Anglican Orthodox Church sm
Worldwide Communion
Fourth Sunday after Trinity
June 28, 2026
Sunday Report
Sunday
Fourth Sunday after Trinty
The propers
are special prayers and readings
from the Bible. There is a Collect for the Day; that is a single
thought prayer, most written either before the re-founding of the Church of
England in the 1540’s or written by Bishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Archbishop
of Canterbury after the re-founding.
The Collect for the Day is to be read on Sunday and during Morning
and Evening Prayer until the next Sunday.
The Epistle is normally a reading from one of the various
Epistles, or letters, in the New Testament. The Gospel is a reading
from one of the Holy Gospels,
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Collect
is said by the minister
as a prayer, the Epistle can be read by either a designated
reader (as we do in our church) or by one of the ministers and the Holy Gospel,
which during the service in our church is read by an ordained minister.
The propers are the same each year, except if a Red-Letter Feast, that is one with propers
in the prayerbook, falls on a Sunday, then those propers are to be read
instead, except in a White Season, where it is put off. Red Letter Feasts, so called because in the Altar Prayerbooks
the titles are in red, are special days. Most
of the Red-Letter Feasts are dedicated to early
saint’s instrumental in the development of the church,
others to special events. Some days are particularly special and the Collect for that day
is to be used for an octave (eight days) or an entire season, like Advent or
Lent. The Propers for today are found in the
Book of Common Prayer page 194-195.
The Collect
for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity.
O GOD, the protector of all that trust in thee,
without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy; Increase and multiply upon us
thy mercy; that, thou being our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things
temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal. Grant this, O heavenly
Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Epistle for Fourth
Sunday after Trinity. Romans viii. 18.
I RECKON that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest
expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of
him who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall
be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the
children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in
pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the
firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves,
waiting for the adoption, to wit, the
redemption of our body.
The Gospel for Fourth
Sunday after Trinity. St. Luke vi. 36.
BE ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge
not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned:
forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: give, and it shall be given unto you; good
measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give
into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be
measured to you again. And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the
blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his
master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. And why beholdest
thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is
in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me
pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the
beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of
thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in
thy brother’s eye.
On Point:
"The Lord make His
face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee." Num. 6:25.
When Moses pleaded with God to show him His glory, God answered
Him: "Thou canst not see My face; for there shall no man see Me and
live." (Ex. 33, 20.) The reason is that God's holiness is like
consuming fire for sinful man. His holiness is so great that even the angels
are not stainless in His sight. God, therefore, must veil His face for the
sinner. He did so for Moses and Israel, when He led them on their journey
through the wilderness in the cloud of smoke by day and the pillar of fire by
night. But who was it that thus led Israel in the wilderness and shed His
bright glory over their camp at night? It was none other than God the Son, our
Lord Jesus Christ, as we gather from Paul's own words, 1 Cor. 10:1 — 5. Christ
is the brightness of God the Father's glory and the express image of His
person. (Heb. 1, 3.) When Philip said to Him: "Lord, show us the
Father, and it sufficeth us," He could answer: "Philip, he
that hath seen Me hath seen the Father." (John 14, 8. 9.) When we,
therefore, hear the blessing: "The Lord make His face shine upon thee,"
we are
to know that it is God's gracious face shining on us in the
person of our dear Lord Jesus Christ, of whom John confesses: "We
beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father, full of
grace and truth." In Him, in Him alone, God is gracious unto us and
hears our plea when we repentantly pray with the publican : "God, be
merciful to me, a sinner." Are we not blessed when we thus have God's
grace in Christ Jesus, our Lord? What good thing can we lack, be it of body or
soul, if the almighty and everlasting God in heaven loves us, and pardons us,
and blesses us for Jesus' sake?
The Lord, my God, be
praised,
My Trust, my Life from
heaven,
The Father's own dear Son,
Whose life for me was given,
Who thus atoned for me
With His most precious
blood,
Who giveth to my faith
The greatest heavenly good.
Jerry Ogles, Presiding Bishop
Metropolitan AOC Worldwide
We are fortunate
to get copies of Bishop Jerry’s you tube links, devotions on the Prayer of the
Collect and sermon notes.
