Tribute to Sheila McLeod (née Long)

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Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Tribute

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child of YeHoVaH, cousin, COVID-19, encouraging, epidemic/pestilence, evangelist, giving, godly, grandmother, kind, loving, mother, ordained minister, selfless, servant, Sheila McLeod, vivacious, wife, worship in song, Yeshua follower

Remembering a life well lived and all the joy it brought to so many. In memory of a truly amazing person.

The righteous one perishes,
    but no one takes it to heart.
Godly men are taken away,
    but no one discerns
        that the righteous man is taken from evil.
He enters into shalom.
    They rest on their beds,
    each who walked in his integrity. ~ Isaiah 57:1-2, TLV

And He said, “Watch out that you are not led astray! For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He’ and ‘The time is near!’ Do not follow them. And when you hear of wars and chaos, do not be terrorized. For these things need to happen first, but the end will not come at once.”

Then He continued telling them, “Nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes along with famines and epidemics in various places, and there will be terrors along with great signs from heaven. ~ Luke 21:8-11, TLV

While the above Isaiah 57 verses’ focus is on righteous men, the biblical truth mentioned in these verses can also apply to righteous women. My cousin Sheila McLeod was a righteous woman, and I believe YeHoVaH took her so that she could escape this evil world by entering into His heavenly rest.

On May 29, 2021, Sheila lost her fight against COVID-19 – one of the many pestilences (plagues, epidemics/pandemics) Yeshua prophesied would be an end-time sign. Thankfully, all her family members know that although she is absent from the Body of Yeshua, as well as absent from her own earthly body, she is now present with Yeshua and waiting to receive her glorified body.

To be honest, I was speechless when I heard Sheila had died. It was a bit of a shock to me that YeHoVaH had called home this loving, encouraging, vivacious 63-year-old woman, child of YeHoVaH, and Yeshua follower who served others well. Sheila was kind to everyone. She was giving, too.

I remember how she lovingly invited me to come live with her and her family in Phoenix, when my marriage fell apart. She not only magnanimously housed and fed me but also let me drive her car, until I found a job and my own place.

Being around someone who loved YeHoVaH and Yeshua as much as I did was the spiritual medicine I needed to heal from my broken heart and broken marriage. Sheila was that someone.

We worshipped together in the same church and ministry. We discussed Scripture together. We discussed the importance of speaking in tongues, which she did first. We participated on several of CWDA Ministry’s programs. We attended gatherings in which some of Christendom’s well-known preachers and pastors were the guest speakers. We went to Gospel concerts together.

I was called into the ministry and ordained before Sheila, but maybe that was only because I was seven years older than she. Nevertheless, I cannot remember a time when Sheila wasn’t sharing Yeshua’s Gospel, so I knew it was only a matter of time before she would be called into the ministry and ordained, too.

Sheila loved to sing and to travel; furthermore, she loved to meet new people. She worshipped in song, and she evangelized wherever she traveled, which was all over this world. Sheila also befriended numerous individuals from the various places she visited.

My cousin was a godly wife of one husband, Eugene McLeod. Additionally, Sheila was a godly mother of two children – Denné and Jarret – and she was a godly grandmother to Alivia. My cousin loved and inspired them all, as well as loved and inspired her siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, and fellow co-laborers in the ministry. That is why there can be no doubt that these mentioned individuals and her beloved mother (Aunt Vera) will dearly miss Sheila.

For now, cousin, your work is done on this earth. Rest in peace in paradise, Sheila!

UPDATE:

The Obituary . . .

Sheila Arlene McLeod

January 6, 1958 – May 29, 2021

Sheila Arlene McLeod (Long) was born on January 6, 1958, to her loving parents William Henry Long and Vera Mae Wade (Long). She was the youngest of four children. Although she was born in a Newark hospital, she was raised in East Orange, NJ.

Sheila received her formal education from the East Orange Public School system. After graduating from East Orange High School, Sheila went on to college at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. She originally started her college career to become an Ambassador. Later changing her major to Fashion Merchandising.

In 1979, Sheila married Eugene McLeod, from which two beautiful children were born. Of the two, the first was Denne’. Three years later, Sheila and Eugene followed her parents and her first cousin Althea Long to leave East Orange and moved to Phoenix, AZ. In 1985, their second child Jarret was born.

Sheila spent the majority of her working years with Fennemore Craig Law Firm, 32 years to be exact. During those 32 years, she became a member of Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, approximately in 1984, which was the beginning of her spiritual awakening and her journey to serve God. After some time, Sheila became very involved in Christian Ministry. Other passions of Sheila’s were international travel and family genealogy. At one point, she studied to become a travel agent.

It wasn’t long before Sheila began traveling internationally for personal fulfillment and for Christian missionary ministry as a member of Christian Women’s Devotional Alliance (CWDA) and Oasis International Fellowship Ministry. Ultimately, Sheila became an ordained minister operating in the office of evangelism and the spoken word. Her last place of ministry was with Living Waters Church of Mesa.

Aside from Sheila’s work in ministry and her many travels around the world, she loved spending time with her immediate and extended family. She comes from a family full of singers and musicians. It’s no wonder that one of her favorite passions was singing in the church choir and singing with her family. Sheila grew up singing with her sisters, her brother, and many cousins who were more like siblings than cousins. Sheila also took many cruises, and when she was at home she enjoyed her favorite TV shows – a shared family trait.

Sheila and Eugene were married 41 years. They had an undeniable bond that could not be broken. As the Scripture says, “a three-strand cord cannot easily be broken.” They lived their vows until parted by death.

Sheila heard the trumpet sound and received her wings on the afternoon of May 29, 2021. She will always be remembered for her strong opinions, her fierce sense of fashion, her perfectly posed pictures, and her love for her husband, children, and granddaughter. She loved her mother “Mommy,” her siblings, and her nieces, nephews, and all of her hundreds of cousins who were an extension of her sibling family. Sheila was affectionately called Grammy by her only granddaughter, Alivia, and aunty, aunt Shilla, or just “Shilla” by her nieces, nephews, everyone in the family, and by her friends. Anyone who had ever met her would quickly be corrected with the proper pronunciation of her name. She would say, “it’s not Sheela it’s Shilla.”

