Matters of Faith
A practical application of the Word of God for everyday issues.
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Reverend J. Loren Russell
Matthew 24:3, 14 NKJV
“Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
In the book of Exodus, we read how the Children of Israel, on their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, grew hungry and complained to Moses. The Lord, in His mercy, fed them with manna. When they first saw it, they asked, “What is it?” Imagine their bewilderment—seeing a mysterious substance left by the dew of the morning, white like coriander seed, unlike anything they had ever known. They had been wandering for weeks, starving, and suddenly, provision appeared in an unfamiliar form. They did not yet realize that this manna would sustain them throughout their wilderness experience.
In the New Testament, Jesus’ disciples asked Him when the end of the age would come. His reply was sobering. He spoke of deception, wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, persecution, betrayal, and lawlessness. He told them that many would fall away, that false prophets would rise, and that love would grow cold. Like the Israelites, the disciples were hungry—hungry for hope, hungry for relief.
Yet, in the midst of the darkness, Jesus offered light. He said, “The one who endures to the end will be saved.”(Matthew 24:13). In John 16:33, He assured them, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Their endurance would not be in vain; it would lead to eternal deliverance.
But here lies the most striking part of His answer: none of the calamities Jesus described are the definitive sign of the end. The wars, the earthquakes, the betrayals—these are only the background. The true indicator, Jesus said, is this:
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)
Evil will persist until that mission is complete. The end will not come until the good news of the kingdom has been proclaimed to every corner of the earth.
If you long to see an end to the madness of our age and hasten the coming of God’s kingdom, then use every means at your disposal to preach this gospel—through your words, your actions, your love, your life. The Israelites learned that manna was heaven’s provision for their survival. Likewise, Jesus tells His followers that the gospel of the kingdom is heaven’s provision for the world’s salvation.
In my sanctified imagination, I can hear Jesus saying, “If you want to see the end of this broken age, this is how it is done—preach this gospel of the kingdom!”
Be Blessed!
Rev. J. Loren Russell is the Clergy Officiant at the Evangelical Church of God and ssociate minister at Goodwill Baptist Church, both in the Bronx. He is the President/CEO of The JLR Company/J Loren R Consulting, LLC for Church Financial & Strategic Consulting (718-328-8096). He writes this column and produces and host’s “Matters of Faith: The Radio Show” on Monday nights from 8:00 – 10:00 PM on The Matters of Faith YouTube channel. Be sure to Friend, Like, and Share the column and the channel. Email us at mattersoffaith.mof@gmail.com. Order your copy of Matters of Faith: The eBook at www.smashwords.com/books/view/993177.
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Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”If you have ever suffered from low self-esteem or a lack of self- confidence, you are in good company. The children of Israel needed this multifaceted blessing and assurance that the Lord would bless and keep them, make His face shine upon them, be gracious to them, life up his countenance upon them, and give them peace.
His power, His presence and his Holy Spirit were all contained in this Old Testament priestly benediction. As the Children of Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, this blessing reassured them that they were both loved and chosen by God as His holy nation. It was the power, the presence, and the grace of God in all His glory.
The power of the Father is evidenced through His promise to bless the children of Israel. To bless is to salute, to honor and to esteem. The Lord promises to bless, to keep, to guard, to protect, and to preserve His chosen people.
The presence of God is revealed when He makes His face to shine upon them. He takes pleasure in their worship. His graciousness, His kindness, and His generosity are revealed through His intimacy with them.
The grace of the Lord shows up in their personal relationship with Him as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Even though they are living in the chaos of the wilderness, His grace delivers them to wellness, happiness, prosperity, rest, and safety in spite of their environment.
Today’s believers have the same assurance. He is omnipotent and has charge of all we will experience and is the source of all our blessings. He is the source and the sustenance of all that we are, all that we have and all that we will ever be. He has the power to bless and to keep us just as He did the children of Israel, to make His face shine upon us. Matthew Henry’s Bible Commentary says, “For in every place where God records his name, he will meet his people and bless them.”
