Having Been With Jesus

"they took note that these men had been with Jesus:" Acts:4:13

In the Third chapter of the Book of Acts it is record by St. Luke the Evangelist that the Apostles Peter and John , as they were about to enter into the Temple at Jerusalem, healed a lame man who sat begging at the beautiful gate for many years, but as the two Apostles are about to enter temple court they encounter a man who's ankle condition has prevented him from walking for a number of years.

 Kept Out

Not only did his condition prevent him from walking properly it had prevented him from engaging in the worship at the Temple , for the infirm or the sick were not permitted within, so here he sat at the Beautiful gate  begging from those who would enter.

Being kept out , this man established this entrance as his customary begging location and it is here that he encounters the Lord Jesus Christ thru the lives of St.Peter and St.John as they are about to enter for the time of prayer.

"One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them" Acts:3:1-5

The lame man turns his eyes toward the Apostles in the hopes of receiving a gift  money. This man would ask for alums but he would receive something more value than can be humanly estimated.

"Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk" (6-8)

 Restored

Upon being healed of his infirmity he is able to enter into the worship of the Temple and is seen by others as he praises God for the healing and restoration that he has received, thru the power of the name of Jesus. 

There in the Temple courts a crowd had gathered who were drawn by this healing done thru the Apostles in the name of Jesus .The crowd knew that this was the very man who begged at the gate and now here he was with the Apostles and worshiping God.

"He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him."  (8-10)

 The Gospel Preached

The evidence of the Holy Spirit working in the Apostles life and the demonstration of the power of God thru the beggars healing  gave them credibility and opportunity to  speak to those assembled  about Jesus Christ and proclaim the Gospel message.

"While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see."(11-16)

Reaction of Religion

So powerful was the occurrence that it came to the attention of the religious establishment who than moved to take the two Apostles into custody.

The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people.They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand."Acts:4:1-4

Upon questioning  the Apostles, it is discovered that they are "unlearned men"  , not those who, have been thru the years of Rabbinical training and education, yet it can not be denied that something extraordinary had occurred. (5-6)

The two Apostles are brought before the High Priest and the assembled  elders and the teachers of the Law to be questioned by the members of the Sanhedrin  and are asked how they brought about the healing of the beggar. (5-7)

St. Peter, moved by the Holy Spirit,  immediately invokes the name of Jesus and explains to the Sanhedrin that what has been done was thru the name and power of Jesus , which has healed and restored the beggar and freed him to enter the Temple courts and worship God. (8-12)

The elders of the Sanhidrid are than indited by the Apostles words as St.Peter and St. John boldly  confronts them with their rejection of Jesus and their complicity in his arrest, trail , crucifixion and death.

"then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is “ ‘the stone you builders rejected,

which has become the cornerstone".(10-11)

Ordinary Men

After the bold proclamation of the two Apostles the Sanhidrid members see the courage  of the Apostles , they are speechless unable to answer the inditing words set forth before them. 

Here before the Sanhidrid were two ordinary men , who , unlike themselves did not attend the Rabbinical schools of the day yet thru them a great miracle had been preformed. It was irrefutable  the evidence of the healed beggar stood before them.

"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say." (13-14)

 Had Been With Jesus

Then a midst of their astonishment and  all the proceedings the real reason for it all comes to the forefront when it is noted that the two Apostles "had been with Jesus" .

If the the two Apostles  had not been with Jesus, or better understood, that Jesus is with them,  they could not have raised up the lame beggar and restored him to the Worship in the Temple courts.

What Jesus had done was to take ordinary, unlearned men and transformed them into ministers of restoration healing the divide between God and humanity.

With Jesus

What about Christians today, can those around us look upon our lives and determine that we have been with Jesus?  The healing of the lame beggar was the evidence of the Apostles association with Jesus, there he stood healed and restored before them. He was the evidence that "they had been with Jesus."

The religions leaders  of the day did many good works, but they were accomplished thru the energies of the flesh. They could not do as the Apostles had done.

Can those around us see the evidence that we have "been with Jesus" ? Can people look at our lives and take note that we have  "been with Jesus" ?

Do our lives produce the fruit or evidence which bares evidence of our association with Jesus?  St. Paul wrote of this evidence in our lives in his Epistle to the Galatians Christians calling it the "Fruit of the Spirit" , in the fifth chapter the twenty second verse.

The "Fruit of the Spirit" should stand forth in our lives as evidence , which proclaims to all around us that we have " been with Jesus"  as the healed beggar stood as evidence of healing and restoration to worship with St.Peter and St. John  that day before the Sanhidrid.

Being With Jesus

How do we today experience being " with Jesus", or again, Jesus being with us? For us we engage with our Lord Jesus thru prayer, Bible study, hearing the Word of God preached , worship and fellowship and other spiritual disciplines which focus our minds upon the person of  Jesus Christ.

As we spend our time being taught about Jesus our lives are transformed and our minds are renewed. Eph:4:20-21

This means that who we associate with shapes our being, that is who we are. when we have "been with Jesus" it is reflected in our daily living. This is what the ancient Church called "Deification" , that means,  growing in the "image and likeness of Christ"  or putting on Christ or in Christ-likeness.

When spend our time focused upon our Lord Jesus Christ than our lives become bold proclamation of his abiding presence with us, so that all around us the world can take note of each and all of us that we have "been with Jesus".

