Worthy Brief - 9/17/2019
Friend, oh death where is your sting?
1 Corinthians 15:55-58 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Yesterday, my wife and I attended a funeral in Jerusalem -- which is never an easy thing. In the midst of the mourning, the realization dawned (once again) that this life is utterly fleeting ... a vapor in the wind ... and these frail human bodies in which we dwell, are mortal dust. We are living in the land of the dead and dying, and only those of us who truly know and are known by the Messiah, upon our death, will enter the land of the truly living!
Mourning is the only honest and human response to the death of loved ones, and it quickens the profound realization just how precious life is. Death, and the funerals which attend it, also inspire the opportunity for serious introspection and for taking account of how we are living our lives in this world. Values, priorities, and building upon the foundation of Christ, ought to occupy our minds when we encounter the stark reality that someone else has just gone to his or her reward.
When I think of funerals, I'm reminded of D.L. Moody and his attempt to write his first funeral message as a young pastor. He searched and searched the Gospels, and came to the realization that every funeral service Yeshua (Jesus) attended... He resurrected the dead body. Yeshua (Jesus) was the ultimate funeral party crasher! Praise God... He said, "I am the resurrection and the life ..." [John 11:25]
Friend, death is the ultimate wake-up call to remind us of the great message we carry.... Messiah has come, He raises the dead, and we will give explicit account for our deeds, either when we pass to the next world or when He returns. If He dwells within us, and we allow His resurrection life to inspire our words and guide our actions, everyone we encounter will have the opportunity to know and experience that He truly is "the Resurrection and the Life"!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Arad, Israel
Editor's Note: We've added a short three week tour of the United Kingdom in just a few weeks. This will be our first tour of the UK, and if you'd like us to minister at your congregation or home fellowship, be sure to let us know ASAP. This will be a very limited time, as we need to arrive in the States by the beginning of November. You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information.
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce that after months of development, we've finally finished the Worthy Prayer Team. If you have a prayer request, please let the Prayer Team know.
Editor's Note: We're starting to schedule our Winter tour of the United States. If you would like us to minister at your congregation, home fellowship, or Israel focused event, be sure to let us know ASAP. You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information.
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