Seasonal teaching » PWOC International Blog

Fourth Week of Advent

Dec 202011

Christ’s birth was foretold long before it actually occured. It is wonderful to read the prophecies in the Old Testament followed by the fulfillment in the New Testament — almost like digging into a mystery story. I am so glad we have scripture to explain scripture! I look forward to the day when the prophecies about his second coming are no longer mysterious but made clear by events. Here is one great prophecy in Isaiah:

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the LORD Almighty

will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:2-7

Here is another:

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

The fulfillment of these prophecies happened much later and they are recorded in Luke 1:26-38.

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of reading this story. A virgin had a son. Barren Elizabeth had a son in her old age. With God all things are possible. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for us to be saved. “But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” Matthew 19:26

Christmas is the beginning of next week!

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Do you Trust Him? Part 2

Seasonal teaching

Apr 222011

Submitted by Carleene Myer – Redstone Arsenal

Are you called to endure a Gethsemane season? Have you “been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Phil. 1:29 NASB)?

During this Lenten season, let us meditate on the humanity of Christ….he suffered. He would rather have not suffered…..yet he obeyed His Father because he trusted that He knew best.

Max Lucado states: “Nothing comes your way that has not first passed through the filter of his love.”

Do you trust Him? Webster defines trust as: Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing; confident belief; faith.

So, why do we stumble? … “firm reliance on the integrity, and character of God Himself” Did you get that from the definition of trust?…..I can digest that statement intellectually….I can believe that, I do believe that, yet, we worry, we are shocked when bad things are allowed to happen to us, our kids, our husbands.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and don’t rely on your own understanding…..in all your ways, (acknowledge) rely (have firm reliance) on Him….. Proverbs 3:5,6

Trusting, and learning trust, for me, comes in the form of prayer……You may say, “I pray, in fact, I pray every day”…but, do we spend more time worrying vice praying…..I say if you know how to worry, you know how to pray…..I mean, best friend, perfect Father, Abba, Father praying……learning to turn worrying into heartfelt, Gethsemane prayers.

Seeing the anguish of my son, not in his right mind,(when he had a break down) and then crying out to the God who is reliable, who saw His own Son in pure anguish; He who understands, who hears, who commands angels to do His bidding….that is where prayer begins….

I am learning. I don’t understand why my family has suffered in this way. I see the grace of God daily in my life and I am learning to trust Him, especially when it all makes no sense. I live in the Psalms, and draw faith and confidence as I learn to praise and worship Him.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca (weeping), they make it a place of springs; …they go from strength to strength till each appears before God in Zion. O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

Psalm 84: 5-7, 12

I am learning to pray in ways I never thought possible…..but more importantly, I am learning how to worship Our Lord and Our King. Praise Him through my circumstances and Praise Him for His incredible, perfect love.

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Do You Trust Him? Part 1

Seasonal teaching

Apr 212011

Submitted by Carleene Myer – Redstone Arsenal

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will keep you on the straight path. Proverbs 3:5,6

Such words come easily when the path is easy, even a slight downhill path… But when you’re looking at a wrecked car or a suspicious-looking mole, when war breaks out, another deployment begins….do you trust Him?

“Scripture, from Old Testament to New, from prophets to poets to preachers, renders one unanimous chorus: God directs the affairs of humanity. No leaf falls without God’s knowledge. No dolphin gives birth without his permission. No wave crashes on the shore apart from his calculation. God has never been surprised. Not once.” Max Lucado

I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends good times and bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things.

Isaiah 45:7

Some find the thought impossible to accept. I did. When I found myself in the psychiatric hospital with my son because he was suicidal, when my other son was deploying again, when my daughter became debilitated with nerve pain in her shoulder and lost her health and her marriage, I wondered where was the God I love and serve ….do you see Lord, do you hear Lord….are you true to your Word Lord?

I wish I could have spoken to Joseph, the Joseph of the many colored coat… His brothers abused him, selling him into slavery. Was God watching? Yes. And our sovereign God used their rebellious hearts to save a nation from famine and the family of the Messiah from extinction. As Joseph told them, “God turned into good what you meant for evil” (Gen. 50:20).

