“THE CHURCH AND GOD’S ABUNDANT MERCY”

*Deuteronomy 29: 1-9*

This reading of scripture is concerning the“Church In the Wilderness”. Here we find the Lord Yahweh commanding Moses to make an appeal to the Israel people to enter anew into the Cov­enant which had been concluded at Horeb. Understand, this was not a new Covenant in addition to the Covenant at Sinai, but simply a renewal and reaffirmation of that one already made. Properly speaking "The Covenant" was made at Sinai.. .sacrifices were offered and the people were sprinkled with sacrificial blood thus signifying ratification of the covenant. Here in the land of Moab no sacrifices were offered as this was the recognition of the covenant already made as still subsisting. (Here we need to understand that the sacrificial blood of the animals as is men­tioned in Leviticus 1:1-13 which was symbolically making atonement for the people..vs-4..and mentioned in Hebrews 9:1-13 showed ratification of the first or Old Covenant and "pointed ahead to that blood which was shed by Christ Jesus in eternity at the cross and ratified the second Or New Cov­enant"...Heb 9:13-28). While Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40-years, Moses reminded them of the great deeds that Yahweh had done for them in Egypt unto Pharoah, his army and the land. He reminded them of the tempta­tions they had seen with their eyes and the signs and miracles they had seen. However, for 40-years the Lord had not given them a heart to perceive nor eyes to see or ears to hear. Does that sound familiar?.. Matthew 13:11-17. Now, when Moses told the people that God had not given them a heart to perceive, he was not offering them an excuse for their wickedness. Rather, he was directing them in what course they should take and to whom they must turn for the ammending of their grievous errors. He was also telling them that the seeing eye the hearing ear and the understanding heart were the workmanship of Yahweh (Proverbs 20:12) and the effects of His special Grace (Deut 30:6, Jer 31:33 & 32:39). Moses was also pointing out to them that the great need of God’s Grace in their lives was due to their former sins.

Because of their failure to attend to God’s word, they had shut their own eyes and ears that they might not see, hear or learn what God was teaching them by His conduct towards them... thus they had been left to themselves for 40-years. We could say that “there was not a perciever to be found in Israel during the time of their wandering”. In vs-5 and the first part of vs-6 we read of how gracious God was in His dealings with Israel in their wilderness wanderings; How they were kept clothed and properly nourished and then in the second part of vs-6 Moses introduces Yahweh himself as speaking to them..read Deut 8:3-4 and 2;26 and 3:1-4. Then in vs-8 & 9 we see that God is again giving to Israel and telling them that they will prosper when they keep the words of that covenant which was made at Horeb. Prosper here means to become intelligent, to act wisely and become prudent. It is the prosperity which comes from wise and prudent action that GOD commends to His people.. .Joshua 1:7-9.

*Isaiah 40:1-11*  We want to take this opportunity to apply these verses of scripture to the “Coming Christian Church”. The prophet Isaiah writes here as the spokesman of the faith and hope and passionate yearning of Israel in exile and the primary idea which he sends is that of “comfort”. He will “comfort his people” in their affliction by preaching the recovery of Israel from sin by faith and by waiting on God; and their recovery from their captivity which was the consequence of their sin. That is why in vs-1 he preaches “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people” he strikes at the heart of his message. He is saying for all of Israel to hear, that he and his brethern have a direct mission from God to comfort Israel. All of the encouragement that the people of the nation would need is the expression "my people" and "your God". This is a statement to the fact that the Israel people are not cast out of the mind of God however great their affliction. Verse 2 is so beautiful to read "Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem", this is saying "speak ye to the heart of Jerusalem, address her innermost feelings, her very soul and spirit". Isaiah is telling the people of God that their warfare is accomplished and her iniquity is pardoned, she has been amply punished for her sins. We know that Isaiah wrote this before the close of the captivity when her warfare had not been settled nor her iniquity yet fully pardoned. He does however see all as being accomplished in the Divine counsels by Godly revelations. Isaiah is telling israel that her time of 'hard service' will assuredly come to an end and she will thoroughly turn to God. Her iniquity will be pardoned and she will be considered to have suffered enough. When he used the phrase "double for all her sins" it simply meant that she need fear no further vengrance.

