Letters of Hope

In our previous letter we emphasized the place of our dwelling in God.  But, as I mentioned, “there is now a mutual dwelling together between the Father and His children who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, who obey His words, and who live in love.”  We in Him, but also He in us.  Again, let me repeat the passage from 1 John 3 and 4 but this time with the emphasis on His dwelling place rather than ours:

“And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as He gave us commandment.  And he that keeps His commandments dwells in Him, and HE IN him.  And hereby we know that HE ABIDES IN US by the Spirit which He has given us…..No man has seen God at any time.  If we love one another, GOD DWELLS IN US, and His love is perfected in us.  Hereby we know that we dwell in Him, and HE IN US, because He has given us of His Spirit …..Whoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, GOD DWELLS IN HIM, and he in God.  And we have known and believed the love that God has to us.  God is love, and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and GOD IN HIM.”  (1 John 3:23-24;  4:12-16)

The Apostle Paul also tells us that we are “the temple of God,” and that the “Spirit of God dwells in us”.  (1 Cor. 3:16;  Rom. 8:11))

And again, Paul declares, “I am crucified with Christ;  nevertheless I live, yet not I, but CHRIST LIVES IN ME;  and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”  (Gal. 2:20)

Not only are we individual dwelling places for the Spirit of God to dwell in, but corporately, we are “living stones, built together for a DWELLING PLACE OF GOD through the Spirit.”  (Eph. 2:22;  1 Peter 2:5)

We love to sing the lovely old hymn that impresses this truth on our hearts:-

Once far from God and dead in sin,
No light my heart could see,
But in God’s Word the light I found -
Now Christ liveth in me.

As rays of light from yonder sun
The flow’rs of earth set free,
So life and light and love came forth
From Christ living in me.

As lives the flow’r within the seed,
As in the cone the tree,
So, praise the God of truth and grace,
His Spirit dwelleth in me.

With longing all my heart is filled
That like Him I may be,
As on the wondrous thought I dwell,
That Christ liveth in me.

O, what a salvation this -
That CHRIST LIVETH IN ME!
 
Daniel W. Whittle, 1840-1901 

In His High Priestly prayer recorded in John 17, Jesus prayed, referring to all who would believe on Him, “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be One in Us…..And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be One even as We are One:  I IN THEM, and You in Me, that they may be perfected into One…..And I have declared unto them Your name, and will declare it:  that the Love wherewith You have loved Me may be in them, and I IN THEM.” (John 17:20-26) 

With the outpouring of His Holy Spirit on the first Day of Pentecost after His Resurrection, Jesus’ prayer was answered.  Since that advent some 2,000 years ago, He has been “calling out a people for His name,” indwelling them by His Spirit, and making each one a “living stone” to be “built together for His habitation through the Spirit.”  (Acts 15:14;   Peter 2:4; Eph. 2:22) 

Is there any more glorious encounter to be experienced while we await the ultimate transformation – the “redemption of our bodies” and “awakening with His likeness?”   The Apostle Paul referred to it as “the secret which was hidden from ages and from generations, but NOW is revealed to His saints, to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this secret among the nations, which is – CHRIST IN YOU, the HOPE (confident expectation) of Glory.”  (Rom. 8:23; Ps. 17:15; 1 John 3:2,3; Col. 1:36,37) 

“Now may God, the giver of HOPE,
fill you with continual joy and peace because you trust in Him-
so that you may have abundant HOPE
through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 15:13 Weymouth) 

In Agape, Eulene

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The older I get, the more I appreciate “Home!”  After a busy shopping day, driving through cold and snow, or on icy roads, it is a blessed relief to open the door to Home.  It’s wonderful to go on a journey, to visit family and friends, to see new places, and experience exciting adventures.  But, 

‘Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home;
A charm from the sky seems to hallow us there,
Which, seek through the world, is ne’er met with elsewhere.
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There’s no place like home, oh, there’s no place like home!  

“Home, Sweet Home” is a song that has remained well-known for over 150 years.  It is sung almost like a hymn but began life as a secular song.  It’s a song about the value of a good home – a story about someone leaving home, wandering around, falling on hard times, and then returning home to a welcome from loving parents.  The song was hugely popular in the nineteenth century.  I understand that, in more recent years, the Japanese adopted it as a wedding song for their western-style weddings. 

I have seen the title phrase, “Home Sweet Home” embroidered in pictures, and it has been included in both operas and films.

Home is defined as a house, apartment, or other dwelling serving as the abode of a person, family, or household;  a residence;  a peaceful or restful place;  refuge, or haven.  But a home is more than a house and the residence where one dwells.  The word embraces the personal ties that hold one to a house or town or region or country.  Home is also defined as the place in which something originates.  

