As Christ-followers, one of the most important parts of the message we share with the world around us is the fact that mankind, in its fallen condition, needs redemption. This necessitates a supernatural act. The only hope for mankind is the supernatural provision which came by way of Jesus Christ, His crucifixion and the power of His shed blood to forgive all sins, no matter how debauched, despicable, or abominable the sinner may be.
Have you ever wondered what God actually does with our past? We all know that God has promised to remove our sins as far away as the east is from the west. Of course, since both north and south have a pole, that distance can be measured and is finite. East and west however never meet because they continue going in their own direction endlessly. That answers how far God removes our sins from us. But, how does He remove our past, leaving us absolutely spotless and clean before Him?
The Scriptures tell us that, “though our sins are as scarlet, they will be made white as snow.” Physically speaking, that is pretty much impossible, as impossible as undying a stained cord. That is like the deep saturation of sins in our lives being turned white as snow. How can that be? Sins that have been committed are already gone and part of our history. How can one retract the past? It would require changing the past. Sins can’t be wiped away and the guilt associated with them can’t be wiped away without changing the past. But…we can’t change the past. It’s escaped us and can’t be retrieved!
Sometime ago, I was reminded of something I read in a devotional. Scripture tells us that Jesus turned water into wine. Yet, wine cannot truly be wine unless it has aged. The wine that Jesus created had no past, so how could it be aged to become genuine wine? Does this indicate that it was given a “new” past? If this is what God did, giving a past where there was not one, He can also remove a past where there was one. Think on that for a couple minutes!
Isn’t this something like undying a stained cord? And, isn’t this exactly what Salvation accomplishes? God doesn’t just forgive or ignore our ‘stained cord’ or pretend it isn’t sin-stained. He changes its past, He changes its reality, in fact, He undyes it! We might wonder how He can do that. But, it was God who brought time into existence. He can also bring it out of existence. We are just forgiven in spite of our past life. When God has done His work, it is as if we had never sinned to begin with!
Here’s how to change your past…
“It’s not just as if we never sinned but, in His redemption, it has become that we’ve never sinned. In salvation, the impossible becomes the reality, the guilty become innocent, the tainted become pure, the rejected become those who were always beloved children, and our sins, which were as scarlet, become…as white as snow.” Jonathan Cahn, (Book of Mysteries)
I was reading through a few previous Mideast Updates yesterday, returning to stories of some of the folks that found Jesus Christ through the ministry of House of Blessing missionaries in past years. Some of these had belonged to ISIS (Daesh), others to Hezbollah, al-Nusra, al-Qaida, or other insurgency groups. Others had belonged to the Syrian or Iraqi military and had been guilty of terrible atrocities. Many of these men had murdered unknown numbers of people — some of them HOB missionaries or family members. Many had tortured their victims, many of their victims were women who had been viciously gang-raped. Presented with the option of forgiveness and redemption, almost all asked the same question. In so many words, they asked, “Will God forgive even such a person that has done the horrible things I have done?”
The Scriptures make it clear, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Even though some sins are categorized as abominations in God’s sight, all sin, large or small, leaves us totally separated and condemned in God’s sight. There is not one of us that is not stained by sin. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, all of their descendants have been born “in sin” genetically. This is why God went to the ultimate sacrifice of taking on human flesh Himself in order to provide a perfect sacrifice, to pay the price that no one else could pay to ransom humanity. That sacrifice is God’s non-negotiable requirement. But, as the reader is well aware, all though it is a free gift of God, it takes a personal choice by each and every individual.
Those that come to Him are all stained, hopelessly stained, no matter how good a life a person thinks they have lived, or how evil. The cleansing power of the blood of Jesus Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, is the only cure. For those who choose to accept this gift, their sins are not only thrown into the Sea of Forgetfulness, which is as far away as the east is from the west, but their past sinful life is made as if it never existed! What a miracle of God’s grace, mercy, and genuine forgiveness!
It could be that even today you know someone who needs to hear, for the first time or to be reminded of, this message that we are all asked to share.
Brother Talal left me a message that one of the HOB sisters, Rifka, had become very sick and was in great pain. She experienced severe pain in her back and was troubled with urinary retention. It became so serious that she was taken to an internist who determined she had multiple stones in her kidneys and urethra, and gave her pain medication. HOB sisters, Mufida, Sabiha, Labiba, Noufa, Hafiza and Faryal, laid hands on her and went to prayer. By this time Rifka was exhausted and could not stand up straight. She even put her hand behind her back and screamed because of the severe pain. As the women prayed over her, Rifka asked for some of the special tea the sisters give to those who are ill, and she drank a little of it. After a bit, she drank a cup of the Oregano tea mix. The sisters continued laying hands on her back and asked Jesus to heal her. Rifka had a terrible fever and was sweating profusely, but the sisters continued praying. Soon, she told the sisters she needed to urinate. She went to the corner of the tent and proceeded to fill the urine bag. She then passed some stones and felt better. She raised her hands in praise and thanked Abba Father for touching her with healing.
After God’s intervention in Rifka’s situation and her release from the kidney stones, Rifka became well known in the area. Now the HOB sisters are going from tent to tent, telling Rifka’s story and praying for anyone that asks for prayer. And, God answers. Praise God!
Some of the HOB sisters have gotten together and decided that they would like to start a Bible study. They wish to train 15 boys and 25 girls, with provision to increase that number as needed. This is a wonderful project, considering how so many of the young ones are being trained to hate having murder instilled in them almost from birth. Only eternity will show how great these efforts will have on the Muslim youth!
As I wrap up this update, please keep Israel and the innocents in the continuing war in Gaza in your prayers. Although the majority of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank support Hamas, there are those who are caught in the evil net of the terrorist belief system, who would rather live in peace. There are also innocent followers of Jesus who are suffering greatly. Israel is in a fight for its existence, and because of the ancient hatred all around the tiny nation, they are having to pull out all the stops in dealing with their enemies. As followers of Jesus Christ, we need to be very careful not to join the attitude of a fallen world and join her enemies all around the world. Is Israel perfect? Absolutely not. Have they handled all things correctly? No. But, God has a non-negotiable covenant with His chosen people which He will fulfill — not because they deserve it or have earned it, but because He has given His Word. Things are going to get much worse, but God has promised to bring evil to its absolute end, as He has decreed. We, as believers and followers of Jesus must continue to pray for Israel and for the peace of Jerusalem. The answer to that prayer will prove to be the return of the Prince of Peace Himself, Jesus Christ, KING of Kings, LORD of Lords! Hallelujah!
Thank you all for your support for the House of Blessing and for your prayers. The winter is always harsh for those who live in conditions that most of us in the West have not had to experience. The needs are very great and we are trusting the Lord for His provision. God is good.
Forever in His Service,
Jake