Jerusalem Will Never Be The Same

 

Can Freedom Survive without Faith? | Os Guinness | Revolution

The Weaver's Tapestry

One of the most beautiful illustrations I have heard for Romans 8:28 is that of a tapestry.

It is only an illustration—not a doctrine—but it helps us picture something that Paul teaches.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

When most people admire a tapestry, they see the finished side.

The colors blend together.

The pattern is beautiful.

Every thread seems to be exactly where it belongs.

But turn the tapestry around.

The back tells a different story.

Loose threads.

Knots.

Colors crossing in every direction.

There appears to be no order at all.

Suppose, however, that you were not merely looking at the back of the tapestry.

Suppose you were part of it.

You feel the needle pierce the fabric.

The thread is pulled tight.

The needle disappears only to emerge somewhere else.

You cannot see what the Weaver sees.

All you know is that it hurts.

Many of us have experienced seasons like that.

A job is lost.

A loved one dies.

A relationship is broken.

A dream fades away.

We ask the same question:

"What is God doing?"

The truth is that we usually see only the back side of God's work.

Joseph certainly did.

From the pit...

...to slavery...

...to prison...

...there was little that appeared to make sense.

Yet years later Joseph could say:

"Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good."

His brothers saw betrayal.

Joseph eventually saw the finished pattern.

The disciples stood at the cross believing everything had come to an end.

From their viewpoint, the tapestry appeared ruined.

Three days later they discovered that what looked like defeat had become the greatest victory in history.

Romans 8:28 does not say that all things are good.

Some things are unquestionably painful.

Some are the result of sin.

Some are the result of living in a fallen world.

But it does say that God is able to work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

The tapestry reminds us that we are not the weaver.

We do not see the completed design.

We see only today's thread.

Today's stitch.

Today's pain.

Faith trusts the Weaver even when it cannot yet see the picture.

One day, perhaps in this life or perhaps in the next, we may finally understand why certain threads crossed our path.

Until then we walk by faith, not by sight.

The back of the tapestry may look confusing.

But the Weaver has never lost sight of the pattern.

The Past Is a Teacher, Not a Dwelling Place

 One of the great values of Scripture is that it constantly looks backward.

The prophets looked back.

The apostles looked back.

Stephen looked back.

Even the Psalms repeatedly recount God's dealings with Israel.

Why?

Because the past is a great teacher.

In Acts 7, Stephen reviewed the history of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and the nation of Israel. He was not merely teaching history. He was showing his listeners how God had been working throughout their history and how they were repeating many of the same mistakes as their fathers.

The prophets often did the same thing.

They reminded Israel of the Exodus, the wilderness, the covenant, and God's faithfulness. The purpose was not to dwell on the past but to learn from it.

Paul also looked back.

In Philippians 3, he recalled his former life as a Pharisee. In 1 Corinthians 10, he pointed believers back to Israel's wilderness experience and wrote:

"Now these things were our examples..."

The Bible repeatedly teaches us to remember.

But it never tells us to live there.

Paul wrote:

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 3:13-14)

Paul did not suffer from spiritual amnesia. He remembered his past very well. He remembered persecuting the church. He remembered God's grace. He remembered the lessons he had learned.

But he refused to make the past his permanent residence.

There is a difference between remembering and dwelling.

Many people become trapped in yesterday.

Some dwell on past failures.

Others dwell on past successes.

Some live with regret:

"I wish I had..."

Others live with nostalgia:

"I wish things were like they used to be."

Yet neither regret nor nostalgia can change the present.

God often asks a different question:

"What remains?"

Jesus told the church at Sardis:

"Strengthen the things which remain."

The focus was not on what had been lost. The focus was on what was still there and what God could still use.

As we grow older, it becomes easy to look backward. There are opportunities we missed, mistakes we made, and seasons of life we cannot revisit.

But God has never called us to build a house in yesterday.

The past can teach us.

The past can warn us.

The past can encourage us.

The past can remind us of God's faithfulness.

But the past was never meant to be our dwelling place.

Learn from it.

Thank God for it.

Then press forward.

The past is a teacher, not a dwelling place.

The God Who Counts the Stars

 One of the most amazing contrasts in Scripture is found in Psalm 147.

The psalmist writes:

"The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.

He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names."

— Psalm 147:2-4

Think about that for a moment.

The God who counts the stars is the same God who heals broken hearts.

