"Go!" said the LORD.

"Abraham, Abraham…" said the LORD.

"LORD, is that You?" Abraham asked.

"Yes, My child," He responded tenderly. "I have something I want to say to you."

With eagerness, Abraham shot back, "Well, speak, LORD!  I’m listening.  I will do whatever You say and go wherever You ask me to go!"

"I know, Abraham.  That’s why I’m calling you today.  I have put that faith in your heart, so you will trust Me wherever I send you," He said.

Bubbling over with excitement: "Thank You, LORD!  Praise You, LORD!  I do trust You.  I love You.  Thank You for speaking to me and thank You for calling me and thank You for loving me and…"

"ABRAHAM.  Abraham," His strong voice echoed.  "I am calling you… to leave your home country, the people you know, the land you’re accustomed to, even your father’s family – and go!"

"Go?  LORD, go where?" the man of faith wondered.

The firm and loving One: "Go… to the land I will show you."

Shaking but believing, His son replied, "Go.  Okay, go.  And You will show me where to go.  What should I do in this new land where You are sending me?"

"Abraham, do you trust Me?"

"Yes, LORD!  I trust You with all of my heart," Abraham immediately responded.

"Abraham, I’ll show you what you must do in this new land," the ever-gracious One said.

Again thinking and wondering: "What about my wife?"

"Bring your wife with you of course," the compassionate Father said.

Abraham thought aloud, "When we go to this new land that You will show us and we do what you will tell us to do, what will happen to us?"

"Abraham, do you trust Me?"

Abraham said, "Yes, LORD!  I trust You with all I am.  And then some…  I trust You, because You have taught me and You help me to trust You!"

The LORD promised, "Abraham, I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you.  I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse.  And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.  I am going to send the Savior through your family."

"LORD, I trust You," the man of God confessed.  "I believe what You say is true.  At the same time, You have given me no children, and I am already an old man.  My body is as good as dead."

"Abraham, do you trust Me?"

"Yes, LORD!  Oh, I trust You," Abraham said from the deepest part of his being.  "You are God, and You can be fully trusted always.  Everything You do is good, and everything You say is true and right."

Directing his gaze heavenward: "Abraham, look up at the heavens and count the stars.  If you can…" He said with a love-laced chuckle.  "This is how many children your family will have.  Every person who believes in the Savior will join your family of faith.  Because you believe, you are right with Me, and we are close friends."

"LORD, let’s go," His son Abraham responded, exploding with anticipation.  "I will listen.  I will follow You.  Wherever You lead, let’s go together."

"Yes, Abraham, I will be with you every step of the way.  I will always keep My promises to you – no matter what happens.  I will speak to you, and you will follow Me.  And you will speak My words to others.  Let’s go, for I will be with you," said the LORD.

(Genesis 12:1-4; 15:3-6)

Healing & Wholeness in the Scriptures

Isaiah 53, especially verses 4-6, is the foundation of my understanding of healing.  Isaiah prophetically describes the torture and crucifixion Jesus would go through for our forgiveness and healing.  This passage speaks about emotional restoration (v. 4, for our griefs and sorrows), spiritual restoration (v. 5, for our transgressions and iniquities), and physical restoration (v. 5, for our healing); ultimately, His purpose in all this restoration is to draw lost sheep back to Himself (v. 6).

Some claim that Isaiah 53 is only speaking about spiritual healing.  However, in Matthew 8:14-17, Jesus physically heals Peter’s mother-in-law, who was sick in bed with a fever.  He also casts out demons and heals all those who are ill.  Matthew, inspired by the Holy Spirit, states these physical healings and deliverances were to fulfill what was prophesied in Isaiah 53 (Matt. 8:17).

In 1 Peter 2:21-25, Peter summarizes the teachings of Isaiah 53 for New Testament believers. 1 Peter 2:22 seems to reference Isaiah 53:9, and 1 Peter 2:25 parallels Isaiah 53:6.  Peter, under the Spirit’s inspiration, explains that Jesus’ work on the cross heals us from sin and all its effects in our lives (I Pet. 2:24).  When we return to the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls there is true wholeness available for every area of life (physical, emotional, and spiritual).

