My condolences for the loss of Dr. Doris Brougham, a message to ORTV's friends and families

Dear ORTV sisters and brothers in Christ, friends and families                               August 16, 2024 

                                      

          Peace be with you all! Greetings from Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce and Robert W. Bruce in Orlando Florida, USA. We have heard the story of Doris Brougham who passed away on August 6, 2024, one day after her 98^th birthday due to multiple organ failure. We are grieving for the loss of Doris, yet inwardly we believe that she is with the Lord. Her soul is entering into heavenly Jerusalem, the city of living God, the thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly. (Heb.12:22). Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26). It indicates that although she dies physically, yet, she shall live spiritually and eternally. Whoever lives physically and believes in Jesus will never die spiritually and eternally. Therefore, we are rejoicing that she has clothed with her heavenly dwelling and at home with the Lord without pains.  

Apostle Paul also encouraged the church, “we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. (1Thessalonians4:13-18).  God has made everything beautiful in His time. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…(Ecclesiastes 3:11:1-4).

                I thank God for her love and passion for Christ, and the great impact on the people in Taiwan. I praise God for her commitment and persistence to serve the Lord. The last conversation we had through the Facebook messages, she texted, “I just want to go out to be strong for the Lord.” Today, she rests in the arms of the Lord, my prayers and thoughts go out to her – a great spiritual mother, a passionate missionary and minister. It is Taiwan’s blessing to have her part of historical events and heroes spiritually, economically, educationally, and politically. More than 70 years, Doris devoted wholeheartedly to the Lord, worked unto the Lord and officially recognized as a citizen of Taiwan and received a passport of Taiwan from Taiwan's president Tsai En-Wen. As servants of God and Children of God, we rejoice that we are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household. (Eph.2:19) In Christ, we are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.      

                  I personally adore her, love her and thank her for her love, encouragement, and blessing to me. When I shared with her that “I am going to get married.” She responded, “It’s time to give God glory.” She came with Daniel Hsieh and Paula Perkins; she planned my wedding ceremony, music, reception and had a heavenly melody team and TIC elders to participate in the wedding. That was my greatest honor and blessings that she gave me. I am thankful that God led Doris into my life. It’s my honor to serve the Lord together with Doris at Taipei International church from Dec. 1999 to March 2004 as Stephen minister, also praising & worshiping leaders’ team. Her trumpet sounds had led us to triumph all the procession through Christ strengthened us.  "The Journey of love" each page illustrates her commitment to serve the Lord, obedience to God’s call, the legacy of faith, hope and love will remain in many people’s hearts in Taiwan.  

Today, she received her crown of life as reward, and Jesus’ final acknowledges, “Well done, good and faithful servant”.  Let us sing to the Lord with thanksgiving, make music to our God, and praise the Lord for her sacrificial love and life. Surely, she had fought a good fight of faith. May her legacy continually impact Taiwan’s young generations to come! May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

           Please accept my condolences and a check of USD $100 for Doris’s memorial fund. I am sad and feel sorry that I cannot be there to participate in Doris' final memorial concert on Sept.20, because my husband just discharged from hospital on August 3rd, and he had done angioplasty surgery on August 1st, and Cardiology will do second angioplasty surgery on September for him. And follow up the appointment with Cardiology, Nephrology, GI doctors, and Cardiac Rehab. Therefore, we are unable to attend, because my husband’s medically unable to travel.         

             However, God is “Immanuel”. He is with us, and His promise is “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) and Jesus said, “I will not leave you as orphans: I will come to you.” (John 14:18). The peace, I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27). “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” (1 John4:18-19). Please be strong for the Lord! Be strong!

 

Weekly Message: Is not religion but Jesus Christ

 Ø  The mystery of believing 

            When Saul of Tarsus met Jesus “And he said, who are Thou, Lord?” (Acts.9:6)

 By the powerful light of Christ and miracle of Redemption Saul of Tarsus was turned in one second from a strong-willed, intense Pharisee, persecutor into a humble, devoted slave of the Lord Jesus.

