http://www.kingstonalc.com/blog.php en-us CuteNews http://www.kingstonalc.com/blog.php?subaction=showfull&id=1283340991&archive= 2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

It is as if he wants to again point them to the fullness that they have in Christ and of who they are in Christ Jesus. They have everything they need in Him, for in Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. They are lacking nothing! We are lacking nothing!! And now finally, after greeting them, praying for them, showing them of that which God has done for them through His Son, Jesus, and revealing his heart of love and commitment for their souls welfare, Paul begins to address some of what he sees as dangers to their remaining in Christ Jesus. He now gives three warnings throughout the rest of the chapter. Again, let us listen in to the letter being read to the Colossians Christians as well as to us who live in this year of 2010...

First warning: Do not let anyone's words lead us astray.
4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile (cheat, deceive, lead astray) you with enticing words.
5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.
6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

We recall that in verse 28 of chapter one, Paul spoke in this manner:
KJV Colossians 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

Jesus Christ is the One we proclaim and in this proclamation there is both the warning and the teaching. We see this manner of proclamation displayed here by the beloved Apostle. He begins in verse 4 with the warning to not let any man deceive them with persuasive speech. (enticing words) But then it is as if he again wants to point them to the assurance of who they are in Christ, how he joys in the position that they are through their believing of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He then says, Be that which you are in Christ and live your life accordingly. He then points out four important things to them/us. We will use this for our application of what we have heard so far.

1. We are rooted in Christ
2. We are built up in Christ (ongoing)
3 We are established in the faith that we have been taught
4. We are abounding with thankfulness for that which we have received from God!

Let it not escape us that the Apostle has taken the entire first chapter to speak of that which God has done for us in Christ Jesus and he just now begins to give some warning/teaching to the practical part of the lives of the hearers of his letter. He begins by addressing first of all those who would be teaching doctrines contrary to the doctrine of Jesus Christ. This he does in a great spirit of love and concern, as in verse 5 one can feel the oneness that he share with those he has never met. Paul had come to realize and experience that the Body of Christ was not one, but contains all believers everywhere. We get the sense from his letter that Paul, by the eyes of faith, is able to be with those to whom he is writing to as if in person. He does not throw doubt on who they are in Christ through faith, but he through building them up gives them encouragement to continue with thankfulness to God for His grace in the Lord Jesus Christ! May we be encouraged and instructed by his words for us today.....

Til next time.

Jude 24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25 Too the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Pastor Orval Wirkkala]]> 1283340991 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:36:31 -0700 http://www.kingstonalc.com/blog.php?subaction=showfull&id=1281956723&archive=
As we continue our journey through Apostle Paul's letter to the Colossians, last week we observed how Paul began to show his beloved recipients of his letter of how much he cared for them, to the point that he told them that he rejoiced in the fact that the sufferings that he was experiencing were for their spiritual benefit. He began to share with them of the nature of the kingdom of God (the body of Jesus Christ) through personal example, in that he considered his (Paul's) personal life secondary to the spiritual life and growth of those to whom he was writing to. In our reading today, he further explains of that which he wishes to share with them.

Colossians 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation(stewardship/commission) of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;(fully preach the Word, or to make it fully known)

He emphasizes that the preaching of the Word is of utmost importance in his ministry, for it is through the preaching of the Word of faith that souls are brought to salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. In another place, Paul encourages his young co-worker to preach the Word, telling him that not all will receive the Word.

KJV 2 Timothy 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.


26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

He speaks of the progressive revelation of Jesus Christ, the long prophesied and awaited Messiah, who now has been revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Those who lived in the Old Testament time only saw Him in shadows, figures, similitudes and allegories.

1 Peter 1:10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.


KJV 2 Timothy 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
KJV 2 Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
KJV 2 Timothy 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

He speaks of the riches of the glory of this revelation, in that it is Christ in us, Who is our hope of glory. A glory which may only be seen through the illumination of the Holy Spirit. This is the hope spoken about in his letter to the Romans. The gift of the Holy Spirit bestows upon us the promise of salvation which is eternal. It can be compared to having an earnest money agreement on a house. The house is not ours yet, but it is promised to us in the future. There would be much that could be written on this particular verse, but we will simply say that the even seeing and experiencing a small part of this glory/splendor of God in Christ Jesus fills our souls with such confidence and assurance that the joy of our relationship in Christ and of the expected heaven fills our souls. Being a partaker of the glory of God empowers us to look upon our trials from heaven instead of from earth. Being a partaker of the glory of God through Christ enables us to be a thankful servant within His kingdom. May the Lord open our eyes wider to the glory that is ours now and which is immeasureably greater on the other side!

27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: {in: or, among}

KJV 1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

KJV Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Here we make the point that often Paul preached from positive side as well as the negative side in his ministry, for in this next verse he both warns as well as teaches. We see that illustrated overall in the entire book as to this point He has been coming from the positive point of view. For he has not as of yet directly spoken of the dangers (negative) that their minister, Epaphras, most likely wrote to him about. In our verse below, he warns as well as teaches.. Through both approaches, he wants them to understand that it is only through the work and person of Jesus Christ as spoken through the Word that they will be presented as mature, fully grown believers to God.

28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect (mature, fully grown) in Christ Jesus:

1 Coriinthians 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. {words: or, speech}
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

He took his ministry very serious, as far as effort was concerned, but recognized that both the will and the doing came from God his Father. He also realized that there was no limit to the power that worked in him, that power which came from God, and which has its greatest effect through the church.

29 Whereunto I also labour,(to the point of weariness) striving (agonize) according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

. Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

KJV Colossians 2:1 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; {conflict: or, fear, or, care}
2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
ESV Colossians 2:2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ,
3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. {In whom: or, Wherein}

Paul begins the second chapter with words which reflect his care and concern for the Christians in Laodicea, for those who he has never seen, but yet has great care for them. He prays for their comfort, for their unity through love and that they would have the knowledge of this mystery of God, and of the Father, in and through Jesus Christ. That is what he has been emphasizing to this point, for from the early part of the first chapter, he began to pray that they would be filled with the knowledge and will of God in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. He then went on to add other things to his prayer for them, but the first part of his prayer was directed at their being filled with the knowledge and will of God in spiritual wisdom and understanding. Now he adds to that prayer, as we see in verse 3 of chapter 2, he says all this is to be found in Jesus Christ. Soon Paul will begin to address some of the dangers of false teaching that is coming upon the Colossian congregation, but up to this point he has not directly addressed the particulars. He has layed out the truth before them, pointed them to what God has done in Christ Jesus through the cross, encouraged them to continue holding fast to the promise of the gospel of Jesus Christ, has revealed his heart of love and care for them, and now beginning with verse 4 will begin to address some of the false teachings that they are being faced with. We will begin with verse 4 of chapter 2 in our next segment.

May we be filled with the knowledge and will of God through Christ Jesus today.

Pastor Orval Wirkkala]]> 1281956723 Mon, 16 Aug 2010 04:05:23 -0700 http://www.kingstonalc.com/blog.php?subaction=showfull&id=1281269252&archive= 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation1 under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,
25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,
26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.
27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.


Life is about relationships:
In the relationships of life we have examples, role models which we follow in order to accomplish that which we wish to gain. For example, as parents, we understand that it is benefical to observe parents who are a little older than us so that we would learn by observing their relationship with one another as well as with their children. What is successful for them often times proves successful for us, and likewise what does not work for them often times will not work for us. This is in general, of course. The point is that we draw off of their experiences for our benefit. Growing in maturity in marriage would mean that we are growing in our understanding and experience that the marital/family relationship is in the team concept.

Young people learn somewhat in the same way as they observe those who are a bit older than they are as opposed to having their future directed by taking consensus among their peers. That may work fine sometimes, but they quickly learn to test their directions in life through the observing of the experiences and teachings of those who are mature (parents) or are growing in maturity.(those who may be a bit more mature than they) The youthful years play a major part of one growing in the understanding that life is about the team: The family at home, the church, and the community (how ever large that might be)

Christianity means relationship with Jesus. He is the example that we are called to follow, but since He is both God and man it is difficult to "match up" with Him in all things. Therefore, we draw on the examples of people just like us, like Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel, David, and even, yes, Goliath in the OT. In the NT, the one we are called to model and imitate is the Apostle Paul, whose letter to the Colossians we are currently going through. We are given much insight into the life of the Apostle Paul, therefore, it is good for us to take advantage of the example that he lived as well as take heed of the words that he wrote under the leading of the Holy Spirit. They are true.

As children of the light, we have been placed in a privileged position within the body of Jesus Christ, because of the grace of God. No other reason can be found in the Bible for this place which we have been placed. As in any other privilege in life, there are responsibilities and duties that come along with it. To this point in our letter, Paul has spoken to us through the Holy Spirit of what God has done for us through His Son Jesus and now begins to shift the focus of his letter to what the life of a Christian is like in everyday life.

