Reciprocal passages! Deuteronomy 28 and Hebrews 6 forward and backward and right side up and upside down God is Great!

Sometimes, standing on your head can give you an advantage of insight that you wouldn't otherwise have had...

thus it was for me this morning.   I am, far too old to stand on my head these days.  Somedays standing on my feet is a task.   Today felt like a new and different moment of truth.  It rained all day.  All day is not the usual weather here in NC.  The dank and chilly rain that makes your bones feel sore, kind of rainy day is not what we get too often, but it was the weather of the day.  Even on Saturdays, I rise before 6 am.  I am up and Adam and have a task list that is to the floor.  God's comforts had gripped me this week and it was like the first day you take a cast off of a broken leg.  My heart had been in a cast for a long, long time.  This young man had come to church and taught us about grief.  It was cathartic.  As it usually is, when God moves someone to share His mercies and kindnesses and how he had come into this young mans life more and more through his suffering.  The angels were popping five of God's blessing and I was saying amen in my soul.   

I felt lightened by it.   I hadn't exactly figured out why I chose to go to the service and I had forgotten what the subject was and had I remembered before the time I would have conveniently gotten a headache and taken to my bed.  Since I was there already, I stayed.  I am glad I didn't drive myself.  I would have left as soon as he said he lost his mother at a young age.   I don't like to imagine that.  But I stayed and got blessed, in spite of myself.

Back to today... My providential reading of the scripture took me to Deuteronomy 28 and Hebrews 6 another place in scripture that I really don't like to camp out at.  I did see through my spiritual binoculars which I obtained at the meeting on Wednesday night the kindness of God in the forward and the backward of those two passages.  Amazing Grace!  

We are blessed in the city and in the country and in our going in and in our coming out and in our health and etc., etc.  there are also curses that are there in both passages, but you know what that means?   don't let go of Jesus!  He is the only one who can turn your infirmities into blessings.   Jesus paid the price of all of the things that we are and do.   Jesus paid his life's blood to make us free from the laws of sin and death

Free to know Him is the providential reading that I enjoyed this morning.  Blessings/Cursings times Cursings/ Blessings means that God is bigger than any problem you have might have or will have! He is the beginning and the end and the author of the faith that he has given.  don't let Him go!

Amen and me too. 31 years ago I was in labor with my Evelyn Hope!  God saved this visual for my 31st anniversary of becoming her mother.   I am so grateful!

 

Praise the LOrd!

 

Praise God for old friends! Elyse and Evelyn and Ethan visit the Chinese Church CBCC

 

How Firm a foundation, thoughts on what is a good church.

 Marks of a safer spiritual environment :

The Bible and preaching as a priority:

Multitude of elders:

Diverse in leadership:

Family friendly

Instructions in righteousness:

Prayer and concern approachable:

Bible instruction in Sunday school

Encouraging growth in grace

We had tremendous expectations for a church when we were young christians, starting our family. Not as much consumer oriented, as we are now, but, doctrinal expectations. I think we should have had a greater expectation for ourselves and our service to the Lord in this regard, but we were young spiritual consumers, so to speak. And we wanted truly bang for our buck, as it were. I speak this to my shame.

I dont think we were totally off. But selfish to be sure. Good preaching, notwithstanding, doctinally sound, a history of biblical leadership and diversity in the makeup of the church, were important to us.

With all of these things in our discussions for what we expected we searched and searched to much dismay, sunday after sunday, until the day we were smitten with spiritual infatuation with what was to become our church for our early formative years of family building.

Seek ye first the kingdom...

That was a right priority, i do think in retrospect, seeking a good and godly church to rear our family in, but, probably way too mentally focussed than it ought to have been.

His word was our guide and historical confessions Heidleberg and 1689, we were definitely believer baptists and so as comfortable and a few of the Presbys were they were out of the question for that reason alone.

We dont want our children deceived into believing that the decision was made for them by their parents and lulled into an expectation that they have nothing to do for their own spiritual development. You are not some specially presaved individual that doesnt need to trust Christ yourself. We may have been deceived like that, but we dont want that for our children.

The privilege of having the Bible in your home makes you more accountable.

"I set my feet on Gods road"

We set out to seek God in our family rearing and He has led us thus far and we are still trusting him...

The Church is for God's people!

 Faithfulness means Everything, you see

January 25, 2026

Pastor Loran:

4  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

5  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

6  And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

7  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Full proof of your ministry…

Works prepared for us

The tendency to cruise and compare is a nono!

7  And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

8  I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

Dont let anybody take your crown!   We receive a crown but someone can distract us from our work.

Communities that God sets us with an open door.

 

The Holiness of the call of God.

The awesomeness of serving God   keep the fresh  on fire and alive 

On your knees and with your face in the bible

Matt 25

​​24  Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:

25  And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

26  His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

The one with one had squandered his opportunity..seems unfair

3  And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

4  Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

5  Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Jesus wants you to love him

Not just love your works

True worshippers must worship the father in spirit and truth!

Do you love Him?

Do you love Jesus?

Get back to where you used to be…

Don’t forget who called you and what he called you to do!

Be faithful and be a worshiper 

The “or else” is the loss of influence and ability and reality and seriousness of the ministry.  Getting people ready to step into eternity!  You will spend eternity where you are readied for.

It makes us fall in love with people again.

Represent him!  

The example of a man jumping out of an airplane checking his parachute and others around him checking all the straps and things.

Revival of conviction and prayer warriors    I can do nothing without you   i need a touch from heaven   .

PReaching is second to ministering to the Lord daily!!!

The Holy Ghost said…

The holy ghost cant talk to you with all the noise that is around and about!...   A sermon or a message.

Sermons are a dime a dozen.  But God’s word that is relevant is nothing like it!

 God has a special word for his sheep and my sheep.  Boney sheep or malnourished sheep are the result of packaged and prepackaged sermons.   Waiting on the LOrd is most important. Preach the word!   The word will feed them.  But your sheep are your sheep.  God has given you the vision for them.

The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrines.   No impact or power is in the old wives tales of storytelling.

All longsuffering and labor.  Be extremely careful how you handle the word.

Renounced the hidden things of shame   “not walking in craftiness”...etc.

Not ashamed to call sin what it is.  Don’t use the word.  Preach the word.   Not a battering ram.  He is not a manipulator.  He is not a man who tries to get the credit.  

Why you do…what you do is important    kill the fatted calf.  

Submission to the orders that are above you notwithstanding you have to be true to the Lord.

If you preach the word the word will produce.

The word will do the work!!!

The whole counsel of God is what is important.   

Revelations 22:

15  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

16  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

17  And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

18  For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

19  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

20  He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

21  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

It isn’t easy, but he called us to labor in the word

“CANT LIVE A DAY”

How firm a foundation in our aging? just a thought

 6 “E’en down to old age, all my people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in my bosom be borne.

How do we prove His love in our aging?

1 How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in his excellent word!
What more can he say than to you he has said,
You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

2 In every condition – in sickness, in health,
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home, or abroad, on the land, on the sea,
“As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

3 “Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed;
I, I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

4 “When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

5 “When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace all-sufficient shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

6 “E’en down to old age, all my people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in my bosom be borne.

7 “The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavour to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.”

Day of Judgment