.K.! NEW CHRISTIAN....WHAT NOW? by Elmer G. Magnussen
If you are a new Christian, there are some very
important things you need to
know. First, you need to know exactly what has happened to you. Second,
you need to know God's provisions for your future growth and service to Him.
Daily devotions
is a 365 day devotions covering the entire Bible.
The entire world today is seeking wisdom! Education is prevalent in every
city. Literally thousands of young and old alike are attending universities.
But how many of them really know the meaning of wisdom? Wisdom is seeing
things from God's point of view.
...
The following testimony is that of a man by the name of Andre.
I WAS IN PRISON, AND YOU CAME TO ME (Matthew 25:36c)
"My testimony to my Christian Brothers and believers in Jesus Christ our
Savior. I want to thank the Lord for saving me from the life I was once
leading. First of all, I was living in darkness and I thought that I truly
loved the way I was.
...
1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the
LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall
not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent,
We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of
the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not
eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said
unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day
ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods,
knowing good and evil.
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daily devotions, dictionaries and
other useful materials with over 40,000 pages. Believerscafe is a sister project
of WikiChristian, an encyclopedia and discussion
forum for all Christians to share their faith.
Inspirational Articles
Inspiration and instruction is great collection of 379 articles of Inspiration for your spiritual
growth and edification.
Christian Classics is a large
collection of great Christian Classics with over 30,000 pages.
ECF, Ante-Nicene Fathers, the Writings of the Fathers Down to
A.D. 325.
WWSB, World Wide Study Bible.
Today's Bible Study
Zechariah ministered with Haggai during the
Zechariah ministered with Haggai during the
difficult days when 50,000 Jews had returned to
Palestine to reestablish their city and their Temple
worship. The remnant went back in 536 b.c., and laid
the foundation of the Temple in 535 b.c. We must
remember, however, that opposition arose and work
stopped, In 530 b.c., the Lord raised up Haggai and
Zechariah to stir up the people and the leaders; and in
525 b.c., the work was finished.
Zechariah was both a prophet and a priest (see
Nehemiah 12:4,16) and from Zechariah 2:4 we learn that
he was a young man. His name means "Jehovah remembers";
his father's name, Berechiah, means "Jehovah blesses";
and his grandfather's name, Iddo, means "His time."
Putting them together we have "Jehovah remembers to
bless in His time.".
The theme of the Book of Zechariah is, "One
that unveils God's future plan for the Jews." This book
actually ranks next to Daniel as an Old Testament
revelation for God's future plan for the Jews. The city
of Jerusalem is mentioned some 39 times in this book.
The key verses are 14-17 of chapter 1. These verses
tell us that God is jealous for Jerusalem; that He will
punish the heathen for what they did to His city; and
that He will one day restore the city in glory and
peace. The fact that God, in His grace, has chosen
Jerusalem is mentioned often (see 1:17; 2:12; 3:2). He
will have mercy on the city (chapter 1:12), and one day
will dwell in the city (chapter 8:3-8).
In chapter 1 Zechariah warns the people against
the evident rising tendency to return to the ways of
their dishonest fathers who had brought them to their
present pitiful condition. He then encourages them with
visions which God had given him of the future. In
chapters 1--4 we see several visions given by God, and
each have a meaning relative to Jerusalem or the people
of Jerusalem.
As with most Old Testament prophecies, we must
distinguish between the near and the distant meanings
of what Zechariah says. In one verse he will be
describing the fall of Jerusalem under the Romans, and
in the next he will picture the coming of the Messiah
to reign.
Zechariah's favorite name for God is "Lord of
hosts." He sees the Lord coming to defeat Israel's
enemies and establish Jerusalem in peace and glory. To
apply these magnificent prophecies to the Church Age is
to rob this book of its meaning and power. Certainly
there are spiritual applications for all ages, but the
basic interpretation must be for the Jewish nation and
Jerusalem.
In chapters 1--6 the prophet describes eight
visions of encouragement, all of which summarize the
message of Zechariah. The rider (chapter 1:7-17) is
encouragement that God has not forgotten Jerusalem; the
horns and craftsmen (chapter 1:18-21) is a promise that
God will destroy Jerusalem's enemies; the surveyor
(chapter 2:1-13) is a promise that Jerusalem will be
restored; the cleansing of Joshua the high priest
(chapter 3:1-10) is a picture of the future cleansing
of the nation; the candlesticks and the trees (chapter
4:1-14) is a promise that God's power will enable
Joshua and Zerubbabel to finish their difficult task;
the flying roll (chapter 5:1-4) promises that sin will
be judged in the land; the ephah (chapter 5:5-11) is a
picture of wickedness carried from the land of Babylon,
which is the source of all idolatry and religious
error. The last vision, the four chariots (chapter 6:1-
8) promises that God controls the nations and Jerusalem
is safe.
We see the crowning of the Priest-King in
chapter 6:9-15. This is the climax of God's plan for
the restoration of Israel under Messiah King-Priest.
Madam Guyon