Before it ever happened, a voice rang out in the ear of the prophet, the voice of that one who would herald the coming of Christ, For God to come down to earth, or for His glory to be revealed in any way, (by the restoration of a nation, by the revelation of Him in Christ or even by the establishment of His kingdom), the “way” must first be prepared for Him. The hearts of the dis­obedient must be turned to the wisdom of the just. John the baptist was that voice that cried out in the wilderness of the world and He cried out “Prepare ye the way of the Lord”, and that would be the way of holiness. Friends there is but one way to prepare the way and that is the mode adop­ted by Johnas found in Matt 3:2-12; by the angel who announced Him & in Luke 1:17 we read that the hearts of the people are prepared for the coming manifestation of GOD! We had better have a good understanding of what verses 4 and 5 mean and we had better live by and with it; The prophets/pastors and teachers are to see that the poor and the lowly are raised up and the proud and self right­eous are depressed, the crooked and dishonest must become men of integrity and the rude and rough man must become courteous and mild/meek. This means that Israel is to be made to take care that God, who is coming to deliver it shall find it in such a state, both inward and outward, that truly be­fits His purpose.

“And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed”...When the preparation is complete there shall be a revelation of the glory and might of Yahweh; and the nature of this revelation is for the present shrouded in darkness. Scripture says that all flesh shall see it together, and we know that all here means just that and flesh means that flesh like the body which was prepared for Christ of the seed of Abraham. That flesh which is of Adam or ruddy, not black, brown, red, yellow or gray. The races and non-race bastards will be aware that something truly magnificent has happened in Anglo-Saxon Israel..they are just not going to be sure what. The resto­ration of Palestine is part of this prophecy and the restoration of God’s Covenant family in the earth is the other part. We are witness to the abundant mercy of God in verses 6-8 where we find the stark contrast be­tween the perishable nature of man and the enduring and unchanging nature of God. The whole point of this conversation heard here in Isaiah 40 between the voice of vs-3 and vs-6 which should properly read “The voice said cry. And the other voice said, What shall I cry”? It is definite that a second voice answered the first and asked what the proclamation should be.

“All flesh is grass here can be compared to Isa 37:27 where we find the wicked to be confounded". Man is being compared to the grass of that area of the world, for in the early spring in the land of the Middle east the delicate grass withers within a few weeks and the herbage turns yellow, becoming parched and sapless. When the hot breath of God passes over man and the evil generations of men, they perish, and the people of Israel in the po­sition of covenant breakers are not exempt from the lot of mankind in general. However, have faith and hope O Israel for “The word of our God shall stand for ever”. In the sureness of God’s promises is Israel’s ex­ceeding comfort (did not vs-1 start out with the words Comfort Ye, comfort ye My people)?

In verses Isa 40:9-11 we read that the time of Israel’s restoration has drawn nigh, the preparation has been made and we can surely see the “Dominion of Christ” in this reading. Isaiah and the company of prophets living at that time are called to proclaim the “Good Tidings” to Zion. Those Good tidings are the Gospel of the Kingdom of God which has been prepared and is soon to be (Luke 2:10..."I bring you good tidings of great joy" and in 8:1..."shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom"). Verse-10 literally reads as “Behold,the Lord Yahweh comes with great strength” and the expression “His arm shall rule for Him” is like saying  "The manifestation which He shall make of his power shall cause His Kingdom to be extended both far and wide upon the earth.And the manifestation of that power who shall rule for Him is His only begotten Son". The reward that is with him and the work before him are openly spoken of in verse 11; "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom". We are being told here of the work of Christ Jesus, He will collect his sheep unto himself because he knows each one of them and they in turn know him, John 10:14. As he gathers this remnant he places them under his protective custody and gently comforts and nourishes them. In his abundant mercy we find this remnant spoken of once again in Luke 12:32 "Fear not little flock for it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdom",  and we have no fear  "For the Lord is our Shepherd".

