Ridgeway Church of God

Being Effective for God

Receiving the Kingdom of God like a child

Matthew
15-17″If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend. If he won’t listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won’t listen, tell the church. If he won’t listen to the church, you’ll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God’s forgiving love.

Moreover, if thy brother – The word “brother,” here, evidently means a fellow-professor of religion. Christians are called brethren because they belong to the same redeemed family, having a common Father – God; and because they axe united in the same feelings, objects, and destiny.

Trespass against thee – That is, injure thee in any way, by words or conduct. The original word means sin against thee. This may be done by injuring the character, person, or property.

Go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone – This was required under the law, Leviticus 19:17. In the original it is “go and reprove him.” Seek an explanation of his conduct, and if he has done wrong, administer a friendly and brotherly reproof. This is required to be done alone:

1. That he may have an opportunity of explaining his conduct. In nine cases out of ten, where one supposes that he has been injured, a little friendly conversation would set the matter right and prevent difficulty.

2. That he may have an opportunity of acknowledging his offence or making reparation, if he has done wrong. Many would be glad of such an opportunity, and it is our duty to furnish it by calling on them.

3. That we may admonish them of their error if they have done an injury to the cause of religion. This should not be blazoned abroad. It can do no good – it does injury; it is what the enemies of religion wish. Christ is often wounded in the house of his friends; and religion, as well as an injured brother, often suffers by spreading such faults before the world.

Thou hast gained thy brother – To gain means, sometimes, to preserve or to save, 1 Corinthians 9:19. Here it means thou hast preserved him, or restored him, to be a consistent Christian. Perhaps it may include the idea, also, thou hast reconciled him to thyself – thou hast gained him as a Christian brother.

Isaiah 33

English Standard Version (ESV)

O Lord, Be Gracious to Us
Ah, you destroyer,  who yourself have not been destroyed, you traitor,

whom none has betrayed!

When you have ceased to destroy, you will be destroyed;
and when you have finished betraying, they will betray you.

2 O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you.

Be our arm every morning,
our salvation in the time of trouble.

3 At the tumultuous noise peoples flee;
when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered,

4 and your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;
as locusts leap, it is leapt upon.

5 The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high;
he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness,

6 and he will be the stability of your times,
abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
the fear of the Lord is Zion’s[a] treasure.

7 Behold, their heroes cry in the streets;
the envoys of peace weep bitterly.

8 The highways lie waste; the traveler ceases.
Covenants are broken; cities[b] are despised;
there is no regard for man.

9 The land mourns and languishes;
Lebanon is confounded and withers away;
Sharon is like a desert,
and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

10 “Now I will arise,” says the Lord,
“now I will lift myself up;
now I will be exalted.

11 You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble;
your breath is a fire that will consume you.

12 And the peoples will be as if burned to lime,
like thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.”

13 Hear, you who are far off, what I have done;
and you who are near, acknowledge my might.

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid;
trembling has seized the godless:

“Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire?
Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?”

15 He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
who despises the gain of oppressions,
who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe,
who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed
and shuts his eyes from looking on evil,

16 he will dwell on the heights;
his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks;
his bread will be given him; his water will be sure.

17 Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty;
they will see a land that stretches afar.

18 Your heart will muse on the terror:
“Where is he who counted, where is he who weighed the tribute?
Where is he who counted the towers?”

19 You will see no more the insolent people,
the people of an obscure speech that you cannot comprehend,
stammering in a tongue that you cannot understand.

20 Behold Zion, the city of our appointed feasts!
Your eyes will see Jerusalem,
an untroubled habitation, an immovable tent,
whose stakes will never be plucked up,
nor will any of its cords be broken.

21 But there the Lord in majesty will be for us
a place of broad rivers and streams,
where no galley with oars can go,
nor majestic ship can pass.

22 For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver;
the Lord is our king; he will save us.

23 Your cords hang loose;
they cannot hold the mast firm in its place
or keep the sail spread out.
Then prey and spoil in abundance will be divided;
even the lame will take the prey.

24 And no inhabitant will say, “I am sick”;
the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.

FORT MYERS -

Sunday night’s Bronco-Steelers’ game had quite the effect on the web. Many people were left to wonder whether the number of Tim Tebow’s total passing yards was just a coincidence, or if it was divine intervention.

Tebow threw for 316 yards, averaged 31.6 yards per completion and when the touchdown pass was thrown, the national TV rating peaked at 31.6.

“I don’t know if it is necessarily an act of God, but I don’t think anything happens by accident either,” said Next Level Church Pastor Matt Keller.

The Bible verse John 3:16 is no stranger to Keller. But as far Google searches go, the verse has never done as well as it did after the big game.

Monday, “John 3:16″ was the number one Google search.

“I think it’s great that Tim Tebow has captured the imagination of the next generation,” Keller said.

Twitter reported there was an average of 9,420 tweets per second after Tebow’s 80-yard touchdown pass in overtime.

That number crushes the royal wedding and Osama bin Laden’s death.

And while the “Tebow Effect” holds some interesting numbers, not everyone is sold.

The phone lines at the Miller and Moulton Show on Sports Radio 770 were tied up with Tebow talk Monday.

Moulton says he isn’t sold that Tebow’s acts are divine, but that could change.

“It’s a coincidence and it’s funny,” said Moulton. “If they beat New England in New England, a team that’s already beaten them soundly, then I think you are going to have some believers.”