 There is nothing miraculous about the things we can explain. We command what we are able to explain. It is not natural to obey; nor is it necessarily sinful to disobey. There is no moral virtue in obedience unless there is a recognition of a higher authority in the one who dictates, (or orders, rules).

 It is possibly an emancipation, liberation to the other person if he does not obey. If one man says to another “you must” or " you shall”, he breaks the human spirit and unfits it for God. A man is a slave for obeying unless behind his obedience there is a recognition of a holy God. Many souls begin to come to God when he flings off or throws away being religious, because there is only one Master of the human heart, and that is not religion but Jesus Christ.  

But woe be to me if when I see Him I say – I will not. He will never insist that I do, but I have begun to sign the death warrant of the Son of God in my soul. When I stand face to face with Jesus Christ and say- I will not, He will never insist; but I am backing away from the recreating power of His redemption. It is a matter of indifference to God’s grace how abominable I am if I come to the light; but woe be to me if I refuse the light (John 3:19-21).

Ø  Mastery over the believer—

Jesus said, “Ye call Me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I AM.” (John 13:13)

 Our Lord never insists on having authority; He never says- Thou shalt.  He leaves us perfectly free- so free that we can spit in His face, as men did; so free that we can put Him to death, as men did; and He will never say a word. But when His life has been created in me by His Redemption, I instantly recognize His right to absolute authority over me. It is a moral domination –“Thou art worthy…” . It is only the unworthy in me that refuses to bow down to the worthy.

If when I meet a man who is more holy than myself, I do not recognize his worthiness and obey what comes through him, it is a revelation of the unworthy in me. God educates us by means of people who are a little better than we are, not intellectually but “Holily,” until we get under the domination of the Lord Himself, and then the whole attitude of life is one of obedience to Him.

If our Lord insisted upon obedience He would become a taskmaster, and He would cease to have any authority. He never insists on obedience, but when we do see Him we obey Him instantly, He is easily Lord, and we live in adoration of Him from morning till night. The revelation of my growth in grace is the way in which I look upon obedience. We have to rescue the word “Obedience” from the mire.

 Obedience is only possible between equals; it is the relationship between Father and Son, not between master and servant. “ I and My Father are one.” “Though He was a Son, yet, learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” The Son’s obedience was as Redeemer, because He was Son, not in order to be Son.  

Bibliography,           

 Chambers, Oswald. My utmost for His highest, NY: Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc. 1935.   

             King James, The Holy Bible, Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company

Weekly message: Change your ideology by Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

 Weekly message: Change your ideology                                              

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

 Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry & Counseling 

 Date July 11, 2024

 

Faith realization in Christ Jesus is “My goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace, nor even blessing, but Himself, my God.” This realization is pretty absurd in some sense even in Christians’ field.             Being Christian minister, so often, I prayed for myself and followed members, friends to receive joy, love, blessing, and peace to be filled in their hearts, home and working place. And Jesus will be the answer for an individual's life. Today’s vision and scripture awakens me to change my ideology. The scripture says, “till we all come… unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph.4:13). 

God delights a child of God to grow in Him as a full-grown man mature in life. To arrive at a measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ he or she must live in oneness with God as the Body of Christ. That Christ Himself will manifest in him (or her), and he (or she) will reflect God’s glorious image, and marvelous light, and live God’s life eternal. God wants us to be His possession and acknowledge “There is none, but Thee” as God says, “I AM your God, you are my people.” We, as His possession will affirm that “He is mine, I am His”. Facing every scenario we can totally submit to Him confidently and say, “O God Father, and my Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that you are mighty enough to control this; you are strong enough to carry these burdens that I concerns and bring healing to this; you are big enough to handle all that I concern; you are powerful enough to do this. I can just cast all my burdens and concerns to Thee, and submit myself to Thee, for Thou are the God Almighty who is able, more than able to do much more than I can ever imagine and ask.” Oswald Chambers said, “The essential thing is my personal relationship to Jesus Christ that I may know Him. To fulfill God’s design means entire abandonment to Him. Whenever I want things for myself, the relationship is distorted.” Resting in the Lord does not depend on external circumstances, but on your relationship to God Himself. It is easy to talk about “resting in the Lord” and “waiting patiently for Him”, but without oneness with God as full-grown man and the measure of the statutes of the fullness of Christ, our soul life will keep fretting, fearing, worrying and anxious about all things. Oswald’s thoughts are right that “Fussing (or complaining, protesting, grumbling, griping) always ends in sin” and “fretting is wicked if you are a child of God.”

