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lives. Of all the spies who went to check out theland, two men remembered Gods plan and de-sired to carry it out. These two men chose to pur-sue their future on the basis of Gods command.The value of their future is founded in the per-sonal knowledge they had of God. At some point,these two men decided they were going to be obe-dient and not rebel against Him.

Ten men chose their future based on theanxiety and unbelief stored up inside of them.Having seen the size and strength of the enemy,they began to doubt the plan God had laid out forthem. They chose to remain content in the desert,rather than reaching for the blessings the Lord hadfor them in the land. As a result, God prohibitedthe people from entering the land of Canaan.

Twelve men had to make a choice in Heb-ron when they surveyed the land and its inhabi-tants. Ten reported that the people against Israelwere too strong. They were named Shammua,Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel,Sethur, Nahbi, and Geuel. These names are notpassed down through the generations. Two of thespies encouraged the Israelites to pursue the Willof God with full commitment. Caleb and Joshuawhole-heartedly followed God, and their namesare still heard throughout the world.

We need more devoted followers like

Caleb and Joshua. When time comes for us tomake that decision, we should encourage Godspeople to strive for his promises. Caleb and Joshuahelped the people see that Gods ways are alwaysthe best ways; and, until we make His ways ourways, we will not receive His blessings. Once webegin to believe in His power, we will see Goddefeat our greatest adversaries, those that standbetween us and the blessings to come.

Following Gods Plan by Josie DavisAnd Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb

the son of Jephunneh, who were among

those who had spied out the land, tore

their clothes and said to all the congre-gation of the people of Israel, The

land, which we passed through to spy

it out, is an exceedingly good land. If

the LORD delights in us, he will bring

us into this land and give it to us, a

land that flows with milk and honey.

Only do not rebel against the LORD.

And do not fear the people of the land,

for they are bread for us. Their protec-

tion is removed from them, and theLORD is with us; do not fear them.

(Numbers 14:6-9 ESV)

Gods expectations andplans may not always make sense,but we can be assured that we willhave provision. Should we, thosewho are unable to know fully thefuture ahead, fear the path God

calls us to? Should the twelve spies have trembled with worryat the sight of those who dwelled in Canaan? God knew thosewho lived in the land and their abilities in battle, yet He prom-

ised they would be delivered into the hands of the Israelites. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, Plansto prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hopeand a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) Living by faith and not bysight is a challenge, but we can see the example set by twospies who had not feared the future to come.

The only thing we should fear is ourself. We must bewatchful that we do not allow our self-seeking ways interferewith our futures that God has planned for us. Our humilityand submission keeps our focus on Gods purpose for our

Volume 2, Issue 5

May 2012

The Simplicity of the

Word

2

Holiness and Glory 4

To the Glory of God 6

A Firm Foundation 8

Walking An Ancient

Path

9

Inside this issue:

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Rejoicing in hope; patient in

tribulation; continuing instant

in prayer (Romans 12:12 KJV)...

The simplicity of Gods word

amazes me. You hear many

who say they dont read it

because they cant under-

stand it. Some feel the whole

of the Word of God is not

relevant for today, and stillothers who struggle so much

in their pursuit of God. Many

attend the right events, talk

the right way, or know the

right things to do to make it

appear that there is a relation-

ship with God. Even though

we can make things functionin the Church, or at home, or

work - wherever we may be-

we easily miss Gods power

at work in our lives when we

begin to ignore the simplicity

of His Word.

God calls us to be constant in

prayer. The Greek word used

in Romans 12 is proskartereo

meaning to be earnest to-

ward, i.e. (to a thing) to perse-

vere, be constantly diligent,

or (in a place) to attend as-

siduously all the exercises, or

(to a person) to adhere closely

to (as a servitor) attend

(give self) continually (upon),

continue (in, instant in, with),

wait on (continually).

(Strongs Concordance).

I believe most of our strug-

gles are a direct result of com-

plicating the gospel. God

calls us to seek Him and con-

stantly pursue Him devoting

ourselves to prayer. When

we do this God becomes clear

to us. His word that we may

have never been able to really

grasp becomes something

that is not just stories to sortthrough and piece together

hoping that the end result is

some understanding of an

infinite God, but it becomes a

living extension of that God

as the Word is empowered by

Gods Spirit to transform our

lives. We begin to have a

clear picture of God because

we are pursuing a relation-

ship with Him through com-

munication (prayer). A God

who maybe seemed distant

begins to empower us to live

and accomplish things that

are far beyond our nature.

He begins to work out prob-

lems in our lives and over-

come them in a way that we

never thought possible. Mar-

riages are healed. Hope is

alive in those that were dead.