The “I AM” statements of the LORD reveal to us aspects of His nature and His character, who He is and what we can trust Him to do.  In Exodus 15:26, He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.”  This promise was given to the nation of Israel.  However, we learn the principle that the LORD is Healer for His people.  He says that part of His nature and character is to heal from physical disease.  As believers in Jesus, we see from His ministry and the teachings of the New Testament that our Messiah, who is God in the flesh, is still “the LORD who heals” us.

We know from Isaiah 53 that healing is available to all and from Exodus 15 that it’s part of the LORD’s character to heal us.  But how do we know that He wants to heal everyone always?

1 Timothy 2:3-4 and 2 Peter 3:9 explain that God wants all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, not wanting any to perish but to come to repentance.  But what is salvation?  According to Isaiah 53, the salvation that Jesus paid for on the cross is needed because of our turning away from the LORD, our breaking of His Law, our sin.  Salvation is from sin and all its effects in our lives.   Salvation is restoration to wholeness: spiritual, emotional, and physical.

In Romans 8:18-25, the Holy Spirit says through Paul that all creation groans to be set free from the effects of sin on this world (v. 22).  One day, Jesus will restore all creation when He sets up His Kingdom on earth with His throne in Jerusalem (Isaiah 25:6-8; Revelation 21:1-5).  Until that day, followers of Jesus are commanded to preach His good news and teach everything that He taught (Matthew 28:19-20).  He also commanded a group of seventy believers in Luke 10 to heal the sick and cast out demons in His Name (vv. 1-12, 19-20).  These commands were given to not just the twelve first apostles but to the seventy who represented all the followers of Jesus.  Thus according to Romans 8:19, the whole creation waits for the children of God to be revealed, to rise up, and to share the good news of Jesus and minister restoration (spiritual, emotional, and physical), which has been made available by our crucified and risen Savior to all who will believe.

Wedding Symbolism

The marriage covenant is an eternal promise based on the truth of God’s Word, rooted in Christ’s love, and centered on His steadfast character.

*Marriage as a picture of the Gospel relationship:

The Bible teaches that marriage was designed by God to be a picture of the relationship Jesus has with those who love Him (Ephesians 5:29-33).  Each of us has turned away from right relationship with the God who loves us.  God’s Law, the Ten Commandments, clearly reveals our selfishness.  By loving others more than the LORD, lying, hating, lusting, and refusing to forgive, we have pushed ourselves away from relationship with Him.  

If we come to God trying to earn His love or to deserve a place in Heaven because of our good works, we will never know Him.  Our sin has separated us from Jesus, and we deserve only God’s judgment in Hell.  However, He wants us to experience His love and a close relationship with Jesus that marriage was designed to depict.

  

The good news is that Jesus, God in the flesh, came to earth.  He lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead!  As a Groom coming to claim His bride, Jesus will come again for all those who have turned from sin and put their trust in Him.  Jesus gave His lifeblood because of His desire to become united with those He loves.  He paid the bride price with His own life.  Husbands likewise are called to serve their wives by dying to themselves and sacrificing for the good of their wives. Wives are called to respond in self-giving love by cooperating with their husbands – that together the couple might be ministry partners for the Master.

Jesus calls you today to join His Bride, the Church. “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that He may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you, Jesus” (Acts 3:19-20).  Jesus has promised to return to bring His Bride home to be with Him forever.  Are you in right relationship with God?  Have you fully trusted your heart and life to Jesus?  In an act of bold love, He invites you to do so today.

*Bridal party walking down the center aisle in participation:

Walking down the center aisle is based on a tradition from the Bible.  The LORD made a promise to bless Abraham, who was a forefather of Jesus Christ.  In Genesis 15:9-21, the LORD instructed Abraham to sacrifice several animals, cutting them in half and laying them on the ground.  Two parties making a covenant would confirm their agreement by walking between these two halves of an offering that had been split in two.  In Genesis 15, only the LORD walked down the center aisle, because it was His sole responsibility to unconditionally uphold His promise to Abraham’s descendants.  Abraham was asleep.  We walk down the center aisle today as a symbol of involvement, either as participants or witnesses, in this marriage covenant.