I can only imagine how the prodigal son felt when, after his worldly adventures, failures and shame, he arrived home, and into his father’s loving embrace.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church that “to us there is but one God, the Father, (out)of whom are all things, and we in(to) Him…”  The writer of Ecclesiastes speaks of the time when we go to our “long home” and “….. the spirit returns unto God Who gave it.”  We sing of our Heavenly Home, when we return to that Spirit realm from which we came.  (1 Cor. 8:6; Eccl. 12:5-7)

In the meantime, the Apostle John gives great emphasis to the truth that there is now a mutual dwelling together between the Father and His children who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, who obey His words, and who live in love. “And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as He gave us commandment.  And he that keeps His commandments DWELLS IN HIM, and He in him.  And hereby we know that He abides in us by the Spirit which He has given us….. No man has seen God at any time.  If we love one another, God dwells in us, and His love is perfected in us.  Hereby we know that WE DWELL IN HIM, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit…..Whoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and HE IN GOD.  And we have known and believed the love that God has to us.  God is love, and he that dwells in love DWELLS IN GOD, and God in him.”  (1 John 3:23-24;  4:12-16)

As we pointed out in our last letter, “…..through Him (Jesus) we have access by one Spirit unto the Father.  Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”  (Eph. 2:18,19)  The heavy veil separating us from the Presence of God was torn open when Jesus was crucified, symbolizing the reality that His blood, shed for the forgiveness of our sins, now gives us access into the Holy Presence of our Father God.

An unknown author has expressed in poetry the highest and most blest meaning of Home -  God Himself! 

My Home is God Himself; Christ brought me there. 
I laid me down within His mighty arms; 
He took me up, and safe from all alarms
He bore me “where no foot but His has trod,”
Within the holiest at Home with God,
And bade me dwell in Him, rejoicing there. 
O Holy Place!  O Home divinely fair! 
And we, God’s little ones, abiding there.

My Home is God Himself; it was not so! 
A long, long road I traveled night and day, 
And sought to find within myself some way, 
Aught I could do, or feel to bring me near; 
Self effort failed, and I was filled with fear, 
And then I found Christ was the only way,
That I must come to Him and in Him stay, 
And God had told me so.

And now “my Home is God,” and sheltered there,
God meets the trials of my earthly life, 
God compasses me round from storm and strife, 
God takes the burden of my daily care. 
O Wondrous Place!  O Home divinely fair! 
And I, God’s little one, safe hidden there.

Lord, as I dwell in Thee and Thou in me,
So make me dead to everything but Thee;
That as I rest within my Home most fair,
My soul may evermore and only see
My God in everything and everywhere; 
“My Home is God!”

“May God, the giver of HOPE, fill you with continual joy and peace because you trust in Him-so that you may have abundant HOPE through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13 (Weymouth)

And may you find your HOME IN GOD.

In Agape, Eulene

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Dear Friends, 

At this time of the year, when the Christian Community is celebrating the death and resurrection of our precious Savior, I am reminded again of one of the most momentous and consequential events that occurred the moment Jesus died. 

Matthew’s Gospel describes many of the details of the crucifixion, ending with these incredible words:  ” . . . but about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?  that is to say, “My God, My God, Why hast Thou forsaken me?” . . . “Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and yielded up His spirit.  And , behold, THE VEIL OF THE TEMPLE WAS RENT IN TWO FROM THE TOP TO THE BOTTOM; and the earth quaked; and the rocks split . . .” (Matt. 27:46, 50-51) 

The moment that Jesus breathed his last breath, the CURTAIN of the temple was TORN IN TWO from the TOP to the BOTTOM, as the earth quaked and the rocks were split!  This would present a horrifying situation to the priests of the temple.  The purpose of the veil (or the curtain) was to separate the Holy of Holies containing the Ark of the Covenant and the place of God’s Holy Presence from the rest of the Tabernacle and the people who greatly feared His Presence. 

From the time that Israel was brought out of bondage in Egypt, God made His Presence known to His people in the separated, secluded and sanctified Holiest Place in the Tabernacle in the wilderness. The temple in Jerusalem was later built after the same pattern.  Only the appointed High Priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, and that just once a year to sprinkle blood on the Mercy Seat to cover the sins of the people for a year.  This was done because “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness for sins.”  However, in those sacrifices there was “a remembrance again of sins every year, for it was not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”  (Heb. 9:22; 10:3,4) 

THEN JESUS CAME! 

The 10^th chapter of the book of Hebrews explains the marvel of this truth.  After He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, Jesus sat down on the right hand of God, to await the day of total victory over all His enemies.  He has covenanted to put His laws in our hearts and write them in our minds! 

“Therefore, we may have boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He has consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh;  and, having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith . . .”   Here we are assured that we may enter right into the very Holy of Holies – into the Presence of God – because of the sacrificial blood of Jesus.  (vss. 19-22a) 

This is the fresh, new, life-giving way which Christ has opened up for us by tearing the curtain – His human body – to let us into the Holy Presence of God.  And since this great High Priest of ours rules over God’s household, let us go right in, to God Himself, with true hearts fully trusting him to receive us. “Let us hold firmly to an unflinching avowal of our HOPE,  for He is faithful Who gave us the promises.” (vs. 23) 

Under the Old Covenant, the people knew God as a powerful and austere Potentate, Whose voice thundered at them in great clouds of darkness and fire!  But Jesus taught us to say, “Our Father…Abba!” 

