MESSENGER

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Seek the Details in the Word and Find His Path

Good afternoon, welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries. My name is Rev. Laura A. Neff, the Rainbow Minister. The choice for Rainbow has to do with the fact that the rainbow symbolizes a promise made and one that can and will be kept. I made, long ago, a promise to God that I would do all I could to keep that faith within me. We are normally posted on Sundays for sermons and Wednesdays for studies. You can find these posted in the following locations.


Rev. Laura’s Other Sites: Facebook & Twitter & Google+ Blogspot
Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned. Our prayer list has grown from last week. This is our current prayer list for this week.

- Please pray for my brother as he is having far too many issues with his job. The stress is really getting to him. May the Lord bless him with comfort and a clear mind.

- Please continue praying for a friend Susie Bartholow as she is, as far as I know, still in hospice. She has been in very grave condition with cancer. She is home with her family while in hospice care. I have heard no updates at this point in time.

- Please pray for Elder Cal Jennings as he is going through a whole lot health wise and emotionally as well. He has gotten to the point of nearly bedridden. His pain and strife needs to be eased. Please pray that he will be able to find and follow inspiration still. Lord see Your servant and ease his pain.

- Please pray for members Theresa and Wayne that their trials and tribulations would cease.

- Pray for those near and far who have been suffering in battles that do not have to be. Pray that peace can be found amidst the fear and anger, frustration, and more. May hope blossom and bring that peace once more.

- Pray for our friends and our enemies, may they all find that the gift of God’s Son, Jesus, holds the hope and faith everyone seeks.

- Keep hope alive in your prayers no matter the pain or strife we might suffer.

Prayer: Father in heaven, we thank You for this day and for those who are here to share it with us. We thank You for blessings You bring to each of us. We pray that You can remind us always what we should be looking forward to. We bring prayers for those who have been seriously ill. Help those who are working to fight serious illnesses the ability to find solutions. We pray for those who suffer pain, that their pain be relieved. We pray for those lost, and those who mourn. We pray for all those who are victims of violence. We pray for patience and courage for those we love and care about, and ourselves as well. We pray for peace to reach out from the heart and be heard, felt, and understood. We pray that Your grace and love would fill the hearts of the many in this world. We pray all this in Your Holy Name through the Savior Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.







Sermon: Good afternoon. Today we have a new inspiration brought by the Spirit of God. Often there are dreams, sometimes some quotes found, even friends or family that would bring that inspiration to life and the Spirit takes over. Everything started with a verse that is often shortened, and leaves us wondering what it actually says. I saw a study with this first pair of verses shared there with only three words, the first three words. That needs to be discussed, as the details of it are missing. We find some of them in the remainder of the verse. Here is what has been given to us today.

John 5:39 KJV – Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Well this is an interesting view. It’s something we have learned in many points of view through the Word. Often we don’t see just what this verse shares. Jesus says we THINK we have eternal life. Here’s what He says in the next verse.

John 5:40 KJV – And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

Remember Jesus said without Him we would not have eternal life. Through Him we would. Well, if we follow only that which has been written before He came into being, and don’t hear His words as they were spoken and written as He preached and taught, we’re not going to get the whole picture. It isn’t possible to see the works if we’re only looking at half a completed puzzle and the rest is in pieces as yet to be put together.
Many of our lives have felt like the parts that were already put together have been tossed in the air and scrambled. We’ll have to work to find the order the pieces belong in. That’s something Jesus teaches us. Just because we have some of the picture in what has been taught before, doesn’t mean we have the whole picture. Let’s see what other verses these would refer back to.

Luke 24:27 KJV – And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

What does it mean to expound upon something? Well, to expound means to explain, to give more detail to what was already said or written. There are times we’ve heard others say something and asked, ‘Could you give us more to understand it?’ That’s where Jesus comes in with Scripture. If we don’t understand something found earlier before Christ, find where it corresponds to His words from the New Testament. We learn a lot that way. Even in the Old Testament there are verses that will go back to others behind it, and then forward to those shared later on. Here we see how some go from what they know to what was written and back again. It’s important to find as many references as possible. There is a reason. We can’t understand what Jesus is telling us if we don’t find details to add to what He has shared. Those details help us find that path toward eternal life. Here we see a verse related to that.

Acts 17:11 KJV – These were more noble than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with a readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

See? These from Thessalonica received the Word, and then they explored where it referred back to, and applied it to what was known. We can’t learn more completely unless we first read it or hear it and then apply the knowledge gained through those. Otherwise wisdom cannot be gained. Now we’ll see what is shared in the Old Testament in regard to bringing a method for us to be taught, given the knowledge, and the ability to share it with others, thus applying what has been taught.

Deuteronomy 18:15 KJV – The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from in the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.

That prophet is Jesus. He continues to be a prophet, even long after He rose from the dead so many years ago. Listen to His words. Read them, write them to memorize them, say them out loud, even if it is to yourself. You’ll find answers come more easily as you gain that knowledge, learn how to understand it, and apply it.
Wow, when you can do that, you gain the wisdom Jesus wishes we would bring to hearts and minds. It is no easy task to be Christian in every way. Yet, Jesus wants to try more than just a little. He wants us to really try as much as we can, not just hearing or seeing, but bringing the Word to life. In doing so, we do just that for our hearts, minds, spirits, and souls.
Now that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer that Jesus brought us.
Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13)

Closing Song:  Bring Me to Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEy6WPB_txw





~Shalom~
Rev. Laura A. Neff ~ The Rainbow Minister

Calvin Jennings ~ Facebook & Twitter & Blogster

Covenant of Hope Ministries

       
Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition: Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press,The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA., USA
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2015

Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries and Poetic-Expressions is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the rainbow in the darkness.


This mission statement speaks of the rainbow in the darkness. Every time I would have a seriously traumatic thing happen in my life I would wake in the middle of the night. When I do I see a rainbow at the end of my bed, or even through the window behind my head. I’ll see that rainbow in a dark room even during the day. It will hover in the shadows and reassure me that God is with me.

1 comment:

  1. One verse up in John 5:38 it explains what he was talking about.

    John 5:38King James Version (KJV)

    38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.

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