Hi Brian!

The word for this week is "memory". We find it in the Old Testament in these verses: Psalm 145:7 and Proverbs 10:7:

Psalm 145:7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. KJV

Proverbs 10:7 The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot. KJV

These are both the Hebrew word "zeker". Strong's Concordance says: a memento, recollection. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon says: a memorial, a rembrance. the Theological Word Book says: remembrance, commemoration, invocation, name. It refers to the mental act of memory. Also various forms of audible or public expression. In the New Testament we have only one verse:  1 Corinthians 15:2:

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. KJV

This is the Greek word "katecho". Strong's Concordance says: to hold fast. Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: to hold back, to detain, to retain, to restrain, to hold fast, to keep secure, to get possession of. The Theological Dictionary says: to occupy legally, for holding fast values, instruction, or attitudes. Vine's Expository Dictionary says: to hold firmly, to hold fast.

The Old Testament word seems to refer to reminding oneself of something so that it isn't forgotten. I believe that the New Testament word is more powerful in that it refers to holding fast to the truth of God's Word and to getting possession of what is promised. This IS how we are able to walk in the provision of every good thing that JESUS paid with His life for! It is much more than memorizing  verses to recite, but involves meditating until Holy Spirit is able to make the WORD come alive to us! I really like the instructions in Joshua 1:8 from the Amplified Bible:

8 This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.

THAT is how we retain the Word and how we are able to make it our own! Here is Hillsong with "Your Word":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

 Hi Brian!

The word for this week is "remembering". Instead of doing a Word Study I want to share Rick Renner's "Sparkling Gems From The Greek - Volume 2" from April 24 called "Remembering Your First Love", which we spoke of on Friday's Women of the Word meeting that we did not tape! 

REMEMBERING YOUR FIRST LOVE

Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. — Revelation 2:5

As we walk with the Lord, there is always a danger that as each of us grows older in our spiritual walk and become more structured, polished, refined, and doctrinally developed, we will slowly start to forfeit the zeal and spiritual fire we once possessed. What we once held as precious has a tendency to seem routine over time, and as we become accustomed to God’s precious Spirit in our lives, too often we unintentionally begin to simply “traffic” in the things of God.

I don’t know a single mature Christian who hasn’t had to fight this temptation, as the reality of the lost condition he or she was delivered from gradually becomes a distant memory. It’s a subtle backsliding that occurs in the very act of serving God.

A good example of this is found in the story of the church of Ephesus, a renowned church in the Roman province of Asia (modern-day western Turkey) that was founded by Paul in the First Century AD. These early believers had come to Christ in a blaze of glory and, from the onset of their congregation, experienced profound demonstrations of God’s power. They witnessed people delivered from idol worship, liberated from evil spirits, and many healed in a myriad of truly miraculous ways. Zealous for Christ, they had burned all their occult books and magical incantations — which were worth a small fortune — thus demonstrating a deep and sincere repentance in their willingness to completely sever their new lives from their pagan past.

In its early years, the church of Ephesus burned like a spiritual inferno. The Ephesian believers’ vibrancy and excitement inspired the same passion in other churches and spiritual leaders throughout the Roman Empire. But as the years passed, the zeal the Ephesian church had once possessed for the things of God slowly ebbed away. Knowledge increased, but the believers’ fiery passion for Jesus seemed to diminish. Undoubtedly, as the church grew, so did its members’ schedules, routines, habits, customs, and traditions. The subtle backsliding that often occurs when Christians become involved in serving God seems to be precisely what happened to this great church. The Ephesian believers were so busy serving Jesus that they lost their intimacy with Him. It is also likely that they experienced a loss of joy in their service, since joy is impossible to maintain without a vital connection to the Savior.

Revelation 2:4 tells us that the Ephesian believers had lost their “first love.” In other words, they had lost the simplicity and passion once associated with their early love for Jesus Christ. This tells us how far they had unintentionally drifted from the fire and zeal that once characterized them. For this reason, Jesus urges them to stop everything they are doing to “remember” the simple but precious relationship they had with Christ before they became so spiritually sophisticated. He says, “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent” (Revelation 2:5)

The word “remember” comes from the Greek root mneia. In ancient literature, this word denoted a written record used to memorialize a person’s actions, a sepulcher, statue, monument, or tombstone. It is very significant that the word mneia can be translated a sepulcher. This suggests that the Ephesian believers’ early experiences with Christ had become buried by 30 years of activity. Jesus urged them to dig through all the clutter of their schedules, routines, and activities so they could “remember” their vibrant beginning. Like dirt on a grave, the busyness of ministry had buried what was once precious to them. By using the word “remember” — the Greek word mneia — Jesus implored them to unearth those early times when their faith was tender and new — to dig deep in order to recall and recover their powerful past. Once they remembered, they would be able to see how far they’ve drifted from the vibrancy that once marked their beginnings.

However, the word “remember” (mneia) also refers to a statue or a monument. This tells us that some memories should stand tall in our lives forever and never be forgotten. The purpose of a statue or monument is to put living people in remembrance of a significant historical event or person. That statue or monument is intended to memorialize a historical event or a deceased hero that future generations should never forget.

Statues, monuments, and tombstones are made of metal or stone; therefore, they endure many years without human effort. But memories must be deliberately maintained and cultivated if they are to remain vital in our hearts and minds. And if significant memories are not deliberately passed onto future generations, they become lost under the overgrowth of life, just like a neglected grave with no tombstone. It doesn’t take too long before the location of such a grave to be completely lost. People will walk across it and not even know that the remains of a precious person lay buried beneath their feet.

