Gain for Spain - Issue 28

WOULD YOU RUN?

Acts 8:29-30 says, “Then the Spirit said to Philip, go near, and join
yourself to this chariot. Then Philip ran to him.” When was the last
time you literally ran to someone because you felt impressed by the
Spirit to tell that person about Jesus? We run almost daily to catch
the bus, to chase Evy, or maybe to tell someone they dropped
something. Why is it we feel this urgency to run hard after things,
but not after souls? Philip literally ran to the eunuch. What would
the world be like if all believers possessed the faith and obedience
Philip portrayed this day? Today at a bus stop we spoke with Patricia,
an English-speaking Spaniard, who said she did not believe in God or
need God. As the conversation progressed, she had to get on her
bus…before we shared the gospel with her. As the bus drove away,
Justin said, “we’re no Philips”. We could have easily taken her bus,
even though it would have been an inconvenience to us, to continue
telling her about the love of Jesus. Pray God would burden our hearts
and yours so heavily for the lost that we would be willing to run
after someone or take the wrong bus in this case, just for the
opportunity to share the gospel. So what if the person thinks we’re
crazy or if it is out of our own comfort zone, these people need
Jesus!! If hell is a real place, and Jesus is the real Savior, we
shouldn’t hesitate to run.

IMMERSION

People always say the best way to learn a language is to be immersed
in it. We are immersed. Whether we are walking down the streets,
speaking to no one, or sitting in our living room with the balcony door
open, we are taking in Spanish. There is no escaping it…we even
dream about Spanish! We love trying to use the Spanish we know, but
our brains are basically running triathlons every day! This can be very
tiring and can definitely play into culture stress…which we’ve both
begun to experience a bit. We sincerely love the city and the people
we meet, but it is inevitable to go through emotional and mental
challenges when changing cultures. Today we spoke with about 5
people who spoke English in various places, God must have known we
needed that little bit of encouragement. We’ve learned a lot of new
things from our Spanish classes, and we’ve been able to challenge our
teacher a couple times with truths from the Bible. We also mentioned
our realtor, Carlos, in a previous newsletter. Justin has gone out with
him twice, both times discussing the gospel and spiritual things at
some point, and their friendship is continuing to progress. Justin picks
up a lot of Spanish from his time with Carlos as well. Keep Carlos &
Alberto, our teacher, in your prayers for their salvation.

The Miphkad Gate

Here we arrive at the gate of gathering. The appointed meeting place. Again this gate was not in the walls of Jerusalem, but in the walls of the courtyards of the temple.

Nehemiah 3:31

31. After him repaired Malchiah the goldsmith's son unto the place of the Nethinims, and of the merchants, over against the gate Miphkad, and to the going up of the corner.

Looking at the Hebrew word, Miphkad means an appointment, mandate, designated spot, commandment or numbering.
What was the temple the appointed place for? Meeting God, and meeting together as a people. In the same way today, the local church is the place appointed by God for meeting together to worship him, and fellowship together. In that I mean the place and the people. While the local church, is the people, the people cannot meet without a physical location to meet. In this instance the to go together.
For us, as we consider the Miphkad Gate, it reminds us of the fellowship we should have together as a local church, and the role the local church plays in the life of the believer.

Here are three keys to understanding biblical fellowship.

Philippians 2:1-6

1. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
2. Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
4. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

1. Fellowship involves sharing everything.
2. Fellowship is maintained by practicing biblical characteristics.
3. Fellowship must be based on a relationship with Christ.

It is only when we are seeking after Christ, and growing in our relationship with him that we gain the mind of Christ, and in doing so automatically drawn closer in fellowship with each other.

In today's world our social life is increasingly more virtual using phones and Internet. Although this is a valid way of staying in touch, it is not possible to have true biblical fellowship in a virtual manner.
Much has been taught in recent years, by pastors encouraging churches to work together as people. Based on Paul’s teaching in Corinthians, and other similar passages the battle is waged against those who see the church as a pile of bricks.
This is true, however as society fragments it is important to remember that that pile of bricks is important also. The church is both the people but also the appointed place (Miphkad) where they meet, otherwise they could not meet at all. We must be careful not to forsake true fellowship in an increasingly virtual world.

