Kingdom Expansion: October 2008

Great Gifts Less The Hassles

I cant believe how fast this year is coming to a close. Thanksgiving will soon be upon us, the joys of family gatherings and soon after that Christmas with all the trimmings including the shopping.

OK, I admit it. I love the holidays, and even the shopping to buy presents for others, however the traffic and holiday rush I can do without. So, if your like me and looking for great items online at great prices. Check out the following site which has two great new book releases available. One for children and another for the whole family. http://theeverlastingkingdom.blogspot.com/

Blessings,

Catching A Glimpse Of God's Glory

Ezekiel 44:1-31
‘I looked and saw the glory of the Lord filling the Temple of the Lord...’(4). We look to the Lord and, catching a glimpse of His glory, ‘we become more and more like Him’. He is leading us out of our life of sin, a life that ‘falls short of His glory’, and into His life of salvation, a life of ‘being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory’(2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 3:23). We have not yet arrived at our full deliverance from sin: ‘When He appears, we shall be like Him’(1 John 3:2). As we await our Lord’s return, let us keep on praying: ‘Change my heart, O God... May I be like You’.‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full on His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace’. (Mission Praise, 69,712).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Pray For God’s Glory In The Place Of Worship. Pray For His Glory In Your Life.

Ezekiel 43:1-27
This is not only about the glory of the Temple. It’s about ‘the glory of the God of Israel’. This is the greater glory - ‘the glory of the Lord filled the Temple’(1,5). God is not only concerned about the creation of a beautiful place of worship. He wants our lives to be ‘radiant with His glory’. This happens when ‘the Spirit lifts us up’ and brings us close to God - ‘into the inner court’(2,5). We pray that the glory of the Lord will fill the place of worship: ‘May the fragrance of Jesus fill this place’. We pray that ‘the glory of Jesus’ will ‘fill His Church’. We are not only praying for God’s glory in the place of worship. We are praying for His glory in our lives: ‘May the beauty of Jesus fill my life... Fill my thoughts, my words, my deeds’(Mission Praise, 462).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Book Cover Designs

In the process of authoring a book? Need a custom book cover designed to showcase what is inbetween the covers.

Here is our latest creation and release.
Sayings From The Teton Mountains
ISBN 9781603831109

If your in the market for some professional design and assistance contact: kingdom-expansion@cox.net

We Are To Worship God In Everything We Do.

Ezekiel 41:1-42:20
'This is the Most Holy Place’(41:4). Here, God is speaking about the Temple. The Temple was the place where God’s people were to gather together to worship Him. There is another ‘holy place’, another place where God is to be glorified: ‘Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit... Glorify God in your body’(1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We worship God when we are in the place of worship. That is only a part of our worship. Our heart is to be a ‘holy place’ where God alone is worshipped. We are to worship Him in everything we do: ‘Be holy in all you do’. At the heart of our worship, there is thanksgiving for God’s love. At the heart of the holy life, there is love. We ‘obey the truth’ when we ‘love one another deeply from the heart’(1 Peter 1:15-16,22).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Let Us Seek To Bring ‘Sinners’ Back To The Lord.

Ezekiel 40:1-49
God was revealing Himself to Ezekiel. ‘The hand of the Lord was upon’ him. He received ‘visions of God’(1-2). Ezekiel was not to keep this revelation to himself: ‘Tell the house of Israel everything you see’(4). We are to learn from ‘the prophets who spoke in the Name of the Lord’. Like them, we are to seek to bring ‘sinners’ back to the Lord, showing them ‘the error of their ways’ and pointing them to God’s way of salvation. This work is to be done prayerfully, never forgetting that ‘the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective’(James 5:10,16,19-20). God promises great blessing to those who are faithful in this work of winning others for Him: ‘Those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars for ever and ever’(Daniel 12:3).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