She leaves to cherish her memory her loving husband Eugene McLeod, daughter Denne’ Armstead, son Jarret McLeod, a stepson and stepdaughter Terrell Lucas and Qamar Cureton, a son-in-law David Armstead, one granddaughter Alivia Armstead, mother Vera Mae Long-Morgan, two sisters Maxine Marshall and Caressa Long-Golden, a brother Kevin Long, a sister-in-law Julia McLeod Traylor, four brothers-in-law Edward Marshall, Hallowell McLeod II, Larry Traylor, and Willy Bright, 12 nieces and nephews, 12 great-nieces and nephews, a host of cousins, and a tremendous number of beloved friends and co-workers. She was predeceased by her father William Henry Long, mother and father-in-law Hallowell Sr. and Artelia McLeod, and two sisters-in-law Robin Long and Linda Bright. She will be sorely missed by all but her memory will always be held in our heart forever.

March Is My Birthday Month

04 Monday Mar 2019

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Tribute

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68 years old, aquamarine, bighearted, birth flower, Birthday Month, birthstones, bloodstone, born day, celebrate, daffodils, gift from God, honest, loving, March, March 6, moody, music lover, new beginnings, observant, party, rebirth, spirng, sympathetic, traveller, Women's History Day, Women's History Month

Every gift God freely gives us is good and perfect, streaming down from the Father of lights, who shines from the heavens with no hidden shadow or darkness and is never subject to change. – James 1:17, TPT

March is my birthday month. The 6^th of March is my birthday. God willing, this year I will turn 68.

What generally has been said about people who were born in March is true about me. I am moody. I am observant. I love to travel. I love music. I am artistic/imaginative. I am bighearted and sympathetic. Once I love someone, I love that person forever. Lastly, I thrive on love.

I usually don’t celebrate my birthday like most people do, but this year I not only plan to celebrate my birthday but also plan to celebrate the entire month of March, as much as I possibly can. I am very thankful to God for allowing me to see another March, hopefully, another birthday, and March’s entire 31 days.

Historically speaking, because of its association with the first day of spring, March was originally the first month of the year in older versions of the Roman calendar. In the past, March 1^st was New Year’s Day. Today, many cultures and religions still celebrate the beginning of the new year in March. In fact, the British Empire and its American colonies still celebrated the New Year in MARCH until 1752.

Additionally, March is the only month of our current 12 months that was named after a Roman god. March got its name from the Roman god Mars (the god of War).

As far as birth flowers and birthstones are concerned, March’s birth flower is the daffodil. Daffodils symbolize rebirth and new beginnings, and the daffodil virtually is synonymous with spring. March’s birthstones are aquamarine and bloodstone, which symbolize courage.

Nationally speaking, March is Women’s History Month. March 8^th is Women’s History Day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME ON MARCH 6^th!

It’s A New Year: HAPPY 2018

28 Thursday Dec 2017

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Spiritual

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2018, afresh, anew, blessed, Children of God, Christ followers, courageous, faithful, gift, godly, Holy Spirit-Filled, looking back, looking forward, loving, New Year, obedient, overcomers, powerful, saints, spiritually mature, start over, surrendered, victorious life

Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. ~ Romans 5:6-8, MSG

Looking back can be intimidating,
Frightening, discouraging, but the
Same is true about looking forward;
Since alive in Christ believers get to
Start over let’s be ready to face what
Lies ahead with high heads, high spirits,
High hopes for a victorious life that
Overcomes the world, Devil, flesh—a
Life that matures spiritually in this
New Year.

Stay in the Word of God, stay filled
With the Holy Spirit, stay surrendered,
Obedient, faithful, and loving children
Who trust in the Father for strength, for
Power, for authority, for peace, for grace,
For the fulfillment of all promises He says
He will do for all Christ followers in this
New Year.

Each New Year the Father lets us see is
Him sharing His Gift that keeps on giving
Us refreshed lives filled with new hope;
So, let us press forward grateful for this
Chance to become everything He intends
For us to be in Christ, settling for nothing
Less than courageously, powerfully, godly
Living to the fullest the lives He blessed us
To have at such a time as this—that’s best
Way to thank Him for letting us see this
New Year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
2018

Yokefellows

26 Monday Jun 2017

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Devotional

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acceptance, assistance, associate, both genders, brothers, burden, caring, carry, Christ Jesus, co-laborers, companions, easy, equal, Father God, fellow workers, giving, Kingdom of God, Light, Lord, loving, minister to others, ministry of helps, partners, reflective of, Savior, service-oriented ministry, share, sisters, volunteer, yoke, yokefellows

VERSE:

Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Philippians 4:3

COUPLET:

Christ’s co-laborers: sisters and brothers;
Fellow workers meeting needs of others.

PRAYER:

Holy Spirit, remind us that all men and women believers in Christ are “fellow workers.” Also remind us that Christ’s co-laborers should assist one another, especially in the ministry of helps (a loving, giving, caring, service-oriented ministry). In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

~ a page from my manuscript, “Daily Manna: Bible Verse, Couplet & Prayer for Each Day of the Year”

What a Wall Can’t Do

26 Tuesday Jul 2016

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in National Tragedy

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"Mending Wall", altruistic, America, Americans, barrier, deportation, dismantle, divide families, dividing wall, fair, generous, good neighbors, helpful, human rights, humane, impartial, loving, Mexicans, Mexico, offend, Republicans, Robert Frost, selfless, suppress, Trump regime, undocumented immigrants, unprejudiced, wall in, wall out

For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one newman, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. ~ Ephesians 2:14-16, NASB

Every time Trump and his Republican supporters say they are going to build a great wall, I think about one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost. That poem is “Mending Wall.”

There are several lines from this famous dramatic monologue that resonate with me, as well as inspire me to be a better human being, a better communicator, and a better neighbor. Those lines are:

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun;
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast. ~ ll. 1-4

Oh, just another kind of outdoor game,
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’ ~ ll. 21-27

‘Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense.
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That wants it down.’… ~ ll. 32-36a

Frost has conveyed my sentiments, exactly. Indeed, just as the world repeatedly said that there was something about the Berlin Wall—for example—and this “something” wanted it down, then it finally came down, the same will be repeatedly said about any wall that Trump and his Republicans might build between our country and the country of Mexico. Hopefully, it will not have to come down, because it will not be built.

