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"Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."
(2 Corinthians 5:20 KJV) This was an appeal for fellow workers in the Lord to reconcile with the Lord. But reconciliation is an absolute. You are either reconciled or you are not, there is no middle ground. To be reconciled, there must first be absolute agreement on what is important. Then there must be complete and total agreement on every detail of what is important. Our Awesome God has told us what is important to Him and given us the details in His Holy Bible. So what has to happen for us to become reconciled? God is sovereign and He doesn’t change so we have to bring ourselves into agreement with Him. For example, God says that marriage is between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:23-24, Leviticus 18:22). If you do not fully agree, you are not reconciled with God. So every sin in God’s Bible can prevent reconciliation. Just being reconciled and agreeing with God doesn’t keep us from sinning but it helps us to recognize that we have sinned and need to seek forgiveness (1 John 1:9). Our churches and their doctrine also need to reconcile with God. Perhaps one barrier is the failure to preach the gospel of Christ from the pulpit (Mark 16:15). Many churches have turned their focus to social reform and local issues when the focus should stay on Our Awesome God and His basic message: that Jesus Christ died for you, taking your sins upon Himself and arose the third day to sit by God, interceding for you when you sin. We all need to preach what is really in that Bible with conviction in our voice, hearts and minds. Our Awesome God wants man to get HIS message, not ours. When God's message is preached with no additions or subtractions, whether it is by voice or printed word, then reconciliation can start. But reconciliation is not always obedience. We need to be ready and prepared to change the way we live, think and act. It would be awesome to see a real revival in our time, where people were so inspired and filled with the Holy Spirit that they forgot how sophisticated they think they are. We all need an infusion of Jesus Christ! We should read Our Awesome God's Holy Bible and hear His Word preached while we repent of our sinning. That is a given. But you need to know the real God and, to be reconciled to Him, you need to know Him well. Find a church where His Word is preached and people encourage others while loving all those around them. Our God wants us to reconcile with, to come back to, Him. He has a wonderful eternal home waiting for you, His child. Come Home! Our church, LWBC, starts with small groups on Sunday at 9:30 AM and a Worship Service at 10:30 AM. On Sunday evening at 6:00 PM, a Bible Study meets for an hour with a children's program called AWANA lasting until 7:30 PM. On Wednesdays, we meet at 7:00 PM for Prayer Requests, and a Bible Study follows until 8:00 PM. We welcome all!
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"And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat… But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness."
(Leviticus 16:8, 10 KJV) The scapegoat was the animal that ceremonially carried the sins of the people away into the wilderness on the Day of Atonement, as Our Awesome God commanded (Leviticus 16:8,10). On the Day of Atonement, when the high priest went once a year into the Holy of Holies to offer sacrifices for his own sins and for those of all the people, two goats were brought before him. By lot, one was chosen to be “for the Lord.” This goat was slain as a sin offering, and its blood was sprinkled on God's objects to help cleanse the altar, the sanctuary, and the tent of meeting from the defilements over the past year. The second goat was called the scapegoat as our Awesome God instructed. The High Priest, by laying his hands on the head of the goat and naming his own sins and all the sins of the people, ceremonially transferred them to the goat. All the men involved and the goats had been ritually cleansed before the Day of Atonement. Then one man took the goat out of the camp to a rough mountainous area and set him free. The demand of the goats showed man's need for reconciliation with Our Awesome God and redemption from their sins. The first goat that was "for the Lord" was killed because there is a price and a payment for sin. Then the scapegoat left the camp with the sins of the people so that God could get close to His people, as He wanted. Our Awesome God was setting the stage for the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem and bring salvation to man with His blood and to be our advocate at the side of God. He has set things up so that people no longer need a "scapegoat." We only need to believe in Jesus Christ and accept His payment to be free from our many sins. Pray to Our Awesome God, take His free gift of salvation and receive peace and freedom from your burden of sin. Will I see you in heaven? Our church starts with small groups on Sunday at 9:30 AM and a Worship Service at 10:30 AM. On Sunday evening at 6:00 PM, a Bible Study meets for an hour with a children's program called AWANA for children until 7:30 PM. There are plans for more Bible Discussions in homes during the week. Prayer meeting with Bible Study is on Wednesday at 7:00 PM. We love visitors! |
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December 2016
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