God's Final Victory Over Satan

Ezekiel 39:1-29
Gog’s defeat points forward to Satan’s final defeat (1-6; Revelation 20:10). We look ahead to God’s final victory over Satan. While we’re here on earth, we must never forget that Satan is a very powerful enemy. He will do all that he can to make us sin against the Lord. We see this in the life of God’s people, Israel. They allowed Satan to get the upper hand - and God was not pleased with them: ‘The nations shall know that the people of Israel went into captivity for their sin, because they were unfaithful to Me’(23). God’s Word assures us that - even when Satan has gained the upper hand - , we can be ‘brought back’ to the place of blessing. God will ‘have mercy’ on us. He will ‘pour out His Spirit’ upon us (25,29). ‘Restore us, O God...’(Psalm 85:4).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

The Lord’s Final Triumph Over Satan.

Ezekiel 38:1-23
We read here of God’s judgment upon ‘Gog from the land of Magog’: ‘When Gog attacks the land of Israel, My hot anger will be aroused... I will execute judgment upon him...’ (1, 18, 22). The names ‘Gog and Magog’ are also found in Revelation 20:7-10. There, we read of rebellion against God - ‘They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people...’- and God’s judgment - ‘Fire came down from heaven and consumed them’. In this divine judgment upon ‘Gog and Magog’, we see the Lord’s final triumph over ‘Satan’: ‘The devil who had deceived Gog and Magog was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur’ to be ‘tormented day and night for ever and ever’. ‘Hallelujah! Our Lord God Almighty reigns’ (Revelation 19:6).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

What A Difference The Lord Makes!

Ezekiel 37:1-28
It was ‘a valley of dry bones’(1-2). Then, the Lord changed everything - ‘I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live’(5). What a difference the Lord makes! ‘Breathe on me, Breath of God. Fill me with life anew’(Church Hymnary, 103). What happens when the Spirit of the Lord breathes new life into the Church of God? - ‘The Church that seemed in slumber has now risen from its knees and dry bones are responding with the fruits of new birth’. ‘Holy Spirit, we welcome You. Let the breeze of Your presence flow that Your children here might truly know how to move in the Spirit’s flow... Holy Spirit, we welcome You. Please accomplish in us today some new work of loving grace, we pray. Unreservedly, have Your way. Holy Spirit, we welcome You’(Mission Praise, 274,241).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

The Wonderful Grace Of Jesus

Ezekiel 36:1-38
‘I will look on you with favour’(9). Through Christ our Saviour, God looks upon us with favour. Here are some words which will help you to rejoice in the ‘wonderful grace of Jesus’ which is ‘greater than all my sin’, the ‘wonderful grace of Jesus’ which ‘reaches me’. ‘Let me introduce you to a friend called Grace. Doesn’t care about your past or your many mistakes. He’ll cover your sins in a warm embrace. Let me introduce to a friend called Grace’. ‘His grace reaches lower than your worst mistake and His love will run further than you can run away’. ‘He believes in lost causes when common sense would just give up. He believes in lost causes and changes people with His love. There’s nobody too far gone, no one beyond His reach. He believes in lost causes ‘cause He believed in me’. Let Jesus be your Joy!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Do You Know Christ As Saviour, Or Will You Face Him As Judge?

Ezekiel 35:1-15
‘You will be desolate, O Mount Seir, you and all of Edom. Then they will know that I am the Lord’(15). The people of Edom knew the Lord as their Judge. There is a much better way of knowing the Lord. We can know Him as our Saviour. Those who refuse to come to Jesus Christ, trusting in Him as Saviour, place themselves under God’s judgment. They are ‘condemned already because they have not believed in the Name of God’s one and only Son’. They will know the Lord as their Judge - but they could have known Him as their Saviour if they had submitted to God’s saving purpose for their lives: ‘God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him’(John 3:17-18). Each of us must choose. Do you know Christ as Saviour, or will you face Him as Judge?
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Jesus - The Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, The Chief Shepherd