Benediction: May our lives be so filled with the undeniable evidence, as  bold proclamation , to all whom we encounter that we have "been with Jesus" , today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen 

Rev.Todd Crouch, Pastor

The Fountain of life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion

2101 Old National Pike

Washington, Pa. 15301     www.gcfountainoflife.org

The Fountain of Life is heard  on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM  in the Arden Fair Grounds area of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com

The Fountain of Life WebCast Program- http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/71243900

You can follow the Fountain of Life on Face Book - Click on our Face Book link under our Helpful Links

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?Why are you so far from saving me,so far from my cries of anguish?My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest." Ps:22:1-2

Many times we can feel as if we are alone, that all around us is darkness and that the circumstances of our life are growing in darkness and at every turn there is adversity . We feel pressed in upon by the things that we face.

In these times of great stress it may feel, from our human vantage point,  that our God is far off and distant.It seems as if our Lord has not heard our cry for his divine assistance, that he has turned a deaf ear to us. The heavens are as brass and  no answers are forth coming to our prayers.

 We can feel that God has forsaken us and deliverance from our trails seems remote in the face of the growing personal darkness that will, from timer to time,  beset us.

Forsaken?

In all the gathering darkness and when hope seems far off we even find our selves ,  as the very words which our Lord Jesus uttered there, in that dark day upon the cross at Calvary, as all the weight of human sin was judged in his holy person.  

Our Lord reaches into the Sacred writ of the Holy Scriptures and uses the words penned by Jesus' royal ancestor King David, of whos' throne he is the heir to.

"My God, May God, why have you forsaken me?" Ps:22:1

At first appearance these words of Jesus may take on the shroud of desperation , abandonment  or even fear , yet when properly understood we find that they are something more, something greater , not just for our Lord , but for each and and all of us even in the midst of our times of personal darkness .

Messianic Psalm

For centuries  Psalm:22 was understood by Israel's Rabbinical scholars as a Messianic Psalm  belonging to the very Messiah. This Psalm is far more than a cry of abandonment as some have supposed, it is rather is one of great hope to each and all of us as we face difficult times. 

What our Lord Jesus is doing is there upon the cross, enveloped in darkness of the judgement of sin for all humanity , is ,  declaring that he is the Messiah of  Israel and all humanity.

 Far from being a despondent cry of abandonment , these word are a glorious shout of victory , won for us thru Jesus.

Worship and Trust

Jesus , after his shout of victory ,  the Psalm looks to the faithfulness of God as that faithful one who will , end the end make all things right for those who trust in him. These words were in Jesus' mind not just for himself alone but for each and all of us.

The words of the Psalm encourage us to worship and trust in God who is faithful and has wrought salvation for us. We should Worship and  praise him and trust him as he is faithful.

"Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;

you are the one Israel praises

In you our ancestors put their trust;

they trusted and you delivered them.

To you they cried out and were saved;

in you they trusted and were not put to shame" (3-5)

When we come to see this as a declaration of Jesus' Messiahship  it transform the whole tenner and tone of the Psalm, it elevates it, raises it high as a Psalm of the glorious victory over all that we might contend with in this life .

 It speaks to us of victory over sin, over pain, over loneliness , over sickness, over persecution, over oppression, over injustice, and even over death itself.

In the Midst of Adversity

David , under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit , composes the words which describe the scene at the cross and the experiences of our Lord  in the midst of the adversity . David prophetically writes of that which our Lord felt and saw.    

Verses (6-21) describes all that was arrayed against Jesus and the passion of the Crucifixion. . The oppression and persecution.The injustice and confinement. The alienation and profound sense of loss. The pain and suffering.The waning of life and untimely death.

 All That We Face

All these adversities were the personal experiences of our Lord Jesus . All of this binds Jesus to us in a unique and profound way and imparted a divine empathy for all our sufferings thru which he is able to stand as our High priest and Intercessor and Advocate. Jesus in his humanity  faced every and all that might  face in our life times. 

 "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted". Heb:2:18

  That day,  upon the cross of Calvary,  was a compression of all the human conditions, and a microcosm of  all humanities suffering brought to bear upon Jesus Christ as he endure the judgement of all human sin. All that any and all of that we might face in our lives, individually or collectively, was present there and given vivid expression in the Passion of Jesus as expressed in words of the Psalm.

 With Us 

All of us face times of great suffering as we pass thru this life trials, test, sufferings are all apart of the life we live. St. Peter comments regarding reality which we all will encounter in his first general Epistle to the Church.

 "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation."1Ptr:4:12-13

St.Peter , however,  not only comments that these "fiery ordeal(s)" are common among us , all the more,  these things which we face also reflect the truth that we are identified with our Lord Jesus and as we share in his "sufferings" , but what is more to our salvation Jesus has shared in our sufferings.

 Jesus is there in the midst of our sufferings to give strength and to help us. Jesus meets us as our Lord even in the midst of our sufferings, trails, difficulties and even at our worst moments Jesus is there. Jesus will never abandon us.Jesus has made an eternal commitment to us all.

 "I will never leave you nor forsake you" Heb:13:8

 Our Lord knows us all,  he understand just who and what we are and what we face and in spite of all things,  in all of our brokenness and the sufferings of this life .

Because  of Jesus we are never forsaken, we can face all things because he is the Messiah as Jesus is declaring in the words of the Psalm. This we means that we can face anything because Jesus is the Messiah and that victory is assured us.