*Vows as terms of our covenant:

In the Bible, the LORD made many promises to His people.  God is always faithful, perfectly upholding His vows to love and provide.  In Exodus 20, after the LORD delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, God and His people exchanged vows.  We call these vows the Ten Commandments.  In verse 1, He begins by stating who He is and reminding His people that He set them free from their bondage.  The ten commands that follow are the vows that His loved ones promised to uphold in the relationship that they would enjoy with their God.  Today, the New Testament provides many examples of promises that the Lord Jesus made to His Bride, the Church.  Our vows today are the terms of our life-long covenant relationship with each other.

*Rings as visual symbols of our lifetime commitment:

We have chosen to exchange circular wedding rings as a continual sign of our marriage, serving both to announce to others and to remind us of our vows.  A circle is a shape without starting or ending point.  It symbolizes the eternal nature of God, who is without beginning or end.  The Trinity – the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit – has always existed and always will (Genesis 1:26).  This eternal God created marriage (Genesis 2:18-25; Matthew 19:4-6).  He empowers us to remain faithful in our marriage, as He has first been faithful to us.  1 John 4:19, “We love because He first loved us.” 

*Salt covenant as a sign of irreversible partnership:

In biblical times, when two people wanted to make a covenant promise of loyalty, each would take some salt from a pouch carried on the belt and sprinkle it into the other’s pouch.  Both would then shake their pouches, intermingling forever the grains of salt.  Just as the individual grains of salt could never be taken back, their covenant would never be broken.  The LORD also included salt in covenants that He made with His people (Leviticus 2:13; Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5).

*Unity candle as a symbol of our new united family:

The Bible records that Eve first introduced sin’s darkness into the human heart (Genesis 3:6).  However, God also brought Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, through a descendant of Eve, a woman named Mary (John 8:12; 9:5; Luke 1:30-35).  As followers of Jesus, we have been called by Christ to be light in this world (Matthew 5:14-16).  Because they brought us into the world, we have chosen to have our biological mothers light candles representing all of our family relationships.  In a beautiful way, we leave and cleave to each other, forming a new family of our own, which includes our extended families.  The unity candle in the center represents this union of two people and two lives joined by Jesus Christ to become one.

Jesus & Marriage

The Bible teaches that marriage was designed by God to be a picture of the relationship Jesus has with His Church.  The Church is a living body made up of people -- men, women, and children -- in right relationship with their Heavenly Father, who have trusted in the Lord Jesus and surrendered their lives to His saving grace. 

Each of us has broken God’s Law, the Ten Commandments, by lying, stealing, hating, and lusting.  Our relationships with others so clearly reveal our need for forgiveness.  Jesus taught that if you’ve been angry with your brother or called him a name, you’ll be held accountable for it when you stand before God on Judgment Day (Matthew 5:21-22).  When you hate someone, you’ve murdered him in your heart (1 John 3:15).  Human anger is often tainted by selfishness and ill motives.  “...Man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires” (James 1:20). 

Jesus knows every secret thought and attitude of our hearts.  He views all lustful thoughts and actions as adultery (Matthew 5:27-28).  If we come to God expecting to earn a place in Heaven because of our good works, we are in for a terrible surprise.  We deserve only God’s judgment in Hell.  However, He wants us to experience His love and a union with Jesus that marriage was designed to reflect.  He offers it to you today.

The good news is that God came to earth as Jesus.  He lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose to life again.  Like a Groom coming to claim His bride, Jesus will return again for all those who have turned from sin and put their full trust in Him.  Jesus gave His lifeblood because of His desire to become united with those He loves.  He paid the bride price with His own life.  Husbands likewise are called to serve their wives by dying to themselves and making personal sacrifices that their wives might draw closer to Jesus Christ. Wives are called to respond in self-giving love by serving their husbands -- that together the couple might be a ministry team for the Master.

Jesus is calling you today to join His Bride, the Church. “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that He may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus” (Acts 3:19-20). Jesus has promised to return to bring His Bride home to be with Him forever.  Have you trusted Jesus?  Have you surrendered your heart and life to Him?  He’s calling you today.

Together, Bridget and I desire to create a home and marriage that reveals to all who encounter us, the beautiful heart of Jesus for His Bride. Would you join His Bride, the Church, today by turning from sin and trusting fully in Jesus to save and heal you?