All the fret and worry occurred because without oneness with God. Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.” Or “Commit your way to the Lord trust in Him and He will do this.” (NIV). “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” (Psalm 37:25) “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you, I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” (Isaiah 46:4). When we live in oneness with God, His way will be our way, His thoughts will be our thoughts, and His truth will be our reality. You will be developed as a full-grown man as the body of Christ to reach out to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. And your inner man will say “I am His, He is mine”, your soul will remind you that “My goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace, nor even blessing, but Himself, my God.” Your soul will rest in God, for His promise is “I will never leave you, nor will I forsake you.” “Though the mountains be shaken, and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed.” (Isaiah 54:10). Then, you will boldly declare “For my Maker is my husband the Lord Almighty is His name.” (Isaiah 54:5)

        My friends, do you need to change your ideology? Let go of your fussing, fretting, fear, worry, and anxiety about life, families, relatives, friends, society values, and people’s thinking. Replace God in your mind, and heart, let Jesus be your life, your way, your truth and your reality. Anything you ask Him for is not better than God Himself. God wants to give you - God Himself.

How to let God dwell in you? As a traditional hymn named, “Take the Name of Jesus with you” it says,

1)      Take the name of Jesus with you, Child of sorrow and of woe;

It will joy and comfort give you take it, then, wherever you go.

2)      Take the name of Jesus ever, as a shield from every snare;

It temptations round you gather, breathe that holy name in prayer.

3)      O the precious name of Jesus! How it thrills our souls with joy;

When His loving arms receive us and His songs our tongues employ!

4)      At the name of Jesus bowing, falling prostrate at His feet,

King of kings in heaven we’ll crown Him when our journey is complete. 

Refrain     

        Precious name, o how sweet! Hope of earth and joy of heaven

         Precious name, O how sweet! Hope of earth and joy of heaven

 Is it that simple? “Whatever you do...do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Col.3:17).

  

Bibliography,           

Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3^rd Chicago: The University of Chicago press, 2000.

Brown, Robert, Philip W. Comfort and J.D. Douglas, ed. The New Greek English Interlinear New Testament. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.1990.

 

Chambers, Oswald. My utmost for His highest, NY: Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc. 1935.   

Friberg, Timothy, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller et al., eds. Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament.1^st ed. Victoria BC: Trafford Publishing, 2005.

            King James, The Holy Bible, Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company

            Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986. 

 Strong, James. Strong’s: the expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2010. 

 

 

 

Weekly Message: I saw the Lord, did you? By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Weekly Message:  I saw the Lord, did you?

By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce                                                                      Date: June 29, 2024

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music

Our soul’s history with God and inner man relationship with Christ is frequently the history of the passing of the hero, someone who acts as a mentor to grow us and cultivate our faith in Christ. Over and over again God has to remove our mentors (or friends or loved one) in order to bring Himself in their place, and that is where we faint and fail and get discouraged. Take it personally: In the year that the one who stood to me for all that God was, died- I gave up everything? Or I became ill? Or I got disheartened? Or I saw the Lord?    

           When Elijah was taken away from Elisha, Elisha was grieving the loss of his master. But God replaced Elijah by Himself in Elisha’s life. (2kings2:12-25). God’s divine life manifested in him and let him build up personal relationship with God directly, tasted the sweetness of the Lord Himself and embraced the divine power of God’s sovereignty to fulfill his calling as a Prophet, to heal the sickness, to restore the life, to perform the miracles (2king 4:1-37; 5: 1-27), and saved his people from enemy. (2king 6:8-8:6) In Isaiah’s time, in the year that king Uzziah died, Isaiah expressed that he also saw the Lord. (Isaiah 6:1). When Moses died, Joshua also saw the Lord (Joshua 1:1-3). When Jesus died, Mary Magdalene, Peter and all the disciples also saw the Lord. (John 20:10-21:25)