It is through His power, His presence and His grace that the Israelites made it through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. The same power, presence and grace will bring you through whatever trial or tribulation you’re facing and deliver you to your land of promise.
Be blessed!
Rev. J. Loren Russell is the Clergy Officiant at the Evangelical Church of God and associate minister at Goodwill Baptist Church, both in the Bronx. He is the President/CEO of The JLR Company/J Loren R Consulting, LLC for Church Financial & Strategic Consulting (718-328-8096). He writes this column and produces and host’s “Matters of Faith: The Radio Show” on Monday nights from 8:00 – 10:00 PM on The Matters of Faith YouTube channel. Be sure to Friend, Like, and Share the column and the channel. Email us at mattersoffaith.mof@gmail.com. Order your copy of Matters of Faith: The eBook at www.smashwords.com/books/view/993177.
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Mark 4:35-41 (NKJV)
“On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!”And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” my quiet time with the Lord in the mornings, as I read and study from the Holy Writ, recite scriptures, meditate, pray, and exercise, I hear the voice of the Lord in holistic fashion. Each aspect of worship serves in its own unique way reveals His presence and quiets the storms in my spirit and my life.
During those quiet moments, when His voice is clear, His presence is felt, and the storms cease, when I experience an overwhelming warmth in my heart, the situations in my life may not change, but the calm that envelopes me gives me a sense of peace and an inner assurance that everything is going to be just fine. It’s hard to explain, since it isn’t always logical. But in those still, quiet moments, His voice whispers and I can hear Him clearly saying, “Peace be still!”
Life always has storms; one that has passed, one that is happening right now, or one that is coming. When the storm arose on the Sea of Galilee, His Disciples, fearful and scared, cried out, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” When you do not know the one who can calm raging storms with a word, you also don’t know the God who can just as easily calm the storms in your life with the same words, “Peace be still!” Astonished and amazed, His Disciples asked, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
What they did not know was that the peace of God is the key to making it through a storm. That peace is found in the pages of the Bible, not deeply buried in some secret place that you need a bulldozer or a pickax to find. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist or a college graduate. Just trust in the one who looked at the storm, spoke to the winds, and calmed the raging sea.
If you don’t have a time that you dedicate to spend with Him, a time when it’s just you and God, you are missing the peace that only He can give, and you will never know the kind of peace, what the Bible calls the “shalom” peace, that can weather any storm, even ferocious storms like the Disciples experienced.
Truly, it is in those still, quiet moments that you can hear His voice whisper, speaking clearly to the storms in your life saying, “Peace be still!”
Be Blessed!
Rev. J. Loren Russell is the Clergy Officiant at the Evangelical Church of God and associate minister at Goodwill Baptist Church, both in the Bronx. He is the President/CEO of The JLR Company/J Loren R Consulting, LLC for Church Financial & Personal Strategic Consulting (718-328-8096). He writes this column (www.mattersoffaith.blog) and produces and host’s “Matters of Faith: The Radio Show” on Monday nights from 8:00 – 10:00 PM on The Matters of Faith YouTube channel (@mattersoffaith9525). Be sure to Friend, Like, and Share the column and the channel. Email us at mattersoffaith.mof@gmail.com. Order your copy of Matters of Faith: The eBook at www.smashwords.com/books/view/993177.
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By Reverend J. Loren Russell
2 Corinthians 5:1-8 (v. 7) NKJV
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
“Going the distance” is a term often used in the boxing world to describe someone who completes every scheduled round, especially if they are on the losing end of the fight. It describes someone who shows endurance and tenacity, someone who has determined that they are going to stay the course no matter what. We admire people like that. They personify for the rest of us what a person with a made-up mind can do.