 Beyond the Sufferings

Jesus  knew the outcome of the cross and the glory which awaited him. This truth is expressed in  Psalm:22:22-31.  The glory and salvation  is depicted in these verses are all expressed in the affirmative.

This tells us that Jesus knew the out come. Jesus knew what was beyond the cross and the grave and the glory that awaited him, and we all thru him.

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews expresses it this way.

 "who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb:12:2b

 Jesus knew what was beyond the sufferings. he knew that victory and glory awaited him.

This should give us hope and that thru Jesus we too will share in all that is his.

"For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Heb:12:3

Because of Jesus

We  ,each and all of us, can face what ever comes against us in this life because Jesus is the Messiah, this is what Jesus is proclaiming to us all thru the words of the Messianic Psalm.  Jesus is declaring his very Messiahship to us giving us hope and in the midst of what we face. As Jesus shouted in victory.

"My God, My God Why Have You Forsaken Me?"

Benediction: May we all take hope and be comforted knowing that we will never be forsaken , that our Lord Jesus is there with us thru what ever we face, today, tomorrow and forevermore Amen

Rev.Todd Crouch, Pastor

The Fountain of life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion

2101 Old National Pike

Washington, Pa. 15301     www.gcfountainoflife.org

The Fountain of Life is heard  on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM  in the Arden Fair Grounds area of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com

The Fountain of Life WebCast Program- http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/71243900

You can follow the Fountain of Life on Face Book - Click on our Face Book link under our Helpful Links

A Brife History of Some Church Councils

"The apostles and elders met to consider this question."Acts:15:6

Over the centuries from the inception of the Christian Church around 33-37 AD,  it became necessary for
the Church to come together and discus varies issues or questions which would arise as the Church moved thru time.

Often these convocations were driven by the need for the Church to answer challenges from varies ones who came to believe in views which were in opposition to what the Church had always understood and taught from the outset of the Church on that day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirirt manifest himself in the lives of those followers of the Resurrected and ascended Jesus of Nazareth.

Many Christians of today are unaware of the varies Church Councils, sometimes referred to as Ecumenical Councils,  which have been convened  over the centuries, especially  Christians of Church bodies which have emerged over the last one hundred years or so.  These Councils have helped shaped the Christian movement and helped clarify the understanding of all Christians of what constitutes Orthodox Christian Teaching, Theology and Doctrine. 

 Council of Jerusalem

The first recorded Council of the Christian movement is generally thought to have occurred around 50 AD and was convened at Jerusalem. The issue that was address was "what were the requirements for gentiles who came to believe in Jesus as Israel's Messiah?". 

Why this was such an important question which needed to be resolved , was that from it's inception the Christian movement was comprised of all Jews , who had lived all their lives under the Old Covenant which was enjoined between God and Israel  , and were , up to that time, still holding on to some vestiges of that Covenant. 

This asked the question "what did the entrance of a Gentile mean? Just what had changed in Israel's, and all humanities relationship to and with God. What did Jesus' entrance into history mean for us all in our relationship with God?

In the narrative of the Book of Acts , written by the Evangelist St.Luke, we are told that the question had arose due to the entrance in to the Church  of  Cornelius a Centurion  of the Roman occupation army and his household, thru the work of the Holy Spirit prompting Cornelius to request a visit from the Apostle Peter to give he and his family clarification and understanding about what God wanted from him.  

St. Luke records God's intervention thru a vision given to Cornelius that he should send for Peter.

"At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.

The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”Acts:10:1-6

The Apostle St. Pete responded to Cornelius request to speak with him and makes the trip to Casesarea where Cornelius' garrison is stationed. Here St. Peter  expounds the Gospel to the Centurion who embraces the message resulting in the conversion of Cornelius and his household. 

When the Jewish Christians receive news that Peter had visited with Cornelius, a gentile and a Roman Centurion , they are initially angry until Peter explains to them that those gentiles , like themselves, had received the Holy Spirit and had in truth come to trust in Jesus.

This situation set off a debate in the Church which caused the Apostles and elders of the Church to consider what they and any who came to believe in Jesus , were to do. This debate at times was filled with contention and heated arguments among them notably the debate focused upon the question of circumcision.

This issue was settled during a gathering of the Apostles and elders which is given to us in a summery form in Acts:15.

This decision of the Jerusalem Council  would begin the processes which would help propel the early Apostolic Church out from under the auspices of Judaism and into a life all of its own, for had this not occurred the Church would have remained as simply a sect of Judaism confined to Palestine,  and would never had been able to reach the Hellenistic and Roman world and beyond  as it did and changed the world for all time and forever.

The Rise of Gnosticism  

In the Apostolic era of the Church there arose  groups who attempted to work their own form of Christianity, one such group was called Gnostic who attempted to marry mysteries from pagan beliefs and Christian beliefs. St.Paul's Epistle to the Colossi Christians addressed this Gnostic teachings as he addressed Judizers  in his Galatians Epistle.

Gnostic were not one uniform group, but rather , they were a ambiguous collection of persons and groups, each holding to their own views. One influential Gnostic teacher  was  Marcion .  Mracion had been rasied as a Christin his father had been a Bishop in the Church .

Marcion had a unique set of teachings and beliefs. Marcion's influence was so great ,that at one point,    he managed to raise up a counter moment to that of  the orthodox Christian Church, which thrived for a time and competed against the established Church.

