God's Secret Agents~Greg Laurie




Thursday // July 9 // 2009
Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

Make no mistake about it: angels are actively involved in the lives of the people of God, and in the affairs of men in general.

One of the reasons we may not be personally aware of the presence of angels in our lives is that they are doing their job properly.

Angels generally operate undercover. Theirs is a vast world of intelligent, powerful spirit beings. Angels are invisible, and they remain that way most of the time, except on very rare occasions. As we see from Scripture, God will sometimes clothe angels with a human form.

Angels are God's secret agents, not drawing attention to themselves, but instead doing the bidding of God. They have a specific work and ministry in the life of the Christian.

That certainly gives us hope in these troubled and dangerous times in which we are living. When we think of all the violence, chaos, and danger in the world today, it is comforting to know that God's angels are watching out for us.

Angels may not help you find a parking place, but you can know this: they are God's secret agents, powerfully and effectively doing the work He has called them to do.

Warnings Unheeded~Bob Caldwell






Warnings Unheeded

1:9 Her uncleanness is in her skirts; She did not consider her destiny; Therefore her collapse was awesome; She had no comforter. "O LORD, behold my affliction, For the enemy is exalted!"

The fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian Empire was a traumatic shock for its inhabitants. Before its fall, Jerusalem had been the most unique city in all the world. Not only had it become a major political and military power in the region, but it was the place that God chose to build the only Temple on Earth in which He manifested His presence. His Shekinah glory filled the Temple with a cloud that radiated with light. It was there, in the Temple, that the original Ten Commandments had been kept within the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark, a beautiful golden box, also contained a jar of the miraculous manna He had provided to the Israelites fleeing Egypt and also the staff that Aaron had carried and that the Lord had made to miraculously bud.

There had been no place on Earth like Jerusalem. Yet it had become a massive pile of rubble. And it was not until these days of affliction and judgment that the people of Jerusalem felt the value of all the glorious and pleasant things they had lost. It was only in having lost everything that the people of Jerusalem began to consider the tragic judgment they had brought upon themselves. Their consistent disregard for God's commandments and their love affair with pagan idols brought the destruction they experienced. And, sadly, they had not been without warning. God sent an abundance of messages of impending judgment if they would not repent. Messages they completely disregarded.

What is so tragic is if they had responded to the warnings of the prophets, none of these tragedies would have occurred (v. 12-16). If they would have opened their hearts and minds to face the shame of their sin, if they would have felt the burning fire of the wrath that awaited them, and if tears would have been shed in genuine repentance, not one of these tragic events would have had to occur.

But their stubborn hearts would not relent. They would not listen though God had warned for decades that judgment and destruction would occur as His last resort if they would not repent. The lesson here should be abundantly clear to us all. One way or another, we will all have to face who we are in God's light. We can do it now and repent and receive healing grace, or we can do it after judgment has fallen upon us.
Our destiny lies in the balance!


Lamentations 1:1-22 Jerusalem in Affliction

1 How lonely sits the city
That was full of people!
Howlike a widow is she,
Who was great among the nations!
The princess among the provinces
Has become a slave!

2 She weeps bitterly in the night,
Her tears are on her cheeks;
Among all her lovers
She has none to comfort her.
All her friends have dealt treacherously with her;
They have become her enemies.

3 Judah has gone into captivity,
Under affliction and hard servitude;
She dwells among the nations,
She finds no rest;
All her persecutors overtake her in dire straits.

4 The roads to Zion mourn
Because no one comes to the set feasts.
All her gates are desolate;
Her priests sigh,
Her virgins are afflicted,
And she is in bitterness.

5 Her adversaries have become the master,
Her enemies prosper;
For the LORD has afflicted her
Because of the multitude of her transgressions.
Her children have gone into captivity before the enemy.

6 And from the daughter of Zion
All her splendor has departed.
Her princes have become like deer
That find no pasture,
That flee without strength
Before the pursuer.

7 In the days of her affliction and roaming,
Jerusalem remembers all her pleasant things
That she had in the days of old.
When her people fell into the hand of the enemy,
With no one to help her,
The adversaries saw her
And mocked at her downfall.

8 Jerusalem has sinned gravely,
Therefore she has become vile.
All who honored her despise her
Because they have seen her nakedness;
Yes, she sighs and turns away.

9 Her uncleanness is in her skirts;
She did not consider her destiny;
Therefore her collapse was awesome;
She had no comforter.
"O LORD, behold my affliction,
For the enemy is exalted!"

10 The adversary has spread his hand
Over all her pleasant things;
For she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary,
Those whom You commanded
Not to enter Your assembly.

11 All her people sigh,
They seek bread;
They have given their valuables for food to restore life.
"See, O LORD, and consider,
For I am scorned."

12 "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?
Behold and see
If there is any sorrow like my sorrow,
Which has been brought on me,
Which the LORD has inflicted
In the day of His fierce anger.