*II Cor 6:13-18*  We are ready to begin to take a look at the Christian Church and what is expected of it. In those few verses from II Cor 6: we are given a look or a glimpse of the early Church Militant. Before going any further we must ask that you not let that word "Militant" frighten you for it pertains more to that which is Spiritual than to that which is physical. Paul is asking the Church at Corinth to be as open and as honest with him as he has been with them. He asks them,"Be as I am",or treat me as I have treated you. In verse 14 Paul wastes no time on formality and gets right to the point; "Be ye not yoked together with unbelievers" which is a metaphor of Leviticus 19:19 and deuteronomy 22;10. Just as an ox and an ass were not to be yoked together to cultivate a field, and seed was not to be co-mingled in a field and clothing of different fabrics were not to be woven together, the heathen was not to be brought into the sanctuary for the purpose of “Inter-racial worship”. There is a difference genetically among races, and God created it so. There is an essential difference also Spiritually among those whom God has elected in eternity to be His own peculiar treasure and those who are not. The line of demarcation suggested by the opening statement of vs-14 is conspicuous. What really counts is the difference and it is remarkable: "Between Righteous­ness and unrighteousness, between light and darkness, between Christ and Satan".. . "What concord hath Christ with belial?"; a difference between faith and infidelity..“What part hath he that believeth with an infidel and between the “temple of God” and “the temple of idols”. It cannot be made any more plain than it is right here. There can be no participation with or between the Social world church and the Church Militant in the earth...you must love the one and hate or despise the other. There is no harmony between Christ and Satan and this means between good and evil or that which is godly and that which is ungodly. Pray tell, what part does the Caucasian people have with the Negroid or the Asian? None at all!

When Paul writes "Be ye not unequally yoked together" it is the same as John writing "Come out of her my people", Rev 18:4. This breaking away from the world and its influence must be a voluntary thing on the part of God's people, and each one must agonize to enter into the straight gate with all ties to the world CUT! We are encouraged to refrain from even touching the unclean thing. We are to keep from sin for sin is uncleanliness in its very essence and influence. What other encouragement do we require than the very words of Yahweh our God and Jesus Christ, "and I will receive you". This promise to Israel is still in effect today and is one of the brightest beacons in the Church Militant; "I will receive you And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, Saith the Lord Almighty". Galatians 4:7 states that when we are placed into the position of sonship we become an heir of God through Christ. So we ask, with God as my Father what will he do for us as His children? (1) He loves His children and His love is the very foundation of the love in the universe, his creation. (2) He will educate us, and no one teaches as does God. He educates the whole of the man, body, soul and spirit, and not for a temporary purposes but for all of eternity. (3) God guards his children. Unlike the human parent who can really only guard the body of his child, Yahweh guards the soul consciousness from guilt, the heart from impurity and the intellect from error, (4) He provides for his children and does so forever. He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we may ask for. Beloved in Christ hear this; "All Christian churchmen and women must heed scripture and avoid like the plague any unequal yoking in religious fellowship. Once you have come into the knowledge of the truth it is gross error to turn back to the dogma of the social world church system.. .no matter how much gift wrapping and tinsel it has covering it. You must not be attracted by a religious community in which the truth is not found or, in which it is greatly dis­torted or where truth is obscured. Avoid unequal yoking together in marri­age; before a marriage can even be considered there is one all important question to be answered and that is not one of religion but is one of Race!

1n a Christian marriage the earthly father should naturally be con­sulted and offer or hold back consent. But, the Heavenly Father also must be consulted, for a Christian marriage is one that is made in heaven. There is no substance to show that an inter-racial marriage is one which is made in heaven, in fact the all things indicate that they are made of Satan and the world. We must avoid unequal yoking in our friendships, for the power of friendships is great for good or evil. And last, we must avoid unequal yoking in business for a business partnership brings involved parties close together. Their lives and thoughts and feelings must run in much the same channel. If this is not the case we will see greed and dis-harmony in the partnership. How often it is that a child of God has lived to rue the day when he or she entered into partnership of a business with a child of the devil. We are the ones who call ourselves the sons and daughters of the one true and ever living God who’s name is Yahweh. We say that we are his church, the body of Christ, and if we resolve not to be unequally yoked, it may just entail a large sacrifice. But if we lose something this is what we gain; In vs-17 God said “I will receive you”.. .we shall be with God, we shall have God, which says to each,"though we may lose the creature, we shall gain the creator". If the stream fails us, God will be our fountain. In verse 18 He says “And will be a Father unto you”. If we are obedient, God will reveal Himself in the most tender and loving guise. If God be our Father, it will be well with us for He also said in that 18th verse, “And You shall be to me sons and daughters". We shall be His children, we shall be heirs of God and Joint heirs with Christ. Oh how sweet are the fruits of obedience for the Church of the Living God, the Body of Christ, the Church Militant in the earth. And as our Father, God has a right to our reverance and our service, our gratitude and our love, our devotion and our consecration. It is we who are to hallow or make holy His name and cherish His revelation and do His will, we are Christ’s Church Militant!

