Dr. Terry Threadwell's Blog

Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. (Revelation 6:1-2 NKJ)

Every king / queen, prince, the prime minister, premier, and president are given power and authority by God for good and for judgment; when they overstep that authority  the wrath of God will come their way. Look at the following examples:

Cyrus, King of Persia, was referred to by God as, “He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”‘ (Isa 44:28 NKJ) He aided the exiles in returning to the land. God also used kings such as Nebuchadnezzar to bring judgment. “behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ says the LORD, `and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations. (Jer 25:9 NKJ)

In John’s Revelation the four horses represent the Roman Empire, with the white horse representing the Caesars. Every Caesar would return from a campaign by coming into Rome on a white horse.

So, do we have a Cyrus or a Nebuchadnezzar? One thing is for sure; we have the President we deserve. Three things we can and should do:

1.      Pray. The first thing I want you to do is to pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live. (1 Tim 2:1-2. MSG)

2.      Be active, standing up for peace and justice.  Speak truth to power, holding them accountable.

3.      Vote—don’t expect others to do what you have a duty to do.

3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. (Rev 1:3 NKJ)

So if the letter is not prophetic but apocalyptic (revealing a spiritual mystery), then why does John use the word ‘prophecy?’ Good question!

The letter was written to seven churches in the region of modern day Turkey.  The Christian was under constant persecution from the Roman government and the Jewish leaders.  Naturally, they were concerned about the future.  The old dispensation of the prophetic, Isaiah, Jeremiah and others ended with the coming of Jesus and a new covenant and so in the New Testament, including the Apostle John, the prophet and the prophetic take on a new role. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians chapters 12 and 14 lay out the guidelines. Paul tells us, “But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.” (1Co 14:3 NKJ) Those operating in the prophetic ministry are to be judged by the other prophets and line up with the Word of God. John does this in Revelation, encouraging, lifting up and comforting the people in the midst of their trials.

So why does John use all the symbolism? Two reasons:

1.      Jewish apocryphal writings were always written in that fashion, Ezekiel being another example, and the people would have been aware of that.

2.      John knew that by ‘coding’ his message in this way, for instance, using Babylon instead of Rome, he couldn’t be charged with sedition and have the Romans stop his message from getting out.

Read it; there’s a blessing if you do, knowing that in the midst of the hardest trials Jesus will never forsake you.

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints–and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, (Eph 6:18-19 NKJ)

I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. (Isa 62:6-7 NKJ)

As we come to the end of Ephesians, we are reminded by the Apostle Paul of our role as ‘Watch’ men and women, standing in high places in the Spirit, clothed in the armor of God, armed with the Word, filled with the Spirit, covered in the precious blood.  We bear a new name and identity, we are ‘The Redeemed’ and called into the family of God as sons and daughters. As we stand there, we are told to be watchful in the Spirit and cry out to God what we both see and hear.

When I was a young boy living in London, the British Broadcasting Corporation didn’t allow, at that time any commercial radio stations, so at night you would tune into Radio Luxembourg, a European radio station that broadcast pop music on an AM frequency. The problem was that the signal would hard to find with all the chatter and distortion that surrounded it.  It’s the same with prayer in the Spirit—you have to stay focused and persevere so that you can tune into the Spirit and cut out all the chatter of the world around you.

God is listening to every word you say.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Eph 6:10-12 NKJ)

How often do we get drawn into some drama, or argument when we should realize where the source of the problem is coming from? We forget that the adversary that seek to steal our peace and joy, kill those relationships and destroy churches is not the person sitting next to you, but those powers that are located in the heavenly realms.

To fight this battle you need to put on the whole armor, not part, of God.  Only then when you’re filled with the Spirit and praying will you ever gain the victory.  Also, don’t forget to stand!  Sitting or lying down are positions of defeat, stand up and fight.  Jesus has already won the victory; we just have to appropriate it.