Now he begins to indirectly address the question which often times has troubled and challenged the Christian Church through the ages. We are saved, now what! Some have minimized the teachings concerning what the Bible says about our responsibilities and duties as a Christian to the point where any fruits or works are considered wrong, as self righteousness or simply unnecesary while others have placed too much emphasis on them to the point that they become a demand to maintain one's saved condition. Probably the two verses which have led to these two extremes are the following:

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

James 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. {alone: Gr. by itself}
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.



The Apostle Paul begins the transition of his letter to the Colossian congregation by writing that he rejoices in what he is going through for them. As he sits in a prison in Rome, he shows them that he does not turn inward, and therefore feel sorry for himself, but rather writes to them that he rejoices that his sufferings will be to their benefit. In some way, the collective body will benefit because of his sufferings personally.

His sufferings were due to his identification with Jesus, and were not because of the things of life or as a result of his own poor choices. Everyone experiences the latter two situations, but only Christians experience persecution due to being yoked with Jesus Christ.

We must understand that any suffering which we experience does not contribute to the ransom for sin that was required by God. That is a done deal. But our call to identify/suffer with Christ in some way plays a part in the propagation/spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When God is put on display, some people will be affected and changed for the better by it.

Two of the illustrations from the Old Testament which we referred to last week show this to us.

KJV Daniel 3:29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
KJV Daniel 3:30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon

KJV Daniel 6:25 Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
KJV Daniel 6:26 I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.

Let us look at a few New Testament references which teach about suffering, and which clarify that suffering which Paul is referring to in our text is related to that which results from being identified with Jesus Christ.

1. We will experience the common sufferings of life.

1 Peter 2:19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. {thankworthy: or, thank}
20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. {acceptable: or, thank}
21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: {for us: some read, for you}
22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: {himself: or, his cause}
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. {on: or, to}
25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

2. If we sow in the flesh, we will reap in the flesh

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

3. As part of the body of Jesus Christ, we will suffer for our identification with Him.

John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.

Examples: The first Apostles suffered in the body of Jesus

KJV Acts 5:40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
KJV Acts 5:41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

We all have a testimony of our life. John Newton, the writer of Amazing Grace, had a testimony: I once was lost, but now I am found, I was blind, but now I see. Simply said, we all can say, this was my life, this happened, now I am this.

The Apostle Paul had the same testimony of his life. We sometimes get caught up in the idea that we are only "this" and forget that we are yet growing. The subject of growth will illustrated in the next sermon, in the last part of this chapter.

Why did Paul begin his discussion in this way and how did he get to the point to where he could say what he said about suffering?

1. When he was translated into the kingdom of light, it was prophesied to a man named Ananias that he was going to suffer.

Acts 9:10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

2. He suffered for the cause of Christ

2 Cor 2:23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?
30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.

3. He understood the purpose of suffering and desired to participate in these sufferings in a greater way.

Philippians 3:8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith-
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Paul began to teach about the actual living of a Christian life through his own example. (Note that this is the springboard that Paul uses to begin to teach of the Christian life: It is attitude, not practice. Practice will come later in this letter)

1. He understood and had come to experience that true relationship with Jesus was one of serving the other.

2. He had genuine joy in that his sufferings for the sake of Jesus was and would be a benefit to them spiritually.

Application

What does this mean to us today in our time, in our culture?

Family: Do we realize that our family relationships thrive when we willingly and joyfully (even in suffering) serve for the benefit of the family, for our church, even for our community?

We exercise this by asking ourselves: What can I do today to serve/suffer for the sake of my family? my congregation? my community?

How could I put my family, my church, my community before me, put the needs of the group before my personal needs? When we do this, we are looking to build for the future, for those who are younger than us, for those who will be drawn to worship with us, for those who will be leaders in our community.

As we think upon the grace that God has bestowed upon us, and we ask ourselves the question today, "I am yours, Lord, now what?" let us silently reflect on that which the Lord has spoken with us today concerning the privileges and opportunities that are given to us today and which will be presented to us in the near future in our relationships with our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us now and always, Amen.

Pastor Orval Wirkkala]]> 1281269252 Sun, 08 Aug 2010 05:07:32 -0700 http://www.kingstonalc.com/blog.php?subaction=showfull&id=1280666059&archive=
KJV Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

We have no reason to fear when we are united to Jesus Christ through the cross and the resurrection but yet, fear is part of the consequence of our fall into sin. It has been said the the two biggest fears are public speaking and death. The Bible speaks much of fear, both from the point of calling us to fear as well as not to fear. Let us look at few verses to get started towards understanding of our text verse today.

KJV Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

KJV Job 28:28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

KJV 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

KJV 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

KJV Hebrews 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

KJV Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Luke 23:39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

These verses clearly point out that there is nothing to fear in the circumstances of life once we have come to understand what it means to fear God. The fear of God has been compared to the fear of water by a child who is in the water but does not know how to swim. Once the child who does not know how to swim comes to know that if he/she slips under the water, he/she will drown, there will be a definite fear of the water. But once the child learns how to swim, it then is able to enjoy the water, but yet knows that the water has the last word. Even so with the fear of God, God holds the last word in everything! We could call it respect for the water, or respect for God.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee:

be not dismayed; for I am thy God:

I will strengthen thee;

yea, I will help thee;

yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.


In our text today, there are five promises which are given to those who have come to understand what it is to fear God. Our text is found in the book of Isaiah, in the 41st chapter, verse 10. This often quoted verse is given to those who were living around 700 years before the time of Jesus here on earth and through these verses is given to us assurance, comfort and direction from the Lord. Let us briefly consider the events leading up to this verse that is before us today.

Isaiah was one of the major prophets of the Lord who spoke the Word of the Lord to the people during that time. His book has been called the fifth gospel as he points to the Messianic kingdom of Jesus Christ, especially in the latter part of his writing. (chapters 40-66) It is interesting to note that the first 39 chapters of the book of Isaiah contain much history (but including prophecy) and the last 26 chapters contain the fulfilment of the promise, howbeit prophetically.. The Holy Bible has a similar makeup, for the 39 books of the Old Testament contain largely books of history (including prophecy) and the last 26 contain the fulfilment of the promise. It is a rich book in which one can spend countless hours of prayerful reading and meditation in seeking the heart and the ways of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

At the time that this was written, God's people were living in Babylon in exile, which was due to their disobedience to God and His commands. Beginning in chapter 40, the book shifts from a historical narrative to a tone of speaking from the heart of God to the hearts of the people, speaking of restoration. The introduction to the rest of the book of Isaiah is contained in the first 11 verses of chapter 40 and contains clear references to the kingdom of God which Jesus brought into the New Testament time and which will continue forever.

The Restoration
KJV Isaiah 40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins. {comfortably: Heb. to the heart} {warfare: or, appointed time}
3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: {straight: or, a straight place} {plain: or, a plain place}
5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. {with strong...: or, against the strong} {his work: or, recompense for his work}
11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. {that...: or, that give suck}

Isaiah then asks a series of questions which are designed to show God's preeminence over all
12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? {a measure: Heb. a tierce}
13 Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? {his...: Heb. man of his counsel}
14 With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding? {instructed...: Heb. made him understand} {understanding: Heb. understandings?}

The answers are provided for us.
15 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.
16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

How do idols compare with God?
18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?
19 The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.
20 He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved. {is so...: Heb. is poor of oblation}

Don't you know who I am?
21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: {It is...: or, Him that}
23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

Who can you compare me with, or what can I be compared with?
(We are dwarfed by the creation, but the creation is dwarfed by God)

25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?
ESV Isaiah 40:27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God"?

28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

KJV Isaiah 41:1 Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.

Who is in charge anyway?
2 Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow.
3 He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet.

Who is in charge of the events of the world? God answers through Isaiah
4 Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

People responded, by drawing together, but not to Christ.
5 The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.
6 They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.

Those who have their hope in idols encourage one another, they strengthen their idols.
7 So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.

God now speaks to those who are in the Promise, including us.
8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
9 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

During VBS we focused on three happenings in history. Here are the three biblical references in brief:

They had respect toward God rather than toward man.
KJV Daniel 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
KJV Daniel 3:17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.


He had respect toward God rather than toward man.
KJV Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

He had respect toward the ways of God rather than the ways of man.
KJV 1 Samuel 17:32 And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
KJV 1 Samuel 17:33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
KJV 1 Samuel 17:34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
KJV 1 Samuel 17:35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
KJV 1 Samuel 17:36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.

These may seem like they are in the distant past, for most of us in our culture today have not experienced such situations. But those in foreign lands experience these miracles, as those who have been there can relate to as well as information we receive from those areas of the world. When we read of the accounts from the pages of history of the Bible, we are educated and we gain knowledge. But when we hear first hand testimonies of those who have experienced miracles of God, we are inspired.

This is one of the reasons why we invite people such as John Ruotsala, the FM administrator, to be with us. People such as Dr. K, from India. Let us take advantage of the opportunities to hear of God's work today in the lives of those who are persecuted for Christ.

A recent article in the VOM gives the testimony of one who witnessed a miracle similar to the first one we highlighted today. Here it the account.