Peace becomes real to those

who lived in constant tur-

moil. Satans power has noplace in our lives because we

live in and commune with

I believe most of our

struggles are a direct

result of complicating

the gospel.

Page 2

The Simplicity of the Word by Josh Wilson

one who is greater than all

things. His power is unfailing.

All we have to do is simply

live out the simplicity of thegospel.

E.M. Bounds said this

Gods revelation does not

need the light of human gen-

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ius, the polish and strength of

human culture, the brilliancy

of human thought, the force

of human brains to adorn or

enforce it; but it does demand

the simplicity, the docility,

humility, and faith of a

childs heart.

If we are to ever see a serious

move of God, a move that

shakes the world and His

church, you can be sure it will

begin in those who are fully

surrendered with the faith of

a child. Revival will begin in

people who resolve to live in

the simplicity of the gospeland stop following the ideas

of man. Again, E.M. Bounds

says

God commits the keys of

His Kingdom to men who

think that praying is their

main business, and devote

time to it according to thishigh estimate of its impor-

tance. By these men, He

works His spiritual wonders

in this world. Great praying

is the sign and seal of Gods

great leaders. It is the most

earnest of the conquering

forces with which God will

crown their labors.

Let us consider the simplicity

of Gods Word

If my people who are called by

my name humble themselves,

and pray and seek my face and

turn from their wicked ways,

then I will hear from heaven and

will forgive their sin and heal

their land (2 Chronicles 7:14

ESV).

Only be strong and very coura-

geous, being careful to do ac-

cording to all the law that Moses

my servant commanded you. Donot turn from it to the right

hand or to the left, that you may

have good success wherever you

go. This Book of the Law shall

not depart from your mouth, but

you shall meditate on it day and

night, so that you may be care-

ful to do according to all that is

written in it. For then you will

make your way prosperous, and

then you will have good success

(Joshua 1:7-8 ESV).

How can a young man keep his

way pure? By guarding it ac-

cording to your word. With my

whole heart I seek you; let me

not wander from your com-

mandments! I have stored up

your word in my heart, that I

might not sin against you

(Psalm 119:9-11 ESV).

This book of the Law

shall not depart from

your mouth, but you

shall meditate on it

day and night, so that

you may be careful to

do according to all

that is written in it.

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"Who among the gods is like you, OLORD? Who is like you-- majestic inholiness, awesome in glory, workingwonders?" (Exo 15:11 NIV)

Here is a song of praise and wor-ship, after Pharaoh and his armyhad been defeated, and the Israel-ites were delivered from 430 years

of bondage. This is a song show-ing the spectacular power andunrivaled supremacy of God. Thefocus of the song is on God Him-self. The song is divided into twothemes here in the 15th chapter ofExodus, the retrospective descrip-tion of the overthrow of the Egyp-

tian forces, and theprospective prediction

ofentrance into the Promised Land.

We want to focus on vs. 11 wherethe Scripture talks about God's"majesty in holiness." God is glori-ous in holiness and it is to thedwelling place of His holinessthat He is guiding His people.

The word glory in the verse weare examining means, to begreat

or (figuratively) magnificent. If weare seeing an object or a person inthe same light as we would seeGods glory that would mean weare seeing its value or excellence,or its magnificence. To glorifythen is to worship or elevate so asto remove anything and every-thing that could hinder the full

revelation of that excellence. Holi-ness is more than just an attributeof God, it is who He is, His mag-nificence. So therefore, we need tosee God in all His glory as clearlyas possible. He needs to be ele-vated and worshipped so any-thing in our way would be putaside to focus on Him and Hismagnificence.

Just as Christianity is a way of

life, it is who we are and notsomething we turn on and off. Soit is with Gods holiness, it is whoHe is. Holiness is God!

For those who are in ministry,that is all Christians, holinessneeds to be a lifestyle. When weglorify God in all we say and do,in our personal conduct and theway we relate to others, His holi-

ness will be revealed in us, to us,and through us to others. Our de-sire will always be to be more likeHim and to have more of Himand less of ourselves. "Glorify theLORD with me; let us exalt his nametogether." (Psa 63:3 NIV) "Becauseyour love is better than life, my lipswill glorify you." (Psa 34:3 NIV) "Iwill praise God's name in song and

glorify him with thanksgiving." (Psa69:30 NIV) "I will praise you, OLord my God, with all my heart; Iwill glorify your name forever." (Psa86:12 NIV)