* I Corinthians 15:40-58*  The news which we will attempt to bring forth in this fourth part of our study on the Church and God’s abundant Mercy is that of the Church Tri­umphant in heaven. It will only go without saying that “Triumph is only gained through Victory over something”. Verse-40 does not really tell us anything that we are not aware of, however sometimes the words are mis­understood. The celestial bodies spoken of here are not the same as those spoken of in vs-41, the sun, moon and stars, for that would be a false con­trast to “bodies terrestrial”. These “celestial bodies” spoken of in vs-40 are bodies or organisms which belong to heavenly beings such as the resur­rection body of our Lord Jesus and of the glorified saints. I would like to note here what I believe to be the difference of terrestial and celestial bodies:The glory of the terrestial is slight, showy but elusive, consist­ing of riches, human knowledge, earthly power and worldly pleasures; We can only find the natural glory of things earthly as marred in their sup­posed perfection and very uncertainty. Much of our earthly glory depends on whether we are in good health, in our surroundings, and our position in our business and social life. Changes are sudden and detestable in their conclusion, for what we find pleasing to us today may become detestable tomorrow. Then too, earthly glory is brief and at best is shortlived for just as the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening, so might the earthly glory of man. Also when it is most needed, earthly glory becomes extremely elusive and dis-satisfying, much like a gigantic fireworks display. The sight and sound of exploding pyrotechnics is at most a glorious sight and sound, but once it is over you only have smoke and debris. So all in all it was but a feeble attempt to mask out the sight and sound of an uncaring world.

On the other hand the glory of certain things celestial is solid and substantial while being far from flashy. In the glory of things celestial there is more substance rather than shadow and this is natural for they are of God. Their very glory is non- fluctuating, as are the fixed stars, not flashing ever so many years as a comet or as a meteor. The two main parts of celestial glory are certainty and stability. We find more cause for excitement in bodies celestial for we know them to be eternal. Their glory will never be dimmed but will shine forth forever. There is no disappointment in them, only complete satisfaction. The feeling of unsupplied want vanishes and the soul is at rest. When the best is ours to have it is pure folly to want anything else.

Some intellectuals in the social church structure and some in the King­dom Church fall short when they say that “one glory of the sun, another of the moon and another of the stars” is the supposed difference of the saints in their glory (vs-41). The point Paul is making here is the difference between the earthly body and the resurrection body. And as for one star differing from another in glory, Daniel 12:3 says... “All the righteous shall shine as the brightness of the firmament and as the stars for ever and ever”. Or, their future or glorified celestial bodies shall differ from their pre­sent bodies, just as one star differs from another.

Now, in this fourth part of our study we go prayerfully to Yahweh our Father for guidance and spiritual support. When we speak scripturally of the resurrection body we are concerned only with the resurrection body of the redeemed, for we really know not what will be that of the lost. We can surmise and make knowledgeable guesses, but that is all...and if we are honest, we have to admit that our knowledge of the resurrection body of the redeemed is comparatively little. We do know that it will be incorrupt­ible, and not like our existing body. Our earthly or terrestial body bears the marks of injury, decay, dissolution, age and  disease. It even becomes more corruptible at death. Praise God, the resurrection body will not be subject to such influences as age, disease and corruption. Our earthly body is one of dishonor with the marks of the curse of sin upon it. In the grave it becomes so inglorious and corruptible that Paul describes it as "our vile body". What a striking contrast our resurrection body will be for it will be one of beauty, light and glory. Much like that glorious body of the Son of Man. Where we are now weak we will be strong, no longer subject to disease or physical damage. It will possess a fullness of strength, abundant energy and never diminishing vitality. While our present body is fitted for life in the lower physical world, our resurrection body will be one moulded by the Spirit and adapted to the higher spiritual life in the Kingdom of God.