At any rate, before the people on both sides of the Berlin Wall started to dismantle their wall with hammers and picks, and before cranes and bulldozers finally pulled down what was left of that wall, the Berlin Wall NEVER completely stopped people from crossing the border from East to West. I believe the same will be true of any wall that might be built between America and Mexico. It won’t stop Mexicans from illegally crossing the border into America! Where there’s a will, there always is a way!

The bottom line is that the Berlin Wall divided families and neighborhoods and suppressed human rights. A wall between America and Mexico will do the same things. Therefore, if America is going to build a wall, then all Americans need to ask themselves: What and who are we are really “walling in or walling out”? Who will our wall “offend”?

Human nature and Mother Nature being what they are, we can be sure that there always will be ‘someone’ and ‘something’ that won’t like a wall. This truth is why I pray that all of the loving, altruistic, humane, generous, and just Americans not only will speak out against this proposed wall but also will do WHATEVER is necessary to guarantee that this proposed wall never gets built. It will be a tragedy if it is erected. Why?

Building a great wall along the border between America and Mexico—a great wall that will be 1,989 miles long—will be a tragedy because this wall will divide families and suppress the human rights of the undocumented immigrants (in this case, the Mexicans) now living in America who, under a Trump regime, most definitely will get deported—will be sent back to Mexico. For this reason, it is futile to think that said proposed wall will ever be able to “mend” (repair what is broken in) America.

The uncomfortable truth is that not even a “good wall” will make us—Americans and Mexicans—“good neighbors” who are peaceful, loving, caring, fair, unprejudiced, helpful, selfless, and impartial. Only the Holy Spirit of God can develop and perfect these characteristics in us!

Love’s Journey Lasts Beyond a Lifetime

16 Tuesday Feb 2016

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Poetry

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agape, beyond lifetime, eternal Love, everlasting, forgiveness, glorifies, Jesus, kindness, life sentences, love, loving, mercy, no greater Love, personifies, resentful, selfish, selfless, service, Son, substitutionary atonement, throw-away world

Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: Because of You we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord! ~ Romans 8:35-39, HCSB

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His love is eternal. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love is eternal. Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His love is eternal. He alone does great wonders. His love is eternal. ~ Psalm 136:1-4, HCSB

Indifference is the path of least resistance
Fools enjoy walking,
Kicking against His Will as they go,
Never wanting to show
Their bewitched bodies and souls
Were in the middle of loving others before
They scarcely knew they had begun.

Fools they are for
Choosing easier course to follow,
Opposing faithful obedience
To Him who knows
Spirits, bodies, and souls
For He’s their Creator,
Whose purposeful designs
Revealed in wonders and signs
Owning many unalterable truths:
They are loved with everlasting Love
Son personifies, glorifies with
Substitutionary atonement—
No greater Love than His
For IT dishonors no one,
Is not self-seeking, nor easily angered;
His Love keeps no record
Of humans’ wrongs;
Application lasts as long
As earthly existences,
Morphing into life sentences
Served in His infinity zone,
Once fools lay down their own
Plans in exchange for His—
Power and authority to:
Bear all things,
Believe all things,
Hope all things,
Endure all things;
Prove love for Him
Who first Loved them
With love, kindness, forgiveness, mercy, service
Bared to all mankind.

Selfishness and resentment typify throw-away world’s
Corrupt spirits—hearts unclothed,
Naked without Jesus’ Love;
In receipt of His Agápe,
Now prepared to pour out theirs
Effortlessly, and accept love
Confessed by others, unconditionally,
Eternally demonstrating
No indifferences, no denials, no desertions.

Ministering to Others

16 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Spiritual

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accessible, approachable, caring, Gospel Truths knowledgeable, helping others, loving, ministering to others, satisfying or fulfilling the needs of others, servant, servanthood, to serve

Servanthood--Helping Others Fulfill Their Needs

The time is near when all things will end. So think clearly and control yourselves so you will be able to pray. Most importantly, love each other deeply, because love will cause people to forgive each other for many sins. Open your homes to each other, without complaining. Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others. Be good servants of God’s various gifts of grace. Anyone who speaks should speak words from God. Anyone who serves should serve with the strength God gives so that in everything God will be praised through Jesus Christ. Power and glory belong to him forever and ever. Amen. ~ 1 Peter 4:7-11, NCV

We are not saying that we can do this work ourselves. It is God who makes us able to do all that we do. He made us able to be servants of a new agreement from himself to his people. This new agreement is not a written law, but it is of the Spirit. The written law brings death, but the Spirit gives life. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:5-6, NCV

Every believer has been “called” (summoned) TO God for the purposes of having a personal relationship and so that they would be able to unite with God. Additionally, every believer has been “called” (summoned) FOR God. Father God calls every believer for the purpose of working in the Lord’s vineyards while they live out their God-appointed roles, responsibilities, values, attitudes, and positions in the places Father God wants them to live. Put differently, God “called” believers in Christ so that they could minister to others on behalf of God and Jesus the Christ.

To be sure, every believer’s primary spiritual “calling” pertains to the Caller (God) summoning the “called” (every believer) TO Him FOR Him. Moreover, any secondary or specific spiritual “callings” that come as a result of the primary calling would pertain to EVERYTHING the “called out ones” do in response to that primary calling—everything they would do for Father God and the Lord Jesus the Christ in response to being “called out” into a relationship and a communion with God.

Furthermore, this spiritual “calling” (the receiving of God’s summons or directive to live life entirely to His Glory) means that every believer FIRST MUST surrender to Jesus the Christ’s Lordship and Leadership while, simultaneously, purposing in his or her own heart that he or she would live the God kind of Christian lifestyle that allows Father God to use him or her to His Glory, as he or she serves God in the Army of the Lord. Once again, serving God and Jesus the Christ is what believers do when they minister. In fact, according to the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:5-6, to minister means to serve or help others by attending to their needs. So then, as Father God and the Lord’s servant, every believer “called” TO God and FOR Him is “called” to serve God and Jesus the Christ by serving or helping people satisfy or fulfill their spiritual, physical, financial, material, communal, familial, emotional, mental, and/or psychological needs.