“Best of all would have been a conversation with Jesus himself. He begged God for a different itinerary: a crossless death. From Gethsemane’s garden Christ pleaded for a Plan B. Redemption with no nails. ‘Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine.’ Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him’ (Luke 22:42-43).

Did God hear the prayer of his Son? Enough to send an angel. Did God spare his Son from death? No. The glory of God outranked the comfort of Christ. So Christ suffered, and God’s grace was displayed and deployed.” From Come Thirsty, Max Lucado

Are you called to endure a Gethsemane season? Have you “been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Phil. 1:29 NASB)?

Coming, Part II of: Do you Trust Him?

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The Temple Veil

Prayer Points, Seasonal teaching

Apr 152011

Submitted by: Jane Ahl, PWOCI Prayer Coordinator

Matthew 27:51 says, “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” This was no minor miracle with the tearing of such a strong and thick curtain, yet it was not intended to be merely a display of God’s power but was meant to teach us something. The old law was being put away like a worn-out priestly garment, torn and laid aside. When Jesus died, the sacrificial system was completely finished, finding its fulfillment in Christ. So the very place where sacrifices were made to God was marked with the evidence of the system’s demise. The tearing of the veil also revealed the hidden things of the old system. The ‘mercy seat’ could now be seen and the glory of God shone above it. Through the death of Christ we have a clear revelation of God, for He was “not like Moses, who put a veil over his face”(2 Cor 3:13). Life and immortality are now brought to light and things that had been hidden since the foundation of the world have been uncovered. The annual ceremony of the Day of Atonement was abolished. The blood atonement which had been sprinkled within the curtain, had now been offered once for all by Jesus. The blood of bulls and lambs was of no importance, because Jesus had entered behind the curtain with His own blood. Now direct access to God is permitted and has become the great privilege of every believer in Christ. We may now approach the throne of grace with boldness. It also teaches us that with the tearing of the veil, God is saying to us that He will no longer make His dwelling in a building made of stone, but in human hearts made of flesh. This is why Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6:16, “I will live with them and walk among them and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” Can you see the mercy seat? Have you approached the throne with boldness? It is there for you.

Jesus, thank you for fulfilling the Law. Thank you for opening up the mercy seat so we can boldly come to the throne of God to worship, and sit at your feet and to be surrounded in your presence. Thank you for the unveiling of what is rightly ours, through Christ Jesus. In Christ’s name, Amen.

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From Death to Eternal Life

Leadership Development, Leadership Wednesday, Seasonal teaching

Apr 132011

On February 17^th I attended an Ash Wednesday service at a local church to begin the season of Lent. The minister had burned the palm branches from the previous year, mixed them with water, and administered ashes on the worshipers’ foreheads with these words: “Turn away from sin, and be faithful to the Gospel.”

While not specified as a feast day in the Bible, the seasons of Lent and Easter are part of the historical Christian calendar. Our Aim 2 gives us freedom and guidance in teaching ladies the history and programs of the church along with Bible study.

Some Christians traditionally give up habits or drinks or foods during Lent; others focus on adding something to their observance. Working at an assisted living facility or a soup kitchen or homeless shelter – or helping other less fortunate people in the community – are ways to add acts of service to your Lenten activities.

The first two days of Lent this year were focused on my Dad’s last two days on this earth. After a yearlong battle with lung cancer, Mom and I were privileged to usher Dad into Glory on the evening of February 18^th. It is something that has changed me, and I hope that as I grieve in a healthy way, the change has been for the good.

I find it interesting – providential – that during a season of preparing my heart and mind to celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ that I have been in a period of intimate mourning. My focus during Lent this year has been death. As I witnessed those last struggling breaths, I thought about how Dad would see Jesus soon. I thought about what Jesus’ last day on earth was like. It wasn’t in the privacy and comfort of a home. It was public and controversial and bloody.

While our identity as Christians is all wrapped up in the Christ’s resurrection, this year I’ve been forced to consider the extent to which He went to seal and secure our eternal life, i.e. His physical departure from this earth. While His mother and friends watched. As they prayed and cried.

I’m sure they were changed as well. And what a glorious day it was when He came back from the dead!