13 "From above He has sent fire into my bones,
And it overpowered them;
He has spread a net for my feet
And turned me back;
He has made me desolate
And faint all the day.

14 "The yoke of my transgressions was bound;
They were woven together by His hands,
And thrust upon my neck.
He made my strength fail;
The Lord delivered me into the hands of those whom I am not able to withstand.

15 "The Lord has trampled underfoot all my mighty men in my midst;
He has called an assembly against me
To crush my young men;
The Lord trampled as in a winepress
The virgin daughter of Judah.

16 "For these things I weep;
My eye, my eye overflows with water;
Because the comforter, who should restore my life,
Is far from me.
My children are desolate
Because the enemy prevailed."

17 Zion spreads out her hands,
But no one comforts her;
The LORD has commanded concerning Jacob
That those around him become his adversaries;
Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.

18 "The LORD is righteous,
For I rebelled against His commandment.
Hear now, all peoples,
And behold my sorrow;
My virgins and my young men
Have gone into captivity.

19 "I called for my lovers,
But they deceived me;
My priests and my elders
Breathed their last in the city,
While they sought food
To restore their life.

20 "See, O LORD, that I am in distress;
My soul is troubled;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very rebellious.
Outside the sword bereaves,
At home it is like death.

21 "They have heard that I sigh,
But no one comforts me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble;
They are glad that You have done it.
Bring on the day You have announced,
That they may become like me.

22 "Let all their wickedness come before You,
And do to them as You have done to me
For all my transgressions;
For my sighs are many,
And my heart is faint."


Lamentations 1:1-22

The Book of Lamentations, also titled The Lamentations of Jeremiah, was written by Jeremiah, probably in 586 B.C. Lamentations is a lament written in acrostic or alphabetic fashion. An acrostic is a literary form where the first letter in consecutive lines of the poem forms a pattern. In each of the first four chapters of Lamentations Jeremiah goes verse-by-verse through the Hebrew alphabet, beginning with the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet all the way through to the last letter.

v. 1 lonely sits the city – A reference to the vast amount of Jerusalem inhabitants who fell to captivity, or famine, or slaughter.

How like a widow is she – It was common for cities in the Old Testament to be portrayed as the mother to those who lived there. Also a reference to the absence of God, who served as a provider and King of the Jewish people.

v. 2 Among all her lovers – Lovers refers to Israel's allies (Edom and Ammon); all of whom betrayed Israel during its time of destruction.

v. 3 under affliction, and hard servitude – A reference to Jerusalem's treatment of the poor and servants in their society, which was counter to God's Law (Jer. 34:13-22).

dire straits – A situation that is impossible to escape.

v. 4 the roads to Zion mourn – Poetic language that describes the emptiness of the roads into Jerusalem, how they are no longer filled with travelers.

no one comes to the set feasts – There were three pilgrimage festivals on the Hebrew calendar: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of the Tabernacles. The streets would have been filled with pilgrims during these feasts prior to the destruction of the Temple.

v. 5 the LORD has afflicted her – Regardless of whom carried out the destruction, it was the Lord's judgment against Jerusalem that caused the result.

v. 6 daughter of Zion – The "daughter of Zion" was a personification of Jerusalem.

splendor – beauty

v. 8 she has become vile – "Vile" or "unclean" in some translations refers to the ceremonial uncleanness of a woman during her menstrual period (Lev. 12:2, 5; 15:19).

nakedness – All of Jerusalem's prosperity is being stripped away, and the city's sins revealed for all to see.

sighs and turns away – Continuing the comparison of Jerusalem to a woman whose clothing is torn off to expose her publicly, a modest woman will turn away in shame.

v. 9 Her uncleanness is in her skirts – This is describing a woman who has her menstrual period so heavily that the evidence of it can be seen down to the bottom of her skirts. Again, referring to the fact that Jerusalem cannot hide what has happened to the city.

did not consider her destiny – Although the Lord sent prophets to warn Jerusalem of His coming judgment, they did not heed Lord's warning and continued sinning without thought to God's impending just judgment.

v. 10 the adversary has spread his hands over all her pleasant things – This does not refer to Jerusalem's gold and other precious items, but the holy things inside of the Temple of God.

she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary – Non-Israelites were forbidden access to the temple courts (Deut. 23:1-3). Only priests had limited access to the sanctuary. Jeremiah laments that the sanctuary had been desecrated.

v. 11 They seek bread – There were extreme food shortages in Jerusalem when the city came under siege from the Babylonians. The Babylonians cut off all food and water supply lines until they finally overtook the city.

v. 12 any sorrow like my sorrow – A common thought in human nature, that the pain and burden that one feels is the worst, and that no one has a bigger burden.

v. 13 fire into my bones – Fire of God's divine wrath, which felt like a burning fever inside the Jews (Ps. 102:3). "Bones" may also refer to the buildings of the city, which were burned completely.