Marcion had his own set of Scripture which he assembled and claimed as authoritative and spoke to humanity. Marcion excluded the whole of the Canon of the Old Testament and only certain Apostolic Church era Epistles and Gospels; and these were often edited to support his teachings.

 Canonical Councils

This prompted  early Christian leaders to begin to ask "which writings speak with divine authority?"      
This led to what are called the Canonical Councils which deliberated what writings should be regarded as Scripture and recognized as speaking with to humanity on behalf of God.

In the early Church there was writing known as.

Homologoumena -Meaning Acknowledged , or Accepted Books.

Antilegomena- Disputed Books.

Apocrypha- Meaning Spurious Books.

Pseudepigrapha- Meaning Heretical or Absurd Books.

It became needful for the to sort thru the many documents and early Gospel accounts and Epistles to produce a body of writing which were recognized as inspired by the Holy Spirit and conveyed the divine word and will of God to humanity.

There were four primary Canonical Councils which assembled over a period of about one hundred years to construct the Canon of Scripture.

The Council of Laodecia  in 336 AD

The Council of Damascus in 382 AD

The Council of Carthage in 397 AD

The Council of Hippo in 419 AD

The Nature of Christ

Even from the earliest times there were heretical views in the Church. many of these views were in regard to the nature of Jesus. Councils were called to talk about the accepted and orthodox understanding about the person of Christ. 

Some of the news of the nature of Jesus were that he was a "good" man who "qualified" to be the Messiah. Others taught that Jesus was mere "specter" or "projection"  who did not even cast a shadow or leave any foot prints. 

Some viewed Jesus as being  "god" but not God from eternity , but was instead was the highest created being made by God. 

Others some taught that Jesus was born a man but that his own rational human mind had been displaced by the Word of God.

Other teaching were  that Jesus had two natures, divine and human or "person hoods" within himself, as if he were two separate persons within himself. 

Another taught that Jesus had two natures prior to the incarnation but only one nature  after the incarnation. 

These are just a some of the views which were extant in the early centuries, councils were assembled to arrive at an orthodox understanding about the person of Christ as being fully God yet fully human. 

 

The First Council of Nicaea 325 AD- Affirmed that Jesus is fully God

The First Council of Constantinople 381 AD- Affirmed that Jesus is perfect humanity.

The Council of Ephesus -431 AD Affirmed that Jesus is "one" person.

The Council of Chalcedon- 451 AD  Affirmed that Jesus had both divine nature and human nature in one person.

The Second Council of Constantinople- 553 AD -recognizing the hypostatic union of Christ as two natures, one divine and one human, united in one person with neither confusion nor division

The Third  Council of Constantinople -680 AD Stated that Jesus had both a human and a divine will.

Helped Define and Shape Christian  Thought

Thru out the history of the Christian Church leaders have assembled over the centuries to discuss and  state what is orthodox Christin understanding about the nature of God, Jesus Christ , what is and is not Scripture and many more issues which have confronted the Church over the years.  

There have been Councils held in both the Eastern and Western Church traditions as well as Protestant, Anglican , Evangelical and  Pentecostal Church bodies and traditions.  

These gathering have helped the Church produce the  Historical Church documents such as the Apostles Creed, Definitions of Chalcedon, the Athanasian Creed and Westminster Confessions and other great statements of faith and declarations  which have shaped Christin understanding and thought, not just of one particular Church body ,but of the Church Universal wherever it is found under whatever name Christians are gathered,  from the Apostolic Pentecost down thru the ages,  to the Protestant Reformation and the awakenings and revivals thru out history to this very hour. 

The great God, the Holy Trinity,  has and is thru the Holy Spirit leading his people to come together and "grow and grace and in knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" .   

Benediction: May we each and all ever come to deeper understanding of our Great God, today, tomorrow and forevermore Amen 

Rev.Todd Crouch, Pastor

The Fountain of life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion

2101 Old National Pike

Washington, Pa. 15301     www.gcfountainoflife.org

The Fountain of Life is heard  on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM  in the Arden Fair Grounds area of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com

The Fountain of Life WebCast Program- http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/71243900

You can follow the Fountain of Life on Face Book - Click on our Face Book link under our Helpful Links

I Will Give You Rest

“Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."Matt:11:28

All of us, can from time to time find our selves heavy laden with great burdens in this life. At times these burdens can be overwhelming, especially when we have bore them for so great a time.

At times,  those things,  which we carry with us thru this life , find their severity not  in their magnitude but in their duration. We can be come wearied and tired made worn out from years of bearing our burdens.


We can look at the troubled world around us, which stands on the brink of chaos. There is threat of war, natural disasters, terrorism, economic uncertainty, social and moral deterioration , family breakdown and more.
All these things can fill us with a sense of personal and collective anxiety.

 Jesus Calls Us

If we are being overwhelmed by the cares and burdens of this life, individually or collectively , then Jesus calls out to us each and all to come to him burdens and all , whatever they may be.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matt:11:28

This is rest that we can all have thru Jesus. It is a rest that rises above circumstances or conditions. A rest that defies the understanding of the natural mind of humanity.It is rest even in the midst of the pressures of this life

 

 I Will Give

This rest,  that Jesus invites us to is a certainty not a possibility, nor is it a theoretical rest but a true and freely given rest which we receive only thru  Jesus himself. It is is not something that we can or our own selves create or generate on our own. 