I pray your Lenten season has been one of great reflection on Jesus. Look for blog entries that reflect that last week that Jesus walked on the earth – from His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem to the long road that carried Him to the old rugged cross. Come, be part of this journey that begins with death but ends in eternal life!

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The Precious Blood of Christ

Prayer Points, Seasonal teaching

Apr 122011

Submitted by Jane Ahl, PWOCI Prayer Coordinator

1 Peter 1:19 says, “The precious blood of Christ.” When we stand at the foot of the cross we see the hands, feet and side of Jesus. They are dripping into crimson streams of His precious blood. It is that blood that atonement is made for the sins of Christ’s people. We are redeemed from being under the law, and we are reconciled to Him. His blood is precious due to its cleansing power. 1 John 1:7 says that it cleanses us from all sin. Isaiah 1:18 says, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” Through the blood of Jesus no spot whatsoever is left on any believer. We are without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish. The precious blood makes us clean, removing the stains of our countless sins, and permits us to stand accepted in Jesus in spite of the many ways we have rebelled against Him. The blood of Christ has preserving power, for under it, we are safe from the wiles of the devil. God sees the blood of Christ that was shed for us and remembers His promise and covenant. Christ’s blood is precious due to its sanctifying power and influence in our lives. The very same blood that justifies us by taking away our sin at salvation, continues to work, bringing life to our new nature and moving us forward in suppressing sin and helping us obey the commands of God. It also has overcoming power, Revelations 12:11 says, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb.” Whoever fights using the precious blood of Jesus uses a weapon that can never know defeat. Sin dies in its presence and death ceases to be death, because it opens the gates of heaven. Nothing in this world is as precious as the blood of Christ. May we continually “behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Father, we thank you for your son, who overcame the bondage of sin, that we can now walk free of all guilt, temptations and bondage. Because of Jesus, we will always have the victory. Amen.

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Forsaken?

Prayer Points, Seasonal teaching, Uncategorized

Apr 082011

Submitted by Jane Ahl, PWOCI Prayer Coordinator

Psalm 22:1 (and Matt 27:46) says, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus is in the depths of His sorrows. No other place shows us the grief of Christ as well as Calvary, and no other moment at Calvary is as full of agony as the moment Jesus’ cry split the air. At that moment Jesus’ physical weakness was combined with the severe mental torture of the shame and dishonor through which He was to pass. What was even worse, and what marked the culmination of His grief, was the spiritual agony beyond all description. He suffered as a result of the departure of His father’s presence from Him. This was the darkest midnight of Jesus’ horror and the point He descended into the very abyss of suffering. No mere human can fully comprehend the meaning of His words, although at times we find ourselves crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” There are seasons in our lives when the brightness of God’s smile is obscured by clouds and thick darkness. But remember, God never forsakes us. In our experience it only feels as though He has forsaken us, but in Christ’s case, He was actually forsaken. We distress over what feels like a slight turning away of God’s love from us, but God actually DID turn His face away from His Son. Who could even understand the tremendous agony that caused Jesus? In our case, our pain is often caused by our own unbelief, or sinful heart. In Jesus’ case, it was the cry of a dreadful act because God had actually turned away from Him for a time. If your heart is in distress, remember that God has not actually forsaken you. God, obscured by clouds, is just as much our God as when He is shining in the full brilliance of His grace. Just the mere thought that God would forsake us brings us great agony and pain. Just imagine what suffering it brought Jesus on the cross. God takes our meager hardships to mold and conform us to the image of His Son.

Father, I thank you that you never turn your back on us and that your love and mercy is NEW every Morning! Praises to the Father, In Jesus Name, Amen.