Ezekiel 34:1-31
God speaks to us in love. He says, ‘I Myself will be the Shepherd of My sheep’(15). We rejoice in His love. We say, ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’(Psalm 23:1). Jesus is our Shepherd. He is ‘the good Shepherd’. He laid down His life for us that we might receive the forgiveness of our sins. ‘Christ died for our sins’. He - ‘the Righteous’- died for us - ‘the unrighteous’- ‘to bring us to God’(John 10:11; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Peter 3:18). He is ‘the great Shepherd’. He was ‘raised’ from the dead’. Through His resurrection, we receive eternal life. He says to us, ‘Because I live you will live also’(Hebrews 13:20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:4; John 14:19). He is ‘the chief Shepherd’. He will come again with ‘the unfading crown of glory’ for His ‘good and faithful servants’(1 Peter 5:4; Matthew 25:21).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

God Shows Us Our Sin. He Calls Us To Receive His Salvation.

Ezekiel 33:1-33
Ezekiel was to be ‘a watchman for the house of Israel’: ‘whenever you hear a Word from My mouth, you shall give them warning from Me’. He was to ‘warn the wicked to turn from his way’(7-9). This is the warning of love. God loves us. It is because He loves that He ‘has no pleasure in the death of the wicked’. In His love, He shows us our sin so that we might come to Him with a real confession of sin: ‘Our sins are upon us’. In His love, He creates in us a desire for His salvation: ‘How then can we live?’. In His love, He calls us to return to Him: ‘Turn back from your evil ways’. He loves us. He does not want us to ‘die’: ‘Why will you die?’(10-11). In love, God shows us our sin - ‘The wages of sin is death’- and calls us to receive His ‘free gift’- ‘eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’(Romans 6:23).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

"You Fool! I Will Demand Your Life From You Tonight!"

Ezekiel 32:1-32
‘Pride goes before destruction’(Proverbs 16:18). ‘Pharaoh, king of Egypt’ was arrogant and ruthless: ‘You are like a lion among the nations;you are like a monster in the seas, thrashing about in your streams, churning the water with your feet and muddying the streams’(2). Soon, it would be ‘the day of his downfall’: ‘The sword of Babylon will come against you... Pharaoh and all his hordes will be killed by the sword’(10-11,32). Don’t be like the rich fool - ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry’. He couldn’t have been more wrong! - ‘God said to him, ‘You fool! I will demand your life from you tonight!”’God is warning us: ‘This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God’(Luke 12:19-21).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

New Life In The Son - A Time For Salvation (Ecclesiastes 3:1-14)

Here's a link to a sermon I preached recently.

I hope that God will bless you through the preaching of His Word.

There Is One Majesty Who Will Never Be Brought Down - Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ezekiel 31:1-18
‘Pharaoh, king of Egypt’ had the appearance of ‘majesty’- ‘Who can be compared with you in majesty?’- yet he was ‘brought down’(2,18). There is one Majesty who will never be brought down - Our Lord Jesus Christ. He is ‘the same yesterday and today and for ever’. He will receive ‘glory for ever and ever’. To Him alone, the Father says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever’(Hebrews 13:8,21; 1:8). This is real Majesty! ‘Majesty, worship His Majesty. Unto Jesus be glory, honour and praise. Majesty, Kingdom authority, flows from His throne unto His own. His anthem raise. So exalt, lift up on high the Name of Jesus. Magnify, come glorify, Christ Jesus the King. Majesty, worship His Majesty, Jesus who died, now glorified, King of all kings’(Mission Praise, 454).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Some new posts at my “Christ in all the Scriptures” blog

"‘When Christ Comes, Will He Find Faith...?"

Ezekiel 30:1-26

‘The day of the Lord is near... A sword will come against Egypt... The day of Egypt’s doom is sure to come’(3-4,9). We must not take God lightly. We can’t do what we like and get away with it. We must not ‘trample the Son of God under foot’. We must not ‘treat Christ’s blood as an unholy thing’. We must not ‘insult the Spirit of grace’. We must not forget: ‘It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God’. God is speaking to us concerning ‘the Day of the Lord’, the Return of Christ: ‘He who is coming will come...’. He speaks His Word of warning: ‘Those who shrink back are destroyed’. He speaks His Word of promise: ‘Those who believe are saved’(Hebrews 10:29,31, 37-39). ‘When Christ comes, will He find faith...?’ ‘Search my heart, O God...’(Luke 18:8; Psalm 139:23-24).