If we were inventing a religion, we might assume that a God great enough to govern the universe would be too busy to concern Himself with the struggles of ordinary people.

The psalmist says otherwise.

The One who knows every star by name also knows every wound, every tear, and every burden carried by His people.

The same hand that placed the stars in the heavens binds up the brokenhearted.

As Christians, it is difficult to read these verses without thinking of Jesus Christ.

The Creator entered His creation.

The One who called the stars by name was born in a manger.

The One who upholds all things by His power was rejected by His own people.

The One who gathers the outcasts became an outcast Himself.

Hebrews reminds us that Christ suffered "without the gate." He was crucified outside the city, rejected by the religious leaders of His day. Yet through His rejection He opened the door for sinners to be gathered to God.

The God who gathers outcasts became the rejected One.

The God who heals broken hearts endured a broken heart.

The God who numbers the stars allowed Himself to be numbered among transgressors.

What a Savior.

Psalm 147 reminds us that God's greatness and God's compassion are not opposites. They are joined together perfectly in Him.

Because His understanding is infinite, no problem is too difficult for Him.

Because His love is infinite, no wounded heart is too small for Him.

The next time you look up at the night sky, remember this:

The God who knows every star by name knows your name as well.

And He has not forgotten you.

Remembering Who We Are

On July 4th, America pauses to remember its beginning.

We don’t do it because people have forgotten the facts. Most already know the dates, the events, and the struggles that shaped the nation. But repetition has another purpose.

It brings meaning back into focus.

It reminds us who we are.

That idea isn’t new. In Scripture, leaders often retold the history of the people—not because the facts were unknown, but because the meaning needed to be remembered.

In Nehemiah 9, the Levites stand and rehearse the story of Israel:

God called them.
God delivered them.
God provided for them.
And again and again, the people turned away—but God remained faithful.

The purpose wasn’t simply history. It was identity. The past was being brought into the present so the people could understand where they stood.

We see the same pattern in the New Testament.

Stephen, before the council, retells Israel’s history in Acts 7. Peter, in Acts 2, points back to the promises given to David. Paul, in Acts 13, walks through the story of Israel to show how Christ fulfills it.

In each case, history is not just remembered—it is interpreted.

It becomes a mirror.

Even Jesus uses this pattern when He speaks to His disciples, showing how the Law and the Prophets point to Him. The past is never just the past; it is part of a larger story unfolding in the present.

In that sense, national remembrance is not unusual. It is deeply human. We retell our beginnings because they shape how we understand our present.

That is what makes speeches like Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address so powerful. In a few words, he ties the nation’s beginning to its sacrifice and calls the living to consider their responsibility in the moment they are in.

Whether in Scripture or in history, repetition is not empty. It is formative. It gathers scattered memory and turns it into shared identity.

That is why moments of national remembrance matter. They are not only about looking back—they are about understanding what the past requires of those who are living now.

Few speeches capture that better than Abraham Lincoln’s words at Gettysburg. In a few brief sentences, he ties the nation’s beginning, its sacrifice, and its unfinished responsibility into a single call to the living.

From the Gettysburg Address (Abraham Lincoln, 1863):

Ever since Lincoln wrote it in 1864, this version has been the most often reproduced, notably on the walls of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. It is named after Colonel Alexander Bliss, stepson of historian George Bancroft. Bancroft asked President Lincoln for a copy to use as a fundraiser for soldiers (see "Bancroft Copy" below). However, because Lincoln wrote on both sides of the paper, the speech could not be reprinted, so Lincoln made another copy at Bliss's request. It is the last known copy written by Lincoln and the only one signed and dated by him. Today it is on display at the Lincoln Room of the White House.

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

 

APT to Teach

Paul told Timothy that a spiritual leader should be "apt to teach" (1 Timothy 3:2).

What does it mean to be apt to teach?

Ezra provides a wonderful pattern:

"For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments." (Ezra 7:10)

Using Ezra's example, we can remember the word APT:

A — Acquire It

Before we can teach God's Word, we must first learn it.

Ezra prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord. He studied it carefully and desired to understand what God had said.

Paul told Timothy:

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God..." (2 Timothy 2:15)

A teacher must first be a student.

P — Practice It

Knowledge alone is not enough.

Ezra sought God's Word and to do it.

Truth is meant to be lived, not merely discussed. The most effective lessons are taught by a life that reflects the message.