There are, of course, many ways that believers can minister to other people. However, before believers would be able to minister to (before they could satisfy the needs of) others the way Jesus the Christ ministered to the people in His day, today’s believers must be able to show every individual the God kind of Love. Since, servanthood to Jesus the Christ concerns doing good deeds for others without having any strings attached, and since servanthood equals Agape (godly Love), then it should be obvious that the servanthood our Lord demonstrated is the same servanthood that we need to copy.

God has “called” us to be His children who are like their Big Brother, Jesus the Christ. For this reason, we too should show the same God kind of Love to others (servanthood), which is the kind of Love that doesn’t expect anything in return. ONLY when believers truly love one another—truly love ALL people—could believers then begin to develop the necessary God kind of GREAT Compassion that it takes for believers to minister successfully to people.

Secondly, before believers would be able to minister to others, contemporary believers must care so much about other humans that genuine believers always would tell others the truth, even if that truth would hurt someone’s feelings, or if that truth is not what anybody wants to hear. Thirdly, before believers would be able to minister to others, modern-day believers must be accessible and approachable to those who are in need. For sure, believers must get involved with (interact with) the hungry, the thirsty, the homeless, the imprisoned, the orphaned, the widowed, the abused, the neglected, and so forth. Lastly, before believers would be able to minister to others, 21^st-century believers must be knowledgeable about the Gospel’s Truths. Additionally, these believers must be able to express those Gospel Truths in ways that other people would be blessed.

When true believers are loving, caring, accessible, approachable, and Gospel Truths knowledgeable individuals, then the Holy Spirit can prompt, teach, and lead them in the ways that they should minister to others. As earlier stated, there are many ways that believers can minister to other people.

The first way that the Holy Spirit prompts, teaches, and leads us in our ministering is in serving/helping saints (ministering to fellow believers in Christ) by coming together (being in an assembly or ekklesia) for the purposes of worshipping and praising God, and so that we can motivate or encourage each other to perform acts of Love and good works (cf. Hebrews 10:24-25) for those who are in need. Some of those acts of Love and good deeds include, but are not limited to, showing hospitality; making meals for those who are unable to cook for themselves; doing yard work, doing house work, taking care of children or the elderly, and being a good listener, when dealing with grieving families; sending beautiful cards and encouraging letters, in the hope of brightening someone’s day; visiting the hospitalized or in the home bedridden sick; visiting inmates; providing food, clothing, toiletries, and shelter, the primary physical needs for most of the poor; sending care packages to sick people, military personnel, college students, etcetera; sponsoring a child; and so forth.

A second way that the Holy Spirit prompts, teaches, and leads us in our ministering is in serving/helping saints and unbelievers through the use of our spiritual gifts (cf. 1 Peter 4:7-11). To begin with, we must remember that spiritual gifts are NOT talents, and they are NOT the results of specialized/professional training, nor are spiritual gifts innate abilities and skills. A spiritual gift is the means by which the Holy Spirit edifies (educates, enlightens) and exhorts (encourages, urges) the whole Body of Christ. In other words, spiritual gifts are Holy Spirit specially assigned/given Divine endowments that enable/prepare Holy Spirit-filled believers for spiritual service—spiritual gifts enable/prepare Holy Spirit-filled believers to accomplish an assigned/given ministry job God’s way, according to His Grace, His Perfect and/or Permissive Will, and His Spiritual Discernment.

As previously mentioned, spiritual gifts are to be used, first and foremost, to edify and exhort the whole Body of Christ. Some of the super supernatural spiritual gifts used while ministering to others are: Word of wisdom, Word of knowledge, faith gifts, healing gifts, miracle-working gifts, prophetic gifts, spiritual discernment, speaking in different kinds of tongues, and interpreter of those different kinds of tongues (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:8-10). Other special spiritual gifts used in ministering to others are those such as church building (specifically apostles’ work), prophesying (specifically prophets’ work), evangelizing or preaching (specifically evangelists, missionaries, and/or pastors’ work), teaching (specifically Word of God teachers’ work), administration, helps, and so forth (cf. Acts 13:1; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:28-30; Ephesians 2:20; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Peter 4:11).

It is important to note here again that being “called” and having a “calling” both pertain to the Caller deciding the specific purpose for which He uniquely creates the “called out ones,” which is to glorify ONLY Him! In other words, from before the foundation of the world, and all for the purpose of glorifying the Caller, Father God (the Caller) chose the places (where) His “called out ones” would put into practice their predestined roles, responsibilities, values, attitudes, and positions.

Now, even though God has given the Body of Christ His five-fold spiritual leaders, who are apostles, prophets, evangelists (those who go and share the Good News with unbelievers), pastors (those who take care of the Lord’s sheep), and teachers (those who teach the Word of God and discipleship), EVERY believer must understand that he or she is “called” to be an evangelist! Moreover, many of Jesus the Christ’s believers also are “called” to function in multiple spiritual positions, for example, as: apostle-pastor-evangelist, or prophet-teacher-evangelist, and so forth.

Put differently, the Holy Spirit gives each believer who has been baptized (infilled) by Him a unique combination of the abovementioned, as well as many other, spiritual gifts—those spiritual gifts that are especially appropriate for each individual believer. The Holy Spirit then persuades the spiritually endowed persons to use their spiritual gifts to minister to the Body of Christ, first, and then to minister to the unsaved masses.

For Holy Spirit filled, empowered, and endowed believers, gathering together to encourage and help one another grow spiritually through the use of their individual spiritual gifts within the context of holy and righteous relationships is the foundation for mutual encouragement and accountability between the members of the Lord’s ekklesia. Therefore, when and wherever true believers meet, they should do so, first, to worship and praise God, and then, secondly, to reach inwardly for the personal power, authority, and spiritual gifts they need to reach outwardly to others, which means they would be ministering not only to their brothers and sisters in Christ (saved people) but also to the unsaved world.

