April, 2014Top

"For God so LOVED the world that 
He GAVE His only Son ..."
 Dear Saints, 

      Passover week is a time to rejoice and celebrate our new life in Christ.  May our hearts burn with true devotion to Him as we reflect on His great sacrifice

palm Sunday
HOSANNA!

of love.  May our faith be strengthened as we focus on our Lord who was raised from the grave for our sakes.  

      As Jesus road into Jerusalem on a lowly donkey the Sunday before He carried His cross to Calvary, large crowds cried "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in  the name of the LORD!"  Just a few days later, crowds would be shouting, "Crucify Him!"  The people were hoping for a King to deliver them from slavery to Roman oppression, but He came to save them from slavery to sin. 

      People come to The Most Excellent Way hoping to be delivered from their addictions, but He has much more to offer:  NEW and eternal life.  We have the privilege and responsibility to encourage others to KNOW Jesus intimately and to live for Him ... being clean and sober is just the beginning.  Let us REJOICE with hearts filled with praise and thanksgiving!

      We pray you will be edified by the articles presented here, and that you will share them with your  brothers and sisters in Christ, your family and friends, and your TMEW ministry team, as you look forward to the continued spiritual growth and sanctification that conforms us into His image and likeness.

God bless you all!  

Pastor Glenn & Judy Wright

 

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As we eagerly anticipate Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday may we meditate upon the profound blessings that are ours because of His sacrifice:

  • The New Covenant of His Blood ~ Mark 14:24
  • His Blood Makes Atonement ~ Leviticus 17:1,11
  • Reconciled to God by His Blood ~ Colossians 1:19-20  
  • Brought Near To God by His Blood ~ Ephesians 2:12-13
  • Justified and Saved from Wrath by His Blood ~ Romans 5:9
  • Redeemed by His Precious Blood ~ 1 Peter 1:17-19
  • Washed from Our Sins in His Blood ~ Revelation 1:5-6
  • Cleansed by His Blood ~ 1 John 1:7
  • Sanctified by His Blood ~ Hebrews 13:12
  • Purified by His Blood ~ Hebrews 9:22
  • His Blood was the price paid to Ransom our souls ~ Mark 10:45
  • He Purchased the Church with His Blood ~ Acts 20:27-28  

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Jesus-Hand-Cross
"And they crucified Him." Mark 15:24

CrucifixionWhat Is Crucifixion?

By Truman Davis, MD, from "The Expositor's Bible"

 

"The cross is placed on the ground and the exhausted Man is quickly thrown backwards with His shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood.  Quickly he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms

too tightly, but to allow some flex and movement. 

The cross is then lifted into place. ..."  Read more ...         

 

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"Behold!  The Lamb of God 
who takes away the sin  
of the world." ~John 1:29

 LambThe Lamb of God 

 

"[Jesus] was wounded for our transgressions,

    He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

   And by His stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

   We have turned, every one, to his own way;

And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity 

   of us all."  ~Isaiah 53:5-6

 

Consider:

*  He paid the price of death for our transgressions. What are transgressions?

*  Jesus was bruised for our iniquities. What are our iniquities?

*  What does "chastisement for our peace" mean?

*  How do the stripes Jesus suffered for us heal us?

*  How are we like sheep that have gone astray and our own way?

 

Jesus did not die because of anything He had done, but because of what we have done and what we do!  We desperately need our Good Shepherd every day! Our need should motivate us to love and obey Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. However, we cannot wholly love and obey Him if we don't know what He desires and deserves from us.  We must know Him!  Read more ...

 

Jesus said: 

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, 

     and they follow Me. 

And I give them eternal life, 

     and they shall never perish; 

     neither shall anyone snatch them 

     out of My hand. 

My Father, who has given them to Me, 

     is greater than all; and no one is able to     

     snatch them out of My Fatherʹs hand."  

~John 10:27-29 

 

Do you know Him?  Are YOU His lamb? 

Do you follow Him daily? 

 

It's very necessary that I regularly remind myself (maybe it's Holy Spirit reminding me) that I am the one who snatches myself out of the Father's hand from time to time. When I begin to feel the stress of daily challenges, slowly but surely, I realize its SELF that has strayed from the fold.  The Good Shepherd calls me back ever so softly ... I return to Him ... to the pasture of love, forgiveness, eternal hope ... again peace and joy reign in the midst of trials, confusion.  Fatigue from fighting SELF is replaced with re-energized resolve, knowing I can do all things (He wants me to do) because He cares for me ... He strengthens me ... He's with me.  

 

SELF is the enemy of my soul, and by His blood I am able to seek daily (even hourly) 

cleansings  ... I must seek a refreshing refilling of the Holy Spirit to renew and refocus my mind.

 
"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.  

Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength."  

Isaiah 26:3-4 NKJV


MiraclesThe  Four Miracles

 

"Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 

[1] Then the sun was darkened, ..."  

