Wait Patiently and Confidently

Scripture Reading:  Romans 8:18-30

Focus Verses:   Psalm 37: 7-9   "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.  For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land."

Paul's letter to the Romans in Chapter 8 reminds us that we, believers, along with creation, have a hope of the day when we will live in "glorious freedom from death and decay" and be with the Lord with new bodies freed from sin and suffering.  This hope started the day we were saved, born again, given the Holy Spirit and began looking toward this promise with joy and freedom.  We must wait patiently through our suffering, pain, conflict and sadness but confidently because the Spirit reveals this truth in our hearts and "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

I have never been a very patient person.  If something is broken, I want to fix it right away. If I planned to meet someone at 9:00 and it’s now 9:01 I’m looking at my watch wondering, "Where are they?"  I have learned to settle down and be patient after I started traveling to Kenya.  I understand that when I get off that airplane in Nairobi that I’m now on "Kenya time”.  I know if someone says a meeting is starting at 10:00 then I should expect the meeting to start at 11 or 12 or even later.  This has helped me, even in America, to be patient more often, but I’ll tell you something that is really testing my patience right now.  Patience with this pandemic has been a real challenge.  The pandemic with Covid19 started last March and we are still in it after 5 months.  Perhaps there is something God is trying to teach us, and we are not going to get out of this situation until we learn it.  Or perhaps, God is working on a plan to use the pandemic for His Glory.  Our focus verse says “Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him”.  Maybe God wants us to know Him better.  If you are not able to work because of the virus, maybe you should be spending more time with God.  I’ve been reading a book about the End Times.  When we see things happening like a worldwide pandemic and much chaos in our world, we can’t help but wonder if we are living in the last days before Christ will return.  We don't know when, but we live with our confident hope.  

Let us wait patiently and seek His face, so we can see what God is doing and not be so busy that we miss what He’s trying to show us.  Let us not focus on the trials, but on our shepherd and His direction.  If you struggle with these hard times, Page wanted me to add this verse of comfort, 
"Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Truth Can Never Remain Hidden

Truth Can Never Remain Hidden

Scripture reading: Acts 4:1-22 
Focus verse: Acts 4:18-20 – "Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourself whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” 

A story is told in my community of man who used to be very jealous and did not want to share his food with others. One day after he prepared a nice meal and placed on the table, he saw one of his friends coming into his house and he decided he would hide his food quickly under one of the chairs so that he would eat it after the friend had left. Because he did this in a hurry, he didn’t know that part of the plate carrying the food was not well hidden. When the friend walked in and they had greeted each other, the friend sat down and begun to tell this man of what incident he met with on the way to his home. He stated that, “As I approached near your gate, I met a very big snake whose length was about the distance from this seat to that plate with food under the other chair.” And the friend was very shocked to notice that his friend had spotted the plate he had hidden with food. The truth finally came out! 

Peter and John after they healed a crippled beggar, are brought before the Sanhedrin to explain how it happened and in whose name did the healing of the crippled beggar happened. This is a man who had been at the temple gate always asking for alms but on the day he met with Peter and John, his fate changed and he was healed. This disturbed the Sadducees (teachers of the law), the rules and the high priests. Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit boldly told them that the healing was done in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom they had crucified but God raised from the dead. This truth angered them and decided that they would warn Peter and John not to speak again in His name. They knew that this truth could change many other lives so they planned on ways to hold the truth hostage and stop it from being spread. But again, Peter tells them to judge for themselves whether it was right in their sight to obey them or God. He stated that it was too hard for them to know the truth and fail to speak out. 

Truth will always defend itself and will finally reveal itself no matter how hard one can try to hide it. Satan is the father of all lies and has always tried to prevent The Truth from being known, but he has always failed. He may try to bring a challenge in our lives to make others doubt the presence of God and his promises upon those who trust in Him. He may bring threats of diseases to make people not trust in the healing and saving hand of God. He can even use the authorities to try and destroy the truth of what the word of God states. We live in a world where Satan is using the even the media to spread lots lies about God, and about other godly leaders. One thing, lies will never ride over truth! Like Peter and James, we all have the responsibility to stand and speak the Truth of God’s Word and what God is doing. We must not be afraid even when Satan is bringing threats upon us, but should choose to defend the Truth at all coasts. Whatever way Satan uses to hide the Truth, God will finally let the Truth be known and many will come to Him through that. Truth has unstoppable power and nothing will stop it from working.

Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Director of Bethesda Faith Ministries

Remember God

Remember God: Don’t forget about God when the lockdown is finally lifted.