Through the first man Adam we have received our present body, not only in its outward appearance but in its unseen genetic structure of inherited sin nature because of his fall. The first Adam was a living soul and I be­lieve was given a glorified body not too much unlike the resurrection body which will be ours in eternity. His body was adapted for the lower life or life on the earth. We have to say that the first Adam was of the earth earthy, and as his posterity we also are earthy. BUT, the second Adam, the Lord from heaven, is the “Life-giving Spirit”. We who are in Him are said to be born again or, He quickens our mortal body and prepares us for, or into glorious immortality. Through Jesus christ we will receive the glori­fied Spiritual body suited for Kingdom living. The characteristic of the first Adam is animal life while the characteristic of the second Adam, the Lord from glory, Jesus Christ, is Spiritual Life. In our present body we have inherited from Adam that which he had and was. So also shall we in our resurrection body unherit from Jesus that which he had and was. The difference then between the first Adam and the second Adam, Christ Jesus, is what causes the difference between our present body and our resurrection body.

We have a question that is answered in vs-52, “How long will it take for this transformation from the earthy to the glorified to happen? “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye”. It will be assumed to be suddenly, at the second coming of Christ...at the “sound of the last trumpet”. It is not going to be a slow on-going process. “The trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible”, and that is the “Dead in Christ”. We shall be changed from corrupt and mortal to incorruptible and immortal. We may have a fleeting moment of intense gratitude for our loss of this earthly body with its imperfections, but the change will be so swift and complete that we will never remember it once we are clothed in righteousness and are given our place in the kingdom. We will have gained that ultimate victory and can join with the saints of the Church Triumphant in the victorious shout, “0 death where is thy sting? 0 grave where is thy victory?” We can at last clutch the victory of the resurrection to our bosom for it is assured us through our Lord Jesus christ, "The same yesterday, today and forever"!

*Revelations 21:1-27 & 22:1-5 & 21*  This fifth part of our study is the most difficult and the most rewarding, at least to me it is. John has seen the seven angels with the seven plagues as is set down in Revelations chapter 16 and witnessed the woman, “the mother of harlots” and the confederation of nations that go to make war with the saints in chapter 17. He witnessed the fall of Babylon as described in chapter 18 and the marriage of the lamb in chapter 19, and also the first resurrection along with the death of death and hades in chapter 20. Now, we are given a look along with John at the fulfillment of the Church; In the 21st chapter and the first 5-verses of the 22nd chapter we are presented with a glowing portrait of the new state of purity and bliss which awaits the redeemed among men. In this study we will run into quite a bit of what we may term to be symbolism, but this first quote is not. "There will be, for the glorified Church, a new sphere of life”. After the thunders of God’s vengeance are hushed; the manifestations of His love for the redeem­ed now remain to be told. Their new abode and its condition is described as “a new heaven and a new earth”. Within the “new heaven” and on the “new earth” is the “holy city” which is called the “New Jerusalem”. Now under­stand this, For what ever the olden city of Jerusalem might have had of the glory of the Lord, the New Jerusalem will have the Lord in all of His glory. Look carefully at verse 2 of this 21st chapter; the Holy city, the New Jerusalem which is coming down from God out of heaven is said to be, “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband”. This Holy city is the Church of the Living God and is now glorified and prepared for perfect communion with her redeemer. Many of these who form the bride are reward­ed according to their works..Rev 20:13; yet as their own work’s are in­sufficient to fit them for their future life, they are prepared by God. The Holy city, the new Jerusalem is also a literal and factual city, and all that was precious in the old city will be reproduced or brought forth in the new city. There will be but one comprehensive and all embracing condition which covers the whole ground; "Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men (with the sanctified men who are in this holy city). This tells us that the Home of God is there. The work of redemption has been perfect­ed, the communion is now complete, never to be interrupted or marred by even one sin, the spirits of the redeemed are at home with God. That which used to be is ceased, there is no more death, for it is swallowed up in victory; there is no crying or mourning nor physical distress; there is no pain or aching from hurts and disease and no disappointment or grief, there is no more curse or condemnation of the conscience for sin will not pollute the soul; no alien shall enter in nor anything that defileth shall abound. In the kingdom of God in the earth there will be no need for a special place set aside for worship for all will be Holy ground, nor will one day be set aside for worship for every moment will be sanctified and holy. 0 how we long for the day when all things are made new and all the former things are passed away,vs 4-5! In vs-1O&11 we will see that there is no longer any use for light from the sun and moon or from any artificial man made source, for the Holy City shines forth in brilliant light.. “Having the Glory of God”.