In everything God has done sincethe beginning, as we know thebeginning, Gods holiness and

glory is also revealed in manyother ways. For example, Godsglory is revealed in His mercy somen and women can be re-deemed. The great triumph insalvation in not just being savedfrom eternal damnation, althoughthat is a wonderful benefit. It isnot just being delivered from thebondage of sin either, althoughthat is a great benefit, it is alsothe indwelling of a Holy God

through His blessed Holy Spirit.The full glory of God can only bemanifested with His indwelling,and thats why Jesus sent theSpirit. We can only show properworship and recognize the gloryof God if He is dwelling withinus. We know that there is the in-dwelling through salvation, andthen there is the setting apart andthe second cleansing from sancti-fication. Thats when we are able

to gain a higher understanding ofGod. We cannot ever bring an in-finite God to our finite level. Weneed a desire to see how greatGod really is. The Scripture says,"In your unfailing love you will leadthe people you have redeemed. Inyour strengthyou will guide them toyour holy dwelling." (Exo 15:13

Holiness and Glory by Bruce Wilson

Who among the gods is like

you, O Lord? Who is like

youmajestic in holiness,

awesome in glory, working

wonders?

Page 4

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NIV) What an awesome place tobe, in Gods holy dwelling!The habitat of God's holiness iswhere God will dwell with and inHis people. "And I will ask the Fa-ther, and he will give you anotherCounselor to be with you forever--theSpirit of truth. The world cannot ac-cept him, because it neither sees himnor knows him. But you know him,

for he lives with you and will be inyou (John 14:16-17 NIV)."

I cant help but think about thatpicture in Revelation of those whoare around the throne of Godsinging a new song. Then I looked,and there before me was the Lamb,standing on Mount Zion, and withhim 144,000 who had his name andhis Father's name written on their

foreheads. And I heard a sound fromheaven like the roar of rushing watersand like a loud peal of thunder. Thesound I heard was like that of harp-ists playing their harps. And theysang a new song before the throneand before the four living creaturesand the elders. No one could learn thesong except the 144,000 who hadbeen redeemed from the earth (Rev14:1-3 NIV).

That number 144,000 is the sym-bolic number of all of Gods peo-ple, and they are singing a newsong, thats because they (we) are

basking in the glory of God withHis presence and His indwell-ing through the Holy Spirit.Praise God!!!

It is only through redemptionthat Gods holiness can befound. Only through redemp-tion are we able to experiencethe indwelling of the Holy

Spirit. Only through redemptionis there a personal relationshipwith God through Jesus Christ.Only through repentance andgodly sorrow can there be re-demption. Godly sorrow brings re-

pentance that leads to salvation andleaves no regret, but worldly sorrowbrings death. When one comes toGod through the shed blood of

Jesus Christ, we are washed in theblood, we are cleansed and we arechanged forever and that is what

gets God excited. In other words,we are singing a new song(2 Cor7:10 NIV)!

One songwriter has written, Hisfavorite song of all is the song of theredeemed. When lost sinners nowmade clean, lift their voices loud andstrong. When those purchased by Hisblood lift to Him a song of love. Noth-ing more He'd rather hear, none so

pleasing to His ear as His favorite

song of all."

Only under the influence of highspiritual elevation and joy canGods holiness be fully appre-hended or rightly wor-shipped. (Andrew Murray; TheBelievers Secret of Holiness pg.47)

When the angel came and an-nounced to the shepherds that

Jesus had been born their an-nouncement included, "Glory toGod in the highest.." (Luke 2:14NIV) And when Paul wrote theletter to the Ephesians again wesee Gods glory, for Paul was im-plying that they would or shouldsee Gods glory in the church!Now to him who is able to do im-measurably more than all we ask orimagine, according to his power thatis at work within us, to him be gloryin the church and in Christ Jesusthroughout all generations, for everand ever! Amen. (Eph 3:20-21 NIV)In other words, Gods peopleneed to reflect the glory of God.

In closing let me say that we areto be living in the glory of God,recognizing His glory and lettingothers see His glory in us.Through our speech, our atti-tudes, our countenance and espe-cially our love for God and one

another we will be able to leadpeople to a saving knowledge of

Jesus Christ.

God bless you on your holinessjourney!

It is only through redemption that Gods holiness can be

found. Only through Redemption are we able to

experience the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

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What does it really mean to be a full person? Is that some-

thing that is achieved through personal accomplishment?

Many people achieve amazing things in their lives. I have

always been amazed at great athletic achievement. When

the runner finishes the marathon no matter what their time

happens to be, Im totally amazed at their endurance ability

in finishing the race. While that is an amazing accomplish-

ment, I have experienced people who finish but their per-

sonal life doesnt necessarily reveal anything that I would

want to follow. There must be something else to being a

full person that brings glory to God. There must be some-

thing in our very created nature that reveals what it means

to be a full person.

In John chapter 17 we are all familiar with the great

high priestly prayer of Jesus as He is praying for the disci-

ples and all who will follow through believing in Christ.

Sometimes in our study we may not think about everything

packed into a very familiar passage. There in Jesus' prayer,

we are also confronted with what it really means to be a

person. If we notice, Jesus is speaking to the Father just as

you and I speak to someone we know intimately and with

whom we have deep conversation. He speaks to the Father,

not as if He is simply impersonal power off in some distant

place, but Jesus speaks as person to person. In verse twenty

Jesus says that He's asking not only on behalf of the disci-

ples but for those who believe through their word. Then

the depth of His discussion with the Father is that we might

all know intimacy with Jesus and the Father in the same

manner that Jesus and the Father share life together. The

importance is summarized for us then at the end of verse

21, So that the world may believe that You sent Me. So in real-

ity, how we come into full Biblical personhood will reflect

to the world the message of Jesus. We are right, of course,

in seeing unity in this message of Jesus. The unity of the

church reflects this message. What is it that keeps us out of

unity? When we arent in unity we are on our own agenda

and our own agenda quite often originates out of a dis-

torted self. So that brings us back to this pursuit, What

does it really mean to be a full person?"Here in this conversation between Father and

Son we see the perfect reflection of personhood as

they communicate and share life. Earlier in John 16

Jesus, in teaching about His departure, explains the

coming of the Holy Spirit. In His explanation He

never refers to the Holy Spirit as if He is only some

sort of force or impersonal power. From verses 5

through 15 Jesus unfolds the nature of the Holy Spirit

and as He does, it is very clear that He is talking

about a true person, not an impersonal power. But aperson who, though the third person of the trinity,

comes to us as Helper and guide. In fact the relation-

ship between the Holy Spirit and man is to be a rela-

tionship of the most intimate nature. Yet the Holy

Spirit doesnt come to bring glory to Himself, He

lives out the full meaning of submissiveness illustrat-

ing for us submission unto the Lord. His mission is

to bring glory to Jesus. The three persons of the trin-

ity reveal to us what real personhood looks like. It

may seem the communion and the submission livedout by them is beyond us. But what we discover is

they are the perfect example of what our eyes should

be focused on.

Dennis Kinlaw tells us that the definition of person-

hood is found in the trinity and one important part of

being a person is the consciousness of identity.

Kinlaw stated, Jesus makes his claims to divinity yet

is very clear that he is not the Father. When he

speaks of the Father, he always speaks of him as

other than himself. He likewise acknowledges the

individual existence of the Spirit and promises that

he himself will give the Spirit to the disciples distinct

from himself as a gift. He tells them the Spirit will

take his place in their lives. Therefore, he is not iden-

tical with the Spirit. Yet he insists that there is one-

ness with the Father and the Spirit that makes him

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To the Glory of God by Henry Scoff

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inseparable from the Father and the Spirit. He is one per-

son in that Godhead. If Jesus is an example of a person,

then a human person should have a similar awareness ofhis or her own unique, individual, incommunicable per-

sonhood (Pg. 79, Lets Start with Jesus).

The glory of God in our lives is found then to begin within

understanding who we are by design. The starting point

must be in creation. In Genesis 1:26, Then God said, Let Us

make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. Genesis is

revealing that man isnt the byproduct of random chance

but a very specific design integral to who we really are.

Sin itself reveals this special design as we understand that

sin isnt simply making mistakes or, as Dr. Kenneth Jonestaught, it isnt a sin just to be human! Sin is choosing to do

something other than obey God. It means to choose the

way of your own design or following that of someone else.

Made in the image of God to be a full person after the

manner found in the trinity, then the question, of course,

many will ask is, "Isnt this beyond us?" The answer is a

definite yes, it is beyond us but not beyond God. In Ro-

mans 8:29 we are told Gods plan for us is to conform us

into the very image of His Son. Beyond us, yes. Beyond

God, absolutely not! We are confronted with the purpose

of God that fallen man would be redeemed and conformed

into the image of the Son.