Scripture reading: Genesis 35:1-15 
Focus verse: Genesis 35:1, 6, 7 – Then God said to Jacob, “Get up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” 

Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. There he built an altar and called the place El Bethel, because it was there that the Lord revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother. After he stole his brother’s blessings, Jacob faced the threat of death from his brother Esau. His mother Rebekah realizes Esau’s plan to kill his younger brother (Jacob) and as a result she advises him to flee at once to his brother Laban who lived in Haran. Jacob was to stay there until when his brother’s fury subsides. So he solemnly sets out for Haran in order to escape death. Darkness catches with him and he decides to take a night rest in the desert he was traveling. As he lays his head on a stone on the lonely place, God appears to him in a dream. He talks to him and promises Jacob that he will be with him all the days of his life, He will bless him abundantly and will protect him from all his enemies. Jacob wakes up and makes a vow to God saying, “if God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the Lord will be my God and this stone which I have set as a pillar will be God’s house, and all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” 

Just like Jacob, life sometimes faces us with a rough side. Often we may feel overwhelmed with fear, discouragement, rejection, war threats, isolation, diseases, family burden, hunger, conflicts, and divorce among other challenges. Today the world is going through various challenges which some are life threatening. Sometimes during these hard moments we may be tempted to make vows to God as Jacob did. We may promise to serve with renewed efforts or even give to the Lord our tithes, offerings or commit to do a particular thing to the Lord as a way of appreciating Him for his hand on us. The biggest question is whether we remain faithful to honor our vows to God. God always wants us to be faithful to our words. Jacob remembered to come back and build a house for God. He became faithful to his words and as a result God blessed him more and changed his name from Jacob to Israel. He took all his family and made them know the Lord who met him when he was running away from the fury of Esau. We too need to let our loved ones know the Lord deliverers our lives. He didn’t forget about God when the anger of his brother had resided. God is pleased when we don’t forget about Him after he takes us out of any life disaster. Let our hearts seek God more even after he sets us free. Psalms 124:2-3 – if the Lord was not on our side when men attacked us, when their anger flared against us, they would have swallowed us alive. The flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away. Psalms 116:12-14 – How can repay the Lord, for all His goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Director of Bethesda Faith Ministries

The End

Scripture Reading: John 14:1-11

Focus Verse: John 14:3  Jesus said, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

I have been reading a book lately titled “The End”.  With all that is going on in the world today, a lot of people are wondering, when will the end come?  They are also asking questions like:   Are we living in the last days?  Is Covid-19 and viruses like it mentioned in the Bible?  When will the antichrist that is mentioned in Revelation be revealed?  When will the rapture of Christ church take place?   I remember after September 11th, 2001 when America was attacked by terrorists, people were asking the same questions.

Let’s just pretend that we knew Jesus was coming back to rapture the church at 12:00pm next Wednesday.  (Of course we don’t know, but for the sake of making a point let’s say we do know).  What would you be doing  Wednesday morning leading up to 12 noon?  I think most of us would have our Bibles open studying, praying, singing gospel songs, sharing the Gospel with every person we see breathing, and we would be doing all of this all at the same time.  Like we are cramming or studying hard for a test we have coming up.

The truth is we don’t know when Jesus is coming back, so we should live every day as though it is the day He is coming back. Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming." The Bible has promised that Christ is coming back one day and I can tell you this, His coming is closer today than it was yesterday.  Let us be ready for His coming.  Sometimes I wake up in the morning and say to myself “could this be the day that Jesus returns?”  We should also be careful how we live.  What would you like for Jesus to see you doing when He returns for you?  We are living in the last days whether Jesus comes this afternoon or 1000 years from now.  It is very possible that many of us could never see death.  Jesus could come back at any moment.  If you are not ready for Jesus to return, why not get ready while there is still time.  Trust Christ for your Salvation today.  Share Christ with others.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

Community of Care

Scripture Reading:  Matthew 25:31-46

Focus Verse: "“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’" Matthew 25: 37-40

Jesus was clear in his teaching to care for our neighbors who are struggling with sickness and physical needs.  We may find that the needs are great around us and feel like we can't do much.  Jesus didn't say that we should solve all of their problems, but that there is something, even something small, that we can do.  Anyone can give a drink to someone or visit someone who is sick to pray with them.  How difficult is it to give a shirt or dress to someone whose clothes are torn and tattered.  If you don't have something, maybe you can ask some friends to help you to get some clothes for someone in need.  And you can always follow up with prayer over the person.

When you help someone, the Holy Spirit confirms in your heart that you are doing something good.  You know that is a good feeling.  When you join together as a community to help others, then it strengthens the community. 

My prayer is that God will show me where to help someone today.  May God be glorified in any effort of care that I show to someone today.

Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries