Waiting on God – His Characteristics
November 2020 • Volume XIX Number 03
”But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. “ (2 Corinthians 3:18)
THOUGHTS FOR CONSIDERATION:
Greetings again my Brethren. Let us continue to look at more of some things we must overcome in our life to be able to respond to the call of the LORD. I am ever amazed at the thought of many Christians who are waiting on God to do the work in them that will allow them to move in obedience to respond to Him. They are waiting for God to do all of the work, well that is not how God has things arranged. They ask Jesus to forgive them of their sins, a good thing, then they expect (as many Christians are wrongly told) God to take out His magic wand and bonk them on the head and remove their desire for smoking, alcohol, pornography, you name it, but continue to go to bars cat houses, and places where they talk not about God and His things. They wrongfully think (because they have been told so) God will change them and He will, but first there must be a coming to the end of their desire for the things of sin. I hear of many Christians who say they are homosexual they say they have prayed, fasted, had the preacher pray and fast, but have not kicked out their homosexual lover. To kick the habit we must come to a place where we truly hate that thing in our lives, where it makes us sick to just think of it. Then there in that place of low degree the person can see his need for God and God can move even in supernatural ways to remove the ungodly things in our lives. You have heard of people who give their hearts to the LORD and suddenly he takes away the desire for tobacco and alcohol well I believe this happens, but I also believe it does not happen unless the person has already come to place where they detest the habit and desperately want to have this removed from their lives. I was a Christian for many years, yet I still smoked a pipe, cigars, or even cigarettes. I liked smoking, so I smoked. God never convicted me of it so I smoked. Yes it is unhealthy and bad for your body and yes I believe Christians ought not smoke, but I will promise you will smoke like a chimney until you are convicted by God and/or you feel the need to stop. We must come to a place no matter what the issues are that we have had enough in our strength then and only then can God take it from there in His time. In James we read, “For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. 9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: 10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.” (James 1:7-10) Why does the brother of “low degree” rejoice? Well he has been brought down to a low place where Jesus is. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matthew 11:29) Unless we are brought down we will be double minded and unstable in ALL of our ways.
This month let us look at another things we must overcome to answer God’s call and that is our physical disability. I cannot do what God wants because I only have one leg, one arm, one eye, but if we all are honest we all have some type of physical mental, or emotional disability. I think one of the greatest example of someone called by God to do something, yet they reject His call because of their perceived disability is Moses and his inability to speak. In Exodus we read,
“And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither theretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?
12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. 13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. 14 And the anger of the LORDwas kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.” (Exodus 4:10-14) Being slow of speech and tongue and not eloquent is what happens when you spend 40 years following after sheep. Moses was trained in the palace of pharaoh trained in all of the social graces, all learning, and all warfare yet when God called him he could not connect three words in a sentence. ah a man of low degree. Now God can use such a man. So Moses complained and God chided him back and said I will have none of that and told him, “I will be with you,” “I will be thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say.” God made us! He told Moses, “Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind?” He (God) knows us, he made us, He knows our frame, our weaknesses, and infirmities. So our disabilities are no excuse to answering God’s call to us. If God calls us He will make a way. Look at verse 14, “Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well.” God always has a plan around our plans. Like Moses we better learn this.
Next month we will continue to look at some things in our lives we MUST overcome to be able to answer the LORD’s call in our lives. Do you hear Him calling? Please know God is calling. Walter Beuttler said if you build God a temple He will inhabit it. Have you built God a temple? If you do He will abide and wait for you.
Written by David Stahl
ARTICLE REVIEW:
Our Open Gate
If you ever visit the Old City of Jerusalem and you want to enter inside the city you will have to enter through one of eight gates. It may be through the Dung Gate (you can guess why it was called the Dung Gate) one not so popular today, but was very busy in the days of Jesus or it may be through the Lion Gate, the Jaffa Gate, the Kings Gate or one of four other gates. Now there is a ninth, but it is purposely closed. It has been closed since the Ottoman Turks walled it up in 1530 AD. The ninth gate, the Eastern Gate, is blocked up and shut up waiting for the arrival of the Messiah, but at the time of Jesus the Eastern Gate was wide open and often was the busiest gate for commerce and transportation. You see not only were the gates of Jerusalem places of entrances and exits in and out of the Old City, but they were also places of authoritative decisions. The “elders” sat in the gates and made decisions that affected the city. We can see this in Proverbs when Solomon is talking of the virtuous woman, “Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.” (Proverbs 31:23). Important agreements and commercial transactions were also made in the gates, but did you know our bodies also have gates through which truth and error, good and evil, enter into and exit our lives. We too are “elders” at our own gates and must make wise and responsible decisions for our lives. We have the ear gate, an eye gate, a mind gate, a feelings gate, a memory gate, a relationship gate, and a spirit gate. The enemy (used as a general term and not always the devil) of our soul is to be kept out and only that which has been carefully screened and deemed safe or good is permitted to enter. We must guard these gates lest an enemy try to penetrate our defenses. We must monitor our gates diligently to allow only that which is edifying into our lives. Gates all throughout the Bible have been a place of decision more than they have been a portal to enter into a city. We can go in and out of a city, but it is the decisions that we make that will foretell our success or failure in life and in God. These narrow, limited, and restrictive decisions of life we make that leads us to purpose and completion in life and in God. Most church denominations teach we are to be free, no chains, great liberty in God, but my friend that is not what Jesus taught. Did you know you cannot come to purpose in life if you have not found your purpose in God? Oh you may make a bunch of money, have a trophy wife, have a big house and fancy car, a good job, but all of this will never bring you to purpose in God. Some of the most successful people in God like Mother Theresa have lost their lives so that others might find theirs. Did you know Mother Theresa was known as the “Saint of the Gutters?” Now many people today want to identify with the word “Saint” but, not too many people want to identify with the word “Gutters.” I believe Mother Theresa was one of the richest persons in the world even though she had no money to call her own. Did you know you must die to be called a “Saint.” It is when we lose our life for the sake of Christ we shall find it. My friend purpose is only found in losing our lives for Christ’s sake so others may find theirs. Jesus taught the disciples, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” (John 12:24-25) Please notice “losing it” comes first and “keeping it” comes second. The condition to be fruitful in God is to die and abide alone not liberty and freedom to do what we want to do. I wonder why we have missed this critical truth today? Well that is easy no one wants to die to their selfish, self-seeking ways it is easier to go and do things for God than become something in God. They say we cannot save our self and others too, one must die. This is what Jesus was teaching the disciples and make no mistake my friend they all died (some a horrible death) spreading the Gospel message so that others like us may live. Now Jesus was not talking about going to heaven, but He was talking about entering into the life that God has for us now here on earth. In Matthew we read, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14) The word “strait” here has nothing to do with direction, but with confinement. The word “strait,” Strong’s #4728, means narrow from obstacles standing close about. Jesus was saying we enter into the life of God through the hard, narrow, restrictive decisions in our lives. Truth as a mirror reveals our heart and we choose a path to walk either towards God or away from God. We decide to be limited and restricted in areas of our lives that will bring us to completion and purpose. Jesus continues, “For wide (the unrestrictive, unlimited, and open way) (notice not the narrow or “strait” way, but the broad way) is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction.” In God you cannot do what you want to do and say what you want to say and come to purpose and completion. This is the broad way, the wide gate (or wide decision ) that leads to destruction and Jesus said, “and many there be which go in thereat.” Now they are not going into the life of God as some misguided teachers teach, but they are going into destruction. And also notice Jesus did not say they were going to hell, destruction is not hell, but we can end up in hell (and we can have hell on earth in our relationships and our lives) if we do not enter into the narrow way of walking with the LORD in the way He wants us to go. This gate topic is a huge deal in our lives. As we look closer at this topic we learn the open gate is really our heart. In Proverbs we read an important verse and if applied correctly would change our lives forever. Solomon writes, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.” (Proverbs 23:7) In the Greek text this verse is translated as, “For as a gate open wide so is he.” Our heart is the gate in which life’s decisions pass through and whatsoever we open our gate (our heart) to we will become that. If we open our heart to hatred, strife, and division we will become that and we will know it because out of our mouth speaks our heart. But if we open our heart as it swings wide open to love, joy, peace, and etc. then we will become that. We become what we open our heart to. In Matthew that is what Jesus was saying, “ Enter ye in at the strait gate:” Another name for the “Eastern Gate (the ninth gate of the Old City that is closed awaiting the triumphant return of the Messiah in victory, but was open in Jesus’ time) often is called the Strait Gate. Jesus knew of this gate because it was the gate in 30 AD where He entered Jerusalem before His crucifixion and He knew it was straight from the gate to the temple in the shortest amount of time. Jesus knew of the Old Testament passage and also knew death comes before glorification, “And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.5 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house.” (Ezekiel 43:4-5) The Word of God is full of examples of the critical importance to our gate. In Psalms David said, “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door (Strong’s #1802, leaf, lid, gate) of my lips” (Psalms 141:3). This is one verse we drilled into the lives of our children. In the Book of Revelation Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door (Strong’s #2374, portal or gate) and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelations 3:20) Here Jesus is knocking on our heart (gate) trying to get our attention so we will open wide our heart to Him. Again whatsoever we open wide our gate (our heart) to we will become that and make no mistake there we will find our treasures. Let us take heed to what we open wide our gate to if not our lives will be filled with sorrow, despair, and destruction behind the door.
Written by David Stahl
THOUGHTS FROM KAREN:
The Best Baptist in the World
The best Baptist in the world can be sitting in hell. Rest assured you can easily replace the word Baptist with any other main stream denominational name. If a card carrying _______ ( fill in the blank) does not believe in the TOTAL redemptive work of Jesus on the cross to sanctify and justify them or believe that we will be as Jesus was raised from the dead; then your belief and religion is in vain. IF you feel that you MUST DO SOMETHING to earn your salvation then I have to question your faith in the completed work of Jesus. “Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments ( basic principles) of the world, why as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances (rules) touch not: taste not: handle not: which all are to perish with the using: After (according to) the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew (an appearance) of wisdom in will worship (self-imposed religion) and humility, and neglecting of the body (severe treatment) and not in any honour to the satisfying of (but are of no value against the indulgence of) the flesh.” (Colossians 2:20-23) For some reason I don’t know why it’s easier and fulfills a human need in us to “do something” for our salvation and get religious. So how do we know we are saved and not just spinning our wheels and being religious? Jesus said, “Ye must be born again.” (John 3:7) or “Ye must be birthed from above.” (John 3:7 Greek) Born from above of the Spirit of God! Also Jesus said, “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, for GOD sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him, might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of GOD.” (John 3: 16-18) When we ask Jesus into our lives to be our Lord and Savior we must believe He is who and what He says He is. And then (not before) we will know that we are saved—but–we must believe in Him and not some religion or pie in the sky doctrine. It is our faith that saves us and nothing else. Read and study your Bible it’s all over the place in there! In Ephesians Paul tells us, “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.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)GOD the Father did this for us so man cannot boast and say look what I’ve done. GOD did it ALL. Read the Bible. We cannot earn our salvation nor can we ” help” GOD by doing this or that. It is by faith and faith alone in the shed blood of Jesus Christ: the death, burial, and resurrection of our precious Lord and Savior. For those of you that are saying what about works? Well “good works” will automatically come as the Lord does His work in you. If you’re the same person you were 2 years ago—why? IF you are really following Jesus, IF you really love the truth, IF you really read and study your Bible there is NO WAY you can possibly be the same person that you were 2 years ago. NO WAY. Being a card carrying member of any denomination will not save us. Only faith is GOD’s way—–not our way.
Written by Karen Stahl
NEEDS NO WANTS:
- In Dobrich, Bulgaria Pastor Niki Marsov and in Silistra Pastor(s) Yanko, Marcho, and Emil. Times are troubled in Bulgaria much prayer and support is needed.
- Constanta, Romania Pastors Luke and Jacob at Bethel Church and Ian at the Romanian Center for Cross-cultural Studies Bible School.
- In Suceava, Romania Pastors Nicu at St. Andrews Church. They are still standing by God’s grace.
- Pastor Joseph Mutua in Nairobi, Kenya needs your prayer and financial support.
- Pastor Mike Olufemi in Aveile,Nigeria. He needs our prayers and support to be a light in great darkness.
- Pastor S. J. Peter, Founder of DAWN Ministries in Hyderabad and Pastor Wilson and his son Pastor Julian in Sankaraguptham, India.
- Dan, Cathy, and members of Uskudar Son Buyruk Kilisesi in Istanbul, Turkey.
- Pastor Elieti Msangi in Dar Es Salaam and Pastors Isreal Mutaitina and John Balone in Bukoba, Tanzania.
- Monthly financial support for Vivian’s Maternity and Child Care Clinic project in Aviele, Nigeria.
- Pastor Tek Dahl at Gethsemane, Church (his church) and their radio station “Good News 105.1 FM” in Kathmandu, Nepal.
- Bishop John, Samuel Kamanzi (from the Congo), and, Emmanuel Ndolimana in Ruhengeli,Rwanda.
NEXT HOME GROUP MEETING:
10 November at 7:00 pm
and
24 November at 7:00 pm
At 232 Everett Drive
Sneads Ferry, NC 28460
7:00 pm please RSVP
Home: (910) 741-0489
FUTURE SCHEDULE:
November: Local Ministry
December: Local Ministry
January: Local Ministry
Email: charliegolfone@outlook.com
ROCK FELLOWSHIP ON THE RADIO:
On WJCV Jacksonville, NC
1290 AM or 98.3 FM
Every Sunday morning at 9:00 am
I am still available to share what God has given me at churches and/or home groups. If God moves on your heart to support BHG or other ministries we personally know we would be honored to serve as a go between. Remember, if we want a blessing from God the spiritual principle is we must bless others. Remember, God is to you what you are to God.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Address:
David and Karen Stahl
232 Everett Drive
Sneads Ferry, NC 28460
Phone:
Home: (910) 741-0489
Mobile: (910) 382-9287
FAX: (910) 741-0489
Email:
dstahl@beholdinghisglory.com
Website:
www.www.beholdinghisglory.com/
Blog:
http://bhisglory.blogspot.com/
NEW OFFER
Booklets on Spiritual Authority, Spiritual Leadership, Prayer, Body of Christ, and Righteous Living the Four Anchors of God are now available by contacting us and requesting one. You can see them on our home page. Get one now.
The Author House link below will lead you to our latest book, “Thoughts for Consideration.” Just copy it into your web browser and return. Also you can purchase two of our other books “Adventures with God.” and “God Still Performs Miracles: A Book of Personal Encouragement.”
http://www.authorhouse.com/AuthorCenter/Protected/BookHome.aspx?bookID=61464
Please take a minute and take a look, they all make for a great encouraging gift, giving hope and sharing God’s love through a deeper teaching that someone can enjoy again and again. All of our books can be purchased at all book stores like Barnes and Nobles, Borders, Book-A-Million, and etc., any Christian Book Store that orders, and all book ordering on-line companies like Amazon.com. Or if you are like me from the old school just contact us, we will let you know the price and then we will mail it out to your home address. Postage and handling is on a case by case basis.
If you know someone you think would enjoy receiving this newsletter or if you receive this newsletter and do not wish to please let me know. Contributions to this ministry is always appreciated and needed the more time continues. Please feel free to contact us with the above information.
