Calvary Christian Fellowship

Watchmen on the Wall

Susy Medeski — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:03:10 +0000

Paul gave some parting words to the elders in Ephesus in Acts 20. He exhorted them to be watchmen on the wall, shepherds, who were to guard and protect the flock. He had done all he could to teach and preach the good news of Yeshua. He warned them that “wolves” would come among them with the purpose of destroying Yeshua’s work among them. He referred to wolves as being those outside their congregation, but he also warned that there would be those among them that would twist the gospel and draw disciples away. He knew this would be his last time among them and with all diligence he spoke. History shows that ultimately between 600-700 AD, the congregation would be overtaken by Islam. Although they were diligent shepherds for a while, at some point they forgot the words of Paul and they paid dearly. Ephesus’ fate struck me deeply. How could a group who had been exhorted with words like Ephesians 6 succumb to Islam? The Book of Revelation tells us Ephesus toiled and persevered against evil. So what happened? Revelation tells us they “abandoned the love you had at first.”

This may have happened over centuries, but this is a warning to be heeded. Whether they tired of persevering or grew complacent, the result was the same. They fell away. What a great lesson for us all! There should never be a time when we aren’t alert. 1 Peter 5:8 says –

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Times are at hand when, like Ephesus, lions come to devour us. Stay alert!

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” Acts 20:28

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Seeing is Believing

Molly McNamara — Fri, 10 May 2013 14:05:36 +0000

Consider joining us for a 5 week series. For details and registration, visit our website His Whole House

You’ve heard it said, “Seeing is believing”. Could this be true?

What about the scripture from Proverbs 13:12 “Hope deferred makes the heart sick”. Could it be that we are called to “believe before we can truly see”?

How often do our convictions, when tested, come to find us “shattered” when faced with the terms and conditions of life that are less than desirable? We can quickly become destroyed by a sense of injustice when we make assumptions like, “the world is a safe place”. When our foundational views are built on an expectation that things should always be fair and a trauma does occur, it’s like a violent attack on our spirit.

This can throw even the most seasoned believer to blame and be mad at God. We may believe that He didn’t prevent “it”, or we think He doesn’t care and is passive. In a quote from C.S. Lewis, he remarks on this occurrence, “When something tragic happens we often feel like he slams the door in our face and double bolts it, leaving us out in silence”. As believers this can be a devastating place, bringing into question every belief which then causes a whole new crisis.

I encourage you to take hope. Our God, Jehovah is anything but passive. He is always seeking to show Himself to those who dare to believe despite the terms, conditions and appearance that life has brought our way. John 16:33 tells us, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 20:29 – Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

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The Joy of the Sabbath

Susy Medeski — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:56:01 +0000

I’ve been studying Jewish observance of the Sabbath and discovered some interesting things. The Sabbath was a time of great joy and celebration for Jews. They brought in the Sabbath at sundown using a lovely ritual that reminded them they were G-d’s children and the importance of that relationship. I also learned they ended the Sabbath with a similar ritual, prolonging the Sabbath as long as possible, not wanting to end this special time with YHVH. It’s called the Havdalah. It was performed as the sunset at the end of the Sabbath. After the Havdalah, families usually shared a meal together, speaking of YHVH and Torah sometimes until late into the evening, which was the first day of the week. This is what was happening in Acts 20:7. Paul celebrated the Havdalah with fellow believers and because he planned to leave in the morning, he spoke late into the evening, teaching, and exhorting his fellow believers. Once the sun rose, the people went about their day as normal, which for 1^st century believers was a workday.

This was new information to me and it helped me understand the significance of the Sabbath to the first century believers. Throughout my research I discovered that many believing Jews continue to celebrate the Havdalah today. Those that embrace the Sabbath with the same joy as the Jews, find that they, too, want to extend this precious time as long as possible. Jude 1-23-25 sums it beautifully –

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen”

May our joy be full!

“On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.” Acts 20:7

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The Grace of Giving

CCFH — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:29:15 +0000

In this series on Spiritual Disciplines pastor Mark outlines how charity is linked to grace. Giving is meant to be a joyful expression of thanks to God from the heart, and not a legalistic obligation. The value of our offering is not determined by how much we give, but how we give.

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Do You Expect Miracles?

Susy Medeski — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:50:22 +0000

So what is your position on miracles? Do you think they happen as often as they once did? If not, why? These are some of the questions I often hear when speaking to fellow believers as well as friends who sit on the edge, watching believers. The apostolic writing record miracles aplenty, and history also records miracles; but they don’t seem as plentiful as they once were. Studying American history through a believer’s perspective, I learned miracles were abundant when through they difficulties. In foreign lands, miracles are still plentiful, just ask missionaries. There seems to be a common thread through all these stories – people courageously stepped into situations with insurmountable odds against them when they experienced miracles. So what keeps miracles from happening as abundantly today? Are we too comfortable and complacent in life?

Paul stepped out in faith into difficult situations and expected G-d to show Himself in miraculous ways…and HE did! Missionaries do too. American Christians I know don’t typically face such difficult circumstances anymore; but those that do, often experience miracles. We’ve received miraculous provisions and saw extra years given to cancer patients who doctors gave weeks. But the most miraculous for me has been the healing of men and women who have experienced terrible abuse in life. It took great courage on their part, but now they live with great joy and contentment. Miracles have shown up in my life when I’ve step courageously into the future. Philippians 4:19 says –

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Miracles still happen. It’s time to step out, do something courageous and expect to see YHVH work. HE WILL!

“And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul” Acts 19:11

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