No Longer Divided – Purity 1496
Purity 1496 11/06/2024 Purity 1496 Audio Podcast
Purity 1496 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Well, It’s Wednesday, and while our nation still waits to see who will be declared the victor in this year’s presidential election, and as our country seems to be radically divided over who that should be, I was reminded this morning of how the Lord has moved to unite us all. I was reading in Acts 10 this morning and was struck how God opened up His kingdom to all people through Jesus Christ. Peter was called by the Lord to share his message with some God seeking gentiles and this is what he said in:
Acts 10:34-43 (NKJV)
34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. 36 The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ–He is Lord of all— 37 that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.
40 Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.“
You couldn’t have been more divided than the Jews and the Gentiles. Before giving this speech, Peter admitted that normally it was unlawful for a Jewish man to keep company with or to go to another nation, but God had spoken to him to not consider any man to be common or unclean. God changed the law to welcome in any and all who would trust in Jesus and it is in Christ alone that men can have peace with God and other men. So let me encourage us all to draw close to the Lord and to love our neighbors by sharing the good news of Jesus because it is God’s will that we are no longer to be divided.
In Acts 10, God spoke to gentiles and Jews and provoked them to come together showing that He is near to us and today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah speaks on that topic so I am sharing it here today. David Jeremiah writes:
“He Is Near
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart. – Psalm 34:18
Pastor Azat Azatyan was captured by Russians while ministering in Ukraine. He was beaten and had electrical cables attached to his body. His tormenters asked him whom he served. He shouted: “A Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” His torturers left him for dead, but Azatyan was able to drink some rainwater and survived. “After torture with electric shock,” he said, “all you want to do is drink. I asked the Lord for water. He gave rain…. I felt God’s presence at that moment.”1
Isn’t it amazing to feel God’s presence in awful moments? When you feel lonely, when you are hurting, when the roof falls in. Remind yourself right now that the Lord is near you. Even when you want to run away from Him, there’s nowhere to run. If we go up to heaven, He is there. If we go to the cemetery, He is there. If we ride the winds across the seas, He is with us (see Psalm 139:1-10).
Remember today what the psalmist said: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4).” – David Jeremiah
I see God’s presence and His blessing in my life. I am where I need to be.
Pastor Azat Azatyan
Whoa – what a powerful message about God’s presence and help in the toughest of situations!
For those of us who have walked through the valley with The Lord, we know this to be true – God is neat to the broken hearted and will never leave us or forsake us.
So no matter where this message finds you along your path through life, draw close to God because He is there for those who seek Him.
I also have to share a link to Charles Stanley’s In Touch devotion today because it flows along the same lines – what we can expect when we make God our top priority – so if you need more the link is on the blog: here it is: https://www.intouch.org/read/daily-devotions
God is near to us and blesses us with SO MUCH when we walk with Him! So keep on walking and talking with God!
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )
This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Giving.
2 Corinthians 8:11-12 (NASB) 11 But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability.
12 For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.
Today’s verses are the second of three passages of scripture that fall under the second point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Giving.
2. The Lord wants us to give generously and cheerfully.
Today’s Bible verses encourage us to finish what we started and to give according to what we have rather than being concerned over what we don’t have.
The subject of giving can be a sore one and often because of our own selfishness and insecurities we can even make promises to give that we later renege on or we consider our small offering not enough to even bother with presenting but the Apostle Paul’s letter here tells us to be faithful to follow through with our intentions to give and know that even the smallest offering is acceptable when it is given in faith.
So if the Lord puts it on your heart to give don’t hesitate, let his urgings lead you to bless others by giving.
Today’s Bible verses
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament” By Stephen F. Olford – A Collection of Devotional Journals: 1940-1941.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Olford’s books for your own private study and to support his work. This resource is available online for less than $10 at many sites.
MORNING READING: REVELATION 17
“Those who are with Him are called, chosen,
and faithful.” – Revelation 17:14
The victory of the Lamb over the “the great whore” (v. 1) is going to be won with the cooperation of godly Jews whom He is going to call, choose, and depend upon. The great whore is the final development of corrupt and Christ-less religion.
Surely, a lesson can be learned from this future victory. For this is a victory to be won now; and that in the same sphere – the sphere of so-called Christendom. The qualifications necessary for the fighting line are:
The Assurance of Having Been Called. This is an inward work of the Holy Spirit. O, to make sure of this calling and election!
The Assurance of Having Been Chosen. One can be called and yet not be chosen. Christ chose His own because they answered the call.
Faithfulness – The all-inclusive requirement.
It is Your calling, Your choice, and Your faithfulness that
works in me to bring You glory. Glorify Thyself, Lord![1]
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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1] Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).
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