"Noora and her two daughters became believers through the witness of Noora's younger sister. After Noora became a Christian, she wondered. "What am I supposed to do with my life now? How can I tell my husband?" Noora's husband, a sheik and leader in his mosque, was a dedicated Muslim. Noora could imagine what would happen if he found her Bible.

"When I usedd to see him beside me, I used to get cold and sweaty, and, you know, scared." Noora says. For a while she hid the Bible in a drawer under her daughter's clothes. But later she moved the Bible to a place her husband never went near--the oven.

One Sunday afternoon, Noora's husband did something very out of character for him. He brought home a fish, prepared it and slid it into the oven. Unaware that Noora's Bible was on the rack below, he turned on the oven ot cook the fish.

"As we sat there, I was sure that the Bible was burning, but I could'nt think about it." Noora says. She and her daughter looked at each other mutely across the table, afraid to say anything. "When it was done, he took out the fish and ate it. Then he left to go back to the mosque to pray. I asked my daughter to take out the Bible. But to our surprise, we didn't find ashes..We found the book was not burned. The color of the cover had changed, but the inside pages were the same. Even the Bible ribbon didn't burn. It was hot. And it had some dots of oil from the fish on it."

When Noora's husband finally learned that she had become a Christian, he beat her so hard her gallbladder ruptured. "I carried my cross and I left my house only with my clothes," she says. "Jesus is worth it, you know? I love him so much." Her husband, the sheik, divorced her.

"Jesus never promised that we would have a rose filled life, a good one," Noora explains. "As I go along with Christ, I share his suffering and I know the trouble I face is because I walk with him. When I converted, my family called me "infidel.' If they want a drink and I give them a cup of water, they don't take it from my hand. I am an infidel and I am not clean enoughlllto even give them a cup of water."

KJV Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Through the pen of Isaiah, God has pointed to the restoration, which is through Jesus Christ. When Jesus was here he told us then and he tells us today, that the secret of having no fear is to seek first His kingdom and its righteousness and all things needed will be added unto us.

These four illustrations show us that we live by faith, which means that trust in the God who we cannot see to provide us that which we are able to see, that which we need for life and to protect us from danger. The key in all these stories is that they trusted and do trust in God above all others and all other things.

Regardless of the cost, they feared God more than man, even to the separation of the family...Even though the Bible illustrations do not specifically refer to Jesus and his coming, we must acknowledge that God's working in history is to bring about redemption and restoration to his fallen creation. Isaiah points to this when he relays the message from God that "I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness."

In our last session of VBS, we tied all of this together as we demonstrated through role acting of what Isaiah was referring to when he wrote of God upholding them with the right hand of his righteousness.

ESV 2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

We invited the children to take turns playing the roles. It went this way. Sitting behind the desk, acting us Judge with a placard hanging around their neck which said, innocent and sinless was one role, which depicted Jesus. As the other role player, handcuffed, approached the desk with a guilty and sinner placard on their neck, the hammer of the judge affirmed their guilt, but then as the one stood there helpless and hopeless, the former Judge now got up from the chair, came around to the front of the desk, took off the guilty and sinner placard off of the child and put it on himself. He then took a placard which said, "forgiven by the blood of Jesus" and hung it over the neck of the child, taking off the handcuffs as he did so. The child walked away.....

KJV Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Thank you, Lord, for becoming sin for us, so that we might be made right with you through repentance and faith. Help us to remember to first seek your kingdom and your righteousness, knowing that the additional things that we need will be given to us. Help us to draw encouragement and inspiration from the example of Daniel, of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, from David, from Noora, but above all, from your Son Jesus Christ, who came to serve us so that we might live. We thank you that he took our place in what looks to the world like weakness,, and is now on your right hand in a place of power and authority, interceding there for us. May we rest upon your promises today and always! In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you today and forever!

Pastor Orval Wirkkala]]> 1280666059 Sun, 01 Aug 2010 05:34:19 -0700 http://www.kingstonalc.com/blog.php?subaction=showfull&id=1280110367&archive=
Introduction and Transition from last week:

As we continue our way through Apostle Paul's letter to the Colossian congregation, today we come to verses 15-23 of chapter one. Last week we spent some time considering Paul's prayer which is contained in verses 9-14 and in which he prayed four specific things for them, which we will recount here.
9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you,

A. 9b and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

B. 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

C. 11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

D. 12 Giving thanks unto the Father,

Paul now lists four reasons for being thankful, now including himself in the prayer.

A. He has qualified us!
12b which hath made us/you meet (qualified, made us fit) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

B. He has rescued us
13a Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness,

C. He has moved us from dark to light
13b and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

D. He has purchased us
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood,

E. He has given us the forgiveness of sins.
14b even the forgiveness of sins:

As he finishes this part of his letter to them, it is as if he says: “You have received salvation and I will tell you who saved you. I will tell you where He was when the earth was created. I will tell you who He is with regard to God. I will tell you
who He is with regard to the world. I will tell you who He is with regard to the church—He is supreme.
He is above all things.” He is the One through whom God reconciled us to Himself and with one another.

We see this outlined in the following manner:

Jesus' Relationship to the Father
Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

KJV John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

KJV Matthew 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

KJV Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Jesus' Relationship to Creation (Creation Mediator and Sustainer)
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

His Relationship to the Church (Redemption Mediator and Sustainer)
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. (First born” here means that He is the first to have come from death to eternal life—to continuous immortality in the body)
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

God made the first move, to reconcile us to Himself. He does not hold our sins against us.
20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Paul addresses the church telling them God is no longer their enemy, but their friend. It is God's initiated action.
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Faith is a condition of entering into the experience of as well as in the continuing in this reconciled state.
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

Now that Paul has outlined the coming of the God Man Jesus Christ into the flesh in order to reconcile us unto Himself by the cross and that we receive this by faith, let us spend the rest of the time looking at the implications of this into our lives as Christians. In order to do this, we will here present four words which will guide our meditations. They are: Honeymoon, Conflict, Resolution, and Intimacy

In life we experience conflict in relationships. Left unresolved, we end up in broken relationships, broken families, broken churches, broken businesses and so forth.
The most basic thing that one can say of any relationship is that it is made up of two sinners and that there will be confict. For when two sinners get together, there is bound to be some/a lot selfishness in the forefront.

For any relationship to reach any level of intimacy, it pass through three stages in order to approach that place in which the relationship can grow in closeness and harmony. These stages could be called honeymoon, conflict, resolution and intimacy Whether it is a marital relationship, a relationship with any person, a church relationship, or a business relationship, they must all leave the idealistic honeymoon stage (1) and enter into the reality of everyday life, which often results in conflict.(2) The sooner these conflicts come in, the better, for then stage (3) can be enacted, resolution and then some level of intimacy.

The Bible always looks on differences not as reason to separate, but as an opportunity to work together to grow in the maturity of Christ. When differences which result in conflict are viewed as opportunity for growth, a marriage, a church relationship, a business relationship can and will grow into maturity, which means to view the relationship as one and not as two separate people. We know that we are understanding this maturity when we find ourselves thinking and saying ours, we, us as opposed to mine, me, or I.

Intimacy will happen when we move from the honeymoon period, to conflict and then work to resolve the conflicts. Intimacy does not depend upon the resolution of all differences, but it depends upon our willingness to work to resolve conflicts in a biblical manner.

1. Why are we like this? Why is it so hard to have close relationships?

Genesis 2: 18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

The nakedness here means that there is nothing hidden between the two and there is openness, honesty and trust between them. The Honeymoon

But...

Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons

They tried to hide themselves from each other.
1. The sewed fig leaves together. They covered themselves from each other.

8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

2. They tried to hide from God
9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

3. They tried not to take responsibility
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

In the Garden of Eden we lived in the honeymoon, upon falling into sin we entered into the conflict stage. God worked to resolve this huge conflict through his initiative:

NLT Genesis 3:15 From now on, you and the woman will be enemies, and your offspring and her offspring will be enemies. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. {in...: or, among all}
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. {having...: or, making}
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled {in...: or, by your mind in}
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

God acted to reverse the effects of the fall,through His Son and He is now at peace with his new creation in Christ.. All who receive this reality enter into true intimacy with the Father and the Son. From God's perspective we are perfect in Christ, we are His beloved sons and daughters, but from the human perpective we struggle in the actual living out of what it means to enter into communion or intimacy with another person.

1:23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation1 under heaven,

Therefore:
2. We do not need to remain in conflict with anyone: our spouse, someone in our church, someone in our family, someone in our business. God is friendly and gracious toward all, why shouldn't we be also? He receives all who will come to Him. Why should we not do the same? They may be unfriendly toward us, but do we have to be unfriendly and unloving toward them?

Honeymoon, Conflict, Resolution, Intimacy

God acted to remove the enmity between Him and us that came as the result of our fall into sin. When we obey the Gospel, it (believe and experience it) Christ enters into us and His will and His desires become ours, yet understanding that our selfishness is still present. He did not enter into relationship with us in order to control us or to dominate us, but to call to a relationship of love and service toward Him and His created people. He understands that many have not and will not receive His love. Will it be any different for us as His children?