August 31, 2017. Devotions in Ephesians

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. (Eph 5:8-21 NKJ)

Sunday morning you can always tell where a Christian has been walking all week, whether they have walked in the light or darkness, whether they have walked wisely or foolishly.  You can tell by what they have to offer.  Instead of a living sacrifice or a sacrifice of praise, they have no voice and are empty, whatever benefit they gained from the previous service has drained away, and they’re running on empty.

If you believe that the church is there to entertain you and touch the pleasure centers of your brain, how wrong can you be? Paul encourages us to walk in the light, be wise and be filled (continuously) with the Spirit.  Then when you as the church walk in the fellowship, you have something to offer out of the excess that God has poured into you, offering psalms, hymns, stories, poems or a spiritual song.

I am looking forward to hearing what you have to share this coming Sunday and together we will bless the Lord.

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.  (Eph 5:1-2 NKJ)

The dictionary defines an imitator as a person who copies the behavior or actions of another. Paul tells us then to imitate the actions of God. So we’re told in John 3:16-17 that God “so loved the world” The verse goes on to say that God sent his Son, not to “condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” How much better would this world be if Christians were more unconditionally loving, less condemning, looking out for their best interest?

That kind of sacrificial giving and living becomes a sweet smelling aroma.  When we smell sweet not only do we please God, but people love to have you around.

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. (Eph 1:15-21 NKJ)

Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars; She has slaughtered her meat, She has mixed her wine, She has also furnished her table. She has sent out her maidens, She cries out from the highest places of the city, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, “Come, eat of my bread And drink of the wine I have mixed. Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding. “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself. Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Pro 9:1-10 NKJ)

Paul prays that the “Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened.” According to Sophia (Wisdom), the table has been prepared, and it’s all you can eat.  So why would you not partake of this free meal? Gaining wisdom, the revelation of who God is and having the light go on in your understanding. Proverbs go on to tell us that foolishness also attracts, even though she has no substance. She tells half-truths and misinformation? Usually, money is at the root of this evil, the likes of which permeate through every level of our society. As foolishness increases, we need more wisdom and discernment to see what is of God and what is not, what is true and what is false.

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head– Christ– (Eph 4:11-15 NKJ)

A balanced leadership will totally equip the body for works of service, bringing them to a maturity so that they will no longer be tossed and blown around.  Sounds to me to be a good reason for a sound education n the things of God.

The Galatian church didn’t have that grounding. Paul rebukes them by saying, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? (Gal 3:1-3 NKJ)

In today’s world the church needs to be strong.

Who is My Neighbor?” Preached at Storehouse at Canton, August 27, 2017. By Dr. Terry Threadwell.

” But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. “Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. “Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. “So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. “On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, `Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ “So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luk 10:27-37 NKJ)

Edomites, and remember the ruin of Jerusalem, That day they yelled out, “Wreck it, smash it to bits!” And you, Babylonians—ravagers! A reward to whoever gets back at you for all you’ve done to us; Yes, a reward to the one who grabs your babies and smashes their heads on the rocks! Psalm 137:7-9

The Lawyer asked, ‘Who is my neighbor?’ When we think of our neighbor we traditionally think of the person or persons that live next door. But the Greek word plesion found in Luke goes much further.

a neighbor, a friend, any other person, and where two are concerned, the other (thy fellow man. According to the Jews, any member of the Hebrew race and Commonwealth. According to Christ, any other human being irrespective of race, culture, lifestyle or religion with whom we live or whom we chance to meet. (Bibleworks)

Last week, a young man who was working on our driveway said: “Slavery has been over years now, I don’t know what all the fuss is about?” Isn’t that a common attitude?  When something doesn’t apply to us personally, we assume that it doesn’t apply at all.

“Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. “Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.

What assumptions did the priest and the Levite make about the wounded man? Though Jewish law forbid the priest from touching a dead body lest they become unclean, showing compassion would have been the overriding factor, especially to a fellow Israelite (Lev 19:18)

He was a loser, a drunk, already dead, or a trap!

