The Drama of Holy Week Lasts for Eternity by Pastor Brent Lokker

Next week is Holy Week. It’s the time we remember the events in the last week of Jesus’ earthly life that lead to His death on the cross, his burial in a tomb and His victorious resurrection from the dead. But we also reflect in amazement how those events that lasted 7 short days now span into the vastness of eternity, transforming our hearts and impacting every life ever lived. As you read this poetic remembrance, reflect upon the miracle of Jesus upon your own life and upon the lives of those across the entire world whom God so loved that He sent His one and only son… Palm Sunday The King has returned! The prophecies have been fulfilled. The years of longing are over. Now all will be made right amongst shouts of praise and tears of joy. The pleading of justice. The cries for our enemy’s defeat. The King has returned! The King who was driven from his land as an infant, Who spent his first years as a refugee, Who understands pain and suffering. But this King is not who we were looking for. This King brings justice, not over our enemies, but in the midst of our enemies. He brings peace, not just in our land, but in our souls. He was the answer to the prayer we didn’t know we were praying. The King has returned! Long live the King! Good Friday The King is dead. The hands that once held branches crying “Hosanna to the King!” now gripped a hammer. The King is dead. This King of kings who embraced the very nature of a servant, This Prince of Peace broken for us, This commander of angels surrendered to a cross. This King joins us in our suffering, empathizes in our weakness, And calls us to die with him, To lay down our lives, To live in surrender that we might be fully alive. The King is dead. Long live the King. Easter Sunday But this King is not gone forever. The story has not ended. There is a twist. A third act. There is a third day. On that third day the King will strip death from its power And extinguish the sting of Hades. This King is not defeated. This King is not destroyed. This King is the Resurrection. He is the Life. He is the Alpha and Omega, The beginning and the end. The King has returned leaving death behind, Destroying hate, Inviting us all to live in his victory— In his Kingdom, In his peace. Yes, the King has Risen! Long Live the King!

Return to His Gaze by Misha Quezada - Children's Ministry Overseer

This world is filled with distractions constantly grabbing for our attention. The news, social media, even just everyday life is filled with fear whirlwinds drawing our focus. God is calling us back to a place of hope, a place of gazing solely into His eyes and keeping our focus on the truth that He speaks. This is in no way trying to diminish the struggles, but a reminder that whatever you fear has power over you. Just watch the beautiful imagery of the show “This is Us” where the father calms his son in the middle of an extreme panic attack by simply taking his son’s face into his hands- guiding his line of sight back to his own eyes, and saying, “I’m right here…. stay with me…. breathe with me.” Let HIS heartbeat for you be louder then the surrounding voices. He’s a loving, tender God who wants the best for us. Proverbs 1:7 and Psalm 19:7-8 (TPT) demonstrates how his commands challenge us to keep us close to His heart! When we know His heartbeat we get to gaze into those eyes and know that His authority is meant to bring consistency in the structure He provides us. We may gain instruction or a nudge from Him and people He puts into our lives, but it’s only because He knows the potential and keys each one of us and our dreams/passions carry! There’s always an open-line of communication, as He will support us through each instruction and challenge. Bill Johnson says, “When God’s your servant, you’ll be disappointed. When you’re God’s servant, you’ll be amazed! If you’re mad at Him for not doing exactly how you expect you’ll always be frustrated and miss exactly what He’s doing.”  Now is the time to lean in close to Him. Draw near and learn the rhythm of His heart, and in return you’ll recognize the passions and heartbeat of your own heart even clearer! Where will your gaze be? I encourage you to soak in Psalm 23 this week out of the Passion version. He delights in you!