The Divine Truth is that our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, ministered to repentant and unrepentant people. For this reason, God “called out” every born again, saved, justified, and being sanctified believer so that the Lord could assemble each of them together into ONE spiritual body by perfectly fitting each of them in place (in an assembly or ekklesia that is located in different global cities, countries, and continents), and according to each individual’s spiritual gifts and his or her assigned function (e.g., apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher, and so forth). God confirms these statements in Apostle Paul epistles. The apostle writes:

And Christ gave gifts to people—he made some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to go and tell the Good News, and some to have the work of caring for and teaching God’s people. Christ gave those gifts to prepare God’s holy people for the work of serving, to make the body of Christ stronger. ~ Ephesians 4:11-12, NCV

and

…Speaking the truth with love, we will grow up in every way into Christ, who is the head. The whole body depends on Christ, and all the parts of the body are joined and held together. Each part does its own work to make the whole body grow and be strong with love. ~ Ephesians 4:15-16, NCV

and

A person’s body is one thing, but it has many parts. Though there are many parts to a body, all those parts make only one body. Christ is like that also. Some of us are Jews, and some are Greeks. Some of us are slaves, and some are free. But we were all baptized into one body through one Spirit. And we were all made to share in the one Spirit. …Those parts of the body that seem to be the weaker are really necessary. And the parts of the body we think are less deserving are the parts to which we give the most honor. We give special respect to the parts we want to hide. The more respectable parts of our body need no special care. But God put the body together and gave more honor to the parts that need it so our body would not be divided. God wanted the different parts to care the same for each other. If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it. Or if one part of our body is honored, all the other parts share its honor. Together you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of that body. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 22-27, NCV

In other words, ONLY Jesus the Christ, who is the Head of His spiritual body of believers, has the unrestricted authority and power to add new believers, daily (cf. Acts 2:47b), to this spiritual body of “called out” Christians. More important, if the spiritual body, like the natural body, were to be separated from its Head, then the spiritual body, like the natural body, would be a lifeless body. On the other hand, whatever the Head owns, His spiritual body also owns; thus, if Jesus the Christ, who is the Head of the spiritual body of believers, has ultimate power and authority, so does every believing member of His spiritual body.

As a result, the united body of believers, we who are under the leadership and Lordship of Jesus the Christ who is our Head, according to the Apostle Paul, are the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way (cf. Ephesians 1:19-23). That is why, as it was in the first century, we 21^st century truly born again, saved, justified, and being sanctified believers in Christ could have our worship, praise, thanksgiving, prayer, fellowship, spiritual strength, spiritual growth, and edification needs met, when we gather together with other true believers in public and private places located throughout the entire world.

For these abovementioned reasons, as we, who are the Lord’s added believers, seek to emulate the kind of servanthood that our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ demonstrated, we also should remember that our ministering to others, which is our reaching outwardly, is about more than what we do to and for people. As genuine believers in Christ, our ministering to others predominantly must be about who we are in Christ, as well as who we are becoming, which is more and more like Christ Jesus. Becoming more like our Lord means that, by God’s Grace and the power of His Holy Spirit, we also are gaining more of our Lord’s ministering attributes—His ministering characteristics that help us show our love, compassion, accessibility, approachability, and knowledge about the Gospel’s Truths with those believers and unbelievers who are in need of spiritual, physical, financial, material, communal, familial, emotional, mental, and/or psychological help.

Finally, let us not only develop pure motives for fulfilling our service to others, but also let us act upon those pure motives according to the purposes for which we have been “called” TO God and FOR God. Then too, let us not only acknowledge our God-given duty and role in the spiritual Body of Christ, but also let us understand that there are no lone wolves in said spiritual Body! In essence, we each have our own duty (or duties) to fulfill, and we have our own role (or roles) to play. However, when we either refuse to fulfill our duty (or duties) and/or refuse to play our role(s), or when we respond to our duty (or duties) and to the role(s) we have been given to play in the spiritual Body of Christ with impure motives, we need to know that we not only would be hurting ourselves, but also we would be hurting each other. More important, we would be hurting our Lord!

As Jesus the Christ says:

…Whoever wants to become great among you must serve the rest of you like a servant. Whoever wants to become first among you must serve the rest of you like a slave. In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people. ~ Matthew 20: 26-28, NCV

So then, the question we repeatedly need to be asking ourselves is: As we minister to our Household of Faith siblings, and minister to the unsaved masses, are we using, to God’s Glory, our positions in the Body of Christ and our spiritual gifts? If ever our answer is NO, then we would need to return to functioning in our assigned offices/positions of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher, and so forth, according to the way God meant for us to function. Furthermore, we would need to rediscover the main reason for our spiritual gifts. Certainly, our spiritual gifts are given to us for us to perform a specific ministry function that will glorify Father God and Jesus the Christ. In the end, we must understand that it is by God’s Grace and the power of His Holy Spirit that our humble servanthood—our altruistic display of God-like and Christ-like attributes and characteristics—could ever encourage, enlighten/educate, and strengthen the Body of Christ, as well as satisfy or fulfill the spiritual, physical, financial, material, communal, familial, emotional, mental, and/or psychological needs of unbelievers.

What Will Your RSVP Be To The King’s Invitation?

08 Sunday Mar 2009

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Bible Prophecy

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Bride, Bridegroom, Christ-like characteristics, compassionate, guests, humble, inward change, King, Letter of the Law, loving, Marriage Supper of the Lord, obedient, repentant, servants, sincere, Son, Spirit of the Law, Wedding Banquet

“Jesus told them several other stories to illustrate the Kingdom. He said, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. Many guests were invited, and when the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify everyone that it was time to come. But they all refused!’” (Matthew 22:1-3, NLT)

Of the three consecutive parables found in The Gospel According to St. Matthew that specifically deal with Jesus the Christ’s teachings on the TRUE obedient faith, the Parable of the Wedding Banquet (cf. Matthew 22:1-14) makes it clear to today’s believers that just because they have sent an “accept” RSVP to God, promising that they will be in attendance at His Son’s Wedding Banquet, their acceptance of God’s invitation doesn’t mean that they will prepare for the Marriage Supper of the Lord in an appropriate manner. For this reason, Jesus the Christ’s three parables about believers’ TRUE obedient faith progressively explain the kind of faith that God’s children must exhibit in order for them to be considered His true sons and daughters (see parable #1, which focuses on John the Baptist’s ministry, cf. Matthew 21:28-32; parable #2, which deals with the Old Testament prophets’ ministry, cf. Matthew 21:33-44; and parable #3, which is about Jesus the Christ’s mission and ministry, cf. Matthew 22:1-14).