Bishop Jerry creates videos on various subjects, they last just under
ten minutes and this week’s videos are listed below:
Bishop Ogles
Blog:
https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com
Bishop Ogles
You Tube Channel
that is free to subscribe: all of his videos at:
Video
Sermon Summary Third Sunday after Trinity: The Lost, Lamb, Coin & Son
Bishops Blog: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2026/06/youtube-video-player_01856059400.html
You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioZjHcYm1CY&t=478s
The Secret Place of the Most High: Psalm
91:1-8 Devotion
Why is the place of God’s protection called a “SECRET
PLACE?” I believe it is because few people either seek the favored protection
of God, or will accept His Sovereignty. The path to this security is not to be
purchased with money or political power, but must be sought for its own essence
of love, faith, and devotion to the Father of Lights. “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and FEW THERE BE THAT FIND IT.” (Matthew 7:14) There must have been thousands gathered outside the ark
when the rains of the Deluge, and fountains of the deep, erupted to drown all
living. They searched in vain for the Hidden Door of salvation and
could not find it, for God had closed the door and not Noah.
I am
reminded of the Timliness in answering the clarion call of God to His
Elect people. Time is not a heavenly, but an earthly, commodity. Heaven exists
in a timeless eternity, but we are disposed to live out our earthly lives in
the space, time, and matter continuum. God created this environment as a
means of training up His people in the way that they should go. In this life we
are undergoing the ‘basic training’ for full field duty in Heaven. We will
never again have as much time as we have at the moment of our reading this
devotion. When landing an aircraft, a good pilot will seek to land at the first
part of the runway because he knows that all of that runway which is behind is
of no use at all. That is just like our lives. We must live each day as if it
were the LAST day of our former life, as well as if it were FIRST day of our
remaining life. Once the Angel of Death stands by our bedside, and the shadows
lengthen, there is no longer time to say “I love you” to those whose lives are
touched by yours – no time to ask forgiveness of those you may have wronged.
Why is
the SECRET PLACE of the Most High so difficult for some to find? It is because
it is not painted red or international orange. It does not resemble any place
that we have ever seen before. It is not a destination for which we can
purchase tickets to enter. It is an INVISIBLE place known only to God and those
who abide in Him. Growing up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, we
were subject to occasional storms of great intensity – infrequently, tornadoes
even. Our family had a concrete room dug into the mountainside into which to flee
when the storm became violent and threatening. Those spiritual storms of life
are even more violent and threatening than those of the meteorological variety.
We must have a place of safety to flee for shelter. In fact, the Christian
LIVES in that place of safety from the storm. There is not safer place than a
FORTRESS! “I will say of the Lord,
He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” WE have
claimed the latter words of this verse as our national motto, but it only has
application when we really MEAN it when we say it. You may enjoy reading the
account given by a junior officer of the U.S. Army of an experience he had in
combat:
“A lieutenant in the United States Army on some
far-off battle front and his buddy were sent out on an important mission. When
the enemy discovered them, the lieutenant faced them, saying to himself,
"Lord, it's your responsibility now." As he reached for his carbine,
a shot from one of them struck him in the breast and blasted him down. Thinking
he was dead, his pal grabbed his carbine and blasted away with both guns. He
received three bullet wounds, but when he finished not one of the enemy was
left. The lieutenant wrote his sister in Pennsylvania: "He was amazed when
I rolled over and tried to get up. The force of that bullet had only stunned
me. Dazedly, wondering why, I pulled my Bible out of my pocket and in utter
muteness looked at the ugly hole in the cover. It had ripped through Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and kept going. Where do you think it stopped? In
the middle of the Ninety-first Psalm, pointing like a finger at this verse, 'A
thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it
shall not come nigh thee.' I did not know such a verse was in the Bible... In
utter humility I said, ‘Thank You, precious God.’” — Knight's Master
Book of New Illustrations
A mother
hen will cover her chic lets with her feathers when danger approaches. She will
do so until her death if necessary – even a fiery death of the forest. But the
wings of God are indomitable and invincible. “Surely he shall deliver thee
from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall
cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth
shall be thy shield and buckler.” Being sheltered beneath the wings of the
Almighty is dependent on our trust for if we are fearful and flee from that
shelter, our protection is voided.
