"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." -Proverbs 3:5,6
April 9th will mark the six-month anniversary of the re-opening of Jaffrey Bible House, and it's coming up fast! It's truly a testimony of God's grace, provision and blessing on the store - as there's just no earthly reason we should still be around! He's very, very good!
We're coming up on Palm Sunday/Passover/Easter, and there's still some time left to order anything you might need for special services - bulletins, music, communion cups, etc. There's also a ton of retreats coming up at Monadnock Bible Conference, and during the "free time" we often get bunches of folks looking to see what's new at Jaffrey Bible House. If you're one of them and you have something in mind - just let us know ahead of time and we'll be happy to order it in so you can pick it up then!
Until then, enjoy the beautiful Spring weather!
~~JBH
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Walk Like An Israelite...
"And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour." -Exodus 1:13, 14
"And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows." -Exodus 3:7
"Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness." -Exodus14:12
"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." -John 8:36
How quickly the Israelites forgot the oppression of Egypt when faced with the trials of following God! We as Believers oftentimes would rather trudge through mud and stack bricks then read scripture or pray - it's just that simple. Following God is a real challenge, and the certainty of servitude to sin seems so much easier than the risk of the cost of the Cross. After all, He'll forgive us later, right? But take everything about Pharoah and reverse it - this is God. He gives up His Son first, not last, to free His people (Exodus 12:12 is the last plague on Egypt). He is intimately concerned with our hearts - not just what we can do for Him (He doesn't really need mudbricks anyway). Pharoah was afraid of what would happen if the Israelites ever rose up in unity against him (Exodus 1:10) - God wants us to rise up in unity against Hell and advance His Kingdom! God had a specific reason for raising up Pharoah (Exodus 9:16) and He has a plan for Satan too. He destroyed Pharoah's armies with water (Exodus 14:28) and He's going to throw Satan in a lake of fire (Revelation 20:10)!
The Exodus story is so full of illustrations for us today because God is still God. He still loves His people, He's still rescuing us from bondage and He still wants us to follow Him to a better place. It's not an easy road, but He still goes before us to light the way. Amen!
~~JBH
"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." -Revelation 22:14
"And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows." -Exodus 3:7
"Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness." -Exodus14:12
"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." -John 8:36
How quickly the Israelites forgot the oppression of Egypt when faced with the trials of following God! We as Believers oftentimes would rather trudge through mud and stack bricks then read scripture or pray - it's just that simple. Following God is a real challenge, and the certainty of servitude to sin seems so much easier than the risk of the cost of the Cross. After all, He'll forgive us later, right? But take everything about Pharoah and reverse it - this is God. He gives up His Son first, not last, to free His people (Exodus 12:12 is the last plague on Egypt). He is intimately concerned with our hearts - not just what we can do for Him (He doesn't really need mudbricks anyway). Pharoah was afraid of what would happen if the Israelites ever rose up in unity against him (Exodus 1:10) - God wants us to rise up in unity against Hell and advance His Kingdom! God had a specific reason for raising up Pharoah (Exodus 9:16) and He has a plan for Satan too. He destroyed Pharoah's armies with water (Exodus 14:28) and He's going to throw Satan in a lake of fire (Revelation 20:10)!
The Exodus story is so full of illustrations for us today because God is still God. He still loves His people, He's still rescuing us from bondage and He still wants us to follow Him to a better place. It's not an easy road, but He still goes before us to light the way. Amen!
~~JBH
"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." -Revelation 22:14
Friday, March 11, 2011
Twenty-Dollar Violins...
"The story is told of a great violinist who announced he would give a concert using an unusually expensive violin. On the designated night, violin lovers packed the hall to hear the instrument played. The violinist came out on stage and gave an exquisite performance, climaxed by a thunderous ovation from the appreciative crowd. He bowed to acknowledge the cheers, then suddenly threw the instrument to the floor, stomped it to pieces, and walked offstage. The audience was horrified.
A few moments later, the stage manager came out and said to the stunned crowd, 'Ladies and gentlemen, the violin that was just destroyed was only a twenty-dollar violin. The maestro will now return to play on the advertised instrument.' He did so, and few could tell the difference." - excerpt from Follow Me by John MacArthur
The point of the story is clear - it's not the instrument, it's the Master who wields it. If we, as believers and followers of Jesus Christ, fully yield ourselves to His purpose for us then amazing things can, and will, happen. Hearts will be healed, marriages will be restored and a peace not of this world will reign in us.
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 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." -Colossians 3:15,16
~~JBH
A few moments later, the stage manager came out and said to the stunned crowd, 'Ladies and gentlemen, the violin that was just destroyed was only a twenty-dollar violin. The maestro will now return to play on the advertised instrument.' He did so, and few could tell the difference." - excerpt from Follow Me by John MacArthur
The point of the story is clear - it's not the instrument, it's the Master who wields it. If we, as believers and followers of Jesus Christ, fully yield ourselves to His purpose for us then amazing things can, and will, happen. Hearts will be healed, marriages will be restored and a peace not of this world will reign in us.
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 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." -Colossians 3:15,16
~~JBH
Monday, March 7, 2011
Wholly Holy...