          My friends, When God removed your mentor, or your loved one or friends passed away, did you dwell on the disheartened and gave-up everything? Became ill? Or you also saw the Lord as Isaiah, Elisha, Joshua and disciples of Jesus? When my mother passed away, I also saw Jesus, tasted God’s love, and the Holy Spirit’s comforting, When my mother in-law passed away, I also saw the Lord Jesus’ image appeared on the sky assured me that His presence is there with me each step of my life, His blessed assurance is “I will never leave you nor forsake you” and “I will not leave you as orphans, and I will come to you”. (John 14:18)

        Today in the world, unless you are born again Christian and begin to see the Kingdom of God, you may see along the line of your prejudices only, see no God. You need an internal purification and the surgical operation of external events. Put God first, second, third…until the life is faced steadily with God and no one else is of any account whatsoever. And your inner man will resound, “In all the world there is none but thee, my God, there is none but thee.”

          My friends, in the year that king Uzziah died, Isaiah saw also the Lord (Isaiah 6:1), in the year that Elijah was taken away, Elisha saw also the Lord. In Moses’ time, when Moses died, Joshua also saw the Lord. In Jesus’ time, when Jesus died, disciples saw also the Lord. Did you see the Lord when your mentor or friend or loved one died?  But I said, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand and my reward is with my God.” (Isaiah 49:4). To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne. (Revelations3:21). Therefore, keep loyalty to Jesus Christ even God removes your friend, or mentor away from you.    

 Bibliography,           

Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3^rd Chicago: The University of Chicago press, 2000.

Brown, Robert, Philip W. Comfort and J.D. Douglas, ed. The New Greek English Interlinear New Testament. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.1990.

Chambers, Oswald. My utmost for His highest, NY: Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc. 1935.   

Friberg, Timothy, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller et al., eds. Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament.1^st ed. Victoria BC: Trafford Publishing, 2005.

            King James, The Holy Bible, Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company

            Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986. 

 Strong, James. Strong’s: the expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2010. 

         

Weekly message: Judge not! By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

 Weekly message: Judge not!

 By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce                                                           Date: June 21,2024

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical Precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry & Counseling

  Ø  Jesus says regarding judging – Don’t.

Matthew 7:1-3 says, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. and why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? ” Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things (Romans 2:1)

       The average Christian is the most penetratingly critical individual. Criticism is a part of the ordinary faculty of man; but in the spiritual domain nothing is accomplished by criticism. The effect of criticism is a dividing up of the powers of the one criticized; the Holy Ghost is the only One in the true position of criticize, He alone is able to show what is wrong without hurting and wounding. It is impossible to enter into communion with God when you are in a critical temper; it makes you hard and vindictive and cruel, and leaves you with the flattering unction that you are a superior person.  Jesus says, as a disciple cultivates the uncritical temper. It is not done once and for all. Beware of anything that puts you in the superior person’s place. There is no getting away from the penetration of Jesus. If I see the mote in your eye, it means I have a beam in my own. Every wrong thing that I see in you, God locates in me. Every time I judge, I condemn myself (Romans2:17-24). Stop having a measuring rod for other people. There is always one fact more in every man’s case about which we know nothing. The first thing God does is to give us a spiritual spring-cleaning; there is no possibility of pride left in a man after that. I have never met the man I could despair of after discerning what lies in me apart from the grace of God.  

Ø  God judges us through the marvelous Atonement of Jesus Christ.

 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye mete, it shall measured to you again (Matthew 7:2) This statement is not a haphazard guess, it is an eternal law of God. Whatever judgment you give, it is measured to you again. There is a difference between retaliation and retribution. Jesus says that the basis of life is retribution-“with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” If you have been shrewd in finding out the defects in others, remember that will be exactly the measure given to you. Life serves back in the coin you pay. This law works from God’s throne downwards. “ To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. (Psalm 18: 25-26)

 Romans chapter 2 applies it in a still more definite way, and says that the one who criticizes another is guilty of the very same thing. God looks not only at the act, He looks at the possibility. We do not believe the statements of the Bible to begin with. For instance, do we believe this statement, that the things we criticize in others we are guilty of ourselves? The reason we see hypocrisy and fraud and unreality in others is because they are all in our own hearts.  The great characteristic of a saint is humility—Yes, all those things and other evils would have been manifested in me but for the grace of God, therefore I have no right to judge.