We have many relationships in life. Some are close, some are more distant. Not all relationships are meant to be close, while some are. For example, marriage is an exclusive relationship between two people and no one else. Some relationships are simply working relationships or business relationships. Some relationships have more pressure because of proximity or because they are family oriented. When these conditions exist, things can be very difficult.

These type have entered into the conflict stage and often times get stuck there, for it is too painful and too hurtful to even deal with the conflict. Sometimes we think that nothing will ever change. When that happens, one of the best things to do may be to follow Paul's example of his prayer in verses 9-14 of this same chapter. We cannot force a relationship to grow closer, but we can allow the Lord through His Word to give us the grace to love that person as Christ has loved us. Let us do that, but also remain open to the Holy Spirit in our own hearts, so that our desires and expectations will reviewed in an open and honest manner before God.

Let us ask ourselves some questions.

Do we have desires and wishes for a relationship which we are in, our marital relationship, a special friend, a family member, a church relationship, a business relationship?

Have these desires and wishes become expectations without communicating openly and honestly about them in an attempt to resolve the differences?

Have these desires and wishes become demands, which always results from desires and expectations that are selfishly oriented? If so, we are not on the road to true intimacy with our loved one, but a path of loneliness, anger, frustration and distance.

Lord, thank you for your grace toward us today. We have so many challenges and problems in our relationships. Help us to understand and experience in a greater manner of your heart towards us, in that you not only wanted to fix our relationship toward you, but you did something about it. You sent Your Son at a cost that we cannot comprehend, but it was a cost that required the blood of your Son to be shed to the point of death because of sin. Father, how do we understand this kind of love? Help us to do so. Lord, open our eyes and hearts wider to the reality of what You has done for us through Your Son. Yes, In Adam we lived in the honeymoon, but conflict came, You worked to resolve the conflict so that we may live in intimacy with you in oneness in the Body of Jesus Christ. May your grace be upon us today, for sake of the kingdom of your dear Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Pastor Orval Wirkkala]]> 1280110367 Sun, 25 Jul 2010 19:12:47 -0700 http://www.kingstonalc.com/blog.php?subaction=showfull&id=1279455182&archive=
This letter was written to the believers at Colosse, a small congregation located about 100 miles east of the town of Ephesus and the Mediterranean sea. Apparently the minister of the congregation had appealed to the Apostle Paul, who was in prison in Rome, of some concerns that he had for some teachings that were coming into the church. A brief outline of this letter reveals the following sections of this letter.

Chapter 1: What God has done for us and in us through Jesus Christ
Chapter 2: Various false teachings are pointed out and refuted. Here are four possible errors that were being addressed through this letter. The first sentence is what may have been the error as the verse following seems to address that type of false teaching.

The Gospel that you believe is not the only way to heaven
ESV Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits1 of the world, and not according to Christ.

The Gospel is not enough.
ESV Colossians 2:11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

There is a deeper Gospel
ESV Colossians 2:18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions,1 puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,

The power of the Gospel is not enough to keep you, rules are needed also.
ESV Colossians 2:20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations-

Chapter 3,4 Practical and everyday living as Christians/How do we then live?

2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

The letter to the Colossians seems to follow the pattern that Paul wrote in the above quoted letter to Timothy, in that doctrine and teaching are always to be the foundation of our learning. But because we are yet subject to following and believing that which is not true, we often need the rebuke of the Word, we need the word of correction as well as we need the regular and consistent teaching of the Word so that we would continue to abide/continue and grow in His Word. May it be as we go through this short letter that we would allow the Word to have free course in our minds and hearts.

Question: Is our knowledge of who Jesus is the same as the Jesus that the Bible teaches?

Illustration: When we work crossword puzzles, we begin by going through and filling in those words which we know to be true. After doing that we go back and by using the letters of the words that we already put down, we are able to verify that additional words do indeed fit in the space. In the same way, our knowledge of the Jesus of the Bible is gained through building upon the clear Scriptures by searching His Word and waiting upon the Holy Spirit for the wisdom and understanding, being careful not to make assumptions based upon our our thoughts, our understandings, or our traditions, but believing only those things that are true.


Introduction and Greetings.
KJV Colossians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul gives thanks for them and prays for them.
3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

He tells them that their minister had spoke well of them
7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;
8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

He has prayed for them since he heard of their faith, love and hope and tells them that he continues to pray for them, also telling them that which he has been praying for them about.
9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you,

A. 9b and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

B. 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

C. 11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

D. 12 Giving thanks unto the Father,

Paul now lists four reasons why we are thankful

A. He has qualified us!
12b which hath made us/you meet (qualified, made us fit) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

B. He has rescued us
13a Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness,

C. He has moved us from dark to light
13b and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: {his...: Gr. the Son of his love} tou/ ui`ou/ th/j avga,phj auvtou/(

D. He has purchased us
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood,

E. He has given us the forgiveness of sins.
14b even the forgiveness of sins:

We could certainly make the case for this prayer of Apostle Paul's for the Colossians that it could begin at verse 9 and continue through verse 20. In thankfulness for his brothers and sisters in Christ, he prays specifically that they would be filled with the knowledge of the will of God, that they would walk in truth, that they would be strengthened through the power of the Holy Spirit and that they would be thankful for that which they have received as a result of the work of God through His Son Jesus Christ. He then spends the last part of his prayer recounting that which God has done in a more detailed way. He does not do this to remind God of what He has done, but to bring back to our minds of what God has done for us, so that through faith we would have the forgiveness of sins.

When we pray for others or for ourselves, may we consider following this which we have read and meditated upon today. Instead of praying in superficial manner, may we take note of these all important things that Paul modeled for us here today:

He was thankful, he prayed for their spiritual benefit, and reminded them that God has worked in their behalf to bring unto them the forgiveness of sins, and through faith they have the forgiveness of sin. Do we know those who do not yet believe this?

Let us pray this prayer in such a manner. Let us often open our Bible to this prayer and use it as a pattern for our prayers for the purpose of bringing spiritual blessing to others as well as to ourselves.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us today and always!

Pastor Orval Wirkkala]]> 1279455182 Sun, 18 Jul 2010 05:13:02 -0700 http://www.kingstonalc.com/blog.php?subaction=showfull&id=1278933481&archive=
As we begin our series in Apostle Paul's letter through the Colossians, we do so with excitement and expectation. The letter was apparently written while he was in prison in Rome, making it possible for him to communicate with them even though he was not able to visit them in person. The minister of the congregation, Epaphras was a fellowservant (Col 1:7) of the Apostle and had apparently informed Paul of some of his concerns in the congregation that he was overseeing. It is our prayer that we would be blessed by spending this time in His Word going through an entire book of the Bible.

As I have read through this book and spent some time examining the structure, here are a few observations:

1. The first two chapters are doctrinal, the second two concern what it means for our lives today.

2. This particular book reveals more than any other book of the Bible of the person and the work of Jesus Christ.

3. He first affirms who they are in Christ through the gospel, reminds them of what Christ has done for them and does not begin to counsel them about the particulars false doctrines that are threatening them until chapter 2, verse 4.

4. He had never seen them in person, but based upon the testimony of their minister, Epaphras, he extended the grace of God to them, prayed for them with a specific and doctrinal prayer, (1:9-20) and then pointed them to the person and work of Jesus Christ. He sets firmly before them the preeminence of Jesus Christ in all things as he contrasts what the both the philosphies of the world and the legalists of the church would offer in place of or in addition to Him.

5. There are four prayers that the Apostle prayed for those that he wrote to in the books of Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. They are in Ephesians 1:15-21, Ephesians 3:14-21, Philippians 1:3-11, and Colossians 1:9-20. I have heard of some who have printed these prayers out and used them as patterns when they are praying for themselves as well as others.

May the Lord bless our reading, hearing and meditation over this letter to us as Christians, which was written by Apostle Paul under the direction of God the Holy Spirit.

Here is an article that I wrote sometime back and it will give some food for thought regarding our study in Colossians. We must be changed from the inside first before the evidence shows outwardly. That is the theme of the book of Colossians.

"That is precisely how Jesus approaches us through His Word and His Spirit. He knows where we are in our life, for He can see all things that we have experienced to date, there is nothing that He does not know about us, but He loves us deeply because His Father loves us. He knows what sin and death have brought into the world. He sees all the disappointments, the struggles, the sorrows, the broken dreams, the dreams that are in our hearts, the wishes that we have that we are not able to realize and so on. He knows all of this about us, therefore He is constantly working to strengthen the bond of love and thereby increase the union between us and Himself, so that we might move from the pursuit of an Object to the transformation of the subject.

The first thing He tells us is that He loves us just as we are, for we are a person whom He has made in His image. Remember that when God made us, He said that "It was VERY good!" Yes, we have fallen, and therefore sin and death have entered into the world and into our lives, but He has come to fix all of that through the cross and the resurrection. He has overcome the power of sin and death in His resurrection, and has sent us His Holy Spirit to indwell us so that we again are able to know good from evil as well as to have the power to live in the freedom that comes from knowing of Him as well as being transformed by Him. We are forgiven, we love Him and His Word, and we live in the grace of forgiveness which gives us a mindset of service, rather than of being served. In other words, before sin entered into the world, only good prevailed in God's created humanity.