Eph. 3:14-21 reminds us that God is committed to working

in us with His great power to bring about this conforming

and shaping us into the image of the Son. In fact in verses

20-21 it comes to a peak that is almost unimaginable when

I think about it. In verse 20 it is made clear to us that He is

able to do more abundantly beyond all that we ask or

think through His power at work within us. When we

think we would like to come closer to God in our walk and

we pursue the Lord with a sincere and open heart, then

whatever we have imagined that will look like it isnt good

enough because God will reveal His Glory to us and we

will realize that something beyond our understanding has

taken place and then we will be like Moses and ask for

more. You know the encounter Moses had with God. And

as great as it was, he wanted more. Thats the true nature

of really knowing Jesus. Satisfaction is in knowing

there is always more and we should pursue Him with

a heart of anticipation.

To become a full person in Jesus Christ reveals the rea-

son to pursue revival. Gods desire is to be glorified in

His Church. When the Church is alive in the Spirit of

God, then people are coming into the full experience of

being conformed into the image of Jesus. When this is

happening, unity is present because Gods people are

acting on His truth.

We need to understand the prayer of Isaiah 63:19-64:4.

First he confesses that we have become like those who

dont really know the Lord and lived like those over

whom he doesnt rule. Thats another way of saying

that we are all going our own direction and choosing

our own thing over Gods will. But in the desperation

of the moment the prophet cries out, Oh that You would

rend the heavens and come down. I like to say we need a

move of God in this day, one that awakens the Church

from her slumber and shows the World that Jesus has

come. So revival begins with us individually coming

into full submission to the Lord. This submission is

evident when we are able to pray, Please, God workin me abundantly more than I can ask or imagine, con-

forming me into the image of your Son and then show

the world that you are the head of your Church. Come

Lord Jesus in the fullness of your Spirit, rend the heav-

ens and awaken the land to turn to you. Bring revival

that shakes the very foundation of society and draws

the masses to you. We are made in the image of God

and in His image we are designed for fellowship with

Him. Revival is the renewal of that fellowship clean-

sing our hearts of stagnation that comes from too

much participation in the world and uniting His peo-ple in the Spirit that the world will be convicted of Je-

sus and drawn to Him. When a move of God that re-

vives us and conforms us into the image of the Son, it

will truly be to the Glory of God!

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When Jesus came to the region ofCaesarea Philippi, he asked his disci-

ples, Who do people say the Son ofMan is?They replied, Some say John the Bap-

tist; others say Elijah; and still others,Jeremiah or one of the prophets.But what about you? he asked.Who do you say I am?Simon Peter answered, You are theChrist, the Son of the living God.

Jesus replied, Blessed are you, Simonson of Jonah, for this was not revealedto you by man, but by my Father in

Heaven. And I tell you that you arePeter, and on this rock I will build mychurch, and the gates of Hades will notovercome it. I will give you the keys ofthe kingdom of heaven; whatever youbind on earth will be bound in heaven,and whatever you loose on earth will beloosed in heaven. Then he warned hisdisciples not to tell anyone that he wasthe Christ (Matthew 16: 13-20).

Peter was a man of God. So muchso that Jesus directed the promise of

the church to him. What was itabout Peter that set him apart as abeliever and an apostle? Let us takea look.First and foremost was Peters Con-fession of Christ. Simon Peter an-swered, You are the Christ, theSon of the living God. Peter knewthis not by man, but it was re-vealed to him by God himself. Pe-ter wasnt afraid to say who Jesusreally was. Oh, to see that boldness

in the world we live in today. In-stead, we hear the question, who is

Jesus to you? The Mormons be-lieve He was a man who achievedgreat things. The Jehovahs Wit-ness teach that Jesus is a createdbeing, but not the almighty God.This person believes this and thatperson believes that.

My bible tells me that Jesus is theWay, the Truth, and the Life and

that no one comes to the Father ex-cept by him. That Jesus is the sec-ond person in the Trinity, and thatHe came to save us from our sins;and that one day every knee willbow and every tongue will confessthat Jesus Christ is Lord. Peterknew who Jesus was and he wasntafraid to confess it. When we arefaced with the question Who is

Jesus to you? our answer shouldbe like Peters, He is the Christ, theSon of the living God! Peter con-

fessed Christ.

Peter had faith like a rock which iswhy Christ gave him that name inthe first chapter of John when hecalled him into ministry. Jesus saidto Peter And I tell you that you arePeter, and on this rock I will build mychurch, and the gates of Hades will notovercome it. Jesus wasnt callingPeter the rock that the church wasgoing to be built on. Jesus was that

rock. He was promising Peter thatHe would build the church and Pe-ter was going to be one of thefounding fathers of the faith. Jesusis doing the same thing here withPeter that God did with Abrahamand David. The Old Testamentpromises were given immediatelyto particular people of eminentfaith and holiness, Abraham andDavid, which didnt give them anysupremacy or equality with God or

any of their successors. Just like theOld Testament promises, the NewTestament charter is being deliv-ered to Peter as an agent, to thebenefit of the church then and inthe ages to come because of hisfaith that is like a rock.