This rest is given unconditionally, Jesus tells us simply "I will give you rest". This means that we do not earn it,  nor do we, thru any work of our selves , merit it ; Jesus simply give it to us when we accept his invitation to receive it.  It is already ours' in Jesus , the only thing which can prevent us from experiencing this rest is our own unwillingness to receive it.

Did Not Rest

The Holy Spirit inspired the human author of the Epistle to the Hebrew Jewish Christians to address the idea of entering into the true rest that is found only in and thru Jesus alone.

These Hebrew Jewish Christians had been raised under the Old Covenant with all it's ceremonies and ordinances and law.  They had been taught all their lives  that Israel is God's Elect People thru an act of Grace on God's part , but they had come to believe that in order to maintain this status as God's Elect People they had to keep the Law and all the varies ceremonies and regulations , attempting to maintain this Elect status Israel could never be at rest.

The author of the Hebrews Epistle, in the fourth chapter ,verses (1-12) , referrers these First Century Jewish Christians , and we all,  back to the history of the people of Israel ,who were being led by Joshuah , and how Israel failed to truly enter their national rest in the Promised land of Canaan, due to Israel's unbelief and to refusing to accept and hold as sacred the word  of God. 

Israel entered the land of Canaan but never the true rest that God had been speaking of , and promising  even from the very  beginning, the rest that even the Sabbath day had  only been a type.

 

 Thru Jesus

As a result the Hebrews author states that Israel had never truly entered in to and experienced the rest that God had always intended,  this rest which God offers Israel, and all humanity , is more than a prosperous and well favored geographical location or a a given day.

 This rest is now available thru Jesus, so that those who have come to believe in Jesus can experience this true rest  which God had always wanted for Israel and all humanity.

Hebrews then turns our attention to the Priesthood of our Lord Christ, this is not just a transition to a new theme in the Epistle , but rather is a continuation of  the rest theme and the true source and reason we all can be at rest.

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (14-16)

What we are be told in these verses, is  that , due to our Lord's place in the Heavens at the very throne of God as our High Priest on our behalf , a High Priest who personally understands the problems that we all face in this life and who is  seeking our continual deliverance and providing each and all of us with intercession is the reason we can be at rest. 

Jesus understand our humanity, he  is fully  one of us even as he is fully God. Jesus knows from his own first hand experiences what the human life is like,  he knows the weariness,  cares and burdens that we all bare in this life,  therefore,  Jesus can have both empathy and sympathy for us. We can know that he understands each and all of us.

Cast Your Concerns 

Jesus invites us to come to him when the pressures and burdens of this life begin to take their toll upon us  and we are weighed down and over whelmed by our circumstances. Jesus calls out to us when we stumble and fall , when our concerns are looming large and seem unbearable.

St. Peter , with Psalm:55:22 in mind ,  writing his first general Epistle to Christians two thousand years ago and to Christians thru out the ages, counsels each and all of us to give over our cares and burdens to our Lord Jesus.

"Casting all your cares upon him; for he cares for you" 1Petr:5:7

 St. Peter tells us to "cast all your cares" , the word "cast" means to jettison them from us, to thrust them far away, to quickly to relinquish ownership of them into the hands of Jesus. Why can we do this?   Because "he (Jesus) cares for you". This means more than we might believe. It means that Jesus "cares for you" ,that is , Jesus has a bound of love for and towards each and all of us. Jesus care about and for us,  and also that Jesus  manages the problems on our behalf  therefore we should "cast" , that is ,  relinquish control of  our cares  over to our Lord.  Jesus will not fail us what ever we face in this life.

Self Reliant

Many of us still attempt to handle life's burdens and challenges what ever they may be. We try to be self reliant. Sometimes , it is hard for us to  just let go of the burdens that we carry in this life. It is as through we believe that we can manage our cares better than Jesus, yet, in the end,  if we are honest with ourselves we will have to knowledge the truth that we all fail and fall short before our God. 

Come Unto Me

When we face, as we all will, find ourselves weighed down in this life we can heed the invitation which Jesus freely offers all of us, to come to Jesus and bring our needs and our cares to him. 

Jesus so freely offers to take up part and and to assume of our burden what ever it might be. Jesus is there for each and all of us calling us to himself offering us his divine assistance  and providing ,thru his grace alone , that rest which we all were intended to experience

“Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matt:11:28-30

Jesus calls out to any and all who will but freely receive it to  "come unto" him, to "cast our cares"  and burdens upon him knowing that Jesus  is there in the  Heavens as our High Priest to help us with any and all our cares and burdens that weary us in this life. 

If we have cares and burdens and are weary, than let us hear and heed Jesus' gracious invitation so freely extend to each  and all of us  and Jesus will give us rest.  

 Benediction: May we each and all come unto our Lord Jesus that we might enter that rest he so freely offers, today , tomorrow and forevermore .Amen

Rev.Todd Crouch, Pastor

The Fountain of life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion

2101 Old National Pike

Washington, Pa. 15301     www.gcfountainoflife.org

The Fountain of Life is heard  on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM  in the Arden Fair Grounds area of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com

The Fountain of Life WebCast Program- http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/71243900

You can follow the Fountain of Life on Face Book - Click on our Face Book link under our Helpful Links 

In a Dry Season

"Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live for a while because the famine was sever" Genesis:12:10

In the Book of Genesis , written by the Prophet Moses, we are told about Patriarchs Abram , Isaac and the family of Jacob  leaving the land of Canaan, which was given to them by the Lord God, to go to Egypt and to the Philistines for a time due to a very serve droughts which lead to a real scarcity of food.


""Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live for a while because the famine was sever" Gen:12:10 

"Now there was a famine in the land, besides the earlier famine of Abraham's time, and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar" Gen:26:1

 "And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in the entire world"Gen:41:57

 Led to Slavery

Each of these droughts and famines led the Patriarchs to leave the land which had been given to them by the Lord God as an inheritance , this going to other lands  looking sustenance is what eventually led to the enslavement of the Children of Israel, the very decedents to whom the land of Canaan was promised.

The Lord placed the Patriarchs in Canaan and we read in the Genesis narrative that they made the choice to depart the land with out being instructed to do so by the Lord God.

They made this choice, it seems, without inquiring of the God who gave them the land to dwell in or receiving direct instructions . They choose this thru their perceiving the physical conditions alone.

The Patriarchs  should have stayed in Canaan and trusted that their God had the power to sustain them , this created the conditions which led Israel to be in slaved. These Patriarchs should have trusted in the Lord God.

When a Dry Season Comes

 There are times when we as Christians or in the life of our local church(es) pass thru dry seasons, when there seems to little rain fall or there may appear to be no fruit born in our lives as individuals or a local church(es). 

When the Lord seems far off, and there are no blessing being rained down upon us and the heavens above  seem as brass and the Canaan of our lives seem to produce no real fruit or the Holy Spirit seems to be inactive in our midst . 

When these dry seasons come upon us we might , as did the Patriarchs, be tempt to look for substance else where. We might ,as did they,  look to another place to go to find what we need  rather than trusting in our  the Lord God to provide for us in our individual or collective dry seasons.

The Patriarchs looked at the physical conditions alone, they did not seek God's guidance in their journey to other lands. They may have missed an opportunity see the providence of God at work.

 Leaving Canaan

When our local church(es) finds it's self in the midst of a dry season are we like the Patriarchs? Do we want to leave the Canaan of our church(es) and look else where, or when we, as Christians find our selves in what seems to be a personal dry season, do we leave the Canaan of our Christian life and look for sustenance else where, or what if the nation(s) in which we live in is facing spiritual dry season and there is a real famine of the Canaan of the faith of Jesus,  do we seek the land of Egypt?

If we are to depart from local church(es) we should be sure that is what our God would have us do, we should inquire of the Lord not just look at the phyical conditions as the Patriarchs did. By leaving they created the conditions which led to the slavery of Israel.

If we do depart from our local church(es) need to insure that this is what the Lord directs us to do and that we are leaving for the right reasons not merely for the sake of conveniences or  amenities or driven by personalities, but that God himself leads in the decision, we may miss an opportunity to see God work in a powerful way. 

Dry Trees Burns

Look at the nation(s) in which we live, is it spiritually in a dry season? Are the lives of the people "dry" spiritually?  People are like trees in a dry season,  withered lief and fruitless. Whether they know it or not they need the refreshing power of the Holy Spirit to rain down upon them and to bring renewal. 

People , church(es) or nations can be in this state , yet,  as dire as it may first appear there is a great opportunity presenting it self,  for all it takes to set a dry tree ablaze is one small spark. 

All it may take is one small spark to set off the fire of revival in peoples lives our church(es) or the nation in which we dwell.

Look at the very dryness of the time of our Lord Jesus. In that dry season of the Crucifixion, there came the Holy Spirit upon the Disciples on that day of Pentecost which set off the fire of  a true revival that ignited the Christian movement which has changed all things forever. 

God may want us to be that agent(s)  which sets the spark  that ignites the flame of revival in our local church(es) or even in the nations in which we live. God may want us to stay in the Canaan where he has placed us, not to look elsewhere.

How Do We Understand the Season?

Do we see the great opportunity that is being presented to us? All the great genuine revivals came at a time when they were least expected. None ever thought that what occurred on the day of Pentecost would have happened , yet they heard Jesus' instruction to stay where he had placed them.

"On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about." "Acts:1:4

Where ever our Lord has placed us he has done so for his purposes, we should.We should understand the times in which we live, a great opportunity is before us all in the greater body of the church to be against which set the land a blaze with the fire of revival even in the midst of dry season.

A well known and often quoted Scripture is found in   1Chronicals:12:32a which tells us regarding  men of the tribe of Issachar who understood the season which Israel was in.

"the men from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—"

 Even in the dry season in which we may be in the midst of, there is a great opportunity to spark the flames of revival and set the land ablaze. Do we understand the times in which we live and what it is we should do?

We should stay in the Canaan where our Lord has placed us even in the dry seasons or we may miss a great opportunity to see what our Lord might do even in a dry season.

Benediction: May we each and all be that spark of revival which sets a blaze the fire of revival even in the midst of a dry season, today, tomorrow and forevermore.  Amen

:Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor
The Fountain of Life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion
2101 Old National Pike.
Washington, Pennsylvania.   www.gcfountainoflife.org

The Fountain of Life is heard  on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM  in the Arden Fair Grounds area of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com

The Fountain of Life WebCast Program- http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/71243900

You can follow the Fountain of Life on Face Book - Click on our Face Book link under our Helpful Links

the Small Still Voice

" came a small still voice" 

The Great Prophet Elijah  faithfully proclaimed the word of the Lord God to the people of Israel while it was under the rule of King Ahab and his pagan Priestess wife Jezebel. Many in the land of Israel were turning away from the God of their Fathers, Abrahan, Issac and Jacob. Elijah's ministry is recounted in the Holy Scriptures in the Book of 1 Kings.