After the fall evil entered in and upon mankind descended the tendency toward self-promotion. Adam and Eve were like God, but the devil seduced them into thinking that somehow by disobeying God's command, they would reach something higher than they were in the garden of Paradise. But what happened? When they fell into sin, they discovered that they were not like God, but rather than being drawn toward God, they fled from Him because of their shame and guilt. They now not only knew good, but now they knew evil, but in that condition they could not know the difference between the two and consequently they ran from God in fear. Since that time, God in Jesus has been pursuing humanity, in order to bring us back to Him. Sin takes from us the ability to see what is blessing for our lives and makes the things of this world, our flesh and the devil appear to be that which will bring us satisfaction and blessing. But it won't and it never will."

May we allow the Word to transform us and mold us into His Body for the glory of God and for His collective and gathering purposes. The evidence of this ongoing transformation will be experienced by us in our hearts through our being able to understand the true nature of God's kingdom in which we serve by love. The better we understand that true peace and satisfaction comes through serving rather than being served, (transformation) the less we will find ourselves focusing on self. In our pursuit of God through Jesus Christ, may we see the proper progression and purpose of the growth:

KJV 1 Corinthians 12:20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.

May His grace be multiplied to us today.

Pastor Orval Wirkkala

]]> 1278933481 Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:18:01 -0700 http://www.kingstonalc.com/blog.php?subaction=showfull&id=1278246686&archive= Since the year 1776 our nation has enjoyed the freedoms in which we are a people of the people, by the people and for the people, one nation, under God, indivisible with Liberty and Justice for all.
As we celebrate with thanksgiving to God for another year of this independence and freedom, let us remember that the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness have been given to us by our Creator. (Inalienable means that this right cannot be given to some else or be transferred to someone else) It does not mean that we live to ourselves outside of the truth which God is. These freedoms have continued to be ours but not without the cost of lives which have been given and are being given..

Our nation has been founded on the truths of God's Holy Word, the Bible, which testifies to us that He is the Creator, that we are His creation, that we are dependent upon Him for our every need in our lives and that without Him, we can do nothing.

We all value our political and physical freedom, but we realize that the Christian Liberty, along with its benefits and responsiblities, is superior to all other freedoms.

There is somewhat of a difference between the freedom that we enjoy as American citizens and the freedom which we enjoy as citizens of the Kingdom of God, or the heavenly kingdom. Our own people (with God's help) have fought for our freedom. God has fought the battle alone which won our spiritual freedom.. When we forget that God has given us all our freedoms, we are headed in the wrong direction.


Who gave us our freedom as a nation? What are we free from? We hear about freedom of choice, it is my life I can do what I want, it is my body to do with what I want and so on. In reality, we all made our choice in Adam, and it was to choose to sin.


1. Because of our fall into sin, we were all put in bondage. (We could not free ourselves)
In this state of bondage we cannot come to God of our own.

KJV Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Titus 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, {love: or, pity}
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; {abundantly: Gr. richly}
7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

KJV 1 Corinthians 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
KJV 1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

2. God saved us from our predicament

Christ is the Victor
KJV Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

KJV Luke 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

KJV John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
KJV John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

3. We receive it by faith.
"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise," Ephesians 1:13

4. We are freed from the guilt of sin and the power of the law. (Romans 8:1-3)
Romans 7:5-6

Only upon coming to repentance and faith, are we able to see God's will, to desire to live in God's will and to be obedient to God's will. But yet.....


There are two extremes which we as Christians have a tendency to drift into:

A. We struggle with the concept of freedom which comes with salvation and want to put some conditions on it.

B. We use our liberty as a cloak for living in the desires of our flesh. (self serving)


That is what Galatians chapter five is about.


The counsel to resist going back under the law.
KJV Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

The consequences of being back under the law.
2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Living in the Spirit
5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

As a runner, who stopped them from running in the race that they had started on?
7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? {hinder you: or, drive you back}

God did not do so.
8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.

A little error will turn into a total error, faith that does not save.
9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

Confidence in the Galatians, warning to the false teachers.
10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.

Countering those who say that Paul is preaching Christ plus something else. Why is he being persecuted if he is preaching what the Judaizers believe and teach?
11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.

Paul exhibits how deadly these false teachers are through this verse.
12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you. (castrate)
KJV Deuteronomy 23:1 He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

Paul has explained that it is only through faith in Christ that we are justified. Now he begins to explain how freedom is lived out in our lives. He makes some opening statements in verses 13-15 and then expands on them in the rest of the chapter.

Freedom from the law means that we are able to serve one another in love.

1. It is not to live in the desires of the flesh (v 13)
2. It is not freedom to use/exploit our neighbor. (as a thing). (v 13, 14))
3. It is not liberty to disregard principles of the law. (v 14)

13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.



Yet there remains a conflict of the flesh and Spirit, but living in the Spirit the guilt and the power of the law is no longer present in us.

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

The works of the flesh are actions which are seen outwardly, which can indicate that one is yet living in the flesh.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

The fruits of the Spirit
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. {affections: or, passions}
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

May these words of our Lord be heard in our hearts and obeyed in our actions now and always.

May His grace teach us to love Him and one another with a pure heart.

Pastor Orval Wirkkala

In the upcoming weeks we will be preaching through Apostle Paul's letter to the Colossians, so please read Apostle Paul's letter to the Colossian congregation. Read it through a few times to get the whole picture and then by God's grace we will spend some time in that letter which was given by the Holy Spirit through Paul.]]> 1278246686 Sun, 04 Jul 2010 05:31:26 -0700 http://www.kingstonalc.com/blog.php?subaction=showfull&id=1277643836&archive= 2 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;
4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;
5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

We recall in our school days of relay races and of the baton that was carried by the runners which was handed off by the one who was finishing to the one who would be continuing the next portion of the race. In order to make the transition, it was important that they synchronize their efforts so that the baton would not be dropped in the exchange so that the race would continue on smoothly. In our text today, we could compare this example with the "passing of the Gospel" between the Apostle Paul, who was imprisoned as he wrote this, and his young co-worker, Timothy. As Paul saw the end of his ministry in the not too distant future, he wrote a letter to his beloved son in the Lord in order to leave him with some important teachings concerning the Gospel. For he knew of the importance of making sure that the teamwork of preaching the gospel was kept intact so that the power of the Gospel would not be diminished in the transition from himself to his young co-worker. After recounting that the authority for his call into the ministry was by the will of God according ot the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, he extended the grace, mercy and peace to him from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. He was thankful for Timothy, he remembered and prayed for Timothy, and wanted greatly to see him again, for it would bring him joy. Then Paul noted four things that were instrumental in the life of Timothy which had brought him to the place where he was, a servant of the Lord. He also called upon Timothy to "kindle anew" the gift of God that was in him. (#5)

1. He was nurtured in a Christian home. (5)
2. He had been ministered to by the Apostle (2-6)
3. He had been gifted by God according to the measure of His grace. (6)
4. He had the spirit of power, and of love and of discipline (7)
5. He was called to "fan into flames" the gift that he had been given.(6)

The Apostle sets before us the desired method of the Lord in that we would raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord so that from generation to generation the Gospel would be "handed off" to the next servants. May the example of the Apostle Paul instruct us today as we consider this teaching from our place of involvement/participation in the work of the preaching and teaching of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul, being aware that his time was short and that his days of personal preaching and teaching were nearly over, greatly desired to leave with his "son" and co-worker, valuable counsel and instruction which Timothy could treasure and utilize as he continued the race that was before him. (In this way the "baton of the gospel" was being handed over to him for his carrying of it forward) As one reads through the entire letter, it is difficult not to feel a sense the heart of Paul through the passion which flows from the words that he writes to Timothy/us. Please read, think and meditate over the entire letter.

As these beloved young people today give testimony of the faith that is in their hearts, may we as a congregation thank God for them, encourage them and continue to pray for them to the end that they would be faithful stewards of the gospel with which they have been entrusted. May they 'fan into flames' the gift which God has bestowed upon them so that they may be lights in this dark world. May they bring much glory to our God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ as they live in the power of the Holy Spirit, in the love of Jesus Christ and in the example of a disciplined and godly life.

Running together in Christ,

Pastor Orval Wirkkala


]]> 1277643836 Sun, 27 Jun 2010 06:03:56 -0700 http://www.kingstonalc.com/blog.php?subaction=showfull&id=1277040803&archive=
Through our parents we learn that we are loved by them which means that they accept us for who we are, (not what we do) and they also give us direction for our life. We begin to learn through experience that love is not simply words, feelings, or emotions, but it is an action. (1 Corinthians 13). When we are disobedient, dishonest or disrespectul, we experience discipline and correction from our parents, but within the relationship of grace and acceptance. In order to teach us of the ways of God, we remember that our parents would not discipline us without telling us of the reason for the correction, even as the Scripture teaches us. (Also Hebrews 12:9-11)-

KJV 2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
KJV 2 Timothy 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

In this way, parents raise up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. To a large degree, we become what our parents are (with exceptions) in that how they have come to understand and experience who God is through their own teaching and experiences form our views of God.