There
are many specters of the night that can haunt the soul of the faithless, but
none such can disturb the man, woman, or child whose heart is fixed upon the
Lord. We may even walk on water if we lose not our focus on the Master of the
Ocean Seas. “Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the
arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor
for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.” Darkness may obscure
many pits and dangers. The day makes our own presence more visible to the
enemy, as well. Both noonday and midnight, we need that shelter of God’s
Almighty Wings. We do not seek that protection only when the darkness dawns,
but also in the bright and happy sunlight.
When we
witness the devastation on the spiritual battlefield of life, we are to take no
counsel of our fears. The God of the bright day is also the God of the dark
night. He is ever-present in both daylight and darkness. Though the casualties
of our spiritual warfare mount on every hand, and deserters are not a few, we
must take heart that victory belongs to the Lord, and in Him, we have victory,
too. “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand;
but it shall not come nigh thee.” The dangers of the enemy’s slings and
arrows are a mere illusion to those who trust in the Lord. Yes, many who are
without faith will perish, but not the elect of God. “Only with thine eyes
shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.”
Perhaps
the Secret Place of the Most High is well illustrated in an event that took
place off the coast of England and in the English Channel almost five hundred
years ago. England had undergone a great spiritual awakening with the coming of
the English Reformation. Queen Elizabeth I had reinforced the newfound faith
embodied by the Protestant Church. Catholic Spain, however, under Phillip II,
undertook an invasion of England. Perhaps the greatest naval force ever
assembled for that time, the Invincible, or Spanish, Armada comprised of 130
ships of Men of War, weighed anchor for England under the able command of the Duke of
Medina Sidonia.
The English navy, under the command of Lord Charles
Howard and Sir Francis Drake, had no such formidable force with which to
counter the Spanish thrust. But they did have faith and prayer. The English
peoples turned out to pray with fervent intent as the Armada approached the
south of England. Sir Francis Drake held his small fleet in reserve until the
Spanish Armada dropped anchor at the port of Calais awaiting further
communications from the ground forces of Spanish Netherlands under the Duke of
Parma. This was to be the land forces employed to invade England once the
Spanish Fleet had conquered all English naval resistance. However, the plans of
men may not comport with the will of the Almighty. At Calais, the Armada was
greatly damaged by fire ships released by Drake whose naval assets had a
favorable wind advantage over the Spanish. The Spaniards lost one third of
their naval vessels as a result of these fire ships (and unfavorable wind
currents along the coast of Scotland), and were damaged so badly, that they
limped home to Spain, forsaking the ground forces who were embargoed by the
Dutch navy, and England was saved by an Unseen Hand.
The Providence of God guides nations and nature to
conform to His immutable Will. Not only does the Providence of God intercede in
the political state, but also in the lives of those individuals whom God has
called and chosen to Himself. It is with the faith we have in this principle
that allows us to seek the shelter of God’s Wings, and remain in that place of
safety.
In the name of the
Father, Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Bishop Jerry Ogles, Secret Place of the Most High, Aug.
23, 2017
Roy Morales-Kuhn, Bishop and Pastor
Saint Paul's
Anglican Church - Diocese of the Midwest
Anglican Orthodox Church -Suffragan Bishop of the AOC
Morning
Prayer – FourthSUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Psalm 75; First lesson: Deuteronomy 32:1-4, 34-39; Second
lesson: Romans 2:1-16
Collect
O GOD, the
protector of all that trust in thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is
holy; Increase and multiply upon us thy mercy; that, thou being our ruler and
guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the
things eternal. Grant this, O heavenly Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Hymns # 562,
568, 218
God Will Judge with Equity
Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we
give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare. Verse one of Psalm 75, is expressing the
psalmist actions of giving thanks to God. He is actually including those who
are listening to the psalm as it is being sung. “thy wondrous works
declare.” This is an accounting of the assembly to speak about and
remember the great things God has done for them. This is an appropriate
way to open a time of praise.
This idea or action is what we
call common prayer or the very thing that we are doing here in this church this
morning. This is our ‘bidding’ to prayer found on page two of our prayer
book. God wants us to worship together. He wants us to come together as family
and to seek his guidance, comfort, instruction, his love. We call this
corporate worship or common, as in all the people coming together to seek God.
Several times Paul warns about not gathering
together to worship. The concept of common worship is universal to the template
that God decreed to the chosen starting with Abraham. We were created to
worship our Creator. It is what we were meant to do.