Each of the three true obedient faith parables refers to the same situation and setting (the one about the two sons, which is Matthew 21:28-32; the one about the wicked tenant farmers, which is Matthew 21:33-44; and the one about the Wedding Banquet guests, which is Matthew 22:1-14). These three parables’ shared situation deals with Jesus the Christ’s divine sonship and the people who become God’s adopted true sons and daughters through faith in His only begotten Son. These three parables’ shared setting is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb’s preparation times—the time of the Old Testament prophets’ ministry, the time of Jesus the Christ and the first-century apostles’ ministry, and the time of Gentile spiritual leaders’ calling, inviting, evangelizing, discipling, and warning. These banquet preparations, thus, begin in the distant past, centuries before the birth of Jesus the Christ, and continue long after the Lord’s first coming, even in this modern day!

Without doubt, today’s believers are no different than the majority of the Jewish people who lived “before” Jesus the Christ’s bodily first coming, or those who lived during the time of His earthly ministry. Just as very few of the individuals who lived during ancient biblical times readily accepted God’s first two invitations, and just as very few of them spiritually prepared themselves to be worthy to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, the same is true of modern-day people. Nevertheless, because God foreknew that many “chosen” people would renege on their “accept” RSVP, and that many others would choose to send a “decline” RSVP, these are some of the reasons why He extends multiple invitations. His eternal compassion, love, and interest in ALL of His human creations have been such that, from the foundation of this world, God has not wanted ANYONE to miss out on the Wedding Feast—not any of His (1) “chosen” Old Testament Jewish people, not any of His (2) “chosen” New Testament Jewish people, and certainly not any of His (3) “subsequently chosen” New Testament Gentile nations.

Likewise, as it was in ancient biblical times, there are too many twenty-first century “called out ones” who are operating under the erroneous understanding that just because they have given an “accept” RSVP to God’s Wedding Banquet invitation that they definitely will be in the Bride’s seat at that feast. The truth is that many people who have accepted Jesus the Christ as their Lord and Savior will NOT be prepared for their Bridegroom’s promised return, and they (potential Bride of Christ candidates), therefore, will NOT be snatched away (raptured) when Jesus the Christ comes back on a cloud to take them to their heavenly mansion (wedding chamber).

In the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, which is about CHURCH-Age believers’ improperly clothed spiritual responses to God’s third invitation to His Son’s Wedding Feast, it is evident that the king in this parable is Father God, that the son is the Bridegroom (Jesus the Christ, the ONLY begotten Son of God), that the wedding guests initially are God’s chosen Jewish people, and then later the wedding guests are the Gentile nations who become the collective Body of Christ (a.k.a., the Bride of Christ or the CHURCH—believers from the Age of Grace, which is the present Church Age), and that the servants are the New Testament’s John the Baptist, Jesus the Christ, the first-century apostles, and other martyred church leaders who have been “called” into service throughout the current Church Age. Also a servant reference is made about the Old Testament’s prophets—those who prophesied about salvation and the Messiah before the Age of Grace and the CHURCH.

Moreover, in this same banquet parable, the Jewish people living during Jesus the Christ’s ministry represent the invited “guests,” those who not only give God a “decline” RSVP by rejecting God’s invitation for them to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and sit at the Lord’s Table, but also they are the ones who take part in Jesus the Christ’s crucifixion. Furthermore, because these Wedding Banquet invitees are more concerned with their everyday lives—more concerned with business as usual—than they are concerned with their promised Lord and Savior’s first coming, they end up rejecting Jesus the Christ’s Son of God claims and then they take part in His crucifixion, killing Him primarily because of His divinity claims. Moreover, as Jesus the Christ predicts, many Jewish religious leaders will participate in promoting hatred for Gospel messengers, and they even will persecute many believers who follow the Gospel’s teachings (cf. Matthew 22:4-6 and the parallel Scriptures in Luke 14:18-20).

In this Wedding Banquet Parable, Jesus the Christ teaches about the Jewish people’s mistreatment of their prophets/servants, both Old and New Testament prophets/servants, as well as the future first-century apostles, and the later spiritual leaders. The Lord says that Father God, the King, has “…sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared, and choice meats have been cooked. Everything is ready. ‘Hurry!’ But the guests he had invited ignored them and went about their business, one to his farm, another to his store. Others seized his messengers and treated them shamefully, even killing some of them ” (Matthew 22:4-6, NLT). Consequently, the Jewish nation’s rejection of Jesus the Christ results in Father God, the King, allowing the Jewish invitees’ sacred city, Jerusalem, to be burned. Jesus the Christ makes this future 70 A.D. prediction, when He says that the “…king…sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their city” (Matthew 22:7, NLT).

Now, after the King’s initial invitees give God a “decline” RSVP, He then not only proclaims that these invitees are not worthy to receive His most gracious invitation but also declares that these invitees’ rejection of His saving Grace or eternal plan of redemption makes it possible for God to now offer His saving Grace to so-called outcasts (to the Gentile nations). For sure, God ALWAYS has intended that Jesus the Christ’s true mission would be to save the whole world—to be Lord and Savior of every man and every woman who was born before Jesus the Christ’s first coming, and Lord and Savior of every man and every woman who would be born before Jesus the Christ’s second coming—that He would die to save EVERYONE, Hebrews and Gentiles, and the good and the bad!