Babylon was the city of the beast and the seat of his government; The New Jerusalem is the Holy City of God the Great King and the Head of His church. The character of the great city is its holiness because it is from God and it promotes holiness for its subjects. It cometh down out of heaven from God, through His grace, and it is of God. The church’s grand­est idea of itself is that it is of God. The Divine Glory of God is the symbol of God Himself, and the Glory of the Church is the presence of God. I say to you again that there is no visible or structural building that is the Temple, for Yahweh God almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it. The illumination of the whole of the city is found in the life and Grace of Christ Jesus...Rev 21:22-23! All that are in the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, render to God and His Son worship and are “in them in worship”. Where He is, and He is everywhere, there is worship. Our way of worshipping God and Christ now will not do in the Holy City what with all of our rit­ualism, liturgies and denominations. Our conventional worship, in the light of the worship of eternity, would be contemptible.

This throne in rev 22:1 is the glorious throne of God and The Lamb and replaces that throne of the Great Priest-King of Zech 6:12,for God is now and for all eternity “all in all”. The source of the river of living water was in this Divine Throne, the seat of the Triune God..Father, Son and holy Spirit. The phrase “Water of Life” relates to the fact that all eternal life is derived from our Heavenly Father by the Holy Spirit for the sake of the Redeemer. We find the tree of life in the midst of the city and it is on both sides of the river of living water. The fruit of the tree is for the enjoyment of the citizens of the city. With its Fruit and leaves for healing it becomes a symbol that there is no disease in the City and no real hunger, just as there is no more curse. Why? Because God dwells in that Holy Place. The throne of God and the Lamb are become one, as God and the Lamb are one. Then what beauty pours forth from the documented text of scripture... “His servants shall serve Him:And they shall see His face;and His name shall be in their foreheads”. What a day that will be and we sing those beautiful words;"When my Jesus I shall see; Just to look upon His face, the One who saved me by His Grace." What a glorious eternity that will surely be. Not only will we see Him, we will know Him, for there will be no sin or worldly pursuits to hinder true knowledge of Him. Have you any idea of what this implies? We are really His, and the fact that we rejoice to see Him is an evident token of salvation. We need to turn right now to the book of 1st John 3:2..."Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is". I ask you this,"Are we of the number who shall enjoy this vision? How can we tell"? We read in the 3rd verse of that same chapter in 1st John...”And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure”.

I have often times wondered if when we address the subject of “God’s abundant mercy, do we have any concept of how far that mercy extends”? In Philippeans 4:7 Paul writes that the peace of God passeth all under­standing, and I have to agree with the learned Apostle. The peace of God which can be equated with His mercy is certainly beyond the comprehension of a sinner; yet it is to our best advantage to investigate this as much as possible. I Timothy 1:12-14 & Titus 3:3-5; what we are reading here could very well pertain to many of us; blasphemers, persecutors, foolish, disobedient and living in malice and hate of one another. Then, what does it say in vs-14? "And the grace(mercy)of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus”. I feel that Paul had some one like me in mind when he wrote here of the one in sin. And I do believe that I obtained mercy while in ignorance and unbelief because of the ex­ceeding abundant mercy of God. This phenomenon of mercy from Yahweh starts only after the Holy spirit begins His work of preparing the one called. This mercy we cannot earn for it is being held in abeyance for the elect, and that also eliminates good works.

I know you are curious, because I was too.. .How far does this abun­dant mercy of God reach? Paul writes in various places that it reaches far enough to regenerate and renew even the most callous sinner. Another way to look at it is “God’s abundant mercy reaches from eternity into time and back into eternity". His mercy is however limited but only because He limits it, and that is that it covers only the elect in a mode of salvation, I Peter 1:1-5.

It is a hard fact that the Social world church does not appreciate the term “Elect”, and it is for the simple reason, that for their purpose of Large membership numbers, it limits what they feel that God should or should not do. They would rather we say that God’s mercy is directed toward the Social church(the established denominational church) and who so ever will that wants to may come along for the ride. They are not even close in their expectations. God’s abundant mercy is directed toward a church today and that is His church, the body of Christ which is the Church Militant in the earth today and is formed of those who are His elect family in the earth.. .John 1:12, and 6:44, and II Cor 6:17-18. The social church has set up idols such as bazaars, bingo games, raffles, plays, sports,concerts and hoot-en-nannys and such which keep the focus off of Christ and the kingdom. Church members are called by Yahweh our God not by B-1 I-2 N-3 G-4 O-5, BINGO! We are called to follow Christ, called by the Father and quickened by the Holy Spirit. This call and quickening cannot be ignored by the individual..John 10:27. You can no more reject the call to Christ than you can flap your arms and fly. You can sit in the church on Sabbath and say no to the preacher but you can’t go anyplace and say NO to GOD;when He calls you act, and you act as He wills you to.