In a
familiar ‘compare and contrast’ the psalmist now switches to what God will do
those who are not keeping God’s great deeds in mind or praising him for those
things. He is pointing out to us that we need to understand that being
away from God is not the true option for believers. And as we will see today we
are not the ones who will set the time for him to do his job, as it pertains to
those who do not follow God and his statues.
2When I shall receive the congregation I will judge
uprightly. 3The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved:
I bear up the pillars of it. God speaks of a time of judgement. It is at his
set time, he will show his power. He is the strength of the pillars. Why does
he tell us this?
Don’t you sometimes wonder why God lets evil
thrive? It seems like sometimes those who are bad get by with verything.
We must always keep in mind, that God will take care of his world. After
all didn’t he create it? It was in his time that he sent his Son to die
for us on the cross. There were plenty of times that the prophets warned the
people of the coming wrath of God. They also spoke to the coming salvation
of God. There was even a period of time when God did not speak directly to
the people through his prophets, we call the period the four hundred silent
years; from the time of the prophet Malachi to the birth of Christ.
Then without any help from
mankind, God began to unveil the coming One, he who would bear the sins and
judgement of us all. This One did not come on a white horse to destroy the
Roman occupiers, he did not come down with a vengeance to take out all the evil
in the world, no he came as a little child, helpless and small. We would
have had God’s help come as a cleaning broom, someone who would sweep away all
the evil from our world and bring us peace, this is our idea of justice.
Instead he
sweeps away evil in our lives, he makes us cleansed and covers our sin so we
can approach the absolute holiness of God. We cannot approach God’s
holiness as we are, we must have the sin covering that is provided by Jesus
shed blood.
Now let’s see what God does about evil.
God does not
let this go unnoticed. He will bring his judgement to bear. He will take
care of the problem as he says in the next three verses.
4I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the
wicked, Lift not up the horn: 5Lift not up your horn on high: speak
not with a stiff neck. 6For promotion cometh neither from the east,
nor from the west, nor from the south. 7But God is the judge: he
putteth down one, and setteth up another.
We now read what God will do to the
wicked. But I refer you to verse two. This judgement will be in God’s
time, not ours. We sometimes are so impatient that we can’t wait on God to
do what we think is the right thing. In his time, he will take care of all
evil. He will take care of the things that are against him and his
people. In verse seven we read that he will put down one and lift up
another. He is the final judge. It is he who will have the final say, we
need not worry about who gets rewarded and who gets punished
8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the
wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the
dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink
them.
It is interesting that one form of this punishment
comes in what seems to be a good form, a well-mixed cup of wine, but the
foaming part describes a wine that has gone bad, and the end of the cup is the
skins, stems, seeds, and the resulting dregs left over from the making of the
wine. Not a very flavorful type of wine. It really isn’t very tasty.
So when we think that the evil are
getting away with so much, think back to this verse and the promised drink that
the evil of this world will finally get. We really don’t need to worry, God is
so much wiser than us, he knows what to do, really, he does.
9
But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of
Jacob.
Now the psalmist goes back to the praise mode of
the beginning of the psalm, he gives an expression of praise and will do this
forever, as we see in verse nine. This is the return to a praise attitude that
we all need to remember. Our job is to praise God, in both good times and
bad. We sometimes forget to praise him in good times. And we definitely
forget to praise him in bad times.
10All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but
the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.
We see a switch back to God explaining to us what he
will do to the wicked. The symbol of a horn is a sign of power or
leadership. So, when God says he will cut off the horns of the wicked he
is telling us that the wicked are not going to prevail.
They will be one day put down, they will not prevail, they will be taken
out of power.
He then tell us what will happen
to the righteous, they will be lifted up.
That action indicates that they will be given a position of greatness.
They will be raised up to a position of honor.
We do not need to worry about what God will do in this
tired and wicked world. He has told us again and again, in various places
through out the Bible. Our job is to praise God, to know that he is in
control and that everything in the end will be fine. He is in control of
it all.
Let us
pray.
O GOD,
whose nature and property is ever to have mercy and to forgive; Receive our
humble petitions; and though we be tied and bound with the chain of our sins,
yet let the pitifulness of thy great mercy loose us; for the honour of Jesus
Christ, our Mediator and Advocate. Amen.
THE LORD bless us, and keep us. The LORD make his face
to shine upon us, and be gracious unto us. The LORD lift up his countenance
upon us, and give us peace, both now and evermore. Amen.
