Greetings,
Approaching the beginning of another year based on God’s Holy Days, we necessarily focus on important stages of spiritual development. The understanding we share of the Holy Day plan comes from God’s Holy Spirit working with us. The ability to understand spiritual things requires that a person must first be drawn by the Father.
The involvement of the Father in our lives is a driving factor directing who and what we are. He has called us, which means He desires a Father/son relationship with each of us individually. As we respond, having been far away from God, we are brought near to Him by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13). We will be reminded of that awesome calling as we observe the Passover.
As we rehearse the truth of God’s plan again this year, let us determine to use the deeper understanding God has given to us over the past year to enhance our observance of these days. We have been given the opportunity to come into greater unity with the Father and His Son. Through forgiveness of sins that were previously committed, we are partakers of the Father’s righteousness (Romans 3:21-26). The Father and Son are one. Any focus we place on Christ only serves to reveal the Father (John 14:7). Such is the nature of their unity. Similarly, any focus on us as sons of God should serve to reveal the God family. Our collective unity is created and enhanced by the unity we each have with the Father. It is simply wrong if we say we are reconciled with the Father but lack unity among ourselves – those called into exactly the same relationship.
We are committed to lowering the barriers that have been falsely constructed in the name of organizational government. To lower the barriers between God’s people means in reality that each of us needs to be strong in our relationship with God. Lowering barriers is not about compromising the truth of God’s way of life. To have the right attitude toward others means we first must be in a right “attitude” with the Father.
Pride and vanity drive Satan’s world. These characteristics lead to a sense of self-importance, which hinders the unity that is to be produced from submitting one to another and being clothed with humility (1 Peter 5:5). The attributes of Satan’s character serve to divide and separate. God resists the proud but draws close to the humble.
The Passover is intensely personal. Our sins killed Christ. However, Christ willingly paid the penalty for us so we could be one with the Father. We must be committed to extending that unity to the entire body of Christ. That unity is to become a witness to the world. “ … that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:21).
This coming Sabbath we will be visiting with the congregation that meets in Fairfield, New Jersey. I have been assured that there has been some snow melt in the last few days so that is encouraging. Our tech people have been working to establish the necessary equipment for streaming from Fairfield so services will originate from there this week.
There is constant diligence required on our part in praying for the sick as there are some serious health situations. A member with life threatening illnesses mentioned this week how they feel energized spiritually and feel definitely that it comes from God in response to the prayers offered by others. “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16).
We have just been informed that faithful member Mary Pujat died Wednesday afternoon. There are no other details available at the time of writing.
Warm Regards,
Brian Orchard