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, "Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, 'Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy. Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the Lord your God.'" -Leviticus 19:1-4
David Crowder sings a song titled Wholly Yours, and the chorus is quite intriguing when you understand the play on homophones. To say God is "wholly holy" is to say he is completely set apart, totally "other". This is fantastic - that our God is not bound to, or tainted by, anything on Earth (or, indeed, the entire universe). There's nothing here that fully describes His strength, mercy, love or justice. Jesus didn't bring postcards from Heaven because it would have been like bringing a French grammar book to a fish pond and expecting the Koi to give an oral report on Napoleon. Heaven, the holiness of our Lord, is so foreign to us that He speaks in parables instead. Similes and metaphors abound in the Gospels simply because if He had actually just showed us Heaven we'd have lost our marbles.
Recall Matthew 17, when Christ is transfigured while James, John and Peter are watching. Peter's reaction is to build not just one tabernacle, but three - one each for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Not that this didn't seem reasonable at the time, and maybe James and John thought it sounded good too, but it's so woefully inadequate in light of passages like 1 Kings 8:27 and Psalm 113:5,6 that it should be abundantly clear that Peter was just unable to process what he'd witnessed (not that we would've acted any differently!). The King of kings and Lord of lords, the living God of all Creation, is so far above and beyond our comprehension that if we experienced His fullness without a body better suited to that purpose (1 Corinthians 15:44) we'd completely overload.
And yet, He says to be holy, just as He is holy. Could this mean that living our lives in the relentless, reckless and unwaivering pursuit of the Author of our salvation and Lover or our souls can, and should, leave our fellow Earthlings speechless? When we exercise the fierce love of our Savior on those around us by caring for their physical needs and praying for their very souls, it should throw them for a bit of a loop - after all, we're not from around here (Hebrews 11:13).
~~JBH
P.S. The Jaffrey Bible House is doing alright, and we'd love to see you Tuesday nights at 6pm or Fridays at noon to worship the Lord Jesus Christ in prayer and fellowship!
David Crowder sings a song titled Wholly Yours, and the chorus is quite intriguing when you understand the play on homophones. To say God is "wholly holy" is to say he is completely set apart, totally "other". This is fantastic - that our God is not bound to, or tainted by, anything on Earth (or, indeed, the entire universe). There's nothing here that fully describes His strength, mercy, love or justice. Jesus didn't bring postcards from Heaven because it would have been like bringing a French grammar book to a fish pond and expecting the Koi to give an oral report on Napoleon. Heaven, the holiness of our Lord, is so foreign to us that He speaks in parables instead. Similes and metaphors abound in the Gospels simply because if He had actually just showed us Heaven we'd have lost our marbles.
Recall Matthew 17, when Christ is transfigured while James, John and Peter are watching. Peter's reaction is to build not just one tabernacle, but three - one each for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Not that this didn't seem reasonable at the time, and maybe James and John thought it sounded good too, but it's so woefully inadequate in light of passages like 1 Kings 8:27 and Psalm 113:5,6 that it should be abundantly clear that Peter was just unable to process what he'd witnessed (not that we would've acted any differently!). The King of kings and Lord of lords, the living God of all Creation, is so far above and beyond our comprehension that if we experienced His fullness without a body better suited to that purpose (1 Corinthians 15:44) we'd completely overload.
And yet, He says to be holy, just as He is holy. Could this mean that living our lives in the relentless, reckless and unwaivering pursuit of the Author of our salvation and Lover or our souls can, and should, leave our fellow Earthlings speechless? When we exercise the fierce love of our Savior on those around us by caring for their physical needs and praying for their very souls, it should throw them for a bit of a loop - after all, we're not from around here (Hebrews 11:13).
~~JBH
P.S. The Jaffrey Bible House is doing alright, and we'd love to see you Tuesday nights at 6pm or Fridays at noon to worship the Lord Jesus Christ in prayer and fellowship!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
God Bless(es) America...
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will hear their land." -2 Chronicles 7:14
Does any more really need to be said? America, perhaps more than any country in the world today, is known for its Christian heritage. In recent times it has become vogue to point out the flaws in the shapers of our nation, but our tender does not have "In Our Infallible Founders We Trust" inscribed on it, nor do we sing "Abraham Lincoln Bless America". We are not endowed with "certain inalienable rights" from a "Legislator" or "Board of Directors" but from a "Creator". America is not worth more as a nation because of this, but it has a unique opportunity, and even an obligation, to fully rely on the Lord Jesus Christ as our King and Captain - and to live for Him only. What would it look like if Americans became less interested in the men who founded this nation and more interested in the God they served?
The answer is cited above, and it's written in the only document about which is said: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." -Matthew 24:35
~~JBH
Does any more really need to be said? America, perhaps more than any country in the world today, is known for its Christian heritage. In recent times it has become vogue to point out the flaws in the shapers of our nation, but our tender does not have "In Our Infallible Founders We Trust" inscribed on it, nor do we sing "Abraham Lincoln Bless America". We are not endowed with "certain inalienable rights" from a "Legislator" or "Board of Directors" but from a "Creator". America is not worth more as a nation because of this, but it has a unique opportunity, and even an obligation, to fully rely on the Lord Jesus Christ as our King and Captain - and to live for Him only. What would it look like if Americans became less interested in the men who founded this nation and more interested in the God they served?
The answer is cited above, and it's written in the only document about which is said: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." -Matthew 24:35
~~JBH
"Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"
-Star Spangled Banner, final verse
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)