Once again, the aforesaid so-called outcasts represent the Gentile believers who have accepted Jesus the Christ’s invitation to be their Lord and Savior, but there are a few Messianic Jews included in this number, too. Moreover, even though the Bride of Christ is not mentioned explicitly in the Wedding Banquet parable, Jesus the Christ implicitly mentions His Bride when He says that God tells His servants: “‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see’” (Matthew 22:8-9, NLT). There are many Scriptures that speak of the Wedding Feast being prepared specifically for the Bride of Christ (the CHURCH, which is primarily the Gentile nations), so even though Jesus the Christ doesn’t explicitly say that the Wedding Feast is for His special guests—His Bride or the CHURCH, the “called out ones,” the discipled believers who come from the four corners of the world—still the collective Bride of Christ is understood to be God’s invited privileged/favored guests. Therefore, the sending of His servants into the streets (metaphorically speaking, the Gentile nations; cf. Matthew 22:9, NIV) represents the Great Commission.

One of the most negative outcomes of the Great Commission is that there are far too many born again and saved Gentiles in today’s local churches who are NOT sold out for Jesus the Christ, as evidenced by the kinds of lifestyles they live—the ways they are responding to God’s invitation. For sure, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers have been about Father God’s business of evangelizing and discipling all ethnic groups located throughout this world; however, even though many of these servants of God, as Jesus the Christ says, have “…brought in everyone they could find…” (Matthew 22:10a, NLT), today’s CHURCH (Body of Christ or the parable’s banquet hall invitees) has become filled with a mixture of people who are “…good and bad…” (Matthew 22:10, NLT). In essence, there are believers in local churches throughout this world who are behaving just like the world rather than living like God expects His “called out ones” to live. The kind of Kingdom of Heaven lifestyle that God expects His children to live is a lifestyle of holiness and righteousness. That is why He called the members in the Body of Christ out of sin’s darkness and into the presence of His marvelous Light.

Now, it is undeniable that there are unsaved people sitting on the pews in today’s churches, but what most believers don’t realize is that many believers are included in Jesus the Christ’s number of the CHURCH’s “bad” members who have given God an “accept” RSVP—those who pay lip service to the Lord but their hearts/human spirits are far from Him. This last statement is confirmed by Jesus the Christ’s reference to one of the wedding guests who is inappropriately dressed. Jesus the Christ says: “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding” (Matthew 22:11, NLT).

For sure, the world today, including the CHURCH, is concerned with outward appearances. That is why, where many believers are concerned, if a person comes to church regularly, and if that person is involved in church activities like preaching in the pulpit, or teaching Sunday School and Bible Study, or singing in choirs, or participating in cell groups, or going on mission trips, and so forth, then that person often is thought to be a holy and righteous person—thought to be a person who is wearing a “righteous garment.” However, in the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, Jesus the Christ is making it clear that, unlike it is with humans who look on the outward appearance, God is concerned about the inward appearance—about the heart’s clothing (human spirit’s attitudes)! According to Jesus the Christ, God addresses the heart’s clothing—believers’ inner attitudes about the Divine Truths about their God, their Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit—in this manner: “‘Friend’…how is it that you are here without wedding clothes’” (Matthew 22:12a, NLT)? According to Jesus the Christ, “…the man had no reply” (Matthew 22:12b, NLT).

Concerning our inner heart’s clothing, if we are like the person in this parable, then we will be people who are attempting to enter into the Wedding Feast inappropriately dressed. The man in this parable symbolizes a person who believes in the CHURCH and in Jesus the Christ; yet, this person obviously has REFUSED to put on righteousness and holiness. In other words, this person has rebelled against the king’s (God’s) authority, majesty, and explicit expectation pertaining to wedding guests having a spirit that conforms to the Be-Attitudes, a spirit that fully comprehends the spiritual implications of living a pure, holy, and righteous life just like Jesus the Christ lived.

Indeed, Jesus the Christ is saying in this Wedding Banquet parable that not only did this guest come to the Wedding Feast without wearing the appropriate wedding attire, but also this guest did so intentionally. This guest decided against wearing the correct clothing, even though he has had access to the available proper garments, and even though God has given this guest ample time to prepare for the Wedding Banquet (nearly 2000 CHURCH-Age years). The man’s attire, thus, did not symbolize habitual sincerity, repentance, humility, compassion, love and obedience, which are the Christ-like characteristics that the true wedding garment would symbolize. Moreover, this guest should have replaced his street clothes with a true wedding garment, but instead he comes in his street clothes—in clothes that symbolize the carnal habits of pride, rebellion, and sinfulness.

Thus, if we are like the rebellious guest in the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, Jesus the Christ will rebuke our Pharisaical display of outward (eternal) righteousness, just like He rebuked the first century A.D. Pharisees for their outward display of hypocritical righteousness. At best, the Pharisees, whom Jesus the Christ specifically criticizes in the Sermon on the Mount, ONLY had hypocritical righteousness. Inwardly, because of their own “leaven,” their evil corruption of God’s Laws and their hypocritical righteousness, the Pharisees and Sadducees’ hearts (human spirits) were rotten as rotten could be. This is why the Pharisees only could stress the letter of the Law (literal interpretation), for they never understood and therefore never could applied the full Spirit (intent) of the Law! Moreover, not being able to apply the intent of the Law is why we, if we, like the Pharisees and Sadducees, only have an external disingenuous righteousness, also will be like the guest who comes to the wedding purposely dressed in the wrong garment, and having NO reply for the King, when He asks: Why are you not wearing the appropriate wedding attire?

Because of these religious leaders’ hypocritical righteousness, Jesus the Christ, through his many New Testament parabolic comparisons, teaches us that any person who is one thing on the outside and yet another on the inside, he or she is someone who is NOT one of God’s true faith believers, because this person is NOT being obedient to God’s command to live a lifestyle of holiness and righteousness, which flows from the inner spirit. In other words, a person’s external appearance MUST reflect that person’s inner attitudes. Any incongruity, that is, if what people see is really different from what people expect to see, which is the manifestation of the Christ-like characteristics that should be in the human spirit, this difference would mean that this person isn’t living a holy and righteous life!