In this letter to the Corinthian church, especially in this chapter, we see Paul as both a realist and visionary. On one hand, he is compelled to admit that these earthly bodies, no matter how well we take care of them, or how much good we do while we are in them, are bound for the grave. But as a visionary, he says we ache for our mortality to be swallowed up by life. John 5:24 captures the spirit of Paul’s writing when he quotes Jesus who said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” Talk about a reason to go the distance!
How far will you go in your faith? In verses 8-10 of the fourth chapter, Paul acknowledges the pressure of endurance but still encourages them to stay strong. He says they are “hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” When Paul uses the word “we” in his letter to the Corinthian church, he is talking about himself and his readers. He says those who are willing to go the distance are able to stand through the hardest of times, not just when things are going well.
With Paul as our guide, pleasing God as our goal, spreading the gospel as our motivation, not concerned with race, creed, culture, or gender, eliminating external distractions, maintaining an eternal perspective, and being completely secure in knowing that being absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, we can go the distance. I am reminded of a poem that says, “It’s easy to smile when life goes by like a song. But the man worthwhile is the man with a smile when everything goes dead wrong.” Are you willing to go the distance?
Be Blessed!
Rev. J. Loren Russell is the Clergy Officiant at the Evangelical Church of God and associate minister at Goodwill Baptist Church, both in the Bronx. He is the President/CEO of The JLR Company/J Loren R Consulting, LLC for Church Financial & Strategic Consulting (718-328-8096). He writes this column and produces and host’s “Matters of Faith: The Radio Show” on Monday nights from 8:00 – 10:00 PM on The Matters of Faith YouTube channel. Be sure to Friend, Like, and Share the column and the channel. Email us at mattersoffaith.mof@gmail.com. Order your copy of Matters of Faith: The eBook at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/993177.
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By Reverend J. Loren Russell
Acts 4:32-33, 5:1-11 NKJV
32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. 2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5 Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. 6 And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.
7 Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. 11 So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.
At the start of the New Testament church, with great power the Apostles gave witness of the resurrection of Christ. By the power of the word of God, the people were blessed with divine favor and God’s loving kindness. To show they had great grace, whatever they owned they considered to be for the good of everyone, not just their own personal use. They were of one heart and one mind. There was a strong sense of unity in the community.
However, there was one couple who did not fully share in the unified spirit. Ananias and Sapphira devised a plan that would give them honor but shortchange the neediest among them. Their plan was to give less than they actually received but tell the Apostles and the church that they were giving it all. They thought they would get the recognition and get to keep some of the funds form themselves. What they did not account for was God’s ability to see their motives.
With great power, Peter revealed to Ananias that he had not just lied to the apostles or the church, he lied to God. With that, Ananias fell dead.
Less than three hours later, Sapphira confirmed the conspiracy she and Ananias had conceived. She too dropped dead on the spot. Great fear swept through the community and the church.
The church today is an extension of that infant church. She has been gifted by God with great power to proclaim the Gospel, great grace to be generous to the needy, and great fear of living anything other than authentically for Christ.
The Union Gospel Press Sunday School guide asks, “How does it feel when you realize someone was pretending to be generous to get people to think more highly of them?” As is illustrated in the story of Ananias and Sapphira, there is a danger in sin that can cost more than expected. God gives great power to compliment His great grace so that we live with great fear.
Be Blessed!
Rev. J. Loren Russell is the Clergy Officiant at the Evangelical Church of God and associate minister at Goodwill Baptist Church, both in the Bronx. He is the President/CEO of The JLR Company/J Loren R Consulting, LLC for Church Financial & Strategic Consulting (718-328-8096). He writes this column and produces and host’s “Matters of Faith: The Radio Show” on Monday nights from 8:00 – 10:00 PM on The Matters of Faith YouTube channel. Be sure to Friend, Like, and Share the column and the channel. Email us at mattersoffaith.mof@gmail.com. Order your copy of Matters of Faith: The eBook at www.smashwords.com/books/view/993177.
Matters of Faith 