God's Way Of Salvation - ‘Through Jesus Christ Our Saviour’

Ezekiel 29:1-21
In God’s dealings with Egypt, we see both His wrath- ‘Egypt will become a desolate wasteland’- and His mercy- ‘At the end of forty years... I will restore the fortunes of Egypt’(9,13-14). God’s wrath is His response to Egypt’s pride - ‘Because you said, “The Nile is mine; I made it”, therefore I am against you’(9-10). In His merciful restoration, God places His restraint on Egypt’s pride - ‘It shall be the most lowly of the kingdoms, and will never again exalt itself above the other nations’ (15). We come to God as sinners. We confess our sins, praying, ‘In wrath, remember mercy’. He saves us by ‘His mercy’. His way of salvation - ‘through Jesus Christ our Saviour’- is a constant rebuke to our pride: ‘This is not your own doing. It is the gift of God’(Habakkuk 3:2; Titus 3:4-6; Ephesians 2:8).

New Book Release Coming Soon

You Make Me Glad

We Shall Overcome Satan ‘By The Blood Of The Lamb.’

Ezekiel 28:1-26
‘You were on the holy mount of God... You were blameless in your ways... You sinned... I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God’(14-16). This is much more than the ‘long time ago’ story of ‘the king of Tyre’ (12). Here, we catch a glimpse of ‘the spiritual forces in the heavenly realms’. We read about ‘war in heaven’. We read about the downfall of ‘Satan’. God’s Word is warning us: ‘Our struggle is not against flesh and blood’. We face a much more powerful ‘enemy’- ‘Satan’. He ‘disguises himself as an angel of light’. We must not be fooled. He is no ‘angel of light’. He is ‘a roaring lion’. He is ‘prowling about, looking for someone to devour’. We shall overcome him ‘by the blood of the Lamb...’(Ephesians 6:12; Revelation 12:7-9,11; 2 Corinthians 11:14; 1 Peter 5:8).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Jesus Is ‘The Sure And Strong Anchor For Our Lives.’

Ezekiel 27:1-36
‘Your wealth... will sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your shipwreck’(27). We will sink if we don’t ‘keep our eyes fixed on Jesus’. We must not allow ourselves to get weighed down. We must not become ‘entangled’ in the world’s way of living. We must ‘throw off everything that hinders’ our spiritual growth. Jesus is ‘the sure and strong Anchor for our lives’. He will keep us from sinking. Let us look to Him and learn from Him: ‘Do not lay up treasures on earth... Lay up treasures in heaven’ (Hebrews 12:1-2; 6:19; 2 Timothy 2:4; Matthew 6:19-20). ‘Will your anchor hold in the storms of life...? We have an Anchor that keeps the soul , steadfast and sure while the billows roll, fastened to the Rock which cannot move, grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love!’(Church Hymnary, 412).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Jesus Christ Has Come ‘To Seek And To Save The Lost.’

Ezekiel 26:1-21
‘I am against you, O Tyre... You will be no more... You will never again be found...’(3,21). God’s Word is spoken against us: ‘There is no-one righteous... All have turned away... There is no-one who does good... All have sinned...’(Romans 3:10,12.23). God speaks His Word against us ‘so that every mouth may be silenced’(Romans 3:19). He wants us to to stop making excuses for ourselves. He wants us to start listening to what He has to say to us. For the city of Tyre, the situation was hopeless. For us, there is a Word of hope. Jesus Christ has come ‘to seek and to save the lost’. Jesus Christ has ‘died for our sins’(Luke 19:10; 1 Peter 3:18). ‘Through faith in Jesus Christ’, we hear God’s Word of forgiveness: ‘I will remember their sins no more’(Romans 3:22; Hebrews 8:12; 10:17).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com