IN Christ alone during Trinity
+Roy
Rev Bryan Dabney of Saint John’s AOC Vicksburg, Mississippi
We are always grateful to get these wonderful sermons
from Rev. Bryan, they keep us on our toes!
Sermon Text for The Fourth Sunday after Trinity:
Often in our Christian walk we will encounter those of
the unregenerate who will inquire of us concerning the several prohibited
behaviors that are found within the pages of Scripture. They may be looking to
challenge our beliefs in the fundamentals of the Bible, or they may deride our
faith if they suspect that we have exhausted our scriptural understanding
regarding their particular issue. No doubt you have likely witnessed their
efforts to use Scripture against the faithful. That should not be surprising
for as St. Paul noted in II Corinthians 11:13-15 that, such are false
apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of
Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers
of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
And a favorite subject for their criticism is found in
our gospel lesson for today. Our Lord admonished his listeners to, Judge
not, and ye shall be not judged (St. Luke 6:37). This saying which is also
found in St. Matthew’s gospel account (7:1) has become for the unregenerate a
sort of talisman of false piety which they will use in their efforts to defend
what is indefensible before God. In that vein, they will employ these words
against anyone who would call into question their lifestyle choices and
behaviors very much like a sorcerer might use a magical incantation to ward off
his adversaries. While such might work against a novice or carnal Christian, it
will not have much effect on one who has been schooled in the truth of God’s
word written. As the apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians in his first epistle
to, put away from among yourselves that wicked person (5:9-13). This is
not a suggestion but rather it is a command that the faithful must do when
faced with open and egregious conduct that clearly violates the moral laws of
God. But how could a church body comply with the apostle’s command if they are
forbidden to judge? The short answer for our critics is that the church would
not be able to do so. But that is where Bible study and training comes into
play. If we are rightly dividing the word of truth (II St. Timothy
2:15), then we will have that answer which will smash their argument and reveal
the unregenerated to be what they are: unrighteous sinners who are seeking to
cloak their sins with the very words of God. Let us now examine what our Lord
meant when he said, Judge not, and ye shall be not judged. The Greek
word krino—which has been translated as judge— means “to decide,
to distinguish, and by implication, to try, condemn, or to punish.” It has a
largely legal connotation forasmuch as a judge is one who makes decisions, or
judgments, about those matters which have been brought before him. As
Christians, we have been called to make righteous judgments (St. John 7:24). We
have been called to discern between the godly and the ungodly. And, we have
been called to witness against all ungodliness within the body of Christ and
admonish with all longsuffering of doctrine those of the wicked that they might
repent and be saved (Ephesians 5:11; II St. Timothy 4:2).
But before we ever think to point out the deficiencies
in others, we first need to judge ourselves. The apostle Paul reminds us of the
necessity for selfjudgment concerning our partaking of the Holy Communion when
wrote, But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and
drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and
drinketh damnation (condemnation) to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (have died).
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are
judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the
world (I Corinthians 10:28-32). Self-judgment requires us to confess to God
our ills of thought, word and deed. That is why the early church fathers set
the confession before the taking of the Lord’s Supper. God expects us to
examine ourselves and come clean before him. He also expects us to be
self-disciplined. Confession of sin ought to be an ongoing event. Nevertheless,
we ought to do so at least twice a day: once in the morning and once in the
evening. That is why the Book of Common Prayer has a General Confession
placed in both daily orders of worship as well as in the Order for the Holy
Communion. Without a proper confession to God in Christ, we leave ourselves
open to chastening by the LORD for that is what he will do if we will not
recognize our sins and seek his forgiveness on their account. He will bring us
to our knees if we will not go there of our own volition. Psalm 51 speaks of
what God desires from us in self-judgment and confession before him: The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou
wilt not despise (v.17).
While God desires us to judge in righteousness, Satan
desires that we judge improperly or not at all. He will seek to undermine our
Christian witness by luring us into sin via our love for, and association with
our relatives and friends who do not adhere to God’s word written. St. Paul
explained it this way in his second epistle to the Corinthians, Be ye not
unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness
(6:14)? And such is in agreement with the admonition of our Lord who said, Think
not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a
sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household (St. Matthew 10:34-36).