[2] "... The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and 

[3] the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; 

[4] and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming 

out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared 

to many." ~Luke 22:44-45a; Matthew 25:51-52 

 

What we celebrate as "Good Friday" must have been "frightful Friday" for those witnessing the dramatic events that occurred during Christ's crucifixion. The events could not have gone unnoticed. Everyone knew that something significant had happened. We can only imagine how the people were affected.

 

The veil splitting in two must have devastated the priests who were undoubtedly working in the temple during the busy Passover week.  The fact that it was torn from top to bottom reveals a total break with the Old Testament covenant. The New Testament stresses that it represents our free access to God. The barriers between God and man have been broken. Jesus is the new temple, and we live in the new age of salvation by faith.  May we never interfere with a Believer's access to our Heavenly Father by blocking the entrance into His Throne Room with a veil fabricated from man's philosophies, traditions and doctrines.                                               

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FinishedJesus said:   "IT IS FINISHED!"
It is finished!

 

"And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit." ~John 19:30 NKJV

 

And when Jesus had cried out with  a loud voice, He said, "Father, into Your hands 

I commit My spirit." 

Having said this, He breathed His last. 
~Luke 23:46 NKJV

 

The Cross was Jesus' goal from the beginning. He was born to die so that

we might live. the incarnation was for our atonement. And when He had accomplished the purpose He had come to fulfill, He summed it up with a single word: "FINISHED!"  

     

So, what was FINISHED?

  • Finished and completed were the horrendous sufferings of Christ. Never again would He experience pain at the hand of wicked men. Never again would He have to bear the sins of the world. Never again would He, even for a moment, be forsaken of God. That was completed. That was taken care of.
  • Also finished was Satan's stronghold on humanity. Jesus came to deal a decisive blow against the devil and his demons at the cross of Calvary.   Hebrews 2:14 says, "Only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death." This means that we no longer have to be under the power of sin. Because of Jesus' accomplishment at the cross, Satan's stronghold on humanity is finished.
  • And lastly, our salvation is finished. It is completed. It is done. All of our sins were transferred to Jesus when He hung on the cross. His righteousness was transferred to our account. So Jesus cried out the words, "It is finished!"     It was God's deliberate and well-thought-out plan. It is finished!

 We owe a debt we cannot pay. He paid a debt He did not owe.

 

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"The angel rolled away the stone from the doorway ... not to let 

the Lord Jesus out, but the 

to let the disciples in."

Donald Grey Barnhouse

RisenHe Is Risen!

 

Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.

   2 And behold, there was a great earthquake;

for an angel of the Lord descended from

heaven, and came and rolled back the stone 

from the door, and sat on it.

   3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.

   4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

   5 But the angel answered and said to the 

women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

   6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

   7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you."

  8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.

  9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!"  So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.

  10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."   ~Matthew 28:1-10  

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NapkinWhy Did Jesus Fold the Burial Napkin 
After His 
Resurrection?  
empty tomb
Is it important?  Does it matter?  Yes! 
The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which had covered the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes.  The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed separate from the grave clothes.

 

Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the Tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.  She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!'    Peter and the  other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in.    Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside..  He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that  had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.   

 

Was that important? Absolutely!  Is it really significant? Yes!   

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day.  The folded napkin had to do with the Master and servant; every Jewish boy knew this tradition.    When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it.  The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating. The servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished. 

 

Now if the master had finished eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and then wad up his napkin and toss it onto the table.  The servant would then know to clear the table.  For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, "I'm finished."  But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table!  The folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!" 

 

Did Jesus leave a "sign" for His disciples in the empty tomb?  Did they remember His promise:


"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 
2 In My Father's house are many mansions;
if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 
4 And where I go you know, and the way you know." 
5 Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we do not know where 
You are going, and how can we know the way?' 
Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. 
No one comes to the Father except through Me.'"  
~
John 14:1-6 NKJV
 

Emmaus Road
"The Third Day" ~ Luke 24

EmmausThe  Road to Emmaus

from "The Cross Through the Tomb"

 By Donald Grey Barnhouse

 

On the morning of the Resurrection, Cleopas and Mary left Jerusalem for the strangest journey of their lives.  It was a journey that needs to be traveled by every Christian. It started out in disbelief and sadness.  It was a family sadness. Their beloved sister had "lost" that strange Son

of hers.

 

When they awakened that morning they heard astonishing news.  Certain women reported that the tomb in which Jesus' body had been buried was empty and that angels had said that He was 

alive.  Some of the men ran to the tomb and brought back a confirming report:  the tomb was indeed empty!  Nevertheless, Cleopas and Mary started for their home in Emmaus.  They did not believe in Christ's Resurrection.  They were miserable. 

 

As they walked along the road discussing events of the preceding days, suddenly the Lord Jesus Himself drew near to them.  They did not recognize Him - they had last seen Him scarred and broken.  His face was marred more than any man and His body more than any of the sons of men (Isaiah 52:14). He asked what they were talking about. "Cleopas answered and said to Him, 'Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?'" (Luke 24:18).  The Lord drew them out with the question, "What things?"  He was about to teach one of His greatest lessons.  Read more ...

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Transformed Life   Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; 

The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV 

 

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