Peter recognized who the churchbelonged to and was built upon.

Ephesians 2:19-22 says, Conse-quently, you are no longer foreigners

and strangers, but fellow citizens withGods people and also members of hishousehold, built on the foundation ofthe apostles and prophets, with Christ

Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.In him the whole building is joinedtogether and rises to become a holytemple in the Lord. And in him you tooare being built together to become adwelling in which God lives by hisSpirit. Peter knew that he and theother apostles and prophets wouldbe very influential in laying the

foundation of the church. Revela-tion speaks about the apostles beingthe foundation of the New Jerusa-lem in Chapter 21:14. The wall of thecity had 12 foundations, and on themwere the names of the 12 apostles of thelamb.We can thank Peter today for thefirm foundation he helped lay allthose years ago. Peters example offaith is one we can surely look tofor inspiration. What set Peter

apart was without a doubt his con-fession of Christ as Lord and saviorof all. His rock solid faith in whichhe was given the name Peter. And

last but surely not least was his rec-ognition of who the church be-longed to and also what it was builtupon. Peter lived by these 3 thingsand what a difference it could makeif we follow his example in thechurch today.

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A Firm Foundation by Jon Spencer

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Thus says the Lord: Stand by the

roads, and look, and ask for the ancient

paths, where the good way is; and walkin it, and find rest for your souls. But

they said, We will

not walk in it. -Jeremiah 6:16

Have you ever looked around the

places where you store old things?

It could be a basement, an attic, or

maybe even a barn or storage shed.

I would imagine that as you look at

the things that fill those places youwould very likely find a lot of

things that are completely obsolete

technology that is no longer in use

and things that, while once very

useful, have become little more

than relics from days gone by.

For years I refused to by a digital

camera. I have a number of 35 mil-

limeter cameras, and even theequipment for a darkroom. I was

sure that those cameras would not

be replaced. To this day the resolu-

tion is better than all but the very

best (and most expensive) digital

cameras, but at the end of this past

year I had to admit that the technol-

ogy I was using was obsolete and

needed to be replaced. This is a

normal part of life.

We live in a day when the rate of

advancement in society is un-

matched in all of human history.

From the cars we drive to the com-

puters we use there is not a year

that goes by that something of

value to us is replaced with some-

thing more efficient, more power-

ful, or just better. Things are hap-

pening today that were unthinkableonly a few years ago. Most of us

keep track of much of our life with

smartphones that have more pow-

erful computers than those on

board the Apollo space missions.

Some of the advancements we see

are great, many are helpful in the

things we do each day, but in the

midst of all the excitement aboutwhat our society can do or achieve,

it is important that we make sure

we are not losing things of great

importance in the middle of all the

changes that are taking place

around us. I do not mean things

like cameras or cars. It seems that

in this modern day we have lost

something much more important.

As we use whats available to us tocontinually accomplish more and

do it better with the limited time

we have it is easy to forget about

the things that go beyond our soci-

ety that places so much value and

emphasis on human ingenuity and

achievement.

We get so caught up in the ad-

vancements of the world around us

that we forget about the things thatexist and go beyond this world. In

our day it is possible to be better

and more efficient in our work, our

hobbies, our sports and almost

every other aspect of our worldly

life. But for all that man has done,

he has never and can never

come up with an invention or de-

vice that will bring us closer to

God. He cannot conceive of any-

thing that will forgive sin, or restorethe relationship that God wants to

have with Him. It is easy to lose

sight of this fact as we immerse our-

selves in the society in which we

live.

Everything around us serves to

turn our attention from the things

of God to the things of the world,

and as time goes by we forget whatit means to walk the ancient path

that leads us to God. Our obsession

with the modern world has ob-

scured our view of the One who

has provided for, and sustained

man since ancient times. We are

not much different from the people

of Israel during the time of

Jeremiah. We (yes, even Christians)

have become so enamored by theworld around us that we have for-

gotten the one who transcends this

world. We believe we have moved

beyond the need for Scripture as a

rule for the church and have re-

placed it with marketing strategies

and business models every inven-

tion of man that may provide us the

modern shortcut we are looking for

to entice people to be a part of thechurch. While many look to these

sophisticated methods of doing

church we must always keep in

mind the place to which those

things have led us:

43% of Americans believe it

doesnt matter what

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religious faith you follow

because they all teach the

same lessons. 50% of Americans believe God

will save all people no matter

what they do.

