3 Times A Year

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Three times a year shall all your males appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed (Dt. 16:16 AMPC)

Tomorrow night we are going to celebrate Pentecost which is a holiday, or holy day celebrated by Jews and Christians every year. The Church holiday bases their date of Sunday, May 31 on the Gregorian calendar, whereas the Jewish date of Friday-Saturday, May 29-30 is based on God’s calendar. I say God’s calendar because if we believe the Word of the Lord to be true – from “Kiver to Kiver” (Cover to Cover) – then we also believe that God gave these feasts and festivals to His people for a purpose. Now when I say, His people, I am referring both to Jew, and those who have been ingrafted into the Fig Tree that Israel is through the righteousness of Abraham. We have become the circumcised of the heart and God’s Law has been written upon our hearts. The question is, How does all of this apply to the modern day saint in the 21st century?

Recently I was convicted by the revelation that in two out of the three feasts something significant happened. (I could make an argument for all three but I will spare you the details. Suffice it to say that an argument could be made that Jesus was actually born during the Feast of Tabernacles based on several prophecies regarding Jesus being Immanuel – “the God Who Tabernacles or Dwells with His people“) We know that Jesus was crucified during Passover, and the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost. It is my opinion that Jesus will return during the Feast of Tabernacles. Again this would take a great deal of time to explain but I’ll leave you with a little tidbit of information to consider: Why did the Jews lay down palm branches when Jesus was entering Jerusalem? (Palm branches were specifically used during the Feast of Tabernacles). My answer would be, that the Jews associated the Palm Branches with Tabernacles, or Sukkot, and with the coming of the Messiah. My conviction expanded into the realization that if God told His people that they had to gather on these three significant holidays, and on two of the three holidays Jesus appeared, then it would behoove us believers to also gather on the three holidays for Inspection (Passover, and Ridding ourselves of the yeast, or leaven of sin); for Dedication and Consecration (Pentecost was an offering of the very best of their first fruits from harvest); and lastly, for Preparation (Tabernacles was preceded by Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement in which the people sought to draw near to God, repent of sin, and prepare for God drawing near to them). Thus, by the Grace of God, and His Spirit our church will celebrate these three readying ourselves for Christ’s Return.

If we are practicing all three then we too will be prepared when the Trumpet Blasts sound from the Heavens and the saints are gathered to meet Him in the air. May the Spirit of Revelation set us free from the powerful delusion that has come upon the mainstream church that does not love the Truth, or know (ginosko) Him. Lord willing I will see you tomorrow night for our Pentecost meal.

Thank You’s, and Returning To Church

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Good morning Bethany Church family! I just wanted to send out a thank you to everyone who has brought or bought meals for our family following the birth of our grandson. We have eaten really well. (I’ve gained back the weight from the fast) As you can tell from the picture above he is growing up rapidly, causing his Papa (Grandad) to be envious of his ability to grow a full beard even though he is only 3 weeks old. (LOL).

Thank you, thank you for your love and support of our family during this time. It has meant a great deal to Stephen, Amber, Jackie and myself. We have the greatest church family!

Also I wanted to thank John David and everyone who came out to remodel our sanctuary stage and paint the lobby. If you get a chance, say a word of thanks to: JD and Charlotte Price, Vic Medlin, Mary Quinn, Matt, Kristan, Evan and Nate Wagenmaker, Jody Stowe, Ron Drogan, Art Meza, Rob Owens, Nate Manning, and Kent Lee.

By the time we return to worship this Sunday, May 24 we should have a new looking stage. Also on that note: the Governor of NC has lifted the restriction on churches gathering to worship. With that in mind please follow these guidelines:

If you have had a fever, or have a fever – for what ever reason – STAY HOME and watch the service online!

If you are in the at risk age group for the virus use discretion and practice caution in returning to church. I know it’s not the same as coming to church, but for now you watch the service online.

If you feel more comfortable in returning to church wearing a mask: wear a mask.

Those who want to gather for worship while taking the proper precautions are encouraged to do so. Chairs in the sanctuary will be placed approximately 6 feet apart, while couples, and families will obviously be encouraged to sit together.

Following the service Sunday morning we will be having Memorial Day Cookout. Bring drinks, dessert, and chips for you and your family – and enough for a guest. Our church will be providing the meat (Thank the Lord for meat!)

Lord willing we will see you all at church this Sunday morning, May 24.

Love Life Day of Prayer & Fasting

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This week is our Love Life week of prayer and fasting. Today we specifically pray and fast for the Lord of Hosts (Angelic Armies) to bring an end to the abortion industries abuse of women’s bodies, shedding of innocent blood, and the marketing of body parts from aborted fetuses.

If you haven’t done so – sign the commitment card found on your last Bethany Update, or follow this link: https://forms.gle/ZhDoMJe8rF3eMhXb6.

Download the Love Life App on your smart phone or computer to zoom in for the virtual prayer walk this Saturday at the Hebron Street abortion center at 700 E. Hebron Street, Charlotte.

Read 1 Kings 18 and pray the Scriptures prophetically, or symbolically.

1. 1Kings 18:1 – Lord send the Reign of Your Holy Spirit.

2. 1 Kings 18:13 – Lord end Jezebel’s reign over Charlotte, NC, America and the world.

3. 1 Kings 18:13 – Lord resurrect the Prophets and the prophetic voice in our city, state nation, and the world. Raise up an Elijah Company of prophetic saints in the Body of Jesus in our church and around the world. Remove the deaf and dumb spirit from the Body of Jesus so that they can pray, prophesy, and share their faith.