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They Mocked Him

Prayer Points, Seasonal teaching

Apr 052011

Submitted by Jane Ahl, PWOCI Prayer Coordinator

Psalm 22:7 says, “All who see Me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads.” Mockery was one of the primary ingredients in our Lord’s suffering. Judas mocked Him in Gethsemane, the chief priests and scribes laughed at Him with contempt, Herod treated Him as worthless and despicable, the servants and soldiers derisively jeered Him and brutally insulted Him, Pilate and his guards ridiculed His royalty, and finally, on the tree all sorts of horrid indignities and hideous taunts were hurled at Him. Ridicule is always hard to bear, but when we are in intense pain it is so heartless and cruel it cuts to our very soul. As you consider this, consider our Savior, tormented with severe anguish and pain far beyond human ability to even imagine or comprehend. Then picture that diverse multitude surrounding their poor suffering victim, each “shaking their heads” or shouting out the cruelest words of contempt. There was so much more in Jesus than this mingled mob could see. How else could such a large crowd so unanimousity, ‘honor’ Him with such contempt. Surely it was evil itself confessing that, in the very moment of its greatest apparent triumph, after all was said and done, it could do nothing more than mock the victorious Goodness, which was reigning on the cross. Our Jesus was despised and rejected by men, how could He have died for people who treated Him so cruelly? This is love, divine love, love beyond measure. Yet we too, once despised Him in the days before He gave us newness of life. And, even since our new birth we have often enthroned the world higher in our hearts than Him. Even so, He bled to heal our wounds and died to give us life. I pray that we could place Him on a high and glorious throne in the hearts of everyone. We should long to proclaim His praises over land and sea until people everywhere come to adore Him as much as they once rejected Him.

Heavenly Father, as we go through life, remind us that how once we were sinners, and rejected you, that your unconditional love forgave us and restored us, so we can spend eternity with you. Help us to proclaim this Good News to all we know and love, Amen.

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His Light in the Darkness

Seasonal teaching

Dec 302010

Greetings from the Alaska Region,

Tomorrow marks four years that my family and I have lived in Alaska and we all are really enjoying our time here. One of the things I find absolutely amazing here is the dramatic difference between summer and winter. This time of year is the darkest – the least amount of daylight in the northern hemisphere, and here in the Anchorage area that equates to about four hours of daylight. To some this actually causes a physical issue and I can see why. When you can’t see where you are going it is hard to go anywhere, it is easy to focus on how dark it is. The reverse side of this is we are actually gaining sunlight daily now, as much as 5-10 minutes a day. Living in this environment has forced me to have a tangible meaning to what God being the Light of the world really looks like. Psalm 119:105 states “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path (NIV).”

We just celebrated Advent; a time of Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. A time of preparation for Christ. We spend many hours getting ready for Christmas, telling the story to children, watching the plays, really immersing in what this time of year means, and then it is over. The time after Christmas can be such a let down after the amazing build up it is. The tree is still up and the smells are still in the air but the day has come and gone. Is this actually a dark time for you?

God’s word is the light and the more time we spend in it the more Light we have in our lives. If I turn towards the Son I will not look so much at the darkness. As this season draws to a close we can continue to be immersed in His Light if we choose to be and let the true Light of Christmas continue to shine all year long.

Submitted by Alicia Mayer, Alaska Region President

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Don't miss the blessing

Leadership Development, Leadership Wednesday, Seasonal teaching

Dec 292010

Kristin Hathaway

But although the world was made through him, the world didn’t recognize him when he came. ~John 1:10

Have you ever asked God for something only to miss the answer? One time my mom was in a gift shop in Mississippi, looking for a gift for a friend. She wanted something that was “uniquely Mississippi.” As she was looking, a man came in selling fresh pecans. My mom said, “No, thank you” and continued to try to find the perfect gift.

As soon as the man left, it occurred to my mom that the man with the pecans was the answer to her prayers. Anyone who has ever been to Mississippi knows that pecans are definitely a “Mississippi” thing. God had sent the answer and she had missed it!

That is exactly what happened when Jesus came to this earth. For years, mankind had been asking for a Messiah; we desperately needed a savior. God sent THE answer, but we had our own ideas of what a “uniquely God” gift would be like, and we almost missed Him.

Don’t miss out because you have your own ideas of what God is going to do. Salvation is the best gift that Christ gave, but there are so many blessings that he wants to give you while you are here on earth. Ask for them; pray specifically. Most importantly, EXPECT him to answer.

Submitted by Kristen Hathaway, PWOCI Central Region President

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PWOC International Blog

Fourth Week of Advent

Do you Trust Him? Part 2

Do You Trust Him? Part 1

The Temple Veil

From Death to Eternal Life

The Precious Blood of Christ

Forsaken?

They Mocked Him

His Light in the Darkness

Don't miss the blessing

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