41% of Americans are unable to

identify an individual who they

consider to be a strong Chris-

tian example or leader

We may have all the technology we

could possibly need, but when itcomes to knowing the Living God

we are completely lost. We have

forgotten that no matter how ad-

vanced we become the platform

from which we approach Him is

still one of holiness. We no longer

seem to remember that the mind of

God is still revealed through the

Scriptures and that Gods power is

still appropriated through ourprayers. Year after year we look in

vain for the work of God in His

church but see nothing more than

the limited results achieved by the

weak methods of man. We have

lost our way to God and His power.

The Christians of America today

who spend their time and efforts

groping hopelessly for something

to hold onto and some way to findeven a little of Gods power can be

described by Rudyard Kiplings

poem, The Way Through the Woods:

They shut the road through the

woods, seventy years ago.

Weather and rain have undone it

again,

And now you would never know

There was once a road throughthe woods.

As the church flounders in this

country, and we struggle to see the

work of God among us, we have to

wonder if we are more like the Isra-

elites than we realize. God asked

through the prophet Jeremiah, Have

you not brought this upon yourself by

forsaking the Lord your God, when heled you in the way (Jer. 2:17)? As we

have allowed all of our modern

conveniences to take over our lives

we have decided to use the extra

time we have found to pursue more

worldly pleasures, and given up

our pursuit of the ancient path to

God. We become enslaved to our

hobbies, our lifestyles, our sports

and jobs and forget that God hasmore for us. If we were only will-

ing to step back from the busyness

of this life and assess the way we

live in relation to God we may see

that God has set before us an an-

cient way that leads us not to

stress, and an early death from hy-

pertension but a good way that

leads us to His peace. It provides a

rest to our souls and a joy that theworld can never offer.

The Description of the Path

Scripture tells us that this is an

ancient path. It goes against

many of our modern ideas and pri-

orities. The world tells us to value

the materials that are offered herewhile the path God has set before

us is one that leads to righteous-

ness. It does not always give us the

things that are valued by this sinful

place, but shows us how to walk in

harmony and fellowship with the

one who transcends all these things.

The world tells us to pursue human

achievement while the ancient

path shows us that all we mayachieve pales in comparison to

what God can do through our lives

if we will surrender to Him.

We are not talking about restoring

the traditions created by the genera-

tion or two that came before us, but

restoring something that came long

before that, something that was

given by God Himself. Too oftenwe convince ourselves that if we

make the church the way it was

when we got saved everything

would be better, and we would see

God move once again. That is not

what the Bible is teaching when it

calls us to walk in the ancient way.

We are looking to go beyond all of

the things that have become distrac-

tions, all of the inventions that manhas added to the church throughout

its history and get back to a vibrant

relationship with our Holy Creator.

Back to the path He created for us

when Jesus Christ fulfilled His

proclamation that I will build my

church. No modern invention or

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method that we have devised can

ever replace the fact that the church

was bought with the blood of JesusChrist. It belongs to Him, and if

you are to bear the name of His

church the Church of God then

you belong to Him. He paid the

price for your soul and ransomed

you from all these modern things to

which we are so willing to place

ourselves in bondage.

Look at the history of the people of

God and you will see that thechurch is at its best when the soci-

ety around us (and even our mod-

ern conveniences) affects fewer of

her decisions. When the desire of

Gods people is to seek His will and

follow it the church thrives. On the

other hand, when man decides that

his modern inventions have become

good enough to take the place of

the power of God and the guidanceof His Word and Spirit we always

see the same result: APOSTASY!

Every time we stray from the

ancient path we see a fallen

church, one that is not fit to carry

the name, nor the power of God.

This is why this path that God has

provided us is called the good

way. It originated with God, com-pletely independent of the flawed,

errant reasoning of man. Thus says

the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One

of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who

teaches you to profit, who leads you in

the way you should go (Isaiah 48:17).

In contrast, the Bible teaches that

even what seems to be the best of

mans advancement is not necessar-

ily Gods way. A mans ways are

pure in his own eyes, but the Lordweighs the spirit (Proverbs 16:2).

If we are EVER to see God work in

power within the church it will be

when we look beyond our modern

conveniences to the ancient path.

God will move when we put Him

before the things that have over-

taken our lives, the hobbies, sports,

activities and general busyness. Wewill see His power when we seek it

above all the technology and ad-

vancement the ingenuity of man

can offer. The Bible tells us of this

path, and then tells us how to get

there.