We have been called of God to resist evil, and not simply give in to it on
account of our friends and relatives. Whom shall we obey? God or man (Acts
4:19, 20; 5:29)? Satan likes churches where his minions are left to their own
devices by pastors and congregants who have been schooled in the false
assumption of judge not.
If for whatever reason we do not give in to sin, then
the Devil will attack us with both his spiritual and earthly minions. He will
seek to thwart our Christian witness from being heard and accepted, and in that
cause he will use even those closest to us in order to minimize our
effectiveness. They will become the stones for his sling, and the arrows for
his bow. With that in mind, we should have about us our spiritual armor, and we
ought to study and inwardly digest God’s word written. For if we are to be
successful in contending for the faith which was once delivered unto saints
(St. Jude 3), then we must be well acquainted with the scriptures. Once we have
learned them, we will afterwards have the confidence and the humility to
successfully engage in spiritual warfare against our adversary. As St. Paul
once observed, And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle
unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose
themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to acknowledging the
truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who
are taken captive by him at his will (II St. Timothy 2:24-26).
Now it is often difficult for many to witness
correctly to others because their pride will often transform their duty to
judge from something that is godly into something that is the polar opposite.
This can happen when one drifts into vitriol, debate and diatribe at the
apparent reluctance of the unregenerate to receive that person’s witness.
Righteous anger toward the wickedness we perceive in others does not permit us
to sin on behalf of the Lord we serve. We must remember to keep our heads, our
hearts and our lips under control. The Devil would like nothing better than for
us to blow up at others, or treat them with hateful anger. We should admonish
the unregenerate concerning their sinful lives and understand that they are
being manipulated by the forces of darkness (Ephesians 6:10). God does not
approve of a sinner in his unregenerated state because he hates sin. But the
beauty of our testimony is this: that God will love and bless all who turn from
their sins in the name of his only begotten Son. Thus, we should not be the
least bit surprised to learn that the Devil will seek to stymie our efforts. We
must resist his attacks and identify his subterfuges in all godly confidence
knowing that we hold the truth, and that the lies with which he has enveloped
those poor benighted souls can only be
lifted by the power of the gospel of our Lord.
Please bear in mind that the godly purpose of judging
has always been to warn sinners, not condemn them. If we will follow God’s
precepts, our work will bear fruit; if we do not, God will judge us at the last
apart from our confession to him for our shortcomings in his service. We should
desire that all who hear our witness will repent and turn unto God, but that
will not happen if we are sullied by our own sinfulness, or our misguided
attempts to witness to them. As we watch for our Lord’s return, we know that we
cannot be slackers in God’s service. Yes, you will hear the old saw, “It’ll be
a long time before God returns.” Or you may hear, “There is plenty of time left
to do as one chooses and then seek the forgiveness of God as the end of life
draws nigh.” That kind of reasoning is seriously flawed because it runs counter
to what the scriptures have stated concerning our Lord’s return. We have been
told in no uncertain terms that God has not revealed that information to
anyone. We may know the signs of the times, but we cannot know the day nor the
hour. Our adversary, on the other hand, wants every mortal to believe that we
have plenty of time so that he might keep as many souls as he can influence
locked on a trajectory that will eventually carry them into everlasting perdition.
How agreeable it all sounds: “You don’t have to make up your mind now. Just
keep on doing the things that make you feel good in the flesh; and as you see
your life coming to a close, then (if you must) call upon God.”
Unfortunately, the problem for many is set forth in
the following interrogatory: “How many people know the time of their deaths?”
People drop dead with little or no warning. So telling someone to just “live it
up until you get to the end of your life, then seek God’s forgiveness and
redemption ” is a terrible piece of advice. St. Paul makes it clear in II
Corinthians 6:2, ...behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day
of salvation. As the Rev. Matthew Henry once observed, “The present time is
the only proper season to accept... the grace that is offered... We know not
what will be on the morrow, nor where we shall be, and we should remember that
present seasons of grace are short and uncertain and cannot be recalled when
they are past.” The Devil would have us believe that God is on an extended
holiday and so have fun until he comes again. Don’t be fooled by the supposed
wisdom of this world because you will find it has a serpent’s hiss behind its
words. Our Lord once said, God is a Spirit and they that worship him must
worship him in spirit and in truth... for the Father seeketh such to worship him
(St. John 4:24-23). If we are going to seek after God’s will for us, then we must
resist a carnal and unrestrained life. St. Paul noted in his epistle to the Romans,
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that
are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is
death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind
is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed
can it be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not
in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you...
