2009-05-25

After the Order of Melchisedek

”You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek!” Psa. 110:4 (psalm 110 is quoted more frequently than any other psalm The New Testament)

What has all this to do with me? you may ask. If you have entered into a personal relationship with Christ Jesus as your Savior and Lord, it means a lot.

Melchizedek was not Christ, but he resembled Him (Hebr. 7:3) and foreshadowed some wonderful gospel truths about Him.

1. He was superior to the law, since Levi (still in the loins of Abraham) acknowledged his supremacy through Abraham who paid tithes to him. Hebr. 7:9, Gen. 14:20. The Levitical law system served its own good purpose, being actually only “a shadow of things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Col. 2:17), i.e. “the real thing” came with Him, meaning that we are now under no “law”, no religious rules and regulations, since we are governed by His Spirit, the Spirit of life (Rom. 8:2), in a wonderful, joyous way. Are you enjoying that freedom?

2. He was “king of Salem”, i.e. king of peace. Hebr. 7:1. Again a picture of Christ. He is, indeed, our “Prince of peace” (Isa. 9: 6), and as we submit to Him and let the lordship be upon His (not our) shoulders, His peace will certainly fill our lives despite stormy circumstances.

3. He blessed Abraham at a crucial moment . He stepped in between Abraham and the king of Sodom with “bread and wine”. The result was that Abraham could face the king of Sodom happy and completely free of this world, as the blessing of Melchizedek had already fully satisfied him. See Gen. 14:17-24. What a wonderful truth speaking of our complete satisfaction in Christ to such a degree that the world has lost its charm on us.

4. He is great! “See how great this man is…” (Hebr. 7:4). Yes, this is above all true of Christ. How great is He? When He becomes great to our hearts, many difficulties become so small. “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (Joh. 3:30). May that spirit always prevail with us.

Meditate on this and thank God for these truths before you go out in the open. Your satisfaction and joy in Christ will be noticed. One of my standard answers when those passing by greeted me with the casual question, “ How are you doing?” was this simple, non-casual one: “I´m happy, and do you know why?” Yes, we know why, don´t we? O, let the world know!

-jn-

In the Light and Truth

(Tune: America the Beautiful)

1. God´s providence is always kind,
His ways are just and right,
The yielded soul will truly find
His will is good and bright!
His plans don´t fail and are concrete,
Though sometimes in the gloom,
But harshly God does not us treat,
Just tarry in your room!

2. Yes, in the quiet, starry night
You may be exercised
About some things that are not right,
Small things you idolized!
Such moments in the light and truth
Are needed for our growth,
For old as well as for the youth,
God deals in love with both!

3. In discipline He does us keep
With this reviving aim,
That none of us should fall asleep
But Christ instead proclaim!
The Gospel news God does entrust,
To sinners saved by grace,
As His sweet fragrance we now must
Witness in every place.

-jørn nielsen-

(written in Clovis, Ca. – May 2009)

2009-05-11

I met a Lady

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebr. 13:2

At a Sunday morning service abt. 4 weeks ago I was introduced to a lady from abroad. She immediately invited my wife and I to her home. It was a very modest home, not the middle class standard her church members excel in. This was our first invitation to an American home ever, at least in recent years, apart from s friends in Lompoc where I over the years have found a true Bethany home. The lady wasn´t even an American, she was Dutch without permanent residence permit, and she was disabled with an electric wheel chair. But she was rich and very much on the alert showing hospitality with a warm heart for winning souls.

We go to our churches which without exception want to create an image of themselves as soul winning churches. What about the beautiful middle class homes? Are they isolated boxes without a vision for souls? Do we have the idea that everything of spiritual significance happens away from the home units in the church building? Do we relate to strangers to whom we may show biblical hospitality in order to establish a soul winning contact? Or do we rather expect souls to be won for the Lord when the pastor solemnly makes a strong appeal asking “those who are not sure of their salvation to raise their hand”?

If we do, we are wrong. My American son-in-law told me, “We don´t hang around in each other´s homes like you do, that´s not our culture.” But I´m not talking about “hanging around”, I´m talking about our homes as hospitable, soul winning tools. A dear, dear lady, a sweet grandma, from the church I go to here, told me that in old days it was different. The homes were different. In Denmark we have a lot of strangers coming in. By and large my country is very much on the atheistic or agnostic side. But God´s people are also there, and they are encouraged to welcome the strangers who little know what a home is in order to “friendship-evangelize” them in connection with a good, Danish meal, not waiting for the church set-up to do the job.

Anyway, that lady from Holland gripped my heart. Her example is humiliating to our well-to-do homes. May-be there´s too much “church” in the churches and too little “church” in our homes? Don´t let us just make it a “cultural” thing. Let us respond to the challenge the Dutch lady is giving. Souls are at stake!

Jørn Nielsen

2009-05-08

The Sower´s Song

"Upon the waters cast your bread"
and boldly ask the Lord
to breathe upon the word you spread
Like showers He´s outpoured!

The field may be in desert land
Of burning sun and heat,
But don´t, my friend, withhold your hand,
Just talk to those you meet!

You never know what God can do
When you give out in faith
A tract to one you never knew
Today on May the eighth!

Lo, maybe after many days
The sower´s fruit you´ll see,
To Jesus then be all the praise,
He sinners still sets free!

Rejoice, rejoice, my sowing friend,
Be glad if others reap
What you have sown, for in the end
You all for joy will leap!

“Upon the waters cast your bread”,
God´s clouds are full of rain,
And don´t forget what He has said,
Your bread you´ll find again!

May 8, 2009

-jn-

2009-05-07

A Desert Life or a "Milk and Honey" Life?

(About the rest of faith and obedience)

The message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.” Hebr. 4:2

I have only one more Wednesday morning with ”my” precious senior men coming from all trades of life. One in Christ they certainly are and one in their love for the word of God. Today we were 17 brothers.

We read Hebr.4 which is about the rest of faith and obedience, and the Spirit of God made it real to us. We realized that instead of living a dry desert live in disobedience like the exodus Israelites, it is possible to live, as it were, in the fullness of “the promised land”, i.e. to live out, practically, our spiritual blessings which we already possess in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:3).

We also saw that it´s possible to give a mental assent to the truth of the gospel (saying ”Oh, I believe”) but at the same time live in disobedience under the power of various modern idols. Many say that they have “accepted” Christ without having Him sit on the throne of their hearts.

But once Christ is reigning there, there are no limits to what overflow of blessings we have access to in Jesus Christ, including His sympathy, grace and mercy ”in time of need”. It is in Hebr.4:14-16. That word helped one of my good friends in Pa., a mayor in Williamsport. He had lost his dear wife and went through many sleepless nights. But one night the Spirit of God applied that very word to his troubled soul, and I remember him saying, ”That night I slept like a baby!”

Yes, even in a critical situation like that it´s possible to experience the sweet rest of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ!

(from Clovis, Ca., USA)
-

2009-05-03

A Little Wonder

I see it daily on my trail
Relaxed and always calm,
That graceful, charming, little snail
Not doing any harm!

I take a break and can´t but feel
God´s majesty does shine,
For lovingly He did conceal
Himself in that design!

I pause before the garden snail
And hear it gently say:
“Your hurry is of no avail,
It surely does not pay!”

That wonder of creation is
So awesome to my heart,
The godless do not know that bliss
In which the snail takes part!

Some day it may be trampled down,
Though never knowing when,
To me it got its own renown,
Its Maker says “Amen!”

-jn-