When we look at our family relationships, we must always remember that God has acted in our behalf to restore/reconcile us to Himself through the cross and therefore, we are again in relationship with Him. We are brought back into His family through the cross, but it is a relationship of both grace and truth.

When we do not live in this relationship of grace and truth as parents, it is very difficult to not have an adverse affect on our children/grandchildren.

KJV John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

KJV John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
KJV John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Grace is the unconditional love and acceptance of God, for that is His essence. It is relational aspect of God's character.

Truth is the structural aspect of God's nature, but without grace there is only judgment. Grace allows us to approach God freely into a relationship of truth. Real intimacy always comes in the company of truth.

These verses outline of how God has reconciled us to Himself..

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

That which God has done has been gifted to us through faith.

KJV Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.


KJV 1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

1 Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

This inner experience, which is really seen only by God, is lived out openly in our earthly relationships, such as are outlined in Colossians and in Ephesians, beginning with marriage.

Eph 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Colossians 3:8 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

KJV Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

It has been said that the best thing that we as husbands can to for nurture and admonition in the Lord is to love their mother as Christ has loved the church. That type of love is a serving type love and not self serving.
A quote by John Stott, a theologian from England might help us understand this.

"Not that such self-giving is ever easy. I fear I may have painted a picture of married life which is more romantic than realistic. The truth is that all self-sacrifice, although the way of service and the means of self-realisation, is also painful. Indeed love and pain appear to be inseparable, especially in sinners like us, since our fallenness has not been obliterated by our re-creation through Christ. In marriage there is the pain of adjustment, as the old independent ‘I’ gives way to the new interdependent ‘we’. There is also the pain of vulnerability as closeness to one another leads to self-exposure, self-exposure to mutual knowledge, and knowledge to the risk of rejection. So husbands and wives should not expect to discover harmony without conflict; they have to work at building a relationship of love, respect and truth."

When we seek to establish and strengthen relationships with our spouses, we realize that our obedience to the Word of God is all important, for we know that only upon following the progression below will we be able to grow our relationships.

1) What God says, 2) Seeing, acknowledging where we are in relation to His Word, 3) Our obedience to His Word.

This brings us back to the first part of our article, in which we wrote about the reality that God has come to us in grace and truth; in relationship and direction, in spirit and in truth. But there is another aspect concerning of how our relationships grow: They need Time.

After Jesus had spoken to the people who were listening to Him of the necessity of repentance, He spoke a parable which illustrates of His patience and longsuffering toward us...

Luke 13:6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.
7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

As we close this meditation, let us consider a practical application before the partake of the Lord's Supper/Holy Communion.

Whenever there is someone that we are struggling to be gracious toward, the Lord continues to be gracious toward us, but He wants us to be reminded that we are not thinking biblically, but we are thinking/battling our own thoughts. He wants us to remember that He has reconnected Himself to the world through the cross and that He is not ungracious toward the world. So why should we be ungracious and judgmental? How could we be ungracious toward anyone in light of His grace and forgiveness toward us?

When we have experienced, and when we think and reflect upon the grace of God toward us in Christ Jesus, we will be changed from focusing on self to the serving of others. This is the nature of the body of Jesus Christ.

He saw us/sees us in our brokenness and need, is gracious and truthful toward us. Our family relationships are the training and developmental grounds for living out in practical ways of that which He has given us by the Holy Spirit. He has loved us, therefore we love one another.

KJV 1 John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
KJV 1 John 4:21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

He comes to us in His Word, He also comes to us in this Sacrament, through which we experience His Presence. He receives us in grace, gives direction to our lives through His Word, and patiently waits for the Spirit to address those things in our lives that need changing. Let us enjoy His Presence at His Table as we partake of His Body and His Blood.

In Jesus Name,

Pastor Orval Wirkkala]]> 1277040803 Sun, 20 Jun 2010 06:33:23 -0700 http://www.kingstonalc.com/blog.php?subaction=showfull&id=1276344820&archive= We then live in hope of the future, knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in His Son Jesus. Perhaps a happening of many years ago will bring us some encouragement and direction in our lives today.

ESV 1 Kings 17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word."
2 And the word of the LORD came to him,
3 "Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.
4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."
5 So he went and did according to the word of the LORD. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan.
6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
7 And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

Elijah went in obedience to the Word of the Lord into the very country into which he had pronounced the coming of the drought. He did not go to some place where he would have simply watched the effects of the drought on people, but he identified with them in the coming famine. He was provided for by God's feeding program, which was through the coming of the raven twice a day and the water from the bubbling brook. Putting ourselves in the place of Elijah, we can imagine that he must have regularly watched the water level in the brook and as it dropped, perhaps he felt the pressure of worry even as we do when outwardly things do not look so good. But we note that he did not leave the brook until God spoke to him, telling him to go to Zarephath, in verses 8-9. I love this story because Our Father brought this so close to me during the time that He was exercising us in the matter of faith and trust as he pointed us more directly to the work here in Kingston, in 2004 or so. I preached on this text during the heat of it all, and after I got done a man told me, "You must really like that story!" I told him how it applied to me so well, in that when we were still logging full bore while yet living in the west, there was a period of time in the late 90's that a raven would regularly come to look for sandwiches and food scraps. It happened for a period of time that was noticeable, so I have always looked upon it as a word from the Lord of His promise to provide all that we need. I do not remember if I shared of the current struggles with what I was dealing with with him, but those who knew what was going on, understood the application of the sermon. I remember specifically while preaching of mentioning of how Elijah trusted in the Lord in the difficult circumstances and did not leave the dried up brook until after the Word of the Lord came to him. That has been a benchmark in my life! Regardless of what our outward circumstances may look like, no matter how bleak it may look, no matter how inviting it may be to just leave it all behind, it will not be good to move on before we hear the Word of the Lord pointing us to a different place or a new direction! It is like I heard his voice when I was preaching, "I am taking care of things ahead of you, don't worry, but don't do anything different until I tell you to."

8 Then the word of the LORD came to him,
9 "Arise, go to which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you."
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks.

Elijah, after hearing the Word of the Lord, went to Zarephath to live there, being told that he would be fed by a widow women there. Basically, he was told to leave and that God would be ahead of him taking care of his needs. Elijah took God as His Word, "I will take care of you. The way I do it is not up to you, but it is up to me. You are my chosen vessel, I own everything in heaven and on earth, therefore there is no lack of my capacity to provide for you. Leave this dried up brook now, go to this town and look for a little old lady who is going around gathering up sticks. She is the one who is going to take care of you." Elijah, "Well, okay, Lord....a little old lady is going to feed me????.....But...Elijah trusted and obeyed!! When he got to the town and approached the gate, there she was gathering sticks, to make the last meal for herself and her son. (verse 12)

10 And he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink."
11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."
12 And she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die."
13 And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son.
14 For thus says the LORD the God of Israel, 'The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'"
15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days.
16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.

Elijah's heart must have praised the Lord for his faithfulness to His Word when he saw the women, and he immediately acted by calling for her to bring water and some bread. Her response did not dissuade Elijah, for the answer of the promise of God in his seeing of the women waiting there for him far outweighed what his natural eyes saw before him. For he saw God as the Provider and the woman as the vessel. He perhaps said in his heart and mind, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, He makes me to lie down beside the green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters." He remembered that God is able to provide abundantly more than anything that we are able to think or even ask, by the power that works in us: The power of faith, of trust, of total reliance in the One who sees all our need and Who is taking care of our future. Elijah saw that there was a treasure in the earthen vessel of the woman, that the power was of God and not of her. She was a vessel through whom God was going to provide all that is needed. Upon the Word of the Lord being spoken in assurance and trust, the widow trusted and obeyed, and therefore she enjoyed the blessing of the provision of the Lord until the day that rain was sent upon the earth again.

As we think upon this in conclusion to this, we can see that God is able to provide all that we need and then some. He calls us to trust in him in all our most difficult circumstances, waiting it out until such a time that He shows us a different pathway. When we see and go the new way, we can be assured that when it is according to His will and way, there will be affirmations of it even as there was for Elijah when he met the woman at the gate of the city. When God directs our lives, it seems that He is always working from two points, He works in us as well as in those He has prepared and directed to assist us in our lives. It is as if He sends them out to meet us as an affirmation of His faithfulness to provide all that is needed. When we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, He will give us those things that are needed which will sustain us in this life. It will be even as it was in the day of Elijah, that the provision will never run out until such a time as it is not needed anymore.

May the abundant grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you today and forever!

Pastor Orval Wirkkala]]> 1276344820 Sat, 12 Jun 2010 05:13:40 -0700 http://www.kingstonalc.com/blog.php?subaction=showfull&id=1275913311&archive= 1 Timothy 4:1-16

Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

Is it important to learn of the things of God? If so, how much knowledge is enough? How old do we have to be before we do not need to learn anymore of the things of God? Are we interested in learning? Why learn of the Bible?