Therefore, if a person thinks that he or she can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven without putting on (developing) the appropriate Christ-like character, as demonstrated by the works he or she would do that are backed up by his or her faith (a person’s total trust in God), then this person will soon realize that the ultimate punishment for not wearing the appropriate heart’s clothing will be that he or she will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Here are Jesus the Christ’s concluding Wedding Banquet words pertaining to the fate of this symbolic wedding guest who comes to God’s Wedding Banquet wearing unsuitable clothing: “ Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen ” (Matthew 22:13-14, NLT). The moral of this parable is in verse 14. God has invited us to eat at Jesus the Christ’s Wedding Table—God has invited us to become the true Bride of Christ (the CHURCH) who will be the participants in the future Marriage Supper of the Lord—but only a few of us are responding in the proper manner that would cause us to be chosen/invited as believers who are worthy to be seated the Lord’s Table!

If we ever hope to enter into the heavenly Kingdom of God and sit down at the Lord’s Table, then we must be aware of how we appear to God, now, so that if changes need to be made they can be achieved on this side of the Rapture. Since any opportunity for salvation is by Father God’s special invitation (by God’s Grace), He, thus, automatically lists in the “guest” category anyone He calls/invites to receive His salvation gift, which transforms and makes every recipient a “worthy” invitee. For this reason, every called/invited “guest” must put on the appropriate wedding garment, or be cast out of the wedding hall—denied a seat at the wedding table! There will be NO exceptions! That’s why the spiritual implication of the Parable of the Wedding Banquet is that, even though all born again believers are saved by Grace, not all of today’s born again and saved believers will be serious enough about their salvation to prepare their heart’s clothing (to take the time to develop a holy and righteous heart for God) by doing holy and righteous deeds for others! In essence, the Kingdom of Heaven’s holiness and righteousness, those God and Christ-like characteristics, are not being reflected in the “works” that many of today’s believers are doing for God!

Furthermore, just as the Jewish people’s indifference, hostility, and spiritual blindness have caused them to reject God’s loving call to redemption, a rejection which ultimately has led to their condemnation (their branches being broken off the Olive Tree), believing Gentiles need to realize that they must respond faithfully to God’s redemptive call to holiness and righteousness or also suffer condemnation. Now, the Apostle Paul says: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1, KJV), but the operative phrase in that verse is NOT “no condemnation”; the operative phrase in Romans 8:1 is “after the Spirit.”

The fact that some of today’s believers in Jesus the Christ are displaying indifference (a rebellious attitude toward God’s commands which causes them to choose to satisfy their own selfish lusts), hostility to God’s Gospel messengers and Gospel believers (hatred for spiritual leaders and followers of Jesus the Christ), and spiritual blindness (an intentional or unintentional hardhearted attitude toward the Divine Truth; or, some sacrilegious beliefs) only serves to prove that these people are walking after their carnal (fleshly) desires and evil thoughts of their mind rather than walking “after the Spirit.” Therefore, since they are not being controlled and led by the Holy Spirit, then they will receive condemnation/judgment!

Without a doubt, modern-day believers will be judged unworthy to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, if they do not live a holy and righteous lifestyle in Jesus the Christ, which is achieved through progressive sanctification (the work of God’s Holy Spirit) and the daily studying of the Word of God. Moreover, for the believers’ whose human spirits (hearts) are not clothed in the God-kind of holiness and righteousness, they will find themselves left behind, after the Rapture of the CHURCH takes place, which means that their condemnation/judgment is that they will suffer the Tribulation Period and possibly suffer the fate of being cast “into outer darkness”—the Lake of Fire.

What will our RSVP be to the King’s invitation? If our response is an initial “yes,” but then we end up being improperly clothed spiritual heirs, even though we have accepted Jesus the Christ as our personal Savior, at the time of the Rapture, our carelessness, inattentiveness (being unprepared), and unwillingness (refusing to be watchful) will cause our Bridegroom to reject us and judge us to be unworthy to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. We then also will enter into the Tribulation Period, and, if we survive this dreadful time, at the end of the Tribulation Period, as long as we haven’t accepted the mark of the Beast, we will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. However, we will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven in glorified bodies, and, as such, this truth means that many of us will die a physical death during Jesus the Christ’s millennial reign!

If our response is like that of the inappropriately dressed wedding guest (a member of the Body of Christ/CHURCH/Bride of Christ), who intentionally dresses in his street clothes and then tries to enter the Lord’s Wedding Feast, we again will be left behind to suffer the Tribulation Period. Our carnal habits of pride, rebellion, and sinfulness will cause us to reject God’s approved “righteous garment,” and because we know that we MUST come wearing appropriate wedding clothing, that which symbolizes habitual sincerity, repentance, humility, compassion, love, and obedience, but we still rebel against God’s expectations, after the Tribulation Period, if we are survivors who have accepted the mark of the Beast, we immediately will be condemned to the Lake of Fire.

If our response is a flat out “no,” because we believe that we have found another way to get into Heaven, or because we prefer New Age spirituality that we believe is better than that which God’s Holy Bible prescribes, then, like many of the Pharisees and Sadducees who possessed a corrupt religiosity/spirituality, we will be branches that have been cut off from the Olive Tree. We also will be left behind to face the Tribulation Period. After those seven years, if we have survived, we will be separated from the Tribulation Saints (the Wheat) and then immediately condemned to an eternity in the Lake of Fire—sent to outer darkness, where there will be much weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

Finally, Jesus the Christ makes it absolutely clear that the only RSVP response that will matter to God is that response which is an initial “yes” followed by a progressive inward change—a sanctified spirit/heart that is habitually sincere, repentant, humble, compassionate, loving, and obedient. We MUST have, and we MUST display these Christ-like characteristics! Without them, we will have no hope of being glorified—no hope of being counted in the number of those born again and saved believers who will be the raptured Bride of Christ. Only the true Bride of Christ will be saved from the seven years of the Tribulation Period—only the true Bride will go to Heaven and stay there until the Tribulation Period is over. Then the true Bride of Christ will come out of Heaven’s Bridal Chamber and sit down at the Lord’s Table to enjoy the Marriage Supper of the Lamb’s Feast with Jesus the Christ, Her Bridegroom! Thus, to be able to eat the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, we must choose this day to live a holy and righteous lifestyle, and then be faithful to live/keep the lifestyle we have chosen.

A word to the wise should be sufficient! PEACE….