For more beautiful truth about coming into a growing relationship with Jesus, please visit: www.needGod.com
www.areyouagoodperson.org and www.saveyourselfsomepain.com. 

Scripture to consider:

On Marriage & the Gospel: 
Hosea 2:16 & 19; Isaiah 62:5; Matthew 9:15; 22:1-14; Revelation 19:7

On the Powerful, Redeeming Love of Jesus:Titus 3:4; Romans 5:8; 1 John 3:1; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; John 10:10-11; Luke 15; Isaiah 53; Genesis 3:15; Colossians 2:15

On the Reality of God's Judgment and Hell:Hebrews 4:13; 9:27; Matthew 25:46; Mark 9:47-48; Luke 3:17; Revelation 14:10-11; 20:10 & 14-15; 21:8

I Never Imagined - Africa Update

Dear Family & Friends,

I have been expectant for some time knowing that the Lord Jesus was about to move in a remarkable way. I never imagined that He would open a door for me and Bridget to help train hundreds of African pastors and to shepherd a local church in Africa. But, He has.

I'm writing this note to update you and to ask for your support.

You may know that I have been serving as a secondary education teacher at a Christian academy through a church in the Chicago suburbs. My fiance, Bridget, has been serving Jesus for the past few two months with a ministry called Sinakekele near Durban, South Africa. The mission director there has asked me to come serve as an interim pastor with Sinakekele Church.

Through prayer and fasting, I am certain that the Lord Jesus is calling me to go to Africa for these next three months. I will be leaving the first week of December and returning with Bridget at the beginning of March 2012. My ministry supervisors here in Illinois have released me with their blessing to follow Christ's call.

Sinakekele Church was planted by Firm Foundation World Ministry and grew into a vibrant local congregation; however, recently, it has been without a pastor. Without leadership, the congregation has shrunk substantially. There are hundreds of people, especially youth, in the villages surrounding Sinakekele who need to be reached with the message of Jesus.

Sinakekele is a Zulu phrase meaning "Take Good Care of Us." I believe the Holy Spirit is calling me to partner with Him in helping to "care" for the local believers at Sinakekele and to help reach the  lost in the surrounding villages with the Gospel of Jesus.

While in Africa, Bridget and I will also partner with a friend of ours named Dr. Andre Delport, director of Hands on Africa. Together, Bridget and I will spend two weeks training pastors and their wives in BIble and theology through an accredited African seminary in Malawi.

Dr. Delport explains that hundreds of African pastors lead churches without any biblical training. Our education from Moody Bible Institute enables us to partner with our African brothers and sisters, equipping them to more faithfully proclaim the Gospel and teach the Bible.

Two hundred pastors will attend the two weeks of seminary classes in Malawi. One of these pastors is the overseer of seven hundred churches in Malawi. He in turn, takes what he receives from the classes and teaches the seven hundred church leaders under his care. What an amazing opportunity to equip nearly 1,000 African ministers!

Will you please pray with Bridget and me, as I join her in serving Jesus and the precious people of Africa? Will you also give financially to support us?

We are responsible to raise 100% of our own support and to pay our own travel expenses. Please be as generous as you can.

Hands on Africa has created an account for my trip. Every penny you give goes into that account. 100% of your gifts are tax deductible.

If you mail in a donation, make a memo note of "Marcus - Africa."

The mailing address is

Hands on Africa

16250 84th Ave.

Chicago, IL 60487

If you use Hands on Africa's online Paypal account, enter the amount of your gift and click on "add special instructions for the seller," then enter the note of "Marcus - Africa" and put your address in that box so you can be sent a donations receipts at the end of the year. Please note: Paypal keeps a commission of about four percent of online donations, so larger gifts would be better mailed.

You can contribute online here:
http://handsonafrica.com/donate.htm

Thank you so much for the role you have played in my life and ministry. Know that Bridget and I, as well as many of our African brothers and sisters in Christ, will be praying for you as you pray for and support us.

Faithfully in the Lord Jesus Christ,

Marcus Constantine

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For details about our wedding in April, visit

www.bridgetandmarcus.ourwedding.com

Mission Share: meeting needs in Jesus' Name

Pentecostal Evangel, "Mission Meets Needs"

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