As members of the church militant we can only consider the mercy of God for the church in the light of His feelings for a people called Israel. Even though the church militant is not one made of mortar or stone, we must believe that it is that church which is founded upon that stone which the builders rejected...Psalm 118:22, Acts 4:11-12 and Matt 21:42. That corner stone is the Christ in whom we were selected in eternity from be­fore the foundation of the world. He is the corner stone of our faith and of the church which is God’s who predetermined its existance, its purpose and its calling. Man had nothing to do with the idea of this church and man cannot legislate it out of existance.

The doctrines of the church of the one true and ever-living God were set down in eternity and cannot be enlarged upon by mans experiences. The church is totally Christian in its concept and is catholic or universal in nature. The institutional church that has been set up by man which he re­fers to as “the church” is most often in a state of either financial, or social and emotional chaos. It has been split into denominational sects, synods, insti­tutions, conventions, orthodox and un-orthodox assemblies that preach and teach a different gospel and a different christ. Mans self made church has been de'formed, re'formed and finally con'formed to meet the standards of todays present "Social Structure"! Todays church is a democracy and will never survive to be a part of God's Theocracy.

Romans 1:1-7 & Colossians 3:15-17..take heart and have faith in the word of God all you who are called in Christ Jesus to be saints. The Body of Christ, the elect church, cannot be swayed nor fooled by the teachings of secular humanism and its plan for a “New World Order”. We know that we have been called by God and placed in the position as His church family and that we have one faith and that is Christian,and Ephesians 4:4-6 truly condems denominationalism in the church. One saviour, one faith, one baptism and one God and Father of all the elect, and our salvation is in the shed blood of Jesus Christ plus nothing. Joel 2:13 speaks well of God’s abun­dant mercy...”turn unto Yahweh your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness”.. It is only through the mercy of our God that we are even able to repent from our sins. How are we made worthy? God calls us and in doing so He knows that the Holy Spirit will begin to work in us by the process of washing and regeneration and renewal,Titus 3:4-6..which God shed on us abundantly (through His mercy).

Ephesians 2:19 says that when you become a member of the body of Christ “you are no more a stranger and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” This is precisely what Paul meant when he wrote to the Roman church (or to the body of Christ which was in Rome) in Rom 8:16-17... “we are the children of God.And if children, then heirs; heirs of God; and joint heirs with Christ”, that is mercy my dear christian friend and brothers and sisters. It is evident here that we are more than just conquerors through Him who loved us and placed the protec­tive shield of His mercy around us. It is a merciful God who sustains His church militant in the earth.

There shall be a day when the watchmen upon Mount Ephraim will cry, “Arise ye, let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God”..Jer3l:6; In that day the abundant Mercy of God will gather the remnant of Israel from the nations where they have been resting and He will bring them once more to the land of their (our) fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We must be pre­pared to go forth and answer the call of our King for He is the God who led our Israel people out of Egypt and gave us the law at Sinai and made covenant with our fathers. He is the God of David and the God who came into this world and died for our sins. Surely now we can see how far God’s abundant mercy reaches. When the atonement was made by Christ Jesus Grace truly abounded for the way to eternal life was presented to the church of the living God. We must heed the watchmans call and prepare for the com­ing exodus of the scattered Church.

From the Race of Adam, from America, Great Britain, Germany, Canada, the Scandinavian countries, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and all of our kindred peoples. From every age and every generation from Adam to Christ and from Christ to now and from every tribe of Israel the Holy Christian Church is to be gathered!  From the Church in the Wilderness to the Church Militant of today, and from the Church Triumphant in heaven to the Church in fulfillment, there is no break. The Alpha and the Omega of the Christian church is found in the eternal counsel of God’s own will and in Christ’s Kingdom Reign.. .it will stand forever. We will partake of the water of life freely and never thirst again. Thank you Yahweh our God for thine own abundant Mercy...AMEN!

PASTOR RICK GIESENSCHLAG

CHRIST’S CHURCH MILITANT

Copyright (C) 1990 a.d.