Jesus doesn’t ask us to make assumptions, or to stereotype; he asks us to be a good neighbor and care. That Care could be physical, emotional or even psychological

The recent events at Charlottesville bring up the past, cause problems for the present and ask questions about the future.

To the average person here this morning, what are the questions we need to be asking?

To the Jew, the symbols of Nazism seen on the streets stir up memories of  the past. They may have had grandparents, aunts, and uncles that shared with them the horrors of Nazi Germany and the death camps. A regime that was so evil, not only did it kill up to 6 million Jews, it also killed:

• Soviet civilians: around 5.7 million
• Soviet prisoners of war: around 3 million
• Non-Jewish Polish civilians: around 1.8 million (including between 50,000 and 100,000 members of the Polish elites)
• Serb civilians (on the territory of Croatia, Bosnia, and Herzegovina): 312,000
• People with disabilities living in institutions: up to 250,000
• Gypsies: 196,000–220,000
• Jehovah’s Witnesses: around 1,900
• Repeat criminal offenders and so-called anti-socials: at least 70,000
• German political opponents and resistance activists in Axis-occupied territory and Germany, many of whom were Christian: Undetermined

So what was happening in Germany to allow this evil to rise?

The attitudes and actions of German Catholics and Protestants during the Nazi era were shaped not only by their religious beliefs but by other factors including:

• The backlash against the Weimar Republic and the political, economic, and social changes in Germany that occurred during the 1920s. Germany was seen as weak and ineffectual.
• Anti-socialist
• Nationalism—a termination to make Germany great again.
• Resentment toward the international community in the wake of World War I, which Germany lost and for which it was forced to pay heavy reparations.

These were some of the reasons why most Christians in Germany welcomed the rise of Nazism in 1933. They were also persuaded by the statement on “positive Christianity” in Article 24 of the 1920 Nazi Party Platform, which read:

“We demand the freedom of all religious confessions in the state, insofar as they do not jeopardize the state’s existence or conflict with the manners and moral sentiments of the Germanic race. The Party as such upholds the point of view of a positive Christianity without tying itself confessionally to any one confession. It combats the Jewish-materialistic spirit at home and abroad and is convinced that a permanent recovery of our people can only be achieved from within on the basis of the common good before individual good.”

Despite the fact that the statement was anti-semitic and its linkage between confessional “freedom” and a nationalistic, racialized understanding of morality, many Christians in Germany at the time read this as an affirmation of Christian values. (https://www.ushmm.org/collections/ask-a-research-question/how-to-cite-museum-materials)

Some Christians were against this movement and formed the confessional church, that would pledge allegiance to nobody but Jesus Christ. Christians like Martin Niemöller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, both pastors who spent several years in the camps, with Bonhoeffer eventually being executed.

Niemöller wrote:

First, they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Or perhaps if I was African American and I saw the men in white robes at Charlottesville I would have remembered the Klan lynching’s, images of police brutality and violence.

The truth is that when we come across somebody that is or has been wounded by the violence of today’s society, we are not to justify our actions and pass by on the other side. Instead, we should take the time to stop and start the healing process. It shouldn’t matter if the wounded person is black, Muslim, Gay, alcoholic, drug addict, or war veteran.  If we love God, then these are our neighbors, stop and start the healing process today.

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; (Eph 4:11-13 NKJ)

When we look at the Gospels, we find all five of these gifts in Christ. So we ignore these ministries at great cost and to our deficit. Also, the body becomes one-sided and out of balance.  To ignore the apostolic calling means that we lack a vision of the bigger picture (the direction of the Body of Christ). To ignore the prophets (this is not the gifts of 1 Cor 12) is to lack directional and societal adjustment. The teacher adds depth to the Word, something that is often lacking.

These ministries are given for the equipping of the saints.  Look at this verse again in the Amplified version:

His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ’s body (the church), [That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [[b]full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ’s own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him.

How can we steer this ship if we lack the equipment? The answer is; we can’t. The reason Christ has given us these gifts is to keep us on track.

“So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of [c]unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead.” Eph 4:14 AMP