  Jesus says, “Judge not, that ye be not judged”; if you do judge, it will be measured to you exactly as you have judged.” Who of us would dare to stand before God and say-- “My god, judge me as I have judged my fellow men? ” We have judged our fellow men as sinners; if God should judge us like that we would be in hell. God judges us through the marvelous Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Ø  Sin cannot be the master rules over me

Someone posted on Facebook timeline says, “Don’t tell me about your religion, but tell me how you treat others? Don’t tell your faith... but tell me how you treat your neighbors? ” This is what I think, and I must point out that “No matter what religion you are practicing? Without Jesus and the Spirit of Christ, you are an atheist; your soul will end up in hell, suffering for the second dead in the lake of burning sulfur. (Rev. 20:10). No matter how good or bad you treat others? Without Jesus’ atonement and Spirit of Christ in your life, you are a socialist as socialism; the group will be identified as a social club. Not the Christians church. Jesus said to Satan, “Away from me, Satan, for it is written, worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.” (John 15:12). Jesus didn’t submit to Satan, He refused to be contaminated by sin and temptation. Sin has made the basis of things wild and not rational. We have to recognize that sin is a fact, not a defect; sin is a red-handed mutiny against God. Either God or sin must die in my life. The New Testament brings us right down to this one issue. If sin rules in me, God’s life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin in me will be killed. There is no possible ultimate but that. The climax of sin is that it crucified Jesus Christ, and what was true in the history of God on earth will be true in your history and in mine. In our mental outlook we have to reconcile ourselves to the fact of sin as the only explanation as to why Jesus Christ came, and as the explanation of the grief and sorrow in life. 

Ø  Don’t rob the truth and think that godliness is a means to financial gain

   If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching he is conceited and understand nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. (1Timothy 6:3-5) But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.( 1 Timothy 6: 6-10).  

 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. (Titus 1:15-16)  For the grace of God that bring salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “NO” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. While we wait for the blessed hope the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. These, then, are the things you should teach Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you. (Titus2:11-15).

                        Conclusion - In relation to judging and relation to others

  Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye, when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Mattew7:3-5 NIV). So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12 NIV).  In King James Version says, “Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye; but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye… Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:3-5; 7:12KJV). 

 Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong, let him who is vile continue to be vile, let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy. Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (Revelation 22: 11-13).

 

  Bibliography,           

Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3^rd Chicago: The University of Chicago press, 2000.

Brown, Robert, Philip W. Comfort and J.D. Douglas, ed. The New Greek English Interlinear New Testament. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.1990.

Chambers, Oswald. My utmost for His highest, NY: Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc. 1935.   

Friberg, Timothy, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller et al., eds. Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament.1^st ed. Victoria BC: Trafford Publishing, 2005.

            King James, The Holy Bible, Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company

                     

            Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986. 

 Strong, James. Strong’s: the expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2010. 

 

 

 

Weekly Message: Unbind him and let him go (John 11:44) By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce

 

Weekly Message:  Unbind him and let him go (John 11:44)

By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce                                                                                            5/22/2024

Christian Arts Ministries:  Biblical precepts & Gospel Music; Pastoral ministry & counseling

 

  Jesus spoke life into the dead Lazarus and commanded him to come forth to a new life. Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped with a cloth, Jesus said to them, "Unbind him and let him go.” (John11: 38-44) Although Jesus had spoken life into Lazarus, let him came to life, however, he was still bound in his grave clothes, with a veil over his face. So Jesus told the people who were there to unbind him and let him go. This is the condition of many believers today. They have received eternal life from Jesus, but they remain bound by the trappings of their dead life. These trappings may be old self, old habit patterns, old thoughts, and bandage of sins, quilt, fears and human traditions. Therefore, Jesus has to speak another word: “Unbind him, and let him go.”