The Directions to the Path

Jeremiah did not simply tell thepeople of Israel to walk the ancient

paths when they found themselves

distracted by the idols and culture

of the people around them. He told

them to stand by the roads. The

people of God were specifically told

to put themselves in a position to

find the direction of God. We

sometimes act like God will just

strike us with a divine revelation ofHis Word. We get the idea that,

like John on Patmos, God will show

us great miraculous visions of His

will. But if your name is not John

and your home is not Patmos it is

very likely that you need to put

yourself in a position where God

will speak to you through His

Word, and His Spirit. We have for-

gotten how great the Word of God

can be in directing us toward Hiswill. This is His revelation to us,

and it shows us the way that He

relates to, and works in the lives of

man. It shows us what He has

done throughout history, and it

reveals what we can expect from

God in the circumstances that we

face as we journey through this life.

If we take the time to search Gods

Word we will find the answers tomany of the questions we face in

this life. Thats why Solomon said,

Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct

your heart in the way (Proverbs 23:19).

We also hear the Word of God

when we are part of Bible studies,

Sunday School, and even listening

to a sermon. God will speak

through those whom He has calledto teach and preach the Word. By

being a part of the gathering of

Gods people we are putting our-

selves in a position to begin to see

the ancient path that God has

placed before us. We cannot sepa-

rate ourselves from the places we

know God will speak and expect to

see the path.

Jeremiah also told the people thatthey had to look. Through prayer

and meditation on Scripture we

discern Gods will. We have come

to the point today that we have al-

most lost these spiritual disciplines

among all the modern gadgets of

the world. Why pray when the an-

swer to every question we could

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nothing wrong with enjoying this life,

but we will someday pay for this atti-

tude that we can never be fulfilled

unless we have everything we want.

We try to fulfill this expectation at the

expense of the rest that God promises

for our soul.

When Jesus told us, Take my yoke upon

youfor my yoke is easy, and my burden

light, He did not mean that He was giv-

ing us an excuse to fill our lives with

every worldly pleasure we can imagine

to the neglect of our relationship with

God. Jesus did promise that He wouldtake our burdens on Himself and help

us along this ancient way. But He

did not tell us to create unnecessary

burdens to place on Him. Jesus has

empowered us and enabled us to carry

our cross, and do Gods work in this

world. He has saved and sanctified us

for this end. He has provided us with a

better way to walk through this jour-

ney; a way that ultimately leads to eter-

nal life. But we must remember thatthis ancient path leads to a destina-

tion where all those worldly things will

do no good. When we arrive at the gate

at the end of the path we cannot carry

with us our achievements. Our hobbies

and worldly activities will not pass

through that way. Thats why this path

is for a specific kind of traveller; one

who seeks Gods presence and His

possibly have is on Google? Do I

need to go to God when I have aproblem? I can just ask my iPhone.

Jeremiah also told the people to ask.

We seem to convince ourselves at times

that God is trying to hide something

from us. We act like He really doesnt

want us to walk with Him, so He is

working to obscure Himself. We strug-

gle to find Gods way while forgetting

that James told us, you do not have be-

cause you do not ask (James 4:2). God isrevealing Himself all around us, even in

nature the Bible tells us. We just dont

see it because we are caught up in other

things. We have set our sights on a

destination that is contrary to that of

this ancient path.

The Destination

There are people in this country today

who are wearing themselves out tryingto keep up with the torrid pace of this

world. They are determined to do eve-

rything they want to do, anything that

might be even a little bit fun or exciting.

They are sure they need to have 25 hob-

bies and their children need to play

every available sport and join every

club. They want to experience every-

thing the world has to offer. There is

goodness above all else.

The Travellers

The ancient path about which the

prophet spoke seems to be one that goescontrary to all the things the world values

today. It leads in a completely different

direction than the paths of man. But

though this road looks difficult maybe

even impossible we must remember

that it is the same path that has been trod

by the saints of all the ages. For John came

to you in the way of righteousness (Matthew

21:32) He [Apollos] had been instructed in

the way of the Lord (Acts 18:21)

Throughout the ages countless men andwomen have sought and found this an-

cient path. They chose to give up some of

their worldly ways and follow an ancient

path that rises above all the turmoil and

struggles of this world. It transcends the

progress and ingenuity of humanity and

rises to the very heavens and presence of

the God who inhabits them.

The way of God is laid out before us. It

continues to wind its way through thelives of men and women. If we will seek

His way out from among all the ways of

the world, we will find a good and

better way. We will find rest for our

souls. God calls us today to an an-

cient path. Will we follow that path,

or will we as Israel say, We will

not walk on it?

Walking An Ancient Path...continued

Nick Wilson

2479 Mercer Rd.

Stoneboro, PA 16153

(724) 376-3075

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