James reminds us to be doers of the Word and not hearers only.

Before we teach others, we should ask:

"Am I practicing what I have learned?"

T — Teach It

Only after seeking and doing did Ezra teach.

His teaching carried weight because it came from conviction and experience, not merely information.

Paul instructed Timothy to commit what he had learned to faithful men who would teach others also.

God's truth is not meant to stop with us. It is meant to be passed on.

The Ezra Pattern

Many want to begin with teaching.

Ezra began with preparation.

He sought the Word.

He practiced the Word.

Then he taught the Word.

That is a good pattern for every believer:

A — Acquire It
P — Practice It
T — Teach It

A person who follows that pattern is truly becoming APT to Teach.

From Jason at Biblehib.com "Why the Church Must Speak"

 Why the Church Cannot Be Silent

The pressure to stay quiet is not new, but it is growing. Many would prefer a church that sings on Sunday, serves quietly, and says nothing that unsettles the culture. Yet the church was never called to blend in. It was called to bear witness. When truth is blurred, when sin is renamed, and when the weak are harmed, silence is not wisdom. It is failure. The gospel is too precious, and people are too needy, for the church to keep its voice to itself.

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The Church Is Sent to Speak What God Has Said

The church does not create its message. It receives it. The apostles said, For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard (Acts 4:20). That same charge remains. A faithful church does not speak because it enjoys controversy, but because it has been entrusted with the truth of God.

Paul told Timothy, Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction (2 Timothy 4:2). That command leaves no room for selective courage. The church must speak when the message is welcomed and when it is resisted. It must speak with patience, but it must still speak. If the pulpit grows timid, the people will soon grow confused.

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Silence Leaves People in Darkness

Silence may feel safer, but it is not more loving. When the church avoids hard truths, people are left to believe that God is unconcerned about sin, holiness, judgment, or repentance. Scripture says, Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them (Ephesians 5:11). Darkness does not need help spreading. It needs to be confronted by light.

This includes the sins that respectable people prefer not to name. The church must speak clearly about sexual immorality, the sacredness of marriage, the dignity of men and women, the value of unborn life, greed, dishonesty, racism, neglect of the poor, and every form of rebellion against God. Not because the church is obsessed with sin, but because Christ saves sinners. If sin is never named, grace will never be treasured.

At the same time, truth must never be delivered with a cold spirit. We are called to practice speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Love without truth misleads. Truth without love hardens. The church must refuse both errors.

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A Clear Witness Must Be Matched by a Clean Life

Public courage means little if the church is compromised in private. Jesus said, You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14). He also said, In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). A church that speaks boldly but lives carelessly weakens its own testimony.

This is why holiness and mercy must walk together. Scripture says, Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (James 1:27). The church cannot claim moral seriousness while neglecting the vulnerable. Nor can it claim compassion while tolerating worldliness. A faithful witness does both: it stands apart from sin and moves toward people in need.

That also shapes our tone. Peter wrote, Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). Gentleness is not weakness. It is strength under control. Respect does not mean silence. It means speaking in a way that honors God.

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Churches Need Practical Courage, Not Mere Concern

If the church is going to refuse silence, it must move beyond general frustration and take simple, steady steps.

• Preach the whole counsel of God. Work through Scripture carefully and do not skip the hard texts. The people of God need more than inspiration; they need truth.

• Teach families to disciple at home. Children and young adults are being shaped every day by voices that oppose God’s design. Parents must not hand that work over to the culture.

• Strengthen the church’s prayer life. Bold witness is not sustained by anger or personality. It is sustained by dependence on God.

• Care for people where truth is costly. Support the pregnant mother, the struggling marriage, the confused teenager, the elderly widow, and the believer facing pressure at work or school.

• Stay closely gathered. Scripture says, And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another (Hebrews 10:24–25). Silent churches are often weak churches. Strong fellowship produces steady courage.

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The Church Must Speak with Hope

The church is not called to panic. It is called to faithfulness. Christ has not surrendered His authority, and His truth has not lost its power. The goal is not to win every argument, but to be obedient, clear, and full of grace. Some will reject the message, but others will hear and live.

So the church must not retreat into fear, sarcasm, or exhaustion. It must preach the gospel, call sinners to repentance, defend what God calls good, and serve its neighbors with real love. Scripture says, Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). That is not a strategy for a comfortable age. It is a command for this one. The church cannot be silent, because Christ is worthy, truth matters, and souls are at stake.