In the same way, important memories are easily forgotten. Adults forget their childhood; nations forget their heritage; and Christians forget their early beginnings with Jesus. In Revelation 2:5, we discover that churches can forget their past. Years of activity and Christian service can so consume a congregation’s energy and strength that they begin to forget the great work of grace God performed in their hearts. Weariness, busy schedules, and new programs to implement year after year all have the ability to wear down a body of believers — turning all their activity for God’s Kingdom into spiritual drudgery, slowly reducing what was once fresh and exciting into a monotonous, religious routine. Soon the early memories of coming to Christ are buried under an overgrowth of activity and spiritual weeds. Once-thankful people begin to forget how wonderful God’s grace was when it first touched their hearts.

The word translated “remember” is in the present active imperative, which means Jesus wanted the Ephesian believers to be continually mindful of their past. What God had done in their midst was a wonderful memory that needed to be memorialized among them for all generations. And if they took an honest look at themselves and compared their present to their past, they would see what Jesus knew about them — that they were fallen compared to the zeal and the spiritual passion that had once burned in their hearts.

The word “fallen” means a downfall from a high and lofty position. The Greek tense doesn’t describe the process of falling, but rather one who has already completely fallen and who is now living in an already completely fallen state. For the past 30 years, the church at Ephesus had hosted the world’s greatest Christian leaders, experienced the power of God, and become more advanced in spiritual knowledge than any other church of that time. The Christian world looked at this congregation as the ideal church. However, we must never forget that what can be carefully hidden from human eyes can never be concealed from Jesus’ eyes. Hebrews 4:13 tells us that “…all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” Christ is often not impressed with the things that impress us. He often sees a different picture than others see. Others may have been impressed with the heritage of the Ephesian church and its roster of famous personalities who passed through its doors — but in Jesus’ eyes, it was “fallen.”

If this illustrious church with its list of remarkable accomplishments could be called “fallen,” it is clear that any church — regardless of its notable beginning or enduring fame — can also be “fallen.” This means one’s past is not a guarantee for the future. If an individual or a church is not completely devoted to doing whatever is necessary to retain spiritual passion, it is likely that over the course of the years, that passion will slowly dissipate, as was the case with the church in Ephesus.

Just as Christ spoke to the congregation at Ephesus, I believe He is compelling us to return to Him and rekindle the fire that once burned so brightly in our hearts. We need to unearth the precious memories of what our walk with Jesus was like at the beginning — and honestly see if we have retained that same passion, or if we’ve let it slip over the passing of time due to schedules, routines, or other reasons. Jesus is calling us. He cries out to everyone who has an ear to hear what He is saying.

Is it possible that Jesus is speaking to you today, asking you to reevaluate the condition of your own spiritual passion?

I LOVE to 'reevaluate' the condition of my own fellowship with the Lord so that I can stay at a high level of intimacy with HIM! It is only through that intimate fellowship with Him, by His Spirit living in us, that we can continue to grow up in the Word, in our own ministry and in operating in Kingdom principles! As we found out on Friday night, JESus as our 'first love" does not mean that we loved Him before anyone else, but that our relationship with HIM is our #1 priority! When that happens, everything else simply falls right intop place! Here is Hillsong Worship with "One Thing":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

The word for this week is "propitiation". It is found in these three portions of Scripture:

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. KJV

1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. KJV

1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. KJV

This is the Greek word "hilasterion'. Strong's Concordance says: an expiatory place or thing, an atoning victim, mercy seat. Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: relating to appeasing or expiating, having placating or expiating force, expiatory. an expiatory sacrifice. {Expiation - the dictionary definition is: the act of expiating something : the act of extinguishing the guilt incurred by something, the act or process of making atonement for something}. Vine's Expository Dictionary says: In Romans 3:25 it is used of Christ Himself: The phrase 'by His blood' is to be taken in immediate connection with "propitiation". Christ, through His expiatory death, is the personal means by Whom God shows the mercy of His justifying grace to the sinner who believes. His blood stands for the voluntary giving up of His life, by the shedding of His blood in expiatory sacrifice under divine judgment righteously due to us as sinners, faith being the sole condtion of man's part. 

The difference between 'religion' and Christianty is that religion is man's attempt to get to God, while Christianity is God's WAY of making man ABLE to come to Him! It is ALL GOD! All that we do is BELIEVE and RECEIVE what HE has done. That is what makes 1 John 4:10 so powerful! God's great love for us is what caused HIM to do for us what we are completely unable to do for ourselves. Romans 5:8 expresses it best:

8 But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.

There IS no greater love than HIS for US! And yet, when we receive HIS love, we become more and more like Him! You are a wonderful husband and father because you are able to love your family with that same love that JESUS has for you! I cannot imagine living this life without HIM! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Uncomplicated" which speaks of His love:

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

 Hi Brian!

We are on the road right now taking our first family vacation since 1997! We are headed to Florida with Kori and Tyler and the kids! I don’t have access to my Bible software, so this blog is going to be a thank you for the example that you and Kristine have been for doing things God’s way with hard work and commitment! It has been such a blessing to watch your beautiful girls grow into smart, fun, funny, creative, loving, skilled and committed young ladies! For Adult Bible Study today I shared what the Lord showed me about the TRUTH that as we are called to be sanctified unto God, which means to be separated FROM the world and UNTO God, it is MOST vital that we make sure to be separated UNTO HIM! That refers to our intimate fellowship with HIM! When JESUS is our #1 priority, everything and everyone in our life will be blessed beyond measure! So, here is a fun song by Hillsong Kids called “My Number One”!

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!