The Spirit of the Fear of the Lord by Pastor Russ Fochler

Isaiah 11:1-3a (NKJV) There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.  His delight is in the fear of the LORD, In our relieved and hope-filled embrace of Father God's love for us, what are we to make of "the fear of the LORD"?   Many people I know believe it has to do with awe and reverence towards God.  What does awe and reverence towards God mean to you? For some of us, it means we desire to go deeper into the reality Jesus is our King.  So, as we feel moved by Holy Spirit or when it simply seems right, we're posturing ourselves to honor Him literally by kneeling and even lying facedown before Him.  We seek to do this in our hearts as well. For some of us, the beauty and wildness of creation are invitations to enter into the awe, wonder, and reverence of God. What if the Spirit of the fear of the LORD started affecting how we live our regular lives?  Many years ago a good friend named Mark married Carrie.  They both loved each other, but they were needing to adjust to each other and learn more about what marriage actually means.  One day, Father God started "talking" with Mark while he was taking a shower.  Mark had this strong impression Father God wasn't happy about some of the ways Mark was treating Carrie, His beloved daughter.  From that moment on, Mark started seeing Carrie as not only his wife, but Father God's beloved daughter.  And Mark knew Father God was watching how he cared for Carrie.  To me, this is a beautiful example the Spirit of the fear of the LORD making a deep and life-giving impression upon a young married man. A few weeks ago I was looking at videos of beautiful water springs in Florida.  Large amounts of water flow from these springs and feed significant rivers in Florida.  They are remarkably clear and host wildlife like fishes and turtles.  People are drawn to visit these springs and they've become very popular. Here is a brief underwater video of Ginnie Springs.  My favorite part is a bit after the 2 minute mark.  I learned a bit later that sometimes crowds of people come to Ginnie Springs to drink, "party", and leave a lot of trash around.  I felt deeply grieved.  Suddenly, I found myself wishing these heedless, trashing people would allow their hearts to reverence the beauty and glory in this aspect of God's creation.  And it hit me; their attitude and behavior would change if the Spirit of the fear of the LORD fell upon them.  And I started to see more of the blessing and importance of what the Spirit of the fear of the LORD could bring. I suggest to you that if the Spirit of the fear of the Lord fell upon our society things would change in dramatic ways -- at least for a time.  How people who are poor, sick, wounded, weak, and imprisoned are treated -- would change.  How women are treated by many men would change.  How many children are treated would change.  The amount of gossiping, lying, cheating, stealing, lusting, slandering, bearing false witness, hatred, and even murder would decrease significantly! Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility. Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Note: the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge.  It's a good start.  It is a like a guardrail or a tutor.  The Apostle Paul called the Torah (the Law) a tutor in his Letter to the Galatians: Galatians 3:23-29 NKJV "But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise." When we trust in Jesus as our Savior, and King we live beyond simply relying on the righteous and clean fear the LORD to warn us when we're about to do something destructive and dishonoring to God's heart and to His creation.   Now we're empowered to receive the Spirit of adoption, the Spirit of Sonship; able to be loving, life-giving, joyful, creative, honoring - becoming more and more like our Dad. It's one thing to be warned with the emotion of fear that we're about to run off the edge of a cliff.  It's another to have the Spirit of Life empowering us to truly live. Yet, even when the Spirit of Sonship is fully dwelling and acting within us, the Spirit of the fear of the LORD will still influence us.  This will always be aspect of the Holy Spirit's work.  Awe, reverence, wonder -- and growing in our capacity to honor and obey King Jesus is a precious gift. Paul Cain recently shared a brief prophetic word about a greater manifestation of the Spirit of the fear of the LORD coming soon.  You can read it by clicking below.

A Resurgence of the Fear of the LORD by Paul Cain

There is much more to say about such an important subject.  I encourage you to explore it for yourself.  And if you notice the Spirit of the fear of the LORD affecting people near you, rejoice!  Then ask Holy Spirit what your part is in perhaps explaining what is happening and helping the ones affected.  The answer (as always!) is meeting the real Jesus and receiving the Holy Spirit through whom we are adopted into Father God's forever family. With Love and Great Hope, Pastor Russ