And it overpowered them – God, who sent the fire, directs it and none can stand against it.

spread a net for my feet – Like trapping wild birds or other animals in a net.

turned me back – Caught the city, so that there is no escape.

v. 14 yoke of my transgressions was bound; They were woven together by His hands – The image of an ox harnessed into a yoke, with the Lord Himself holding the reins. Symbolism meaning that Jerusalem was punished by the Lord Himself.

woven together – It was not just one sin that Jerusalem committed against the Lord. Her sins were multiple and intertwined.

not able to withstand – The Jews were not able to rise up against the Babylonians and overthrow their captivity.

v. 15 mighty men – Young, strong warriors; soldiers and men of battle.

The Lord trampled as in a winepress – The winepress was a common metaphor for God's divine judgment (Is. 63:3; Rev. 14:19, 20; Rev. 19:15).

virgin daughter of Judah – Reference to the Babylonian soldiers defiling the young women of Jerusalem.

v. 16 my eye, my eye – The repetition is used to show the depth of the grief that Jeremiah is expressing.

the comforter – The Lord. Luke 2:25 calls Him, "the consolation of Israel."

desolate – awestruck or stunned

v. 17 spreads out her hands – calling out for mercy

concerning Jacob – Refers to the law given to the house of Jacob.

unclean thing – A menstruating woman, who was considered unclean during the period of menstruation (Lev. 15:19-27).

v. 18 commandmentpeh (Heb.) meaning literally mouth. Refers to the Word of God.

v. 19 my lovers – Jerusalem's allies, including Egypt, who did not come to the aid of the city.

breathed their last – died

v. 20 my heart is overturned within me – restless, or turned upside down


Her uncleanness is in her skirts; She did not consider her destiny; Therefore her collapse was awesome; She had no comforter. "O LORD, behold my affliction, For the enemy is exalted!" –Lamentations 1:9

It is a shame, Lord, for us to think that because there is no immediate judgment for our sinful actions, words, and thoughts that there will never be any. Forgive us, Lord. Forgive us when we have not heeded Your Word, which tells that we are born with a sinful nature and are completely incapable of achieving the required perfection on our own. Forgive us when we have let Christ cover us so that we are saved, but we have not taken further steps to rid every aspect of our lives from sinful desires and ways.


Children's Ministry

God was abundantly faithful in bringing volunteers to help with about 400 children who attended the first Family of Promise meeting.

Prayer Points
  • For people to continue to open their hearts to those who are coming to the church seeking the Word of the Lord for their families.

What About Angels?~Greg Laurie



Wednesday // July 8 // 2009
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible. . . .

Years ago, a Time magazine poll showed that 69 percent of American adults said they believed in the existence of angels, and 32 percent claimed to have felt an angelic presence at some time in their life.

Even more surprising, the numbers jumped higher when they polled teenagers—three out of every four American teenagers said they believe in angels.

Contrary to what some believe, angels are not dead humans trying to earn their wings. Angels are an altogether unique group of beings created by God. In fact, there are different rankings of angels.

First and foremost is the archangel known as Michael. He is probably the highest-ranking angel in God's heavenly host. He is the only angel referred to in the Bible as an archangel.

Then we have the cherubim. They are powerful and majestic angelic creatures that surround the throne of God. They were placed as guards outside the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve were expelled (see Genesis 3:24).

Third, there are seraphim. Isaiah vividly describes them as crying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!" in his vision of the Lord enthroned and exalted (see Isaiah 6:1–3). It appears the seraphim were created to worship and praise the Lord.

Fourth, there is Gabriel. This high-ranking angel brought special messages to God's people. He appeared to Daniel to reveal the future to him. Years later, he brought the message to Zacharias that he would have a son who was to be named John, whom we know as John the Baptist (see Luke 1:5–19).

And of course, Gabriel also had the high privilege of announcing the birth of Jesus to Mary.

So we see that angels were created to worship and praise God, to serve Him, and to be messengers for Him—and so are we.

Conspicuous Christians~Greg Laurie



Tuesday // July 7 // 2009
Today's Read the Word: Joshua 1

Conspicuous Christians

"You are the light of the world."

There are two good ways that we can be light for the world. We can let our light shine by doing good works, and we can let our light shine by proclaiming the gospel.

Jesus told us to be conspicuous Christians when He said,

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14–16)

When there is a disaster, when people are starving, when there is a country torn by war or ravaged by disease, Christians should be the first on the scene, doing what they can. We can let our light shine at home or in our workplace by being kind, generous, loving, and by living sacrificially for others.

As Christians, we can let our light shine before others through our good works.

Then, of course, we also should let our light shine by proclaiming the gospel, telling others of their need for Christ. We are not to be secretive about our faith. We can tell our neighbors the good news. We can make sure our coworkers know exactly what a Christian believes. And we can raise our children to walk with the Lord.

You can be a conspicuous Christian—let your light shine!

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