Jesus: The Believer’s Inheritance

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  It is fascinating to observe when people talk about inheritance, ones mind would immediately cater properties, wills, houses, jewelries, and other material things. All of which are centered on material temporal things.   In 1 Peter 1:4 , although The Apostle Peter used the term “inheritance” once in his letter, Apostle Paul on the other hand, mentioned this term in his letters several times. ( Eph_1:14 , Eph_1:18 , Eph_5:5 , Col_3:24 ,) But what is so significant about this particular emphasis of Peter? After all, he made a brief description of the inheritance (verse 4-5) a believer will obtain now that he is part of God’s family.   The term “inheritance” is not something new among Jewish ears. Going back to the OT, when God divided the promised land among the 12 tribes of Israel, every tribe received a portion of the land as their inheritance, except for the tribe of Levi…”the priestly tribe”. They were the only tribe that didn’t get one. God’s reason for doing so is i...

Learning from the book of Judges

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“…. and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10).

The book of Judges paints a sad picture of what happened to Israel after Joshua died. The generation that followed him and the elders who witnessed God’s great act of redemption did not know the Lord.  “[E]very man did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; Judges 21:25). Israel’s moral decline and sin of spiritual adultery proves more than just a repeating cycle; it was a cycle that spiraled downward. In fact, even the majority of the judges (“deliverers”) lived questionable lives (An Introduction to the Old Testament, Dillard and Longman, 125). Still, we see God’s gracious act of deliverance in response to the people’s cry for mercy.

Note: It only took one generation for Israel to forget the true God.  Let us learn from the book of Judges.  Let us not forsake the study of the Word of God and the fellowship with believers. Let us be intentional in living a godly example for our children and in faithfully teaching them the Holy Scriptures!

This week, please pray with us as we try to reach our generation and the next via a telephone campaign through Tellstart. Calls will be made to almost 17,000 residential homes in North San Jose and Milpitas. May the good Lord give us a good harvest and the strength and wisdom to follow up on those who respond.

With gratitude for your prayers,

Pastor Sidney

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