each day April 1-30 I will record and post a song along with the words for you to sing along with and worship The Lord wherever you are. April 1st song is Thank You Lord For Your Blessings.
Fast: There are some desperate prayers that are only answered when we fast(Matthew 17:21). Fasting is more than food. For me, it means giving up important stuff to me and instead spending that time reading, praying, and worshipping The Lord.
I’m personally giving up looking at some things online and a couple other things on tv that take away time from reading, praying, and worship of The Lord.
Will you get serious spiritually with me? Will you join me in 30 days of reading, praying, worshipping, and fasting April 1-30?
No question in my mind, this is The Lord’s will for me April 1-30 and I believe its for many others of us also.
If you will join this movement, please reply to this message and let me know.
Love y’all in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
May God bless this endeavor.
Phillip Chambers