(8:5-9). To avoid the carnal and live in the Spirit requires self-examination
and self-judgment.
And so we have learned that rather than rejecting the
concept of judgment, we ought to exercise such in a godly and righteous manner.
If we know and understand the Scriptures, then we will win that victory over
the world, the flesh and the devil and we will exercise our witness to others
in such a manner that they too might see the need to repent and be saved in the
name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Let us pray,
Father, help us to properly judge ourselves; that by
means of our confession we would be purged of our sins, and thus enabled to
call upon others to end their wicked ways; for this we ask in the name of thy
Son, even Jesus Christ. Amen.
Have a blessed week!
Bryan+
AOC Worldwide Prayer List –
I have received updates from a few and
those will be the first added to the list. Please send all prayer requests and
updates to aocworldwide@gmail.com for future reports. If you would like to be removed
from list just respond with remove in the subject line.
Prayer
Needed:
Charlie
Carlisle – recovering at home now
following various elements
Donny Clark –
hospitalized for stroke – Anne – overseeing his
care
Beverly Tatum
– Fall, injured shoulder, Howard Tatum – cancer Treatment, caretaking
Yves Mera – Great news no blockages, some dietary changes to help
with problems
Lucile – 12 year old, confirmed into the church June 28,
pray for Christian Growth and Relationship strengthening with Jesus Christ –
Praise God!
Ryan – ex-muslim to be baptized – keep safe from Evil forces
Camella – Breast Cancer – surgery schedule July 7th
Chelsea – expecting Baby in July (Baby heart issues, will need 3 surgeries right
after birth, finance problems, pray for Zach – Chelea’s husband and the baby
Donny – hospitalized due to multiple strokes and inability to speak, pray for David and Anne, family who are helping
him in recovery
Dan Fordice
– pray for his family who are mourning Dan killed in a
plane crash
Mike
Gettinger – traveling to the Vietnam
wall and family at home awaiting his return
Kristen –
foot surgery went well, continue praying for long Recovery
Betty Davis:
stroke, hospitalization and praying for complete
recovery
Deborah Johns
– heart issues – pray for heart strength &
strong blood oxygen levels for surgery
Ben Hancock –
treatment for colon cancer
Rev.
Geordie: needs prayer
for medical issues
Debbie
Grimes: colon cancer – surgery
Man, who is a
friend of many – Brain Cancer
Bobby
Effinger – recovery from heart surgery
and ongoing heart issues
Steven – recovering from surgery on scar tissue compressing his Spinal Accessory
Nerve
Brannon – hospitalized due to chronic unknow source of muscle spasms – 3 year old
Rency
– 2 year old suffering from RETTS Syndrome
Joseph
Broddie – recurring throat cancer
David
Williams – serious cardiac issues – pray for David and wife
Sherie for coping with changes
Jack Williams – had to enter long term care due to vascular dementia – pray for wife
Karen
Colby Landry – cancer. Please pray for his wife, Leah and their family at this time of
trial.
Persecuted Christians – subject to persecution and imprisonment for
their faith.
Bobby Bryan –
suffering with cancer and cardiac issues.
For an increase in the true faith in Jesus Christ here and across
the globe.
USA – Leaders,
citizens, military, first responders – President Trump & all Cabinet
Members Safety
David – recovering from transplant – continue to pray
Ophelia – crippling arthritis pain
Dennis Potrikus – fall with bad knees – recovering his rehab
Donna – ongoing radiation and Chemotherapy. Pray for successful remission
Roy – Bulging disc – upcoming surgery
Michelle – metastasized lung cancer – treatment stopped due to low hemoglobin- pray
increase in
Dave – COPD – breathing issues – getting used to using oxygen – shortness of
breath
David – home recovering from hip replacement
Mary Lou – strength for downsizing life long home and moving
Extended Issues need
continued prayer;
Laurie with long Covid Symptoms – Extreme exhaustion, heart palpitations,
breathing problems and unstable blood pressures are constant worries causing
depression to settle in.
Malcom Allred – Cancer
Treatment
Keep Praying for the following:
.jpg)