4. 1 Kings 18:18 – That true, heart-felt repentance would come to the Body of Christ in Charlotte, NC, America and the Nations – for breaking the commands of the Lord and bowing down to the altars of death, prosperity, materialism, secularism, atheism, and worldliness.

5. 1 Kings 18:20-24 – That God would bring about a showdown between the Elijah Company and the messengers of Satan.

6. 1 Kings 18:21 – That the Body of Christ would repent of wavering between two opinions: between Jesus and murder; between Jesus and the lies of death and destruction; between Jesus and satan; between Jesus and the idols of the land; between Jesus and pornography and sexual immorality. That the Body of Christ would repent of their duplicitous actions, immorality, idolatry, and sitting on the fence. Pray for them Grace to choose who is going to be their Lord and Master. That pastors would become prophetic voices to their people and no longer waver between two opinions.

7. 1 Kings 18:30 – That the Body of Jesus would repair the Altar of the Lord through prayer and obedience in their lives, and families.

8. 1 Kings 18:32 – That the Body of Jesus would begin building an altar of worship and prayer to Jesus and Jesus alone; tearing down the altars they’ve erected to the idols of media, entertainment, song, and dance.

9. 1 Kings 18:33 – That the Body of Jesus would offer up a sacrifice of themselves in time, daily worship and prayer. That the Body of Jesus would become an altar of sacrificial prayer.

10. 1 Kings 18:33-35 – That the Body of Jesus would flood that altar with the Water of the Word of God, and the Spirit – reminding God of His promises; beseeching Him to bare His Holy ad Righteous arm in behalf of the innocent children, and those held captive by Jezebel. That Jesus would come like a Man of War and break the chains of these captives, loosing His vengeance and justice on behalf of the women, babies, and the polluted land.

11. 1 Kings 18:36-38 -That the Holy One of Consuming Fire would send down fire from Heaven in response to the prayers of His people making us a sacrifice. That we would ascend through our prayers, and worship to the Presence of the Lord. That the Lord would baptize us and His Church in the Holy Spirit, Fire, and Power thrusting us forth to our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the world.

12. 1 Kings 18:39 -That the world would bow their knee to Jesus through this outpouring, and that a spiritual awakening would come to the Church and the lost, declaring that Jesus is God, and Lord!

13. 1 Kings 18:40 – That the Lord would either bring salvation to all the politicians, business owners, and employees of the abortion industry or that He would seize them and bring about His justice for the unborn, and the innocent blood that has been shed.

Fig Leaves and Face Masks

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1 Peter 4:17 For the time [has arrived] for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will [be] the end of those who do not respect or believe orobey the good news (the Gospel) of God?

Through the stay at home orders of our state governors, and social distancing we have discovered how vulnerable we really are. In the midst of this revelation fear comes to the surface shining light on the fact that exposure seems to be at the core of the human condition. From Adam and Eve hiding behind fig leaves, or hiding behind a mask, our fears expose where our trust lies.

The recipients of Peter’s letter were no different as they faced an unseen enemy that caused great suffering, and death to all they loved. Suffering and death could be avoided through conformity to the fear, but delayed the inevitable suffering of eternal separation, and alienation from God and all that is good. Facing the fear, and the suffering could only be endured through the gathering called church. Church could be as small as 2-3, or as large as 5000 ( Book of Acts). Here at the Church, or the House of God, the members of the Family of God learned obedience and prayer. Obedience and prayer accompanied one another as sincere worshippers sought to identify with the sufferings, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus obeyed – they obeyed. He prayed – they prayed. Thus judgment began in the House of God as they discovered obedience. Obedience led to prayer, prayer to confession, and confession to repentance. Their sinful nature, and ours, was and is brought into the Light of Jesus’ sacrificial life. The avoidance of surrender to obedience and prayer only exalted what God had judged at Calvary’s Cross and ultimately will be condemned at the Great White Throne Judgment. The Final Verdict will be witnessed by all those who resisted, ignored and consciously rejected the call of God’s Spirit to identify with His Son. The question is, Are we identifying now with Jesus – or are we hiding behind a mask, avoiding the Final Verdict? Only identification, obedience, and prayer will reveal whether we chose His Blood or a mask.

Your Opinion of God

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Romans 5:5 Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us. (AMPC)

What’s your opinion of God? What’s your opinion of Jesus, His Word and His promises? Do your words of praise match your opinions of Jesus and His promises?

For the past several months I’ve been pursuing returning to my First Love. This morning I discovered a key to it’s restoration: Romans 4:18 [For Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become…

Abraham became who God destined him to become through the Love of God being poured out in his heart. We become who we are destined through His Love. How did Abraham become? Romans 4:20 No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God,…

This love was shed abroad in his heart as he did not allow unbelief, or distrust in the promises of God. In fact it says that his faith was empowered as he gave praise and glory to God. But how was Abraham to give God praise without Bethel Music, Youtube songs, special effects, and smoke machines? The key is found in the Greek meaning of the word, “praise.” The definition of this word in the Greek surprised me. It did not mean what I thought. Praise here is defined as, giving your opinion, or estimate of something or someone whether good or bad. In Romans 4:20 it specifically means, “Giving Glory to God by not distrusting His promises.” That definition convicted me. How many times have I let my fear, and distrust over ride God’s Word and promises? My fear, and distrust actually reveals that I don’t have that high opinion of God or of His promises. That is my praise. I either trust, or esteem the truths of God’s Word or the lies of the evil one.

What have your opinions been saying about your praise?