In the last verses of Peter's second epistle we receive some insight into an answer to some of these questions. Concluding with his last words of encouragment, comfort and direction, as Peter writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he tells us of the importance of not being led away be the error of the wicked, but that we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 3:14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.


Life is about learning, therefore we will be in need of a Teachers all of our lives, with the Holy Spirit being our Teacher, who teaches us of Jesus Christ, who came to reveal the heart of His Father to us, the heart that desires to save all. Depending on our age, we rely upon those in whom the Holy Spirit lives and who are guided by the Holy Spirit to assist us growth in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. This knowledge comes from the revealed Word of God, the Bible, through the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

Whether we are elderly, middle aged, a youth, or a child, we are continually being bombarded with information, with much of it being basic knowledge that is beneficial and needful for this life. Most of the information of this nature relates to how to get along in this life and as long as it does not involve other people or effect other people, one could say that these things are somewhat neutral biblically speaking. Nevertheless, they yet are addressed in the Bible as the Bible gives principles for every aspect of our physical life.

Other information that we are being invited to believe and trust in does not come from the foundation of Truth. This type of information and knowledge involves our eternal destiny and often times what seems right and feels right is not according to Truth. In the 14th Proverb, it is said in this way.

KJV Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.


To be able to discern what is right and what is wrong, we must first of all know the truth.

KJV John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.


It is also mandatory that we rightly build upon the foundation of Truth.

1 Cor 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

If we are in the truth we will hear and follow Jesus Christ.

KJV John 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

KJV John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
KJV John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

As we consider the information barrage that we are faced with each day, perhaps it will be helpful to use the two main contrasting approaches that are commonly used by all to determine what is truth.

Truth begins with the Bible, is explained by the Bible and therefore the Word of God is Truth.

Error begins with the various media commentaries/opinions/interpretations, is explained/rationalized outside of the Truth of the Word and ends up as one's truth.


We could ask ourselves these questions: Where is the starting point for my search for the truth? How do I know that I am teaching or preaching the truth? How do I know that I am not believing and teaching something out of my own imagination in my mind? Let us consider this 4th chapter of Paul's letter as we think on these all important questions.

The two letters that Paul wrote to Timothy are commonly referred to as the Pastoral Epistles which means that they primarily speak to those who have been given to preaching and teaching, but yet contain principles which apply to all believers. This text is found in the 1st letter of Paul to his young co worker, Timothy, who is anywhere from 30 to 40 years old according to various commentators. Paul is leaving Timothy at Ephesus to "charge them that they teach no other doctrine'" and that they not succumb to fables and endless questions about "whose family/group they descended from." He then goes on to teach about various subjects over the first three chapters in the letter, ending with an encouragement to Timothy to stand on the doctrine of Christ. Teach the Truth and resist false teachings. Paul was planning to come to Ephesus, but in the meantime, he instructed Timothy to conduct himself according to the counsel that had been given to him.

KJV 1 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;
2 Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,
4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, (pedigrees, ancestries) which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
5 Now the end of the commandment (goal of instruction) is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:


1 Timothy 3:14 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:
15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

As Paul begins this fourth chapter, He (Spirit) speaks of the reality of false teachings and their effect upon believers in the "latter times." We could say that their starting point (false teachers) was at the top of the column on the right side of our comparison chart. The teachers departed from the Truth, fell into error themselves and therefore taught error.

KJV 1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

Paul calls Timothy/us put "these things" into remembrance to those to whom he is teaching/leading. "These things" seems to refer to everything that he has written previously in the letter. But here he points out that which was the cause of their going away from the truth, (v 1) of how their conscienses became hardened and of how they began to lie in their teaching and preaching. (v 2) He then gives two examples of the specifics of what they were teaching which was not according to the Truth. (v 3-5) They went away from the Word. Oh, Lord, help us to see, to believe and to obey Your Word.

6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
7 But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
11 These things command and teach.

In verses 6-11, we are told that when we remind our hearers of "these things," we will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, being nourished, (feeding upon, living on) the words of faith and of good doctrine (teaching) of that which we have already attained. (followed/following) We that teach must be continually be nourished by the Word that we are preaching and teaching, so that we will be nourished and fed by the Lord Himself. The feeding of oneself is placed before the teaching aspect of the ministry and not after ward. May we be mindful of that important truth. May we spend time with Him in His Word for the purpose of being fed and nourished by the Bread of Life. He then again contrasts the false starting point with the true starting point. (v 7-8) The word godliness is used here with its meaning being "reverence/piety towards God." The word is used 15 times in the New Testament, 10 times in the 1st Epistle of Timothy, 1 time in Titus and 4 times in the Epistles of Peter. Here are a few of the references:

KJV 1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

KJV 1 Timothy 6:11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

KJV 2 Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

KJV 1 Timothy 4:11 These things command and teach. Be directl in the teachings of "these things.!"

Paul then closes this chapter with some personal and specific instructions to his dear young "son." It seems as if there were those who were counting his youthfulness against him (Timothy), so Paul gives direction to him, saying to 'be an example of the believers." By putting on display that which he was as a child of God, he would put to silence those who would have a tendency to block out the purpose and effect of the ministry of Timothy. Paul then listed six things that Timothy was to be an example of the believers in, and then he gives more specific directions as to how to conduct himself as a "good minister."

12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

He tells him to continue to read the Scriptures, to exhort people to believe them and to follow them, and to teach them. He is not to neglect that gift that has been given to him by God through the church, he is to meditate/think upon "these things, " to give himself wholly to them, so that his growth in the grace and knowledge of Christ would be evident to all. Lastly, he is told to take heed unto himself and unto those things which he is believing.teaching, to continue in them. For in the teaching of the Truth, he will be saved as well as those who hear him and that which he is teaching. What is not said here, but which is implied is that the opposite would be true also, in that if he would teach as those who were pointed out in the beginning of the chapter, both he and his hearers would be lost. .

So now we come again to the comparison chart, which shows the two starting points. Paul showed Timothy the two starting points and illustrated of how they progressively lead either to the Truth or to error.

May He help us to follow the counsel that is given here in the Word which is before us today. Whatever we hear and whatever we read, may we carefully compare it with the Scriptures, for they will explain and interpret all information which ultimately is commentary upon the Bible. It is needful for us to utilize teachers in our seeking to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, but may we be mindful that of all the teachings/writings available to us today, only the Bible is inerrant and infallible.

Truth begins with the Bible, is explained by the Bible and therefore the Word of God is Truth.

Error begins with the various media commentaries/opinions/interpretations, is explained/rationalized outside of the Truth of the Word and ends up as one's truth.

Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

1 Corinthians 13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.


May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.

Pastor Orval Wirkkala]]> 1275913311 Mon, 07 Jun 2010 05:21:51 -0700 http://www.kingstonalc.com/blog.php?subaction=showfull&id=1275439696&archive=
In the Name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Our Father in heaven, the earth is yours, everything on it, in it and above it. We as your people know that you are our Creator and our God, that you have made us and that we have not made ourselves. We are your people and we are the sheep of your pasture.

Therefore, in the beauty of your creation on this day of remembrance and reflection, we enter into your presence with thanksgiving, into your courts with praise, and with thankfulness we bless your Holy Name. For you are good, your mercy is everlasting, and your truth endures unto all generations.

Today we gather at this place for this is hallowed ground into which the true heroes of democracy have been laid to rest. Lord, may it be that as we look upon their memorials, we would freshly remember that through their selfless sacrifices our freedoms have been preserved and protected from bondage and tyranny. As we reflect upon these things, may we consider our beliefs, our attitudes and our convictions and how we may contribute to the ongoing responsibilities in the protection and preservation of liberty and justice for all, under You, Dear Lord.

May the dedication and sacrifice that our fallen heroes have demonstrated be truly recognized, acknowledged and appreciated by us anew today. May their example inspire us to carry freedom forward into the future, into the next moment--Not next year, not next month, not next week, not the next day, but the next moments of our lives.

May we never forget that freedom is costly. It has cost in the past, is costing a dear price as we speak today and will continue to have a costly price in the future.

Thank you, dear Father, for the grace you have shed upon us as a nation, and may you continue to bestow upon us your grace. May this grace that we enjoy not be perceived as giving ourselves license to serve ourselves, but that as recipients of your grace we would truly love and serve our neighbor. Help us to remember that "Righteousness exalts a nation, but that sin is a reproach to its people." Bless us as we remember the examples of those who have offered their lives in a sacrifical manner, give us the grace to reflect upon that which has been done for us, and through this remembrance and reflection, may we respond with a heart of gratitude and service toward our neighbor today and tomorrow. In the Name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.