Let us run in to His Presence, climb up on His lap, throw our arms around His neck, and say,  “I love You, Papa!” 

Into Your Presence I come
Not by the works I have done,
But by Your Grace, by Your Grace alone,
Into Your Presence I come. 

And now we may sing with great rejoicing: 

I’ve believed the true report, Hallelujah to the Lamb!
I have passed the outer court, O, glory be to God! . . . 

By the Spirit’s power and light, I am living day and night
In the holiest place so bright, Hallelujah to the Lamb! . . . 

I’m within the holiest pale, Hallelujah to the Lamb!
I have passed the inner veil, O, glory be to God!
I am sanctified to God by the power of the blood,
Now the Lord is my abode, Hallelujah to the Lamb!

“May God, the giver of hope,
fill you with continual joy and peace because you trust in Him-
so that you may have abundant hope
through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 15:13 Weymouth)

In Agape, Eulene

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Dear Friends, 

“…Are (the angels) not all ministering spirits that serve Him – whom He sends out to render service for the sake of those who shall be heirs of salvation?”  (Heb. 1:13,14) 

We have all heard stories of angelic intervention on the mission field when murderous natives were fended off by strange “armed guards” surrounding the mission compound, or by “giant warriors in shining white” standing guard.  More recently we have heard of more contemporary events.  One of them was an African Christian who, while in a refugee camp in Zaire, was surrounded by a number of the enemy with machetes who threatened to kill him and his young daughter.  In desperation he called on God for help.  A great Light suddenly descended upon the group;  the men dropped their weapons and fled!  The man, now miraculously re-united with his two brothers who survived the genocide, are in Canada, singing the Gospel in beautiful harmony! 

There are also closer-to-home experiences of angelic intervention, as
—when David fell through the collapsing roof of our old car-port onto the ground where a trailer is normally stored, and next to a brick that would have been injurious had he landed on it.  He walked away without injury!
—when our teen-age daughter’s car hit black ice, spun out across two lanes of highway, and ended up on its side in the ditch between a barbed-wire fence and a concrete overpass abutment.  No injuries and no damage!
—when Elisabeth’s van slid off an icy road and came to rest against a tree which prevented it from crashing down an extremely steep embankment.  Not a scratch or bruise!
—when her vehicle was broadsided by a huge waste disposal truck that went through a stop sign at a highway intersection.  Again, no one was hurt and they were able to replace the vehicle! 

How often have we had close encounters with disaster that we didn’t know about, or were unaware of?  And how often have we had such close encounters that left us breathlessly thanking God for His protection?  Even when we have had some real scrapes, we most always realize that it could have been so much worse than it was.  And no matter what the outcome, our times are in the hands of a loving God Who has a purpose for each of His children, and we are safely His “by life or by death.” (Ps. 31:14,15a;  106:3;  Jer. 29:11;  Phil. 1:20)  

After the event to which I referred last week when my Nissan Quest mini-van became a “write-off” because of the fire, we were so very thankful that there was no explosion, that David suffered no injury, that it was covered by insurance, that so many “happened” by to help, and that it hadn’t happened when I was driving it alone. 

Then there was the occasion when our youngest son hooked up the utility trailer to take some trash from his building site to the dump.  As he proceeded down a busy city street, he suddenly realized that the trailer had become detached and was careening toward the median.  If the trailer were to jump the median and hit the heavy oncoming traffic, it would be a disastrous situation.  Joel quickly maneuvered his vehicle and was able to successfully stop the progress of the trailer.  Learning about the incident later left me with an overwhelming sense of thanksgiving, sufficient to express it in verse:- 

Could I sing like a lark in sweet-throated sounds
Giving praise to our God for His grace which abounds;
Or write like a poet in phrases sublime
Giving thanks to the Lord in profound paradigm;
Or speak like an orator in language divine
Giving honor to Christ, the sun to outshine,

‘Twould be not enough to express gratitude
For all of His goodness of great magnitude;
His faithfulness reaches beyond what we know,
His mercies daily from His Spirit outflow,
His Guardian Angels sent to safeguard His own
When they’re not aware, or their need is unknown. 

Lord, hasten the day when our voices will be
As sweet as the angels who sing before Thee;
When we may join in with all Heaven and earth
In worshipping Him Who has giv’n us new birth;
In peace and in safety our voices we’ll raise
In transcendently joyful paeans of praise!

           (c) Eulene Hope Moores, 1992

 “May God, the giver of hope,
fill you with continual joy and peace because you trust in Him-so that you may have abundant hope
through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 15:13 Weymouth) 

May the Lord watch over you, and “keep you in all your ways.” 

In Agape, Eulene

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