Luke 2 - 9.2.25

SCRIPTURE:  Luke 2:9-10  "An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people."

OBSERVATION: This chapter starts off with Joseph and Mary heading off to Joseph's home town of Bethlehem to register after Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census be taken.  Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, and was expecting a child.  While they were there the time came for the baby to be born. There was no room in the inn, so baby Jesus was brought into this world in a filthy stinky stable!  Jesus' birth was announced to the shepherds who were living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them!  God's glory was revealed!

The Jews word for God's radiance was called Shekinah glory.  Shekinah means to dwell or reside with.  The good news of Jesus being born came first to the shepherds out in the fields.  They were ordinary men, but God allowed them to see an extraordinary thing!  The angel told them not to be afraid.  He came to bring them the good news that will cause great joy for ALL people!  After the angel left them, and had gone into heaven, the shepherds said, "Let's go!"  They went to Bethlehem to see what the Lord had told them about.  They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.

The greatest event in history had just happened!  Jesus Christ was born!  When the shepherds had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told to them about the child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

APPLICATION:  Can you imagine what that day must have been like for those shepherds? It might be hard for us to comprehend, but...if you think about it, the universe and God's creation testifies and displays the glory of God to us EVERY DAY!  The glory of God is the visible manifestation of His attributes and His character.  The sun, the stars, the ocean, a spectacular eagle; they all display God's glory!  (Billy Graham).  Nothing can hide from God's glory.  The dictionary definition of glory is praise and honor. 

Just as the shepherds followed God's voice and responded to the Good News, we have all been called to do the same!  And when we respond in obedience as the shepherds did, we will find out that His Word is FAITHFUL and TRUE! 

Our only hope is for the God of glory to invade our lives and rescue us from our sins.  That's why God sent His Son Jesus to earth, to die for ALL of our past, present and future sins.  And, because of what Jesus did for us -  our response should be to praise and thank Him, and give Him all the glory.  

PRAYER:  We all have the same calling; to know You and to make You known.  I pray we will glorify You in all that we say and do.  I pray we will align our prayers and desires with Your purpose.  I pray we will bear much fruit from our lives that will glorify You.  Please help us to glorify You in our bodies by remaining sexually pure.  Help us to make lifestyle choices for the good of others that glorify You.  I pray we will be generous with our finances in meeting the needs of others, and in sharing the Good New of Jesus Christ so that others may come to know You and experience Your glory for themselves.  Amen

- Robin Orefice

Luke 1 - 9.1.25

Scripture

‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭37‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“For no word from God will ever fail.”

Observation

In this first chapter of Luke we read about two miracle births. One is the birth of John the Baptist, and the other is the birth of Jesus Christ. John’s parents were Elizabeth and Zechariah. Jesus’ parents were Mary and Joseph. John’s mother Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and she and her husband Zechariah were pretty up there in age. Meanwhile, Jesus was to be born from Mary, who was a virgin. How can these births be? Well, Zechariah and Elizabeth, and Mary and Joseph found favor in God’s eyes. So God sent His angel Gabriel to deliver these couples the good news of the miracles that they were about to experience and be a part of.

Application

God keeps His promises.

I can’t imagine being in the shoes of either one of these couple’s lives. I mean here you are receiving this news from an angel of God that seems impossible! Could it be our imagination playing tricks on us? Well, we read in this chapter that Zechariah was silenced until John was born because of his doubt in the news he received. Only to regain his voice once his baby boy was born and he followed through the angel Gabriel’s instructions by naming the baby John.

God followed through by keeping His promises to both Zechariah and Elizabeth, and Mary and Joseph. Even if it seemed impossible, God made it possible. His word and promises came to pass. 

And the same can be said for those who put their faith in Jesus. We are grafted into God’s family tree. We are His children, which means that we inherit all His promises as well. Promises like:

“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

Deuteronomy‬ ‭31‬:‭8

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬ ‭

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”-‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭38‬ ‭

And these are just a small sample of the MANY promises God gives those who put their faith and trust in His beloved Son Jesus. I encourage you all to take advantage of our 21 Days in the Word challenge. Let’s dive into God’s Word together and see and discover all the promises God has in store for us. Let’s take heart knowing that God keeps His promises and is STILL in the business of miracles today. 😊

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” -‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭8‬ ‭

“You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” -Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭45‬ ‭

Prayer 

Father God,

I want to pray Your blessing over our church as we begin our 21 Days in the Word. May we build a discipline and culture within our church that enjoys spending time with You through prayer and studying Your Word daily. May You reveal Your character and promises to us as we read Your Word each day. May You bless all the Small Group meetings. May there be an enthusiasm about getting together with our brothers and sisters in Christ, as we discuss what we are learning through our time with You. Draw those who aren’t participating. Give them a desire to want to grow more spiritually. Help them to find community within our church and fellow believers. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽 

-Moses Gaddi

Hebrews 9 - 8.29.25

SCRIPTURE:  Hebrews 9:24

For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.

OBSERVATION

This Chapter in the New Testament is about our high priest and the tabernacle, but we will start with a quick review in the Old Testament which is a copy of the True One, Jesus.   In Exodus chapters 25-31 and  35-41, we see the man-made tabernacle.  God told Moses how to make the materials,  what materials to use, what each item was used for, and who can go into the Tabernacle.. Inside the tabernacle is where the Ark of the Covenant was placed. God also appointed Aaron as the high priest. He was told what to sacrifice and how. The spilling of blood was an atonement for sins. This was done once a year.

In the verse above, we see Christ entered heaven. He is the True One. He is our high priest. Nothing is made by human hands in heaven.  The statement that got me was “now to appear for us in God’s presence.”  Jesus is talking to God about me. I have so many flaws but Jesus, who died for you and me, loves you and me. He is interceding for us in heaven right now as you are reading this. Jesus’ sacrifice, by the shedding of his blood, was the atonement for our sins and was done once and it is forever.

I like what Hebrews 7:25 states “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”

APPLICATION

Here on earth, the old ways are gone. We do not need to go to a person or priest to ask forgiveness of our sins or shed the blood of animals once a year. We can now go directly to Jesus, who died for us and shed his blood for us. Jesus is the only way to the Father and is interceding for us in heaven. How can we not love Jesus more?

There are several ways we can show our love for Jesus. We can get into his Word, journal, pray, listen to praise and worship music, be with God’s people at church on Sunday, join a small group, break bread with each other outside of Sunday’s, etc.

PRAYER

Jesus, the most high priest, my Lord and Savior, you love me and are interceding for me in heaven. Thank you for giving me the desire to be at Church and be around the brethren. Give me the passion to be in your Word and to pray. Help me avoid the distractions in this life. It seems like this battle will never end but you Lord, you can give me the strength to keep going. I am not alone Lord because you are with me. Thank you in Jesus’ name Amen.

- Robert Oberg