Coffee With The Lord

We owe faithful, servant leaders who have been willing to make incredible sacrifices to extend and build the Kingdom of God the honor they deserve and an incredible debt of gratitude!  Strong churches at home and abroad exist because of their selfless service!  Vibrant, flourishing ministries endure because they were willing to pour their prayers, finances and tireless efforts into them!  We owe them!

In fact, right now some names I’m aware of are running through my mind: 

• My own mother, Vera Shirley Bartel, who during the war years had the district tent for what I believe was called the Northcentral District of the Assemblies of God, and planted churches in Montana and the Dakotas.  She is now with the Lord, but told stories of trusting God in the face of meager offering, meals of soup made from catsup and hot water, and persecution because of her Pentecostal message. 
• My uncle, Clarence Strom, (also with the Lord), an effective pioneer preacher and church planter who never enjoyed the benefits of a large congregation and sacrificed and did anything necessary to see the Kingdom of God extended. 
• Dr. Delmer Guynes, great missionary statesman, who poured his life into extending the Gospel frontiers abroad, but also sacrificed to see Southwestern Assemblies of God University (now Nelson University)  become the vibrant, growing, institution it is today – training “ministers” for the Church and the marketplace. 

And I could go on and on… great selfless hero leaders who are worthy of honor – both church leaders and lay-leaders and we owe them!!!

What brought all of this to mind?  The testimony of Nehemiah about his personal sacrifice…

“From the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.  But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that.  Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land.  Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations.  Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry were prepared for me, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people.  Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people.  (From Nehemiah 5:14–19 NIV)

And the Church today has been graced and blessed by some of the most faithful self-sacrificing servant leaders you can imagine.  Identify them in your sphere of influence… honor and bless them this Christmas season!  They deserve it!!

My Bible reading during “Coffee with the Lord” today included a reference to THE “CHRISTMAS STORY” FROM A SURPRISING SOURCE… THE BOOK OF REVELATION!!! 

Figure!!!  The “Christmas story” referred to – pointed to – in a book of the Bible that points to “end-time events” – “apocalyptic literature!” … Hey, it’s all one great story – the story of a coming Savior – the Lord Jesus Christ – “King of Kings and Lord of Lords!”

So here it is… THE CHRISTMAS STORY IN REVELATION!!! … Revelation 12:1-5

“And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.  She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon… And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.  She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne!”

In its comments on this passage, the ESV Study Bible (a highly respected study Bible) gives these introductory observations on this passage: “Christ, the promised son of Israel (and of Eve) though apparently a defenseless newborn before the mighty dragon (Satan), is caught up to reign with God!”

Here’s the “Christmas story” in Revelation…

• Out of Israel, God’s chosen people, a virgin is pregnant supernaturally through the Holy Spirit and about to give birth to Jesus, the Messiah, the Savior of the world!
• And from the very beginning Satan seeks to destroy Him and take His life!
• Her Child, our Savior, is divinely protected, completes His ministry and mission – is crucified and dies for our sin, is buried, but rises from the grave and ascends into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Heavenly Father… He who is the One who will ultimately “rule all the nations!

Hey… Read the story for yourself that fulfills Revelation’s prophetic word … Matthew 1;18 – 2:23 and Luke 1:26-56; 2:1-40… It’s all there!  Wow!  THE “CHRISTMAS STORY” IN REVELATION!

“My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have AN ADVOCATE who pleads our case before the Heavenly Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.  He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world!”  (1 John 2:1–2 NLT)