Pete & Elisha - I'm Special

Pete and Elisha singing "I'm special", for Malachi's dedication. Play now

Malachi - Messenger of God

Malachi means 'Messenger of God'. What are you going to do with his message

The East Gate

This gate is possible the most spoken of gate in Jerusalem, and it has been walled shut for the last 400 years. Different maps place this gate in different places, however I have placed it in the outer temple walls for good reason, based on scripture as we shall see.

Nehemiah 3:29

29. After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his house. After him repaired also Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the east gate.

The keeper of the East Gate repaired this next section of the walls, and we assume that this part was therefore close enough to the East Gate for him to do his job as well. What is clear from this passage is that the gate itself was not in the wall repaired in Nehemiah’s time.
This Gate, as we shall see is a picture of the second coming of Christ, and is the first of a series of gates that focus on God rather than on us. No surprise therefore that these gates are part of the temple walls rather than the walls of Jerusalem.

There are many pointers to the East Gate in references to the second coming of Christ, beginning with the fact that in Acts 1 the disciples were on the Mount of Olives, to the East of Jerusalem when they were told Jesus would return in the same manner, and one assumes, in the same place. The clearest reference is in Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 43:1-2, 4

Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:
1. And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
2. And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.

This was the gate that Jesus rode in through on a donkey, two thousand years ago, and at the end of this age he will re-open the gate, which was closed by a Muslim specifically to stop Christ coming back that way, and he shall ride in in victory to begin his reign.
Why does this make a difference to our lives?
Firstly our attitude toward life and death is turned upside down by the knowledge that Christ is coming back.
Secondly, knowledge of the return of Christ revolutionises the way we live our lives.
Finally, knowledge of the imminent return of Christ galvanises us into action reaching the lost.

On that day it will be too late to change your mind. Every knee will bow, but not all willingly. Are there people you do not want to leave behind? Tell them of Christ now before it is to late.

Matthew 24:37-41

37. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39. And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

The time is coming fast.

True repentance leads to Worship

Repentance is only real when it results in change.

The horse gate

Following on the heels of the Fountain Gate and the Water Gate we get a sudden jolt of reality, the Horse Gate. It is very easy to fall into the trap of super-spirituality. That is, people full of the Holy Spirit, reading the Word of God, the first to share what God has revealed to them and so on, but strangely absent when the chairs need stacking, or the washing up needs doing. Here at the horse gate the priests got practical.

Nehemiah 3:28

28. From above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his house.

Let us take first the builders working on this section of the wall, around the Horse Gate. It was the priests, and it was all of them doing a bit by their own house.

Peter 2:9-10

9. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10. Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

So when it comes to us, none are excluded from the work of the priests. Not only must we all do the work of the priest, but the priest’s work is to get practical. Note that they built the bit by their houses. Spiritually, our first responsibility is to our families. If we cannot lead them in following the Lord, then how can we lead anyone else to him? Practically we are shown the principal of keeping our eyes open and doing whatever needs doing. They fixed the part next to their houses as coming out of the front door they saw it needed fixing.

What of the gates themselves? What was their purpose? It was these gates that led to, or from the palace. It was this road that Athaliah tried to use to escape when Joash became king of Israel in 2 Kings 11:13-16
There are only two kinds of people who would use this gate, soldiers and messengers. This gives us two specific tasks that we are all called to do, as priests of God.

Paul famously called us soldiers in Ephesians 6, and in order for the soldiers to know the commands of the King, the messengers get running. This is the New Testament evangelist; the front line runner taking the gospel to the nations. Again, this is not the work of a few, but the work of us all. As Paul told Timothy:

2 Timothy 4:5

5. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

The Horse Gate represents that place in our lives where we must take up the banner and fight. All of us are called to the task, and that task begins with the practical, and ends with the spiritual. Be on guard then go out with the sword of the Spirit, which is the gospel and fight.