Bible Hub Articles by Bible Hub Team. You are free to reproduce or use for local church or ministry purpose. Please contact us with corrections or recommendations for this article.

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Through a Glass, Darkly

 One of my favorite verses in the Bible is found in 1 Corinthians 13:12:

"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."

I like this verse because there is so much in Scripture that I do not fully understand.

The longer I study the Bible, the more I realize how much there is to learn.

At first, that realization can be discouraging. We want answers. We want certainty. We want every question neatly tied up with a bow.

But Paul reminds us that our knowledge in this life is partial.

We see.

But we do not see everything.

We understand.

But we do not understand completely.

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This verse does not discourage study. It encourages humility.

The believers in Berea were commended because they searched the Scriptures daily to see whether the things they were hearing were true. They did not accept everything blindly, nor did they reject everything automatically. They searched.

That has become a pattern I try to follow.

Sometimes a question starts with a simple detail:

What is an Anathothite?

Who were the twenty-four divisions of priests?

What does "only begotten" mean?

What oath is Hebrews talking about?

Before long, one question leads to another, and a trail begins to form through Scripture.

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I have found that many of those trails eventually lead back to Christ.

A genealogy points to Christ.

A Psalm points to Christ.

A priesthood points to Christ.

A promise points to Christ.

What first appeared to be an isolated detail becomes part of a much larger picture.

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Proverbs says:

"It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter."

God has not hidden His truth so that it cannot be found. Rather, He has given us a lifetime of treasures to discover.

Some truths are clear on the surface.

Others require digging.

Some questions are answered quickly.

Others may not be answered until we stand in His presence.

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There are times when I study a passage and come away with more questions than answers.

That used to bother me.

Now I find comfort in Paul's words:

"Now I know in part."

That is not failure.

That is reality.

We are finite people studying the infinite God.

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One day the glass will no longer be dark.

One day faith will become sight.

One day every question will be answered.

Until then, I will keep searching the Scriptures like the Bereans, trusting that even when I do not understand everything, God knows perfectly.

And that is enough.

Hope Your Day Brings you and Yours Joy.

 This morning I sat outside before the day grew hot. The leaves whispered in the breeze. Birds sang from the trees. Squirrels hurried about their business. Later, as the afternoon heat settled in, the locusts filled the air with their steady song.

I've heard these sounds thousands of times, yet this morning a thought occurred to me: I had never considered that perhaps this is what the Bible means when it speaks of the trees rejoicing and clapping their hands.

The trees do not speak with words, yet they are never truly silent.

It Is the Glory of God to Conceal a Thing

 Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.”

For a long time, I read that verse as if it meant God was simply hiding information. But over time, especially through reading Scripture slowly and asking questions, I began to see something different.

God is not hiding truth to prevent understanding. Rather, He often places truth in layers.

At first reading, Scripture can feel straightforward. But as questions arise, deeper connections begin to appear—connections that were there all along.

A small question about a name like “Jehu the Anathothite” leads to geography and identity in the Old Testament. That leads into genealogies in Chronicles. Genealogies lead into the promises made to David. David’s promises lead into the Psalms. The Psalms lead into Hebrews. And Hebrews leads to Christ.

What began as a small curiosity becomes a path that circles back to Jesus.

This is where Proverbs 25:2 comes alive. The “hiddenness” of God is not the absence of truth, but the depth of it. Scripture is not shallow water. It is deep enough that repeated reading reveals new connections over time.

Hebrews, in particular, shows this clearly. Words like “perfect,” “oath,” and “apostle” take on deeper meaning when read in context. What seems confusing at first becomes clearer when the writer’s argument is followed step by step.

Even the New Testament itself reflects this pattern. Jesus is called the “Apostle” in Hebrews—not because He is one of many sent ones, but because He is the unique One sent from the Father. The apostles are sent by Him, but He is sent in a way that stands above all others.

This kind of understanding does not usually come in a single reading. It comes through searching.

And that is exactly what Proverbs describes. It is the glory of God that His wisdom is deep enough to be discovered, not exhausted. And it is the honor of those who seek Him to keep searching until connections begin to form.

What starts as curiosity becomes understanding. What starts as a question becomes a path. And along that path, again and again, the trail leads back to Christ.