The people were forsaking the very Covenant which the Lord God had established with Israel and were ,thru the influence of Jezebel,  profaning themselves in the worship of lifeless idols and the worship of Baal and Asherah.

Even Jezebel's name, which is best translated as "where is the prince?" , this ceremonial phrase is drawn from ritualistic shout of the priest of Baal during their sacrifices to Baal in the times when Baal was thought to be in the "underworld".

King Ahab was weak and ineffective leader who Jezebel manipulated to her own ends and the advancement of the "gods" whom she worshiped. Ahab even commissioned the building of a temple dedicated to the "god" Baal to be erected in order to please Jezebel.Ahab and Jezebel are described in Scripture  as "having done evil in the sight of the Lord".

Baal, who is worshiped as a "god" of nature who sends rain is proven powerless when the Lord God declares that the  rain would be with held due to Israel's continued idolatry and not even due would appear upon the land.

"And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said unto Ahab: 'As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word."1Kings:17:1

Elijah

In the midst of the Israel and the declining spiritual condition of the nation the Prophet Elijah,who's name means "Yahweh is my God",  lifts his voice with power and  speaks the word of God admonishing and correcting the people encouraging them to return to their God and to be faithful to the Lord who set them free and established them in the land.

Elijah is bold in his proclamations and and challenges all , from Ahab and Jezebel,  her prophets and priest, and the common people to forsake the demon "gods" which have no power and return to the Lord.

Elijah's challenges is so powerful that when Elijah approaches Ahab calls Elijah "the troubler of Israel" .1Kings:18:16b-17

 Mount Caramel

The situation confrontation  within Israel and between Elijah and Ahab and Jezebel comes to a powerful juncture when Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to assemble upon Mount Caramel in northern Israel to determine who is and who is not God. Whether Baal is God or the Lord is God.

“I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” (18-20)

Here at the summit of Mount Caramel, Elijah the Prophet of the Lord God challenges not Ahab and Jezebel but the very prophets and priest of Baal. Defeating them thru a display of the very power of God as the fire of the power of God consumes Elijah's water drenched offering and the stone alter on which it has been offered causing the assembled crowd to declare that "the Lord is God" . 1Kings:18:22-40

This display of power leads to the execution of the prophets and priest of Baal thru an order issued thru Elijah.

In to the Wilderness

However, even after so great a display of the power of God and the great victory which the Lord had given to Elijah, we find that conditions did not develop as Elijah as hoped. The Prophet had anticipated a more profound result in the land after his victory, but little had changed.

Ahab then  issues a warrant calling for the arrest and death of Elijah. Elijah now finds things difficult in Israel and with government now searching for the Prophet he falls into a state of discouragement and self-pity , he then becomes fearful and attempts to elude the authorities.

"Elijah was afraid and ran for his life." 1Kings:19:3

Elijah, sitting under a Juniper tree  in the Wilderness of Judah ,  in his despondency  sleeps. The Lord sends and angel to awaken him and there he finds food and water which have been made ready for him Here the Prophet is fed by the Lord .

Then the Prophet departs the Judean Wilderness and after a forty day journey Elijah and his way to Mount Horab, that is Sinai,  the Mountain of God , where the Lord God had enacted the Covenant with Israel,  and here Elijah and enters a cave.

 Alone , Elijah sits in a cave and ponders the events which brought him to this point. He had witnessed the power of God displayed,  the people cried out to declaring that the Lord was God , the prophets and priest of Baal were slain , rain fell from the heavens and the three year drought was broken  , he had been given a great victory,  and the Lord used him mightily.

Elijah had expected a profound transformation in the nation, yet , Ahab issued an arrest warrant and threatened the Prophets life,  little had changed in the land.

Now the Prophet sits in cave alone and disheartened in the Wilderness wondering what would happen.

Display of Power-The Small Still Voice

As Elijah sits alone in the Cave of Horab, the Lord speaks to him in a small  still voice.

"What are you doing here, Elijah?" 1Kings:19:9b

Elijah's responds in a tone despondency and of self-pity.

"He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” (10)

Elijah  is told to go out of the cave and to see the Lord  passing by. As the Prophet stands upon the mountain side he wittiness a display of power as the "Lord passes by" .

"The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. 

After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a small still voice. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (11-13)

The Prophet see's a great display of the power of God, Wind, Shaking of the Earth, and Fire.  Yet , the narrative tells us that the "Lord was not in"  these great displays. These great manifestations of power are then  followed by "a small still voice".

After  manifestation of power the Lord address Elijah asking him "what are doing here, Elijah?"

 Elijah, still focused upon himself answers.  

 “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” (14)

 Go Your Way

The Lord responds that there is still work for the Prophet to undertake, to not be entrapped by self-pity and self focus, but to be going and doing the work that the Lord had called him to do and that he is not alone in his service to God. (15-18)

John the Baptist in The Spirit of Elijah

We are told in the prophetic words of the Scripture that before the coming of the Messiah there would be another to proceed him, this one was to come in the very spirit of the Great Prophet Elijah preparing the way for the Lord.

"Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. "He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse."Mal:4:5-6

Before our Lord Jesus came forward and began his public ministry John the Baptist or "Baptizer", lifted  up his voice there upon the banks of that Jordan , declaring that a transformation was under way, that the long sought for Messiah was about to appear and imploring the people to repent and return to their God just as Elijah had done.

John was facing the Ahab and Jezebel  of his day, that is , Herod Antipas and his adulterous "wife" Herodias,  and a host of "religious" leaders who were using their position for their own gain and status at the expense of the people.

 " Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."…Matt:3:1-2

 John's preaching indites both Herod and the religious leaders calling them a "brood of vipers".

"But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? (7)
 
As we look carefully at John's words we see that he believed that there would be sweeping and profound changes at the coming of the Messiah .

The Baptist utilizes  Apocalyptic images of the "ax" , "wrath" , "fire" , the "winnowing fork", the "threshing floor", and the "burning of chaff" and "unquenchable fire" in his preaching which reveals John's belief that the Messiah and his kingdom would come in great power and  demonstrations of that power  radically altering the lives and of each and all and remove the burden of oppression off of the people and cast out those who misrule them, and thereby finally establishing the relationship which God had always intended to have with Israel.


"The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (10-12)

John saw the coming as an Apocalyptic event , an event accompanied by great and transformation power.

 This is the One

John witnesses the the divine signs indicating the Jesus is the very one whom all have been awaiting and the one who's coming John was in preparation for.

John see's there at the Baptism of Jesus the open heavens, the decent of the Spirit and the voice of God all confirming the Messiah ship of Jesus.

"As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (16-17)

John's preaching had unnerved the religious leaders  and indited Herod, he has seen the glory of God, and the coming of the Messiah and knew that the kingdom had come, yet that Messiah did not act as John had anticipated.

John, like Elijah , had expected something profoundly different from God. The Messiah did not raise an army and go forth with sword in hand leading jubilant followers to the overthrow of  Herod and the cleansing of the Temple casting out of the "religious" leaders and the establishment of Israel as the greatest nation upon the Earth. 

John not only finds his Apocalyptic hopes unfulfilled,  that is, as he understood them. John is then arrested as Ahab had hoped to do to the Prophet Elijah centuries earlier.

John finds himself imprisoned in the cave of the dungeon of Herod's palace, and there in the darkness the Baptist  has time to think.

Nothing had happened in the way which John believed that they would.

Jesus, the  Messiah,  fulfills none of John's Apocalyptic hopes in the way that John believed that he  would. John had anticipated what Elijah saw in the Wilderness at Horab, Wind, The Shaking of the Earth and Fire.

There was not great wind to shatter rock and stone, nor the shaking of the Earth which rent the land in two nor was there fire which consumed the chaff of oppression and hypocrisy.

John is perplexed and  sends some of his disciples  to Jesus asking him to make sense of his failed Apocalyptic hopes.

John had known that Jesus was God's anointed Messiah but he anticipated something different from Jesus. The Baptist had hoped that all the prophecies would now come to pass, but Jesus' ministry seemed outside of his anticipations.

"Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?" Matt:11:2-3

 Jesus' answer is more like the "small still voice" which spoke to Elijah rather the ,wind, earthquake and fire.

"Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you hear and see: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM.…"(4-5)

  The Small Still Voice

Jesus brought what may rather be seen as a "small still voice". Jesus brought not the call to an Apocalyptic war in the establishment of God's Kingdom, but  rather the kingdom established thru his acts of love , healing and proclamation of God's forgiveness for any who will but freely receive it.

The Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us that it is thru Jesus that God now speaks to us.

"God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.…" Heb:1:1-2

Jesus' acts of mercy , love, grace, healing had and have, far more power than any wind , or earthquake or fire could ever have. Jesus calls out to as the very embodiment of that "small still voice" who speaks to all humanity of the love which our Creator God has for us and his desire that we know him and come to accept the salvation accomplished for us thru Jesus ,in his life, death and resurrection.

Jesus speaks to us as the very embodiment of the "small still voice" of God who relentlessly speaks to us about God's love, even when we desire to see wind, earthquake and fire. 

  There is great lesson for each and all of us;when we come to believe in Jesus Christ and see him for who he is as the very holy Son of God ,we often hope for great Apocalyptic displays of divine power which will radically transform the landscape of our lives and others.

This can be especially true  in our own  lives or ministries ,  when the Lord uses us in a great way, we see the power of God and we may feel that our lives are about to be  launch in a given direction, we may see ourselves being used by God to undertake great things, we have hopes and anticipations as did Elijah and John, yet when these anticipations do not come to pass we should not as both Elijah and John fall into a state of despondency or self pity, rather all the more,  we should see what God has already done and know that there is yet work to be done and listen all the more to that "small still voice"... 

Benediction: May we each and all ever hear that "small still voice" of God embodied in our Lord Jesus Christ , today, tomorrow and forevermore Amen.


 Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor
The Fountain of Life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion
2101 Old National Pike.
Washington, Pennsylvania.   www.gcfountainoflife.org

The Fountain of Life is heard  on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM  in the Arden Fair Grounds area of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com

The Fountain of Life WebCast Program- http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/71243900

You can follow the Fountain of Life on Face Book - Click on our Face Book link under our Helpful Links