  Today, Jesus calls us to come free from the limits and habit patterns of our old manner of life to walk fully into the new life He opens before us.  It is not enough simply to receive the new resurrection life within us. Jesus wants to give us a whole new way of living, and to open up an entirely new set of possibilities for us. How unfortunate when many who have been filled with resurrection life are unable to walk free and walk away from their past way of living into the fullness of their new life.  Jesus’ command however, gives us power not only to come alive, but to walk free from all the evil controls and influences of our old life.

 Christians, those who have received the resurrection life of Jesus into themselves, do not have to be bound and held by the sins, the traumas and the limitations of the past. We can simply leave those things behind and walk away from them. Today many struggle and wrestle with problems that held them bound in their old life. They spend their time exploring and comparing one another’s bandages, and in the process they get entangled with their old problems. Jesus calls us to drop our bandages and to walk away from the binding habits, patterns and attitudes of our old life. He has made us alive, when we were dead, so that we can walk free with Christ in a wonderful new way of living.

   Have you had some messy problems in your past?  Are there old attitudes from your past life that caused you trouble and vexation?  Are there influences in your past life that have caught you in a negative psychological chain reaction? Then remember you are a new creation if Christ becomes your life, and the old things need not hold you anymore or control you anymore. You are a new person; walk free from the old habits, and disadvantages, hurts, and sins, of the past. He has empowered you for a new life. Ignore your old bandages, walk away from them, leave them buried and covered in the tomb.  

          Christians’ life needs to be aware of Satan’s scheme which is to remind you constantly about your past old life, wrong, wound, hurt, mistakes, shame, regret and bondages of sins. It results in you living in the sense of a quilt. You need not to accept Satan’s reminding but declare that you are a new person in Christ Jesus, and received a new Spirit of God, and a new life of freedom. Old man has gone, new has come, you are a new man. As Apostle Paul urged Ephesians, “That you put off as regards your former manner of life, the old man, which is being corrupted according to the lusts of the deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality.” (Eph.4:22-24)   

   There is a wrong methodology that the methods used in particular counseling of study and activity which is a caregiver (or minister) constantly remind a care receiver’s (or a person’s) past old life, sometimes, it results in that person bitter, regrets of life, and struggles of old bandages of sin. To those who want to learn to be a counselor, a comforter or a caregiver, you need to be aware of your care receiver’s past life, old bandages of sorrow, and sins. Some may have a hurtful past life, wound, or unpleasant past or youth life, and he or she does not want to dwell on the past, nor be reminded over again and again about the past. Remember Jesus commanded, ‘Unbind him and let him go.” (John 11:44) In another word, Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” When the dead man came out, his hands and feet were wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth around his face.” The dead man “Lazarus” received the resurrection life, however, he needs someone to take off the grave clothes, unbind him, untie him, unchain him,  and help him to walk free from the bandages of old life, old pattern of thinking, habits, sins, attitudes, wound, hurts, and old ways of life. The Lord said in Isaiah 43: 18, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past, see, I am doing new things. Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”   

My friends, perhaps, you just like Lazarus, have received the resurrection life of Christ Jesus, yet, your siblings (or friends) constantly remind about your old man, past, former manner of life that caused you feel trouble, irritation, annoyance, frustration, vexation, disgrace, guilt and misunderstood. You shall stand up for yourselves, say “no” and refuse to be reminded of the old man's past pattern of life again and again. And declare as Apostle Paul said, “I am no longer living, the life I live, Christ lives in me, I am a new man, old has gone, new has come.” 

Bibliography,

Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3^rd Chicago: The University of Chicago press, 2000.

Brown, Robert, Philip W. Comfort and J.D. Douglas, ed. The New Greek English Interlinear New Testament. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.1990.

Friberg, Timothy, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller et al., eds. Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament.1^st ed. Victoria BC: Trafford Publishing, 2005.

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986. 

 Strong, James. Strong’s: the expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2010