Pastor Orval Wirkkala
]]> 1275439696 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:48:16 -0700 http://www.kingstonalc.com/blog.php?subaction=showfull&id=1274706081&archive=
KJV John 6:11-13 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

Let us look at this in this way. Whenever we experience the joy of fellowship within the body of Christ, there is always more left over of that which we received from the hand of God through being around the Word of God, whether it was through the hearing/reading of the Word, through fellowship with other members of the body of Christ around the Word of God, whether it is in prayer with Him individually or corporately, whether it is through the enjoyment of experiencing of the beauties of creation, whether it is communing together at His table......,or however the Bread of Life is received and experienced into our mind, heart and soul. Is it not true that upon being strengthened by the various means of grace that we are so encouraged and so strengthened in the joy of the Lord that it is difficult to keep it to ourselves? Is that your experience? Has it been in the past? I think it is a common experience for all of us, for that is simply how the body of Christ works today. There is no difference between how He ministered when He walked on this earth and how the body of Christ ministers today.

Let us take at look at a couple verses in the scripture which would illustrate this. (Please read the surrounding passages so as to understand the context in which they were written, but they still are able to stand alone in order to illustrate this truth that grace received always gladdens us as well as empowers us to extend it to others).

KJV Isaiah 58:11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

KJV John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly(heart, innermost being) shall flow rivers of living water. I might add a little comment here: For years I understood this only from the standpoint to mean that as long as we believed according to the Bible (we were scripturally correct in our doctrine) we would be a blessing to others. But it has opened up to have a richer meaning, for now it seems that it means more in this sense that the Scripture has said that when we believe on Him, out of our heart will flow the blessing of life to others. The first understanding is certainly necessary and correct, but to me the further revelation opened up to me more joy in my heart and soul at the understanding that we are more like a conduit pipe than a reservoir within ourselves. Which is what Isaiah wrote when he described the life concerning of how blessing received causes us to be a blessing to others.

How about one more example:

KJV Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Through Abraham we have received the promise of the Blessing into our lives through Jesus Christ. Because we have been blessed in and by Christ and are in Him today, may we be a blessing to those who are placed in our paths today, beginning with those who are the closest to us, our families.

Together In Christ,

Pastor Orval Wirkkala]]> 1274706081 Mon, 24 May 2010 06:01:21 -0700 http://www.kingstonalc.com/blog.php?subaction=showfull&id=1274100036&archive= For those of you who read this regularly, this writing which is usually done on Monday mornings are reflections from the sermon that I preached on the previous day and it is not meant to be a manscript of the sermon. But rather it is done so as to be open to continued revelation from the portion of Scripture that was studied and meditated upon last week and preached upon yesterday. May the Holy Spirit continue to reveal Christ to us as He reveals and shows our Father unto us. It is our prayer that our hunger and thirst to know Him would grow through our thinking on Him in His Word. But also, for those of us in our congregation, may we continue to ask the Lord for ongoing and continued revelation of Himself through the Word which was preached in our fellowship on Sunday.

Scripture: John 17:20-26

This meditation in the Scriptures is taken from the 17th chapter of John, and is commonly referred to as the High Priestly Prayer. It is one of the many prayers of Jesus that are recorded in the Bible and certainly is the one that gives us the most insight into the relationship that was between the Father and the Son. The words that are our basis of meditation are the final words that He shared with His beloved disciples, "as He loved them unto the end."

KJV John 13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

Beginning with the 13th chapter and continuing through the 17th, Jesus shares some last words with His beloved disciples in the Upper Room before He begins the final part of the work that His Father has sent Him to do: To make atonement for the sins of the world. It is through His death, burial and resurrection this would be accomplished. (1 Cor 15:1-4)

Let us observe the events and listen in on the conversation that is going on between Jesus and his beloved disciples in the Upper Room, where they have prepared for and have partaken of the passover feast. We will do that by noting the main subjects of discussion in chapters 13-16 so that we may understand the context of the last part of chapter 11.

Here is an outline. May the Lord by His Spirit open to our comprehension and to our understanding the heart of God toward us as we consider these events and words that surrounded the life of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
We remember that God promises to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him for it.

Luke 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Here is an outline of John 13-16
13:3-20 Jesus washes the feet of His disciples
13:21-30 He foretells His betrayal
13:31-35 He gives a new commandment
KJV John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
KJV John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Here I might add that in my meditations I have observed that the Apostle, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, first writes of life and of light before he speaks of love. That seems to be a theme of his: Life, Light and Love.
God is Life, God is Light, God is Love. Through John's pen, through Jesus' life, God is revealed to us. As we can well imagine, Jesus is speaking of the most important matters with His beloved disciples as He knows that He has little time with them, full well understanding that they are grasping and comprehending very little of what is immediately before Him as the "time approaches." But He loves them "unto the end."

13:36-38 He foretells Peter's denial

14:1:1-15 He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
KJV John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

14:16-31 The Promise of the Holy Spirit is given
KJV John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
KJV John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
KJV John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

15:1- 17 He is the True Vine
KJV John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
KJV John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

15:18-16:3 The world will not receive Him

16:4-15 The Work of the Holy Spirit
KJV John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you
KJV John 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
KJV John 16:9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
KJV John 16:10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
KJV John 16:11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

16:16-24 Sorrow will be turned into Joy
16:25-33 He is our Peace because He has overcome the world.

17:1-5 He communes with the Father
17:6-19 He prays for his disciples
17:20-26 He prays for us.

Jesus prays for us.
John 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

He prays for oneness that He and the Father have so that the world would believe that God has sent Jesus.
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

He prays that we would be with Him in heaven, so that we could behold the glory which He was given from the Father, that was His before the foundation of the world.
24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

He has revealed His name, He will continue to do so, and He prays that the relationship of love that exists between He and the Father would be in us. And that He (Jesus) would be in us.
26 And I have declared (made known) unto them thy name, and will declare (make it known) it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

It seems to me that the prayer that Jesus prays here has been explained in the previous chapters (13-16) and it is through study and meditation over those chapters that the key to understanding His prayer is to be found. For example, in 17:21, Jesus prays for oneness. Let us refer back to chapter 14 where Jesus is teaching of the Holy Spirit, Who is to come in power. He promised to His disciples that He would pray to the Father so that the Holy Spirit would come to reveal and illuminate to them the meaning of the words He had told them.

KJV John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
KJV John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
KJV John 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

By careful examination, we will see the connection with the oneness that Jesus is speaking about and the eventual coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, which came 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus. That seems to be the day that He is referring to when He says, "At that day"
It is through the indwelling Holy Spirit that God comes to dwell in us.

As I said earlier, it seems as if the explanation of the meaning of the John 17:20-26 is "hidden' in the previous parts of the Gospel, and especially in chapters 13-16. It is as if Jesus one more time poured out His heart in prayer before the Father, calling upon all heaven to open the matter of what it means to live in unity with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in love to us. As I have thought about this oneness that Jesus is praying for here, it has been a great great encouragement to be reminded of the fact that He prayed for us and He yet today prays for us. Check this reference out in which the writer speaks of our High Priest, Jesus Christ:

Hebrews 7:23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:
24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Yes, He prays for us today. Let us remember that fact: He prays for us! He is praying that we could understand of the oneness that is our as the result of His finished work on the cross, because of His resurrection and because the Holy Spirit has come to indwell us. We are one in Them. Oh, Lord, keep praying for us so that we could see this amazing reality.

In conclusion, I would like to spend a little time on the last verse of our meditation. This is the last verse of His prayer and it has a depth of riches in it so deep that if one is able to scratch a bit off of the surface, one will be blessed from its meaning.

KJV John 17:26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

He says that God's name has been made known and that it will be made known in the future, for the purpose that the love which God has loved His Son may be in us and also that He will be in us. (Again, we remember that He has spoken about this in chapters 13-16) He seems to be speaking of past revelation and that it is not a one time deal, but that He prays that this revelation would continue on into the future. Not for the sake of knowledge, but that we would grow in our comprehension of the love that the Father and the Son have between them and that we would live in that same oneness of love that they enjoy in and with each other. Wow, how can we understand this truth??

Let us scratch a little at this thought by taking a look at the name of God by reading of the account of Moses' discussion with God over His name as well as recalling the time that Moses asked God to show him His glory.

KJV Exodus 3:13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
KJV Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

KJV Exodus 33:18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
KJV Exodus 33:19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

Then let us look at some Scripture which teaches us of the love between the Father and the Son. First we look at the three times that the Father spoke to the Son from heaven:

KJV Matthew 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
KJV Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

KJV Matthew 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

KJV John 12:27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
KJV John 12:28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.


Here are some verses which relate to their relationship.

KJV John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

KJV John 3:35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

KJV John 5:20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

KJV John 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

KJV John 14:31 But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.

KJV John 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

I do not know about you, but I feel like I am dipping into the Pacific Ocean with a spoon in order to empty the ocean in trying to comprehend the magnitude of the reality that God has come to live with us through His Spirit in a oneness that puts our relationship with Him on equal basis of His relationship with His Son!! Yesterday afternnoon as a brother and I marvelled over this love, he borrowed the song writers words to express his wonder of it all:

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.
Refrain:
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
When hoary time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song. Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

May the Holy Spirit illuminate these words into our minds and hearts today so that we may see the true God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

KJV John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Together we are one with Them and in Them, (Him)

Pastor Orval Wirkkala]]> 1274100036 Mon, 17 May 2010 05:40:36 -0700