Ken Winter
His Dwelling Place

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What does it mean to live in the shelter of the Most High and to find rest in His shadow? This is how Psalm 91 begins—a psalm many attribute to Moses. i believe that attribution is fitting. Moses is the one who carried Jehovah God’s instructions to His people for constructing the Tabernacle in the wilderness. He witnessed the fabrication of each part and completed the last of the work.

The Tabernacle was completed exactly as the Lord specified and was erected on the first anniversary of Israel’s departure from Egypt. That day, the Lord’s glorious presence descended upon it, covering and filling it with His awesome glory. His presence, previously seen in the guiding pillar of cloud, now took residence within His dwelling place among the people. From that day on, as His Spirit led, the people moved forward; when His Spirit remained in the Tabernacle, the people encamped.

His Dwelling Place
Ken Winter
An Unknown God

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In many ways, our world today mirrors the one in which the apostle Paul set out to share the Good News of Jesus. We have become so post-Christian that society now resembles a pre-Christian culture, where there is little knowledge or memory of Jesus. In this sense, we are not unlike the city of Athens, where Paul once preached.

After leaving Thessalonica, Paul brought the gospel to Berea. When the Jews in Thessalonica heard that the message had reached Berea, they traveled there to disrupt his work. Despite the opposition, many in Berea believed in Jesus. Sensing the danger Paul was in, the new believers encouraged him to leave the city. Some of them accompanied him as he departed for Athens, while Silas and Timothy remained to disciple the new believers.

While waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens, Paul went to the synagogue on the Sabbath and spent the other days in the public square….

An Unknown God
Ken Winter
Between the Already and the Not Yet

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As Jesus sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, teaching His disciples, He began this particular discourse with the admonition, “be on the alert,” and concluded with the exact same words. In reading His words in the Gospel of Matthew, we see that He directed this message to four distinct “audiences.”

First, He addressed His disciples' specific questions. Second, since Jesus’ earthly ministry focused primarily on the Jewish people, this message was also directed to them. Third, He spoke to His church—those who would follow after Him, including us today, who will be with Him in heaven before the Tribulation. (By the way, as a side note—as His people we will escape the Tribulation, but He never promised that we will escape tribulation.) Fourth, He was speaking to His followers who would come to faith in Him during the Tribulation (after the rapture, but before His second coming).

For those of us in that third group—believers following Him today—we live in a place between the “already” and the “not yet.”

Between the Already and the Not Yet
Ken Winter
Simple Stories, Profound Truths

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When Jesus spoke to the crowds, He often used simple stories (parables) to communicate profound truths about the Kingdom of God. Have you ever gotten confused over what Jesus was saying? If so, you’re in good company because even the apostles were confused—until they were filled with the Holy Spirit. The good news is, if we are followers of Jesus, we have that same Holy Spirit inside of us to reveal all truth.

Once, the disciples asked Him, “Why do You use parables when You talk to the people?” Jesus replied, “To those who listen to My teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” He added, “I use parables because they look, but don’t really see. They hear, but don’t really listen or understand.”

Jesus was emphasizing profound truths ….

Simple Stories, Profound Truths
Ken Winter
No More Manna

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Have you recently lost a job or seen a significant income stream dry up? Are you feeling discouraged or confused about what’s happening? Are you struggling to make sense of an unexpected change in your life? There’s a lesson to be learned from the Israelites’ experience soon after they crossed into the Promised Land.

Few Israelites were old enough to remember the days before they ate manna. For them, it had become a basic staple of their diet—like fresh ground peanut butter is for me today. The generation that perished in the wilderness had been the ones grumbling, “If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt… There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”God responded to their complaints and miraculously provided them with manna.

No More Manna

Sin

Too Little Too Late

Too Little Too Late

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When you were a kid, do you remember getting caught doing something your parents or someone else in authority over you had told you not to do – or for not doing something they had told you to do? You suddenly realized there were going to be consequences. You weren’t going to be able to do something you had really been looking forward to doing – like going to a party at a friend’s house, or going to a movie with friends, or the like.

You felt really bad! But, in truth, you didn’t feel bad about what you had done; rather, you felt bad about the consequence of your disobedience. And the truth is, that didn’t just happen back when we were kids. It also has happened to us as adults. As a matter of fact, it may have just happened yesterday.

We Can't Bury It Deep Enough

We Can't Bury It Deep Enough

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Have you ever done something that you knew you weren’t supposed to do? But you rationalized it was okay because no one was ever going to know what you had done. And then you took great effort to cover up what you had done just to make sure no one would ever know. The answer to that question for all of us is “yes”. How do i know? Because we are all sinners … and we all have the proclivity to sin. Allow me to introduce a fellow sinner by the name of Achan.

On the morning the walls of Jericho collapsed, Joshua commanded the people of Israel, “Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel. Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the LORD and must be brought into His treasury.” Joshua had repeated this instruction multiple times so that everyone would clearly know and remember what they were to do. And every one of the fighting men took that command to heart and obeyed … except one.

The treasures of Jericho were laid bare that day ….

Failure Is An Event, Not A Person

Failure Is An Event, Not A Person

How many of us have failed at something this past week? i know i did! We were blessed to have all of our family home with us for the Thanksgiving holiday. Four households and four generations converging for a special time together. Four households and four generations with different perspectives and different ways of doing things. Viva la difference, right? Well, after a while, i somehow lost all that holiday spirit, got turned sideways by those quirky differences, and my impatience began to grow until it boiled over. Now remember, i’m the proud patriarch of this “quirky” clan, so that’s not supposed to happen to me.  i’m supposed to act like the godly leader of this tribe. After all, i’m the chief “quirk”! So, at that moment, i was faced with three choices:

  1. i could try to justify my “impatience” as righteous indignation and attempt to bully everyone else into submitting to my way, or

  2. i could allow my reaction to define me and resign myself to be a failure as a godly leader and father, and sulk in my condition, or

  3. i could acknowledge that my reaction was wrong, learn from it and make an adjustment in my attitude and actions going forward.

Then on Sunday….

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